my friend kristy found these insanely cool and beautiful dresses several months ago, and we’re still crazy about them. so fun, so stylish, so awesome! and they even design those classy-jackie-kennedy-leaving-for-her-honeymoon-suits, which i would pretty much *die* to photograph. can you imagine how beautiful send-off shots would be with classic outfits like these?
when i was a kid, i’d get “grounded” sometimes, usually for having a messy room. my mom would send me to my room, and say that i couldn’t leave until it was cleaned. well, an hour or so later, my mom would come in, only to find me alphabetizing books or taping posters of the new kids on the block on my wall. i was never really good at actually getting it done.
and i’m still not.
since i’m sick and pretty much confined to my house, i wanted to get some organizing/cleaning taken care of. after not being in my apartment for a little while, i was feeling pretty excited to minimize my possessions and reduce clutter. well, old habits kicked in, and i rearranged my dvds, then got into the ol’ photo box. i don’t have too many photos from throughout my life, but somehow, i cracked the lid, and spent… oh… two hours… looking at them.
i’m sure you’ve been wondering where the heck the photos are. so, i have good news and i have bad news. good news: this entry includes photos. the bad news: they’re photos of photos. here are a few of my favourite photos i came across.
i was pretty much the cutest kid ever. (note, the one in the washbin was taken in the yukon. we had running water in my house.)
the top photo is me (notice my awesome green tights, the kind with the black stirrup at the bottom, that’s right) and my sister ice skating on the lake at my family’s cottage. at the bottom is me with my cousin slash best friend, kylie (i like that this photo also shows how i’ve always had a great sense of fashion. bet you didn’t think you could add that many bows *and* buttons to a dress, eh? yeah, not just anyone could pull it off.)
i sort of can’t believe i only have *one* of these photo booth shots of me and krista. that booth outside the movie theatre was kinda’ a big part of our lives. but here it is.
and finally, i’m sure you’ve been wondering: “has kristel always been such a cool person??” the answer: yes. YES! and just to prove it, here’s a photo from the rockin’ night i had when i graduated high school. leigh and tina and i were definitely “the cool kids.” (especially tina, whose father is apparently the father from “the wonder years”… i don’t know… i’m just going on the station wagon here).
while going through my things, i also realized that i’m kind of a crummy friend. haha. i have sooooo many holiday cards and letters from friends and family (especially shauna lee)… and umm… yeah, i never send them anything like that. so here’s my public, formal apology for being so neglectful with that. i have an awesome set of relatives and friends, and am super grateful for them.
ok, that was my little trip down memory lane. back to the regular blog, starting now.
i’m back in vancouver. it feels like it’s been years since i was here, when really, it’s just been a few weeks. today was a perfect day to come back — the weather was incredible, and the first thing i did after dropping off my suitcase was go for a nice walk. i intended to take some photos, but in the end, decided to just *feel* that happiness you get when the sun is shining and there’s a soft breeze, you know the feeling. sometimes, i am so involved with my camera, that i forget to enjoy things that are going on. and that’s great when i’m doing something like photographing someone’s wedding, but when i’m just living my own life, i should probably set the camera aside a bit more, keep my eyes wide open, and smile.
that said, i want to take some nice shots of vancouver while i’m here. :o)
i will be in vancouver for the next week or so… let me know if you’d like to meet up for a shoot or some coffee! my schedule is pretty open this next week, and i really don’t know what i’m going to do with myself! i have some (boring) business-related things to tend to, and i plan on reorganizing my apartment, but for fun activities… i’m running short.
at the end of this month, i’ll be photographing a wedding with a super nice couple that i can’t wait to meet in…. las vegas! i’m getting so freaking excited. i guess i’ve been pretty mellow about it, because i’ve been quite busy, but since i’m currently wrapping up a few projects, it’s finally sinking in.
this will be my second trip to vegas, but a completely different one from my last. firstly, i might be travelling solo this time (although i’m really hoping my friend kristi will come). secondly, i’ll have my camera (obviously)! when i went to vegas about four years ago, i didn’t take a picture. not a single one. (that was back before i had a camera and didn’t want one, because i figured “i’ll just buy a postcard, because i can’t take a photo that good”) but now, when i think of vegas… well, it’s kind of like disneyland for photographers… so. awesome. i can’t wait.
the last time i was in vegas, i saw “o” at the bellagio, and it pretty much changed my life, so i’d really like to get in another cirque show while there. aside from that, all i want is to get out in the desert and take some photos. any other suggestions for the must-do/see stuff? let me know!
yeah, that’s about it. wish i could add a photo, but like i said… no pictures.
oh, i should also mention… i’ll be making another trip in the next couple months for a wedding in a place i’ve always wanted to go to. but hold your horses, i’m saving the reveal for later.
i’ll admit it. i hate nature. i wish i were, but i am *not* an outdoorsy person. trees make me sick, bugs love to bite me (my mom says it’s because i’m so sweet), and i’m actually allergic to the sun. who the heck is allergic to the sun?!
me.
well, today, graeme bribed me to go to a park. (he used jamba juice — i ordered a white gummy bear — yuck. way too sweet). anyways, we walked around both the luther burbank park and another park here on mercer island. four bug bites later, and here are the photos i took.
(is it just me that thinks that this isn’t all that pretty?)
this chain barrier was cool, i’ll give you (”you” being the park) that.
the view. even i can appreciate this. sort of. in my own photo-nerd way.
oh, interestingly enough, i’m doing a bunch of travelling this year, mostly to (crazy) hot places. thankfully, it’s for weddings. and when i’m taking photos, i’m so happy, i don’t even worry about the environmental conditions. in fact, i can’t wait to get sunburnt in exchange for lots of awesome shots!!
today is not a good day. it’s yucky and rainy outside. but to remind me of the good times this city and i have had, i wanted to post some pictures from my trip to the space needle last year.
ok, remember a few weeks ago, when i took the bainbridge ferry to an unknown location? well, i headed down to silverdale with the ridiculously sweet and kind jackie donnelly. it was such a wonderful day, i actually wish i had written this back then, when i could remember all the wonderful details! however, to be sure that holly and derek would see their photos first, i waited until now. i don’t think i’ve shot a single wedding that didn’t at least choke me up a bit. but this one… i flat out cried. cried, tears streaming down my face, still can’t believe i still remembered to keep photographing, cried. the people at this wedding were so kind that not only did i not want the day to end, i wanted to move in with them and be a part of their amazing family. i wanted to turn back time and be raised by their parents (no offense, mom and dad, haha). i completely fell in love with these people. holly and derek have been together forever and ever, it seemed. and with holly being the minister’s daughter, i can only imagine how intimidating that must have been for derek! holly’s father performed the ceremony, and i was so touched by it. it was so apparent how much he trusts derek with his daughter, and from the things he said, i know that all of these people are truly as they came across. this was the biggest wedding i’ve photographed (i believe there were over 400 people there!). holly told me they had invited everyone in the church, and pretty much anyone they had ever met. and they all showed up! it was wonderful. here are a few photos from the day:
holly’s mom helping her get dressed:
i think this is the first “say cheese” photo i’ve ever shown on my blog. but i just love this one of holly and her father:
the guys…
holly, singing a song to her new husband in front of the guests (and this is just the tip of the iceberg):
to holly and derek and both of your families: thank you so much for your kindness and for allowing me to be a part of your amazing day.
ok, sorry for the lack of activity on this blog… things have been super busy. unfortunately, it’s not the kind of busy that is blog-worthy… i pretty much assume no one wants to see pictures of me, in pyjamas, designing an album for 9 hours per day, and such lame activities. (of course, i don’t consider it lame… but i know i’m the exception to the rule).
but the good thing is, i’m done designing an album! it’ll take about 3 weeks or so for me to get it back, and the wait is already killing me!
oh, remember that pottery i painted? umm… let’s just say… it looks awful. i went to pick it up this weekend, and was beyond disappointed by it. they agreed that they must have given me the wrong colours, and gave me a gift certificate for the value of my piece. so, as soon as i get some free time, i’ll get on that.
had dinner at sushi land tonight — i truly believe all food should come by on a conveyor belt. so fun! and for dessert, a pb&j smoothie from jamba juice. i’d heard about jamba juice’s “secret menu,” and decided to try something new (i usually get plain carrot juice or peanut butter moo’d). that place is like willy wonka’s factory, no kidding… it tastes *exactly* like a pb&j sandwich.
yeah, umm… that’s about it. thanks for reading. :o)
yesterday, i had a little business to tend to (more on that later), and ended up taking the ferry over to bainbridge island. it was my first time on that ferry, and it was such a good experience, i can’t wait to take it again! the ride was only about 30 minutes, and what a view!
the big city…
ps. i had brunch at el greco yesterday, and oh. my. gosh. soooo. goood. i ate the avocado and pepper jack omelet. truly the most delicious omelet ever. definitely my new favourite brunch place.
sunday was a great day… graeme and i went to the original pancake house in ballard, after reading about it in seattle magazine. we ordered their two most popular items — the dutch baby and the spiced apple pancake. the dutch baby (which is what i ordered, and favoured) was basically a super thin but puffy pancake type thing that came with fresh lemon slices, which i squeezed over the pancake. sounds weird, but it was amazing. they were both so delicious, and so huge! next time, we’ll likely share one of the two… but the tricky part would be deciding which one to go with! plus, they still have a whole menu of other delicious items to choose from!
after brunch, we decided to go bowling, something i hadn’t done in years and years. apparently it’s still popular, though, because we had to wait an hour for a lane! we took a walk to kill time, and after much persuasion, i took a few shots of the g-man himself…
