Enjoy!

Lovin’ this! So sweet these two…I love me some brides to-be that can rock a fabulous pair of shoes…
SO beautiful!!!The photo on the left: one of my favorites.Heart umbrella! Are you kidding me!? LOVE.
<3The tree.
UMMMM. YES please.After a quick outfit change we stopped for a few more shots…Hotties! Have a fab day everyone, thanks for stopping by!

Seriously, somebody just kick me. Poor husband. I guess I’m just as annoying whether I’m in the same room as him or half way across the Pacific Ocean but in my defense, The Vow is in theaters the same week that I’m pms’ing. That clearly explains everything right? Duh.

Anyway, it looks like the husband will have to deal with more annoying text messages and phone calls for the rest of the month. I had planned to stay in San Diego for only two and a half weeks to photograph a couple of engagement sessions but I’ve decided to extend my stay because of my dad’s surgery the first week of March. So I need to be here, even if that means being away from Eddie longer than I was emotionally prepared for but I can’t stand imagining being thousands of miles away while my dad is in the hospital and my mother is in the waiting room without someone to make sure she eats. And well, ya’ll know that when it comes to good food, I’m all in. Remember the post about pre-surgery stuff I posted last year? Well it’s pretty official, my dad will be getting lumbar spinal fusion surgery March 5th…we’re all nervous about it but also looking forward to it because it’s supposed to relieve the pain he’s been dealing with for a few years now.

On a lighter note, these two fatties are pretty thrilled about me extending my stay…here they are making sure I can’t get to my luggage even if I wanted to…Happy Friday!

Please enjoy the photos!

I could have stayed here all day…it’s like a vegan’s dream to shoot here.
Ugh. These two are amaaaaaazing!!!LOVE.I sure have missed this California light…
SO stunning.
love.Everything about Alicia’s outfit & look were perfect!My favorite.Thank you for stopping by!

This is just a small post to say Thank You.

Truly. I thank you, I’d say from the bottom of my heart but no, it’s more like with my whole heart, I thank you. For allowing me to do what I love. For choosing me from all of the wonderful photographers out there. For the sweet and encouraging emails. For introducing me to your wonderful families. For sharing bits of your life with me and for trusting me to document your love.

You are all amazing. I’m inspired by those of you I’ve photographed in the past and I’m so excited to work with those of you who will be getting married in the future. Some of you have booked me after a wonderful coffee date, some after a phone conversation and others through a few emails but regardless of how we connected I want all of you to know that I appreciate your trust and it is an absolute honor to work with every one of you. This year marks my third wedding season since I photographed my first wedding in December 2009 and sometimes I can’t believe it’s actually happening…so, thank you. gracias and mahalo. *hugs*

-M

Another little preview from Dave and Aneeka’s amaaaazing wedding at the Vibiana…I’m so eager to do a full post on this wedding but I have to hold on to it just a bit longer!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

But right now while I’m on this plane and as I type these words on my ipad with only 19% battery life left because I forgot to charge it, I’m missing my husband. Unfortunately he’ll be in Honolulu while I’m in San Diego for the next two and half weeks. My visit will consist of photographing a couple of engagement sessions, spending a lot of quality time with the fatties, my parents, friends and eating Mexican candy to drown out how much I’ll miss Eddie. I’ve taken plenty of trips without him before but for some reason this one feels more difficult. Walking away from him and through the security gates at the airport was not fun and surprisingly, my tears stayed within the outlines of my eyeballs. That was a first.

Deep breath. I have lot of work, thinking and planning to do while on this trip so I’m leaving the mushy stuff aside and focusing. *game face on* that is of course, until I see my parents, then it’ll all go downhill so I’ll have to re-read this post to remind myself that I am an adult, a glitter nail polish wearing adult, but regardless, composure is important. Composure is always key.

Hellllllllooooooo San Diego and happy Saturday ya’ll!

We had been staying with my brother since December and half the time it felt like a giant slumber party which I obviously loved. Sometimes I’d wake up early, sometimes I’d sleep in. I stayed with Eliana almost every day and basically spent the days giving horsey rides, reading, dancing, jumping, counting, taking walks and documenting as much of it as I could. I’d respond to emails and phone calls when she napped and Eddie and I went to apartment viewing appointments a few evenings a week. I absolutely loved the Eliana part and hated the ‘searching on craiglist for a place to live’ part. But we’ve been in our own little apartment for almost two weeks now and we are finally settled in. Well, kind of. I still need the pretty things, like picture frames and wall art, but that will have to be a work in progress…

Anyway, back to the point of this post. Today was the first day I actually sat at my desk and worked. Like, officially. It’s not that I ever stopped working, I worked on the plane on the way to Honolulu, I worked on my laptop in my brothers living room, at Starbucks, from my phone, late night in the spare bedroom and sometimes even during dinner, but it was all so unconventional and not formal that it flew right by. Kind of like a blur, but an organized blur.

So today when I did work/business things the “formal” way, in my running shorts and all, I took an extra moment to take everything in…the sound of the birds singing outside, the random gecko that hangs out on my window screen, the trees dancing with the wind and the fact that I’m five minutes away from the beach and some amazing hikes…my first “office” workday in Hawaii. I love it but believe it or not, I kinda’ miss the craziness that has been for the past two months.

This post makes my last post sound a little wacko right? Oh well. It’s a mixture of emotions around here if you haven’t noticed already. I’m really excited about the things that are happening in my business this year, even if I don’t know what all of them are yet, and I thank you for taking the time to check my little corner of the web. Mahalo and Aloha.

Silence.

And that’s the moment I realized that I’m a fool. Well, not all the time but sometimes, yes. I’ve complained about a lot of things since we moved to Hawaii almost two months ago. I know right!? Who moves to HAWAII and then complains about stuff?? Me. *raising both hands* I’ve complained mostly about things being in the in-between and on hold. Adjusting and starting all over.

But Marissa, you just moved and this is part of what you were looking forward to! I know, I know! Another reason why complaining doesn’t make sense. I want everything to be done, perfect and just as it should be, like NOW. And if it’s not it means that everything is wrong! Seriously, I think like that sometimes.

I haven’t completed the branding process for my business so I haven’t wanted to blog. Excuses. I haven’t found the perfect piece of art to go in our kitchen so I refused to cook in it. Ridiculous. I’m not comfortable with my body yet so I’ve tried staying away from the beach. So dumb. And one time, when Eddie and I first got married, I didn’t let my best friends come inside our first home because I didn’t have curtains up. Seriously. CURTAINS. I still feel guilty about that one.

I hate that I require for things to be perfect before I can allow myself to enjoy anything. The best things in life are sometimes experienced when life is messy and far from perfect. I’m a fool when I put my life on hold because insignificant things are ‘in the process’ and I don’t want to be like that anymore. It took Eddie not joining me in my pity party for me to be able to write about this annoying habit and to realize that I will never live this adventure to the fullest if I’m waiting for things to be perfect. Wake up yo’!

It’s only appropriate that I post a very non-perfect photo where everything LOOKS like it’s going all wrong but the truth behind this photo is a beautiful moment between Eliana and I. When I came across this photo I thought about deleting it but then I remembered that I’m trying to break a habit and posting this is part of the process.

Happy Tuesday!

Thanks to my friend Ashley Rose I didn’t have to sneak up to the side of the Smog Shoppe and take a photo but instead I got to enjoy a beautiful day second shooting Melissa and Chris’ lovely wedding. Thanks so much Ashley for having me along! Miss you!

Enjoy my favorites from this AMAZING Beatles themed/ green wedding!

The colorful details were beautiful, loved everything!!! Adorable flower girls with little flags instead of flowers! love!A big fan of this too!
Such an adorable ceremony setup!GORGEOUS!!!!Dessert table!!! Every wedding should have one!
fin.

Thanks for stopping by!

While Eddie and I walked up the Makapu’u Lighthouse trail yesterday I thought about what I need for 2012. I don’t need more crazy lists to make me paranoid and I don’t need things to be perfect, I simply need accountability and more dancing. I got to second shoot 29 weddings and photograph 10 of my own weddings last year and I had the urge to dance at every single one. So yea, more dancing is a must.

Now, about accountability. I need this in large doses, as much as I can get. There are too many of my goals, dreams even, that are on hold because I’m not consistent with the small things, I let myself get away with not doing and I don’t hold myself accountable. This needs to change for 2012. Not sure if it makes sense to anyone but I hope I can read this post in December and be able to say that I did it. That I held myself accountable throughout the year and that I accomplished big things because I was consistent with the little things. I’m excited.

Here are my favorite shots from the first sunrise of 2012. Eddie and I woke up at 4:30am on January 1st to begin the Makapu’u Lighthouse trail at 6:00am. I was functioning on two hours of sleep but it was worth it. I can’t think of a better way to begin the year, it was quite magical. It was completely dark when we started…we used the flashlights on our phones to lead the way and this was our view to the Hawaii Kai Golf Course…

we got to a little private spot right before the first rays started peeking through…
Our little spot with a perfect view.
Lots of people gathered by the lighthouse…
I die of these kinds of clouds.Sunrise!Love.Two hours of sleep and no makeup. Scaaaaary…but the morning was so perfect I didn’t care.
On our way back down the trail…Our drive home.Happy Monday!

I kinda’ wish there could be ‘behind the scenes’ shots for these behind the scene photos. The LIFE stuff that happens in between photo shoots, meetings and weddings. If I had taken enough personal photos during 2011 I’d have plenty to share but I didn’t do too well in that category during the year. Note to self: take more photos of personal stuff throughout the year. no excuses. 

Also, I need to learn to thank people more. This isn’t a new years resolution post or anything like that, I’m not good at that kind of stuff anyway, but I’m thinking about the people that made so much possible for me during the year and I’m quite sure I didn’t thank them enough. To my husband, my parents, my close family, friends and wonderful photographers that I got to work with during the year, you rock. thank you for everything. thank you for being you, for letting me be me. for believing in me and of course, for putting up with me. xoxoxo

Now for a look back at what happened behind the scenes during 2011…

Happy Sunday!