j. shipley +sites.

i have kept you waiting long enough. so alas, i give you a new and exciting perk i am offering my 2010 couples: wedding websites. i imagine these custom, fresh and unique sites will be a huge plus for my couples (and their guests alike) allowing them to share photos, stories and wedding information. say "goodbye" to the cheesy, advertisement-laden, commercial sites, and say "hello" to these custom, modern and beautiful flash +sites.

plus one: lauren + nick's wedding website.


plus two: courtney + matt's wedding website.

plus three: jenelle + marc's wedding website.


as you can see, the sites can be use pre-wedding for sharing engagement photos, hotel, travel and registry information, and even rsvp-ing (which could be a huge money and tree saver). and the sites can be used post-wedding for sharing wedding photos, saying thank you and could even be used to share wedding how-tos with your friends and fellow brides- and grooms-to-be and photos from your honeymoon and new life together. cool, eh?

on new years: part two.

the past week or so has been one of reflection and thought, of goal-setting and scheming, of processing. i've found out early on during my days at westmont that i am a verbal processor. in fact, michele is the one who named it for me when i was working with her as the orientation assistant a while back. my friend and co-worker lori shared a similar habit, so the pair of us would verbally process away all the day long. and often, michele would chuckle from her office and chime in here or there. it was great fun. and it has been in such moments that i have come to quite profound realisations about myself. more often than not, michele is the one across the bistro table listening, allowing me to process, asking me good questions and offering insight all along the way.

we had one of those conversations yesterday. it was our first coffee sesh of the new year and one of my favorites yet. we talked about new year's resolutions, vulnerability, false realities and avoidance, about habits and proclivities, coping mechanisms, contentment, phases and seasons, identity management and self-promotion. after all that, we stumbled upon something very interesting and are thereby scheming something pretty freaking cool. let's just say lots of notes were taken and we both walked away giddy with excitement and all sorts of inspired. watch out.

and after all that i was officially ready for two thousand ten. ready for the ride. for the moments. for the laughter. the risks. the ups and downs. the accomplishments. the failures. the dreams. the conversations. the relationships. the friends. i'm ready to live my story. yes, i'm ready for all that. and more. bring it.

on new years.

it's a new year. we are six days in, and as i begin to process what i would have this year look like, i can't help but feel an overwhelming desire to run the other way, toward the safety of 2009. i know what it holds and what to expect. i like that about 2009. yesterday my friend jessica and i chatted about how cool an oracle would be or perhaps time travel where you could simply proceed and if you messed it up or didn't like the outcome, you could just rewind and try again. i would like that. 2010 would not seem so ominous and would be far more approachable albeit far less exciting and surprising. and of course, foreknowledge would be kind of boring but would cause far less anxiety and uneasiness. perhaps that's why oracles don't exist and why we can't travel back or forward in time. the thrill of life would thereby be gone. and our risk-taking would prove no exciting, unexpected results and leave us (and others) unimpressed. so i suppose all is well with the world as it is and i have to embrace the unknown and open my arms to all that is 2010. perhaps if i reframe and sketch out a few goals and aspirations, 2010 will be more welcoming, more manageable more enticing to me. or perhaps if i spend the day in a coffee shop with good friends and verbally process my thoughts, then i'll be ready to take on 2010. oh wait, that's what i did today. done and done.

camille has a way about her that i quite enjoy. she is a dreamer, and she's honest. she doesn't let me get off easily and pushes me to be a better version of myself and grapples with my questions alongside me. i like that. and she often reminds me that i can accomplish anything i put my heart into. you can do it, put you're back into. (it's like that song in "save the last dance". haha). she is living proof of that. she dreams big and pushes herself to make it happen. the result: recipe rx. a nifty health and wellness tool that is on the brink of revolutionising the way we think about food and heath. she's rockin' it. and i am proud of her and so grateful to have her in my life.

we talked about goals and new year's resolutions today. we wrestled with the complexities therein and wondered about the differences between dreams and goals. are they the same? is a goal a way to get to a dream? is a lofty goal just a dream? and should our resolutions be dreams? or goals? or both? when should we be practical? and when can we dream big? i'm not sure if we came to any definitive conclusions but we pondered and we questioned. this is a good thing a suppose. and we did decide that we are going to adopt donald miller's approach to new years resolutions: living a good story (be sure to read part two also).

then shortly thereafter, i meet with my good friend michele mollkoy and we talked about some pretty awesome stuff. that my friends will have to be part two of the new years post.

[addendum: more thoughts on new year's resolutions here].

[sidenote: my friend anna is a brilliant writer i think. her blog is titled "on life" and she titles all of her blog posts as such: "on_______". i like it. so i am pilfering the idea today. hope that's fine by you, anna.]

2009: it was a very good year.

two thousand nine is just about over and we get to enter into a brand new year. i am excited about this. there is so much to look forward to. but thinking back on the year bygone, i can't help but feel so incredibly blessed and i can hardly believe all that took place this year. there were so many great conversations, meaningful moments, and memorable experiences. it was a year of new friendships, new business endevours, varied and awesome photo-shoots, and lots and lots of laughter. i am so grateful for my incredible family, clients and friends. i can't wait for 2010.

so i thought it would be fun to post some of my favorite photos from the past year as a sort of tribute to all that was 2009.

poconip. december. lee vining.

agave. december. goleta.

lauren. november. gaviota.

taylor. october. crowley lake.

shelby. november. mammoth lakes.

a little lake. september. rock creek trail.

nate + ashley. september. san rafeal.

bri. august. mammoth lakes.

jenelle + marc. august. san juan capistrano.

helen + roy's 60th anniversary. august. kailua, hawaii.

beth + matt. august. fallbrook.

hula-hoops. july. santa barbara.

the gents. micah + clara's wedding. june. san francisco.

the girls. micah + clara's wedding. june. san francisco.

micah + clara's wedding. june. san francisco.

micah + clara. june. san francisco.

jenelle + trevor's wedding. may. flagstaff, arizona.

matt + courtney's e-session. may. santa barbara.

stephanie + doug's day after session. february santa barbara.

solitude. march. santa barbara.

jessica iverson bridal fashion shoot. february. santa barbara.

jenelle + marc's e-session. february. santa barbara.

day 25: christmas.

as i lounge by the fire after a fun-filled day of snowmobiling, present un-wrapping, and christmas movie watching, i find myself content and cozy. there is nothing sweeter than spending the holidays with your nearest and dearest. for me, it's an opportunity to gather and enjoy life together, to celebrate Christ's birth, and to reflect on the year bygone. often i find myself simply in awe of what an amazing family i have, and i am acutely reminded of there greatness during the holidays. and i am ever so grateful for my extended family of close friends who bless me in incredible ways and who make my life that much more enjoyable. 'tis the season to be jolly indeed.

and of course, christmas day marks my twenty-fifth day of bloggin'. wow. i made it. i often found myself dreading sitting down and posting, but in the end it was always rewarding. it took disciple, and i had to carve out time in my schedule to make it happen. it forced me to take my camera along all the time and thereby afforded an opportunity to create some images i would not have otherwise shot. it also forced to me to think and to reflect and to process. i sure hope you enjoyed the twenty-five days of bloggin' and that in some way you were encouraged, challenged or at least entertained. now, i will not be blogging every day in the new year, but i do plan on keeping it up with greater frequency. i have quite enjoyed the conversations that have taken place since i started doing this, and i hope to continue them in 2010. thank you for taking part and for encouraging me along the way. you are best blog readers.

and i leave you with a few pictures from our family snowmobiling outing...

we ate lunch in the "shack" up on bald mountain. and we laughed a lot. i'll tell you why when you're older. haha. (photo by my mama).

our desperate attempt at a family self portrait. fail. but i thought it's still worth sharing,

my dad took this shot of me just making a snow-angel. or perhaps this moment may or may not have been after i fell off my sled. whoops.

and finally, the 'rents and me in our snowmobiling apparel.

i hope you find yourself cozy and content today and that you are enjoying the company of good friends and family. be blessed today, and in the new year. may you continue to grasp how wide and how deep is the love of Christ. MERRY CHRISTMAS friends!