{lights...camera...TAXES?}

Although Christmas has already come and went, I wanted to do a quick *blink-and-you'll-miss-it* post about some of the holiday lights we saw.

In almost every neighborhood on Oahu, there's an area known as "Christmas Lane." A row or street of houses where the magic of Christmas reigns supreme via throngs of sparkly lights, lights, and even more lights. Basically it features homes that look like it was caught in an upchuck of seasonal Christmas decorations. And I seriously mean that in the best, NON-Scrooge-y way possible :)

There was one house in particular that caught my eye. Let's see if you can catch it...

A "open house" garage of beautifully decorated Christmas trees with Sister Awesome and Lil' J in the background.

*singing* "Do you see, what I see?"

Would you consider this a Christmas faux-pas? Or smart marketing? Hmmm...

{I lost my voice...}

My blogging voice, that is.


The only way that I can start this off is by saying, HOLY COW. It's been two months since my last post and its already almost Christmas. I got so lost in the hustle and bustle of daily life, that I involuntarily pushed aside the simple things that made me happy. Photography. Crafts. Dance-offs. :)

It sounds silly but I literally forgot how to relax. I had stress seeping out of my pores and overflowing my eyeballs. I had so much on my plate that I could've fed all of the Gosselin, Duggar, and Brangelina kids. Easy. But sometimes, you just have to break away and start standing up for the one person you've neglected the most...yourself.

With that said, I offer you (dear sanity) this auspicious and official decree:
I WILL stop and smell the roses. I WILL learn to exhale. And I WILL return to the roots of what I love.

***

{And because posts are always better with pictures, I leave you with an image of what I was up to last night. 3 hours of down time + 1-2 paper cuts = only five Christmas cards. But I got to create again. And I loved every second of it :}

"Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish,
but you only spend it once." - Lillian Dickson

{ryan + consuela: lovestory}

It's kind of funny the way technology is able to bring us all together. The 'net has metamorphed itself into an irreplaceable staple of mainstream America. While my camera is a permanent fixture in one hand, my beloved blackberry is practically fused to the other. I seriously don't know how I could do without either.

I'm still a fairly new tweeter (@simplyawesomeHI), so as a fun way of introducing myself, I thought I'd offer a free photo session. By the power of twitterverse (*spoken with my manliest He-Man voice), I was able to instantaneously connect with Consuela. And thus, a new client and (most importantly) friend was born.

Through our tweets and emails, Con unconsciously referred to Ryan as "her better half." And that same type of loving devotion was evident in their pictures. For my first sunrise shoot, there was no sun. But nevertheless, they rocked it out and their love shone through the clouds anyhow :)

{LOL! comedy slam}

This past Saturday, I was fortunate enough to attend the "LOL! Comedy Slam" which was held at Pier 11 in the Aloha Tower Marketplace. I first "met" Lanai Tabura (who is a HUGELY popular media personality here in Hawaii) through the social network Twitter. For all you "tweeps" out there - be sure to add him! @LanaitheDJ. We chatted a little bit about photography, and he invited me to get some shots of his comedy show.

I've heard Lanai on the radio before and have seen him on television - so finally getting to meet him "IRL" (twitter term for "in real life") was nothing short of AWESOME. He's one of those people who exude "je ne sais quoi." He's confident, sophisticated, and classy all rolled into one. Yet, he is still very humble and extremely down to earth. With his recently launched new wine collection ("Look Me In The Eye"), he will no doubt add another notch in his belt of success. He's like the Hawaiian Midas - everything he touches turns into gold.

Okay, back to the comedy show. The show itself lived up to it's name plus a gazillion times more! In the acronym slang of today's generation it was a total LOL!/LMFAO!!-fest and made me wanna ROFL!!! The entire show was THAT funny. It featured Lanai, Shawn Felipe, Kaleo "K.P." Pilanca, with special guest appearances by Andy Bumatai (tweet him too! @AndyBumatai), and the insanely awesome, Kennyhune. My sides are still sore from all the laughing I did!!

Here's a short recap of that night.


This just goes to show you how much Hawaii LOVES to laugh!
Pier 11. WAS. PACKED!


Shawn Felipe takes the stage.


The living legend, himself.....Mr. Andy Bumatai.




Kennyhune & Kaleo - so funny together!




Kaleo & Lanai.


And lastly, Mr. "Omg-I-just-might-pee-my-pants-because-he's-THAT-funny," Joey Guila.

Lanai, congratulations again on all your recent achievements!
I hope we can work together again very soon! :)

{i'm featured!}

I was beyond thrilled when one of the event coordinators, Jennifer from Hawaii Tents & Events contacted me yesterday to let me know that she chose to feature an arch shot from the Li wedding on their website. I was like Whaaaaaaaatttt!? Omg.

She also let me know that she listed {simply*awesome} PHOTOGRAPHY under the company's "Links of Interest" page!



And THEN it was brought to my attention that the band All-Natro featured my blog under their "media" news!


A special thanks once again to Hawaii Tents & Events, Jennifer, Alan & Gina Li, and once again my friends at All-Natro!
Here's to the first (two) of hopefully many more amazing features to come! I feel like such a proud mama! :)

{monday-itis}

I'm allergic to several things. Nickel (this is actually my real life kryptonite), Clowns, Dr. Pepper, Miscellaneous pizza toppings(tomatoes/olives/mushrooms), Athletic shoes (a.k.a. concrete slabs - I sincerely hate them!), and Mondays. Especially Mondays. I loathe them. They're weekend ruiners and basically the scum sucking slime of the earth. I wish we could fast forward right into Tuesdays. If you haven't guessed already, I'm just venting because I had a TERRIBLE Monday.

If I were Harry Potter I'd use my magical wizard powers to erase Mondays and "ctrl v" this image into the void instead. Watching the waves always gives me a sense of peace and serenity.


Anyways, let's all consider the permanent overthrow of Mondays. Write a letter to your local congressman, tell your grandma, I don't know just do something. Think about it - it would be one less weekday of traffic, headache, and hassle. One day closer til Friday. And let's face it, Fridays are ALWAYS awesome :)

{hawaii tents & events}

A few days before the Li Wedding, I was asked by Jennifer from Hawaii Tents & Events to take some promotional shots for her company. To say that I was excited would be a dull statement. I was over-rover-beyond-the-moon excited. If I wore socks, I'd jump out of them. I usually either wear stilettos or ballet flats so that statement unfortunately does not apply to me. But before I ramble on and on, let me just say that it was a wonderful opportunity. And I was only too happy to accomodate her request.

Upon arrival to the wedding location, and the first thing I spy is a massive white tent. Personally I thought it was a great choice. It was spacious and airy. There was plenty of breathing room for their guests to move around comfortably. A tent is the perfect fit for any outdoor wedding (or event) because it provides the necessary protection from the elements (sweltering heat, wind, and rain). And although big, it also does not spoil or take away from Hawaii's panoramic views. It adds a touch of elegance to any outdoor event.

The next thing I noticed was the arch. OH. MY. GAWD. How gorgeous! Its bamboo frame stood tall in the distance. Long, white, sheaths of fabric billowed in the wind. The setup was beautiful. And it oozed out fabulousness and exerted class.

Overall I thought that they did a great job. They really dropped jaws, and totally upped the W-O-W factor ten-fold.

Hawaii Tents & Events = Classic. Chic. Timeless :)












On a note of credit, the first picture was taken by the studmuffin known as MH and the rest taken by yours truly :)

{jared + lei: lovestory {part two}

I originally had big dreams for doing this shoot {lovestory: {part two} smack-dab in the middle of Waikiki. It was the lights and energy of the "big city" that drew me in. But those dreams were shut down real quick thanks to Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Depression/Butthead Felicia. The weather vomited out a whole lot of rain, humidity, general icky-ness. It was just plain gross to be outside. But Jared and Lei were troopers and showed "Felicia" exactly what they were workin' wit. They both dug deep into their awesome arsenal and brought out moves guaranteed to put any ANTM (America's Next Top Model) contestant to shame.

Aside from being bff's/bff-in-laws - MH and I relish any and every opportunity to spend time with these guys because they're just so fun to be around. They always bring laughter and radness to the table...and this time was no different. On behalf of MH and I - thank you guys for another fun-filled evening. Obviously this blog will be seeing much more of you both. Perhaps {part three, four, five, etc} of your lovestory in the near future? :)

The calm before....

...a fit of giggles :)

You can just see the love in their eyes.

DANGER HOT-NESS AHEAD!



Work it girl!!! :)

{alan + gina: {wedding teaser}

A little sneak peek from the newly dubbed Mr. & Mrs. Li's wedding on Saturday...

{all natro cd release party: deuxième partie}

Wowzers, has it already been THREE whole months since the infamous All-Natro rager at "the Pipe"? Yup. And did I just use the word "rager" and refer to the Pipeline Cafe as "the Pipe"? You know it! 'Cause I'm awesome like that :)

Anywho, before I subject you to further dork-isms...here are a few more pics of the soon-to-be legendary reggae band from Hawaii known as All-Natro. To see more, contact, or book them please visit their myspace page.

{george + iwi : love story}

They ran with the same group of friends and he slowly became her bff. She confided in him her secrets, including her crush on someone else. Yet that didn't deter his feelings towards her, it only made him more determined to win her heart.

As time wore on, she realized more and more that he was the one for her. This sparked their romance from entry level to mega-watt-super-saiyan. He digs her moxy and the sudden urge she gets to bust-a-move to songs playing on the radio. She shares his passion for music and melts at the gentle way he looks at her.

This was a special session because not only was Iwi my client, but she is also my baby sister. As the older (yet shorter sibling...bleh, go figure!), I feel its my duty to protect her. So when she's happy, I'm happy. And she is definitely happy :)
Their shoot was filled with giggles, chuckles, and lots of side-splitting laughter. It was super fun and easy going, just like them. As George (and the group 'the Lonely Island') would say their LOVE. IS. REAL. And if seeing is believing, there ain't no one on earth who would ever doubt that :)

{if you like it, then you better put a ring on it}

It began with a "light bulb moment." Like when a cartoon character gets a mos-fresh-to-death idea, then suddenly a bright light bulb appears over their head solidifying that thought? Well I had one of those moments. Yep, my creativity barfed out awesomeness. Thus birthing an idea I plan on incorporating and showcasing in all future {wedding/engagement} shoots. Not only do I want to shine a spotlight on my client's gorgeous rings, but also add a little of their personality into the mix.
I shall dub these....(wait for it)...."THE RING SHOT."

Hmmm, that might not be the most creative name but "I have the microphone, so you will listen to everything I say!!!"
*five bonus points if you know what movie I stole that line from* :)

{happy birthday me!}