Fancy Footwork

On this cold and grey Saturday, I'm posting some pictures of some anything-but-blah footwear.

I'm a sucker for the shoe department at any store or shopping mall.

Have mercy!

A year in marriage ~ Almost

I am in awe at how fast time passes us by. A year ago at this time I was in shambles, trying to get prepared for my destination wedding, at home reception and deal with the craziness of work, Christmas season and buying a new home. I remember thinking that after our at home reception, I was going to be so happy it was over because that meant we could finally enjoy our lives together without the self-imposed pressure of perfection. We couldn't wait to hop back on a plane after it was all over with, and enjoy our honeymoon back in Mexico, the place that has become so very special to Michael and I.

As we are approaching our one year anniversary on January 7th, we are both so grateful for how our lives have turned out, where we live and who we are surrounded with. Sometimes, you wonder how you're going to get there and as we've always heard in cliche, forget to enjoy the journey but Michael and I have enjoyed the voyage every step of the way; it's been a hell of a ride. We've gone through life and death together in the sense that loved ones have passed away and also been born. We've lost some friends by choice and gained some new ones by fate. We've adapted to the trials and tribulations of marriage. We've explored our passions separately; him with his food blogging and me with my writing and photography. We've also learned to merge those passions together and intertwine our talents to become a great team.

I'm re-posting the link to our special time, captured by Studio 67 in both Mexico and home. It's 19 minutes long but means the world to us in memories. You need a password to get in...that password is: mexico

http://www.vimeo.com/12551712

This song by Fleetwood Mac is the song that our moms walked us down the aisle to.

I love you always, now and forever Michael!

Your loving wife,

Wendy

xoxo

Project Cousin: Part 1 of 2

I am the eldest of several first cousins. Growing up, I would see my little cousin Andrea sporadically at family gatherings and holidays. I remember her always grabbing my hand as a little girl and asking me to come to her room and play. She always commented on my clothing or fashion sense and it was kind of neat to be ten years someone's elder and have them look up to your style.

It's even more flattering in your thirties, when you're mid age and feeling a little dumpy to have your 20 something year old little cousin, who is not so little anymore ask me to take some photographs. This is part 1 of 2 of this post, as the two of us collaborated on a special project not yet to be revealed.

This woman is so insanely talented, smart, confident and stunningly beautiful. I did very little to edit her photos and her natural aura of moonbeams shone right from her eyes and directly into my lens.

Here are a few photos from yesterday's session. Thanks Andy for a great day.

I love you!

Dancing Queen!

Every once in a while, probably once or twice a year now, I get the urge to go dancing.

This used to be a weekly thing in my twenties. Here are a few fun images to inspire girl time. And a song to rock your world!

Let's face it....husbands and kids are wonderful. Family is everything. Work is both tiring and fulfilling. Sleeping and lounging is rejuvenating.......but..... nothing ever replaces the silly memories with your girlfriends! And I love mine so.

Family Ties

I often ask people who have been married if they still keep in touch with their bridal party, to which most answers are "no". This was specifically the reason why Michael and I asked our parents to stand up with us on our wedding day. Friends come and go but parents are forever.

Circumstances and life events change and therefore so does your social network and perspective. As you have children, your focus shifts towards your own immediate family and your social network is that of likeminded commonality.

I can say with all certainty that if we had waited and got married this year, there would definitely be different people included in our day as we've met so many fantastic colleagues, neighbours, and acquaintances who have eventually become our friends.

The definition of family for me has certainly changed. Family of course encompasses blood relation but not always do you have things in common simply because you're from the same family tree. Family to me is whomever you want it to be.

For us, it's parents, each other, pets, in-laws, friends, step-siblings, half-siblings, neighbours, and of course extended blood lines. There are people who don't know their parents or have never met their sibling and who are forced to create their own family ties for comfort, security and survival.

This year, I have faced some personal challenges to say the very least regarding forgiveness. I was told by a highly educated professional that family is the most complex and complicated unit there is, and with large families comes more problems. She said you can move halfway around the world and run from these problems, but when you least expect it, those feelings will re-surface and creep in. I myself have chosen to face these problems head on, forgive and also forget. There is no possible way in life that you can move forward if you harbour ill-feelings of contempt. With that being said, in life comes reason and choice.

Family is forever and no matter who you choose to define and surround yourself with, make sure you let them know how much you love them. You know the expression that you can pick your friends but not your family. To this statement I disagree and Michael and I will both attest that our "family" may be far from the typical nuclear one, but it's still in fact authentically ours and we choose to surround ourself with love, and divorce or remove ourselves from anything but.

As we embark upon this Christmas season, there is always something about this time that makes me quite emotional. When I was single, I was panging for the love that I so badly wanted and the holidays were always a reminder of how alone I really was. Now, I'm filled with emotion as I'm thankful for so much, for such a wonderful family and the memories we've started to create. It's so important to keep family traditions alive but also wonderful to start new ones.

With that being said, it's time to go listen to Elvis' Christmas album. Some traditions will never be broken.

I'm loving this all star cast version of "We are Family."

Trash the dress with Wedding Girl.

On Sunday I had the opportunity, as well as current and aspiring photographers to spend the day at an (undisclosed) remote location and shoot my friend and wedding planner's TTD (Trash the dress) session. For those that don't know what this is, it's a recent phenomenon where brides who have carefully preserved and guarded their beautiful white gowns, symbolically ruin their dress for a cathartic, fun and memorable photo shoot.

We started hair and makeup at a hotel and then headed off where the layers upon layers of beautiful bridal fabric and crinoline were cut, torn, knifed and painted. This all may sound a bit morbid to you, but for a girl who spends her days and nights mussing and fussing over other brides' needs, this extraordinary woman had a day to bask in the lights of our many flashing cameras.

These were some of my shots. I've been asked by a few people if I'm available to shoot TTD sessions. Please contact me at wendyalana@yahoo.ca if you're interested.

The session was cold and dirty and transitioned from beautiful, traditional, bridal hair, makeup and attire to rockstar edgy sexy glam. I was so pleased with the results and it helps when you have an amazing subject to photograph.

I don't know folks, there's just something about Mary.

:)

To see further pictures, here is a link to my facebook album.