Gonna take a Sentimental Journey...........

Jim and Jane Norris' Diamond Anniversary

All Because Two People Fell in Love........

Wow, what an incredible event to be a part of!  My Grandparents fell in love when they were only 17 years old.  60 Years of Marriage.....7 Children.....9 Grandchildren.....1 Great Grandchild

Let me tell you the pressure was on to make this event so special for these two very amazing people!

Setting the Scene:

SweetPeas Floral and Events had the very fun job of being in charge of all the floral, decor, and entertainment.  I have a big addiction to Grand Entryways.... but because this was on a Sunday afternoon I had to keep the design modest, simple, classic and meaningful.  So a decorated entry table was in order!  Complete with an 16 x 20 retouched  & enhanced frame wedding photo of my Grandparents on their wedding day. 

My mom, is a very talented florist.... she created 3 different centerpieces for all the guest tables.  Our color scheme was black, white, purple & light blue (purple and light blue being Grandma Jane's favorite colors). 

Justin and I created custom programs....I had sent out a questionnaire  to all the "kids"  with questions like "In one word, what was it like growing up a "Norris"?  We included all the surprise answers in the program ~ so funny!

Another one of the beautiful centers

Justin had retouched and ordered large images of my grandparents ~through the years, very precious.  It just really showed how much FUN they have together.  

We had a another table with the family photos.  The first family photo had just the three of them (Grandma & Grandpa and their first born Chip) the last photo had all of us from a family of three to a family of 27. 

The event was held at The Property in Casa Grande.  The Property did an AMAZING job with the catering.  There was so many lovely options, I don't think one person could even see them all, let alone taste them all. 

Grandpa had asked me to make sure that we displayed the "kids" photos ....

And the "grandkids" photos........

The "Sachet Bar" ~ me and my silly ideas.  I had created an interactive party favor station (something new I had wanted to try out)  Although you can't see the display up close... the frame read: 

How do you think your parents marriage has survived 60 years?

Respect for each others strengths, recognition of each other’s weaknesses and acceptance of the hand God has dealt. Those and their exceptional progeny.—Chip

Their commitment to us children, solving all our problems never gave them a chance to think about their own. Their joy for life, their sense of humor and their love for each other.—Dennis

God only knows. I am being serious but I think it is a crazy little thing called love, because there have been plenty of good times and bad times but they have believed in each other, and God.—Tom

Their love……they still share it every day.—Patty

Common tastes in life, people, parenting, and bourbon.—Bill

At first mom didn’t have gas money to leave town. Later, they stayed passionate and connected by sharing active lives including playing tennis, bridge, and hosting wine parties. They always showed love, respect, and appreciation for one another.—Dan

In each glass vase had a different color and scent of bath salts ~labeled as an ingredient of "love".  The idea was that you could fill up your sachet bag with all of your favorite ingredients to create your own "love story".

My highlight of the entire day was when I was sitting next to my Grandma towards the end of the event and she leans over and asks me"  You mean if I put in the green bath salts, he'll get in the bath with me?"  

The People/The Moments:

All 27 of us! 

Grandpa introduced the entire family.....

Me and my mom ~ she's the real talent

And the introductions continue........

Grams & Gramps participating in the "Not So Newlywed Game" ~so funny!

Grandma really does remind me of Lucille Ball sometimes....

My dad gave a very sentimental toast to Grandparents...very special

Brought them both to tears and brought the 200 person audience to their feet with a standing ovation

A little friendly competition between the siblings........

I really don't know how Patty put up with all those Boys!

Dancing to their song "Sentimental Journey"

Grandma and Grandpa's one and only Great Grandchild ~ Miss Gracie

But not for too long.  My cousin Andrea on the far left (blond in purple dress) had approached Justin just before we were about to take the Group Family Shot and whispered in his ear " Go ahead and tell them to say "Andrea's Pregnant" just before you snap the photo. 

And this was the prize reaction caught on film from the family ~Congratulations Andrea & Matt!

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I Love Our Sunday Mornings.......

For the past nearly seven years, I have worked every Saturday ( up until more recently) so Sundays were always the our only day off together.  So I've always been in love with our Sunday mornings......

We usually take the pups out to somewhere big and lush and just let them run, play, explore. Every once in awhile Justin will bring his camera along play with.   Starbucks & Sundays ~ Life is good.

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Social Grace Studios: Recent Shoot

Just another great photo shoot from Social Grace Studios

I really enjoyed being on this shoot with Justin, mainly because I was in pure shock that my friend Cathy was actually having a baby.  I've known Cathy forever!  We were little five year old girls in dance class together many years ago.... and now she's a mom! 

It was a rainy, cold day... but Cathy ( always the actress) put on her game face ~despite the huge rain drops falling on her head!

You could certainly tell that Cathy had her photos taken a few times before... she reacted to Justin's cues perfectly!

This photo shoot was actually taken a mere five days prior to Cathy's due date!

But you would have never been able to tell.....she was so calm and collected....

Just a darling little maternity model!

I love this black and white image....just so sweet. 

Congratulations my dear friend.... I wish you much happiness and joy with your new little boy.

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The Time is Now....

"It's that moment when your guests walk into your world and are captivated by their senses being stimulated............................all at the same time"

 Alright, so as you may know due to past blog posts.... I've recently made a job change. I decided to leave Seville and challenge myself in different ways in the event industry. Many of my loved ones thought I was crazy to leave such a great solid job in the middle of a recession (and especially with my spouse being a full time grad student) .... but I REALLY believe in following your heart and instinct when you know it's the right time.

Thankfully my amazing husband who knows that I'm always thinking with my "creative" mind, rather than my "rational" mind was unbelievable supportive through this time.... truly... such a believer in me.

So as "cliché" as the saying goes "when one door closes another one opens....." it's TRUE!!! I've been so unbelievable blessed with opportunities.......truly so exciting!!! I've actually had to turn some great offers down, which just completely blows my mind.

So what am I doing now? Well.... I'm finally taking the plunge and following my true passion by.... "officially" starting my own Event Design & Coordination Company!!! I have so many fun ideas, connections, and plans in the working. I will be releasing more exciting details in due time ~ please stay tuned! And a big thank you to my family and friends who have supported and encouraged this direction!

Through these developmental stages,  I still have a mortgage to pay:)... so I've taken a great job offer with my dear friends at Still Life Studios doing all of their Sales & Marketing! Matt and Dani Wheeler have owned and operated Still Life Studios for just over six years and they have grown their business into a multi-shooter studio, photographing well over 120 weddings a year! Matt asked me to join his team to help continue grow the business by using my sales background and industry connections. It's a very different role than what I had before, but I'm really enjoying learning from such successful entrepreneurs.

Stayed tuned for more details to follow.... I'm still putting several pieces of my dream together ~ but I'm so thankful to have this time and creative people in my life to make this vision..........finally, become reality. 

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Home with my Honeys...

We spent Valentines Day at home this year ~ just a nice easy going day.  We spent the morning and afternoon putting together the slideshow for my Grandparents big Anniversary Party.

For dinner we decided not to fight the crowds and instead just ordered take out and picked up a bottle of wine.

All in all, just a great day at home with my loves...

Olive loved her rose.....

I loved my new glam earrings...

Sammy wanted to eat her rose.....

And the grand finale was the Valentine song that Olive sang to us ~ she wrote it herself. 

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Sleeping like a baby.......

Olive Update:  I'm so happy to announce that my little Olive has survived her awful and frightening week!!!!

Just to recap: (in Justin's words...from an email he had sent to his brother (they tend to talk "medical" )

Olive spent 3 days is the animal hospital . 
On Monday she started to throw up and didn't stop. Even if she drank water she would throw it up so we portioned it out little bits at a time and waited for her to get better but called the vet to get in ASAP just in case. We had to wait until the next day at 4 pm. Within 24 hours she lost about 2 lbs (she only weighed 10 lbs when she was healthy). That’s about 20% of her body weight.   She was completely emaciated and weak. We caught her in the bathtub trying to lick the facet as it would drip. She was so thirsty but we knew if she drank too much she would throw up and become even more dehydrated. She threw up several more times throughout the night and I stayed up with her and attempted to give her moistened bits of bread but she refused to eat. When I picked her up she tried to bite. She has never bitten before so we knew she was in a ton of pain.

When the Vet first saw her she literally gasped and put her on fluids right away.

Our Vet is fantastic, we know her from Seville and I have done photos for her before so she gives us a little extra attention I think, at least we like to think that but she is just a great vet to everyone I am sure. She is pretty far away from us but very worth the drive. 

Blood draws revealed potassium levels were at critical levels but her heart function was still in good shape so we caught it in time obviously. X-rays showed there was a massive blockage found in her stomach (some type of foreign object and it was big). She was scheduled for surgery the next morning. In 2 hours surgery they removed a huge blockage from her stomach and had to make 6 additional incisions to various portions of her small intestine to remove more compacted material. The material seems to be bits of string and fabric from a fluffy blanket she loves to sleep on. That blanket is now in the trash and we are changing her bedding and toys to ensure this doesn't happen again. The vet says she could have had this in her for months and it all of the sudden just got stuck in the wrong place.

 Lucky there was very little necrotic tissue but they still had to remove 10mm of her small intestine. There were multiple bruises found in her intestine and they had to essentially unravel the intestines and straighten them out. Due to the extent of the damage and intensive surgery they removed an outer lining of her stomach and wrapped the intestines with it to help them heal. I forget what the doctor said it was but I guess it is rich in nutrients and regenerates itself readily so it will grow around the stomach again with no problems. The intestinal motility looked good after it was unraveled so it looks to be functional.

I was able to visit Olive the last night for about an hour and she was all doped up but looked very healthy (this was the sad photo listed below) in the face. Her ribs, spine and pelvic bone were still protruding out as they were when we brought her in but she literally has no body fat on her and has had no actual nutrients for days. They had her wrapped up in heavy blankets to maintain her body temperature. They also still had her on a potassium drip and her levels were stabilized at that point and her perfusion and capillary refill are where they should be. She was chuck full of antibiotics due to the surgery and of course, the fact that they had to cut her GI tact and expose the rest of her body to potential bacteria. They had her on some really strong pain meds so she was pretty out of it. She tried to make sounds every now and again but was still very weak.  She also has about a 3.5 inch suture on her abdomen.

Continued (in my words)
I would call the vet to check on her and they would tell me that she was very quiet and looked very sad.  Okay.. the worst thing they could tell me was that she looked "sad" ~ that broke my heart!!

Luckily the day following the big surgery... they felt it was okay to release Olive to come home!! 
The first night home was a little scary, but day after day she's getting stronger and stronger. 

The cutest thing is that I have dress her up in little night shirts so she doesn't lick her stitches....(she's the most darling lil patient ever!)

Thank you to everyone who cared enough to ask about her... I really appreciate it... and now I'm officially terrified to have "real children" :)

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To Blog or Not to Blog???

So...it's Saturday Morning in the Starr Bungalow.....

I call it a Bungalow because our "condo" is actually on the second floor and is on a corner~ so we have all kinds of windows with huge trees surrounding us and an awesome view of the lake.  I call it a "condo" because we do actually own it... although in today's market I'm not sure we'll ever be able to sell it.....oh well it's perfect for us right now. 

So it's Saturday........... and the only thing I have planned for this entire weekend is going to see "Mary Poppins" the musical with my mom this afternoon at Gammage.

Justin on the other hand has loads of homework and is photographing a wedding tonight.

I've debated how to continue blogging?  More recently I've switched from my "virtual" scrapbook style of blogging to a more journalistic approach..... not sure it just kind of happened..  Which is okay I guess....although I'm a big fan of keeping consistent "themes".

The other thing I struggle with is... not a ton of my friends blog, a few do... but not a bunch.  I go on other people's blogs and it seems like they have a ton of friends who blog ~ and I think how awesome is that.. they can see photos from all the fun things going on in their friends lives.....

Me on the other hand, wonders do my friends keep in touch with me less because they see my blog and know what's going on in my life???  If that is truly the case then I will stop this crazy blogging addiction today my friends!

I'm just really concerned that  people are turning to technology to keep up with their relationships more and more.... especially with facebook and texting...

ONE of my BIGGEST PET PEEVES....is people who simply shoot off a text or post a comment to someone one their birthday!!!  Okay sure, if it's truly just an acquaintance that you maybe talk to once in a great while... I guess that's okay .... but if it's really a true friend or family member that you actually care about deeply ... pick up the phone (remember the phone?) and CALL THEM!  I've been guilty of doing this myself, but I'm going to really challenge myself to keep in touch with people less electronically and more face to face or by phone. 

In the meantime, I'm still debating..... as to whether I shall continue to blog or not....

Really not sure where this blog started or ended today....just random Saturday morning thoughts before coffee. (maybe that's my problem)

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My Ollie Dollie.......

After two nights in the doggie hospital, my little one is home now.....no time to blog ~ I must go cuddle her back to good health.  More later...

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Poor Baby.....

Well, after a busy and exhausting weekend.... yesterday we had to admit our baby Olive into the doggie hospital.  She began throwing up a 3pm on Monday and didn't stop until we were able to get her into to the vet at 3:30pm yesterday.  By that time she was super skinny,very weak.... just heartbreaking.

Once the vet saw her she gasped and said that there was something very wrong with Olive and that she needed an IV right away.  The vet explained to us that it could be many different things.... and that they would have to do xrays and blood work and that Olive would need to stay overnight.

After a long and tearful drive home, we finally got the call from the vet at about 6:30 last night, explaining that she's 98% sure that Olive has a foreign object in her belly.......so right now as I type my little one is in surgery.  Poor baby........she's only 8 lbs, so I'm worried about her.  Puppy Prayers.

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Cake and Flower Parade....

Late night blogging/or should I say early morning......  sometimes when I can't sleep and my head is spinning I turn to the blogging ~ the creative release usually helps me go back to sleep.

  Tonight/this morning is one of those times.....  I'm getting really excited for my Grandma & Grandpas upcoming 60th Wedding Anniversary Party on Sunday ~  it's just so rare that a couple is able to celebrate such an amazing occasion, with all of their family and friends. 

 I've spent the last two weeks going through all their old photos, interviewing Grandma and Grandpa ~listening to all their funny stories, asking their children (my uncles, dad, aunt) to send in their favorite memories.... and it's just been such a wonderful experience.  Life truly is about having fun and loving your family and friends unconditionally....and "building memories".

So...... back to blog of the morning, I thought I might share some cool photos of a recent event I went to.  These photos are from the First Annual Cake & Flower Parade that took place at Inspirado in downtown Chandler.  They created a competition to inspire local pastry chefs and florists to team up together and showcase a product based on the theme of "Marie Antoinette".  Just an overall cool event and awesome concept............next year SweetPeas Floral and Events plans on competing in this!  Stay tuned! 

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"Damn You've Got Some Wicked Style...."

In the words of my musical artist:  Gwen Stefani, "Damn You've Some Wicked Style"....just reminds me that

I have some cool friends......  really..... I was driving yesterday and I just realized how many incredibly cool and "super hot female" friends I have!  AND the best part is in the past month I've gotten the chance to spend time with so many of them!!!! ( I'm lovin my "new normal" life not working a zillion hours a week ~ it's awesome)  Although I haven't taken hardly any photos lately (which is weird).... but, I have to stop an appreciate how many awesome friends I had the chance to hang out with in the past month......

Cause they aint no hollaback girls.........

*** Dianna "I'm mean business" Cameron***  Melissa "The Camera Loves Me" Jonovich***Addie "I'm no runner up" Young"*** Heather " Let's blog it up" Kinsey***Andrea "I'm one hot argentina momma" Keegan*** Bri "The Broadway Star" Provost***Erin "The Business Savvy Jet Setter" Rohr***Naseem "I'm not old enough to Drink" Khayami***Darrah "Where have you been in 4 Flippin Years" Dremler***Cathy "Maternity Super Model" Mros***

It's been so fun reconnecting back into the world ~ I Love You Ladies.... and can't wait to catch up with my other amazing girlfriends soon!!!!!!!!

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What's the difference?

BETWEEN

AND

Many are confused as to why we are associated with two separate photography studios.

First of all I would like to say that this is Justin writing. My Beautiful wife Jennifer asked me to write this blog to help clarify things. My first blog ever "boy-O-boy"!!

Here is a little background to clear things up.

Sooo.... Jennifer and I searched a great deal when we were planning our wedding to find the right photographer. As you may know Jen is a perfectionist when it comes to events and this one was the most important event of her life. In addition to her passion and talent for events I myself have always had a love for photography and had taken some classes on the subject in college purely out of interest. So I was particularly involved in this aspect of the wedding. Actually I was pretty involved in the entire thing. Just ask Jen. I am about as picky and meticulous about things as she is. No wonder we are perfect for each other.

So once we met Matt Wheeler from Still Life Studios and saw his work we knew we found the right fit. While Jen was concerned with the flow of the day and the romance to be captured I was bombarding Matt with geeky tech questions and trying to obtain some photography secrets. I annoyed him I am sure.

On our wedding day I must have had 10 people come up to me and ask who our photographers were. They asked if we hired the paparazzi because they were everywhere. Let’s say they got the job done and done well.

With Jennifer being in the wedding business she inevitably kept in contact with Matt after the wedding in regards to business. While Jennifer and Matt were busy talking numbers and bookings I saw this as my opportunity to write Matt extensive emails asking him all kinds of questions. He responded with promptness and politeness. I mean he didn’t really have a choice in the matter. If he wanted to get business from Jennifer he had to put up with her annoying photographer want-a-be husband. I had him trapped:)

After seeking his advice on cameras and flashes I purchased my first DSLR and flash with the loving support of my wife (this stuff ain’t cheap). I was then able to convince some very daring couples to let me shoot their weddings for free. At this time I had one camera, one flash and a film camera for backup. This is a great departure in comparison to what we use today. Not to mention I had only shot one other wedding before this so I had very little experience and really no training. But I must say I truly appreciate those couples that allowed me the opportunity to practice my passion.

About a year after our wedding we finally were ready to order our album and set up a meeting at the studio. This had been the first time I saw Matt since the wedding so I was excited but Jen told me "no photo talk, we are here to talk about our album". Got to love her for putting up with me.

During our conversation Matt asked me what I was planning to do with photography. I had mentioned to him that I would love to shadow him during a wedding once and the wheels were set in motion. One my first shoot with Matt I realized very quickly I had NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING!! He gave me about $4000 worth of equipment and said "here shoot with this and don't drop it". Matt is such an amazing photographer and teacher it was just awesome to see his passion for what he did and hear the things he said. I had heard many horror stories about pro photographers treating the students like crap and not teaching them a thing. This is truly not the case with Matt. He loves to teach and does it well. From that point on I was on a mission.

One and a half years of intensive training later, some $$ in equipment, and most importantly the support from my wife that I could actually do this, I shot my first wedding under Still Life. I was nervous but delivered a good product to the bride and groom.

So where does Social Grace Studios come into play? While I love Still Life Studios I still wanted to maintain some unanimity with my photography. Matt and I put together an agreement that worked out great for both of us. Jennifer and I obtained our business license and became an official entity of our own business:  Social Grace Studios (Jen had been in love with the name "Social Graces" for some time) . We built our website and started our studio.

All weddings I shoot are shot under Still Life Studios. I am subcontracted by them for the event. All other photography (family,babies, maternity, event, commerical, fashion, etc) I am able to perform though our company, Social Grace Studios. This is the perfect situation for both of us. Weddings require a great deal of post production work and I simply do not have the time to.  But other types of shoots are much more manageable for us to do.

SOOOO. I hope all that makes sense and I am sure it was way too much information for some but there you go. I did it…We did it. I pursued my career goal of becoming a Physical Therapist and still dove head first into my passion for photography and no this is not a temporary thing. We plan on growing Social Grace Studios and working with Still Life Studios for as long as we can. We love working together and creating stellar imagery for our clients whether it is under Still Life or Social Grace.

Summary: We own and operate Social Grace Studios. I was trained and am subcontracted for weddings by Still Life Studios. We are all amazing friends and have a great time together.

Thanks for letting me ramble. I am long winded when I write, and a special thanks to Matt Wheeler and the amazing team at Still Life Studios. They are all amazing people and amazing artists. I also want to thank my amazing wife Jennifer for the support and belief she had in me during my pursuit on this endeavor. She puts up with a lot from me and always pushes me to do my best. I love her for that and know I would not be here without her.

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My First Inspiration Board......

So.... I'm feeling a little like I'm losing my creative energy this week..... so I'm trying to mix my senses and styles up a little... I've been hearing my "industry" peeps talking a lot about Inspiration Boards..so I tried giving it a go.... way fun I must say.... this is my initial vision of Grams & Gramps upcoming special occasion.... it will be taking place on a Sunday afternoon.... so the look and feel must be clean, simple, and very classic.  I'm not "in love" with my first run..... but it's a thought... I need a strong accent color.... hmm..... I  also need just the right song to get me in the design... mood....

60th Wedding Anniversary Ideas by Jen Starr featuring Monsoon accessories

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60 Years.... Now that's Something to Celebrate!!!

My latest event:  Planning my Grandparents "60th" Wedding Anniversary Party! 

 With help of Aunt Patty, Mom, and Justin .........we're wanting to make this a really special celebration for two amazing people!  Planning events for the people I love is truly the best!!  Stay tuned for upcoming details on their special day ~  Justin (Social Grace Studios) designed the invitation you see below....

(Front of Invite)

(Back of Invite)

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Jonovich Family Shoot

I LOVE the way this shoot turned out!  The lighting is just gorgeous and the camera loves Melissa, Tommy, and Gregory!!!  We had such a fun time shooting this at Papago Park on a January afternoon ~ it was so nice outside..... I want to go back to Papago and have a picnic....such a darling place... and the view of the valley...... makes me remember why I love living in Arizona ~ just breath taking!!  Happy 2nd Birthday Gregory!! 

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"Teach Your Children Well"

Happy Birthday to my sweet Dad!  Can you believe your children are grown?  Thank you for always "teaching us well"......I love you!

"Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you would cry,

So just look at them and sigh..... and know they love you"

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And the Year was 2010!!!!

And so begins 2010..... wow unbelievable.....truly....

Although last year was good, I have the feeling that 2010 will be one of those "stand out" years for us ~ so I hope.  It's going to be the last year of our "twenties" so I guess that makes us "official" grown ups.

This year I hope to accomplish many things......and with my recent job change...those goals finally seem so reachable....  I don't want to "jinx" anything so I'll keep those goals private for now.... but look out 2010 I'm ready for you!!!

We celebrated the kick off to 2010 in style, by taking Social Grace Studios on the road and capturing great images of a fantastic New Years Party!!!

And even though we were "working" I was able to steal my "serious minded" husband away for a

 New Years kiss and slow dance....

Happy New Year, I'm ready to bring on all the exciting 2010 adventures!!!  Who's with me?

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