so since i cant post any more photos on this blog, i have returned to my blogger.com blog. this is where i will be continuing my update posts…so be sure to replace this wordpress page with the new blogger page. there will also be a link back to this blog if you feel like coming back to it at any time.

thanks for your support and i will see you over at blogger!!

so apparently i have reached my upload limit…which means i cant add any more photos to my blog without switching to a paid version. im feeling a bit bummed now. i was all motivated to get, and keep, my blog updated and even had another post ready to add when i got so brutally rejected! so i will be mulling around trying to figure out how i want to deal with this…but NEVER FEAR…i will be sure to get back on track as quickly as possible!

thanks for your patience ill be with you again shortly!

so im still catching up on all my missed posts…and probably will be for at least a little while…but to be cliche, “its better late than never,” and i just dont feel right posting new ones before i catch up. it messes up my chronology….and for those who know me REAL well know that i have a bit of an obsession with organization. ESPECIALLY chronological organization! but thats a whole different day

but as for today…well sorta…

back in december…my “bestie”, trish, and i took a little photo field trip up to sedona, az. it was a nice girls day out…beautiful weather, gorgeous scenery, and even a spooky little story that i might share, if youre lucky!

we spent the day just driving around trying to find cool little spots to explore and…well…take pictures! hence calling it a photo field trip. since neither of us are avid sedona trippers (is that even a word? well it is now!), we only knew of about 2 spots that we for sure wanted to go to…the rest of the time was us just driving around hoping to happen upon a jewel.

the first stop was the church of the red rocks. pretty much everyone who’s been there knows about it. its just what it sounds like…a church built into the side of the red rock mountains. being that i myself am a christian…it really reminds me to thank God for creating such beautiful places for us to enjoy!

this is a shot i got of trish…

heres where the spooky little story comes in! as we were drving along the highway, we saw that down below was a creek and if we pulled over we could climb down the rocks and get some really cool shots! so we found a perfect spot to pull over and park the car. we locked up, climbed down, and just started walking along the creek…shooting as we went (thats where trish is in that last shot). well as we were walking, we noticed there were 2 guys, in about their mid 30’s to early 40’s, walking on the other side of the creek, calling something out in spanish. well, since neither of us speak spanish…naturally we didnt know what they were saying, but we were under the impression they were looking for someone they knew since they were too close to us to be needing to shout. but being that we were two young ladies, walking alone, in this very secluded creek ravine…we decided that it was a good idea just to head back to the car. well…as we started heading back, the guys crossed the creek and started to walk in our direction and were no longer calling out whatever it was they were before. getting a little nervous…we started to walk a little faster and progressed to a light jog. then it got scary! the faster we walked, jogged, or ran…the guys did the same! i was now at the point where my adreneline was PUMPING! all i can think about is what is possible if these guys catch up with us…and that no one can see us from the highway. i am yelling for trish to “RUN!” i climbed up those rocks faster than i ever imagined i could…using only my lower body strength, while i held my camera in my hands. as we started up the rocks…the guys, only about 30 ft. behind us, started up the rocks. i finally got to the top, unlocked my car, jumped in, started the engine just as trish was opening the door and put it in drive! just as trish shut the door and the car started to move…one of the guys jumped up to the top of the hill and was standing right at her window! we were so scared all we could do was laugh and freak ourselves out even more by talking about what COULD HAVE happened! needless to say…we didnt go far from the main road for the rest of our trip!

but…just up the road we HAD to pull over again…this time staying visible. this is what we would have passed!

its was like what you imagine a fairytale forest to look like. like a place snow white would go to call all her little animal friends! and i like this one of trish standing in the road to get her shot!

a little later in the day we ended up in the spot that we both knew we had to go! slide rock! there are so many cool things to see and photograph…there just isnt enough blog space…or time, since im trying to catch up on the last 5 months ive missed take a look for yourself…and if you are ever in the area be sure to check it out in person…its majestic!

be careful of this area!! i made the mistake of bending down on my knees to get this shot, and found out very quickly that that isnt just dead grass you see…its a breeding ground for those tiny round stickers!! trish had to come help me stand up because i couldnt put my hands down to push myself up…and not to mention my legs were a little sore from all the climbing and intense running from scary men we had to do!!!

this was perfect for me! im a bit of a hippie at heart and right away when i saw this GIANT wooden wheel i saw the peace sign in it! so i had to do the obvious

this image reminds me of a place a young married couple would have went back in the 30’s and 40’s…and after their spouse died…they would come back here and just sit on the bench and reminisce. kinda sad…i know. but dont worry…thats just trisha sitting there…but it does seem like that kind of spot…right?

and last but not least…slide rock itself!! in summer this place is swarming with kids and families…playing in the water, picnicing, and just walking the edges to get a good look at the scenery. it definitely something worth checking out if you get the opportunity!

thanks for taking my photo tour of sedona…and i hope you enjoyed yourselves! come back soon..and i look forward to catching you up even more of my lifes adventures from the last few months…and those to come!

i realize i havent blogged in about…oh…4 months! but i just wanted to make an appearance and squash any ideas that i might be dead, or any other extreme excuse for me being m.i.a for so long. the truth is i didnt own my own copy of photoshop so my editing and resizing was limited to specific times when i could use a friends software. but now i have my very own copy…so i am making a vow to be a better blogger and i hope you all will help me keep my promise c: i mean…there are times when laziness is a little to blame for not blogging too…but just a little. ok so now lets get on with it. please bear with me as i post some catch up stories from the last 4 months.

well i left off with my first half of christmas. (geez…i have been a slacker!) so here is a little sneak peak into my side of the families festivities.

last year (2005) we started a new tradition of playing a game where everyone takes a part of “12 days of christmas” and we sing the song…each person or group singing their part when it comes to it. it sounds super cheesey and really lame…but its actually pretty funny when you have a family as goofy as mine!

heres mike and i singing our part. mike is plugging his ear while he sings, just like all the divas do!

this was also mike and alicia’s (my sister-in-law) first experience with a real salters family christmas. they were swimming in all the gifts! it was good to be a salters kid c:

mike is wondering why my parents got us a scrapbooking kit as our JOINT gift! personally…i thought it was a great idea c:

since we celebrated christmas in the bay area (california) we had to make our usual trip to san francisco. on our way there, a semi that was driving in front of us decided to spread the christmas spirit by giving us this little gift!! thank God it didnt come through the windshield!

but we did finally make it! and OF COURSE we had to see all the typical sf sights…alcatraz, the seals, and the GIANT christmas tree!!

oh and i forgot to mention…this was mikes first time EVER to sf!! i couldnt believe it! he has been all over the world…but never been to san francisco! but by the end of the day he was over the cold bay wind and just wanted to go home.

and even though this has nothing to do with our california christmas trip…it still is related to christmas. this was mike and mines first married christmas…so i wanted to take a picture of our first christmas tree! lucky for me, my mom is very crafty and she LOVES holiday decorating…so we made the ornaments and decorated the tree ourselves! sorry you cant see them very well. but isnt the tree beautiful?

not to mention the tree stayed up until almost easter! my family was making jokes about how i should just keep it up all year and re-decorate it for each holiday. mike didnt like the idea…i thought it sounded kinda fun!

well that concludes my holidays post. stay tuned for more catch up posts!!

i figure since i havent posted anything from the holidays i should at least give you something until i get the rest edited. well this was mike and i’s (?) first christmas married so it was a little more hectic than in the past…but we still had a good time! since my birthday is december 23, we always make sure to have a seperate celebration so i dont get forgotten in the rush of christmas…and anyone with a christmas birthday knows what i mean! this year my family was going out to california for christmas at my aunt brenda and uncle wayne’s house. having out of town holidays makes it a little more challenging to split things up between our two families, but i think we did a pretty good job. my birthday celebration with my family was on the 22nd so they could leave first thing the next day…they drove! christmas and my birthday with mikes family was on the 23rd before church rehearsal. you see, tim (my father-in-law) is the pastor of community of grace and mike plays guitar, jan (my mother-in-law) plays keyboard, and i sing, and we had four christmas eve services to rehearse for! so as you know…christmas eve was spent at church and we did quite well we got home at about midnight and still had to pack for our trip the next morning to california! yes…you read that right! we flew on christmas day to be with my family…the sacrifices you make to keep your mom happy! i will have another short post about that trip once i get all the photos done…so stay tuned! overall we had a great first married christmas with both of our families! i hope your holidays were happy and your new year is full of joy and success!

my early birthday present from mike was a new point and shoot camera…the panasonic lumix lx2! it was perfect cause i got to bring it with me to aspen and to christmas since i didnt have my big girl camera yet. all of these pics are taken with that new point and shoot…i think she did pretty well!

here i am at my parents house for my birthday. im wearing my new (RED) shirt and bracelet i got from mike!!

my mom even made, by special birthday girl request, a pineapple upside down cake!! mmmmm…delicious!

i got mike a new taylor acoustic guitar! how good am i? here i am putting it in the trunk after i bought it at guitar center.

so not to give away the surprise…i took photos (macro photos of the guitar, the guitar center sign, and me putting it in the trunk) and gave them him one at a time before he actually got to have it! its a fun way to present a gift that is unwrappable.

GUESS WHAT I GOT!! my big girl camera!!! the canon 30d!! my in-laws even got me a 28-135mm lens, a 580ex flash, a remote shutter, and a digital wedding photography book! it was great!

here’s the rest of the fam opening their gifts….

alycia…mikes sister. we got her this really nice fleece pullover in aspen!

jan…mikes mom. we got her a new game for her nintendo ds.

tim…mikes dad. funny thing about this is that alycia got him a book about castles too without even knowing this is what we got him! kinda weird!

even billie got a present! its a doggie cookie variety pack. she gets one everytime she poops outside and doesnt eat it! gross i know…but its reality.

and here i am having fun with the christmas ornaments

About a month ago now, i was out in vegas shooting my aunt sue’s wedding. My new uncle darrell is everything she has ever wanted in a man…not to mention everything we have wanted for her! He genuinely loves and cares for her…and it shows. From sweet kisses, to winks from across the room, to passing hand grazes, they are everything you would imagine a newly in love couple to be! I was so honored…and a bit surprised…when sue called me 6 six weeks prior to the date to tell me her and darrell were getting married and they wanted me to photograph it for them! I was so excited to have the opportunity to photograph such an intimate and important event for someone so dear to me…not to mention the rest of my family that would be there! It was a beautiful backyard wedding at sue and darrell’s home with their closest friends and family there to support them, with my cousin, sue’s daughter, Rayne as the maid of honor and darrell’s son, Ricky, as the best man. Before i get to the photos i have to give my mom some public credit for being the wedding planner and decorator, most of which she made herself, for not only my aunt’s wedding…but mine too! You’re amazing mom and you dont get the recognition you deserve for being so creative and such a great party planner! (email me if you have any party decor needs…i will pass them on to my mom). ok now for the reason you are here….the photos!! enjoy

click here to view the slideshow!

i have to start with this image! me as a blonde?? i dont think so!

my aunt started to cry when she was explaining how perfect darrell was to her.

we did all the preceremony shots at a little pond around the corner from sue and darrell’s house. i loved the weaping willow tree and all the large stones! they made for perfect backdrops and seating.

from left to right…my dad, he walked sue down the aisle…Ricky, darrell’s son…and darrell, the love of my aunt’s lifetime!

this little one is darrell’s granddaughter…how cute is she!?

right after their first sight of each other

sue and her daughter rayne

the wedding party being their REAL selves!

pro models?? could be!

i love the way darrell is looking at sue as she helps him with his new gift

this image shows the true bond sue and rayne have…combining their relationship as mother/daughter, friends, and women

ceremony table decor and guest favors

notice darrell winking at his bride

classic sue moment…teary eyed

darrell didnt let sue see the ring until the moment he put it on her finger…how special!

my favorite ring shot so far!

they had a whole dance choreographed for their first dance!! show offs

very intimate and romantic!

this is my brother randol helping me out with some bubble effects…thanks ran!

and last, but most certainly not least…mom and aunt brenda doing their best to show how “gangsta” they really are.

mike and i just got back from a trip to aspen colorado with his parents. the original plan was to stay there from wednesday to monday and then head over to disneyland for a couple days. well needless to say…that wasnt the same plan the weather had. after sitting at the airport on monday for 5 very long…very boring…hours, we were finally told the flight was cancelled and we could either reschedule our flight for another day or drive to another “nearby” airport…the closest one being 2 hours away in grand junction. well as you can imagine, after 5 hours in the airport the last thing we wanted to do was drive! so…we nixed the trip to california and decided to just spend the next few days as an extended vacation in aspen. it turned out nicely cause mike and i got to go snowboarding a second time and his parents got to go snowshoeing in the mountains…which isnt the best choice for us asthma sufferers. so here are a few photos from out trip…

the first night a snowman competitions had already begun between mike and his dad

the second day started with a gondola ride to the top of aspen mountain and then we went snowmobiling…mikes first time ever and my first time driving all by myself!

the most unique thing we did was a dog sled ride. it was so beautiful and the dogs were so fun…they were so talented they could poop and run AT THE SAME TIME! i spared you a picture of that…although it could be funny

saturday was our first snowboarding trip…and then we got to go again once we were snowed in

ice skating was a bit more challenging for me…but i had the basics down by the third day

and since we didnt have our christmas photo in front of the disneyland christmas tree…we had one in front of our hotel christmas tree instead.

Ever since mike, my husband, moved out on his own he has wanted a puppy of his own. after we got engaged last august, we decided that we would wait until i moved in, in april. we wanted to make it a part of our family, and if i didnt live there the puppy would get to know mike and by the time i moved in i would practically be a stranger…and i didnt want that! finally april came, the wedding happened, and we were ready to start our search for our furry little baby. it took us a while to agree on what breed we wanted, but once we did, we had our hearts set on an english bulldog. they fit us perfectly! they are known to be playful but still content with just lounging around…they are a nice medium size…and their funny little faces give you plenty to laugh at! on an unplanned stop at our local pet store i saw the most adorable little rolly pollie bulldog puppy. she was fat, wrinkley, and had a face you just wanted to kiss all day! mike was against holding her, “if we hold her we will want to buy her. we’re just looking,” is what he said. well it only took a few more minutes before he asked me if i wanted to hold her. he was right! we spent about 15 minutes in the room holding and playing with the clumsy little puppy when mike looked and me and asked, “you wanna buy her?” and the rest is history. we took her home that day and she has been a joyful little menace ever since. they were wrong about one thing…she doesnt like to lounge much…playing, eating, licking, and farting are among her favorite activities! so now i want to introduce you to our little bundle of joy…BILLIE!

she looks so grown up here…like a real bulldog! even though she is a real bulldog…she just looks different

look how proper she looks…who knew she was such a good actress!??

this is her favorite toy. we play a game called “hot dog” where i basically chase her and try to steal the hot dog from her…its a nice way to tire her out

“I got your hot dog!”

“Ok mom…SERIOUSLY! are you done yet?”

we think she might have some cow in her bloodline

how can you not smile when you see these teeth?

can you tell shes a daddys girl?

i guess she got bored of just sitting there…”ok time to play!”

A few months ago my younger brother, james, became the lead singer of a band called Our Next Eternity. The band is made up of 4 guys…james (my bro) lead vocals, nate on bass, angelo on guitar, and johnny on drums…and one girl…mie also sings lead vocals. My husband, mike, works as a producer at Arrowhead Studio…and as our christmas gift to my brother we paid for the band to come into the studio to record a 3 song demo. pretty cool gift huh?! while they were there i stopped by to take some photos of them to use in their press packs and for promos…check ‘em out!

james on a smoke break…nate let him pose with his bass

johnny catchin a nap

what a cute kid!

i love this shot of the board

james, johnny, and angelo trying to absorb energy from the candle…9 am is early!

mie was feeling inspired

aaahhhh…serenity!

nate likes it!

angelo…coke should be paying us for this!!

this is mike…he makes the best pouty frown ive ever seen…it gets me every time

mie already laid her vocals…but she wanted a shot of her in the booth…looks authentic right?!

james and johnny…look at the way they stare deep into each other’s eyes

Our Next Eternity (left to right) – johnny, james, nate, angelo…not pictured – mie

Ive gotten to know Callie, the kids mom, over the past couple years at church, singing on the worship team and in the choir. I actually knew her when she was pregnant with the youngest, Corinne. She even brought her to rehearsal right after she was born…beautiful baby from the start! When Callie asked me to do a session with her kids i was super pumped! She was willing let the kids have fun and be themselves…making for photos that really show their personalites…even if that means never looking at the camera or eating playground sand ok well enough background…lets get to the photos!

click here for their slideshow

you wouldnt believe the miracle it was to get all three in one picture…especially one this adorable!

this yellow cone connects to another one on the other side of the playground where cassie would call out to her brother cody

i love how corinne is looking up at her brother and sister as if saying, “Hey what about me! I wanna swing too!”

baby feet…is there really anything sweeter?

Corinne prefers to lay in the sand while she plays in it

and this is what happens when she gets up

cody is the big brother every girl needs…loving, protective, and super fun to play with!

Cassie…enjoying a little time alone

i love this one…again the miracle of all three kids in one shot each being themselves

corinne is completely entertained by the experience of mixing cake batter

cassie in anticipation of her first taste of the batter

the funniest part is if you look through the wisk, you can see cassie’s mouth is open too!

finally the work is done…now the girls watch as their batter transforms into a real cake!