Chase Acosta

I am retiring!

2009-03-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't won the lottery...not yet anyway. The power of positive thinking right! I have decided to end my brief stint with professional photography. I have had a blast over the past year and a half capturing your smiles. There just aren't enough hours in the day. I am trying desperately to avoid the ill effects of SWS...that is Super Woman Syndrome for those of you who are unfamiliar. I am sure many of you already suffer from it.

I am looking forward to returning to the more creative side of photography and painting as well as following my own family around with the camera again...look out Rahja! Thanks for all of your support!

Some favs from the final sessions...

2009-03-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Even the dog posed!

Bubba!

2009-01-25T22:53:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday I met Bubba Bravo. His name is actually Christopher but once you meet him it is clear...Bubba fits! He is 2 and full of smiles. He loves to give "sugar love." Those are his kisses. By the end of the morning he was even passing it out to me. What a cutie.

I am a sucker for long eye lashes, especially when they belong to cute kids!

My poor neglected blog

2009-01-25T22:49:00.001-08:00

2009 is off to a great start. I have been busy, but good busy. I have a renewed love for the gym and have rejoined. For some reason I took a 5 year hiatus, which began shortly after meeting Keven. I had forgotten what a great stress reliver it can be. Work is busy as well, which in this economy is great. This is also my year to de-clutter...in every aspect. So far only two areas of the house have been "cleansed" but hey, that is progress.

Last Photos of 2008!

2008-12-09T21:24:00.001-08:00

Hooray! Tonight I finished editing my last photo sessions of 2008. This year has been quite a journey with my camera. While I love giving people photos that capture what they were feeling in the moment I have to admit that working 7 days a week sometimes takes a toll. Not sure if I am completely calling it quits but I am making an early resolution to take back MY TIME in 2009!

Here are some of my favorites from the last two sessions.

Colin, Colin, Colin...

2008-12-09T21:18:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Keven and I had dinner with our friend's Kyle and Rachel. Their son Colin is just so adorable. It have known Kyle and Rachel for about 8 years now...wow. It is so neat to see such a perfect combination of the two of them. I can't wait to meet baby Aidan in a couple weeks.

Turkey Sandwich

2008-11-30T22:52:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving Keven and I went to Atlanta to be with my family. We had alot of fun! On Thanksgiving day it was just me, Keven, my mom, Gene and my aunt Juanita. Just enough people to enjoy but not so many that we stressed over cooking. We still had the traditional spread of course, just less of it. My mom was a good sport and went along with my plan to brine the turkey for 12 hours even though she may have doubted the outcome. It worked and in the end I got the perfect leftover turkey sandwich, which aside from spending time with family is my favorite part...well that and the sweet tea.

He is only 2!

2008-11-24T11:46:00.000-08:00

I met this little guy, Jack, Sunday morning at a train park in Scottsdale. I was immediately floored when his father introduced me and Jack stuck his hand out as if he were going to shake mine. What?! He is only 2! As we preceded to walk around any play he continued to dazzle me with his smarts, especially his counting. Look out world, here comes Jack!

16 more smiling faces

2008-11-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

The holiday photo rush is on! This past weekend I spent time with 4 families on the quest for that "perfect" photo. The one that is the next few weeks may arrive in your mailbox on their holiday cards. Wow, can you believe there are only 38 days until Christmas?!

Happy Birthday Hallie

2008-11-16T22:09:00.000-08:00

Friday I attended Hallie's birthday party. It was quite a treat. The evening began at Hallie's with a few martinis, then a limo ride to Jade Bar, which has a phenomenal view. Our next stop on the whirlwind girl's night was Canal on the Waterfront in Scottsdale. Hallie, decked out in her designer dress and pink fur (you should know that Hallie is pink!), strutted her stuff on the runway. After a great meal and some drinks it was back to Hallie's for cake and champagne toast. Quite a VIP evening!

Hanging with the Scows

2008-11-15T22:59:00.000-08:00

Despite Logan's desire to go hunting this weekend his wife urged him to stay in town for some family photos. Looking at this one I would say he made the right choice.

Last Family of the Day

2008-11-09T18:37:00.000-08:00

My last family of the day was the Caryl's. Who would have thought that a family of seven would be one of the easiest of the weekend. Rahja kept trying to be in their family photos. She just kept walking over and getting in position like that was exactly where she was supposed to be. It was quite funny. Westley, the youngest of the bunch has the cutest eyelashes!

Day 2 of the Holiday Sessions

2008-11-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

Murphy's Law...everything that can go wrong, will. Isn't that how it goes? A bit rattled from Saturday's sessions I wanted to take a different approach to today. I tried one more session inside my homemade studio and still wasn't happy. So I moved the next family outside. My courtyard is shaded this time of year and it was fairly overcast so the lighting in the whole area was perfect. My neighbor, Eric, helped me move the backdrop outside. Perfect, now I don't even need the lights! All is well I thought. Well, after the Watkins session a horrible wind kicked up and proceeded to unroll all 12 yards of photo paper. The paper was fine but the wind was too much for the stand to take so that was no longer an option. My next family was nice enough to help me lower the stand and get the paper under control before I decorated my street with it. I made my way through a couple more sessions just shooting outdoors, no studio set-up. As I waited to begin the final session it began to rain. Now what? What a weekend of learning lessons. No more studio's for me. Outdoors and inside clients homes...that is it.

Studio Equipment- A Love Hate Relationship: Day 1

2008-11-08T21:13:00.001-08:00

This weekend I began my studio photo sessions. Normally my shoots are in my clients home, yard or outside location. At times this is certainly challenging because it is always a search for the right light. I had the great idea of setting up a backdrop, bringing in lights and creating the perfect set-up....so I thought. Some shots were great, exactly as I wanted them to be. Some of the others...not so much. Trying to balance the power of the lights and shutter speed with the movement of the kids was quite a chore. Speaking of kids...something about studio lights just seemed to make their smile disappear.

This has definitely been a humbling experience. At the end of today I was really beating myself up. I want to give people pictures that they love. I think the good news for me is that I think I officially confirmed and or defined my style. I shoot lifestyle portraits. I enjoy capturing those candid and innocent moments that only come from chasing a child around their yard versus popping them in front of a light and expecting a great smile. The bad news is I wasted some great hair and time.

All that being said I decided to post some of the funnier pictures from this weekend...not necessarily the frameable ones. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Gavin!

2008-10-18T23:11:00.000-07:00

The littlest Severa is 1! Today Gavin got to celebrate his 1st birthday with the age old tradition of having his way with his first cake. What a cutie.

Rachel's Glow

2008-10-18T23:04:00.001-07:00

My good friend Rachel is expecting her second son, Aidan, in January. Today I stopped by to take some shots for her baby shower invitation. You know, they always say that pregnant women have a glow...Rachel definitely does. She looks beautiful.

Introducing Makenna

2008-09-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I met the newest Watkins angel, Makenna Rose. She has a full head of red hair and beautiful blue eyes. Her father is definitely smitten. He made sure that she was always positioned perfectly...and had on the right socks.

Carren and Lola

2008-09-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to Atlanta to visit family and my bestfriend, Carren. Friday was "Carren Day!" What is great about mine and Carren's friendship is that it doesn't matter how much time we spend apart, we pick up right we left off and spend the day giggling. I met Carren in the 6th grade...so we have had 22 years of adventures at this point. Far to many to list here. On our adventures this past Friday we stopped by her house to hang out with her bulldog, Lola for a bit. I think it is a rule that if you graduate from UGA you or someone you know has to have a bulldog. She sure is a cutie.

*I will post more ATL pics soon.

KiZake revisited

2008-08-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

You may remember a few weeks ago I mentioned a great new sushi and martini joint in downtown Chandler called KiZake (91 West Boston, Chandler, AZ 85225). Earlier this month my friend Jerry and I returned for a formal photo shoot. You may see some of these photos next time you visit KiZake or their web page. I think it is great for two people to photograph the same thing. You get to see it from a different perspective and learn a little something from the other photographer. Jerry has been my photo guru for a while now.

After we photographed the food I knew someone would have to eat the "models" so I made sure that Hiro prepared some of my favorites. My top two are the tuna and avocado salad with wasabi sauce and the spicy tuna tacos. I just can't get enough!

This is one of the lunch specials...should you be in the area.

It was quite an adventure getting Hiro to pose since his English is limited. We kept trying to capture him in action with the knife but he is just too fast!

Keven and Jenacca

2008-08-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

Keven's daughter, Jenacca, spent the summer with us. Having a 16 year-old in the house was quite an experience. All in an instant you realize how uncool you have become. Fashion, music, hair styles...I am lost. I guess I am "stuck" as they say. I suddenly found myself saying all the things I heard come out of my mother's mouth several years ago. Funny how that happens. I caught myself saying things like "you are going to sleep the day away?"..."you can't have just fries for dinner." Of course, my all time favorite topic was the value of a dollar.

It was definitely fun having her with us. I think she forced Keven and I out of our "routines." We ate more meals at the dining room table than we have in the 2 years we have been in our house. The driving lessons were certainly entertaining. Remember how terrifying it was to approach oncoming traffic? It still is...especially when you are in the passenger seat with a new teenage driver!

An evening with The Scow Family

2008-08-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

Last night Paxton stopped by to introduce me to his little brother, Gatlin. Paxton posed for a few pictures but was far more interested in what Keven and his daddy were doing. Gatlin on the other hand was stuck with the ladies taking pictures. He was a little shy...until he got naked. For some reason after that he was all smiles.

The Scow Men

Megan's Baby Shower - slideshow

2008-07-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

Check out more pictures from Megan's shower...

*click here*

Awaiting Makenna Rose

2008-07-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had the privilege of photographing a baby shower for mommy to be, Megan. Her daughter, Makenna Rose should make her debut in early September. This weekend was the family shower. The house was full of fun-loving feisty women...many of which were named Barb (it's an inside thing). It was a great way to spend the afternoon. Makenna is definitely going to be showered with love.

I hope to post the slideshow by the end of the week.

Here are a few of my favorite shots so far...

KiZake is here! 91 West Boston, Chandler, AZ 85225

2008-07-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

One week ago today KiZake, a great new sushi spot in Historic Downtown Chandler, opened its doors and served the first customers. The owners, Ron and Maki, are friends of ours so Keven and I have been doing what we can to help take care of all those final finishing touches. My contributions have been alot of errand running, balloon fetching, shopping for shelves, etc. Keven has done a little bit of everything...hanging shelves, tending bar, and even a sushi making lesson. It has all been worth it because at the end of each errand filled day I had the reward of delicious sushi. The sushi at KiZake is some of the freshest I have had...ever. I can honestly say it has ruined me for sushi anywhere else. Hiro Taniguchi, the chef, has a way of making even the simplest of items taste phenomenal. I highly recommend the tuna and avocado salad in wasabi sauce and the spicy tuna tacos. Below are a couple pictures from this weekend. I plan to have a full shoot with Hiro soon but for now I was just playing around.

*Ron and Maki also own 98 South and 56 East, two Eclectic American restaurants in Chandler, AZ.

Keven's sushi lesson

Keven's first roll...it was actually pretty good, didn't even fall apart.

The Acosta Wine Cellar...

2008-06-28T17:50:00.001-07:00

...is open for business! After several long weeks and lots of dust I am happy to say that all of our wine now comfortably resides in our temperature controlled wine cellar (okay it is a closet but cellar sounds better). We have, or I should say had, a closet in our family room. When we first moved into our house two years ago we agreed to see how much we actually used that closet. If we decided it was unnecessary then we would convert it to a wine cellar.

It certainly was not an easy process. First we had to move a wall. The closet borders our garage and where our water heater used to be. We converted to a tankless water heater, which saved energy and space. Then with ALOT of help from our friend Logan we knocked down and rebuilt a new wall...which also involved re-routing gas lines and electrical. Did I mention that we were without hot water for 5 days. Whew, not fun. After the mounds of drywall and the accompanying dust were cleaned up the slate floor went down. Then came the layers of different types of insulation. Then mahogany walls...then racks...then the light and finally the wine!

Unfortunately I could not find my construction photos so you will just have to settle for the end result. Eventually we plan to swap out the door for a wrought iron and glass cellar door...but that is down the road a bit.

I picked the light!...

Madison at the splash pad

2008-06-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

A life long friend of mine, Tiffany, is visiting with her beautiful daughter Madison. Of course Phoenix is at it's hottest...so off to the splash pad we went. It turned out to be a fancy outdoor shower..but Madi liked it so that is all that matters.

The Money Tree

2008-05-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

One of mine and Keven's favorite games is "what if we won the lottery." First we would call our parents and tell them they no longer had to work. After church, charities and paying off a few friend's mortgages...we would definitely make use of our passports. Of course, before the journey began I would want to spend time at a health resort getting in peak condition. Well, in the last 20 something lottery drawings we have gotten no more than 2 matched numbers.

Plan B...the money tree. It can work , right?

I got caught

2008-05-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

A couple posts back I mentioned that I had been attempting a "self-portrait." Well, today I got caught doing it again. My mom called in the midst and I had to giggle when she asked what I was doing and I said "taking pictures of myself." I feel it is healthy, and necessary, to laugh at yourself sometimes. I was definitely able to do that today! Man is it eye opening to see how others see you. If you decide to embark on your own project I would advise against harsh light and no make-up...that was a lesson I learned the hard way ;-) Here are a couple of shots...blemishes and all.

Dripping with jewels

2008-05-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I hosted a Lia Sophia jewelry party. LS jewelry is not sold in stores, you can only purchase it through a jewelry advisor. That appeals to me because I am a big fan of having things that no one else can have and with limited ways to purchase the items not that many people have the same ones. I hosted 15 friends for an evening of shopping, nibbling on munchies and sipping sangria. As my reward for hosting the party I received a huge credit for free jewels...and a thank you gift (bracelet below). It is a pretty good deal if you like jewelry...and want excuse to spend an afternoon with your girlfriends. If you live in metro Phoenix and would like to have a party you can contact Leslie Garnham and she will take care of you.

The necklace below is one of the first pieces I bought about a year ago. It is now retired so no one else can have it...yay!

1st Anniversary

2008-05-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

This past Monday (May 12th) was mine and Keven's 1st wedding anniversary. We were also celebrating 5 years together! What a great day! Keven woke me up singing a "Happy Anniversary" song that sounded suspiciously like Happy Birthday. We thought it would be fun to try and stick to the traditional gifts each year and try to be creative with it. The first year is paper..I got three cards, lots of paper (and a morganite ring!)...I send Keven on a paper trial of sorts. To find his gift he had to follow clues around the house that led him to his gift. We had a great dinner later that night at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Before we headed to dinner we tasted our wedding cake. I had been waiting for that part for so long, since I didn't even get a bite of it at the wedding. It was well worth the wait. The fondant on the outside keep everything fresh. I have to give credit to Andrea at Sedona Cake Couture for making a great cake...you can see a picture of it on her website in the "over the top category."

Anyhow, Keven and I enjoy taking goofy pictures. For some reason we never think about using the timer and tri-pod...he just sticks his arm out. Here are a couple of our photos. They don't always quite turn out, but it is fun.

Want to walk down memory lane with us too...check out the slideshow from our photographer's, Cameron Clark, site...click here.

Check me out!

2008-05-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

A few of my photos can be seen on the 56 East website next to the menu. I am famous...okay well, in Chandler,AZ...at 56 East. We all start somewhere.

See for yourself.

Just some nonsense

2008-05-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

Often times when I have some downtime, which these days is never, I find myself just wandering around taking pictures of literally whatever is in front of me. On this particular day I attempted a self portrait...laugh. I definitely need the tri-pod and remote set-up. Rahja was right behind me as usual so I got a mug shot. The last is my new dining room table (so my mom can see it).

A few more Longacre's...15 to be exact

2008-05-04T23:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, thanks to Bettina, I got to explore a new park...Freestone Park in Gilbert. It is a huge park complete with two lakes, skateboard park and mini railroad! I meet everyone there to hopefully give them a family photo. With 15 faces it was definitely an adventure! As usual there are always a few little ones who remind me who's boss...and always a couple that are more than willing to flash their pearly whites at me. Check out a few of the pictures below...can you tell who the shy ones were?

This last picture should give you a good idea of how most of the group shots went.

A time and place for everything...

2008-04-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

...that has always been my stance on different genres of music. For every mood, there is a song. My mom used to bug me about spending all my money on CD's...I needed them so I could make my mixed tapes! I think she gave up once I reached a couple hundred. Now we have evolved past CD's and mixed tapes and we have Ipods and digital music files. I happened upon this cool tool...and for today, this is my music mood. I hope you enjoy.

**Unfortunately I could not get the player to post properly but if you click on "pop out player" below you can get to the tunes.**

Cool and different...

2008-04-24T22:46:00.000-07:00

Today I had an opportunity to photograph some food for a great Chandler restaurant, 56 East. It was quite different than photographing people. I did not have to coax a smile out of the cake...in fact, I am a chocaholic so it smiled at me anyway!

Hungry?...all of these items are on the menu!

The Longacre angels....

2008-04-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

...is there anything else that you can call them? Check out those smiles! Sloan and Morgan were great models. Hopefully their little brother can forgive us for disrupting his napping schedule.

Happy Birthday to me...and Zane!

2008-04-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

So, this past Saturday I turned 33, which by the way is the new 28. Unfortunately, I had a little bit of the flu or food poisoning or just something plain wicked on Thursday and Friday so I wasn't really 100% on my birthday. I had a great day anyway though. I had breakfast with Keven and he bought me a beautiful watch. I got a box full of goodies from my mom!...mom's are good like that....and a few surprises on my doorstep from neighbors (love the CV). We had dinner at our friend's Jim and Tara's house that night. It was a good day!

Sunday we to Zane's 5th birthday party at Ron and Maki's. Great time as usual...funny thing is we all "partied harder" at his party than we have at any of ours lately. The party began at noon...moved to the Kec's around 6 and we made it home around 9. Question is....who had more fun? Zane or all of the adults?

Me, Keven and Aia (Zane's little sister)...I am still lookin' a little pale.

Ron's martini creation...it was delish.

Paxton is gonna be a big brother!

2008-04-13T01:13:00.000-07:00

You may remember Paxton from a few months ago, well he and his mom came to visit me today. This time he not only showed me his belly (as he had done in the past) he showed his mommy's....his baby brother is in there! He also had some new teeth, which he tried to hide from me and the most adorable little blue crocs. Why is everything so much cuter when it is small?

Logan, Paxton's dad, was helping (actually 90% doing) Keven move a wall in our family room closet, and install a tankless water heater, to make room for our wine cellar! I will post before and after pictures when it is complete. Right now it is basiclaly just a big mess. Broken drywall and nails everywhere. It is a good thing we are friendly with our neighbors because right now we have no hot water! I may call in "stinky" tomorrow :-)

Want to see more of Paxton...click here!

**These are some of my first pictures with my new EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens. I love it!

A little fun during lunch break!

JJ and L

2008-04-07T22:35:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I met Jenny, John and Lindsay in a park near their house. Lindsay was definitely ready to have her picture taken. She told me that she picked out her outfit...head to toe pink, including a soccer ball that she brought. Too cute!

Man Cave

2008-03-29T01:15:00.000-07:00

It is Friday night and my house is full of men. Weeknights and weekends, once the husbands in the neighborhood feel they have put in ample "wife" time they all retreat to that place they love so much...the theatre. Also known as "the X-box room." Not quite ready to go to bed I decided to play with my camera. I tried to get some candid "gaming" photos but once they knew I was there it wasn't quite the same. I had to settle for taking pictures of Keven's humidor...his treasure chest of tobacco. I broke out my tri-pod, decreased the shutter speed and turned off the flash.

Some old photos

2008-03-29T00:35:00.000-07:00

Just reviewing all the photos I have taken over the past few months. This is my friend Tara. She had agreed to be mine and Jerry's model so that he could show me some lighting techniques.

Love those curls...

2008-03-23T21:45:00.000-07:00

Once Kai is a bit more mobile I am going to shoot some pictures of him and his big brother Quinn. I can tell by the few minutes that I spent with them on Saturday, Quinn is going to be a great model. I can't wait to chase him around with my camera.

Easter Weekend

2008-03-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

(me, Keven and our god son, Caden)

busy, busy, busy...(lots of pictures)

First off, HAPPY EASTER!

Thankfully the weekend began with a quiet Friday night because we had something planned for what seemed like every minute the rest of the weekend. Saturday morning began with a neighborhood Easter egg hunt. Keven was the bunny! I think he got off pretty easy since it all took place before 11AM and some of the younger kids were afraid of him.

Zane wasn't too sure about things...

After heading home to relax for a little bit our friends Kyle and Rachel came over with their son, Colin. Keven and Kyle spent most of their time in the theatre, also known as "The X-box" room. Rachel, Colin and I headed outside to enjoy the weather.

He has this thing with crossing his legs, it is adorable!

Onto Easter Sunday...Keven and I headed to the Meier's, which is always fun because we get to see our god son, Caden, and we having an ongoing spades battle (men vs. women). Crystal cooked the main meal so we brought dessert. Keven decorated the top of the brownie cake and was very proud of it...

Such a flirt!

Vote for me!

2008-03-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

I found this magazine and website through a friend of mine, Brian. It is a great photography site. I have submitted a picture for the next issue in the "fresh" theme. If they pick my phot I get one hundred big ones and bragging rights. If you get a chance vote for me...if you go to Brian's site you can vote for him to. He submitted for the "human impact" theme.

Click on the picture to cast your vote!

Look out ladies, here come the Watkins boys...

2008-03-09T15:55:00.001-07:00

I am pretty sure that Nicole and Eric's main concern with these handsome boys is going to be all those phone calls from little girls. We headed to the park today so that Braden could show off his "skills." He was by far my most cooperative model yet! Talan seemed more interested in my ladder and photo equipment than anything else but I still captured a few precious smiles.

Primero Noche en Ciudad de Mexico

2008-03-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

Hey when in Rome...or Mexico in this case, I say do as they do. This includes trying to speak the language. For all of my gringo readers the title of my entry is "The first night in Mexico City." Foreign travel is always an adventure. Luckily day one has presented laughable adventure versus scary. I am here on business, which I think is excellent. It is times like this when I really love my job. I will gladly leave my desk for a little foreign travel to do an audit. Thankfully though, I am not traveling alone. Amber is with me...she is my translator. That is somewhat funny in itself as she is the "white girl" and I am the "brown girl."

After arriving at the airport we hopped in a cab and headed for the Fiesta Americana. Great, except our reservations were at the Camino Real. After a few nervous moments when the front desk could not find our reservation I decided to log on to my computer and check out the confirmation. Being the seasoned traveler that I am I failed to bring a copy of our reservation. Lesson learned. We hopped back in the cab and made our way to the Camino Real.

Shortly after we arrived it was time for dinner. I really enjoy Mexican food, and I am not talking about nachos and tacos, although I like those as well, but I mean "traditional" Mexican food. It is so flavorful and often very hot! In fact Los Canarios employees, where we ate dinner, were so concerned about our American palettes that three employees warned us of how hot the salsa was. FIRE! Although neither of us dined on the "beef testicles" we did get a giggle over seeing it on the menu and perhaps a little shocked to see them in a butcher display case behind our table.

All and all a good first day. Oh, except for the fact that apparently one of the fuses in my room kept blowing so the power in my room kept going off. After three visits from maintenance it is fixed.

I asked for change at the front desk so I could tip the bellman. They gave it to me but were short 5 pesos. Now I realize this is only $0.50 but they were not going to tell me. They just handed me my change and assumed that I wouldn't know the difference. I asked them for it and they snickered under their breath like "oh my gosh, I can't believe she is asking for 5 pesos." Hey, don't mess with a banker and her money!

This is ceviche, one of my favorite things to have in Mexico. It is basically just fresh fish and lime juice. Very tasty!

Wojo Love!

2008-02-26T21:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight, with the help of some of Jerry's equipment, I had my first studio photo session. I had the honor of photographing Maki's very pregnany belly. A pre-natal shoot was also a first for me. Everyone was a great sport, even 4 year-old Zane. It was alot of fun.

Baby Girl Aia

2008-02-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

Today was Maki's baby shower. It was a surprise...a surprise that actually turned out to be a surprise! That doesn't happen too often. Especially since over 20 people attended. Today Maki and I were scheduled to do a pre-natal photo shot. Of course I played along with her request all the while knowing that the day would turn out much different than what she expected.

Maki was expecting to hit the mall with her mother-in-law for a quick trip and then get primped and ready for her photo session. Surprise, surprise when she arrived at Dottie's all of her friends were there waiting with a pile of gifts! It was great, Maki came in diet coke in hand, ponytail, flip-flops...ready for the mall. She was mad at her husband for not warning her to look cute! Maki always looks cute so it wasn't a problem. There were a ton of cameras so I stayed in the back ground...and even caught some shots in the mirror.

Yes, that is a glass of wine in the stroller cup holder. We had to make sure it would fit for all of our happy hours at the CV park.

A reluctant model...

2008-02-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

Today I spent some time with Rachel, Kyle and their adorable son Colin. The weather was perfect for an outdoor photo shoot so off to the park we went. The combination of different surroundings and alot of strange faces, including mine...and the big black lens that I kept shoving in his face, had Colin wondering what was going on. He quickly remined us that he was in charge and that he wouldn't be forced into any silly poses. I still managed to steal a few smiles!

This first picture is the perfect example of how he wasn't quite sure about me or what was going on...

Paxton..

2008-02-16T20:05:00.000-08:00

..he looks more and more like his father every time I see him. He is always fulls of smiles that is for sure. Luckily he still likes girls so he let me hang out with him in his room. He showed me his blue dog and his belly. Both very interesting. Happy 1st Birthday Paxton!

Baby Burrows

2008-02-02T17:54:00.001-08:00

A couple weeks ago I attended Leslie's baby shower. She and David are having their first child...a girl! I know they will be great parents. I met them about 7 1/2 years ago before they ever knew that they would be "The Burrows." That is the fun part about life...the journeys. Leslie's shower was packed with friends and family, and even the guys out back playing poker.

Courtney Taylor

2008-01-17T19:16:00.000-08:00

I had the honor of photographing Courtney in her first official photo shoot. At three weeks old her main objectives are still pretty much sleeping and eating. Hopefully she will forgive me for disrupting her routine. She is such an angel.

Flashback...two-fold

2008-01-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

Doing a little back posting. On December 1st Keven and I (and Crst) hosted our friend Tara's 40th birthday party at our house. Tara is no ordinary woman so her party had to be something unique. Just to give you and example, this is a woman who once painted swimsuits on teddy grams for her son's birthday party. She is the Martha of our group.
After tossing around a few theme ideas we settled on a 1985 Prom! 1985 was the year of Tara's Senior Prom...also Keven's and Tara's husband Jim. 90% of the attendees spent their youth in the 80's so it was easy and fun to reminisce. I mean, like, who doesn't love the eighties?!
We had bright colors, Rubik's cubes, high hair and lots of lace gloves...a nod to Madonna's early days. We even had an area set-up for "Prom Photos," complete with a cheesy backdrop.
Ironically the weekend of the party it would not stop raining. I had the whole set-up planned in my courtyard...rented heaters, tables and chairs. I was ready. Even though it was dry during prom time just to be safe Keven and I strung lights, threw a drop cloth over the Ducati and moved the tables into the garage. It actually worked well with the whole gymnasium theme. Lesson learned...always have a plan B.

Here are a few photos...enjoy.

Notice the writing on the wall. I put up some paper in the bathroom so we could return to our teenage disrespect for property and write on the bathroom walls! Yep, we were taking pictures in the bathroom. Jealous you weren't there?

We had a candy bar set up with Tara's favorite candies and little bags so everyone could take home some of Tara's favorites...and a picture of her from the 80's plastered on the front of the bag of course.

This is one of my favorite shots. Not because it is great camera work but because it reminds me of the 15 minutes giggling in the bathroom...and we all actually thought that our faces were in the mirror. What the heck was in the punch? Wait, I made it.

As the hostess I was was without my camera for most of the evening but luckily Jerry and Crystal got some fun shots.

Zoo time

2008-01-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas Keven and I traveled to San Pedro, CA where his parents live. The kids also flew in from Vegas. This was my first "Acosta Family" trip since the wedding. We had planned to head to Disney but after re-thinking the crowds we opted for the LA Zoo and Six Flags and Magic Mountain. We had a great time at both...aside from the chilly weather. We were really surprised by the weather actually...hot chocolate was a part of everyday.

LIFT...Ughh...

Big Foot?....

My father in-law

Does Ryan get the joke?....

see what a dollar can buy...a wax animal.

Christmas card in the making

2007-12-09T20:50:00.000-08:00

I don't want to ruin the surprise but we took pictures today for our Christmas card...Rahja didn't really like her costume.

Cristy's Baby Shower...a princess party

2007-11-30T17:56:00.000-08:00

Thursday night we gathered at 98 South to shower baby girl Kec with gifts. This will be the second Kec princess to rule the house. If she is anything like her sister, affectionately nicknamed "Little Devil," then watch out! Wishing the Kec's the best of luck, I can't wait to meet the little one!

The Holidays are coming...

2007-11-24T17:10:00.000-08:00

I spent some time with the Severa's today taking some pictures of their family...trying to get a shot for the Holiday card. Their oldest, Tyler, was making us all work to see his smile. Luckily I was able to steal a few. This will be Gavin's first Christmas. He is only 5 weeks old and already stealing the show.

Different Perspective

2007-11-19T20:25:00.000-08:00

I spent this past Sunday afternoon at the Japanese Friendship Garden with my friend Jerry. He was letting me play with one of his professional lens, man is it cool, and exploring anything that caught our attention in the garden. This days was the perfect example of why I love photography, and art in general for that matter. We saw the same things, walked the same path...but took completely different shots. Check out his blog and you'll see what I mean. I look forward to my next photo adventure with Jerry.

Hi Mom!

2007-11-18T17:21:00.000-08:00

So, my mom keeps telling me that she likes reading my blog and seeing what I am up to and looking at my pictures but she wants "to see my smiling face." Here you go mom. I thought about using photoshop to get rid of my zits...but hey, that's reality. Sometimes you have clear skin, sometimes you don't.

*Jerry took this today while we were playing with my new diffuser. The sunlight was actually really harsh but the diffuser softens it.

Happy Veteran's Day!

2007-11-11T13:19:00.000-08:00

To all of those men and women who are currently and have served in the armed forces...Thank You for my freedom. Thank you to my husband Keven, semper fi baby! Thank you to my cousin's (Kevin and David) currently serving overseas. Thank You to my neighbor Jim and my friend's Joe and Brian...my co-worker Greg. Thank you "PP", Shane B. and Jesse D. And thank you to my father and Carren's father, Papa Don.

The picture below is a billboard, at what used to be a muffler shop in downtown Chandler. It is weathered but still serves its purpose.

"LD" - Little Devil

2007-11-07T23:02:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of chasing my 3 year-old neighbor, Lauren, around our neighborhood park. Lauren's birthday was not too long ago and her mom (really her grandmother) wanted an official 3 year-old photo. That is where I come in. Up to this point I have shot events and parties exclusively. I enjoy being a fly on the wall...well, a fly with a big lens. Anyhow I had a couple requests and thought what the heck, I will try something new. So, I had my first willing model, so I thought. Man, photographing a toddler is quite an adventure. Everything I thought I knew about my camera settings went right out the window. Lauren was constantly in motion and running in and out of shade and super bright sunlight. In the end, with the help of her mom keeping her laughing, we ended up with some darn cute shots. So far, of the people that have looked at the photos, no one has the same favorites (except Cristy and Patrick) so it is a good thing I posted 98 options! Below are some of my favs.

Sunday afternoon

2007-11-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

Keven left town yesterday until the 11th, which would normally be fine except I leave on the 11th (before he gets home) until the 16th. We travel regularly, that is part of our jobs, and I am fine with that. It is funny though, the second day that he is gone is always the toughest. The first day is easy, as soon as he gets on the plane I do every "girly" thing that I can think of. I shop/browse for hours, I take over the theatre with chick flicks and I eat popcorn for dinner instead of making a meal. Anyhow, by the second day, when I realize he is still not home I miss him. I miss him bugging me and following me around and stealing the remote and procrastinating about household chores that I asked him to do. I guess it is true...absence makes the heart grow fonder. Anyhow, in efforts to keep busy today I spent the afternoon with my camera. Here is my randomness...

The first few pictures are the celebration of the end of a struggle two years strong. You know earlier when I mentioned that Keven procrastinates when it comes to household chores? Well, I have been trying to get my truck in the garage for a little over two years. In Keven's defense those two years did include his move from Vegas and our move to our new house. Last weekend we finally picked up the last piece of trash. Don't get me wrong, we still have items to deal with but...WE CAN BOTH PARK IN THE GARAGE!!!

Oh yeah, here is my new bike. Keven put it together Thursday. I just need some air in the tires and I am off the races. Luckily I have my guard dog so no one will steal it!

....it wouldn't be a day of picturing taking without Rahja in her "are we done yet" pose.

The next few are really just random things in my line of sight.

Got new drapes in the family room. Don't expect anyone to be interested...just wanted to show my mom.

Next it was off to the grocery store. I stopped at the park to take a picture of the doggie waste station. No, I am not a freak...I am the Blog master for my neighborhood blog and wanted a picture so I could post and remind people to pick up after their pooch. While I was there I spotted this tree...it was calling me.

When I left the grocery store the sky looked amazing! It is cool what a difference in perception color can make. Stormy sky or fire sky?

Bosses Day!

2007-10-16T20:30:00.001-07:00

Today is bosses day and my wonderful team sent me flowers. I love getting flowers delivered...really anything delivered for that matter. Wait, that isn't true, I was recently served by a man handing me my husband's photo speeding ticket. That was not such a great delivery. Back to the subject at hand...the flowers are beautiful, every color and flower seems to be represented. It was a very nice surprise! I had fun photographing them against the sunset.

Distraction

2007-10-14T16:20:00.001-07:00

Devilsh grin, originally uploaded by acosta.chase.

taking pictures of halloween decorations is far more exciting than chores!

Phantom Ghost

2007-10-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

There is always something going on at the CV. As Halloween approaches the Phantom Ghost is loose in the neighborhood. What does that mean?...Basically, a secret ghost leaves a bag of toys and goodies at your door. You have now been "Booed." To avoid the curse of the ghost you have to "Boo" two more people. If all goes well by Halloween we should all have been "Booed."

In fact...consider yourself "Booed!"

A new trick

2007-10-03T23:28:00.001-07:00

Just a good day

2007-10-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

Nothing in particular to say...just having a moment of appreciation for my life...and the people and things in it. I think we should all try and take time to live in the moment instead of always trying to get to tomorrow's successes.

Wojo's cutting a rug

2007-09-26T17:47:00.001-07:00

Just going through some pictures from last Saturday's game. I thought this was a cute one. As soon as Brown Eyed Girl came on these two were dancing up a storm.

According to my husband...

2007-09-24T00:39:00.000-07:00

...I am the best wife ever! I probably should have recorded him saying that. Last week was Keven's 40th birthday. I love birthdays. As an only child my mom always made them special, now that I am older I really enjoy making them special for other people. I started planning Keven's birthday surprise in April. It was quite a feat for me to keep a secret that long, especially an exciting one.

Keven is a huge baseball fan and an even bigger Dodger fan (which I have forgiven since he always cheers for the Braves when they are in town). When I found out that they would be in town playing the D-backs the weekend after his birthday the plotting began. After a little bit of research I found out that the visitor's dugout suite was available. Are you kidding, Keven could sit so close that he could smell their gum. How could I not book it?! Problem was, now I also had to book a "decoy" party. Luckily he had already requested a party at Bounce U, an inflatable bounce toy facility. He kept telling everyone it was because all of our friends have kids...not buying it. He was jumping from start to finish and sweatier than anyone else.

After the bounce party it was home for a quick rest and then off to the ballpark. Keven's good friends from Vegas, Mike and Sheryl, were in town to help us celebrate. As far as Keven knew it was going to be just the 4 of us in our typical second level seats. Nope...we were seated smack dab next to the Dodgers at dugout level. We were below the field. It was quite an experience. I had also planned for 8 more friends to be waiting for us in the dugout. The worst part about the suite is that there were only 12 seats. I wanted to share this with everyone...I guess I will have to do that through pictures.

For now I have just posted a few of my favorites. My friend Jerry was also on hand taking pictures, and he is far more advanced than I am so I can't wait to see what he captured. Keven hasn't stopped smiling so I think I did okay!

Joel and Katie's wedding

2007-09-16T22:51:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Keven and I attended a wedding in Burbank, CA. The weather was amazing. Keven was actually in the wedding. He has known the groom, Joel, for about 5 or 6 years. I met Joel and Katie over labor day weekend at their bachelor/bachelorette party in Palm Springs. They are a great couple. In fact their friends and family were great too...very friendly and welcoming.

Joel and Katie's wedding was the first that Keven and I have attended since we were married. I loved every minute of my wedding but it was great to be on the other side of things. The details were beautiful. Katie was armed with two photographers but with my new found love of photography I had to bring my camera too. Funny story, I was actually scolded by one of her photographers who told me that "he could shut me down if he wanted to because he was the exclusive photographer." I thought it funny that he was threatened by a Banker with a big camera. I wasn't even in any of his shots, I was taking a picture of a glass at the time. I posted some of my favorite shots...even though I was not the "exclusive" photographer ;-)

View all of the photos here.

The first of many...

2007-09-13T23:58:00.001-07:00

...baby showers that is. I am not quite sure what Keven and I have stumbled into but their are 11 pregnant women in our neighborhood (affectionately known as "The CV"), and one with a newborn. Something is definitely in the water. We have a filter system so we should be safe. Rahja is still an only child.

Tonight we had a shower for Jeni, the first to go so to speak. In fact we have already had a couple false alarms. Jeni is expecting her second boy any day now. We had the shower at 56 East, so of course the food was delicious. The CV crew was in attendance as well as Jeni's mom and a few friends. I can't say enough how much I love the CV crew...the Kec's, Watkins', Wojo's and Severa's...it wouldn't be the same without them.

click here to see all of the pictures...

Flowers for Mom

2007-08-27T10:19:00.001-07:00

The lilly is from my mom's yard...the others were from a local farmer's market. We actually got in trouble for taking pictures of the flowers. Bet no one knew my mom and I were such rebels!

The Hair Co.

2007-08-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to my hometown, Marietta, GA, to visit my mom, Gene and other family there. Much to my surprise it was hotter in Marietta than it was in Arizona. The recent heat-wave caused a heat index close to 110 degrees. Throw in high humidity and for lack of a better word...it is gross.

My mom owns a hair salon in Marietta, GA (The Hair Co.). Like any good mother, she has displayed my paintings for the past several years. It is definitely time for an update but these days I am more interested in photography than painting so I took some shots of "all things beauty salon." Maybe some of these will make the cut and be displayed on her walls.

Walk like you drive

2007-08-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

So here is my disclaimer: I am not typically a complainer but every now and then I need a good vent session.

I have a request, a simple request I think. I would like for people to walk like they drive.

Walk with the flow of traffic. If your pace is a bit slower, you may commonly hear sighs and grunts behind you. This is equivalent to a car flashing it's lights in your rear view mirror. It means, step to the side. You don't need to stop, but slower traffic should stay to the right.

You wouldn't slam on the brakes in the middle of the street, so why would you do that in a crowd that is consistently flowing in one direction. When you see your turn approaching, begin to make your way to the side and you can exit the herd.

Merge. Simple concept, right? Most of us are able to do it successfully when we drive so what happens when we are in a crowd? Before you enter traffic, look behind you. Look in front of you. See what's coming. Pick a pace you can keep up with. Maybe your car doesn't have as much "horsepower" as the newer models, then perhaps you should not attempt to hang in the fast lane with the supped up engines. Likewise, if you are in a hurry, don't get behind a city bus that is going to stop at every station.

Lastly...the diagonal. We have all seen them, the person that makes a cut from one corner to the other. The person that is oblivious to that fact that they have just caused a multi car pile-up. They have broken all of the rules in one motion. This is the same person who can be found on the streets making a right hand turn from the far left lane.

That is basically it. I would just like people to approach walking as they do driving. The airport is equivalent to a toll road, we have all paid to be there so travel with a purpose and we will all get to our destination. Malls are much like highways, stimulation on both sides. You can get off at every exit, from the right, or get to your destination quickly using the HOV lane. And finally, sidewalks are much like side streets. Much slower pace, you can window shop (on the right of course) and you can stroll at a lower speed.

I feel much better now.

65 and still turning heads...

2007-08-19T21:58:00.001-07:00

This afternoon Keven and I attended a friend's 65th surprise birthday party. Dottie, is definietly no ordinary 65 year-old woman. I am pretty sure she still gets carded. Her cake, for instance, was decorated with the famous Rolling Stones tongue and the theme of the day was "Rock-n-Roll." Ron, Dottie's son, held the party at his restuarant (98 South), which of course meant great munchies and glasses that were never empty. Ron and Maki filled the restaurant with all of Dottie's friends, old and new. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Click here to see all of the pictures

The Plaka

2007-08-15T21:51:00.001-07:00

Spending the evening editing photos from Greece...

Finding an objective

2007-08-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

I have been talking quite a bit with my photography guru, Jerry. He mentioned how an instructor that he had mentioned picking a focus for your photographs. Something that you could incorporate into travel. Something that you could find anywhere. After continuing to edit our honeymoon pictures a couple "focus" items are coming through that I didn't realize until looking at the shots. Although cliche, it seems that doors and door knockers catch my eye.

Dogs are tougher than people...

2007-08-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

...to photograph that is. Don't get me wrong, as I have said before, Rahja is my favorite model. She just definitely makes me work for it. Every time she and I take pictures we go through "the dance." For some reason as soon as I grab the camera she immediately starts following me around. The problem is she follows way to close for me to actually take a picture of her and then she is constantly moving. This is how our conversation goes..."sit, stay...(I back up)no stay, Rahja, stay. Good girl (she thinks she is getting a reward so she runs at me again)..Rahja, sit." This goes on for a few minutes. Before she remembers that we have done this camera thing before she will usually drop her ears back and look away. This is what she does when she thinks I am mad at her.

Finally she realizes things are okay but she reminds me that if I want her to perform I have to give her a "treat." The next two photos I call Bacon and Did you say Ham. We have recently been having some problems with Rahja stealing things off the kitchen counter. It all started when we gave her a small bite of ham at Christmas. Recently she has helped herself to half a dozen pieces of bacon, a stick of butter and a bag of tortillas. Oh, I am how could I forget...a bean burrito.

After the treat she finally particpates. She likes to run around outside and show me how she can chase stuff. This is fine except she moves so fast that I am rarely ready to get the shot. After showing off a bit she comes back inside to her bed...or the floor...plops down and starts giving me the "are we done yet" look.

Get my good side...

Can we do something else now?...

Dog hair versus hardwoods

CV Poker Night

2007-08-06T22:35:00.001-07:00

Keven and I hosted an impromptu Texas Hold Em' game this weekend with our neighbors. We were the first ones out. My excuse is that I needed to be a hostess.

The Town Dump

2007-08-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

In efforts to get the kids out the house this past weekend we went on what I hoped would be a picture taking adventure. I get to play with my camera and the kids get out of bed and out of the house. They seem to sleep non-stop. Either Keven and I are extremely boring or they are vampires.

Anyhow, there is a quirky little place in Cave Creek, Arizona called The Town Dump. It is an eclectic, funky, junk yard. If you were led in blindfolded when you opened your eyes you would probably think you were in Mexico. Half of the stuff is junk, the other half being one of a kind objects. I happened upon the place accidentally when I first moved to AZ (2/00). It was undiscovered and you could find treasures for a steal. Now it has been discovered by the masses and apparently the demand for the unusual has increased...because their prices certainly have. With all of the crazy things to pose with I thought it would be a great place for pictures. Teenage bickering quickly ensued and all anyone did was pout and look for areas of shade to stand in. Oh well. I plan on visiting again with my friend Jerry once it gets cooler.

Strawberries

2007-08-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to pause and mention how much I like strawberries. They are definitely my favorite fruit. Keven and got an ice cream machine for our wedding and this weekend we made our first batch of ice cream...strawberry! De-lish, or as Rachel Ray would say "Yum-O!"

Too be young again...

2007-07-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

My step kids are visiting us for a few weeks (Ryan-16, Jenacca-15). Gosh, that sounds strange...step kids. Anyhow, Jenacca graciously agreed to help as I continue my learning efforts with my camera. She gets a bunch of new pictures for her myspace profile and I get to try out different settings with a model that doesn't try and lick me in between pictures. The licking model of course being Rahja. Rahja is a great model but Jenacca takes direction much better. Her pretty face helps the pictures as well.

Having Jenacca and Ryan visit is always a trip down memory lane for me...back to the days of sleeping for 12-14 hours, eating nothing but junk and not paying the consequences and of course endless hours on the phone. I guess somethings never change.

No more big events

2007-07-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

For the last year I spent most of my time thinking about and planning my wedding and honeymoon. The wedding has come and gone...what a blur...and now the honeymoon as well. What on earth will I do with my time?! Jet lag has finally subsided and I am sleeping normal hours now. It is amazing how the older you get sleep is such a precious commodity. Anyhow, Keven and I were finally able to download all of our pictures to a hard drive. I didn't want to start the editing process until I knew we had a back up. With my luck I would sneeze, hit the wrong button and poof they would be gone. I am no where near finished organizing them. Since we used multiple memory cards we ended up with two pictures for each number (at least 1 through 600). So basically what was nice and neat and in order by day became a jumbled mess. In the meantime, while I unjumble, I posted a couple so you could see the water. I hope the blue conveys. The rock is the Blue Grotto and the boat is docked in the Blue Lagoon. They really want to make sure you know what color things are. I also posted a picture Keven took of me our last night in Athens. Mainly because it is the only one of me without a sweaty ponytail and sunglasses. More to come...eventually.

Caden Joseph

2007-07-17T11:53:00.001-07:00

IMG_9154
Originally uploaded by Joe and Crystal Meier

While on vacation mine and Keven's godson was born. On 7/7/07 at 6:47AM Caden Joseph joined the Meier clan. I have been to visit him twice since we got back and I can't get enough! What a cutie!!

30 hours on a plane...

2007-07-16T11:32:00.001-07:00

statue
Originally uploaded by acosta.chase

Keven and I have returned from our honeymoon. All total we spent about 30 hours on a plane. With all that we saw and did it was well worth it. We took just over 2,000 pictures...a little trigger happy with the camera. I have a bit of editing to do but hope to share some by the end of the week.

Leave a message...

2007-06-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

Keven and I are escaping the heat for 2 weeks! We are off to Malta and Greece for our honeymoon. Aside from the fact that Super Shuttle is arriving at 4:35AM (which means I must be up and ready) I am very excited! I made myself several cheat sheets; both for currency exchange and manual camera settings. We are armed with 11GB of memory...so basically we can take 3,000 pictures. Yikes!

Be back on the 13th.....

Flickr

2007-06-28T21:34:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

SCUBA certified!

2007-06-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

As of June 24th at 11:00 AM Keven and I are certified open water divers! What an exciting and scary experience! For me it was a test of inner strength. I am an over thinker by nature. During the classes they must prepare us for the worst case scenario and show us how to deal with it. Great for the class...bad for an over thinker.

Technically Keven was certified in the Marine Corps but needed civilian certification. We completed a PADI course offered by Sports Chalet. It was great because they had a pool on site so we could do almost everything there. The whole process took about 3 weeks. We had classroom work, complete with a final exam, confined water dives (in the pool) and 5 open water dives. All of the open water dives were done at Lake Pleasant. For those of you that do not live in Arizona, Lake Pleasant offers anywhere from 2 ft to 10 ft of visibility depending on conditions. It is not for anyone who is even slightly claustrophobic. Once the silt on the bottom gets stirred up you cannot see anything. Luckily my instructor had a hot pink tank so I could usually spot her. The first day I had a bit of a panic moment but was able to quickly move past that and do my dives. I made it to 40 ft. and now have 1 hour and 50 minutes of official dive time under my belt.

My shoulders are sore from carrying my tanks down the hill to the lake, I bruised both of my ankles because my fins were on too tight and something bit my wrist...but I loved it! I cannot wait to dive in the Mediterranean on our honeymoon!! Greece and Malta here we come!

Blog guru

2007-06-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

My Blog guru, Jerry, taught me how to link photos to my flickr account...all 3 of the photos in my account ;-)

Kec's Pool - The Grand Opening

2007-06-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday our neighbors, the Kec's, had another great party. This time they even had a band...okay, so it was the babysitter's boyfriend. They still sounded pretty good. I took a few pictures at the party. Most of people that I don't know. I posted a few, as I continue on my quest to figure out my camera.

Like a postcard

2007-06-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

My cousin Kevin took this picture. It is easily one of my favorites. For me it is fairly symbolic of marriage. ..and the transition from parents to husband.

Camera Lessons

2007-06-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

Keven and I purchased a Canon XTi digital Rebel. I am lost as far as how to use the manual settings...but trying to learn. I think Rahja is getting tired of being my model.

Wedding Photos

2007-05-29T19:58:00.000-07:00

***Click here to see the slideshow

The photos..all 1,354 of them..are in the final stages of editing. My photographer, Cameron Clark, is amazing. I wanted more of a journalistic documentary look at my wedding versus a bunch of poses and that is exactly what she delivered. The slide show is posted on her blog. Click on the arrow next to May..and then Chase and Keven...then click on the word "slideshow."

If you want to see more the password is 12may2007

Rahja and "the Chase"

2007-05-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

Almost two years ago Keven and I adopted a beautiful whippet/pit-bull mix from the Humane Society. She is definitely the princess of the house. She is one fast dog too! She loves to chase Keven's kites and most recently remote control cars. These are from our evening at the park.

That's goin' in the book

2007-05-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

Just for Crst....
AA: "Do you know how to chop people's heads off and add a new one?"
Crst: "What! Who needs a new head?"
AA: "I forgot to say in pictures."

One last night with the boys...my guess is 3:45 AM

2007-05-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

No supervision and lots of poker chips..oh, and a few beers

My Girls

2007-05-21T23:00:00.001-07:00

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends! They all represent such a different part of me. They are all my sisters. I love them all!

More Family

2007-05-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

My mom, Juanita and Wendy usually come out for a girl's trip every year. Hopefully this qualifies ;-)

Family Tree

2007-05-21T22:25:00.000-07:00

Being that I am originally from Atlanta and Keven was born in California we had family coming from all directions: Georgia, Massachusetts, Nevada and California!

Heart and Coffee...that's code

2007-05-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

On May 12th Keven and I threw our biggest party yet...our wedding! The week was like a dream. Not just the wedding day but the week leading up to it. We were surrounded by all of our favorite people. The week was full of poker games, pool tournaments, spa trips, golf outings, trolley rides, star gazing and lots of laughing...and a few happy tears.

At 5PM on May 12th when the doors opened and I saw Keven at the end of the aisle everything else stopped. I can honestly say that at that moment all I saw was him....So I can't wait to see the pictures and the video!