Baby Belly

Danielle, Tiffany and Papa Jack,


I wish you the very best on your journey into parenthood... For the second time! Words cannot express how happy I am for you and what an amazing mommy and family you will make. Thank you for letting me try my hand at maternity photos!

Your belly is beautiful and I cannot wait for baby Gia to arrive so I can hold her in my arms!

Xoxo

M

Recipe

My life is sort of like a recipe. But not a gourmet lobster-out-of-the-shell-with-Fresno-Chile- Butter- Bobby Flay- recipe. More like my old Italian grandma whose been making it for year’s recipe. A little of this… a little of that… and bada bing! No measuring necessary. Just throw it all in. So you have more of this and less of that…!


Sure, this works great for my grandma when making lasagna… but my life? There is no rational way to explain it. My urges for structure in certain facets when there is no need, my urge for spontaneity when structure is essential. Why does it seem the older I get the more chaotic things become? I thought with age comes wisdom, patience, progression and IRA’s. Ha…!

As it turns out, progression isn’t always up to speed, patience is constantly tested and humility…always there to remind us of who we are and what we are made of.



I had to post this picture of Kaeley, because when I look at her she reminds me, that no matter which recipe my life emulates… be it lobster or lasagna…they are both pretty darn delicious!

Marisa Jung- Anytime

Part of what I love about photography, are the people I meet along the way. Like Marisa. She’s magnetic. Beautiful. Grateful. We all know there are plenty of nice people who hearts bleed nothing but love, gratitude and kindness. Marisa is one of them. From the moment I met her she had me drawn into her sphere of loveliness. She is young and on the verge of discovering life and all the possibilities that come along with it- and what better way to invite in a new you than with pictures?!


When Marisa showed up, she didn’t have a list of demands, a handful of photos for me to copy, she didn’t expect me to turn her into a supermodel and she didn’t compare my ideas to other veteran photographers… she let me do ‘my thang’. I couldn’t ask for more. To a new photographer who is desperately trying to find her own voice, this is exactly what I needed.

Thank you Marisa for allowing me to share and document all the beauty that is you! I believe it is so important for women to have pictures of ourselves so we can remeber who we are ... who dreamed of being... and who we have become.

 
 
 
 

Friday

I woke up this morning extra early. Maybe I’m restless, maybe I don’t require as much sleep as most. Whatever it is… I have been this way for as far back as I can remember.


To me, the morning is paramount. For those who like to sleep until noon- I feel sorry for you. There is something exhilarating about being up, when the rest of the world is not.

The best mornings are when it’s gloomy and cold. Overcast. Crisp. Grey.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a beach bunny for sure… I love the ocean, I love the sun. I love the warmth on my skin.

Grey mornings are meant to reflect. Grey mornings are meant for coffee and cigarettes. Grey mornings are meant for snuggling. Grey mornings are meant for reveling in the pre morning light.

This morning it was grey and so I decided to reflect a bit at the beach. This photo is not a work of genius art, or photography for that matter. It’s just a reminder of my morning, how I started my day and what was rolling around in my head.

Happy Friday!

Good Morning Manda

Dear Manda,

Don’t flip- it’s just me...I was thinking about you this morning and I wanted to share something I have learned.

Decisions are wishful thinking- until you take that first irreversible step. You can tell yourself all you like that you have already decided, that nothing can stop you, but if that step backwards is so much safer to you than that step forwards, then we have a problem.

I know when you worry or get stressed you obsess and start to define your life by a series of successes. Please stop. You are ok today. You will be ok tomorrow.

Good Things,

M

Words to Live By....

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets.

We should love those who treat us right- and forget the ones who don’t.
And believe that everything… absolutely everything happens for a reason.
If you get the chance- take it. If it changes your life- let it.
Nobody said it would be easy… and they never mentioned it would be this hard…
They just promised it would be worth it.

 
 

Words to Live By....

A girl should be 2 things: Classy and Fabulous- Coco Chanel.
 

 
 
 
Happy Tuesday Blog!

Happy Monday

Dear Blog,


There are a few things that just make life better and one must add to their list:

1. Photos that make you happy

2. Raspberry Lemon Drop Martinis

3. Love

Happy Monday!

Since all blogs are better served with a photo… here you go!


I'm looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love.

 
 
 

Cake for my Thoughts.

Last night while I was going through old photos from my computer- I stumbled upon this of my 25th birthday cake. Notice two things are happening here.


1. Simple photo out of focus all the while I make claims of being a photographer!

2. The cake reads: Happy 25th.


Happy 25th?? Serious? That was 5 years ago and next month I will be 30. Having a few mixed emotions over this last night (as I assume many people do) I did my best to keep my ish together. It has nothing to do with the age number as much as it does the time, how quickly that time slips by and where I believe I should be at this time.

I work so hard on this project called ‘life’- relationships, friendships, motherhood and business- yet I couldn’t help but think last night I should be further along.

I am posting this blog entry to remember these feelings. The I-dont-know-how-to-connect-the-dots-at-30-feeling. To consider the risk and awareness that comes with standing on that blurry line between success and failure. Ohh how I look so forward to crossing it.

On a peaceful note…I remember my 25th birthday- on top of the world and ready to conquer. I worried a whole lot less about where I wasn’t and more about where I would be.

Ahhh... the warm Maui breeze on my face and this amazingly yummy cake…best birthday to date.

 

Eat. Pray. Love.

For a girl who is patiently awaiting...

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.

A soul mates purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master..."

This is from one of my most favorite books ever. — Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)
 
Thank you for letting me laugh, love and learn with you.
 
Love Manda
 
 
 
 

REALLY ??

Since I am all about depicting the banality that is my life -I thought what better than to start with this morning!


Out the door and down the stair this morning with daughter in tow. Then it hit me. I forgot to up load that darn photo last night! The whole point was for this post today. So after sprinting-up-the-stairs-and-back-down-the- stairs-Marion Brown style- In heels no less, I am happy to announce I pulled a calf, dropped my phone and have successfully uploaded this totally funny photo!

One must wonder if this is has become an epidemic for the ladies??! I mean REALLY? on GUM??

To all the gentlemen this is a reflection of… ( and you know who YOU are) I give you one FAT DISSSSSS!

Escape

Every now and then, we all need to escape from something. Maybe it’s an escape from our jobs, our heads, our lives… or even at times and for some people –relationships- whether you are escaping from them or to them.


Whatever your reason may be, it’s never a bad thing to get caught where the ocean meets the sky. Being from the Arizona desert, the ocean has always consumed me with fascination. How could something so beautiful and produce such serenity also be so deadly?

This vast body of water is known to house 2 million different species of marine life- and is also soothing sounds number 3 on my Sharper Image Sound Machine!

This was the best Sunday escape a girl could ask for.

Happy Wednesday dear Blog!

Z

Life is crazy beautiful. How it begins and where it ends- the in between. I think more of my life has been crazy, but the pieces that have been beautiful make the in between so much more worth it such as…


This past weekend spent in San Diego with some of the closest and most import people in my world- along with my sweet new nephew who spent his weekend in my arms and close to my heart. He is gorgeous and warm- I love to study his little face, the expressions he makes- his tiny fingers and toes. Nothing short of amazing.

Oh blog- don’t hate on the grainy photo! It was dark and this was taken with a cell phone! None the less I LOVE it. Thank you YOU for sending me the picture to always remember this moment.