30 before 30.

Lately, there has been so much I've wanted to do and so little time to do it, I've decided to prioritize my list. I started a list of 100 things to do in my lifetime (sounds more positive than 100 things to do before I die lol), and stopped maybe a quarter of the way back when I started it. It's always good, though, to re-evaluate where you are and set new goals and remind yourself of old ones, so I've decided to pick it back up where I left off. The first thirty on the list I'm hoping will be reached by age 30. So here we have it.

30 before 30

1. Learn to do an oil change and change out a tire.
2. Second shoot a wedding for someone I admire.
3. Buy a guy flowers (edible creations works).
4. Do a photog mission trip.
5. Go to Italy and eat real Italian food.
6. Break 100 in bowling!
7. Run a (half) marathon (maybe after a 5k and 10k lol).
8. Finish the last piano piece I was playing before I quit six-seven years ago.
9. Take a cooking course: http://www.foodnetworkclasses.com
10. Cook a 5 course meal for someone (special).
11. Commit to fully financially support an orphanage.
12. Learn guitar so that I can at least play 5 of my favorite songs.
13. Learn to throw a football.
14. Be decent enough to hit some balls back and forth in tennis.
15. Take salsa classes.
16. Take swing classes.
17. Take a beginner improv comedy class.
18. Perform at an open mic.
19. Go to Death Valley.
20. Go to Antelope Canyon.
21. Kill a spider (a very small one... maybe more like on a microscopic scale).
22. Get my wedding photography published somewhere awesome.
23. Plant a tree.
24. Take tango classes.
25. Be the best friend, girlfriend, (wife) ever! hehe How this will look... I have no idea.
26. Skydive.
27. Learn conversational Spanish.
28. Do a photoshoot for a rising actress/singer/group.
29. Go to New Zealand, Australia.
30. Go to Southern Africa (S Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe).

Hopefully, this will encourage or inspire some of you to start your own list of big yet realistic goals. AND... of course, it wouldn't be a photoblog without the photos.

First, I needed an opinion. There seems to be a grain-phase, and I'm not sure if I want to hop onto the bandwagon just yet. Which is better?

Less:


More:



And then all the activities! Yes these are velcro bowling shoes. How awesome is that on the scale of awesomeness. I actually miss velcro!



Tennis, too! I've been inspired to be more active lately. So for all you active people out in California, thanks for being my inspiration! ;)



Guitar lessons at the park right before our run... before I looked all sweaty and icky:

Reaching Out in the Local Community.

May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that we may live deep within our hearts. May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that we may work for justice, freedom and peace. May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and turn their pain into joy. And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be done. (Thanks, Frank, for that email.)

I had the great pleasure to photograph an event for RRISA last week where they invited different organizations, churches, companies, and politicians to learn more about their work in resettling refugees here in Atlanta. Check out their website to learn more about what you can do! I was first introduced to this organization through our church in hopes to reach out to our local Atlanta community. It's so crazy how much you can do to serve right in our own backyards if you only allow yourself to be available to do it.

Working with the community, RRISA strives to improve the plight of displaced and uprooted people. RRISA answers the humanitarian call to serve those fleeing from persecution, war, famine and extreme poverty. Their mission is to help refugees, asylees, victims of human trafficking, and Cuban/Haitian entrants resettle in the U.S. and regain self-sufficiency. (Taken off their website)

What's so cool about these types of organizations is that you can work with them right here in the community that you live. You don't have to go overseas to help out. You can give monetary donations as well as furniture and clothes. You can also get more personal and help out with assisting the families in adjusting to the U.S. or in tutoring English. Not only will it be a blessing to them, but I can assure that it will be a huge blessing to you too.

It's all about thinking globally, acting locally. Here were a few photos from the night. The first one I shot right before the event of the church right next door.

Relationships. Friends. Friendquaintances.

Lately I've been having all sorts of conversations about relationships (platonic ones included). I guess it's just a part of life that's very important to us. Thought I should jott down some of my thoughts. Sometimes we have this idea or dream of how we think life and the future ought to look like. Sometimes we can get very carried away by our day dreams and miss out on the here and now. So here's a very fine example of that in my own life. At one point in my life I had this idea that I would marry this really talented photographer with a huge heart who (seemingly) had a similar vision to mine (ie, loved God, loved people, and enjoyed a lot of the same things I did, etc). We would not only build a wonderful life together, but with our powers combined... take over the world (maybe just the photography world heh)! Talk about being carried away. lol Even if the relationship would have continued this far, the reality might look very different from how I envisioned it. Life is sometimes very different from the way you dream it out to be, does that mean we stop dreaming? No way, jose. Let the old ones fade out, and you build new ones. But it's always good to keep in mind to be flexible. At this point, do I feel like I've missed the very best? No. The new ones won't be like settling for less. They may look different, but I think they'll always be better. :) I heard an older, wiser woman tell me that the best is always ahead of us. Don't expect any less.

(Side note: Basically, don't live in the past or be too focused on the future. Live in the present. Some older people have been saying that only when you're younger can you afford to live with this kind of mentality and afford to have risks. When you're older you need an insurance policy for the future. Maybe I just want to live more dangerously. I sure hope it doesn't change for me, and I can live more by faith.)

That being said... why is it that we always mostly think the grass is greener on the other side? For example if you're single, it's better to be in a relationship or vice versa. The present is a wonderful place to be. So many opportunities to pursue. There's too many things I want to do all at once. Swing dancing, salsa, guitar lessons, cooking classes, tennis, running, bowling, hiking, rock climbing. Yep. This is all on top of my photography work and traveling. I think I might have to prioritize this list. My 30 before 30 list is coming soon. :)

And even more important than those activities, what about growing your current relationships with family and friends. I mean how much time do we really have to spend time with our family and girlfriends after we're married? With all the activities I want to be involved in and people I want to build relationships with, I'm coming to realize how much more precious time is. I read/heard somewhere that you can only develop strong, intimate relationships with 12 people (including family) in your life? Any more and you begin to spread yourself out thin. Makes you want to be more intentional with all your relationships. Here's an interesting article a friend posted on Contacts vs. Friends: Bridging & Bonding and Person-Centered Planning. Something to think about.

If that's really the case, can you easily identify who your 12 close friends/family members?

Just wanted to leave you with a few photos of some special people in my life over the years. :) I love all my guy friends too... but as my photog mentor once said, 'girls are nicer to look at, and they get way more hits'. haha ;) XOXO.

Al-Azhar Park - Cairo, Egypt

I miss Middle Eastern culture. The people in Egypt have taught me so much about hospitality and love for family and community. I was so impressed, in fact, that I've been wanting to incorporate some of this good stuff into my own lifestyle. Wouldn't it be awesome if you can combine all the good qualities about each culture and make some sort of super culture?! I don't know how they manage to do it. Nothing ever runs on time there, which was really frustrating to get used to. Well, to be honest, I don't even think I could ever get used to it. BUT I love how their time revolves around their relationships rather than the opposite, relationships revolving around time.

I dislike having to tell people for example, I'm too busy for them Monday, but I can fit them into my 5-7 slot on Wednesday. I want to be as open and available whenever I'm needed. I do realize after a couple schedule conflicts that this doesn't quite work in a culture when everyone else is that busy and sometimes you do need to schedule a few weeks in advance to get things done. I'm still trying to work it all out. Other than work, I want to still remain open. We'll see how things work out.

I really like the 'I'm Yours' song by Jason Mraz. Especially these lyrics:
'Well open up your mind and see like me, open up your plans and damn you're free, look into your heart and you'll find love love love.'

I know my job allows me to be a lot more flexible with my time, and I am very grateful for it, but even when I had a 9-5, I knew it was still possible to have a more free and flexible schedule. Sometimes when I'm running in circles trying to get things done, I have to stop myself and ask what is really that important about what I'm doing. I've come to find that in the end, people are always more important than most of what I think I need to get done.

With that said, I wanted to update with a few photos from Egypt. One of the last days we were there, we went to Al-Azhar park. This woman kinda walked into my photo, but that's okay!



This is an area overlooking the city where you can see a mosque at almost every corner. Supposedly there are so many mosques that there is one mosque per family.





We randomly met a group of six girls at the park and ended up sitting and chatting with them. They taught us so much about their culture and identity. It's cool to learn how different they see the world in being part of an honor-shame culture. It really makes you wonder how much of how you perceive the world is from your upbringing. After chatting some, we were suddenly being fed by them and celebrated one of the girl's birthday with them. :) Seriously, southern hospitality has nothing on Egyptian hospitality. Of course, I couldn't help but ask to get a few portraits of these beautiful girls.

Angel.

I was never much of a pet photography person, so I never took a gazillion photos of my dog. That's why nobody really knows I own a dog. I suppose he does deserve some space on my photography blog though. hehe Maybe I expand a little and will branch out!

No one really knows I have a dog except for the friends that have visited and he scared away. I wish he was more of a people person so I can take him out to parks, but he's very anti-social. Plus, some folks have been asking to see what my dog looks like. haha So here you go! This is my Angel and I after our short run together yesterday. :) I was trying to show my dad how to 'operate' my camera. After many trials and tons of cropping, not so bad, huh? Focus on him, not me! lol I haven't been in the mood to doll myself up lately.



These two are dug out of the archives (Isn't he cute?):





What I was excited for when getting back into the States, and I've managed to accomplish (refer back to earlier post):
1) Hanging out more with family. - I watch movies with my dad now. Can you believe that?
2) Sleeping in my own bed.
3) Having southern sweet tea.
4) Eating at all my favorite places. - Maybe not ALL, but we've hit up some good places like Fat Matt's. :)
5) Walking my dog.
6) Reorganizing my room and cleaning out my closet.
7) West Coast trip planned and flights booked.

hahaha I realize now all the easier ones are done. :P Now for the Top ten things currently in the works (what I didn't complete from the Germany list is added onto this list.. and then some):
1) Catching up with friends.
2) Editing all my work-related photos and all the backed up travel photos.
3) Catching up on the Office. - Where are the missing episodes in Season 5? There must be an order! :(
4) Planning a weekend away with friends. - This needs to happen!!
5) Teaching myself guitar... but I guess the order of it would mean I have to buy one first? hmm.
6) Finish reading Princess Bride + all 20 of my unread books on my bookshelf before I purchase more.
7) Inviting people for dinner. I learned a few things about cooking while traveling. :P
8) Finish the last piano piece I was playing before I quit six-seven years ago. I've been inspired to pick piano back up just for fun. It is a bit frustrating realizing how much I forgot, but still kinda like riding a bike... some things you never forget.
9) Planning an East Coast (road)trip up to DC-Boston-NYC
10) Learning to cook Korean food (well). Maybe Sarah can help me out! :)

I could go on forever.... since I'm naturally a very curious person who loves to learn new things, but I will stop there. Ten is good for now. I'm going to update this list every now and then to see my progress.

California Dreaming.

LOL how appropriate. We just ate there for dinner.

I'm caught with the travel bug. I don't feel like sitting still! hehe So looks like I'm already on the road again, but it's going to be a mix of work and play. :) I have a wedding in LA early June, and I wanted to take some time and do some traveling on the West Coast. The weekend of the 6th will be busy due to the wedding, but here's my itinerary as of now:

June 3 Arrive in Los Angeles
June 9 Fly into SF (Actually it's SJC --> SF --> Big Sur?!)
June 19 Fly back to LA
June 23 Back home to Atlanta!

So for the ten days in SF, I'm not really planning on staying there too long. I want to be able to see everyone and then travel up the coast. I'm pretty open to going anywhere.. ie Napa Valley, etc... but I especially want to go to Big Sur! I've never been before, AND it's supposed to be super gorgeous there! If anyone would like to meet up in LA or SF during that time, let me know! And if you want to join along on the roadtrip, you should do it!!! :) Fly in the same time as I do! hehe

These are some old photos that I dug out from the archives from when I visited SF.

Chase and Charissa Baptism

Easter Sunday, I went to go photograph my cousin's twins getting a baptism. Of course, I couldn't help but photograph other parts of the day. :)



Chase loves being thrown in the air. Over and over again. lol He's an active one.



Here he is with daddy.


The baptism:





Mini photoshoot up in the baby's room. haha It went from "Chase, lean back so you don't fall over. Keep your hands down! Look at me!" to "Okay, I'll let you do your thing and if you laugh at me once in a while -- Score!" :)





Charissa is a shy one. It's so cool to watch their personalities develop at such a young age.




Okay, Auntie's gonna feed you. Good thing they taught us how to do this at the orphanage. lol



And make a mess on your face just to take a photo of you. lol



Chase loves talking on the phone. He laughs and smiles whenever he hears a voice on the other end. Who is it? Is it daddy?


Last but not least, Chase and her Auntie. :) He kept trying to pull of my glasses, but finally I managed a good photo with him.



Baby photography is different from photographing adults and kids. No matter what they are always so comfortable in front of the camera and always have natural expressions. But there are a lot of similarities as well, because you have to get these expressions out of them. Cooperating with your vision is a whole different story. haha

Sometime during the process of starting my photography business, I started to lose sight of my love for photography. I always had a fear that when you something you love into a career, you could quite possibly lose your love for it. It did happen as I started focusing more on the networking and business aspect of it. I stopped taking my camera out for anything other than photoshoots and weddings, and began to think what's wrong with this picture?

I am so glad that it's days like this, spending time with loved ones and capturing the day that make me realize how much I love what I do. Even my six month trip overseas made me rediscover my passion for photography and my absolute love for people. Photography is my medium to love and serve people. Getting paid for it is just frosting on the cake. :) This is always important to be reminded of.