Sneak Peek: Curious “A” and her field trip

January is ticking to a close and 2012 has made a mark already.

My tour of the Bridal Expo

I’m a sucker for routine and stability.  I love having the next month or months planned out and I probably spend a little too much time gazing at my calendar (now I can sync it to my phone as well).  My calendar is color-coded and beautiful.    I tend to overprepare for any task and I don’t usually like to do things unless I’ve done it before and I know I can do it well.  Last week, I had a visit from a friend I’ve known since seventh grade.  We’re both from the Big Island so we boarded together in a dormitory.  She lives such a colorful life, she’s always working on multiple projects and they’re always so diverse and creative.  When we talk, I always hear she’s doing something else new.  She’s teaching dance.  She’s taking audiovisual courses.  Now, she’s coordinating and planning a pageant.  After hanging out and catching up, I was really inspired to look for different doors to open.

This week, I began to baby step out of my comfort zone and take up new challenges.  Someone contacted me in regards to helping them with their bridal gown design company.  They were flying in to host a booth at the Hawaii Bridal Expo.  Ummm, Vera Wang I certainly am not.    I live in my worn-out yoga pants, baggy T-shirts, and rubber slippers.  But it certainly was a different door and sounded like a fun way to spend the weekend.  I dragged my friend, Joy, with me and we headed off to the Expo to volunteer at the Bridal Gown booth.  I’m not really a salesperson but I loved striking up conversation with the passerbyers.  We were able to sign them up for a drawing for a free dress and ask them all about their upcoming weddings.

We spent a little time manning the booth but then we had the chance to walk around and spent even more time enjoying the expo.   The last time I had been to the bridal expo was over four years ago when I was planning my own wedding.  Scott and I were overwhelmed and we left pretty quickly.  This time, it was fun to walk around for amusement without all the pressure.  Let me say, it was still a bit overwhelming.  It was fun, but I felt so drained by the time I left.  Poor brides.  Hang in there.  It’s hard but it will all be worth it.    Joy and I took turns playing the bride and indulging in some free cake samples.  Yummy!!!  We also browsed photography exhibits and introduced ourselves to the photographers.   There is such a great community of photographers out there.

Baby Session Sneak Peek

Of course, it’s not like I was cliff-diving or jet-skiiing every day of the week.  I dabbled in a few things I’m a little more at home with, like a baby session with an adorable 10 month-old girl.  Trying to keep away from using just the initial ‘A,’  the only pretend name that keeps popping into my head is ‘Apple.’  Thanks, Gwyneth Paltrow.  Mom was really excited to have pictures of Apple but was nervous since Apple is very shy and wary of strangers.  I empathise completely.  I was painfully shy as a child.   She really wanted an outdoor location so I chose a playground that would set up for a lot of possible poses and would be nice and empty during school hours.  I brought a huge box of toys and we had a little field trip to the playground.  Apple had a blast.   I was pretty pleased with myself for choosing the perfect location.  We had beautiful lighting and Apple was playing so intently, she didn’t seem to notice it was a photo session.   I’m still working on the gallery for mom but here’s a sneak peek to bring in the weekend.

This little one isn't shy at all!!!