Here is my sister's pre-engagement video. This super awesome shoot was done my very talented friends Dex Beats & Co. I highly recommend Calixte Works for your next event. If you want to see professionalism and creativity at its finest, go to them! You can also see their work at Benefit Cosmetics -- they shoot their tutorials too. Yes my friends, they are THAT talented.
Anyway, enjoy! (Don't forget to turn off the music at the bottom of this page.) One wedding down, two more to go!
Description from Calixte:
"This is the pre-engagement video that we showed at the reception of the newly weds wedding. The story behind the "24/7" idea came about when the couple mentioned that Eric proposed to Denise during an actual argument. That, and they are huge fans of the HBO series.
Wedding trailer coming soon. Enjoy!"
Eric & Denise Mariano "24/7" from Calixte Works on Vimeo.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Wedding Overload
Helloooo bloggy friends!
I'm taking a quick break from wedding crafting so I can blow some steam. Three very important ladies in my life are getting married in less than three weeks and I'm officially experiencing wedding overload. It's exciting and terrifying and I'm not even the bride! LOL! I'm starting to understand why some brides (well, the ones who can actually afford to) quit their jobs to devote their time to wedding planning.
This.Is.Crazy!
I'm not complaining -- there is nothing more rewarding than seeing the fruits of my labor being appreciated by people I love -- but I must admit I'm a bit overwhelmed! I'm not stressed about the work load, but I'm anxious because I don't want to disappoint anyone. I take pride in my work and I don't cut corners. I've been doing this party planning thing for 8 years now (since Kevie was born), but I've never done a wedding! So, my inner "craft crackhead" has come out and reared its ugly head these past few weeks. I've been very snippy lately, but it's mainly because I've set deadlines for myself and ohmygosh I keep getting disturbed! It is virutally impossible to get anything done during the day/evening so I tend to be most productive when the house is quiet as a mouse. I'm sacrificing sleep, but I say it's worth it! :)
It has been invigorating and therapeutic to work with my hands and use the creative side of my brain. I've been going through so much emotionally these past few months that I really think I needed this. As stressful as it has been, I need to keep my mind, fingers, and body preoccupied with something other than my altered emotional state, ya know? As exhausting as it has been, in the end, I know all of my hard work will pay off. :)
It's 1am and I'm rambling, but I feel better now that I've gotten these thoughts out of my head. As always, thanks for "listening."
I'm taking a quick break from wedding crafting so I can blow some steam. Three very important ladies in my life are getting married in less than three weeks and I'm officially experiencing wedding overload. It's exciting and terrifying and I'm not even the bride! LOL! I'm starting to understand why some brides (well, the ones who can actually afford to) quit their jobs to devote their time to wedding planning.
This.Is.Crazy!
I'm not complaining -- there is nothing more rewarding than seeing the fruits of my labor being appreciated by people I love -- but I must admit I'm a bit overwhelmed! I'm not stressed about the work load, but I'm anxious because I don't want to disappoint anyone. I take pride in my work and I don't cut corners. I've been doing this party planning thing for 8 years now (since Kevie was born), but I've never done a wedding! So, my inner "craft crackhead" has come out and reared its ugly head these past few weeks. I've been very snippy lately, but it's mainly because I've set deadlines for myself and ohmygosh I keep getting disturbed! It is virutally impossible to get anything done during the day/evening so I tend to be most productive when the house is quiet as a mouse. I'm sacrificing sleep, but I say it's worth it! :)
It has been invigorating and therapeutic to work with my hands and use the creative side of my brain. I've been going through so much emotionally these past few months that I really think I needed this. As stressful as it has been, I need to keep my mind, fingers, and body preoccupied with something other than my altered emotional state, ya know? As exhausting as it has been, in the end, I know all of my hard work will pay off. :)
It's 1am and I'm rambling, but I feel better now that I've gotten these thoughts out of my head. As always, thanks for "listening."
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
I'm In Love...
Noie just turned three-months-old on Easter Sunday. Three months may not seem like a very long time, but I honestly can't remember what it felt like without her in my life. Our little family just feels all the more complete with sweet little Anjali in it.
It's hard to imagine there's a tiny person in there, isn't it? That the curve of my belly actually follows the sweet curve a teeny, tiny back. Motherhood is surreal in that sense, I suppose. Two separate human beings are one for an extraordinary moment in time. Sometimes I forget that the tiny fingers I kiss with my lips are the same fingers that once tickled my insides not too long ago. I guess I never really appreciated that concept until Anjali was born.
Noie is quite possibly the first newborn that I've ever truly had the opportunity to appreciate. Now, before you think I'm a bad mother for admitting this, let me explain. I turned 21-years-old the day Kevin was born which means I was very young and naive. I was so overwhelmed with adapting to motherhood that I never really got to fully absorb the beauty of those first few days with my first son. When Anthony was born just 25 months later, I was distracted by trying to learn how to care for two cubbies instead of one. My Ethan was only home for a few short days and then he was gone. And lastly, Niki was in the NICU for several weeks after she was born so I didn't have much time alone with her.
I really didn't have the time to absorb it all.
Maybe it's because I'm little older and more mature now. Or maybe it's just a culmination of everything that has happened in the past three years. Or perhaps it's even because she looks so much like Ethan. Whatever it is, Noie's birth has made me appreciate motherhood on a whole different level. It has finally dawned on me that motherhood isn't only about doing, but it's about feeling, too. I'm more conscious of sensations and marveling at things like never before.
This must be what it's like to see the world with new eyes. To feel the world with new skin. To smell the world with new senses. To trust the world with a new heart.
This precious girl is ours...
I barely remember what it felt like to be like this...
 |
| Taken 1/23/11 @ 11:17pm -- just before we left for the hospital |
 |
| Taken just seconds after she was born. |
I really didn't have the time to absorb it all.
Maybe it's because I'm little older and more mature now. Or maybe it's just a culmination of everything that has happened in the past three years. Or perhaps it's even because she looks so much like Ethan. Whatever it is, Noie's birth has made me appreciate motherhood on a whole different level. It has finally dawned on me that motherhood isn't only about doing, but it's about feeling, too. I'm more conscious of sensations and marveling at things like never before.
This must be what it's like to see the world with new eyes. To feel the world with new skin. To smell the world with new senses. To trust the world with a new heart.
This is what complete trust looks like...
This is what our family has become...
This precious girl is ours...
It feels like nothing else exists when she's sleeping on my chest. I'm at total peace when her downy hair caresses my cheek while I breathe in the delicate, rythmic puffs of her breath. It makes my heart melt.
Words can't describe how beautiful motherhood is, but this slide show comes pretty close to how wonderful it feels to have Noie in my life. The photos were taken by Kim of Super Kimagery. She's a such a talented photographer, and I highly recommend her newborn session if you live here in the Bay Area. (Thank you Kim for capturing such a special moment and for sharing a song that I now consider part of the "soundtrack of my life.")
I wish I could embed this slide show, but please do click the link below. I hope that every mother has the chance to fall in love with their baby as much as I have with mine.
God is good.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
I've Missed You, Blogger.
Okay, so I lied.
This post is not about my oh-so-yummy NoieGirl & why I think she's the best thing since sliced bread. And no, this is not a post about Noie's birth-day & John's "birth partner fails." And no, this is not a post about everything that hasbeen going on with our den since friggin' NOVEMBER!!
No, this post is about how much I miss writing.
As God as my Witness, I swear I'll get to all of those posts eventually. But right now? No. Right now I need to vent. I recently discovered Blogger's MMS blogging feature so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I spend most of my time fiddling with my iPhone while I nurse anyway, so why not, right?
It's been months since I've had the time to actually sit down and write a post though. Even my HemAware blog has suffered, and that my friends, SUCKS! I miss writing!!! I miss feeling the soothing warmth of my laptop on my legs. I miss pounding out my frustrations on the keyboard. I miss being up-to-date with this blog. I hate that I have such a huge backlog of stories to document.
I foolishly thought maternity leave would allow me more time to play catch-up, but I was utterly and completely WRONG! On the contrary, I have zero time for myself these days. I don't even know who I am anymore. And usually I'm so...together.
Quite frankly I've had a hell of a time adjusting physically, hormonally, and emotionally to this new lifestyle of ours. I've developed a superwoman complex so it's hard for me to even admit that I'm crumbling from the pressure. I've spread myself too thin, burned the candle at both ends, and bit of more than I could chew many times before and I've NEVER faltered.
I'm what I call a "functional wreck."
These days it's a challenge to be the old me -- to meet the demands that I used to so effortlessly. I'm still doing okay -- I meet a majority of my daily goals -- but I've noticed myself slipping in other areas. I just want to be superwoman again, you know? I'm working on it, and I'll write about that journey sometime soon, too.
But for now, I just needed to write.
This post is not about my oh-so-yummy NoieGirl & why I think she's the best thing since sliced bread. And no, this is not a post about Noie's birth-day & John's "birth partner fails." And no, this is not a post about everything that hasbeen going on with our den since friggin' NOVEMBER!!
No, this post is about how much I miss writing.
As God as my Witness, I swear I'll get to all of those posts eventually. But right now? No. Right now I need to vent. I recently discovered Blogger's MMS blogging feature so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I spend most of my time fiddling with my iPhone while I nurse anyway, so why not, right?
It's been months since I've had the time to actually sit down and write a post though. Even my HemAware blog has suffered, and that my friends, SUCKS! I miss writing!!! I miss feeling the soothing warmth of my laptop on my legs. I miss pounding out my frustrations on the keyboard. I miss being up-to-date with this blog. I hate that I have such a huge backlog of stories to document.
I foolishly thought maternity leave would allow me more time to play catch-up, but I was utterly and completely WRONG! On the contrary, I have zero time for myself these days. I don't even know who I am anymore. And usually I'm so...together.
Quite frankly I've had a hell of a time adjusting physically, hormonally, and emotionally to this new lifestyle of ours. I've developed a superwoman complex so it's hard for me to even admit that I'm crumbling from the pressure. I've spread myself too thin, burned the candle at both ends, and bit of more than I could chew many times before and I've NEVER faltered.
I'm what I call a "functional wreck."
These days it's a challenge to be the old me -- to meet the demands that I used to so effortlessly. I'm still doing okay -- I meet a majority of my daily goals -- but I've noticed myself slipping in other areas. I just want to be superwoman again, you know? I'm working on it, and I'll write about that journey sometime soon, too.
But for now, I just needed to write.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
My Little Bunny...
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