aguirre family

here are the rest. enjoy!

p.s. the last photo was taken by my assistant-for-the-day, zach.

sneak peek: aguirre family

on christmas eve, i had the opportunity to photograph a huge, loving family. it made the day that much better. they had all flown in from various parts of the u.s. and mexico city. one of my favorite shoots so far...

who: la familia aguirre (aguirre family)

what: 50th wedding anniversary/family reunion

where: las vegas

weather: perfection, with love in the air

i think this is my new favorite las vegas sign photo. little girls rock.

gift idea #12

wow. i'm really proud of myself for blogging 12 days straight. i think that means i deserve a break. don't worry, i'll be back on monday. but before i sign off with christmas love, i wanted to post my last gift idea. today is christmas eve and nearly too late to buy gifts. but that's okay, because this gift doesn't require money and it takes just a moment (or longer sometimes). 

#12: a kiss

happy kissing everyone!

gift idea #11

oooh, we're getting close to christmas! yay! it's already officially christmas eve, although it doesn't really feel like it since i haven't gone to bed yet. okay, so here we go...

#11: the book of questions

my sister introduced this book to us on thanksgiving and i'm glad to know there are random books like this out there. this is right up my alley. if you are not familiar with this book, let me briefly enlighten you. this book is basically just a bunch of hypothetical situations/questions. here are a few examples from the book:

1. Assuming that complete recovery were instantaneous, would you be willing to accept a year of complete paralysis below the neck to prevent the otherwise certain extinction of the blue whale?

2. If you had to spend the next two years inside a small but fully provisioned Antarctic shelter with one other person, whom would you like to have with you?

3. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one ability or quality, what would it be?

(by the way, these are some of the tamer questions. there are definitely bolder ones in the book.) 

this book is a great conversation-starter and can be very entertaining. if you have a very mixed, opinionated, and contentious crowd, you may want to think twice about pulling it out. however, it may make the party a little more lively and there's nothing wrong with that. just know that you need to leave the room (or duck) when you spot the brass knuckles. 

gift idea #10

#10: winter lights festival

carriage ride anyone? for all you locals looking for something to do this holiday season, i have the perfect idea: the winter lights festival at the springs preserve! it is going on until december 3o, so you still have time to check it out. they offer treats, entertainment and of course, carriage rides. sign ME up! i'll be there next week. see you there! 

click here for directions and more information

gift idea #9

#9: nuns having fun wall calendar

"From Maureen Kelly and Jeffrey Stone, co-authors of The New York Times bestseller Growing Up Catholic, the calendar is steeped in sweetness and nostalgia, a confection of innocent fun.

The black-and-white and sepia images are from the 1950s and 1960s and show the unexpected lighter side of the often stern-looking sisters and teachers of our childhood."

i bought this as part of my friend's christmas gift. i also bought him a doo-rag. he always enjoys a good laugh. 

happy sunday!

gift idea #8

#8: mariah carey christmas album and glitter

okay, the album rocks. the movie...not so much (from what i've heard). the latter would be more of a gag gift.

gift idea #7

#7: three's company complete series

this is quite possibly the greatest show ever. so far, it is my favorite. it is so clever. if you like to laugh, i highly recommend checking it out. attn: ladies!  you WILL fall in love with the super-sexy Jack Tripper. i can guarantee it.

find it here

gift idea #6

#6: lawn mower

ladies and gentlemen, this gift benefits everyone. i promise. let me explain. a few weeks ago, as i was jogging throughout the residential neighborhoods by my house, i started thinking about how kids don't mow the lawn anymore. these days, most households hire an outside lawn service. what happened to the days when you would drive down the street and see boys and girls mowing the lawn on saturday morning? they grew up knowing that as soon as they could handle it, they would take over the chore so that mom or dad wouldn't have to do it anymore. those days are long gone. let's bring them back! 

pros:

parents will save a bundle on monthly lawn service

within a couple months, it will have paid for itself

kids will save their parents money, get some fresh air, learn a 

new skill, get a healthy dose of vitamin d, prepare themselves for filling up their car's gas tank one day, etc.

also, if a sprinkler gets run over or pine needles end up in the pool, you'll know who's responsible

cons:?

*random, but related thought: i was just remembering that 80s movie "can't buy me love." ronald miller (aka patrick dempsey pre-grey's anatomy) was the lawn boy. he may not have been the "coolest" guy in the movie, but he's looking mighty fine these days...

gift idea #5

#5: lace socks

this gift is for the ladies. i found these in sweden in a very random, cool store. i cannot remember the name of it, however. they aren't functional as far as warming up your feet, but they are fun and add a little something to an outfit. in a mild climate like las vegas where you don't need thick tights, these come in handy.  

i couldn't find them online, but if you looked hard enough, i'm sure you could locate them.  

snow day #2. we're on a roll!

gift idea #4

#4: simple tech re-drive

here's the description:

Introducing SimpleTech [re]drive, the energy-efficient, resource-conscious external hard drive made with renewable, naturally grown bamboo and recyclable aluminum, the most recycled metal on the planet. These durable materials come together to create a unique design that looks and stays cool, without noisy fans. Add to that a low-power hard drive and Energy Star power adapter, and you've got a storage and backup solution that keeps your grid demands to a minimum. 

it's green, has 500 GB(!) of storage, and it looks cool-what more could you ask for?

find it here

gift idea #3

#3: mrs. goodbee talking dollhouse

this one is for the kiddos. i thought it was cute. it's not the cheapest gift on the block ($70 on amazon) but any little girl would probably love it. my sisters and i made one out of cardboard when we were little. we spent hours on it and it was actually quite elaborate. ours didn't talk though; we had to do that part.

can you believe it's snowing...in las vegas? this is unreal. 

happy snow day! 

gift idea #2

#2: tickets to the nutcracker

a year ago this week i was graduating from unlv. part of the festivities was going to see the nutcracker ballet. a big group of us (family and close friends) all went together. it is definitely one of my favorite memories. i absolutely loved it! i'm tempted to go again this year...and not just for the men in tights.

support the arts!

go here to buy tickets

gift idea #1

i have SO many photography projects to post, but they will have to wait. 12 days. that's it. then my projects will start unfolding. in the meantime, i am preparing for 2009 in a big way. however, i will still be posting every day for the next 12 days. although i do not promote overly-commercial christmases (or any holiday for the matter), gift-giving is something that will never go away. i'm always on the lookout for the next creative gift. i'm going to share some of my ideas during the next twelve days. if you're a last minute shopper like me, you may find these ideas useful. if not useful, maybe just entertaining. here goes:

#1: a dog

we had our dog, rocky, for some 15 plus years. best dog ever. he was a mix of who knows what and he was great. we picked him up from the animal shelter and he immediately became a part of our family. it really worked out perfectly because for some reason he never liked guys and he ended up coming to a house of girls. lots of girls. i was too little to remember, but my mom always said that she had a good feeling about him when she first saw him. so when you're at the animal shelter, trust your instincts. if the dog looks super ferocious, think twice. i've had a few run-ins with ferocious dogs recently and i don't recommend going down that road (i'll elaborate in a future post).

the dog in this photo was actually purchased from a pet store. i know. not cool. but i already gave the owner a recent lecture about the importance of supporting animal shelters. he knows better now. :)

go here to check out bios (pics included) of local homeless dogs.

until tomorrow!

this is what i've been up to lately...

risk

read the article here

from the las vegas sun

the holiday season

is a time for...

babies to hold babies                                       

boys to wear girls' shoes

getting mad in the kitchen

(and the photog learning to use white balance correctly)

nephews threatening to hit you in the face with a football

passing out

practicing piano

and of course, doing Jazzercise in the backyard.