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Archive for the ‘Personal’ Category

JAN
11

I grew up in land-locked Minnesota. The state does have over 10,000 lakes (with nearly as many mosquitoes on any given night) which made the summer months at friends’ cabins and occasionally on boats quite enjoyable. However, there is something indescribable about being so close to a vast ocean – the smell of the salty air, the ocean breeze running through your hair, and the freedom to take a refreshing dip whenever you want. Lately, I’ve been guilty of not taking advantage of this, and my stand-up paddle board has an impressive layer of dust to prove it.

Luckily, a good friend visited last month, so I played tourist and had an excuse to get out on the water. With lots of colorful fish, turtles, dolphins, and whales splashing around at this time of year, this is one of the best ways to enjoy the islands. Reminiscing about her visit, I was inspired to post a few shots from our snorkel trip on the beautiful Kai Kanai sailboat!

Trust me, if you do visit Maui, getting out on the water is a must.

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DEC
18

I can clearly remember spending Saturday mornings as a child at home, channel surfing for the best cartoons, eating cereal and battling my brothers for control of the remote. In college, it was all about staying in bed as long as possible, sipping coffee, reading the newspaper, and occasionally trying to tackle the weekend crossword puzzles, which seemed impossible compared to Monday’s puzzle. Those were the days….

Meet Ashley, one of my most lovable friends. We were both in Oahu for work and spent a few extra days there for some R & R. It was great to share a lazy Saturday morning with her, and I couldn’t resist getting some photos. Thank you, Ashley, for being a great model, being so spontaneous and letting me take some pics of you in your PJs.

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AUG
15

When the Honolulu Star Advertiser asked me to photograph The Throwdowns, I was thrilled. The paper has previously shown an interest in larger events like Toad the Wet Sprocket and Elton John, so I was pleasantly surprised that they were interested in featuring the Maui-based band The Throwdowns. I’ve heard Erin Smith, the lead singer, perform at various venues on Maui, and although I wasn’t familiar with the band, I knew I was going to love them just based on Erin’s voice.

Opening acts included Lily Meola and Kimie Miner, who are seriously talented up-and-coming young singers. Marty Dread even hopped on stage to sing along with The Throwdowns, since he is featured in the song Stay HI. The crowd was dancing and singing along the whole time, which made for a rockin’ show.

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JUN
30

There’s something wonderful about having friends and family visit us here on Maui. It helps us appreciate where we live, by forcing us to be tourists on our own island. One of my best friends from chiropractic college came to visit for a few days, and the thing she wanted to do most was snorkel in our crystal clear waters. We went with one of my favorite snorkel/sailing companies, Kai Kanani, and not only did we get swim with colorful schools of fish and turtles, we had the good fortune to have bottle nose dolphins swim up to the boat. We chose Kai Kanani because it’s the only boat that leaves from Makena/Wailea, so the trip to Molokini is only 15 minutes (a good thing since my friend Gita is prone to motion sickness).

We ended up spending four hours snuba-ing, snorkeling, sailing and relaxing on this amazing sailboat. It was both one of the most exciting and relaxing days in a long time. If you’re coming out to visit, I definitely recommend going on Kai Kanani’s boat. The crew is fantastic!

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APR
20

Meet our pup, Barkley Bonestein. Barkley is ball obsessed. He can point his snout in the air and sniff out a ball from hundreds of feet away. There have been times where he drags me into a random direction into long grass or under a bush and miraculously emerges with an old tennis ball which hasn’t been seen for decades. If only his skill extended to sniffing out valuable objects, we’d be in business.

Our neighbors have a friendly tabby cat named Victor. This cat seem to think Barkley is his long lost brother. When Barkley is in the yard, the tabby will saunter over and will follow Barkley around the yard. He’s always curious to see what Barkley is interested in. Sometimes they even nap together, it’s rather quite cute.

On this particular day, the cat was interested in Barkley’s tennis ball. And Barkley, being the peaceful big brown dog that he is, waited patiently until the cat was done batting the ball around.

I thought I’d share some sweet moments of the two of them.

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APR
17

The 2011 models of Smart TVs made by LG have a cool feature that allows you to access internet content directly on the TV. The technology was licensed from Elan’s company, Plex.

I have been receiving wedding inquires and emails from people all over the world who stumbled upon the app on their LG TV. Isn’t technology amazing?

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APR
13

As a child, I loved to pick on my little brother because quite simply, that’s what older sisters did. I remember telling him that the lima beans in the rice were cookies so that he’d not only eat all his the lima beans but the ones in my rice too. And one of my favorite things to do was to take him down to the dark, scary basement and tell him that I was an alien. That guaranteed a good cry on his part every single time. Good times!

Last Saturday, In a lovely little church in San Francisco, he married the love of his life. Ever since he met Holliann, he’s been completely smitten and I have not seen him happier. The two have been inseparable ever since their first date at Chipotle.

The wedding was full of great little details. Holliann, with the help of her mom and sisters, carefully selected the flowers and handcrafted the bouquets and boutonnieres. She looked radiant!

A huge congratulations to my little brother & new sister-in-law! I couldn’t be more proud.

And James, I’m not really an alien.

Church: The Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco
Reception: Argonaut Hotel
Second Photographer: The sweetheart and dear friend Cathy of Cathy Stancil Photography

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APR
2

These two rascals are my nephews and I must admit, I feel like the luckiest Komo (Auntie in Korean) in the world. Living on Maui, one of the most remote places in the world, it’s *really* nice to have family on the same rock. Jonah and Elijah are not only playful and mischievous (especially the younger one, Elijah) but they are some of the sweetest boys you will ever meet. Every time I see them they run up and hug me and I have a hunch all the Yogurtland bribery has paid off.

These two are growing up fast–super fast. I wanted to help document their childhood ~ their true personalities in this slice of time before they become teenage punks and realize hanging out with Anna-komo is not cool.

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MAR
10

Photographing families, especially children is something that I absolutely *adore.* No matter how busy wedding season becomes this year, I will always make time for family photo sessions. Being able to witness the beautiful bond between parent and child is precious and it fills my heart like no other. Last month, Chelsea, who is a talented photographer based in Oregon, decided to have her family portraits taken while vacationing on Maui.

With near future plans of Elan and I starting our own family, it was inspiring (and reassuring) to see a busy photographer balance family, work, play and motherhood ~ beautifully. Here are a few of my favorites from their session.

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MAR
9

For a small island, Maui has a huge variety of terrains and climates. There are lots of little nooks and crannies, and places with their own distinct personality. Hana, on the east part of the island, happens to be one of my favorite spots. It’s got a slow feel, a soft wind, the air smells sweet, and it’s incredibly relaxing, once you get past the miles and miles of windy roads you need to brave to get there. Last Sunday, we decided to be spontaneous and make a day trip out of it. We had a long day filled with cliff jumping, homemade lilikoi ice cream, one-lane bridges, waterfalls, a pack of friendly stray dogs, and of course, quality time with good friends.

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