A Surprise Trip to Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks, NC

A few weeks back Teddy surprised me with a trip to Ocracoke Island. I had no clue where we were going so I packed a little bit of everything. Even when I pulled out the map and saw which direction we were going, it still didn't help.

Once we got to Ocracoke, I was really excited. We were going to spend the next few days doing nothing! We both brought our laptops because realistically, there was no way we could not do any work. We stayed at a really nice bed and breakfast and after the first night, we moved upstairs into a really nice room.

Each day we had breakfast, did a hour or two of work, grabbed lunch, and then headed to the beach once the sun started to go down. The great thing about the Outer Banks and Ocracoke in particular is the unbelievably beautiful beaches. We would drive miles down the road until we couldn't see any cars and then park, climb over a sand dune, and basically have a private beach to ourselves. We saw tons of dolphins and took full advantage of relaxing. Here are a few of my favorite images from the trip.

Playing with Video - Tristyn singing Scooby Dooby Doo

My nephew is sooo freakin adorable. One day a couple of months ago, I was having kind of a bad day. I was rushing all over the place and feeling really stressed. Just as I was getting out of the car, my sister called to tell me that my nephew, Tristyn, had something he wanted to share with his "Crazy Antie Shells." He sang "Scooby Dooby Doo" and I was on the floor laughing so hard. It completely brightened my day and I kept calling for a new song. As any 5-year-old would do, sometimes he'd sing it, sometimes not.

On my last trip to Connecticut I decided I would video tape him so I could watch it whenever I wanted. Of course I had to do it on his terms...in the living room with the fan. This was my very first video off my Canon 5D Mark II so it's a little rough...but it does the trick. I can now watch Scooby Dooby Doo whenever I want. I thought I'd share it with all of you so you could have a good laugh!

A Week at the Beach - Carolina Beach, North Carolina

A couple weeks ago we went to Carolina Beach for the week. Every year we try to go at least one week. It's always an awesome time, hanging out with friends, relaxing on the beach, and of course, delicious food!

We dined several meals at our friend's store/cafe, Surf House. If you ever get a chance to visit Carolina Beach, you have to check out this place. The Turkey Cuban is unbelievable! If you make it to breakfast on the weekends, try the House Hash. It's loaded with potatoes, cheese, garlic, bacon, ham, and then topped with a fried egg. It sounds kind of funny but it is soooo good!

One night we cooked in and had a shrimp boil or some call it a "a low-country boil." The basic ingredients are shrimp, spicy chicken sausage, mini corn-on-the-cobs, potatoes, garlic (lots of garlic), mushrooms, and then packets of spicy shrimp boil seasoning. It was delicious! Everything cooks together in the pot and is seasoned to perfection. Our batch was soooo hot...I think we used too many seasoning packets! My nose was literally dripping! It was great but if I ever cook it on my own, I'll take out a packet or two!

I can't go anywhere (especially vacation) without my camera. Here's a few of my favorites from the trip:

It's Been Too Long...

Ok, ok, so when I decided to start a blog I vowed that I wouldn't be one of those people that writes a bunch in the beginning and then trails off. It's not that I have nothing to write about, I've just been really busy this last month. I will try not to wait another month before a new post.  Here's what's been going on:

1. My birthday promotion was a huge hit! I even had 7 photoshoots in one week! I'll definitely be creating more promotions like that one!
2. On May 8th it was one year since we closed on our new house.
3. Jasina finished her last JV soccer game...I was sad the season ended... :(
4. I had a major stomach bug...the B.R.A.T diet totally works! Bananas, rice, apple sauce, and toast!
5. I planted my first flowers ever! Let's just see if they stay alive!
6. Oh...and I turned 30! Ahhhhh!!! I had a great day! It started with breakfast in bed and then I spent the afternoon at the pool. Jessy surprised me with a pedicure and then we went out for an awesome dinner at Copper (Indian). Tiana sent me an awesome video for my birthday...check it out:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGF3NreGKGc

Here are some favorite photos I took during the last month:

A Nice Souvenir From My Vacation in Tampa!

Last week Jessy and I decided to take a road trip to visit my sister and nephews in Florida. We had absolutely perfect weather and my sister took us to some gorgeous beaches. Siesta Key has white powdered sand and crystal clear water. I'm just used to burning hot sand that makes your feet feel like they're bleeding! This was a very nice change. We also went to Anna Maria Island for a day and it was sooo beautiful...and the sunset was the cherry on top! I also got a little work done and even had time for a photoshoot!

On our final day in Florida we went to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure and had a blast! Hulk, Spiderman, Dueling Dragons, and The Doom are just crazy! One word of warning though, the "Fast Pass" is great to avoid lines but you can only use it once per ride...and it's an extra $40 on top of the $79 ticket price!

Now I must explain the title of my blog post. I try to stay out of the sun as much as I can and when I am in the sun I constantly reapply sunblock and also use sunblock chapstick. I do this for 2 reasons: 1) I had melanoma in my foot and my dermatologist would probably kill me if I showed up with tan lines. 2) I get really bad sun blisters on my lips. I managed to come home with just a slight tan but my lips however are another story! Instead of the usual big blister on one side of my top lip, I ended up with loooots of tiny little bumps all over my top and bottom lips!! Ahhhh!!

So...if you are prone to cold sores, I have a few tips I'd like to share. When I feel a cold sore coming on I take 2 L-Lysine pills (can be found in any drug-store) per day. It's a natural amino acid that promotes healthy collagen. Abreva, although very expensive, is the only cold sore medicine that gets rids of the problem fastest. Campho-Phenique is another pretty good alternative if you have time to let the blister run it's course. However, Abreva did not work this time for me. I think because it was from the sun and not from a change in weather, my normal methods didn't work. My lips were really itchy and dry and the Abreva made them even drier. To make a long story even longer, I tried Aquaphor -- which is actually the jelly that my doctor gave me after my foot surgery to keep my wound nice and moisturized. It sealed in moisture and my lips are back on track...thankfully...

I'll spare you photos of my busted lip and instead share with you a couple photos of the beautiful sunset on Anna Maria Island....

Crazy Weekend!

This past weekend I ventured north for 3 photoshoots! I was so crazy busy that I literally had to schedule sleep! My journey began on Friday at 6:00 am...I had an early flight to Connecticut and as soon as I landed I sprinted to Hertz to get my rental car. I then drove to Milford, which is about an hour away.

The first photoshoot was awesome! Jen was looking to update her publicity photos and wanted some natural shots. Although it was cold, we went to 3 locations, including the beach. The clouds in the sky were really cool that day...streaks of white against extreme blue. I had to take a photo of it!

I left Jen and headed up to Waterbury to go to a Hibachi restaurant for my brother-in-law's birthday. It was awesome! Can't beat beer and wine, sushi, salad, soup, hibachi shrimp, and fried ice-cream for $35 (including tip!)

Saturday morning I had breakfast with my mom before she had to go to work and I had to travel onto my next photoshoot in NYC. I've photographed Marcella's wedding and separate reception so when she asked if I'd photograph her 2 baby showers I was thrilled! The first baby shower was in Brooklyn and it was unlike any baby shower I'd ever attended! It was held at Poppa's Place (Formerly Red Bamboo) and there must have been over 90 people at one time. The food was great (buffalo chicken wings and coconut shrimp were to die for!)!

After I snapped my last photo, I headed back to CT to hang out with another sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. On the way back from NYC I stopped and picked up a pizza from Vito's in Wolcott. After all, I'm not sure when the next time I'd be able to get it!! It was DELICIOUS!!!

I woke up early on Sunday and met my sister Jackie and niece Amanda out for breakfast. Although it was a quick visit it was awesome to catch up! Before the next baby shower, I stopped by my mom's to say goodbye and then headed to Naugatuck to check out Jessy's dad and his fiance's new business location. It's TLC Homecare LLC and they service the elderly, new mothers, recently injured, and also have a home-cleaning service as well. I'm so excited for their new storefront. It's in a great location with lots of traffic.

The final photo shoot of the weekend was really nice. It was different from the party the day before, but it was anything but traditional. Again, the food was outstanding! From fried cheese balls, to fruit salad, lasagna, meatballs, chicken wings, etc., I was a happy camper! The house was filled with love and of course, awesome music! They even hired someone to play the congas!

You'd think my weekend was over by this point, but I still had one stop to make. I met my friend (and fellow photographer, from Impressions Studio) Cindy out in New Haven at Ivy Noodle. They had some awesome noodle dishes for realllly cheap! While we were chatting and going over photography ideas I got an email from US Airways telling me my flight was delayed for almost and hour. I thought, pretty cool, now I don't have to rush. About 15 minutes later, I got another email telling me my flight was back on for 7:00! Ahhhhh! I had to rush out of there, drive from New Haven to Hartford in the rain, stop and get gas, and return the rental car. I made it just as they started boarding! We boarded on time, but the plane was delayed on the runway for 25 minutes. Once we were in the air I started editing the weekend's photos and right at the time we were originally supposed to land, the pilot let us know that we're in a holding pattern for at least another hour! Apparently there were crazy thunder and lightening storms plus a possible tornado watch in Charlotte! The good news is, we had enough gas to hold us over, I edited almost alllll of the photos, and we landed safely at 10:30 pm. I did see some lightening as we landed which is pretty scary from a plane!

What a whirlwind weekend! I needed sooo much sleep over the next few days and I'm just now back to my usual self! I had such a great time photographing beautiful events and getting to catch up with some family and friends! Below is a photo from Friday at the beach. I'll be uploading some photos from the other events next week.

My 30th Birthday Promotion!

My 30th birthday is coming up in May and while I'm not particularly thrilled about it, I thought this would be a great opportunity to offer a photo special. So, from now until my birthday (May 16th!!) sessions are just $30!!! It's really an unbelievable deal! Check out the info below...click the photo to view larger: