Monday, June 20, 2011

great expectations

My great friends Anna & Cody are expecting their first child soon. I have known Anna and Cody since the very beginning of their relationship and I photographed their engagement, wedding, Anna's bridal portraits, and a one year anniversary session for them. So I was thrilled when Anna told me she wanted me to shoot some maternity portraits of her as a surprise Father's Day present for Cody.

Here are a few of my favorites from our session.

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{Cody built this closet for Anna. I love the hipster vibe of this shot. :)}

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Anna~
You are so beautiful. Thank you for allowing me to photograph all the special moments in your life. :) It means the world to me! I love you so much!

~abi~

Friday, June 17, 2011

love the shirts

I just finished editing an engagement session for cool couple Anthony and Chasta.

Here's one of my faves...

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Obviously, they are a couple after my own heart. :)

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend! I am heading to Tulsa tonight for a birthday bash for my friend Kevin. Should be a great time.

~abi~

Thursday, June 16, 2011

this is why i don't paint my nails

Well, that title is misleading, because obviously I did paint my nails. But this is why I dislike going to the trouble of painting my nails.....

First, I have zero patience. I am just not a patient person. So waiting for my each coat of nail polish to dry just about kills me.

Secondly, when I do actually manage to do good job painting my nails and not smudge them before they dry, they still chip right away.

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I painted my nails last night, and this happened just after noon today, while browsing clothes at the thrift store during my lunch break. Not while opening a can of pop. Not while washing the dishes. Not while doing anything that might actually cause nail polish to chip.

And okay, so maybe I used a random nail strengthener I had on hand, as opposed to top coat or base coat. Apparently, I am easily seduced into buying lots and lots of little bottles of fun, bright, or sparkly nail polish. Not so seduced by the boring bottles of base coat or top coat. But if it is supposed to strengthen my nails, shouldn't it make my nail polish strong enough to last through a shopping trip? Maybe it's because I've probably had that nail strengthener since high school...

~abi~

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

they're a cool family

The other session I did in Tacoma was for Chad and Shawnda and their gorgeous girls. They are such a cool family, and I really enjoyed hanging out with them. I also loved shooting around Tacoma. There are some fantastic locations to shoot in the downtown area, and that day there was some very pretty light.

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Shawnda, Chad, and girls~
Thanks for having me do your photos, and for being willing to walk all over downtown Tacoma with me. You guys are all so photogenic, it made my job super easy. :)

~abi~

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

nick and julia plus one

While in Washington, I also did a couple of family portrait sessions. The first one was for a couple I've known for a long while, Nick and Julia. I actually shot their awesome wedding out in Washington, back in 2007! Now they have a beautiful, smart baby girl, Scarlett.

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Look at this girl -- so cute!

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Nick & Julia~
Thank you for having me do your family portraits while I was out in Washington! It was great getting to spend some time with you, and I really enjoyed seeing you guys as parents. It's obvious already that you are doing a wonderful job raising sweet Scarlett! Now that you will be living in the MidWest, I hope we will get to do family pictures on a regular basis. :)

~abi~

Monday, June 13, 2011

food, fun, and fashion in seattle

Last month, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting my sis in law and dear friend, Ashley, out in Tacoma, WA. We had a wonderful few days together enjoying some delish culinary delights, losing track of time in an amazing little clothing shop, and otherwise just having an absolute blast. But photos always tell the story better, so here you go.....

The flight into Sea-Tac is simply breathtaking, especially to this Mid-Western born and bred girl. :)

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Immediately after my arrival in Washington, Ashley and I headed over to Alki Beach in West Seattle. It was a lovely, sunny day, especially for Seattle. I was enamored with the picturesque area!

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I could easily imagine living in a charming abode like this one! :)

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Ashley and I walked and talked and sat and talked some more, all while enjoying the views on every side. I mean, this view...seriously??

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Ashley's latest tattoo.

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After walking all the way down the beach and back, we stumbled-on-purpose into the fabulous store Pepper, having spotted it earlier from the car. I snapped this shot while we were driving by, when this cool girl caught my eye. When we went into the store later, we found out that this cool girl was actually the artist and shop owner Pepper herself. Ashley and I went mad for her creatively reworked fashions! Such fun clothes!

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After an hour or so spent trying on and buying clothes from Pepper, we walked down the street a little to get some yummy pho for lunch.

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That evening, Ashley and her roommate Lindsay and friend Rachel and I, all got dressed up and headed back into Seattle from Tacoma.

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Rachel, you are so fetching in your fascinator! :)

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First, we enjoyed a sublime meal at Etta's, where I savored the delicious albacore tuna with braised olives, fennel, and roasted grapes. Yummmm.....

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After dinner, we headed over to Le Can Can to take in a divine show by the super-talented performers! I loved the mood, lighting, and all-around atmosphere of Le Can Can!

Rachel and I -- doing our best "sophisticated ladies" pose... :)

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Ashley and Lindsay -- happy, smiley, pretty girls... :)

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I have no words to describe the allure and talent of this woman! Wow.

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That's my hand, looking fabulous all dressed up with sparkly nail strips and a giant ring.

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The second day of my visit was all about Ashley's roller derby bout that evening!!! Yes, she is a badass roller derby chick! I LOVED getting to watch her skate!

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I had to represent for my girl! I even rocked a {temporary} tattoo of an anchor on my chest, in support of the Dock Yard Derby Dames.

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The next morning, we headed back into Seattle yet again, for a delectable biscuit brunch at a sweet little spot named Nook.

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And later, in the afternoon, I ended up at the best little ice cream place ever! I told y'all this trip was all about some great food! But seriously, if you are ever in Seattle, do yourself a favor and try some savory ice cream from Molly Moon's! You won't regret it, and you will thank me. :)

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After sampling several of their unique flavors, I ended up going with the to-die-for-delish salted caramel. Mmmmm!

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Oh, and did I mention that I was wearing one of Pepper's pieces that day? This top totally made me feel like I was a cool girl while walking the streets of Seattle.

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That evening, back in Tacoma, we enjoyed even more good food while celebrating Ashley and Lindsay's May birthdays.

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The birthday babes... :)

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Ashely~
Thank you so much for such a wonderful time. You are so very special to me! I loved meeting your friends, eating delicious food with you, watching your roller derby bout, and shopping at Pepper's with you -- but most of all, I loved just hanging out and talking and being with you!

Love,
~abi~

ps Who feels inspired to go home and cook something amazing, after all that food talk?? I do!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

help me think of a clever series title

As narcissist as it might seem, I want to start posting my outfits more regularly. I just love clothes and personal style and fashion, you see. And sometimes I want to record what I wear.

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{shirt: Collected Thread; necklace: Kohls}

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{skirt and shoes: from Ross, purchased years ago}

But for some reason today, I am having the most difficult time coming up with a good series title for outfit posts. So, feel free to throw some suggestions my way if you are feeling especially clever. Please and thank you.

~abi~

p.s. Buy local! :)