Kristine and Andrew

Almost every shot I took of this couple turned out perfect! They were so easy to work with and absolutely adorable. I love the rich hues in the red bridge pictures. Thanks Kristine!!!

Ormonds!

Here are three of my favorite from this shoot!

Ivie Family Photos

Here is a handful of pictures from a shoot I did yesterday. I love the fall colors!

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today,
I woke with an ache in my back
Swollen hands, legs and feet,
My body suffered an alien attack.

5 pairs of pants, and 3 stretched shirts,
lay on the bedroom floor,
as I desperately searched the closet
tossing out more and more.

Around ten I dialed the doc,
"I cant take it anymore."
"Are you feeling regular pains?"
she asked as I headed out the door.

Regular Pains? Gimme a break,
Just one look and you'll see-
achey, swollen, tired and bloated,
Today I'm having this baby.

"You don't want to have him too early,
he'll come when the time's right."
"No offense doc, but I know,
This kids coming TONIGHT!"



One year ago today, My sweet little Theodore was born! It has been quite the eventful year, having moved from Hawaii to Utah. In the first year of his life, Theodore has been to Oahu, Kauai, The Big Island and Utah. He has been held by his Great grandma Florence (TUTU--Hawaiian grandmother) and carted around by his two rascal brothers. We feel so blessed to have him as a member of our family. He is so tender and sweet! Happy One Year Old!

Fall Foilage Photo Shoot

Here is a group of pictures from my shoot today up the canyon. I love the fall leaves and the changing colors. Thanks to my new reflecter and lens filter, these shots turned out awesome on an overcast door. The Hale family were the perfect photo subjects. If you would like to experience the same photo extravaganza the Hale family took, please call me at (hahahaha...seriously, do you really think I would put my personal number on the web?)...If you are interested, I would love to be your photographer!

Pumpkins!!!

Over the last few years, I sacrificed my love of pumpkins for my need to purchase groceries. Just as the cost of living in Hawaii is outrageous, so are seasonal items like watermelon in the summer and pumpkins in the fall. Each fall I hung my head low and avoided the glare of the sumptuous pumpkin that desired I take him home, carve a deliciously scary face on him and then roast his insides with a light dash of seasoned salt. My boys were denied falls famous pasttime because of the outrageous price per pumpkin. So, to my excitement, I jumped for joy when I saw the price for pumpkins was 19 cents per pound at the local grocery store! I gleefully filled my basket with 8 pumpkins: two for each year that I was unable to buy one and then four more just for a good time! So now that I have all my large lucious pumpkins, here is what I will do:

1. Carve scary faces into a few pumpkins.

2. Pull out the seeds, wash them with a lightly salted water solution, spread them on an oil sprayed pan and then roast them at 375 for 15-20 minutes, turing them every 5 minutes. Then after removing them from the oven, lightly sprinkle them with seasoned salt or table salt.

3. Paint scary phrases on three pumpkins: B O O (in black curvy letters)

4. Dig only the stem out of 2 pumpkins, a space that is suitable for a small votive candle, perferrably pumpkin spice sented. Then place the candle in the pumpkin and light it for warm seasonal lighting.

5. Place all the pumpkins on the steps leading up to yoru home and have your adorable children, dressed in fall hues, sit strategically among the pumpkins as to create the perfect fall ambiance...then snap shots like you are a pro photographer!

Fall is in the Air...I have been out shooting away.

Fall is in the air, and I have been out taking photos of friends and family that live in the Utah area. A good friend of mine from high school had me take her family fall photos for the year and here are a few of the great shots. If you feel like this is a good fit for you, please call me at (ha like I would really post my phone number on the net) well call me if you would like family photos right now because I am offering a great deal!!! For the low cost of ABSOLUTELY FREAKING FREE I will take over 100 photos of your family and give you a cd copy. This offer only lasts through November and then I am going to have to charge you an arm and a leg...hahaha just kidding...well not really...hahaha

What would you say?

Last night Mark and I went on a date to a late night movie at the local cinema. Since I am a total sucker for butter popcorn, Mark and I stood in line for a large popcorn and a large Diet Pepsi (yes, I have a drinking problem). The awkward adolescent boy at the snack bar took an extra long time filling our order so I went into the theater to save seats. Luckily, the theater was mostly empty except for a few teenagers in the front and a couple in the back. I strolled down four or five rows and then stepped in to take my seat. As I walked toward the center of the isle I was distracted by the couple sitting in the back of the theater. At first glance, the wife seemed to be waving at me. She said, "Hey, I haven't seen you in a while." I turned toward the couple to get a better look and the husband tossed popcorn in my direction, smiled, and then said, "Hi, its good to see you out." At first, I'm sure my face was plastered with an utterly confused expression because I had know idea who they were, but since they were so convinced that they knew me, I could only respond by cheerfully saying, "I cant believe you guys are here too." I smiled, waved, and then sat down low, really low as I waited for Mark to bring the snack bar yummies. When Mark came I discreetly conferred with him concerning the friendly unknowns. After a few glances and deep discussion, Mark agreed that this was not a couple we knew.

After the movie, I waited as long as possible for the confused friendly couple to leave so I wouldn't have to walk past them. Mark made the quick over-the-shoulder glance to determine if the couple had left. When he noted that they had, we quickly exited the theater. Unfortunately, my plan didn't work so well because the couple lingered in the foyer outside of theater. When I saw they were there I froze in place with an uneasy confusion. Then my inner mental discussion dedided I had only one chioce. I decided my only choice to avoid further awkwardness was to bolt like a mad woman from the theater and to run straight to my car. Mark figured out what I was doing and quickly followed thereafter.

So I ask now...WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?

Heroes: A show of inspiration

I have to admit, I am utterly addicted to the T.V. show Heroes. If you haven't seen the show, it is excellent; an action paced mystery with surprises lurking in every episode. The show is based on the idea that humans can evolve and adapt to their surroundings much like animals have evolved. The show's characters are a group undefined by race, age or sex. Each character is defined by his/her 'secret' power.

So far my favorite character is Peter, who has the advantage of soaking up other's powers when they are around...and I like the idea of being the person who has everything :) Which got me thinking, what superpowers do I have.

1. I can bargain. Although this might not seem like a superpower, it has saved me from over spending even though I am obsessed with remodeling and redesigning my home. I have been able to talk down prices at: Walmart, Home Depot, Ross, Craft Stores, the local Grocery Store, Furniture Stores, Car Dealerships, and most importantly of all...THRIFT STORES! On occasion, there have been others who have benefitted from this superpower because they have asked me to bargain the sales clerk down on a price, and I have!

2. I can Re-decorate: I would like to say that I can 'decorate', but in reality, it is the re-decorating that catches my eye...or perhaps ugly furniture configurations that catch my eye and then I plot out how to change them. I love going into homes and re-decorating. I have also used this superpower to help those around me in need...well, they might not see it as help, but in the end, THEY LOVE IT!

3. I am a SUGAR HOLDER: I can consume abnormal amounts of 'junk' food and not feel sick. As they say, What's one person's junk is another's treasure.

4. I am bendy: I can lift my leg up in the air really high. Sometimes when someone in front of me isn't looking, I lift my leg up really high and...(ok, maybe this superpower should be kept a secret)


After considering the special powers that I have, I am now convinced that we can all be HEROES. So I urge you, take a close look at yourself and then answer the question: What superpowers do you have?

Here is my Super Hero Car! (well not really mine, but it is a friend's of mine)

ALERT: Foot in Mouth...

I recently ate dinner at a close friend's home with her extended family. I have known this family for quite some time and felt perfectly comfortable around her sisters, brothers, brother-in-laws, aunts and cousins. Throughout the dinner we entertained an array of different conversations. At one point the conversation led to "weird" abnormalities on one's body...not mine of course, but someone else's at the dinner table. My dear friend's sister's husband noted that he often was teased for his overly large chin. I noted that it was larger than mine, but I didn't think it was abnormal or different in any way. He chuckled to himself and then recounted a similar comment that was made to him at his work place, because apparently at work they discussed abnormal body parts. He told me how one at a time, fellow co-workers came and examined his chin and all were repulsed and displayed a range of random reactions upon feeling his chin.
Of course I didn't want to be left out of the chin loop, so I opted to reach out and give his chin a squeeze. I thought that at most his chin would feel rough and scratchy because of his overgrown goatee, but when I reached forward and took hold, I jumped back with a screech in utter disgust! His chin felt like a giant squishy stress ball. The 1/2 - 1 inch end of his chin was squishy, spongy, and abnormal...ok, seriously it was FREAKISH! He laughed at my reaction and said he gets that response all the time. Apparently he has an extra fat pad at the end of his chin that most others do not have...save perhaps Jay Leno. My response to him was, "UGH, that is sooooo freakish, it is almost like having a third nipple!" Which I then broke out into spurts of laughter over my humorous comparison.

At this point, my dear friend's aunt, who was sitting directly next to my dear friend's sister's husband, said matter-o-factly, "My son has a third nipple." At this flabbergasting point I didn't know what to say, so I tried to gracefully bow out of the awkward situation, by saying, "oh, that sounds cool, I mean...umm, third nipple's aren't freakish, because most of the time they are in the armpit and not hardly noticeable at all, I mean, it would be weird if it was on his chest...". I then trailed off as my dear friend's older aunt stated, "His is on his chest, not in his armpit." I shifted in my seat clearly uncomfortable with the conversation, and decided the best thing to do would be to direct the "freak" attention elsewhere. I ended the conversation by saying, "Third nipples are cool, not weird like (friend's sister's husband's) crazy chin." At that point I could see the conversation should end immediately, so I shoved a fork full of mashed potatoes in my mouth and became thoroughly engrossed with the remaining dinner on my plate.

To tell you the truth...

To tell you the truth, I am utterly DEPRESSED! Today I had the most devestating blow ever. I recently picked up the hobby of Quilting, and I am by no means an expert quilter, but a budding apprentice quilter who likes pretty fabrics. Since my first quilt was completely free, paid for by my lovely quilter Mom, I decided to jump wallet first into the quilting world and purchase fabric, at a minimal discount, to create a Halloween themed quilt. I went to the store, bought the fabric, paid the choking amount, and then proceeded to "piece" the top. I finished the top and I left it out for a few days to admire the intricate Halloween prints melded together by the creativity of my quited pattern. Believe me, it is sooooo Halloweeny cute! (Yes, I know 'Halloweeny' isn't a real word, but it fits so nicely in my sentence, I went ahead and used it anyway. Besides, Shakespeare made up all kinds of wacked words.) What was I saying? Oh, yes, so I put the top on my mom's quilting machine so I could attach the bottom and the inside batting. I quilted about 3/4's of the quilt when the machine suddenly stopped. I couldn't figure out what was going on, so I changed the thread and replaced the bobbin thread. When I was under the machine replacing the bobbin thread, to my dismay, I saw the most devestating sight. The bottom of my quilt was marred with gargantuous nests of tangled thread. From one end of my quilt to the other, the underside of my almost completed masterpiece was a tangled nightmare, a nightmare that would take hours if not days to unpick and then restitch. DARN THAT BLASTED QUILTING MACHINE! I sat under the machine and cried, then called my sister, told her my story, hung up the phone, cried again, ate the only chocolate I could find in the house, called my mom and cursed her machine, and then walked away. In fact, the blasted, ruined, very expensive quilt is still nailed to the blasted quilting machine. BLAST DARN BLAST SON OF A ....

That is my story. But I guess as the saying goes, "Quilt not lest ye be marred with disparaging thread nests."

Easy Light Cookin!

I have to first start this blog off by saying Thank You to my Sister-in-Law, Shari. For Christmas last year, Shari sent everyone in the family the greatest gift ever! The gift keeps on giving! Every so often I check my mail box and there is another addition of Taste of Home magazine/cookbook. In fact, now that I think about it, I probably never got around to sending a thank you or even saying "Thank You." So, Shari if you read this blog, THANK YOU!!! I absolutely love this magazine and I cook many of the recipes in it.

Thus, this blog is about a yummy recipe that I found in this magazine. I am a veggie lover and I love finding recipes that are simple, but healthy. The following recipe is for red potatoes and it can be found in the most recent Taste of Home.
(I did alter the recipe slightly so I wasn't breaking the copyrighting laws.)

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

8 medium red potatoes
4 large peeled carrots (optional)
1 Tb. olive oil
1 tsp. dried rosemary (crushed)
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp cracked pepper

Cut potatoes and carrots up into bite size chunks and place in a bowl. Drizzle remaining ingredients over the potatoes and toss untill well coated. Place potatoes in a lighty sprayed, with non-stick cooking oil, 9 X 13 or jelly roll baking dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Stir at least once during cooking.

This recipe is Yummy, so if you try it let me know!

THIS IS THE PLACE...

This is the place...well at least that is what Brigham Young said when he marched the pioneers into Salt Lake Valley. Apparently that is still true today. Because of the lack of employment and income to sustain a healthy family living in Hawaii, many younger families have packed up and headed east, namely, Utah. Earlier this week I got together with a few young moms that I knew in Laie. We visited at the park and discussed the cheaper cost of living here, but how much we missed the balmy weather and cool ocean swimming. It was fun to have a Laie reunion in Utah county. After a few more friends move out here there will be quite a large group of former Laie residents in Utah county. Here are more of my pictures. The picture of the mother and baby is a shot of my former bishop's daughter and grandson.

A Weekend in Washington Leads to Paranormal Surprises

We had a whirlwind of a weekend. We left late Wednesday night, arriving early Thursday morning, and we returned to Utah late Sunday night. Our weekend was a blast, filled with Candid Calabio favorites: Yardsaling, Eating Junkfood and Sightseeing. We found lots of great knicknacks at yardsales in the Washington area on Friday, then on Saturday, we drove to a popular tourist town, Leavenworth. While we were in Leavenworth, we found something much greater than what money could buy! For a moment I thought I was rendered into a holiday version of the Twilight zone, giddy with paranormal suprise! I was totally speechless...thus the picture will have to suffice.

Where else in the world would santa be sitting taking a break...OF COURSE, in Leavenworth, outside of the year round Christmas store.
The rest of the pictures are shots of my neice, my sister and her baby, cute Leavenworth scenery and then the two wild baby boys playing in the pumpkins. Eventhough I miss Hawaii, I love the fall colors that are coming out and I especially love Pumpkins!

I left...

My sister Rachel came from Hawaii yesterday to visit. After she arrived we got to talking about what she was going to do while she was here and we got on the subject of our sisters that live out of the state. Unfortunately, Nikki lives further away than Leslie, so she was immediately disqualified. We decided to take an impromptu trip up to Washington state to visit Leslie since Rachel has never ever seen Leslie's home in Washington...which is beautiful and organized down to every inch.

The drive was grueling. We left Utah around 7 pm, so we didn't arrive at Leslie's home until 6am Utah time. We are pretty exhausted, but the babies don't want to take a nap. So I am up with Theodore about to go nutzo! So if this blog doesn't make sense it is because I am functioning on little...very little, sleep!

My sweet, loving hubby stayed in Utah with George to work and make sure George attends school, but I will be back early in the week...it is quick trip!

Vampire or not, the bat's out of the bag...

It occured to me recently that artists, poets, writers, and other such creators, typically depict views of everyday life in ever-changing views...Not to get all philosophical on you, but a peculiar thought popped into my head today, and I simply could not dismiss it. My life is always coming across strage occurrences. For example, the filipino woman at Ross. I couldn't help but discover yet another strange occurence in my life.

Earlier this year I read the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer (and if you haven't read it, run out and do so now, then thank me later for the good read). The series is about a young woman that falls in love with a charming vampire. The book describes the vampires in every aspect of their lives: sensitivity to smells, burning desirous connection to one's mate, peculiar sleeping habits, and youthful physical appearance despite one's age.

Over the course of a few passing thoughts, I have come to the concrete conclusion that a certian person that stayed with me in Hawaii is the true life form of what Stephanie Meyer depicts in her novel...the person is a VAMPIRE!!!

The following person of which I describe shall remain nameless, but this person, if he/she reads my blog, will undoubtedly know who he/she is.

Evidence:
1. Sensitivity to smell: the person who came to visit me, repeatedly mentioned that Saimin, a local favorite that tastes like soup goodness, smelled strongly of fish! Only a person with acute sensory perception could dectect the fish cake in the saimin.

2. Connection to Mate: the person made repeated references that started like, "(spouse)would love if I did...", or "I will have to buy this for (spouse)", or "I wish (spouse) was here with me."
But the most distinctive phrase that solidified the conclusion that this person is a VAMPIRE is:
"My blood is boiling for (spouse) right about now" (Feel free to draw your own conclusions about this comment)

3. Peculiar Sleeping Habits: I snuck into this person's room when I thought he/she was sleeping, I was shocked to find this person lying flat on his/her back with his/her arms folded across his/her chest - a very un-dead position.

4. Physical Appearance: This person claims to have had 5 children, yet this person has a rockin' awesome body!

Draw your own conclusions, but the evidence is overwhelming in support that this person is a true vampire!!!

OH BABY!!!

Here are some pictures I shot of one of my BFFs and her newborn baby. I have known Aubrie since I was in high school. Eventhough we don't talk every day, I still get out to see her. She recently had her 3rd baby and I stopped by after the baby blessing to take surprise photos...Surpise, I am going to take your photo. For not having prepared, they took awesome shots. Here are a few of my favorite black and whites. I decided that I totally love to shoot babies because the pictures are soooooo sweet. Just a side note, I once went on a date with Aubrie's husband...AWKWARD! HAHAHA...just kidding...well not really...hahahaha

So sad...

This last labor day weekend we traveled down to Cedar City to attend the Kahuku/Bingham football game. We left Friday, and stayed at the Motel 6 in Cedar City. Suprisingly, it was impecably clean, no used nylons under the bed or used cigarette butts in the hall. (These references are in regard to a certian Calabio road trip taken through northern California, where a certian motel was utilized by much other than the Calabio clan)
Since the game was in the evening, we spent our free time venturing around Zion National Park, which I also have not been to since a certian Calabio road trip. The park was beautiful, and since the park is well equiped with easy access trams, we didn't even drive or van through the park. We took the tram through out the majority of the park and then we took a few hikes.
We finished the day by roaring it up with our fellow Kahuku and Laie friends at the Kahuku/Bingham game. In my opinion, the Red Raiders (Kahuku) played well...well at least the defense was impressive. In fact, the game was even 0-0 until the fourth quarter, which was devastating. Kahuku lost in the final quarter 27 to 0! Don't ask me how Bingham could stomp on Kahuku in such a defeating way...seriously don't ask, it puts me in a bad mood.
I hope your Labor day weekend was as eventful as ours.