I am over here now….  still trying to keep this blog going- FAIL!

But I’m not giving up:)

1. I am very excited to share that I have a print for sale! Click here to visit my shop.

2. Read and see photographs from my trip to The Painted Desert, Petrified Forest, Canyon de Chelly.

3. I put up a few teasers of a shoot I had with Danielle from Sometimes Sweet.   I will be posting more very very soon:)

4. I went to Palm Springs- and of course, fell in love with it! See photos here!

5. I spent some time in Moreno Valley, California. Sat in the sun. Walked around the backyard barefoot. Picked and ate oranges straight of the tree…. read more

6.  Hot day in California (read)

7. Took some photos on the beach of the very sweet John & Ashley. read more.

8. Newport Beach! (read more…)

9. Chinatown! (read more)

Okay, so you get the picture- I am still blogging! Just visit me at christinaheaston.com/blog for more frequent and detailed updates:)

-watched the sunrise over the grand canyon
-watched the sunset in oahu, hawaii
-walked barefoot on the warm island sand
-won $286 in vegas
- lost $286 in vegas
-ate AUTHENTIC mexican food in flagstaff, AZ
-saw the red rocks in sedona, arizona
-spent a week in Hawaii
-launched my new website!
-had new business cards created:)
- went snorkeling for the first time
- saw a giant sea turtle
- MADE sushi for the first time
- got Bobby to wear a scarf
- went to an oxygen bar
-drank out of a coconut
-was amazed by the blue man group
-put bobbys hair in a ponytail
-am currently breathing in the warm California air.

2011… you are so good.

Head over to christinaheaston.com to read my 10 favorite things about hawaii and see some of the wonderful places we went.

Like Christina Heaston Photography on facebook.

And you begin to learn
That kisses aren’t contracts
And presents aren’t promises
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes ahead
With the grace of a woman
Not the grief of a child

And you learn
To build all your roads on today
Because tomorrow’s ground is
Too uncertain for plans
And futures have a way
Of falling down in mid flight

After a while you learn
That even sunshine burns if you get too much
So you plant your own garden
And decorate your own soul
Instead of waiting
For someone to bring you flowers

And you learn
That you really can endure
That you are really strong
And you really do have worth
And you learn and you learn
With every good bye you learn.”

-Veronica A. Shoffstall

I’m spending my days in Honolulu! The rain followed me to Hawaii though. Yesterday was cloudy and sprinkled a little but was still amazingly beautiful. If you know anything about me, it is no surprise that I absolutely 100% want to move here! I know that happens everywhere I travel… but I really really mean it this time:) Oahu is the must stunning place… even on the cloudy and foggy days. I don’t know how to explain it- it doesn’t really make sense how wonderful this place is.

We are here visiting Bobby’s mom. (I highly recommend dating a boy whose mom lives on an island.) She greeted us at baggage claim with an “Aloha!” and real leis made with fresh Tuberoses and Orchids. (No, I don’t know my flowers. Yes, I asked her and wrote them down.) They smelled so good! Her husband and her took us to dinner and a quick tour of Honolulu. On Saturday morning, Bobby and I went to Waikiki Beach. I laid out and people watched while he went after the waves. I only put my feet in the water because I was scared to leave my camera on the beach:( That afternoon, Bobbys mom and her husband took us around the whole island to all the best spots and where the locals hang out- it’s so nice having our own personal tour guides. We went to Sharks Cove, Turtle Bay, and about a million other places that are so hard to pronounce and even harder to spell! (After the Tuberoses and Orchid notes, I slacked on recording everything.)

Okay, I’ve got to go to bed- time change is killing me. We are going snorkeling tomorrow and on a hike to Monoa Falls!

Sweet dreams.

I have a photography blog on there for my work… so you can add http://www.christinaheaston.com/blog/ to your google reader… or whatever you use (why would you use anything other than google reader?!?!)

I’m still going to keep this blog for personal use (you know inappropriate jokes, mobile uploads, screen shots of awkward text messages, and very unprofessional chat that i just love.

However, I will also be using this blog to shamelessly promote myself like this:

But don’t worry you still get the goods like this:

Okay, so maybe me sitting on a couch in a snorkeling mask is not your idea of the “goods”. Fine. I get it.
But I’m going to Hawaii tomorrow!!! And I am so so excited!
I’ve never been snorkeling. Well, I tried once at Myrtle Beach… you can imagine my disappointment.

I’m going to try to pack only a carry on… i know it would make Jessica Tran proud!  Anyways, I can’t wait to put my feet in the ocean and have the sun on my face. (Are you thinking about Point of Grace right now? Me too. omg. Will 90′s Christian pop ever take a vacation from my brain?)

Also,  I got my new business cards back from the printers today and I just LOVE them!
I can’t wait to hand these babies out! (Check out Young Mechanic for all of your hand lettering and illustration needs!)

The other day, bobby and I were watching Cash Cab (what? it’s educational!) and they said “g2g” meant “good to go” and they got it right! I was so mad. It means “got to go”. duh. anyways, g2g.

-C. Heaston

slot machines. gambling addiction. sin city. neon lights.  Needless to say, I am a fan.
We’re not actually in Vegas anymore, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we found ourselves that way again.
I won $286 one night! Yes, and then lost half of it the next day. But I’m still up in Vegas and that’s what counts.

-Christina

PS Don’t tell dad. Remember that time he got mad at me for taking my little brother to buy a lottery ticket from the gas station on his 18th birthday?

Adorable kids playing on the beach… in February! I love it!

To say these past few weeks have been amazing would be an understatement. The adventures of 2011 are endlessly climaxing. I’m going to try to blog more often from here on out- to keep these memories safe.

The weather has been colder than expected- they’re saying I brought the rain. Apparently that doesn’t happen here and it did- the first 3 days I got here. Anyways, its lovely now… am I still talking about the weather? LAME. I’m sorry. (But I just love the sun.)

I will be here in the beautiful LA for one more week. Next Friday, off to Oahu! Cheers for 80 degrees! (sorry.)

Everyday at some point I say, “What day is it?” every. single. day.

With love from California,
C. Heaston

San Pedro, California.
Photo of a girl. I don’t know her name but I liked the way she was walking by herself, on the rocks, just to be closer to the water.

Normal Answer: I’m in Vegas, baby! Next stop: LA. Hopefully heading to Asia in March. Maybe throw in a trip to Hawaii on the way… who really knows.

Long Answer:  Last year,  my sweet friend Hongrui (who is very Chinese) told me that 2011 was my year… Year of the Rabbit. I decided to make some risky changes that got me a few crazy looks and more than one “reality talk”. (oh, reality. )

I am doing photography full time…which yes, somedays means NO TIME:) But I can say that I am “self-employed” and that feels nice. I’m spending 2011, my year, making photographs and pretending it’s summer. The plan is/was to spend my birth month ( Yes, I have a birth month- you can too if you quit your job.) traveling about the west coast. But due to a growing gambling problem, I am currently spending day 7 of what was suppose to be a 2 day trip in Las Vegas.

I don’t really have the time or the words to fully document this trip- this journey. But I will of course throw some snapshots and hopefully some fun stories this way as often as I can.

PS If you find yourself in the California area and would to book a shoot, lets talk. I’ll be back in the Carolinas this summer and available for booking anywhere. Oh, and that website is almost done:)

Happy Valentines Day! Go love someone!