Aus10 Photoartists

Lost season premiere

Tonight we watched the season premiere of LOST on Waikiki beach, with several thousand other peple! It was such an experience to see all the cast and watch the first hour of the season opening show. If you want to know any spoilers or specific info about the episode you can email me...otherwise I'm keeping my mouth shut.

Basically, the show picks up where we leave off with Juliette throwing the rock at the atom bomb and it exploding with the white flash. What happens next is pretty predictable...though there are a couple of strange twists and things that might, and probably will, confuse you. ;) of course. I would have to say that the outcome of the john locke, ben and Jacob standoff is the most intriguing. I am excited to see where they take John's character...and how a few things might possibly be slightly explained ;) haha. Overall it was a great episode and I can't wait to see the rest of the final season!!!

USS Arizona / Pearl Harbor

This morning we flew into Oahu to spend some time in Honolulu ... and go to the LOST premiere tomorrow! We stopped at pearl harbor first thing to see the USS Arizona memorial. It was so sobering to see the sunken battleship ... and 70 years or so later it's still leaking oil. It's hard to believe that almost 1200 soldiers are still down there. Probably the coolest thing was seeing the list of several USS Arizona survivors who chose to be buried under the wreckage with their shipmates.

Just so you all know, tomorrows blog post will come late due to the four hour time difference and the LOST premiere ;) but we are so excited and can't wait to share it. But not spoilers of course ;)

destination weddings

Being here on Maui for the past several days, we've seen a few different weddings and wedding parties on the beach and in the resort areas. Destination weddings are pretty popular, but can be difficult to plan. I found this blog, Pacific Weddings (which is also a magazine) had some GREAT tips and inspiration for destination weddings! So, check it out, and of course we wouldn't be opposed to photographing your destination wedding, either. ;) 

Mara's 1st Birthday

Just a couple days ago (Jan 25) was mara's first birthday! Unfortunately we're out of town, but we can't wait to get back and get her a doggie cupcake. ;) Our awesome breeder, Karen, made this collage of all the pups with recent photos. Aren't they just the cutest vizslas ever?!? ;)

check out our breeder on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Moonlight-Vizslas/176670923286

Or on their website you can get more info on the breed and puppy ownership in general! www.moonlightvizslas.com

The road to Hana

I'm blogging this from Hana ... we took a beautiful route to get here and we're heading back into the sunset. Enjoy some iPhone photos!

Lorraine's Shaved Ice // A real Maui gem!

 

Matt's parents told us about this little place to get shaved ice called Lorraines...they said it was up this one lane road in a little town in the mountains of Maui and that it was actually in a carport. Well ... they weren't kidding! The one lane road was pretty tricky - all of a sudden the state highway "ends" and it turns into a (recently paved) very skinny one lane around the mountain. One wrong move and, well, you get the idea! At one point we had to stop and help a van back into a turn off point so that cars coming in the opposite direction could get through. It was quite crazy. Once we got to the town we were trying to figure out where this place was ... and then we came upon a driveway that had a sign that said shaved ice and banana bread. We pulled in and it was kind of like going to your grandma's house ... she came out and greeted us, we went into her carport and there was the ice shaving machine and a bunch of flavors! Her secret? Putting ice cream into the bottom of the cup so you have a great finish! She also had a ton of different flavors, and none of us were allowed to get the same one ;) Once we got our shaved ice (and yes, it was INCREDIBLE) she showed us into the backyard where she had a few lawn chairs set up for people to enjoy the view. We also sampled her coconut "woodchips" and she showed us a fern that closes up whenever you touch it. So fun! Whenever we travel we love finding places like this where we get off the resort and out to meet real people. Enjoy the view from Lorraine's backyard ;)

 

Vinyls are back

Yup, that's right. Records are making a comeback! We've been looking for a good record player and have found a few options ... we're loving the retro ones, like REAL retro that can be found on ebay. We found this cool "Barky Turntable" on Anthropologie. It's pretty pricey, especially for a toy, but seriously, it's hot!!

This Crosley that we found on retrowonders.com is a great vintage style. You can also find similar ones on ebay ... for a lot less. ;)

 

*Also, because we're in a different time zone right now ... this blog post is really being published on Jan 24 ;)
 

  

Hawaii day two

Our first full day was super fun!! We went snorkling... and even swam with a sea turtle. Had a great time driving in our wrangler, too. Enjoy the photos, and please remember to book your portrait session by Jan 31 to help the Haitian orphanages. We'll be returning phone calls and emails each day while we're in Hawaii!

Hawaii // day 1

Just landed!! It's 6pm Hawaii time ... which is 10pm in the Midwest. We are already having fun in the jeep!

Louis is coming home!

Today I have been totally fixated on the story of our friends, the Tugwells, who traveled to Haiti today to pick up their oldest son, Louis, who is in the final stages of adoption!! They landed this morning, drove to Petionville to get him, waited at the US Embassy for his Visa and are currently on a plane heading home!! This has been quite a ride for them, as they'd tried numerous other ways to get him home since the earthquake. Here are some photos that Lori took with her Blackberry that I pulled from Facebook of their epic journey to Haiti. Oh, and Noel's birthday is today so I can't imagine how much of an amazing birthday present it is!!

  

This is Louis' first plane ride home ... and the start to a new life with the Tugwells! God surely does move mountains :)

See their story on KNWA