It’s not often that you find a couple so sure about their future. So sure, that they are willing to put everything on the line. It’s not often that we give up complete control and place our fate in the hands of God. Many of us would like to think we do, but in reality, giving up control is difficult. It was difficult for Lavi & Paul too, but they felt this was the only way. The only way to know for sure is to leave their futures in a power much greater than theirs.

Lavi & Paul are both pursuing a career in the medical field and will one day make incredible doctors. As Lavi was attending school in her hometown of Florida, Paul was finishing his up in Indiana. When the time came for him to place his top three choices for residency programs, Paul listed Florida as one. Not the first choice, but the second. Why? Because he really wanted God to decide. Knowing very well that some students don’t get placed in any of their top choices, he said a prayer and left the rest to Him. And Lavi? Well Lavi crossed her fingers just in case. Sure enough, Paul was placed in Florida for residency and instantly knew what came next. A sweet proposal later and these two were on their way to spending the rest of their lives together. And the next few years of residency in Florida. Together.

Saying these two are ridiculously in love would be the understatement of the year. And who could blame them? I can’t help but wonder how two people so good looking were able to stand being so far a part for so long. I am excited to announce that they will be tying the knot this Sunday and I can hardly wait. And yes, blame residency and med school for an engagement shoot so close to their wedding date. Apparently, patients’ health comes first… pssshhh.

Click here for your slideshow and Happy Wednesday to everyone!

We started the shoot off in an alley. Yes, alley’s in Boca Raton look straight out of a painting. I know, we are very lucky.

I could shoot at Mizner Park all day long. Adi and I got there a bit earlier to scope out the location and there was really no need to scope. Because everywhere we looked, there was amazing light.
Oh, they brought it. And worked it like pros. That wind couldn’t have come in a better moment. Fierce & so very fabulous. And Paul, I just know you’d love being referred to as the latter.
Lavi is beautiful. And hot. And those two combinations are lethal, as Paul could probably attest to. One of my favorites.

It always happens around lunch time. I get a call from my mom asking if I’ve had anything to eat. Dare I say no, and before anyone knows it, she’ll be knocking down my door, hot meal in hand and lecture prepared on why it’s bad to skip meals. And when I’m stressed out and nutty, she insists she come over and clean for me…before my husband files a complaint for neglectful behavior. When I plan girl-nights with my friends, I get a call from my mom asking what about Adi. And it’s always the same reassurance… “Adi’s fine, mom. He’ll be fine at home…no really, he’d much rather be at home”. When my dad has a long day at work ahead of him, my mom will go along to keep him company and make sure he’s hydrated. You know, because she packs about 12 bottles of Zephyrhills. Every time. When my friends have exams or papers due, she adds them to her prayer list (which by the way, is more like a journal). And if a tropical storm has threatened to hit us, she insists she call family in Romania to tell them all is well. A tropical storm.

By nature, my mom’s a worrier… always has been. But the things that worry her heart aren’t so much worries, as they are cares. She cares about her family. Friends. Those in need. Kittens I bring home. She cares about it all. And she’ll take all the burdens off other’s shoulders and carry them on hers. Because that’s where they are safe.

Mom, there is no one like you in the world. I know I don’t tell you this enough but you are our world. Without you, nothing would work or make any sense at all. God has so uniquely created a heart in you for others, one that is warm and kind, and has taught me more than you’ll ever know. For every sacrifice you make, for every worry you take, and for every amount of love you give, thank you. There is no one like you, mom. No one in the world….and we are so blessed to have you. Happy Birthday… we love you.

Here’s a photo I dug up from when she was younger than I am now. When I was little, I’d stare at this photo and pretend it would one day be me.

Surrounded by fields of lavender and the smell of orchards nearby, I breathed in summer. As the sun was making it’s last few hours known, a soft glow fell upon us and grazed our skin. These are the moments of summer that make the long, hot days bearable and the frizzy hair worth it. And when you get to see summer like I had the opportunity to this past weekend, well, well, well….consider yourself lucky. Because beyond the beautiful fields and sweet smells, there was love. A beautiful, gentle kind of love that makes you feel the warm feelings of summer and wish for them forever. Happy Monday!

The sun is shining, the pool is ridiculously inviting, and I’m pretty sure I heard my name exchanged amongst the kids playing outside. Oh, that Diana…wasting a beautiful day in front of the computer working. Shame, shame. Yea, it’s pathetic. But here I am, working away on technicalities of square footage and occupancy while dreaming of sipping a piña colada, catching up on my In Style Magazine, and digging my toes deeper in the sand. I’ve always been of the opinion that it should be illegal for anyone of any age to be studious during the summer but… that’s just me. And since my opinion clearly doesn’t make a difference, I thought I’d share a few photos of what I do on my little breaks that brings a sly-n-silly-lookin’ smile to my face. This was taken from an engagement shoot of a sizzling-hot couple who I’m getting ready to blog soon so stay tuned for more! Hope you all are enjoying the sun today (do it for me) and taking advantage of the summer days. Happy Wednesday!

Three weeks have passed and I’ve officially started my thesis in interior design. In all honesty, I’m deathly afraid and extremely excited, all wrapped up in one. This is my beginning to my end…to what I started 2 and a half years ago. This is the last part before I finish school forever. Ok, I realize this sounds so melodramatic and kinda like a prelude to a movie with a sappy ending that involves tears and glory, but bare with me here…we all know I’m semi-dramatic. ;)

So I’ll just lay it all out there for you, completely uncut and raw. Which by the way, makes me sound like a totally legit movie-person. I am excited to be so close to the end yet so fearful of failure once I get in the real world. I have doubts & I have concerns, but I have more hopes and dreams than the first two combined. I have faith that I was brought this far for a reason and I can’t wait to see what that reason is. It’s been quite the experience and it’s not quite over yet. So for the next 5 months, I’ll be focusing more on finishing what I’ve started than anything else in my life. I’m not quite sure that I’ll have as much time to blog everyday, and I’m not quite sure how much photography work I’ll be able to take, but I’m hoping to keep up as much as possible without needing to admit myself into a psych ward at the end of it all. Because that would make for a really bad ending to my happy movie. So though I’ve never done this before, I’m asking all of you, my wonderful and amazing readers, to please be patient with me…and to keep cheering me on. Because without your support and without your cheering, I would have never, ever gotten this far. Many of you are friends, many I’ve never met, and of course there’s my mom and dad….but all of you are a huge part of my life. All of you have helped me get to where I am and without you, I’m positive I would have quit photography in the first 2 weeks. So thank you. THANK YOU. Really, with all my heart, thank you.

I’d love for you all to be a part of this journey with me as well, and so I’m sure I’ll be ranting on about my frustrations with deadlines and my joys with finding the perfect furniture layout. I’m sure I’ll share photos and love some constructive criticism. But through it all, I just want to enjoy the process as much as possible and get back to doing what I love most…creating and connecting. And have a bag of popcorn along the way. With extra butter. So, happy Monday!!.. and because every post is better with a picture, here’s one of my many inspiration photos for my thesis. *Designed by Chan Soo Khian for Alila Villas Hadahaa in the southern Maldives*

I’m often reminded that my blog shows too much love for the ladies. In fact, one particular reader has told me it’s too girly and I need to man it up some. Considering the fact that I am definitely all girl, I’ve had a difficult time with this. Because really, putting up photographs of Lamborghini’s and Ferrari’s is Adi’s thing, not so much mine. I’m beyond grateful that there are any guys out there who actually read my blog and to be honest, I’m always kind of shocked. In a humbled, thank-you-Jesus kinda way. So to show my appreciation, I thought I’d include some of my photos from a wedding I second-shot for the amazing Michelle of Ava Photography. I am usually with the bride as she gets ready and so being with the groom and his groomsmen was quite the change. Oh, who am I kidding?… it’s completely different. Boys are relaxed. Boys watch movies before the wedding. Boys tease each other as they help with their ties. And boys are up for anything. This was the largest bridal party I’ve shot to date and although it was raining that day and quite chilly, I never heard one complaint about the hair. Not one. Amazing.

Here are the boys, in all of their no-fuss glory. Even more amazing was the fact that they were all related. So, you can just imagine the teasing that took place.

Some brotherly love for the man of the hour. 

It’s the beginning of the week… and nobody really likes when that happens. Why? Because it means you’re that much further away from the weekend. But since I generally try not to look at my glass half-full, I’m going to look at this beginning of a week as a fresh start. With a million things to do, a ton of things to see, plans to make, and dreams to dream, here’s to a brand new week and here’s to…organizing. Oh yes, you read right. Every now and then I get into this crazy weird mood…for organizing. And strange things start happening. Like sudden urges to buy extra storage cabinets and begin a filing system… for receipts from 2009. You know, just in case. Adi’s been regularly checking my forehead for fever and wondering who this strange woman in his house is, while I’ve been busying myself with color coordinating hair ties and alphabetizing my design books. So you can imagine my excitement when I came across this. A beautiful idea to organize and display pretty silver earrings and delicate gold necklaces? Yes, please. Happy beginning of the week!  

I try really hard not to “work” on Sundays. I make sure to relax, though watching the World Cup isn’t proving to be as relaxing as one would think, I sometimes nap, and I always eat a slice of cake. But today is different. Not the cake part…. but I just wasn’t fully able to relax until I looked through the images from yesterday’s amazing shoot. And so here I am, on a Sunday, totally not working….but at the computer, shifting through the photos. Adi and I got the opportunity to shoot the most beautiful couple yesterday for their engagement session and I just had to give you a little sneak peak…  Happy Sunday!

We were making crepes at my best friend’s birthday. Actually, if we’re going to be honest, we were eating the crepes… complete with nutella, strawberries, and banana. Nothing on earth could have pulled me away from my crepe…nothing except for what Anda was about to tell me. As if she were telling me Nordstrom was having a sale, she candidly declared, I’m pregnant… in between bites.  As if it were no big deal, she just snuck in that extra piece of information…you know, in case I was wondering. Shrieking from excitement, I dropped my crepe and hugged my friend. And just like that, Anda’s little family of three was growing and expecting a new lil’ addition. By the end of the night, I told her we were going to do a maternity photoshoot no matter what. And though I’ve never shot one before and am in no way a maternity photographer, we were still doing one. As the day approached, I began to get nervous…very nervous. Though this was a good friend, I didn’t want to disappoint…I didn’t want her to walk away thinking I had no clue what I was doing. And I definitely didn’t want her to think I should get pregnant and feel how uncomfortable the positions I was putting her in were.

As we shot around, I eased up…and fell in love with life. With the  life that was growing inside of her. I can’t wait to meet Abby’s little sister and one day show her pictures of what she looked like inside Mommy’s belly. I can’t wait to tell her how she kicked when her mommy and daddy kissed. How her big sister proudly showed me her little shoes. And I really can’t wait to tell her how I found out her mommy was pregnant with her…in between bites of our strawberry and nutella crepes. Anda, Steve, and Abby, thank you for letting me take pictures of your beautiful, expanding family. I was honored and left feeling so blessed to have you for friends. I can’t wait to meet the lil’ angel. Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot! The light was heavenly and Anda looked like the most beautiful mommy ever.
Hey Anda, careful…I think that was the look that got you in this mess in the first place….

There are many advantages to being married to a computer boy (a.k.a. programmer). I love never having to worry about outdated or expired programs. I love that we have a fast computer and that he knows the fancy way to make it run that way. I really love that I can call him when the computer’s acting up and he can diagnose the problem right there and then. I love that he can figure out just about anything in photoshop without ever having to take a class. And how cool it is that I can get a different font on my blog with the snap of my fingers?! Ok, not quite…I’m not sure that Adi would react very well to me snapping my fingers. At him. But regardless, for the most part, I love it.

For the most part. I say this because there are also a few disadvantages to being married to a computer boy. Like not knowing how to get my Lightroom working again if he’s not home…and not understanding his foreign language as he attempts to walk me through it. Or opening my laptop to a completely different setup that I haven’t a clue how to operate. I also don’t particularly enjoy his boredom with programs. Just when I get used to a certain toolbar, he goes and changes it to an impossible location. Or the best part is when he reassigns keys on the keyboard to do magical things that I would never in a million years figure out without a manual. And how could I forget his urge to clean up the computer and as a result erase my “favorites” folder with all of my websites that I love so much.

Still…for the most part, I love it. I love it because I can wake up, have my coffee and go through my morning routine, and then sit in front of Google and see this: Yes, for the most part, I love being married to a computer boy. Happy Thursday!