{Chip + Mavy} Happy 32nd Anniversary | Couple Contest Winners

Chip & Mavy were my couple contest winners from a few months back. They recently celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary and were nominated by their daughter in honor of the occasion. I met up with them at the OC Fair for a fun filled evening with a few of their children and even grandchildren.

This was their daughter's nomination...

I'm entering this contest not for my husband and I, but for my parents Chip and Mavy. My mom and dad will celebrate their 32nd wedding anniversary on June 10th. My parents have so much love for each other, that it inspires my friends and family to achieve that one day. They were high school sweethearts and got married young. My parents still have fun with each other and go on date nights! Seriously, sometimes they are so cutesy with each other it's hilarious. Out of all my friends and the people that I know, they are some of the only parents that are still married to each other.

They are the most caring, kind, loving people I have ever met. They never want to do anything for themselves, but would rather do something for my 93 year old grandma or one of their six children. The only nice picture we have of them is at their wedding! We have one snapshot of them at our wedding. They never take pictures alone, just with the family. I think this would be the perfect anniversary gift for them!

I think a great place to do their shoot would be at the OC Fair. They had one of their date nights there last year and had a blast.

I really can't say enough about this couple and their adorable family. They were so sweet to work with and it's just amazing to see a couple interact after 32 years of marriage. Congratulations Chip & Mavy!

Classic fair stop...the photo booth! I loved the images they captured. :)

I'm so glad a few their daughters came along because they coerced them into going down the super slide. 

The only thing better than seeing these two smile and laugh coming down the slide was to hear the laughter of their girls. It was awesome! (It reminded me of the time I was on Big Thunder Mountain with my dad at Disneyland, the day before I got married, and I was laughing uncontrollably over my father's screams & fear. Priceless.)

Nothing like winning a prize for your bride. :)

And it would not be a visit to the fair if you didn't indulge in a little (or alot) of fried food. YUM!

Delish! The fried zucchini was so good (thanks for sharing)...

The OC Fair was such a fun backdrop for a photo session! Anyone else wanna go? 

It's only around for one more week.

{700th Blog Post} Save $700 on your Wedding Collection

I can hardly believe I'm writing my 700th blog post (a post for 1.98 YEARS). I'm old enough to tell you that I did not grow up with computers or Internet. It wasn't until I was in college that I was introduced to the Internet. I typed papers on my Brother word processor in college and later bought my first computer with a student loan check my sophomore year of college. I'm still just amazed at the amount of information available at our finger tips and I remind my students constantly of this reality. Kids these days will not learn the Dewey Decimal system and what's it like to search for a book in the library. I'm so grateful for social media and the impact they have had on my business. It's pretty much amazing!

So, in honor of this momentous occasian, this day when I've been able to blog 700 times...that I extend to you (my readers and my clients) an opportunity to say thanks. My next wedding client that books with me (by signing contract and paying deposit) will save $700 on their wedding collection. That's just crazy...so act soon! But I'm really so appreciative of the support many of you have given me over the past four years. So please help me spread the word by reposting to your Twitter or Facebook status: "Charla BLUE is offering a $700 savings to the next bride that books with her in honor of her 700th blog post: http://tinyurl.com/3l6k4by"

THANK YOU for letting me be a part of your lives. I'm grateful. And honored.

{Manic Monday} 12th ed.

As you may have noticed, I was a bit absent from my blog last week. My parents were visiting us for the week. I'm really trying not to let my computer/work time interfere with my personal relationships. That may sound silly but there is always work for me to get done and I tend to bury myself under my laptop as a result. So, I took a little break to hang out with my family and it's always a bit refreshing to do so. We enjoyed lots of playtime with Brooklyn, delicious meals prepared my mom, and daily shopping trips.

Grandma with her girl...

It was also nice not to be reminded 24/7 that I may be one of the only few photographers not at WPPI this week. There is so much Twitter, Facebook, & blog buzz from all the attending photographers. They joke that the WPPI convention is the equivalent of a college Spring Break. 10,000 photographers gather in one place to network, learn, and inspire one another....and partake in nightly parties. I have yet to attend and it was just not in the cards for me this year either.

So Dan and I sold one of our cars last week. The lease was up anyways and we were able to sell a month earlier and made a little extra on it since we only had 14,000 miles on it. We had decided that we were going to be a one car family for a temporary time to save a little money. Well, that lasted a whole three days and I already want to get another car again. It is super inconvenient and I am just too accustomed to coming and going as I please. For example, I had to pick up Dan from work last night and had to keep Brooklyn up later than her normal bedtime. So, we're looking into getting another car. I'm considering getting a Mazda 3, which I owned before but ultimately sold after our house was broken into and the keys stolen. I always loved that car and look forward to driving it again.

Dan and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniverary on March 3rd. We've been together for a total of 6 years now and I can hardly believe that much time has passed. I've adored my husband since the moment I saw him in an elevator (sounds corny crazy but true). But there is something magical about sharing a child together that makes us love one another even more! I know that we will be together forever. That we will fight through any obstacle. We have a less than perfect relationship but at the end of each day I know that he loves me and that I love him. And more than anything, he loves our little girl and is such an awesome daddy! For that, I'm grateful!

Thanks to my parents in town, we celebrated by going out! That is such a rare occasion, since having Brooklyn. Our first stop was the AVIA Hotel in Downtown Long Beach to visit our friend Melly and tour the latest in Downtown (our original stomping grounds). What a super cool boutique hotel in our neighborhood!

We then had dinner at the Parkers Lighthouse! I had delish sushi and lobster all in one meal! I could not have been happier and it was a perfect night. The best part of the night was definitely the conversation!

Happy Anniversary babe!

Today is our second wedding anniversary! I can't believe it's only been two short years since we got married. So much has happened in those two years...it feels like so much longer. We brought a beautiful little girl into this world during that time. That is definitely our latest and greatest accomplishment together as a couple. I love you babe and look forward to many more (years and babies)! We will be celebrating with dinner at Le'Opera in downtown Long Beach, which is where we went for our first dating anniversary five years ago. We both remembered having a phenomenal dinner and wanted to revisit it.

I'm continually greatful for the support and encouragement Dan gives me toward fulfilling my dreams with "charla BLUE". It was only a month after our wedding that I decided that I wanted to pursue photography as a career. He has stood behind me and encouraged me every step of the way. I really think Dan has a great eye so I'm looking forward to teaching him the ropes with my dSLR in hopes of shooting together in the future. I think husband wife teams are awesome because you get the male female perspective. Not to mention he is such a likable guy with a great sense of humor, I would love to have him be the "personality" behind the camera.

 

Wedding images by Red Loft Studios. I look at my wedding pictures and album often and I'm reminded how important wedding photography is to couples. Red Loft did such an amazing job with my photos and have provided a lot of inspiration in my photography. Thank you!

This is still one of my favorite memories from our wedding day...

I'm alive!

Okay, so I know I have been MIA for a while!!! My poor blog feels so neglected! Well, I have been busy with my day job (teaching) and getting geared up for a crazy next month. I'll be leaving for Europe in only 20 more days! For those of you that don't know...I go every year with my students and teachers. I believe this will be the seventh student trip I've lead in the past 10 years. We've gone every where from Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Peru, Spain, France, & Italy...to name a few. Some people think I'm crazy to travel with my students but it's actually a great time. It's unlike any other vacation you'd ever take. It's non-stop action, in a different hotel every other night(and sometimes every night), site seeing from sun up to sun down, and the ever eventful bus rides from city to city. I'm super excited for the shots I'll get this new year with all my new equipment. The hard part will be to decide which camera and lenses to take with me. Hmmmmmmmmm. These are the city highlights of this year's trip: London, Paris, Loire Valley, Sanites, Bordeaux, Archachon, Biarritz, San Sebastian, Pamplona, & Barcelona. I LIVE for trips like these!

In other news, Danny and I will be celebrating our ONE year anniversary on Monday, March 3rd. I really can't believe this past year went by so incredibly fast. We'll be celebrating tomorrow night with a nice dinner at a new restaurant on Naples. I'll let you know how it goes!