Posted by: Krista Photography | January 2nd, 2012
Today I’m officially observing New Year’s Day! Every year, I normally spend New Year’s Day sleeping in (check), having a nice long quiet time of journaling and praying (check), work out a budget for the new year (um, pass, I don’t feel like it), going through my calendar for the last year (check), and reminiscing about all that’s happened (check). It’s been a challenging year for sure, especially the last few months of the year when life got doubly stressful, but as I look back I have a much better perspective and am able to truly thank God for this year!
Here’s a little peek at my 2011 in no particular order…
Shot 14 fabulous weddings from January through December in Boston, on the Cape, and in Connecticut
Took voice lessons for the first time
Renovated my home office
Fell in love with my new neph-dog, Buckeye
Brought on CoCo as a paid office assistant
FINALLY bough an iPhone!!!!
Lead a LIFEgroup of fabulous women for a few months
Got published in The Knot Boston, twice!
Said goodbye to too many dear friends as they moved away
Joyfully welcomed back a few friends as they returned home
Spoke at the Boston PUG on Facebook Marketing, and with Enna Grazier at Inspire 2011 on Branding
Shot 12 Engagement Sessions in Boston, on the Cape, and in New York
Donated over $4800 to various non-profits as part of our GIVE program!! So cool!
Sang lots of karaoke (sometimes while shooting weddings ;)
Helped organize and pull off the 2nd Inspire Photo Conference, and began planning the 3rd (it’s going to be sweet, you photogs should come!)
- photo by RAW Photo Design
Shot 10 Family Portrait Sessions in Boston, Indianapolis & Chicago
Holiday Portrait Party!
sang on the Worship Team at GENESIS on a lot of Sunday mornings
Shot 5 Corporate photo sessions
Bought a new iMac to add to my collection
Discovered the Colin Firth version of Pride & Prejudice and held a British mini-series marathon that caused some random British accents to pop into conversations for a month or so
Travelled to Dallas for my cousin’s wedding, a photo conference, and a visit with a friend – whirlwind weekend for sure!
Watched Butler lose the NCAA Finals for the 2nd year in a row. wah wah :(
Scratched the surface of understanding the word GRACE and what God’s love is really like
Spent a long weekend at Loon Mountain with some of my favorite photog ladies
Lots of visits from Mom & Dad (aka Mimi & Papa)
Discovered & fell in love with The Civil Wars, Pinterest, and truffle oil tater tots
The Great Giveaway!
8 friends got married, 3 more got engaged, and 6 had babies, adopt or get pregnant!
Spent as much time at the beach as I possibly could
2 weeks in Indianapolis, and the annual Guenin Family Vacation
Cried over the end of the Harry Potter series
Said goodbye as too many friends moved away, rejoiced as a couple of friends returned home
Watched my sister’s kids get far too big
Hunkered down for Hurricane Irene
Threw some fun parties
Cookie Face Race!
Dexter. Psych. Pushing Daisies. Mad Men. My So Called Life. The joy of Hulu & Netflix…
Turned 34. yep.
Finished reading through the entire Bible for the second time (it only took me 5 1/2 years…)
Did NOT have anyone move into or out of my house!! A first for the last many years – so thankful for my awesome roommate!
Laughed a lot, cried a lot, went to the chiropractor a lot, ate too much pizza, drank too much Coke, sat at my computer a lot a lot a lot…
All in all, that’s a pretty great year! I have more to be thankful for than I remembered yesterday – so that’s pretty awesome :)
Here’s to a great 2012!!
xoxo
Krista
Tags: Life, New Year's Day, Personal, year in review
Posted by: Jason Aten Photography | December 10th, 2011
We're sitting down with Maddie tonight watching "The Polar Express," and it seemed like a perfect night for a little homemade hot chocolate - not to be confused with that powdery stuff they call "cocoa."
If you've never had hot chocolate made the real way, you should try it sometime.
You'll need some dark chocolate shavings. Williams and Sonoma sell them, and I really like these from Crate and Barrel
Poor a little milk into a saucepan. Add three tablespoons of chocolate for every 8oz serving you want to make, and warm over med-low heat.
Once the chocolate has melted into the milk, add the rest of your milk (8oz per serving) into the sauce pan and let warm until you reach your desired temperature. On our stove, I set the burner to 4, and it takes about 10 minutes.
That's really it! Now, simply pour your hot chocolate into your mugs (it really does help if you have cool Snowmen mugs like these!), and top with whip cream. We like to add either chocolate chips or crushed candy cane as a garnish. Keep in mind that your hot chocolate might be very, well, HOT!
Enjoy :)
Tags: Life
Posted by: Josh Rodriguez Photography | October 28th, 2011
Excuse my french, but that’s the truth!
Wolfgang Gartner feat. Will.i.am – Forever (Tom Staar Remix)
Tags: Life, love, Personal Life, Work
Posted by: Jason Aten Photography | October 15th, 2011
A lot happened today. Today was the day we first met you, and I don't even know where to begin. Today was the day we've been thinking about for 9 months. 270 days, give or take a few. There were a lot of days before today that we prayed for you. There were days that we were scared, and days we were anxious. For a lot of those days we were even worried the doctors would tell us there was something wrong with you. Not today. Today you were perfect. Today you were beautiful. Today you were born.
Starting today, I've got a lot of things to teach you - things like: how to throw a ball, how to fish, how to build things, and how to blow them up :) Alright, if I'm really honest, I don't know how to fish, and your mother will probably be teaching you how to throw a ball. Madison's pretty good at building things, and Macy's really good at blowing them up. Even still, you and I have a lot to learn together. You see, you and I are father and son, and though you also have a mom and two big sisters who love the heck out of you - you're my little guy, and I'm your dad.
Right now, you're just a baby, but soon you'll be a little boy. You'll be a boy, and we'll do boy things, because before long you'll be a man. You'll be a man, and you'll need to know how to do "man" things. And though I won't always do it right, starting today, it's my job to help you grow up and become the man God made you to be.
Your mother and I are thrilled that you've joined our family, and we can't wait to spend every day with you. Your big sisters adore you - though I'm not convinced they realize you're coming home with us yet. Madison walked around all day carrying a baby Max doll that GraGra (grandma) got her - showing everyone how to carry you. She reminded us all to "support your head, and "keep our hands together." Macy smiled so big when she saw you that I thought her grin might swallow her whole face. That's how much they love you, it's how much we all love you. We love you that much, and we've only known you for about 15 hours!
Today was a big day for all of us, and we're so glad that today was the day we got to meet you!
Maxwell (Max) Robert Aten
10/15/11 8:46AM
9lbs. 1oz. 20.75" long
Tags: Life
Posted by: Jason Aten Photography | October 15th, 2011
A lot happened today. Today was the day we first met you, and I don't even know where to begin. Today was the day we've been thinking about for 9 months. 270 days, give or take a few. There were a lot of days before today that we prayed for you. There were days that we were scared, and days we were anxious. For a lot of those days we were even worried the doctors would tell us there was something wrong with you. Not today. Today you were perfect. Today you were beautiful. Today you were born.
Starting today, I've got a lot of things to teach you - things like: how to throw a ball, how to fish, how to build things, and how to blow them up :) Alright, if I'm really honest, I don't know how to fish, and your mother will probably be teaching you how to throw a ball. Madison's pretty good at building things, and Macy's really good at blowing them up. Even still, you and I have a lot to learn together. You see, you and I are father and son, and though you also have a mom and two big sisters who love the heck out of you - you're my little guy, and I'm your dad.
Right now, you're just a baby, but soon you'll be a little boy. You'll be a boy, and we'll do boy things, because before long you'll be a man. You'll be a man, and you'll need to know how to do "man" things. And though I won't always do it right, starting today, it's my job to help you grow up and become the man God made you to be.
Your mother and I are thrilled that you've joined our family, and we can't wait to spend every day with you. Your big sisters adore you - though I'm not convinced they realize you're coming home with us yet. Madison walked around all day carrying a baby Max doll that GraGra (grandma) got her - showing everyone how to carry you. She reminded us all to "support your head, and "keep our hands together." Macy smiled so big when she saw you that I thought her grin might swallow her whole face. That's how much they love you, it's how much we all love you. We love you that much, and we've only known you for about 15 hours!
Today was a big day for all of us, and we're so glad that today was the day we got to meet you!
Maxwell (Max) Robert Aten
10/15/11 8:46AM
9lbs. 1oz. 20.75" long
Tags: Life
Posted by: Modern Photographers | October 13th, 2011
A few months back I was able to get down to Texas to shoot a wedding and hang out with good friends. During this trip, I had the honor of photographing Hiram Trillo and his family. I had never met Hiram before and only knew him from being in the same photography circles. One of the best things about being a photographer is all the new people we get to meet. This time was no different.
We hung out, did the session, grabbed some dinner and talked – much about photography. I’m crazy passionate about what I do. Quite possibly too much at some points. I tend to stir the pot a bit. It was clear very quickly that Hiram had the same beliefs and feelings as me about the wedding photography industry. Our minds were in the same place. Its great connecting with another photographer like that.
Hiram has been running the Revolution Workshops for some time now. He travels around and teaches – many of which are in Mexico – where he is from. Honestly, I’m not a huge workshop fan. Its not that I don’t believe they work – I don’t believe the people running them are doing it for the right reasons. Too often its about capitalizing on a name and making some extra cash. Not enough thought goes into the teaching process. The attendee tends to leave the workshop and just copy what the teacher showed them. Copying is not learning. Hiram explained his workshop to me and I could tell he was doing it for the right reasons. He’s not in it for the money. Heck, sometimes he makes nothing at all! He just wants to teach what he knows and I fully respect that.
A few weeks later Hiram calls me up and says he is planning a workshop in Cancun and he wanted me to participate. Honestly, I hesitated a little. Very quickly thoughts ran through my head. I definitely don’t want to be teaching a workshop on my own. I feel I have a lot more to learn about photography before I can go run something of my own. And also, going back to what I mentioned earlier – I’m not a big fan of workshops. And who would want to learn from? What do I have to offer? What if i suck at at? But the hesitation quickly went away when I remembered our previous conversations. Knowing about Hiram’s workshop made me realize I wanted to help out. It didn’t hurt that I was already going to be in that area for a wedding the same week. So I agreed. It made sense.
So there you have it. I will be speaking – at my first ever – workshop. Its not all about me – which I like. Its not all about Hiram – which I like. Its just about showing and telling other photographers what we know. Its about teaching – not making money. Its a little about film. Its a little about digital. Its about light, composition, connection, and storytelling. Its about photography.
So if you are interested – check it out: http://revolutionworkshops.com/ The dates are set for the 14th and 15th of November. This year.
We’d love to see you there. Plus, its the end of wedding season. We all need a vacation!
Tags: DESTINATION, Life
Posted by: Modern Photographers | September 26th, 2011
If you are not a wedding photographer, odds are you think all wedding photographers shoot 1 day a week, party all night, come home and then hang out all week at home to do nothing. Then repeat. If you don’t think that drastic then its probably something close. I tease.
If you are a wedding photographer, odds are you know exactly how busy it is from spring to fall. You know that around august/september you start to crave for a few days off to just relax. Its not that you dislike being busy – its just you need a few moments to, well, chill.
I had that chance in August and it was a welcome break. After shooting a wedding on a Monday, my wife flew in from Philly to join me and we stayed a few days and just relaxed. No kids. No meetings. No one else except us. I was thinking about going into a whole big post about what we did there .. funny things, random things, crazy things. But as a photographer my job is to tell a story with pictures. So here is our trip – as told in images.
Oh, and in case you didn’t figure it out .. that beautiful woman in many of the shots is my wife. Yeah, I’m lucky.
Tags: DESTINATION, Life
Posted by: Jason Aten Photography | September 20th, 2011
There was a time before we had kids that I thought I knew what it would be like. There was a time before, when I thought I understood how our life would be different, and how much we would be blessed.
In reality, I had no idea. There was simply no way to comprehend the richness of life that comes from what can only be described as an incredible journey with these amazing little people.
There was simply no way to put words to the experience of two little girls running through the house to be the first one to say "hi daddy," when I come home. And to tell you that they "say it" is such an inadequate way to describe what is really a celebration/dance party/cheer line. It isn't even an exaggeration to tell you that it's the very best part of my day.
Before, I had no idea what it would be like to raise two little girls and watch them become people. I had no idea that my heart could possibly contain this much love. I had no idea that I could experience so much adoration for these girls. I thought I knew, but "before," I truly had no concept of this life.
Every single day I am amazed by who they are becoming. I'm amazed that two little people can create so much energy, and joy, and excitment. I'm amazed that even in the disasters they create, I am reminded that I've been so generously blessed to care for them as they become women. I've been trusted to raise them up and help them take their first steps, and their next steps, and their giant leaps.
What's even more astonishing to me is that right now, I'm living in the "before." In a few weeks, Baby #3 will be here, and everything I think I know about life, will - once again - become a part of the "before." In a few short weeks, the beauty that is this life we live, will be transformed again.
I can't wait :)
Tags: Life
Posted by: Jason Aten Photography | September 20th, 2011
There was a time before we had kids that I thought I knew what it would be like. There was a time before, when I thought I understood how our life would be different, and how much we would be blessed.
In reality, I had no idea. There was simply no way to comprehend the richness of life that comes from what can only be described as an incredible journey with these amazing little people.
There was simply no way to put words to the experience of two little girls running through the house to be the first one to say "hi daddy," when I come home. And to tell you that they "say it" is such an inadequate way to describe what is really a celebration/dance party/cheer line. It isn't even an exaggeration to tell you that it's the very best part of my day.
Before, I had no idea what it would be like to raise two little girls and watch them become people. I had no idea that my heart could possibly contain this much love. I had no idea that I could experience so much adoration for these girls. I thought I knew, but "before," I truly had no concept of this life.
Every single day I am amazed by who they are becoming. I'm amazed that two little people can create so much energy, and joy, and excitment. I'm amazed that even in the disasters they create, I am reminded that I've been so generously blessed to care for them as they become women. I've been trusted to raise them up and help them take their first steps, and their next steps, and their giant leaps.
What's even more astonishing to me is that right now, I'm living in the "before." In a few weeks, Baby #3 will be here, and everything I think I know about life, will - once again - become a part of the "before." In a few short weeks, the beauty that is this life we live, will be transformed again.
I can't wait :)
Tags: Life
Posted by: Jason Aten Photography | September 14th, 2011
So, we're having a baby sometime between now and the end of next month. We're excited about it, so we wanted to share that excitement with all of you. What better way to share the excitement than to have a contest!
Leave a comment below with your guess - is it a boy or a girl?
Tie breaker - guess the name :) Winner gets a Starbuck's gift card. If no one gets both correct, I'll randomly pick someone - so no matter what, there's gonna be a winner!
FYI - we DO know the gender, but we actually haven't picked a name :)
Tags: Life
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