Goodnight Irene

We said goodbye to Alex's sister, Irene, for a while. We don't know when we will be back in Spain, and since Irene can't leave the monastery, it's up to us to go see her again. I got so many images that I absolutely love on this trip. It doesn't hurt that the nuns are so sweet and playful. I always want to pick up Halel, the mother superior, and swing her around. She's the cutest thing you ever did see.

 Seeing Irene for the first time. This is what Bella does when she feels shy.

Un beso

On a nature walk. Bella is the leader, of course.

Julietta knows how to give kisses now.

Sunset and playing with Papá.

This is one of my favorite shots with Halel.

A Divine Intervention - Where it All Began

Some may call it a "divine intervention". I do believe that there is a reason for everything. I probably would never admit to my mother-in-law that my inspiration began at the monastery in Sigena, Spain, where her daughter (my sister-in-law), is a nun. I'd never hear the end of it if I even hinted about it!  I do believe, though, that there was something magical that happened to me at the monastery in Sigena back in April 2010. That is when I started trying to take good pictures. That is when I began to blossom.

Have I told you about my favorite quote yet?  I want to add it to the header of my blog so it is always there for us to read.


  "And then the came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

- Anaïs Nin

It gives me such inspiration every time I read it, and reminds me that life is about risks. Sometimes we succeed and some time we fail, but whenever we do something a bit risky it makes us feel so alive!

I think this is the image that started it all. It's not perfect, but I will love it for the rest of my life.

These are some of the images I took waaaay back in April. ; ) I still love some of these. Others I look at and think, "what the heck was I thinking?!" with the processing or exposure... and lots of them are out of focus, something I hardly noticed back then.

For a non-posed shot, it can't get much more beautifully biblical. Not such a huge fan of the processing anymore, but I still love the image.

It's amazing to look back at the beginning of a journey and see how far you've come. I think I will start doing this every six months. It really helps me stay encouraged, and affirms that all this hard work is, in fact, paying off!

My poor purple baby. And I sure wish I hadn't cut off Irene's fingers.

Ok, what was I thinking with the color?? Why would I want them to look dead?!

Edgy!

I love this image.

 And the good news is that we are going back tomorrow to spend the weekend!! I can't wait!!! Let's see what kind of images I get this time. I'll post early next week.

Until then, dear friends, have a wonderful weekend!

Hotties Part Dos

I didn't really have to tell them to do much posing. Although, I think I told Luis that he was "The Man" in this one.

These two are so ridiculously good-looking, it kills me. They are my friends who... well, it's a bit more complicated than the second half of a short sentence. 

 Here goes...

Nora - ON FIRE!

Nora is from the UK. We met here in Valencia while doing the Cambridge Celta course to become English teachers. She lived here for about two years (is that right, Nora?) and then took off in search of new adventures in Costa Rica...and adventure she found! ; ) 

Enter Luis. 

I swear, model material! Look at that smile!

Luis was a student in one of her classes who showed her the real Costa Rican way of life.

Somehow she convinced him to leave sunny, tropical Costa Rica to move back to England with her (I bet all she had to do was wink at him. Have you seen her?!!) where they both found real, proper, responsible jobs.

I can't stand how cute Luis is in the background of this one! I smile every time I see it.

Doesn't this make me look like such a detail-aware photographer, with that little old couple, barely in the frame. How cute are they? That was a total accident. Sssshhh! Don't tell anyone. ; )

 They are now a "cheesy" married couple living in Cambridge, and being real proper, responsible adults who are planning their celebration wedding for 2011. On the side, Nora is the famous "Nora the Kitchen Splorer" who always taunts me with her yummy recipes that I know I'll never have the patience, nor the ability, to make. And Luis is Mr. Splorer. He gets to eat all her yummy food and laugh with her. I bet he takes care of most of the technology in their house too, as he's a computer genius.

I love these two. They are so easy-going and fun to be around, and it's so obvious how much they love each other. They make romance look easy, and they made photographing it a snap. Just looking at each other or laughing together made for these incredibly romantic images. ( Hey, thanks for making me look so good, guys!)

Last year these two came to visit while I was pregnant and cranky and chasing around a toddler. We live in a residential area outside of the city with not much to do around here. They had no problems whatsoever hanging out and going with the flow. No stresses. No complaints. They are just pleasant people who I love being around. I wish they could come and visit me once a month. Everyone needs a little Nora and Luis in their life.