Growing up sooooo fast! I got a couple snapshots of my nephew running around the other day, and I’ll definitely be back with more but this picture CRACKS ME UP. My little hammy is transforming!

When I wasn’t sneaking into class late from running around Howard’s campus shooting assignments for The Hilltop, Arica and I used to sit at rickety desks in Oral Expression II, while Professor Tibbits click-clacked about in her impossibly high (but CUTE!) heels, helping us better improve our diction in Spanish conversation, but really, because her and I are both fluent speakers it was a nice GPA boost (okay I will speak for myself.)

Manuel came along, and totally swept her off her feet. When he first came to her house and meet her family, he not only brought Arica flowers, but flowers for ALL of the ladies in the house. Can you say KEEPER? Oh and he’s a great dancer, and LOVES LOVES LOVES God. KEEPER!

They are such a great couple, and have such a beautiful family–Janelli, who is full of energy and just plain ADORABLE, and Manuelito Jiovani, who had these CHUBBY cheeks I just wanted to squish the whole time I was there, but then we’d have no photos

They were married last Sunday at the Gala Center in Baltimore, and oh man, it was such a beautiful day. You can tell that sooooo many people loooooove these two and their family! I only teared up about 50 times

Okay, enough of my blabbificacion (yes I made it a word), and on to the pics. I had lots and lots of favorites, so be forewarned!

She did this with NO practice y’all! YES!

Manuel is totally looking over at Arica’s twin sister Amber and is like ‘ARE YOU KIDDING ME? MAMI IS GORGEOUS!’

No for real though, Arica is BEAUTIFUL! She and her sister could be/should be MODELS. Tyra, come to Baltimore!

And Janelli gets it from her mama!

A quick prayer:

And another:

Handsooooome! (and nerrrrrvous/excited LOL)

Arica claims that she never cries, but when she came down the aisle, waterworks :)

Un besote!

Manuel is thinking: SHE IS FLY!!

Arica and Manuel, I know that with God at the center of your relationship, your marriage will be full of nothing but blessings. Thank you so much for allowing me to capture your special day and I look forward to hanging out with you two in the near future!

I’m back!

Last week, I got to hang out with Zion, her mom Tabitha, and her dad Brian at Glen Echo park, to have some fun on the carousel and the playground (it was Zion’s first time ever on a carousel! And I’m perpetually 8, so um…FUN for me!)

I had too many favorites. My bad in advance. But for real. I kept saying ‘OOOH I LIKE THIS ONE, AWWWWW, OOOOH, YAY!’ and Cory was all ‘WOMAN BE QUIET SOCCER’S ON, WHY DO YOU TALK TO YOUR LAPTOP!?’

(I mean, I know it’s not gonna answer or anything. I learned I also yell at the TV. Especially during the DNC and RNC. But wait, I’m not gonna wax politic. That’s a whole ‘nother blog.)

Okay, back to pics!

This is Zion doing her best Blue Steel face. WORK IT! FIERCE.

Did I mention I’m perpetually 8? Okay. It makes it perfectly okay to keep bubbles in my camera bag. Because sometimes when life gives you Palmolive soap, you pour some of that bad boy into a little container, add some water, mix it, and blow some bubbles.

Oh, and lemme tell you a secret. Parents of two year olds LOVE bubbles. See? Zion’s trying to channel her inspiration for the next photo, and Tabitha and Brian are remembering childhood.

I just like the look on Brian’s face in this photo.

 Favorite!

Zion loved the carousel (the second time around. Oh BTW I’m thinking this carousel’s like 50eleven years old, it probably only goes like .02 mph but I was WRONG! Where was my seatbelt?!)

Tickled. Favorite! Love love love the dimples!

 Kissed and tickled = Awwww-ness!

 :-D

Thank you Zion, Tabitha and Brian for such a fun-filled day!

Literally

I’ll be back with more, I’m editing as we speak, but while chimping through today’s shoot I could not RESIST posting this up

*waves hiiiii to Zion’s mommy and daddy*

…after hours of watching curtains of rain drench the sidewalks, and the wind shake and bend with invisible fingers the branches of trees so hard and low I thought the leaves would kiss the asphalt, the clouds finally broke.

I ran out to replace Aloicious Leicester, finally made it home from the store, (most of the roads in my area were closed due to flooding), and saw this sky as I got out of the car. And smiled. No matter how much it rains, or pours, the sun will always shine once the clouds break.

We came down to Charlotte this weekend to hang out with my parents and sister, and on a whim decided to hit the beach, and with a bit of Google magic set the GPS for Kure Beach, NC. Sort of awesome, because I haven’t been to the beach in a few years, and because Cory’s never been fishing before, and since my dad can sit at a pier for DAYS, I figured I’d torture give him the opportunity to spend some quality time w/Pops-in-Law

I didn’t snap that many photos primarily because I was terrified of sand getting into my camera, and also because I spent the majority of time getting sunburned in the water and/or reading a seedy novel on the sand (I finished Oscar Wao on the way down to Charlotte, don’t judge me!) up until we left, but heeeereee goes

So my dad went away for like 10 minutes, and in that span, Cory caught his first fish!

I think they were set up on the wrong side of the pier or something, because after that catch, nothing else was biting, except for the little boy who caught an angelfish and the dude next to him who caught like five fish, and a skate (which kinda freaked me out because I saw the catch while I was in the water, and it was less than 25 feet away. Plus I watched Jaws the day before, and while I know it’s just a movie, it gave me the heebiejeebies.)

***

So…I’ve always wondered what the inside of a lens looks like.

I found out yesterday My Nifty Fifty, Aloicious Leicester, my walk-around lens, decided the world was too much for him and fell apart. I guess this means I’m going to have to replace him with Alocious Leicester II, the 1.4 very soon. It was a good run, chap. Rest in Pieces.