Drooly monster is starting to teethe a little:

And then I had to tell him that the Chargers weren’t actually playing in the Superbowl, which was clearly devastating:

Luckily, he had some happier times in the tub later on:

When we found out I was pregnant, we really wanted to take a nice vacation, the last while we were childless. Unfortunately, we were booked with various obligations EVERY single weekend from mid-March through September (booked weddings, family weddings, friends weddings, bachelor parties, birthdays – the list goes on) – and September was really the last feasible time to fly, so we put aside any thoughts of a romantic getaway. In late June, we had a cancellation of sort (a long story) for a weekend in July… so we started throwing around ideas. Brandon wanted to go to the Bahamas, I had been and it wasn’t that special. ‘I want to go to Bora Bora.’ ‘What about Jamaica?’ he suggested. ‘Nope, it’s practically the same as the Bahamas’ was my response (I have no idea if that is true, but I had a goal!). ‘Let’s go to Bora Bora,’ I insisted. ‘But you can’t fly that long – isn’t it like halfway around the world.’ I shot that down – ‘It’s only 2 hours further than Hawaii, i’ll be fine.’

After two or three days or emailing vacation packages, flights, ways to work around our scheduling constraints, contingencies, etc etc, I FINALLY convinced Brandon we should go to Bora Bora! We booked that day and left two weeks later, with a week planned in paradise at the Bora Bora Nui Hotel & Resort. And we went all out. A resort. The overwater bungalow, the most amazing indescribable place to sleep ever. We spent a week laying on our little private porch, diving into the water when we got warm, snorkeling , kayaking, taking the little private island’s boat to the mainland, driving around the island, checking out the locals and the local way of life, dinners under the stars, laying in the warm sun, watching the sunset, soaking in the blue skies and fluffy white clouds, relaxing. Oh, relaxing. One night, one of those nights that I will never forget, we had a boat from the Yacht Club pick us up and take us to dinner, then take us back again. We flew across the pitch black lagoon, the unbelievably bright stars overhead, the warm salty air blowing in our face, Brandon and I snuggled on the seat together, our stomachs full from the most amazing dinner ever. I wanted someone to pinch me to see if it was real. We sat silent, soaking it all in. Ten minutes of pure bliss. Six days of pure bliss.

I never got sick of the blue sky, the aquamarine lagoon with seafoam and cerulean streaks running through it, the boats speckling the horizon, or the surf breaking over the lagoon’s edge a mile out. I think the pictures reflect this. Enjoy, and may you feel at peace (and one day obtain your dream vacation).

These musicians greeted us when we got off the plane in Tahiti… at 3:30 in the morning.

Coming into Bora Bora:

The Bora Bora airport:

The Bora Bora Nui
See what I mean about the amazing ‘streaks’ in the ocean?  (look at the horizon)

The hotel actually gives you snorkeling equipment you can hold onto for your whole stay

Our room:

More horizon

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The sky was a deeper blue than I have ever seen anywhere

A boy playing soccer on the beach (his friends were all lagging)… doesn’t that sound like an amazing way to grow up?

Mount Otemanu was almost always shrouded in a cloudy mist:




We rented this little buggy/car thing and drove around the island one day

Sunset


I have a weird thing for foreign money… I take pictures of it so I can remember what it looks like, but still get to spend it

A canopy bed: my other childhood dream

Our porch was massive

The fishes underneath our bungalow

Moorea, from the balcony of our room in Tahiti (which, in case anyone is curious, is like sleeping at a Motel 6 after staying at the Ritz – it might have been nice if you started there, but not so much once your standards were taken to a whole new level)

ps – Brandon said on our third or fourth day there that he was ‘never going anywhere else on vacation again except Bora Bora.’ I think I converted him And, contrary to my insistence, I was NOT fine flying that far – on the way to Tahiti, my ankles were so swollen on the plane that I could barely walk. Luckily a few days of swimming helped the swelling recede entirely, and I made it home just fine!

With that, I introduce (drumroll please)… Alexander James!

Our little guy was born on November 4 at 1:09 p.m., weighing in at a slight 6 lbs 12.5 ounces, and measuring 19.5″ long.  Alex was born on his due date… just like I was.  I think this means he’s destined to a life of constantly being late (just like mommy!)

I don’t know that I can say he is entirely responsible, but he certainly attributed to the drop off in blog postings over the last year!  Being pregnant is exhausting, and shooting weddings (including one 2 1/2 weeks before my due date!) on top of that was incredibly challenging.  Blogging fell by the wayside.  Life has only gotten more hectic since Alex was born, but i’ve made blogging a new priority.  Lets see how long it lasts!

From this day forward he will be known as “Squishy-Face”

The moral of the story: packaging matters. And with that, I bring you our all new web packaging! After a couple of years doing our own business things, Brandon and I have officially decided to join forces in running Julia Williams Photographers. With that, we have redesigned our website, blog, and even our client packaging. Check ‘em out! website blog

And in case you were wondering, the Janie and Jack package didn’t disappoint – look at how adorable the baby clothes are!!!

In other announcements: i’m holding a group boudoir session on February 28th in San Diego. Contact me for details!

And since a blog post wouldn’t be complete without photos…. here is one from Jennifer and Jayson’s Admiral Baker Club wedding photobooth:

Jennifer’s Mom and Dad; King and Queen for the Day!

A picture of my growing puppy.

Moose is no longer the adorable young puppy he once was. Now he is bigger… stronger… more faithful… and even more playful than as a puppy. Seriously, he will play fetch as long as you will throw something – anything. My Moosey teaches me valuable lessons every day: never forget to add some time for fun into your day; if you are patient and look longingly enough, you’ll eventually get someone to play with you; and never forget to greet the one you love at the door.

Thank you for visiting my wedding blog

Please also view my portfolio

contact me by phone at 858-336-0763 or email at Julia@juliawilliamsphotography.com

First:
I am giving away a free portrait, family, or couples session. You know someone. You know someone who’s experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can’t afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family’s spirit, love, and beauty.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography – $750 worth, to be exact, including a complimentary session and a $400 print credit. Whether it’s a canvas, albums, prints for Grandma, or a wall portrait…it’s in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a complementary session as well as a $200 print credit. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The fine print:

You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services.

The nominee must reside in Southern California. Tell me who you know, what they’re experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

Comment on this blog entry to let me know you’ve entered, and e-mail me the full story: julia@juliawilliamsphotography.com

The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve…get nominating! I can’t wait to read all of your entries!

Second:
Like many other photographers, I am participating in the ‘Cans for Comments’ drive. When people who read my blog leave comments, it totally makes my day! I’ll take comments, questions, compliments, or anything you have to say about my work!

For the next 14 days (until Christmas Eve’s eve), if you share the love, so will I! For everyone who posts a comment on any of my blog entries, i’ll donate a canned good to the San Diego food bank. To faciliate this, I vow (VOW, I say!) to post at least 3 times each week, so everyone has lots of material for their blog love! It’s easy to help out – just leave a comment! And while you are at it, jump over to Ohana Photography, where I heard about this, and Chris + Lynn, where this wonderful idea originated!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season – and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

But, yes, alas, it’s that time of year again. For my 2008 brides and grooms, I will be re-releasing your events online this week so you can give your family the best gift available – pictures of you! Any purchases made before December 1 will receive a special holiday discount of 10%. Also, i’m moving over to a new and improved proofing system, so I will be sending you additional information on how to log in and view your photos.

For my 2009 brides… my 2009 prices take effect next week! So, if you have been dragging your feet on booking (or sending in that retainer), please note that your current quotes are only good through the end of the week. For those that want to take advantage of the last remaining week of 2008 prices, if you book before November 1st, I will still honor those prices.

Happy Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!

(1) I got a mac, including a cinema display! It’s beautiful. Practically like viewing the images life sized!

(2) This has seriously put me behind in editing. Had I realized it would be such a pain to switch everything (programs, images, etc) over, I would have done it in my “down-season.” So to those waiting… coming, I swear! And then I will catch up with the blogging! (I think i’m 7 or 8 weddings and 3 e-sessions behind… eek!)

(3) I second shot a wedding this Saturday with a delightfully glowy Chenin Boutwell – half of the team behind TRA! It was awesome getting to work with someone who is so successful (and is an attorney to boot)!

(4) During Saturday’s wedding, I quickly ran to my car to grab something. As I came back I noticed this large… something with a tail and perky ears – dog? fox? (then I realized that foxes probably aren’t prevalent in Palos Verdes) – raccoon! It had to weigh at least 40-50 pounds. It was one of the biggest raccons that I have ever seen.

(5) Instead of wedding cake, Saturday’s wedding had cupcakes…mmm… cupcakes. So I grab one for the road (meyer lemon, delish!), notice a trashcan on the way to my car, and toss the wrapper in the trashcan. I hear a noise, stop, puzzled… then the raccoon’s little paws grab the top lip of the trashcan, and he pops his (big) head out. I stumbled back a few feet, frozen, heart racing. I stood there for a few minutes, basically afraid to move, then dug out my video light and made my way back to my car. The wedding is now even more memorable!

And, in honor of the dog-sized raccoon, I google image’d ‘giant raccoon.’ Courtesy of google:

(yeah, i’d never hold a raccoon either, yet alone one that large. 75 pounds!)