Monday.

I have never been a big fan of Monday's. I don't even know why?! It has never done anything to me...but then again, I remember going to school [and now work] and loving Friday's coz it's the weekend!! And then Monday comes...and you have to get back in the work mode again. *laughs* Monday's can't always be that bad...

Working in the Event/Wedding industry...it's very lucky if we get the weekends off in the first place. I mean, if you think about it...most events happen during the weekend anyways...so that's when I need to work! But I don't work Saturdays. I'm a [struggling, but not giving up] Seventh-day Adventist, so I don't work on Saturdays. So it's just so good to kick back and know that it's my day to relax. But once Saturday night hits...there are times where I have to stay up until like 2-3 in the morning just to get everything done that needs to be done by our Sunday event! Crazy but it's me.

Well, it's the first Monday of this 2011 year, and so far so good. Yesterday my sister and brothers and I cleaned out our fridge from all the holiday left-overs and we're trying to be "more healthy" now...since coming here to Hawaii, it's actually fun. I love to swim in the ocean...scary as it seems, but fun. Going on hikes is also a beautiful adventure. It's hot though. But I will not complain. I have never liked the cold and if I were in California right now, it would be freezing right now. So no complaints coming from me!

Well, here's to the New 2011 year...!! So far so good...and it will hopefully stay that way for the rest of the year! :)

Key to Success: "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."-Buddha

My friend, Leila

So, Passion Roots did our friends' [Tracy & Kaleo] wedding...and their photographer came from the mainland, California to be more specific. Leila is an amazing person who has so much talent with the camera!! So I've decided to post some of her pictures that she took and edited while she was here. When she's finished with the wedding pictures, I'll also post those...but this is for Leila.

If you would like her to do your wedding pictures...or you juss want a photoshoot with her...or you want to check out her site click here. 

Ms. Leila herself!! I miss you, girlie!!!

The two little "boogers" that I babysit...*laughs* Leila was staying at their house and I knew what a handful they were so, I decided to help her out! *laughs* What a night that was...this is what happens when they get in trouble!! :)

I have trouble capturing the beauty of Hawaii on camera...it takes a talented person to do it just right. Beautiful, Leila!

Liya, the lil' cutie patootie I babysit and love. :)

Waikiki at night!

I love beaches. I love Hawaii. I miss Leila.

A lil sneak peek of Tracy & Kaleo's wedding!!

Hawaii, my life.

So, last August 2010, I took a leap of faith and moved to Hawaii. I had only been in Cali for like 6 months before I did this. I think it was coz since I went abroad for school, when I came back "home" to California, I felt like it really wasn't home anymore, I mean, my family and friends and everything I knew was there...but I felt like nothing really changed there, and I were to stay there, I wouldn't grow into who I was meant to be. Makes no sense, but in my brain it does! *laughs*

I do miss my "comfort zone" but Hawaii is slowly turning into my new "comfort zone". I love it here. Like every place though, it has it's ups and downs and I'm not going to lie, sometimes I wonder what I'm doing here...but I never once regret moving here. I love it here and this is now my home.

One of my favorite beaches...Manana Beach...well, I'm not really sure what the beach is called, I juss know that it's offa Manana Street! *laughs*
Its a turtle!!!
Makapu'u Beach..yeah, not my favorite place to go swimming in the ocean...but it's so beautiful here! The boys like to go out and surf here coz the waves a big...I should get into surfing too!
Here is a far shot of my brother in these coral/rocks that have dried out...
Another BEAUTIFUL shot of Manana beach
OOOoooOoOoH! One of my favorite breakfast places! Boots and Kimos their MacNut syrup is The Best....and you best recognize that capital "T" and "B"! :)

Sunset Ranch

We did a Launch, Wedding photoshoot and a Bridal Fair all in one day up in Sunset Ranch near North Shore. It was so beautiful! That places IS beautiful! Imagine being up on a mountain ranch that over looks the beautiful ocean...! It was beautiful. Since it was a Launch/Wedding Photoshoot [with models] and a Bridal Fair, we had to make several wedding sites for the reception and ceremony. With out limited number of staff, it was a challenge. But with the help of our wonderful leader, Shilhi, we did it.

"The Bride" showing off her bridal bouquet.
The barn reception set up.
One of the meadow wedding ceremony
The "bride and groom"...I think that models have to have some sort of acting ability too! I mean these two, I believe, juss met on the set and they were to be taking WEDDING PICTURES together! And make it look real! I guess it's practice for the real day?! Except with a "stand in" bride and/or groom! *smiles*
Another one of the meadow wedding ceremony.
The Barn Reception site
When taken properly in the proper angle-face on in the frame-the background is the ocean. So simple, yet so perfect.

Another "glamorous" wedding!

Here is a wedding that we did at the Koolau Ballrooms. The bride was/is soo beautiful...and it was the first time I actually saw that the bride had a different color dress other than white...like full on. Like I've seen wedding dresses [on actually brides-not only in the magazine or something] that had color...but was mostly white...but this bride's dress was actually black. It was interestingly different, but beautiful. :) The floral arrangements were actually pretty tricky in the fact that big "cloud" ones that Shilhi and I did had to be done that day on site, and it was a lot harder than I thought, coz the water kept getting EVERYWHERE! But the end product was breathtaking, at least I think so. :) As for the tall center pieces of hydrangeas that we did...oh mandope! For awhile there, I didn't think those could work out! In the studio when we were doing them...they were so top heavy that we broke SO many vases before getting as many as we needed, then transportation was super hard...and then placing them on the table was even harder with all the water in them...but in the end, Amie and Sol really liked everything...and it was a really nice wedding. :) [Images courtesy of Susanne Pridoehl Photography]

The beautiful bride showing off her bridal bouquet...isn't her dress different?! I think it's beautiful...and so fits her nicely. :)

At the studio, we call those frames "bookshelves" *laughs*.

We decided to put up that beaded curtain with white spider mums on at the last minute...I think it complemented the places beautifully!
Easy but glamourous center pieces
The white "clouds" of hydrangeas!...
Those were the tall center pieces that we did...they had to be at least 3 feet tall!

Passion Roots

Oh okay, I know that I have been caught up in life that I hadn't really properly started this blog right...but what I'm going to do is post pictures up of some of the past events that I've done with Passion Roots...and then I'll try to keep up with it. Hopefully, I can get this thing rolling.

In saying that, since I started working for Passion Roots as an intern on August 30, 2010...I have learned so much about the wedding/event industry. I realized that I do have a love for flowers and I think that it's the most awesome-est job ever...I can't ever have a bad day when working with flowers...they just make me so happy! :) My boss is an amazing person with so much talent and creativity and my sister [who also works for this company] is also a person filled with creativeness as well as a person who organizes EVERYTHING! I have NO idea where I would be without these two. Anyways, here are a few pictures of the work that Passion Roots has done.

Roof Top Launch Party for the Honolulu Design Center

I know that I should juss start posting up when I actually do the event...But this Roof Top Launch Party that we did for the Honolulu Design Center was done, I think somewhere around October, I think...it was a wedding fair event where we had a photoshoot of a "fake" wedding...and people came to talk to other wedding vendors [I worked for Passion Roots here].

These pictures were taken before people arrived when the photoshoot was taking place.

These are the flowers that I processed that we used for the photoshoot...there is something soothing and therapeutic to me when I process flowers! :)