When Kent and I got married about a year and a half ago, everyone told me to get a good photographer. That made sense since everything else basically disappears after the reception; the flowers wilt, the food is eaten, the cake is devoured (well, all of it besides the top-you get to freeze that and eat it in a year) and the dress is dry-cleaned and put in a box until your little girls find it stowed away in a closet someday. The only things that last are the memories and love, two things a good photographer can capture.
In my wedding planning process (I can say my because Kent was MIA studying for the Bar), I contacted a friend of mine whose opinion I greatly value, and she told me about a girl who had recently moved to L.A. who was supposed to be a really good photographer. I checked out her website and was really impressed with her work. Her photography made me happy and appreciative of life. I guess you could say it kind of "spoke to my soul".
So, we met at a little cafe and it was decided that she would photograph the entire wedding day, engagement photos and my bridals. We only had two months to do this and she was on board and ready to go. Talented, on the ball and completely personable. A winning combination.
After each photography session I was 100% satisfied with the results and I felt like I had gained a new friend. She brought her husband (at the time, boyfriend) to help with the engagement shots and it felt like Kent and I were on a double date with friends at an old train station. Such a fun couple to hang out with.
This fantastic photographer and person I am speaking of is Rachel Thurston. She is a gem. Honestly. Her work is beautiful, creative and always tells a visual, soulful story. Plus, she knows how to get things done. At our wedding, she was basically our wedding director. She moved people from here to there and told us where to be and when. It was great. Kent and I even wished we could have put her in a pocket and taken her to Hawaii with us to document our honeymoon adventure. She's that good.
Long story short, Rachel is awesome. She is a great person (and now friend) and is extremely talented. She has a new website that you can check out here and if you're interested in spending a weekend in Seattle you can enter to be part of her give away here. You'll love her blog. It's always a good read and look.
Good luck with the give away and if you're ever in the market for a photographer (and friend) Rachel is your girl.
As I was driving around doing errands this afternoon, I stumbled across something I love, but didn't know existed nearby: A Farmer's Market. I don't know how to express my love for farmers' markets. All I can say is that I used to make sure I was home by 4:30 every Friday so that I could go to the one in Huntington Beach. If it closed before I was able to make it, I would be depressed at the thought at having to buy produce from a regular grocery store. There's just nothing like walking around, observing the fresh fruits and vegetables, rare honeys, homemade breads, one of a kind dried fruits and nuts, authentic pitas and hummus, and Kent's favorites: kettle corn and roasted corn on the cob.
I was delighted to find a market so close to home, but what delighted me even more were these bags.
I didn't go to Bloomingdale's today, but I did get my little brown bag.
As I was paying for my things, I noticed a large stash of 'little' and 'medium' brown bags behind the table and that my strawberries and Brussels sprouts were about to get very fancy holders for the trip home.
I'm not sure where they got the bags, and I don't really care, but my oh my, it made me laugh so hard.
I did appreciate the sturdy handles and thick paper as wandered around the rest of market. That 'farmer' might actually be onto something....
You just never know what you'll find in a 'little brown bag'. It could be anything from an expensive scarf to a bag of garlic pistachios in a zip lock bag.
I, for one, found it delightfully deceitful, in the most innocent way.
In that last post, I was praising my dentist, but I'm not such a happy patient anymore. The left side of my mouth is ultra sensitive to cold and pressure and my bite feels off. I went in yesterday because it hurts when I eat. They tried to help by doing some filing of the filling and some teeth, but it still hurts. It sure makes me appreciate having a healthy set of teeth-I want them back!
Either way, things will be fine in that department, eventually. It might take a few more trips to another dentist, but it will all work out. Thankfully, Kent is really nice about my 3 year old whining-he has loads of patience. In the meantime, we are going to look forward to going to the....
(not to be confused with this Magic Castle, although, it's a great castle too.)
My friend, Sarah, asked if we want to go there next week and after some reworking of schedules, we are in! I didn't know what the Magic Castle was and I'm still not exactly sure, but it sounds fantastically fun. I've never been to a professional magic show so this is going to be quite the experience.
Looking forward to something exciting and hoping for better teeth by then.
WARNING: This post may contain slightly graphic dental-oriented information.
As I was dutifully flossing my teeth last night, I felt what I thought was a large clump of food emerge from the space between my two back molars. I thought, "Wow, that was a really big piece of something....what did I eat tonight?" After landing on my tongue and upon further lingual examination, I realized the chunk was hard, and definitely not food. I took it out of my mouth, held it between my fingers and gave it a good, scrutinizing look. What do you suppose it was? If you guessed a quarter of my back molar, you're right! A piece of my tooth spontaneously came off, and while I was doing what the dentist ordered!
I laughed about it after I showed Kent, but I was worried. My thoughts: Was I going to have to get a crown? I already have two of those, I don't need more. Was my body falling apart prematurely? Isn't early graying enough? I don't want to lose my teeth at age 31. I started thinking I was like Benjamin Button, but I wasn't getting younger like he was. Sometimes I go to extremes in my head; it's a bad habit.
Luckily, I was able to see my dentist, Dr. Komae, today and he relieved all of my crazy thoughts. He said I didn't need a crown yet (I'm hoping the "yet" means not for another 20 years or so), that a new filling would be sufficient. Apparently, it was an old filling that had come off in the flossing session, not my actual tooth. Made me feel better, although I'm still wondering about the getting older at a faster than normal rate thing.
My mouth is a little sore this evening from the dentist escapade, but I'm grateful my tooth is back in working order and I'm grateful for dentists. We would be in bad shape without those men and women who stare inside our mouths day in and day out. Not a glamorous job, but somebody has to do it.
Rachel (who I trust with anything related to photography) posted a little something about some art/photo classes coming to LA, so I clicked on the link, did some research and signed up. It took very little convincing since I'd been looking for something like this; a short informational class that won't let my gift from Santa go to waste. I'm sure I won't become a world-class photographer in one day, but I will at least know how to use my camera better.
Not for forever, just for a year or so. I keep asking Kent what options he has within law that could land us in a foreign country. There are probably many, but we could only think of two: become a JAG or clerk in a small nation like Palau. Other than that, we don't know. I'm probably romanticizing the whole 'living abroad' experience in my head, but I think it would be a wonderful adventure.
For the time being, I will spend my time buying random house items and foreign foods at World Market. That place whisks me away to any country I want. What did I end up with tonight? Spicy Thai Kettle Chips, a Key Lime shortbread biscuit (most likely from England) and a fondue mix from Switzerland. How could I resist? I need to get my travel cravings satisfied somehow, even if it's through food.
Today, I am grateful for two under appreciated senses: taste and smell. Of the five we talk about, these two seem to be the least necessary, but life isn't complete without them. I've had a cold for the past few days and it blocked my sense of taste and smell for the first two days. I could tell if something was sweet or salty in my mouth and I got whiffs of fragrant suds in the shower, but I couldn't get true flavors or scents. I so wanted to taste our new Trader Joe's find, Sweet Potato soup, and enjoy some salt and vinegar potato chips, but my nose couldn't do any smelling and my mouth couldn't do any real tasting. Unfortunately, I still had an appetite so I ate, but more out of obligation than desire.
Sometimes, I don't appreciate odors like the smell of leftovers rotting in the fridge or the sick scent of a rat decaying in our wall, but what would happen if I couldn't smell those things? What if I couldn't taste the bitter bite to a rancid nut or the moldy muck of an over-ripe banana? My body (and Kent) would be in trouble. Thus, I am grateful for my sense of taste and smell. I'll take the foul smells and tastes as long as I get the pleasant scent of pine and the quirky taste of kiwi, too.
Here's a little something for you to see and hear.
Santa followed us to Kent's parents' house this year and really out did himself.
Kent received lots of books and....
that's right, Beatles Rockband.
Kent has been wanting that game since last spring, so it was high time it made its way into the Sommer household.
Now we can become rockstars in our own living room. I'll be honest, when that microphone is in my hand and I get a "4x FAB!" I feel prit-tee awesome.
Apparently, I was not born to be a drummer though. My foot/hand coordination skills are lacking. Kent is pretty good, but Lance was fantastic.
Kent also got Super Mario Bros. and it took me back to the days of the old Nintendo. I still remember how pleased I felt when I beat world 8. I wonder if I'll feel that way again if/when we beat the Wii version. Let's hope so.
We played it every day until 1am while we were in Claremont and we didn't get sick of it. Kent also got a soccer video game from his brother, so we're set for awhile.
Santa brought me a new camera and I'm photo-happy at the moment. I took 915 pictures in a week and a half period. Crazy, I know.
Mom & Dad Sommer made lots of delicious food including Rouladen, a traditional German dish, for Christmas Eve dinner. (Sorry, no picture-I wasn't photo-happy yet.) Kent's grandma used to make it every year and Shanon is carrying on the tradition. I think I'll have to learn how to make it so I can pass it along as well.
Lots of goodies were lying around....
and we were more than happy to partake.
Somehow, I managed to spend every Christmas with my family until this year. That's 29 Christmas pasts! I thought it might be hard being away, but Christmas with the Sommers was wonderful.
Following Sommer tradition, we took the 'after church Christmas photo' in front of the tree to document our family. Don't be surprised if you see this shot next year and the year after that and the year after that and the year after that, etc.
Christmas 2009 was great. I'm glad Santa found us and I'm glad I learned about some old/new traditions.
When Kent and I got married about a year and a half ago, everyone told me to get a good photographer. That made sense since everything else basically disappears after the reception; the flowers wilt, the food is eaten, the cake is devoured (well, all of it besides the top-you get to freeze that and eat it in a year) and the dress is dry-cleaned and put in a box until your little girls find it stowed away in a closet someday. The only things that last are the memories and love, two things a good photographer can capture.
