{blog}

mt. hood and downtown portland.

2011-07-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

I've been loving it here in Oregon! There's so much to do here. Yesterday we left the city and went to Mt. Hood, one of the tallest mountains in Oregon. I was so surprised to see snow in July! Danica and I played a little bit in the snow then we headed down to Hood River. It's such a charming town filled with good eats, cute shops, and WIND SURFING! I am definitely going to try that once in my life! Here are a few pictures from our adventures!

Portland skyline! :)

Now onto the beautiful outdoors! That's the Columbia River which divides Oregon from Washington.

Look! Cute Alpacas on the side of the road!

Windsurfing! They looked like giant kites from far away! Please tell me that this is the coolest thing in the world! Hood River is known for the best spot to windsurf... who knew!?

Amazing, right!?

This place had the best cupcakes... not too sweet, just simply delicious! You got to choose the type of cake AND the icing! :)

This was a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing... pretty basic, but it's absolutely my favorite! :)

Here's Mt. Hood! Can you believe that we were up where all the snow was!? The view is simply breathtaking.

Here's my throwing a snowball! haha

Danica and I :)

It was crazy to see the skiers emerge out of the fog.

On our walk to the MAX station. All of the neighborhoods are so cute and welcoming.

I do like thai food! haha There was a whole block of food carts!

MAX tracks at sunset! I really like how this picture turned out.

This was from the first day at Central Park. The grass was so green! I just wanted to roll around in it.

Of course I wanted to take a picture of my baby cupcake. :)
That's about it for right now! I'm loving it here.
Charmaine

oregon!

2011-07-19T23:22:00.000-07:00

Oregon is BEAUTIFUL! Everything is so green and fresh. The first night I was here we saw the sunseting over the pinetrees. You could see the outline of the mountains in the background. For lunch we ate at the Venice Theatre Cafe. It's this cute restaurant that was once an old movie theatre. They now play classic movies like Gone with the Wind. :)

We woke up early the next day and went to the Rose Gardens. I'll post pictures later. I had never seen so many different colors of roses in my life. There were miniature ones, velvety ones, and others two-toned.

After the rose garden, we went to Downtown Portland. We shopped at Nordstorm and ate at their cafe. The view from the restaurant overlooked Pioneer Square. Danica and I split the most delicious Blackberry cobbler. I could eat 5 of those and be completely content.

We also visited Powell's City of Books! It's the largest bookstore EVER! It has over 1 million used, new, and out-of-print books in over 68,000 square feet!! We only went to a tiny section of it, but it would probably take a few days to peruse through all of it. haha

For dinner we ate at Little Big Burger! They had tiny burgers that filled me up for sure. I'm going to miss all of this great food when I leave.

Here are a few pictures from today. :)

So at the MAX stop, Portland's rail system, they had a giant word search. It kept me entertained for a while :)
This is Danica! The awesome "Portlandian" that I came to visit! :) haha I'm so jealous that she gets to live here!
Here's the MAX coming to take us to downtown Portland :) I felt like I was in London again with all the Public Transportation and cloudy weather. I love it!
Here's a cool building around the Pearl District! I love all the retro colors.

Hopefully I'll post more pictures from my adventures soon :)
Charmaine

bloglovin'

2011-07-19T23:19:00.001-07:00

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Pooja - Senior

2011-05-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

Chris - Senior

2011-05-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

Francis - Senior

2011-05-16T21:36:00.000-07:00

Caitlin - Senior

2011-05-16T21:35:00.000-07:00

Kirstie - Senior

2011-05-16T21:33:00.001-07:00

Maite, Heather, and Michelle

2011-05-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

Emily - Senior

2011-05-16T21:30:00.001-07:00

Laura - Senior

2011-05-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

Jae - Senior

2011-05-16T21:27:00.001-07:00

Nadia - Senior

2011-05-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

Ashlye - Senior

2011-04-20T20:51:00.001-07:00

This girl is beautiful inside and out. She's moving to Nashville next year! How exciting :)

Ximena - Senior

2011-04-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

Ashlee - Senior

2011-04-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

She's lovely, isn't she!?

Henry - Senior

2011-04-20T20:42:00.001-07:00

Henry is awesome! He's graduating in Broadcast Journalism. I think he's going to be a great, stylish reporter. :)

Ashley - Senior

2011-04-20T20:40:00.001-07:00

Chelsea - Senior

2011-04-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

Chelsea! She is gorgeous! I've always wished I had blue eyes just like hers!
Doesn't she look like Zooey Deschanel?

Curry - Senior

2011-04-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a preview of this amazingly stylish senior, Curry! We found a lot of cool places around Lubbock!

spring break roadtrip

2011-03-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing spring break with some of my closest friends. We drove all around Texas and took lots and lots of pictures. Here are a few of my favorites!

Houston! :)
We went to the butterfly museum and saw some beautiful butterflies! My favorite one was this blue butterfly. I didn't get a good picture of it though. :(

The Woodlands has a scenic water way that runs through part of the town. We took the water taxi and saw the this cool fountain! It changes colors with the music!
We also went to the aquarium in Galveston. Our favorites were the penguins, seals, and this cool aquarium where you can watch sharks and fish swim over your head!

Here are some of the seagulls at Kemah. They flew so close to the boardwalk... I was almost afraid that it was about to fly into us.

Kemah lighthouse! haha We are such tourists.

Francis LOVES her leopard print. haha

Me and Allie while we were shopping around the Market.

I love these girls! :)

Lacye - Senior

2011-03-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

Jerome - Senior

2011-03-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

Merick - Senior

2011-03-28T21:06:00.001-07:00

Meet Merick! She and I survived 2 long weeks in Junction, TX together last summer studying field ecology. Moreover, she is going to be my med school buddy in the fall! So fun right? haha She is so much fun to be around. We went around Tech campus today and got some awesome shots of her beautiful smile! Isn't she just so gorgeous? :)

charisse.

2011-02-17T22:21:00.000-08:00

Here's quick update! I've been so busy with school lately. :(
But I just wanted to share a picture of one of my favorite people ever, my sister. She's sweet and so beautiful inside and out. :)
I promise to post more soon!

Enjoy the warm sunshine! :)

Renew Workshop.

2011-02-08T20:54:00.000-08:00

I had such a wonderful time atGinny Corbett's Renew Workshop!
I met some AMAZING ladies who love photography, cupcakes, and laughing as much as I do!
Everyone had unique stories about why they love taking pictures; it was so inspiring.
Ginny is HILARIOUS. She told us the best random stories, some slightly embarrassing.... but she got everyone laughing. haha

I learned so much about photography, workflow, and just living life. Feeling renewed and rejuvenated. I was reminded why I love taking pictures--creativity, special moments, smiles, beauty! Anyway, here's a preview of a few pictures :)

Cold front again... stay warm everyone :)
Charmaine

snow day

2011-02-02T19:54:00.001-08:00

So the past few days, there has been SNOW IN LUBBOCK! WHAT? It hasn't been this cold in Lubbock in... forever! I finally used my long pea-coat and layers and layers of clothes when I went outside. I know it's not really a "blizzard", but I really don't remember the last time it was this cold here. I've been loving the class delays and sitting at home in my p.j.s for half the day. :)
It's pretty nice being "snowed-in."
Today my brother and I went outside and played in the snow for a bit. My dog almost tackled me down. haha

Hope you're staying nice and warm :)

Reisa - Senior

2011-02-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

Doesn't she just have the prettiest curly hair!? Reisa and I have known each other since seventh grade when we met in orchestra! hahah Now she and I are going to seeing each other every day again in the fall! I can't wait to be med school buddies with her :)
She is such a sweet and lovely girl!

Tanner - Senior/Musician

2011-02-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh. This was one the funnest senior sessions! Tanner was so much fun to work with. He brought his guitar and played a few songs for me while I took pictures... seriously, this kid can SING! :) He just had his CD release party this past weekend so you should definitely check it out! I loved taking night shot images... it reminded me of my film photography projects in London. I want to take more night images... anyone wanna join me? :)
Enjoy!

Kimberlee and Michael - Wedding

2011-02-02T11:30:00.000-08:00

Here's a wedding from this summer that I forgot to post! :)
Lots of smiles. Lots of laughing. Lots of dancing.

Krista - Bridal

2011-02-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

I'm still playing blog catch up... (so please bare with me and my love for procrastination. haha)
Here are a few images from Krista's bridal session. Her dress was absolutely stunning on her. I loved the chocolate trim and intricate bead work :)
Enjoy!

Annie and David - Engagement

2011-02-02T11:08:00.001-08:00

Annie has been part of some of my favorite childhood memories. Without fail, Annie can make me laugh at the silliest things! We grew up together playing Barbies, N64, and making movies. haha And like every little girl, we would sometimes talk about who we would marry someday... and now she found her lucky man, David. He is a very lucky guy to my amazingly lovely cousin has his future wife. :)
Their wedding is going to be in June -- and guess who's going to be a bridesmaid and still take some pictures... hahah Yep! You guessed it, yours truly! :)

Kelsi and Ben - Engagement

2011-02-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

I've known Kelsi and Ben since elementary school! And it's so cute that they were high school sweethearts pretty much, and now they're about to get married! Kelsi could not stop laughing the whole time we were taking pictures. You can see her radiant smile in every picture :)

Perkins - Family

2010-12-29T22:57:00.000-08:00

Terrell and Alicia had a new addition to their lovely family. Little Kaden is so cute. :)
I love seeing how much Harley had grown since I last saw her.

Francis and Bella

2010-12-29T22:52:00.000-08:00

Francis has been such a wonderful friend to me throughout college. She's one of the most encouraging people I know. I also love how Francis and Bella are exactly the same! haha
I don't know what I'd do without her! :)

Erica - Senior

2010-12-29T22:46:00.000-08:00

This is my fabulous cousin, Erica. She can paint, play the ukulele, and be cute all the time. :)
I just loved taking her senior pictures!

Emily - Senior

2010-12-29T22:42:00.000-08:00

Look at this girl! She should be a model! I just love Emily's style. She wants to be a photographer, and I think she's going to be wonderful at it.

Alisha - Senior

2010-12-29T22:38:00.000-08:00

Alisha is such a beautiful girl! She graduated this December, and she's going to be a fabulous teacher. :)

Madison and Amy - Engagement

2010-12-29T22:34:00.001-08:00

I LOVE THESE TWO! They are so amazing! I've known Madison since 1st grade or something. haha and Amy is one of the sweetest girls I know. :)

Sydney - Senior

2010-12-29T22:29:00.001-08:00

This girl has such awesome style! Sydney is so sweet and talented. :)
She makes me want to do ballet!
Enjoy her beautiful smile! :)

Kathryn and David - Wedding

2010-12-29T22:10:00.000-08:00

Kathryn and David had such a lovely wedding this past weekend. :) Here are a few images! Enjoy!

This is one of my favorite shots from the wedding. I just loved capturing David's face as his beautiful bride walked down the aisle. Soooo sweet.

Charmaine

Kathryn and David - Engagement

2010-07-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun taking pictures of Kathryn and David! They are so silly and perfect together! Both of them have such a heart for the Lord. They met at Foundation camp and fell in love. I can't wait to see how God uses these two reach others. :)

Enjoy their smiles! :)

Brittany and David - Engagement

2010-07-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

Are they not so cute together!? Brittany and David were so natural in front of the camera! I didn't have to tell them to do hardly anything! Their love is so evident for each other! I can't wait for their wedding in August :) Enjoy this beautiful couple.

Divya - Senior

2010-07-28T11:40:00.001-07:00

Hello! Here are a few images from Divya's senior session! This girl is so smart and so cute!

Enjoy her pictures :)

Natural History Museum

2010-06-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

This museum is amazing! Every exhibit had something interesting to look at and learn more about. I loved how they had so many interactive things to do! The remains of a brontosaurus greeted us as we walked into the lobby of the museum! (Don't worry, he was very friendly. haha)
We weren't able to go to every exhibit because it's such a huge museum. Hopefully, we will have time to revisit it before we leave.

There's my dino friend! :)
Here's Julianne learning new skills... lol
"youdiscoverbabydiscovers...youdiscover BABY D I S C O V E R S." hahahaha
Vases Faces! We did those in art.
I loved the architecture in the museum! Everything was so cool!
Haha! That's us as dwarves.
Smiling with the blue whale and rhinos! :)
This is my elephant friend... her name is Janice. lol
Coca Cola Polar Bear! :)
A real tiger! I escaped though because he was busy eating something already. jk

This was the happiest dinosaur I ran into! Look at him smiling! :) lol

This was the ecology section of the museum! :) Save our planet, k?

That's all for the museum for now!

Buckingham Palace

2010-06-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

Hello! So Pam, Tori, and I went to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. There were so many people there waiting to see the guards in their fuzzy black hats. This one asian old lady kept running into the street and posing with the guards and the police had to push her back into the crowd three times... it was so funny! (I guess you have to be there, but oh well, I thought I'd share.)

Here are a couple of pictures for you to enjoy! :)

The changing of guards happens everyday at 11:30. They parade into Buckingham Palace while playing their national anthem. Pretty cool! :)

Here's the policeman that kept the crowds out of the street... especially the old asian woman. haha He got pretty annoyed with her after he told her three times to stay behind the rope.

Pam and Tori enjoying the spectacle! :) These girls are hilarious!

We sat on the curb haha.

more guards!!!

We asked the police if we could get a picture with the guards with the red hats, but he said that the only time the red guards are out of Buckingham Palace is when "Charlie" is there. All of us were so confused until he clarified that he meant Prince Charles. Lol

That's about all of the parades! :)

Stonehenge!

2010-06-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

Hello!

We woke up early this morning then sat un the bus for two hours to reach STONEHENGE! haha It was amazing! It's in the middle of grassy fields. The stone cirle of Stonehenge was built between 3,000 BC and 1,600 BC. It is aligned with the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset, but its exact purple remains a mystery. On the summer solstice, many people are supposed to go there and worship and celebrate. Kinda crazy huh?

Yep! that's Stonehenge! It's a lot bigger than it looks in this picture. :)

Me and Julianne :)

We decided that we wanted some fun pictures to remember Stonehenge! So naturally, I wanted to jump in the air. :) After that, we saw a lot of other tourists start jumping around taking pictures. YES. I love starting trends haha.

This is Julianne, the Jolly Green Giant ;)

Welcome to Stonehenge! :)

After Stonehenge, we had lunch in Salisbury. Julianne and I split a delicious Rustica Pizza at Strada. Then we walked around the cute town square and made our way to the Salisbury Cathedral. This cathedral has Britain's tallest spire (404 ft!). It is also the home of one of the four survicing original Magna Carta which dates back to 1215! We also saw the world' oldest mechanical working clock from 1386... I didn't even know that they knew how to make mechanical clocks back then! Overall, it was a beautiful cathedral filled with much history and impressive architecture.

This was on the way to Salisbury. If you look closely, you should see two sky divers wearing parachutes! :)

This is right outside the cathedral. Everyone just sits outside in the glass and enjoys everyone's company. I love this about the parks in Britain! Everyone is so relaxed. :)
There's me standing in front of the tallest spire!

This is inside the choir stalls of the cathedral. Only the very noble and wealthy were allowed to worship in this area.

This is the courtyard within the cathedral. It was sooo pretty :)

Just being a tourist around Salisbury... haha

The end!
:)
Hope you're enjoying all of the pictures! There are many more on facebook.

Happy Birthday Queen Elizabeth II!

2010-06-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

Today was Queen Elizabeth's formal birthday. She was crowned queen 58 years ago! They had a huge parade in honor of her. They had all of the royal soldiers, band, and horsemen march through The Mall and into Buckingham Palace. We were able to see the Queen and the royal family wave from their balcony!

It was quite an event... There were canon shots in St. James Park and an air show at the end! Thousands of people flooded the streets hoping to get a glimpse of the parade and the Queen.
I love how London is filled with living traditions and history!

The air show!!! Everyone stood in awe :)
This is where the parade started. All of the stands and streets were filled with people.
They have such ornate uniforms... even the drum gets a special cloak. haha
Entrance to Traflagar Square :)
It still amazes me that they use horses all the time.

Here's part of the parade with Buckingham Palace in the background :)

Later, we went to Tower Bridge! Most people think that this bridge is the actual London Bridge. It's probably my favorite bridge I've seen in London. :) We walked across the Tower Bridge and the London Bridge! I was soooo exhausted after all of the places we went today.

I love the colors that all of the metal is painted.

There's me eating icecream on Tower Bridge. It was delicious :)

This guy cracked me up... He kept directing a random asian guy to take his picture. I don't really know what he's supposed to be. haha

We also went to the Tower of London! I had no idea how big it actually was... I was expecting a single tower and a moat. It had an inner and outer wall, and it has 20 towers total!

There's the Tower of London. There are so many different buildlings within it that date way back to 1077. It is also the oldest building used by the British government today. Here we saw the crown jewels!!! I didn't know that there were real diamonds that big! It was bigger than an egg! haha The crowns were so detailed and sparkly. I think one of the crowns had over 6000 diamonds on it. These crowns are still used for crowning the queens and kings of England.

The guard in front of the Crown Jewels Tower!

Between the inner and outer walls.

This was our tour guide. He is an active Yeoman Guard at the tower. The E II R on his uniform means, "Elizabeth the II is Regina" (regina is queen in Latin)

Last shot of the Tower of London!

Tomorrow we are going to Stone Henge! I can't wait!

Looking out from the London Eye

2010-06-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

Hello again! It's been another exciting day here in London... I don't want to go home! There's so much to do here! Today we went to a huge museum! We didn't even go through a third of it. My favorite exhibits were the jewelry, fashion, and modern art. I love seeing the different styles and creativity of other people. It's pretty inspiring. Later, I had Thai food at a restaurant close to our house. delicious!

Julianne and I went to the London Eye!!! IT'S SO COOOOOL. Our tour guide told us that some people decide to get married on the London Eye. We were able to see almost 25 miles of London from the observatory pods! It took about 25 minutes to go all the way around. I think I managed to get some cool pictures! Everything looks so minature from way up there. It almost seemed unreal.

After the London Eye, we walked everywhere! We walked to Trafalgar Square, then to the Mall, (where the Queen's 58th crowned birthday will be!), around Westminster, and finally to Piccadilly Circus.

We went to Phantom of the Opera tonight! It was so good! The sets and costumes made the story even better. My favorite scene was when they did the masquerade. :)
When we were walking back home, we kept singing all of the songs haha.

On the London EYE!
This guy was playing the national anthem on the bridge :)
This is in Her Majesty's Theatre where we watched Phantom of the Opera.
Big Ben! :)
Big Ben again from the London Eye!

We were matching ;) haha

Here's the view from the very top of the London Eye!

London is HUGE!!! :)

I decided that I would want to live in this building because the door is my favorite color!

The clouds were perfect that day!

That's all for today! :)

Around Kensington

2010-06-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hello again! Here's a picture of our neighborhood! It's a little confusing sometimes because all of the houses look almost exactly the same! I am still getting used to walking everywhere. We probably walked 10 miles going everywhere.

Some of my favorite shops are on High Kensington Street! :) I bought a couple of hair accessories and a necklace. They have H&M, Urban Outfitters, TKMaxx (which is the England version of TJ Maxx), and many other amazing shops. I wanted to go in every store, but there are just too many to choose from... good thing it's only a 10 minute walk from our dorms. haha

We had dinner at this cute restaurant called Olives. We had ravioli with bacon and clams. It was different but delicious! :) In London, you have to ask for your check... we learned that after sitting there and waiting almost 30 minutes. haha

They have public water closets (bathrooms) in the middle of the streets! That's something I've never seen in the U.S.

London!

2010-06-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

London is so amazing! I could seriously live here.
After a our plane flight being cancelled... and staying over night in the DFW airport, Julianne and I were soooooo excited to finally reach London! We missed orientation, but we made it to the city tour of London. Westminster Abbey was beautiful! We also saw the House of Parliament, Big Ben, Tower of London, London Bridge, Thames River, and the Harrods department store.
Here are a few pictures from our tour! :)

This is the House of Parliament. They have the original velum scrolls of England's history.

There's me and Julianne in front of Big Ben. Also, Big Ben is the bell inside of the clock tower, not the actual clock tower. It rings every hour, and it can be heard all over!

There's Westminster Abbey! I love the ornate and detailed architecture! :)

Here's my study abroad group in front of the House of Parliament and Big Ben! :)
It's so fun to meet people from different parts of the world!

So those guards have to stand motionless infront of the gate. So many tourists come by and take their picture by them, and they don't even smile or laugh! I don't think I'd be able to do that!

I love it here!

LeeAnn - Senior

2010-05-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

This is LeeAnn! She is such an amazing ballerina! She's so sweet and silly and sooooo cute. :)

Mari - Senior Pictures

2010-05-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

Mari is one of my favorite people ever! She can always make me laugh about anything. Most of my favorite childhood memories were with this girl. Most people think we're twins... for some reason... but honestly, I don't mind because she's so awesome :)

Katie Howell - Musician

2010-03-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love this girl! She is not only a wonderful musician, but she is such an encouragement to me. I love how sweet and silly she is! You can see Jesus in this girl through her joyfulness, smile, and music.

Check out her amazing voice: http://www.myspace.com/katiejhowell

I have so much more to post!
Charmaine

Caroline and Stratton

2010-03-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

Hello! Look at this perfectly cute couple! I had so much fun taking pictures of them. Caroline is graduating from TTU Nursing School this May! She has such a sweet heart and a chill personality.

Here's some favorites! You can see more of them here.

I have so much more to post... so get excited :)

Hope you're having a wonderful spring break!

Mark - Senior

2010-01-09T13:50:00.000-08:00

This is Mark! He's my cool cousin who loves Polo anything. haha
Our families went on a cruise this past week, and we decided that it would be so fun to do his senior pictures in the Bahamas. :)
I just loved the scenery everywhere! The water was sooo clear and blue.
I wish West Texas had an ocean near it... that would be so wonderful.

Anyway, enjoy his pictures and his great smile.
I'll post some pictures of the cruise soon. :)

Have a wonderful week!
♥ Charmaine

Francis and Bella

2009-12-20T23:19:00.000-08:00

We took Bella on a walk around the neighborhoods and took some Christmas pictures. Bella would hardly look at the camera! Bella and Francis and so cute together... I love how they kind of match. :)

Kris and Nichole

2009-12-20T23:16:00.000-08:00

Kris and Nichole are adorable together! :)
We had a lot of fun trying to get Levi to cooperate with us.

LeAnn and Luis - Wedding

2009-12-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

LeAnn looked beautiful as she put on her wedding dress and fixed her veil. She had been anticipating this moment for such a long time. Finally, she would marry her best friend, Luis. As the two matching flower girls delicately placed rose petals down the aisle, LeAnn walked into the church escorted by her mother. Her face was just glowing with happiness. Luis smiled at the other end has his eyes met hers.
Everyone could see the love Luis and LeAnn have for one another. It was beautiful!

At the end of the ceremony, so many relatives and friends rushed to them and congratulated the lovely newly weds.

They arrived at their reception in style in a white hummer limo accompanied with their bridal party. Everyone was celebrating their special day as the guests danced, laughed, and ate the delicious wedding cakes.

Thank you LeAnn and Luis for letting me be a part of your wedding. You two are one of the sweetest couples I've ever met. Keep making everyone around you smile! :)

♥ Charmaine

Lori's Senior Pictures

2009-11-29T12:57:00.001-08:00

This is Lori! I actually played tennis with her back in high school! Now she's number 1 for Trinity! I just love her colorful style and sweet smile.

♥ Charmaine

what a happy thanksgiving.

2009-11-26T22:23:00.000-08:00

hello, thanksgiving lunch. :)
that's my little cousin. he's always doing something crazy!

i love my family :)

i love my sisters!! :)

i had such a wonderful thanksgiving! i ate as much turkey as a could and had so much pumpkin pie! spending time with family and just laughing about everything is probably one of the best things of thanksgiving. we played apples to apples and made random walmart runs. haha
i'm so thankful for all of my friends and family who make everyday so wonderful.

what are you thankful for?

♥ charmaine

Photography Class

2009-11-25T22:16:00.000-08:00

I just get so excited when other people get excited about photography!
I had such a great opportunity to share my passion with a whole bunch of amazing students!

♥ charmaine

Kimberly - Senior Pictures

2009-11-25T22:08:00.000-08:00

Kimberly is graduating this December! :) She's so sweet and so smart! Last year she would cook dinner for us every Monday night... it was delicious. I just loved getting to know her for the past few years.

♥
Charmaine

LeAnn's Bridal Pictures

2009-11-15T22:11:00.001-08:00

LeAnn is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met. I love how she had matching converse that had "Mrs. Fuentes" sewn on the side. This lovely lady was married yesterday to her best friend, Luis. I can't wait to show you some of the wedding pictures!

Anyway, keep coming back because I'll be posting soon!

Have a wonderful week.
*Charmaine

hot air balloons.

2009-10-26T20:06:00.001-07:00

it was very cold and chilly, but seeing all the hot air balloons at 6 a.m. was worth it!

we took some silly pictures! here's one of me kicking the pink elephant. haha
aw :) my favorite balloon with one of my favorite people, julianne!

this is probably my favorite picture from the entire trip. she really loves the elephant haha.

the balloon festival was so amazing! :) i have a lot more images to post!

have a wonderful week!
charmaine

Fraga Wedding

2009-10-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

Hello! This was such a beautiful outdoor wedding! Wonderful lighting, peacocks everywhere, and lots of laughs. I had so much fun second shooting for Betsy Lackey (check out her stuff!).

I have a lot of pictures that I've been meaning to post... hopefully I'll get around to it!
♥ charmaine

Danielle and Chelsea

2009-09-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

Hello! Here are two lovely cowgirls who are best friends, roommates, and my RSC sisters.
Danielle, Chelsea, and I all rode together to Possum Kingdom last spring. We had so much fun singing to every song and just laughing at everything!

It almost rained on us for a little bit, but we did get a picture with a rainbow in the background! haha

I'm so excited for the rest of this month. Tonight I get to second shoot for the amazing Betsy Lackey! :)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Charmaine

Meagan

2009-09-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

Hello! This weekend has been full of learning and photography! :) We went around Lubbock and found some cool locations to try different lighting techniques... I really want a new flash after seeing what other photographers can do with theirs. haha (better start saving up!)

Here are some pictures of the beautiful Meagan and Mr. Express, Brian.
:)

Have a lovely week!
*Charmaine

Francis and Friends!

2009-08-30T15:06:00.001-07:00

Hello friends! Here are some of the cutest house mates ever! They were so funny and fun to meet. Francis and I have been friends since freshman year, and I'm so blessed to have known her since then! She's one of the most amazing, loving, and CRAZY people you'll ever meet! You seriously won't stop laughing once she keeps rambling about life. Her voice and laugh are so distinct you can hear her frmo a mile away! haha I love you, Francis!

Anyway, I hope the beginning of school has been pretty good for you! :) I still can't believe that summer's over and another school year has begun.

Have a super, fantastic week! :)
Charmaine

Dressed in blue.

2009-08-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

So the other day my mom wanted some studio pictures taken of us. I forgot how awkward some of those pictures can be. They were so stiff and no fun :-\ Since we were all matching, we just went to a park and took pictures of our own. :)

The photographer lady said that we all had really big smiles... she's right. haha :)
Here are my beautiful sisters! I really don't know what I'd do without them.

Melissa, Kai, and Shae

2009-08-21T23:05:00.000-07:00

Are they not just the cutest kids? They were so much fun! Kai always gave me a hug then asked me to teach him magic tricks. haha. Kai is also a great big brother to little Shae, just look at him hugging is baby brother. I can't wait to see them grow up even more! Melissa was telling me how their personalities compliment the other; Shae is adventurous and curious while Kai is more cautious and sensitive. Enjoy their adorable smiles and silly faces!

Oooh, I got a haircut today :) I've been trying to grow out my hair for a year now, yet every three months or so, I'm compelled to cut it. Once again, I gave up on growing out my hair...but I'm completely okay with it. Shorter hair is easier to fix! haha
I'll post a picture later perhaps!

And tonight I watched the amazing Katie Howell perform at sugarbrowns to benefit Camp Neuron, a local non-profit organization for kids with epilepsy. She did a wonderful job putting the event together! Katie's voice is so lovely! Look her up, and fall in love with her captivating, heartfelt music.

Charmaine

Abby - Senior!

2009-08-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Hello all! This is Abby, a senior at Texas A&M and my old high school friend! She was always one of those people that everyone looked up to, and everybody just loves her! She studied abroad in Mexico this summer and is majoring in Spanish and minoring in Arabic! crazy huh? This young lady is going to change the world, I just know it.

I'll be posting more pictures of her soon, so get excited! :) haha

Oh, and I saw (500) days of summer last night, and I just loved it. Their clothes, the soundtrack, their characters... everything was just perfect! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it!
"Honey, I don't know how to tell you this..... but there is a chinese family in our bathroom."

haha.

Have a great week!
Charmaine

Eddie is a SENIOR! :)

2009-08-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Meet Eddie, a tree climber, guitarist, singer, dancer, crazy kid, and SENIOR! :) haha
Eddie did some cool jumps for me and played some songs while taking pictures. I wish I could play the guitar!

Here's this crazy senior who will always place a smile on your face and give you a craving to do something ridiculously cool. haha

Have a lovely week!
Charmaine

Josie and Carlus Reed

2009-08-08T21:21:00.000-07:00

That cake was so delicious! Josie's friend made and decorated the cake perfectly! Don't you just love the little dancing figurine? :)
Presenting the lovely Mr. and Mrs. Reed.

This was part of their first dance. I love how in love they are :) ...if that makes sense.

the beautiful bride getting ready. :)

Aren't they just lovely? Carlus and Josie were married August 1st. These two have been dance partners and best friends for a long time. When they dance together, they captivate everyone with their grace and fluidity while appearing as if they are the only ones on the dance floor.
Josie did such an amazing job making all of the centerpieces, picture tables, slideshow, and flower arrangements all by herself!
Oh, and their first dance was simply amazing. I still can't believe that they made it up on the spot! But I guess it's that easy when you're Josie and Carlus. :)

Enjoy the pictures and have a wonderful week!
Charmaine

Josie - Bridal

2009-08-02T13:50:00.001-07:00

I loved taking Josie's bridal pictures! She's such an amazing person and ballroom dancer! :)
Isn't she just gorgeous? Carlus and Josie were married yesterday so I could finally post her bridal pictures. Hopefully I'll get around to posting their wedding ones soon! Enjoy!

happy sunday! :)

Mitchell Family

2009-07-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

Julia and Grant are so adorable! Look at that precious smile! :)

Julia is a little photographer! haha she wouldn't put down my polariod camera!

Carlus and Josie - Engagement Session

2009-07-27T23:47:00.000-07:00

are they not the most gorgeous couple ever? carlus and josie are amazing ballroom dance instructors at d'venue. you should stop by and let them teach you a thing or to about ballroom. you won't be disappointed, and it's so much fun!

so they were so much fun to take pictures of. carlus and josie have such great personalities and style! they made so many silly faces that made me laugh, maybe i'll post one of them up sometime soon. :)

anyway! enjoy the pictures and comment if you like them! i'd love that! :)
-charmaine

Jaimie and Chris - Wedding

2009-07-26T23:22:00.000-07:00

Jaimie and Chris had a beautiful wedding! Jaimie looked like a princess in her dress.

D'Venue Summer Showcase

2009-06-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

Last Friday D'Venue held an amazing summer showcase! There were about 20 different dance numbers danced to songs from broadways and movies. It was so much fun to see everyone perform incredible dance moves! All of the audience enjoyed the costumes and choreography. After each dance number, there was such a loud applause! I love watching ballroom dancing :)

Today, some of my friends and I went to this amazing cupcake bakery! It was so delicious! They had 5 different flavors, each perfected with colorful icing and sprinkles. I got a Raider Red Velvet Cupcake. AMAZING :)

I think I could not go a day without some type of dessert! haha

I hope you have a wonderful week!
Charmaine

i love my sisters

2009-06-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm sorry it's been such a long time. I've been busy with summer school. Here are a few random pictures of my sisters! I hope your summer has been relaxing!

Next Friday I'll be taking some pictures of D'Venue Summer Showcase! I'm so excited! Josie and Carlus have been working so hard to put this together. If you're not busy, you should come and see their ballroom dance production. :)
Check it out!
D'Venue web site

Charmaine :)

blue skies.

2009-06-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

Hello! I've been super busy with summer school, but life has been wonderful lately! :)
I promise to put some more pictures up soon! So for now, here's another shot of the gorgeous sky! haha

Have a fabulous week!
-Charmaine

Summer Sunshine

2009-05-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

The sky has been one of my favorite things this summer. I just love looking up at it and being amazed at the great expanse of blue sprinkled with white, fluffy clouds! Sometimes I feel like it's too pretty to be real... it has to be a painting or something! haha

Do you see those little yellow flowers? They are blossoms from the cacti! YES, those prickly things can be beautiful too :)

I hope you experience something wonderful this week!
-Charmaine

Rachel and Denise

2009-05-11T21:17:00.001-07:00

bubbles!

2009-05-07T21:54:00.001-07:00

Hello :)
I'm so relieved that finals are over! I can't wait for summer!
We went to the park the other day and blew a ton of bubbles.
This summer I want to be outdoors more and enjoy the sunshine, even though it will be super hot. Anyone want to fly kites or have a picnic? :)

Have a fun and bubbly week!
-Charmaine

Josh

2009-05-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

Here's Josh, my favorite brother in the whole wide world. :)
He's hilarious and has crazy obsessions for tennis, videogames, and pottery.
I can't believe he's graduating high school already! crazzzy.
He actually enjoyed taking pictures, usually he avoids my camera. We found a lot of interesting locations and had a blast.
Maybe I'll post some silly ones of him too... there were a lot of those. haha

Hope you had a great weekend!
It's almost summer, and I'm so excited!

-Charmaine

Brooke

2009-04-27T20:19:00.001-07:00

I absolutely love this girl. She is incredibly sweet and so cute! I can't wait until she goes to Tech :)
She's going to be such a wonderful red raider! haha

Hope you have a wonderful week!
-Charmaine

Sheryll and Brian's Wedding

2009-04-18T22:43:00.001-07:00

Sheryll and Brian had a lovely wedding in April. Their friends and family came to witness their excitement and love for each other. I loved their first dance! They danced the watlz so gracefully!

I hope you have a wonderful week!

-Charmaine

Father and daughter dancing is one of the sweetest things to capture. I love how he just picks her up and looks at her so lovingly.

The reception was held at D'Venue. :) There was plenty of space for dancing later on. haha

This was one of my favorite moments during the reception. I loved the excitement and energy! They fought hard for that bouquet!

A silly group wedding picture. :) Silly faces are so great.

Thank you, Sheryll and Brian, for allowing me to capture your unforgettable day! Your wedding was lovely and elegant! I loved taking your pictures! I wish you the best!

Abbie's Bridal Pictures

2009-04-12T22:34:00.000-07:00

Hello!
Here's a little preview of the beautiful Abbie from AB Photography!
She's getting married in 42 days! :)

We had a fun time running around and praying that it wouldn't rain.
Despite the weather, I think we managed to get some great shots.
I'll post somemore later, so get excited. haha

I hope you had a wonderful Easter as well!

Julee's Senior Pictures

2009-03-22T13:29:00.001-07:00

here's a preview :)

This is Julee!
She's a pretty senior from Ralls High School.
I loved her colorful style! She was a natural at posing.
hehe

nyc.

2009-03-19T21:58:00.001-07:00

this was such a wonderful trip :)
there was so much to see and do.
i loved nyc.

Cortny: Senior Pictures

2009-03-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

This is Cortny, she's a senior at Lubbock High School.
We had a lot of fun running around avoiding the wind.
Isn't she pretty?

This weekend has been wonderful. I hope it's been the same for you :)

I want to travel.

2009-03-03T19:38:00.000-08:00

There are so many amazing places that I want to visit and experience!

Some of the places I'd like to go to the most would definitely be London, Italy, Greece, Germany, Japan, more of the Philippines... oooh and so many more places!

I can't wait until spring break is actually here! Hopefully, I'll have some lovely pictures of New York to share with all of you!

Where would you like to travel to? :)

Baby Myah

2009-03-01T15:04:00.000-08:00

This little girl is an angel. She is so adorable!

Kelsey LeAnne

2009-02-28T23:02:00.000-08:00

Kelsey played magnificently tonight. Her music was so intriguing and captivating. I love how she sings :)

This very talented girl was finally discovered tonight! She won the Artists on the Rise competition! :) waahoooo!
I'm so lucky to be her friend. She's so sweet and funny :)
I love you, Kelsey!

This is her blog: http://kelseyschneider.blogspot.com/
Leave her some love, and listen to her amazing music!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Rainbows.

2009-02-24T22:57:00.001-08:00

Julianne took these.
I just edited them :)
I really like how the lens flare made a pretty rainbow.

This week has been incredibly difficult so far.
I'm ready for spring break!

Hope you have a great rest of the week!

just walking the dog.

2009-02-12T21:18:00.000-08:00

isn't skye so cute?

they are starting to look so much alike. sometimes i get them confused when they turn around.

i love the reflection from her sunglasses :)

we took a walk around my neighborhood.
the weather was so wonderful, i just had to bring my camera :)

it's almost the weekend.
i'm so excited!

aaron and aeris

2009-02-05T22:15:00.001-08:00

Hanna

2009-02-05T22:09:00.001-08:00

Paige's bridal pictures.

2009-02-05T22:02:00.000-08:00

sugarbrowns.

2009-02-05T17:36:00.001-08:00

this is one of my favorite places in the world.

it's always so packed in there.
&&&there's caleb playing his guitar. haha