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Gigi

ROAD TRIP

Posted on by Gigi in Travel Comments Off on ROAD TRIP
Road Trip

Road Trip

Well we are about to embark on a road trip, a rarity for us. My husband being 1 of 12 children, grew up constantly taking road trips back and forth between New York and North Carolina, so he sort of has an aversion to road trips longer than 2 hours. I on the other hand, am a road warrior, give me good music, water, comfy shoes and I’m good to go. Growing up some of my fondest memories are cross country trips in our RV. We did not “fly”, vacation was getting in the camper and driving cross country to visit other family members. Stopping at rest stops, truck stops, diners, and sometimes splurging for a night stay at a Holiday Inn, were all part of the experience. I know my love of travel started then, I was always fascinated by what I would discover, always observing the changing terrain.

Route dans les Pyrénées françaises

Route dans les Pyrénées françaises (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We are headed to the Jack and Jill Teen Conference, Reggie and I are both chaperones. There will be about 300 teens from the far west attending, we will have a restless weekend… with temps expected to be around 114, can’t even imagine.

Happy Thursday XOXO,

Gigi

 

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I WANT A FLOSSY CAMERA BAG…

Posted on by Gigi in Fashion, photography Comments Off on I WANT A FLOSSY CAMERA BAG…

 

As you know, I love photography, and I love fashion, beauty, baubles, trinkets and all things sparkly, so you can imagine how much I dislike my camera bags, and I have a few, 2 which were freebies with a purchase and 2 that I purchased. So I said to myself I can’t be the only photographer who would like an “IT”  camera bag, something that does not scream expensive camera gear, especially when traveling and not wanting it to be so obvious that I am a tourist. So I did a little research and discovered a whole new camera bag world. Now I can’t decide what to get, here are my favs, perhaps you may find one that suits your fancy.

 

 

Chanel Bags

Chanel Inspired camera bag

 

Chanel Bags

The Bossi Bag color Gravel

THEIT; Bossu Bag 159.00 www.lovetheit.com

Love the “Chanel” inspired style. It holds camera body with grip, 2-4 lenses, flash, battery, phone, and of course lip gloss. manmade polyurethane also comes in black.

Pompidoo Bag

Pompidoo Cologne Bag

Pompidoo; Cologne Bag 282.66 Euro 370.00 US Dol www.pompidoo.com

This little bag could be the “going out on the town bag” it come in a host of colors, everything from apple green to hot pink and it is made out of leather. You would have to make some decisions as to what lens you wanted to use, but as you can see it can hold the 70-200 and a little lens or flash.

Jill E

Jill E

Jill E; Camera bag 209.99 www.jill-e.com

This bags have a nice “tote bag” look, fabric with suede and leather trim. Holds camera body, long lens and medium, or 2 -3 regular lenses, flash, batteries etc.

Kipling  Camera Bag

Kipling Camera Bag

Kipling Camera Bag

Kipling Camera Bag

Kipling; Style Scrapbook Camera Bag 92. Euro 150.00 US 120.00 www.kipling.com

I love this little bag, the problem is where to find it in the US. It is so adorable and holds camera and small lens. So chic…I want one for going out.

Kelly Moore Camera Bags

Kelly Moore Camera Bags

images-6 images-7

 

Kelly Moore; Bags range from 199.00-249.00 www.kellymoorebag.com

I absolutely love this line from the colors to the large size, they are fabulous! Most will hold a 15″ laptop in addition to pro camera body with grip, 2-3 lenses, flash, batteries and personal items.

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INTERRUPTIONS

Posted on by Gigi in Thoughts Comments Off on INTERRUPTIONS

images-3

Interruptions happen everyday, it is how we handle them, that matters. Last night about 4:30 AM my son came upstairs, very excited, he told me that there was a coyote outside by his window howling. My husband was already gone, another story he runs really early on Tuesday morning with a little group. So I get up and go out on the porch, and I whistle and then what appeared to be a large german shepherd comes out of nowhere barking like my yard is his yard. So he is obviously frightened so I know not to go out and confront him, so I wait for Reggie. He comes home and goes out, and the dog and he go around in circles and then the dog hides in the lower part of in our yard. Needless to say my sleep was interrupted, so I just stayed up and thought about how life is full of interruptions.

I decided I would finish a post I was working on only to discover my internet was down…another interruption. So I put on my robe and sat on the porch and waited for the dog to show, my husband left at 5:15 and could not play hide and seek with the dog any more. It was calming to watch the break of dawn, so I just relaxed and had a cup of tea, and took advantage of these moments of stillness. I could have called the pound, and made this a big ordeal, but I decided this is someones pet that got out and hopefully he would leave and go home.

break of dawn

break of dawn

Happy Tuesday–and welcome any interruptions you may have today!

XOXO,

Gigi

 


WEEKEND OBSERVATIONS

Posted on by Gigi in Weekend Observations 2 Comments

 

Gigi

Gigi

This past weekend was low key. I was content to do little. My son visited friends, Reggie did his elaborate workout routine, and I relaxed and dabbled in photography related tasks. I spent some time focusing on the future and what that looks like for us. Our family dynamic is constantly changing both in our immediate and extended families. In the process of jotting down a few notes, I thought about while it is good to plan for the future, it is even more important to “live” in the present as well. What are you doing on a daily basis to “live”? My family at times, get impatience with me, I will see something out the window while driving, and want to stop to investigate, observing my surroundings is important to me. A few things that peaked my interest this weekend.

yoga at the Grove

yoga at the Grove

Went to the Apple store at the Grove and stumbled upon yoga in the middle of the shopping center. How cool is that? Another reason to keep a mat in the car.

food truck

food truck

While I never see food trucks in my area, I love that they are all over LA. Saw this one and loved the name…this is how I feel a lot “me so hungry”.

Baco Mercat

Baco Mercat

We are becoming regulars at this place, Baco Mercat. I am in love with the warm eggplant salad.

DTLA

DTLA

I know I keep saying this, but I love downtown LA, happy that restaurants are opening and most of all that we can get there in less than 30 minutes.

murals

murals

Love the art vibe of downtown.

my sister and fam

my sister and family

Had a shoot with my sister and her family, once again the wildlife is out to get me, first rattlesnake and now attack of the wasps, yes I was stung for the first time.

Oh one more thing that has me jazzed, I have a new app called “my fitness pal”. I love it, you record your workouts and what your eat…yes scary to look down and see it on your screen, but perfect for keeping you on point. Oh and it is FREE! My Fitness Pal check it out.

dtla

dtla

Hope you had a wonderful weekend and HAPPY MONDAY!

XOXO,

GIGI

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WELCOME SUMMER 2013

Posted on by Gigi in My Life, Well-Being Comments Off on WELCOME SUMMER 2013
summertime

summertime

South of France

South of France

 

SUMMER is my favorite season, perhaps it is because I’m a girl of summer, my birthday is July 28, and July 23 is my wedding anniversary. Growing up summer was associated with “school is OUT!” , and it was a time to do whatever…so different from the kids of today, every moment scheduled with sports camp, SAT prep, travel teams, dance, gymnastics, swimming, community service, deb balls, scouts the list goes on and on. I am guilty of all the above, especially with my daughter, she was in everything!

Maybe it is the second child syndrome, but I am so much more relaxed with my son. After years of observing so many children, so many scenarios everything from “tiger moms” to kids scrambling for themselves, I’ve come to the conclusion that we can only do so much-our children need to fall into the safety net, they will be OK, if they don’t have any failures how will they ever appreciate success?  It is OK to make a mistake here and there, sometimes our attempt to prepare them for everything backfires.

kids...

kids…

I’ve learned to accept my children and their shortcomings, which I don’t dwell on, just concentrating on their strengths. I know there are thousands of colleges out there, not just the 10 or so that come to mind. I want them to be independent and confidence in their decisions and that comes with backing off and letting them face the consequences of some of their choices. My husband always shares with my kids how he got a “F”  in chemistry when he was in high school, and how that contributed to his academic success later in life.

This summer is going to be pretty low key, my son is doing a little math review, and studying Italian. He sleeps in on the days he does not have class, wakes up and chills. I thought about a SAT prep for a minute and decided next summer would be soon enough. Poor Amani started taking the SAT in the 6th grade, I know-I was a hot mess. We’ll do some spontaneous outings, a few that he may actually enjoy and I will go to a few movies-the kind that are targeted for 16 year old boy demographic. We’ll have casual days by the pool, informal gatherings of friends and family.

I’ll work on me, tweaking a few things, physically and mentally, working on constantly staying ahead of settling into that “comfort” zone of mediocrity that is so easy to do at my age.

Gigi

Gigi

So take time this summer to enjoy the simple things. Pack a lunch, and go to the beach, or local park, roller skate, ride a bike-it’s OK not to be scheduled every waking moment.

Let the sun warm you soul, and the water cool your body…

XOXO,

GIGI

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Gigi’s meanderings around the web #9

Posted on by Gigi in Web Comments Off on Gigi’s meanderings around the web #9

My thoughts and prayers are with the James Gandolfini’s family at this difficult time.

Read more about James Gandolfini here

Wonderful Man Blog. The Art of Manliness-check it out.

Love this one too, guerreisms, especially “sick shoe game” for guys…

Brittany Howard

Brittany Howard

Loving this artist, from Alabama, ex postal worker to grammy nominated…

GET YOUR SLEEP…OR ELSE. DID NOT KNOW ALL THESE RISKS WERE LINKED TO NOT ENOUGH SLEEP!

new york post boudoir session

new york post boudoir session

Love this piece in the New York Post, I love photographing women and letting my lens discover the beauty in each of us…so many of us have not had a nice portrait since we were married or graduated from high school…this would be fun to do.

I love orange, all shades, coral, apricot, peach, melon, salmon, etc. I use it in my home decor, and wear it often, I have always been attracted to orange.

Orange Crush

Orange Crush

Gym

Gigi’s Orange Gym

Love the light

Love the light

elle decor

elle decor

elle decor

elle decor

love this coral skirt

love this coral skirt

recovered these in orange

recovered these in orange

love these roses

love these roses

And lastly remember…

quote

quote

XOXO,

GIGI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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LOVE WHAT YOU DO_

Posted on by Gigi in Quotes, Well-Being Comments Off on LOVE WHAT YOU DO_

LOVE WHAT YOU DO_OR FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DO WHAT YOU LOVE…

Photographer Gigi

Photographer Gigi

It is easy to let an array of external forces get in your way. You know the typical culprits, like wanting everything to be just so…so much that you end up spending a lot of time in the “preparation phase” that you never do anything. Sometimes we spend time planning and perfecting instead of “doing” for fear of failing. We have blocks, especially if we typically follow traditional conventional ways of doing things.

Personally embarking on my new passion is scary at times, I think, “will anyone really hire me?”. hmmmmmm I don’t have a nice website, or a clever business card, it would be easy to say, let me work on those things and then I will move forward. At my age it is now or never, I just have to trust my gut and go forward now, and see what happens, the worse that can happen is I would join the ranks of struggling artists, and as long as I am happy, that is what matters.

True, we all want to present the best image of ourselves as possible, but trust me things have a way of working out. I shot four events for my family this past weekend, my cousin “John” and I were presented with a host of obstacles, but I just let my instinct guide me and I kept moving around and shooting from different angles with a smile of my face, delighted to finally be doing something that I LOVE!

If you are not doing something that you LOVE keep exploring, until you do, and remember some of us are late bloomers and that is perfectly OK.

Orchids

Orchids

Xoxo,

GIGI

http://youtu.be/4mLrm1cuhWM

 

 


WEEKEND OBSERVATIONS__SAMPSONVILLE

Posted on by Gigi in Family, Weekend Observations 7 Comments

 

Mom & Dad Sampson 88 years young...

Mom & Dad Sampson
88 years young…

I get it now, why people love family reunions. We celebrated my husband’s parents 70th anniversary, family members traveled near and far for this joyous occasion. The festivities took place in a small town in northern California  that we affectionally call Sampsonville, the real name is Kelseyville, population 3000, three hours north east of San Francisco, nestled above the wine country. Reggie’s brother Alan and his family moved there about 20 years ago, he started a medical practice there, and soon other family members followed and settled in the area, including their parents via New York.

The weekend was jam-packed, starting with a welcome dinner friday evening at Alan and Kathy’s home. Kathy is a fabulous entertainer, and can host a large group as well as any professional caterer, and she owns a cute antique store in the town called Traditions. This is just a few of the 800+ images from the weekend…

Alan & Kathy's

Alan & Kathy’s

The honored couple

The couple of the moment!

Amani & cousin Brittany young ingenues...

Granddaughters Amani & Brittany 

Aron &

Grandson Aron & his sweetie…

love the view...

love the view…

Saturday the family a had a special church service full of “Sampson” music and a special acknowledgement of the parents 70th year anniversary.

Our Queen Mary Helen Sampson

Our Queen Mary Helen Sampson

Sonya gracing us with her music

Sonya gracing us with her music

just sweet

just sweet

Granddaughter Stacy and the great grands

Granddaughter Stacy and the great grands

Beverly...

Beverly…family friend

 

Bethany Sampson

Bethany and the girls

children's story

children’s story

Dad Sampson & his brother

Dad Sampson & his brother

so many friends...

so many friends…

Saturday evening the 70th anniversary celebration honoring the parents was held at the Armory in Lakeport. If we were to make it to 70 years I would be a 100 and Reggie would be 108! I don’t foresee this in our future, so to witness this it was truly special.

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70 YEARS OF MARRIAGE- Could you be married to the same person for 70 years?

Posted on by Gigi in Family 3 Comments
George & Helen Sampson

George & Helen Sampson

This weekend my husband’s family will be celebrating his parents 70th wedding anniversary. I am excited and honored and looking forward to documenting this Sampson family historical event. Over the 26 years I have know my in-laws, I have admired their loyalty and love for one another. I have watched them over the years, how they have looked after one another, always adjusting their roles as their individual needs changed.

I have been entertained hours on end with stories about the dynamics of having 12 children and moving back and forth between NYC and North Carolina. Stories about how if they were blessed with so many children it was their job to educate them, and that they did, 4 medical doctors, 2 phd’s, numerous master degrees and all have college degrees. I witnessed how they dealt with the loss of their daughter Gwen and the pain that they endured.

They are SUPER-GRANDS, they go to every 8th grade graduation, high school, and college, many times traveling coast to coast in a matter of days. Mrs. Sampson is the traveling “baby nurse” spending a least 2 weeks with the new mom, whenever a baby is born in the family.

Amani & Grandmother & Grandfather

Amani & Grandmother & Grandfather

Oakwood Graduation

Oakwood Graduation

They are a true example of faith and what those wedding “vows” really mean, what it means to forgive, forget, love and to continually give unconditionally.

At 88 years young this 7th Day Adventist, vegan couple are still going strong, and still keeping track of all the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren birthdays, never missing a date.

Mom & Dad Sampson

Mom & Dad Sampson

I love mom and dad Sampson, and am happy to part of this large family, even with all the “big” personalities that at times can be chaotic, I would not trade them.

Well considering this is my first destination event, I better check my list and finish my packing. I will have lots a pics on Monday.

HAPPY WEEKEND

XOXO,

GIGI

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Gigi’s Favorite Bars – Juice that is…

Posted on by Gigi in Well-Being Comments Off on Gigi’s Favorite Bars – Juice that is…

 

Juice Bar

Juice Bar

4 years ago a friend introduced me to the benefits and power of green juice, and I am not talking about Jamba juice. Green juices are typically a combination of leafy greens, parsley, cucumber, celery, lemon, ginger and sometimes apple.

Green Goddess Juice

Green Goddess Juice

I recall my first few sips were slightly bitter almost medicinal for my palate, but so like everything else with time and of course a good detox of the permanent “sugar taste” on my tongue, I fell in love with “green juice” and have been juicing ever since. This was before the plethora of juice bars and juice cleanse programs, became mainstream. Although I prefer to make my juice at home, it is nice to know that there are so many juice bars, and I don’t have to be limited to the juice bar at Whole Foods. Once you start juicing and notice the benefits you will be hooked, whats not to like: more energy, clearer skin, nutrients and vitamins, I could go on and on.

Here are a few of my favorite tried & tested and “Gigi” approved juice bars…

 

Moon Juice

Moon Juice

MOON JUICE – 507 Rose Ave. Venice 310 399 2929 www.moonjuiceshop.com

Canyon Greens (collards, rainbow chard, parsley, ginger, celery, cucumber ) 16 oz. $9.00

The Juice is dense, rich and flavorful similar to how I make my juice at home, not watery at all.

Nekter Juice

Nekter Juice

Nekter Juice Bar – 6467 Pacific Coast Hwy

The Greenie (parsley,spinach, kale, celery, cucumber, lemon, apple) 16 oz. 4.75

Nekter is located by my yoga studio, which is convenient. The juice is not as dense as mine, but after a hot yoga class it is perfect. Nekter is now a franchise and they are popping up everywhere.

pressed Juicery

pressed Juicery

Pressed Juicery – Westwood Village & Beverly Hills location

Greens 3 (Kale, spinach,romaine, parsley, celery, cucumber, apple, lemon, ginger) 16 oz. 6.00-8.00

Pressed Juicery are opening locations all over the southland. They are generous with samples, and the staff is so friendly.

Beverly Hills Juice

Beverly Hills Juice

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Beverly Hills Juice: Raw since 1975 – 8382 Beverly Blvd. LA

Mixed Green (Cucumber, parsley, spinach, kale, romaine) 16 oz. 5.50

Every time I go here, there is a line out the door, every thing is so fresh.

Kreation Organic

Kreation Organic

Kreation Organic – Santa Monica location

Green # 3 ( cucumber, spinach, romaine, kale, parsley) 16 0z. 7.00

I also like going to Erewhon and picking up juice there as well they have a fresh juice bar and a variety of locally made juices. LA has so many juice spots, perhaps it is due to our lifestyle and a large selection of organic produce readily available. Make a point of visiting your local juice bar or trying a new one this week.

Happy Juicing!

XOXO,

GIGI

 

 

 

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