MARRIED TO A MODEL

so not only do i have the gift of working with wonderful people and photographing them in the midst of their story, but i get to practice a lot, too. why do i get to practice a lot, you ask...?

well, because my wife is pretty much an undiscovered professional model. a couple weeks ago, carlie and ashley (one of her best friends) and i spent some time together in the fog, and in a frenzy before dusk settled into darkness, we captured the following images. the girls like playing dress up, and i like doing what i do with the camera. so, you can see... it works out.





i pretty much lucked out. hottest wife on earth.

OUR FIRST TREE & A LATE TURKEY

so, carlie and i, the saturday after thanksgiving, found a swell fir in the parking lot of levitz in huntington beach. it didn't take long to decorate, but now our home smells like christmas, bringing back fond memories of years gone by, and expectant of a new chapter to be added to our story; our first christmas.

i also wanted to make sure that i didn't skip over thanksgiving. and i have to give my wife a big "at-a-girl" for her now-signature "carlie's sweet-@ss sweet-potatos." they were a hit, and due to their mouth-watering goodness, carlie has been officially and warmly welcomed into my family. so, happy post-turkey day... (i don't think i have ever used more hyphens in a post, so here is one more word-on-word to add to the bunch)

I AM A WEBSITE

after much anticipation, here it is... gabrielryan.net has arrived! check it out.



and as a side note, my new iMac has had some serious issues lately, and i am excited to publish some new blog material that i have been sitting on, once my iMac decides to start talking to me again.

CARLIE'S ROLLER DISCO PARTY

snacking on the mound of bagel bites and other junk food, while over-hearing the giggles and snickers coming from the bedroom and bathroom, i felt like i was back in the 5th grade. you see, i grew up, mostly around girls. as if there wasn't enough estrogen between my mom and two sisters during my elementary years, it seemed that every other night, one (if not both) of the sisters would have a gaggle of friends over at our home. totally un-related, one of my class-mates in the 5th grade was the proud heir to none other than the local roller skating rink, which led to a routine schedule of rink time, with the primary purposes of honing ones backward skating skills and developing social relations with the other kids at school.

like i said, i felt like i was back in 5th grade. my wonderful bride does not settle for the status quo. in her own terms (thanks cara, for the insight) carlie usually wants "all the all-the" a phrase developed by carlie when she was four years old to encompass the fact that she wants it all. so when it comes to her birthday, of course she would want the celebration to go on for as many days as possible, and of course she would want the punctuation of the associated festivities to hit with a good ol' fashion roller-disco-party.

so the girls piled in to our little one-bedroom apartment. they brought junk food and gifts, and made their way to the bathroom, where somehow ALL of them fit, to prep for the big night. i am thankful to my previous experience, otherwise i might have felt myself an estranged onlooker. instead, i had the opportunity to play part, to be the one guy to show up at the roller rink on a thursday night with 8 smokin' hot chicks, and best of all...

...to snap a few of these...







that was just a taste. for a slideshow of the whole night click here.

ANGELS, COWBOYS, AND COUNTRY MUSIC

the day had arrived. and, even as i post this, on the eve of my sister's one year anniversary, one year since she passed from this life to the next, it seems a bit surreal. this past saturday, we threw a party, in memory of courtney nicole and for the benefit of the children going thru treatment at ucla medical center. complete with bbq chicken, country music from steve hill, a roping tournament, silent auction and raffle, my mom (with the help of our family and friends... but i'd say it was mostly her) threw a good-ol' fashion ho-down out in fillmore, california.

i had a fun time shooting the kind of ambiance i don't normally find down in orange county. and, a shot of carlie with some yummy treats!
after snapping a few shots, this little guy told me his name was tanner and asked if i was courtney's big brother, "i feel sorry for courtney" he said. we miss you baby girl...
my cowboy dad, pat "rodeo" manning, ropes the head of this steer on his birthday
needless to say, my mom has been through a lot this year. yes, i was courtney's big brother and her bone marrow donor, but my mom was, well... courtney's mom. as much as i hurt over the loss of court, i can't imagine the boots my mom fills. over this past year, i have watched her grow, cry, be strong, and above all, seek truth. my amazing mother, passing out the prizes for the roping.
to our angel, we miss you, and we threw one heck of a party this past weekend... for you.

COWBOYS FOR COURTNEY IS TOMORROW

(click here for the related article from the ventura county star)

come on out tomorrow and have some fun with a cowboy! last year was the first "cowboy's for courtney" event, and since her passing, last november 14th, it only made sense to round up the troops once again, and for a good cause. court liked big trucks and fast horses, so that's how our family plans to celebrate her life.

on top of all that, november is a month filled with happy anniversaries and tragic reminders. the month begins with my birthday on the 5th, then pat's (my cowboy dad)on the 10th, followed by carlie's on the 14th. so, our family plans on celebrating together! however, november also reminds us of a life lost to the heavens. our angel, courtney nicole, would have turned 21 this november 21st, so that day will most likely be filled with some difficult emotions. and of course, the 14th of november is now a day our family will choose to cherish and choose to grieve, for it is the day my wonderful bride, carlie renee, was brought into this world by our God, and it is the same day that our angel, courtney nicole, was taken, by that same God.

check out the article which pays tribute to my baby sis, and gives the details for the party tomorrow.

see you at the round-up...

OUR STORY

waking up at 4:30 am gives a person a very unique start to his day. as i began my day early, joining the few restless individuals who had started their day even earlier than i, i waited. i waited for the rest of the world to stretch its arms, take in a deep breath, and begin thursday. and then i got excited.

i got excited, because over the past few months, i have been asked to work with some great clients (thank you for choosing ME to work with YOU... each of you make my job, which i love, possible), and i have also begun rubbing elbows with some seasoned photog's, both in person and in the blogosphere (thank you for your comments and encouragement). on top of that, my friends and family have gotten involved, and added tremendous value to my life and my business, which lucky for me, are one-in-the-same. i got excited, because YOUR story, has become MY story, and in that, my story has begun to expand and develop.

my web presence is now just a bit bigger, as you can now check my blog via gabrielryanphotoblog.com. i have also been developing a website, which i hadn't planned on releasing until january, but now should be ready within the next couple of weeks. and, on top of this, i will be shooting for none other than dane sanders at one of his weddings in santa barbara next month (fyi, santa barbara is one of my favorite places in the world and rests near to my heart).

so, since each of you reading this have added a bit to my story, our story, i hope that you can share in this excitement. thank you. you really do continue to add value.

and, make sure to check back for the release of the gabriel.ryan.photographer. website soon...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

yesterday was my birthday. and carlie's birthday is quickly approaching, so we began celebrating on sunday with friends (i have to give a big thanks to uncle rod, for passing on his bbq pulled pork recipe). so, thank you, friends, for stopping by and hanging out with my bride and i. you all really do warm our hearts (and my new knife can pretty much cut through anything, so thanks to the guys for pitching in). we even started a new tradition, and gave everyone their own cupcake and candle. so, after we sang the birthday song, EVERYONE got to make a wish and blow out a candle.

but, the true treasures were waiting for me at the end of my work day on my actual birthday. upon entering our apartment, i noticed that our entire living space had been thouroughly clean and organized, which is rare for carlie and gabriel's place. i said "hi" to my bride, who was in the other room, as i began to go through my usual post-work ritual of hanging up my clothes and putting away my shoes. i stood in the closet, in the dark, when carlie handed me my shoes...

"don't you want to put these away?" she smirked.

i took them from her grip, and thats when i found my gift. last month, i told my bride that there were a lot of things i wanted for my birthday, but i tend to be overzealous and have expensive taste. so i told her to make me something. on a different occassion, a few months prior, i had remarked that my shoe boxes (yes i am OCD and have labeled boxes for each of my shoes) were a bit tattered and needed to be replaced. so, as i looked up with my shoes in hand, i noticed the perfectly symetrical, colored and labeled, plastic shoe boxes.

the best birthday gift ever. seriously... i know i am a dweeb and a nerd and a... but, i really love my new boxes. so, thanks babe.

we spent a night on the town, inclusive of a candle-lit dinner at taco bell, and desert at my favorite ice cream stop. happy birthday to me!