Photos by the Sea... Featured Photographer: Mark Ramelb..

A photographer friend of mine, Mark Ramelb, has been shooting pictures for quite some time.. He's such a loyal friend and photographer that whenever there is an event, Birthday party, get together, you name it, he is right there with his trusty camera(s).. He has gotten some great visual documentation of me and my friends being silly and some that are definitely frame-worthy. You can always count on Marky Mark!!

On one of my last visits to Hawaii we did a quick shoot at Kaka'ako State Beach.. Since it feels like forever since I had been in front of a camera, I was excited to take these pictures and work with Mark officially for the first time professional wise! If you're looking to get some pictures done, call Mark and set up an appointment.. He is super nice and you may even make a friend out of it!

Let me just say that I did need help walking on those rocks with my wedges.. NOT EASY!!

Picture time!!









...photos by the sea and sunshine in my eyes..

Destination: Honolulu, Hawaii.. Paradise.. TODAY!

I finally get to go back to Hawaii after being away for 4 months!! It's been so long since I've seen some friends of mine and felt true real sunshine.. I can't wait to get into the warm water and see my toes at the bottom of the ocean floor. I was always busy when I lived there and tried to not take advantage of my surroundings and it's still weird to think I lived there for over 5 years! It went by so fast and I truly love it there.. That city will always have my heart in so many different ways. It's time for some insane rejuvenation from the madness of recent events. You can probably find me lurking around Mariposa, EDITION Hotel (Lobby Bar, Crazybox, Morimoto's, pool), Pearl - for old times sake, Original Pancake House, Hokulani Cupcakes, Fashionista's Market, Macy's at Ala Moana (Estee Lauder counter), and all over Waikiki.. Time to get back into my element!! Even booked a couple modelings jobs.. ahhhhh, the life.. See you there!!


*Artist: Kerne Erickson

I'll probably do some typical poses like this one on the beach...
*Photo by Dylan Dawson

Or maybe this pose poolside at the EDITION..


Go and see the beautiful skyline at sunset...



And see my awesome friends who are all educated, beautiful, goal oriented, and have the BEST hearts you could possibly ask for... these people are going places!!





...Dear Sun, Please give me back my Hawaii-kissed tan..

Epic 90's...

Mullets, side ponytails, jelly shoes, Walkmans, Color Me Badd, Shai, and All 4 One.. All things that made the 90's for lack of a better word, EPIC... One of the last segments we filmed for the season finale of Hawaii HI-Lights was covering the Summer Sizzle 2010 concert held at the Neal S. Blaisdell center... Ummmmm, so that means I get to meet Shai? And All 4 One? AND Color Me Badd?? (Note: the interview with lead singer Bryan Abrams took place 4 days before he got arrested in Waikiki... Crazy!!) The 12 year old me who used to rock side ponytails with stretchy leggings with the lace at the bottom that reached mid-calf and the long ruffley t-shirts couldn't have been happier.. Little did I know that years down the road I'd actually get to meet these stars.. Garfield from Shai put it best when he said that they were the soundtrack to people's lives.. that quote made me smile.. so true... Bring me back to those 6th grade dances...

First to interview was Mr. Abrams of Color Me Badd (only 2 of the 4 boy band crew was able to make the concert)..



Next up was Shai! They were so fun to interview!! They even serenaded me acapella with "Baby I'm Yours"...




Backstage before the show got started..


All 4 One wasn't able to make the interview because they flew in the day of the show which happened to be the day after we filmed the interview portion... BUT I did get to meet them backstage and they were super nice.. Really just happy to be in Hawaii and performing for the crowd who sang along to all their songs!



Shai gave a pretty awesome performance I must say... so soulful!


Color Me Badd was the finale and performed with Hype 5-0 from America's Best Dance Crew!! After the show I had "I Wanna Sex You Up" stuck in my head for hours... Pret-ty sweet...


...the roots of 90's music has given us some of the greatest songs to reflect on our past...

An Aloha Wedding in Hawaii...

A co-worker of mine, who is also a friend, Kristen Iorio, is now the new Mrs. Kristen Iorio Kiesel (although I think she's totally dropping her last name), married Edwin Kiesel. These two are so cute together; her very structured, organized attitude (she IS an Auditor like me) and his relaxed, laid back persona match so well it makes my teeth hurt.. They said their vows in front of the Aloha Tower in Honolulu around dusk and had a reception shortly after which was catered by Chai's Island Bistro. Colors for the wedding were very island/tropic inspired with pink, green, tan, and cream.. OH and the best part of the food, was her cupcake tree provided by Hokulani (see a few blog posts down)!! (Duh, I had the red velvet). I wish I utilized my camera more that night, but I was able to put down the food and red wine for a few snaps..



In a traditional Hawaiian wedding, there is the exchanging of lei's when combining families as well as the bride and groom.. le sigh..


Moments after the ceremony, they took their walk down the aisle together for some snapshots with photographer Joser "Jojo" Serina!


When party time came, we had to bustle Kristen's dress so she could dance the night away..


Me with the beautiful bride (bride's dress from Casablanca)..


The "Auditors"... (I missed the flower memo.. well at least my ring was a flower)


The Aloha Tower at night.. I never tire of the views here..


..may you two always have love in your hearts...

Delicious Cupcakes...

I have some major issues and pickiness when it comes to cupcakes.. A cupcake snob if you will.. I don't like the generic ones you buy at the grocery store (they taste spongy and I don't like sponge cake), nor do I like ones that are too fat, for some reason I feel like it loses its flavor and I have yet to eat a gigantic cupcake and actually like it.. I don't like sprinkles (they have no flavor and anything that gets in the way of how moist a cupcake should taste is banned from my palette). I'll admit I've tried a few cupcakes around town here and there and done the taste tests... By far, hands down is Hokulani Bake Shop. Now Cupcake Couture came in a close second, but when sampled side by side, something in Hokulani's recipe stands out and is consistent every single time I get my teeth on one. You can test for yourself and obviously all taste buds are different, but I must say.. Hokulani has my affection when it comes to the little cakes.. Red Velvet is what I'm talking about...



When you pick up your tasty goodness, you get this cute little reusable tote..


The surprise is in the box.. they smell amazing!!

Neiman Marcus Junior League Charity Fashion Show..

About 20 models took part in the Neiman Marcus fashion show at the Junior League of Honolulu Charity Event this past Saturday. Held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, the events proceeds help the League fund projects that benefit our community.



Nothing like early call times to shock your body on the weekend, wake up those tired eyes, and strut all you've got on the runway. Rehearsals were from 8-9am, 9-12pm we were in hair and makeup. 12:30pm showtime! The event titled "Sacs in the City" featured several donations from Loco Boutique, Coach, Marc Jacobs, Prada, and other designers. I was like a kid in a candy store with all those purses laying around; I wanted to make bids myself! Here are a few shots of our hair and makeup. Makeup was done lightly for a fresh look (Thanks Kate Schuette for letting me take a snapshot of your makeup! What a cute redhead!).. Hair inspired by Nicole Ritchie with a part down the middle and low braids in the back (I liked how my peekaboo blonde bits stuck out).



We had 3 changes each.. Something about seeing those racks full of pretty clothing makes you giddy inside..


I was dying over the jeggings (Joe's Jeans) I wore for my first outfit.. mixed with that heavy studded jacket (Current/Elliott). It's like they reached into my brain and knew my taste...


Outfit number 2 was amazing! I wanted to take that Philip Lim jacket and keep it myself.. Retails for $995 and worth every penny. The gold sequins sparkled and was really comfortable to wear... Did.. Not.. Want.. To.. Take.. It.. Off..


The third outfit was the craziest one.. I think the Marc Jacobs t-shirt threw me off (sketchy Miss Marc label), but when paired with that jacket (St. John) and funky skirt, it kind of flowed together in a sophisticated but I like to take risks kind of way..


We did our finale walk as a group to Lady Gaga's Just Dance.. Never get tired of that song for the runway.. Here's a shot we took right after the show.. love these girls.. Models in Hawaii are one of the most amazing to work with.. Bright, educated, good-hearted girls..


*Runway pics courtesy of Mark Ramelb Photography