Author: Ali Carras

Thank you, Mr. Flanagan, for three things:
1.) For having a beautiful sister who got married in Zihuatanejo last year and enlisting Cooper for the photo job. Now Zihuatanejo is almost our second home (or at least one of our favorite places to relax) and folks get married in Zihua simply because of the photos they have seen of your sister’s wedding.
2.) For introducing Cooper to the Diana camera. I LOVE the what it does to these photos! The colors are so rich and rustic…gives me tan when in reality I am whiter than the whitest white. (P.S. I learned last night that the rich colors come from cross processing the film…not the camera).

and 3) For agreeing to send us one of your prints in honor of the Alice Cooper 7 year courtship. Such an honor to have your print on our walls.

Three weekends ago (yes, three weekends…I am a little late with this, but I have to post it for my own recollection 298723 years from now) my dad had a little over 24 hours of down time between shifts at the ER so Cooper and I met him half way at Morro Bay for a brief jaunt of father/daughter/daughter’s boyfriend time. We had such a great time drinking free wine at the hotel, scarfing hundreds of the largest and juiciest strawberries I have ever encountered, eating seafood, walking against the wind, going to sleep at 9pm (dad was on a different schedule), perusing a shell shop that looked like it was stuck in the 1950’s….

bolder hopping…

soaking up the fresh coastal air…

hopping creeks…

hopping more creeks…

enjoying long walks on the beach…

taking drives with the top down…

and embracing our silver Audi convention.

It was hard to leave, but I think it was a refreshing break for all involved. If only the boot barn had the coveted cowboy boots I am after…

Cooper and Ali’s Wee (Yet Wondrous) Cool Small Space on Apartment Therapy…Vote for us!

Only three days to vote!…Apartment Therapy has chosen our 502 square foot place for their Cool Small Spaces Contest and now we need some voters. Our space isn’t that cool, but I think because we don’t have any square walls and very little actual consistent wall space (without doors or windows) it is pretty cool. We entered the contest because we are trying to come to terms with actually liking a small space. Although there are a number of cons, we are trying to embrace the pros.

To vote you have to click on the comments field in our posting, then register. Don’t worry…they just want basic info, not your unborn child.

The link to see the posting (and to vote!): Cooper and Ali’s Cool Small Space on Apartment Therapy

How often do I confess to accidentally going on a shopping spree? Just about after every weekend when we don’t have a wedding. This past weekend was no exception.

Saturday morning Coop-dizzle and I went to Dotty’s for breakfast with Emily (we miss you!). It was an early arse morning so we had the entire day to be super productive. Rather than doing all that needed to be done, we first went to Nordstroms Rack where I filled a cart with crap, worked myself into a tizzy, then put everything back except for a pair of flamingo colored shoes which I will probably return. After two hours at “the rack” we decided to pop into Room and Board to check out the couch we have been lusting after for the past month or so. Needless to say, we spent about 3 hours there and bought the couch as well as an Eames Lounge chair. Aye carumba. These guys are going to be like celebrities in a tiny space that isn’t worthy of their presence. Then we stopped at Ikea to get a quick and cheap lunch (yeah, we eat at Ikea. If I told you what we went there for you would laugh and make fun of me…$0.50 hot dogs…yes, hot dogs from Ikea…we were on a budget!). Our budget flew out the window when we purchased the coolest ever white storage locker from their “as is” section. Woops, woops, woops. Here are the goods…I’ll post more photos when then actually arrive…

We don’t have a wedding this weekend. I wonder what trouble we will get into….

I am so slow to keep up with life. It doesn’t help that I get consumed with random projects and don’t put the important things first…but lo, it happens.

So, two weekends ago we were in Sayulita to shoot a wedding and had a fabulous time. If you ever get a chance to go to Puerto Vallarta, make a date to go to Sayulita for fish tacos. I would make a trip to that town just for the fish and shrimp tacos. Zihua and Puerto Vallarta take the cake as far as my favorite Mexican lands on the Pacific side (I haven’t spent much time on the Caribbean to state a preference). What really makes it for me are the small towns, nice beaches, and good drinks. I am trying to get my entire family to rent a villa in Sayulita for a holiday or something. First my sister has to pop a baby out.

The bride and groom were AWESOME, I hope we can become long term friends when then start to return from their wedding high. Both were such geniuses yet perhaps the best part folks I have come across. They rally, that is for sure. I will let Cooper talk/post more about them and their wedding when/if he can ever get around to blogging.

Here are a few photos of the trip. Cooper shrunk for the first half of the celebration…

Cooper taking a photo of me

Cooper taking a photo of the guests

Cooper in action. He has amazing form.

When Cooper came back to adult size we practiced taking photos of ourselves. We need work on the art of trying not to make his head the largest thing ever (which it is) and mine tiny. We decided that this was the best way to arrange our noggins (the reverse set up is a disaster, let me tell ya):

Katie Reich

If you could do one thing today, I would ask that you send positive, healthy thoughts towards Katie Reich’s way. I know this little computer is a powerful tool in letting others know they are thought of and cared for…at the moment Katie and her family really need it.

Katie was just diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. I don’t think I can go into all the details without my eyes welling up so instead I encourage you to go to this site: http://www.caringbridge.org enter katiereich in the search box and read her story. Even if you don’t know her a message of support goes a LOOOOONG way. Trust me!

Wade and I talked today about Katie-isms and what she has brought to our lives. We both agreed that a bug is no longer “just a bug” after Katie showed us how one person can be so enthusiastic over the little critters. She is the perfect example in how the smallest details in life can turn out to be such big and amazing things.

Although she may be petite, she has a fire to her. She will fight, I have no doubt about that. We are rooting for you, Katie!

Cooper and I were asked twice now what we do for fun when we are not shooting weddings. Both times we just look at each other and were speechless. We have tried to come up with something good for a response, but after our trip to San Luis Obisbo we have come to a conclusion: when we are not shooting or working we either a.) spend 5 hours at the nearest outlet store or b.) go out to eat or c.) go to McDonald’s for an ice cream sundae. Yes, McDonalds and yes outlet malls. Pretty sad but also oh so good!

Last Friday we tried to get down to SLO in record time, but accidentally stopped at the Gilroy outlet stores and ended up spending $2987529375 on luggage and white pants. You heard me right white pants. We have three weddings this year that include a white party or require all white attire. Let me tell you, white clothes are hard to find that don’t make me look like this:

Ali in One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest…aka a wedding

Actually, a white party sounds pimpin’ (I just said pimpin’! Sounds weird coming from me), but it is just hard when your body is already super white. I guess I will just have to come to terms with being a white mental institution walking stick with a dark brown mop of hair.

Anyhow, while we were in SLO we got to see “The Flan’s Clan”…aka all the fans that have declared Greg as their leader. It was pretty incredible to see how he has established himself as a major player in SLO where both guys and girls throw themselves at him. If you were unable to see his magical photo powers last time when I gave a bum link on my blog, then maybe this time it’ll work. He is AWESOME. In just a year he has developed this huge understanding for the complicated world called photography…he and Cooper talked nearly all 36 hours about camera/tech stuff. Oh, and we finally got to eat a waffle at Linnea’s. YUM!  Thanks, Greg. Good times.

What would I do without my big bro? I mean, for real…how would I have ever heard of a talking buttocks cartoon with the same name as what I called myself as a kid if it wasn’t for him?
Warning: the cartoon is for mature adults only. If you have kids around cover their eyes and ears.

Pleated Dockers

To pleat or not to pleat…that is the question.

I have gone to several male clothing stores with the C-dawg recently in an effort to find a swanky suit for the man. In 3 out of 4 of the stores we went to over a 7 day span I heard young folks debating with the sales folk over pleated pants. In every situation the young customers wanted flat front pants but the sales men/women argued that either a) they only had pleated pants in the store (which we knew was not the case because we saw flat fronts) or b) pleats were “in.” These debates would actually get pretty heated and commonly would escalate to 2-5 sales folks ganging up on the one young customer who wouldn’t give in to the pleats.

I think what this situation really comes down to is quite simply a plethora of pleated pants in a world that craves flat fronts.

That is all I have to say on the issue.

Cooper and I are frequently asked what the funniest moments were in all the weddings we have shot. I would have to say that yesterday’s wedding ceremony takes the cake. The officiant (friends of the bride/groom) stopped the ceremony to ask “what is love?” to which he turned to the groomsmen and they all started singing “Afternoon Delight” by the Starland Vocal Band. The guys did an amazing job of harmonizing and the guests loved it. I hope this makes it to youtube.