SURPRISE.SURPRISE.

noticing the curiously large number of youngsters donning the ever-famous mickey-ears, cash remarked

this is like disneyland

still oblivious to his birthday surprise. you see, earlier that morning mom & dad, sister charlie, and grammy all piled into the truck [one of those plush tundra's with the super-extendo cab] and hopped on the freeway to visit uncle gabe and auntie carlie. and, even after parking in the downtown disney lot, and perusing the lego store and other shops, the birthday boy, mr cash william keen, still didn't fully realize what he was in for that day. finally, after passing through the bag check, standing at the entrance to the magic kingdom, it hit him...

and he decided to pull out a few moves, complete with a lip curl, that would be the envy of even justin timberlake.


the rest of the day was filled with nothing less than enjoying the company of my wonderful family. i am so blessed by each person God has placed in the middle of my story.

grammy and the birthday boy. [look in the reflection and you might catch a glimpse of yours truly]

i love how kids cheese-it-up when they think they need to pose. this screams but, mom... i AM smiling

the many expressions of charlie nicole keen. happy. happy. and some more happy.

daddy in the passenger seat [autopia is all 'euro' with the driver on the right].

cash loves his little sister...

but he is a true warrior at heart!

SHARING.THE.LOVE.

first things first... i love my wife [duh, she's awesome]. carlie renee pretty much rocks my world! not only did she pack my lunch today [complete with a valentine note on my napkin], but she 'gets' me. carlie is the kind of girl that really thinks about a gift before she gives it, the kind of girl that does everything with passion, whether its planning a wedding, finding recipes, or watching biggest loser. i love you babe.

moving on, last week a friend passed some love along and it made my week. so i wanted to share.

the phone rang, and i picked up cheerfully, though having not recognized the number on caller id. funny thing, it was a familiar voice... none other than my fellow blogger & photog friend, ashley parsons of kansas city. now, every once in a while, a fellow photographer will pass along a referral if she receives an inquiry for a day she is already booked. but a referral for a day open on her calendar, because the photog thinks it might be in the best interest of her client, is what sets ashley in rare air.

[the parson's... raddest family that side of the mississippi... although my geography is no good so i actually don't know which side of the mississippi they are on]

thank you ashley, for sharing the love. carlie and i can't wait to meet the parson family [beach-day in august?]! have a rockin v-day!

WELL.WORTH.IT.

nothing crazy. no huge epiphany. no major spiritual transformation. i just got to spend some great time relaxing and hanging out with my bride. carlie renee is the reason, outside of my relationship with God, i do what i do.

for a couple of days, we just chilled. with each other. way cool.


i love you, gorgeous.

WEB.FASTING.

as i begin to realize and embrace each moment for nothing more [or less] than it is, and after reading an article on tim's blog, i have come to notice that i don't like down-time. let me decompress.

i want time [like most people] and i want money [like most people]. and i want a good balance of these two things, not all of one and none of the other. i am assuming you might be in the same boat. what i realized, more specifically in relation to the time-thing, when i create more time [by being more efficient, deciding to put something aside, recruiting the help of others...], i get uncomfortable and have a tendency to fill the time without meaning [aka... mindless computer time].

as i thought about this i came to believe that if i can't fill my time well, what incentive am i creating for myself to produce more time for... well... myself.

none.

so, carlie and i are experimenting. beginning tonight at midnight we have set forth a "no-computer-on-the-weekend" act [pretty self-explanitory]. and i can't wait to see what comes of it. will i be able to have fun? figure out what to do other than twiddle my thumbs? will i be a good steward of the free-time God is giving me today?

i am sure a few emails will be answered a day or two late, a few blogs will go unread, but i am sure of one thing... on monday morning, when i fire up that 24 inches of mac-goodness, i am positive it will all be there waiting for me [unless of course al gore decides to repeal the gift of the world-wide-web that he has blessed us all with the invention of].

see you monday.

TAKE.A.CHILL.PILL.

so, i get home yesterday, and carlie is looking at my blog.

be funny she directed, as i walked thru the door.

it hit me bluntly [with love] right between the eyes. she was so right. some times i take myself a little too seriously. anyways, here's a little nugget from our point-and-shoot that i found in my old photobucket.

365.DAYS.AMERICAN.

i peeled off the small oval sticker, placed it off my person, and strutted away as if i had just changed the course of history. and, almost immediately i felt like it didn't matter.

i did it.
i voted.
and it woke me up.

it started conversations, with my wife, with my friends, and it made me realize. whether or not i voted [yes it was important] was not the point. just like, whether or not i go to church [yes it is important] is not the point. the point is about living it out.

i don't plan on watching cnn with every spare minute, or parading a series of banners off of my back patio, looking over the streets of costa mesa [none of these things are bad]. but i do plan on paying attention. i plan on being american, 365 days a year, and not just the one day when i have the privilege to vote. so, i wanted to throw a quick shout out to those people that make america such a great place...

.::. to the men & women in uniform
.::. to the ladies at the polling place where i voted
.::. to the entrepreneurs
.::. to the people in their cubicles
.::. to all my photog friends
.::. to the brides
.::. to the grooms
.::. to the elderly who have paid their dues
.::. to all those 'green'
.::. to my mentors
.::. to my wife
.::. to you

thanks for making america great [far from perfect]. have a full wednesday.

KICK.START.VEGAS.STYLE.

hey there friends. i was just working on some of the details for my first year attending wppi. i'm so stoked to meet those friends i've connected with over the past year in the blog world, and hopefully to make some new friends.

anyways, let me know if you will be in vegas for the show. i would love to hang and rock out vegas-style with ya.

plus, i am super stoked to kick-off the wedding season and come back from vegas to shoot khara & jake's big day in mission viejo, followed up by sarah & jared's intimate wedding at salt creek (you're mom was so great, sarah, and i can't wait to meet you and jared).

amidst the planning and excitement for this year's wedding season, i came across this spoof on the blog of one of my favorite photog's [joe photo]. check it out.