happy.halloween!
hap, happ,
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
i hope it is a treat-filled, costume-wearing, laugh-out-loud kind of day! halloween is one of my most favorite holidays... a day where whatever your age may be, you
should treat yourself in some special & fun way!
yesterday i was pleasantly surprised by a visit from sweet little
Lili all dressed up in her caterpillar costume! i just about
died from cuteness-overload &
of course had to snap a few pics. i mean, seriously, how could anyone resist this little cutie-patootie?!!! i still cannot even believe how big she is!
at first
Jones wasn't sure about the whole photo-op idea with Lili...
but after a second, he did a little investigating, gave
Lili a big ol' kiss & realized he was in love!
i absolutely adore these two images below -- their expressions are priceless!
he pretty much allowed her to do anything she wanted, too :
and, if i do say so myself, these babies are just the CUTEST!!!
i LOVE, love this image of Lili with her Mom, Julie :
as well as the two below! in the image on the left, we have Grandma Susan (my neighbor), Mom Julie (Susan's daughter) & the
supastar caterpillar, miss
Lili!
a most happy halloween everyone! i hope it is filled to the brim with laughter & smiles such as the images above!
ksen
wednesday's.whimsy :: in.memory
life is precious.
and yes, i probably don't need to say that because i know
we all know this. we hear & see daily reminders of just how precious life really is all the time.
well... yesterday i had a big reminder -- someone very dear to me passed away. her name was Koviljka Maric (pronounced Ko-veal-ka Ma-rich), but i knew her as 'Baka Koviljka' (which means "Grandma Koviljka" in Yugoslavian). although she wasn't technically my grandmother by blood, she was
always like a grandmother to me.
she was a daughter, mother, aunt, sister, grandmother, friend.
she was a beautiful, peaceful, kindred soul.
she had this special calming presence.
i was always happy when i was around her.
Baka Koviljka lived in Zemun, Serbia & many a days while visiting as a child, i clearly remember her teaching me what she deemed were "daily life essentials" such as the importance of having good posture & doing morning stretches
,
always being polite & well-behaved, having gratitude...
when she hugged me, you knew she meant every ounce of that hug.
so for this
"wednesday's whimsy", i wanted to pay tribute & incredible fond memory to my Baka Koviljka. i know she lived a long good life & is in a better place now, but somehow it seems that at times like these you are never ready to really say 'goodbye'. she will always be remembered by all those who knew her & loved her as one remarkable, genuine, loving, &
truly amazing woman.
i also wanted to re-remind myself exactly how precious life really is. i know that the next hug(s) i give, i will make sure to squeeze tight & savor every ounce.
i feel very fortunate that i was able to see her one last time last year in Serbia (of which, those pics
still have yet to be posted!!!
yes, that was last July! it will happen soon here on one of these
"wednesday's whimsy", i promise).
below are a few pics that i was able to capture of Baka Koviljka during our very brief stay :
Mike actually took the two images below. from left to right, me, Baka Koviljka & my most favorite Aunt Vera (her daughter & my mom's best friend). i love them both so much. many memories of my childhood happened in that very room & on that couch that we are sitting on with those two amazing woman. it makes my heart incredibly happy to have these images as simple as they may be :
can't you feel her soothing presence?! she truly was a most lovely person inside & out :
dearest Baka Koviljka, we love you so much & you are already incredibly missed. thank you for your unconditional love & wisdom. you will
always be in our hearts.
and in Serbian : draga nasa Baka Koviljka, mi te vrlo puno volimo i vec nam previse nedostajes. hvala ti neizmerno za sve tvoju ljubav i savete.
uvek ces nam biti u srcima.
e'lisa.&.chris
i had the complete pleasure of working with the amazing E'Lisa & Chris Campbell of
E.C. Campbell Photography. as you will see from checking out their super fun
website & blog, these two are what i would say is the definition of "passion.life.love" not only in their work, but
also in their relationship.
it was almost a year ago that i received an inquiry from E'Lisa to take portraits of her & her hubby, Chris. when a fellow photographer asks you to do work for them, it is always something special in a
slightly different way -- i felt incredibly honored.
however, after communicating here & there via email, i realized i not only felt honored... i felt
lucky. anyone who knows or gets to know these two will certainly agree on the genuine, good-hearted, uber sweet people that they are. on top of that, they also happen to be a
WHOLE lot of fun! i don't think we stopped smiling or laughing for more than a minute that night.
below is the sneak peek of some of my faves & be sure to check out the slideshow at the very end of the post for even more!
E'Lisa & Chris -- to say i had a blast with you two would be an understatement. i had been looking forward to meeting you both for so long, and yet, that evening it felt as if i had known you both my entire life! thank you for being so warm, passionate, loving & open.
i also very much enjoyed meeting some of your family that evening! i look forward to the future of our friendship & all the wonderful adventures to come with your booming photography business! below is your big sneak peek... i hope the images plant a smile across your face, as they have mine!
right as we were about to start, i caught this moment between E'Lisa & their gorgeous baby Great Dane, Onyx (who was only four months & 58 lbs. at the time of the session...
and now, a whopping 78 lbs!) :
i *heart* this series below :
E'Lisa, Chris & Onyx = one happy, beautyFULL family!
they love Onyx just a
little bit....
and i pretty much fell in love with him immediately, as well -- HOW CAN YOU NOT?!!! i mean, goodness!
i can only imagine what those paws are going to grow into! how exciting!
as they were walking, Onyx decided to walk right into my camera!
the image on the left is what came of it :
i love this image for too many reasons :
as well as what happened next!
a definite top fave from our session :
love, love, love :
we let Onyx go play in the park (with supervision of E'Lisa's family, of course!) so that E'Lisa & Chris could have just a little alone time :
yep... another top fave :
E'Lisa's eyes are AMAZING!
the sun was setting at just the perfect timing :
you will begin to see what i mean about the smiles & laughter...
seriously, could they be any cuter????
they are both gorgeous individually.... and together, simply outta-control BEAUTILICIOUS (yes, an official
new ksp word!).
we also did a few individuals per their request... you never know where you might see these next??!
they both have the most contagious smiles :
love the movement & feel to this one :
as the evening night came, we had a little bit of fun with it!
something a lil' different :
lastly, i adore the perspective & lineage in this one :
****
*CLICK HERE!!!* to view their slideshow & see even more photographs.
please note, the song chosen was a special request from E'Lisa to Chris.... (which i thought couldn't have been a more perfect fit!). i hope you enjoy! ****
