Thank you both for giving me and Ryan the opportunity to spend time with you and for giving us the chance to get to know you both.  You two are the sweetest and I’m glad we’ll be taking your wedding photos.

You two kept telling me that you both weren’t “picture people”, but I beg to differ. You both did great and I guess watching “America’s Next Top Model” worked out because I didn’t have to tell you to, “smile with your eyes!” haha :P  To tell you the truth… I have no idea how to “smile with my eyes” but you two knew exactly how to do it heheh :D

We hope you enjoy these photos from your engagement session! Don’t forget to check out your slideshow by clicking here!

Thank you so much!

xOxO from the Solitario’s :D

For example, I got my hair done again for a Brazilian Blowout!  However, the stylist’s schedule (the one who did my hair before) and my schedule did not sync, so I found another stylist who also does the Brazilian Blowout. Her name is Flor and you can find her on Facebook. She did an great job and so I wanted to give her some credit on my blog.

Afterwards, Ryan and I went shopping because I needed to buy two more suits. It’s always a happy feeling when I find a suit that actually fits me. One of my simple joys! :P

Ryan and I were gonna go out for lunch, but we decided to just go home and get Chinese food, relax, and watch a movie in the living room.  It really was a treat for us to just be home today…

Then it was time to get ready for an engagement session with Nick and Amadelle. I’ll be posting more photos from their session, but for now, here’s a teaser :D. Ryan got this shot and I really, really, really, like it a lot!

We were invited by Nick and Amadelle to get some Korean BBQ, but Ryan and I wanted to go to church to try and make it to vow. I’m glad we made it just in time.

After vow, Ryan and I decided to hang out with my brothers, Johnson and Jordan, because we wanted to spend some quality time with them before we leave on Tuesday. We decided to eat at Hofs Hut where we ordered two entries and shared with each other…

And that is how we spent our Saturday.

The End.

My good friend, Yvonne, wanted to take family portraits with her parents and Daniel’s parents as we document Danielito at age one :). Thank you so much Yvonne and Daniel for again, giving us the opportunity to photograph your family :D

We hope you enjoy looking through these photos and don’t forget to check out the slideshow as well!

Yup!! he can walk now!!

One of my favorite photos!

He’s so adorable! I loved the jeans-like diaper that Yvonne had him wear hehe :D

I’ll end it with this picture because it makes me happy :D

This week is going to go by really fast for me and Ryan and then we’ll be out of the office from July 20 returning on August 23!!! We still have a couple of photo sessions coming up before we leave as well as getting things out and ordered for our friends, but don’t worry, Ryan and I are really working overtime to get things out before we leave. :D

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and a good Monday! :D

Afterwards, we decided to go for a walk. First we thought about walking around the mall, but later decided to go to Upper Newport Bay in Newport Beach, CA. We walked along the dirt path and realized how beautiful and peaceful it was over there so, not wanting to forget our “date night”, I took my camera out and we shot some photos of one another.

It’s wonderful how I am now able to bring my camera with me at all times because of my Kelly Moore Bag! Now I really have no reason to not have my camera and now I can capture and remember special moments like the one Ryan and I had this evening.

My handsome husband :D

and me… :P I have NO IDEA how to smile/act in front of a camera.  :P

We passed by our local grocery store and got the ingredients for the dish and when I got home, I started cooking. (Side Note: Yup, our vegetarian diet is on hold for now because I got bored eating non-meat dishes. But hey, it’s only once in awhile anyways :P)

When lunch was finally ready and we were about to eat, Ryan asks me, “How did you cook the meat?” and so I said, “I made it with love” and gave him a smile :). Yes, I’m funny like that :P

Later on in the afternoon, As we were driving on the 405, I asked him, “Did you enjoy lunch today?”. He just nodded his head, so I reminded him, “You know, I made that with love.” He then replies, “Yes, it tasted like love.”

I really love my husband :)

YES I WON A CONTEST on Justin & Mary’s Photography Blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See how excited I am!?!!? This is the first time I’ve ever won anything in my whole entire life!!! 

Thank you Justin, Mary, and Julia for the opportunity!! It really is something I’ll never, ever forget :D

If you’re wondering what the contest was about, here’s the link to read about it! Basically, we had to leave a comment about our Best Travel Upgrade OR Worst Travel Experience.  So I decided to give it a shot with this entry:

Joan Solitario My most memorable travel upgrade happened when my mom and I were coming back to the US from the Philippines. We didn’t anticipate having to pay customs and we gave all our cash away. So when we got to the airport, we realized we needed to get cash fast. I wasn’t married to my husband Ryan then, so it was kind of a blessing for me to see him one more time as he came to the airport to give us some cash. I couldn’t go outside to see him, because my mom wanted to thank him personally while I watched our luggages. So the only way to tell him thank you and I love you was through sign language. There were two glass walls that separated us. I was really sad that I didn’t get the chance to hug him one last time, but I was just happy to see him before we left. For some reason though, we still didn’t have enough cash… so a really nice guy in line behind us offered to pay the difference. (Thank you Mr. Nice Person!) As my mom and I finally got to the counter to get checked in, we realized that the attendant behind the counter started to upgrade us to business class (which isn’t first class, but is totally better than coach). The airline had overbooked the plane and we were the last ones to check in! It just proves that there’s a reason for everything! And that is my most memorable travel upgrade moment.  

So there you have it, my winning entry and now I’m going to get some survival travel goodies, like L’Occitane lotion and a “Mophie” for my iPhone!!! HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?

Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH JUSTIN, MARY, and JULIA!! All the best to you and your business!

Thank you God for giving me the experience to write about my most memorable travel upgrade!  :)

And since blogs are so much better when it contains a photo(s). Here’s a picture I took of my friends and cousin during our settin up for the Recoginition Night for High School Grads on Saturday, June 12 which was held at the Ontario Marriott Hotel.  I loved how excited my friends and cousin were that evening :) Congratulations to the youth members of our church who graduated High School this year!

P.S. My friend, Kevin, doesn’t really look like that.. he made that face on purpose.. :) 

We don’t really have anything planned. No big celebration. I just wanted to remember that today we were blessed that our business has reached another year. It would not have been possible without the support, faith, and trust of many people: our family, our relatives, our friends, and everyone who has given us a chance to be a part of their lives…Thank you all so much for your support! From the bottom of our hearts, we just wanted to let you know we really appreciate each and everyone of you! Thank you! Thank you!! THANK YOU!! :D Maraming Salamat Po!!

And because we wanted to at least do something special for ourselves, we decided to get a new camera bag for Ryan! After 4 years we each have a new camera bag and they are really awesome because we can put our whole camera in it!! It’s a CAMERA BAG.. not just a lens bag… but a CAMERA BAG! :)

I got myself a Kelly Moore Bag (KMB) which arrived yesterday. I offered to order Ryan a Kelly Moore Boy Bag, but he wanted something more manly (hahahahah) so Ryan and I went down to Samy’s Camera and bought a Tamrac Bag! YAY! Happy Anniversary!

P.S. Thank you to my cousin, Natasha, for telling me about the KMB! To view more photos on the bag, check out her site! She took some awesome photos of her Purple KMB and she shows how our cameras easily fit inside!

Here’s one photo from their session that I am so fortunate to have taken of their family. Thank you so much po for giving me the opportunity to photograph your family :) May our Father continue to always bless you and your family po!

Yesterday, I met with Wanda and she was just sooooo nice! She handed me some sample cover swatches and now my brides and groom can choose exactly what they want for their album cover!

I can’t even express how happy I am with how April and Paul’s album turned out! It’s so beautiful I wanted to keep it to myself! Its a good thing Wanda says that I can always purchase a Studio Sample album! So I’m going to order another copy of April and Paul’s album :))

Here are a couple of photos of their album.

I’m so glad we have the option to include our studio’s logo on to the presentation box!

I really liked the cover photo April & Paul choose for their album! It just goes with the color of the album cover.

Yay! Our logo again! :D

Thin white pages :D

Some of the pages in the album.

I really need to design myself an album with my wedding photos….

I have a couple more albums that are on the way and I can’t wait to get those as well! :D