Wishing you...

(click on image to see it larger)

I hope everyone gets exactly what they've wished for!!

Merry Christmas to you all :)

~Cherish

Out of the studio!

i'll be out of the studio on Monday (the 8th)...
for a much needed little getaway :)
WHHHOOO HHOOO!

I'll return voicemails & calls as soon as i'm free on Tues!
Thanks for the patience ahead of time!

~Cherish

Sleep? ... what's that?

Sleep
a. A natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body, in which the eyes usually close and consciousness is completely or partially lost, so that there is a decrease in bodily movement and responsiveness to external stimuli.


Yes. I’ve thought about this whole sleep schedule thing… I just think that I must not be wired that way. I think about stuff constantly… constantly.
I’m such the multi-tasker. And since I’m ALWAYS in multi-task mode, maybe my mind gets confused when it’s “time to go to bed” (who really knows what time your supposed to do that anyway. Right?!?!)
It’s like “heeyyy!!!!!!!!!!! Why aren’t you thinking about this!?!?” “or designing this” or even rearranging your room…”
I kid you not. Last night I was laying in the bed “reading” (lol. lately. “reading” is attempting to go through the 5,000 magazines that are piled up on the side of my bed… because I don’t have any other time to do anything with them!!)
And all of a sudden I was like… well, if I bought a chair we could put it there. And then maybe move a shelving thing in… I swear… this is the stuff I think of lying in bed at night (morning. Whatever)
I look forward to the day where I will lie down and just go to sleep…
But.
Until that day… You will read blog posts and receive returned emails that just may have the wee hours of the morning as the time stamp :)

In the Spirit of Giving!

After a LONG time of being on the ever-growing to-do list...

we are finally giving our clients a little reward!

Now, until December 25th you can order a Gallery Wrap

(in any size!!!)

and receive 25% off!

I know, right?!?!?!?

That's $100 off of a 16x16 Wrap! What a steal!

For anyone that's been wanting to order one... or two...

or even three... i wouldn't wait.

Merry Christmas to YOU! HAHA! ;)

(what a GREAT Valentine's gift this is

for some hard to buy for people...

i know i'd LOVE it!)

...behind the scenes @ CP!

Just a few shots of me and my crazy chicks!

Trying to get caught up these next few days!

Boy, it's just been SO BUSY!!!!!

Thanks to everyone that's waited for me to get in touch with you!

I appreciate ya :)

Traditional Christmas Limited Edition Sessions

I'm LOVIN' this set... SO CUTE!

We've already been booking for these.. so as soon as you get a second give me a call or email and we'll make sure to book your spot!

Session fee $30

Packages start @ $50

Snow Days! & Snow Angel Limited Edition Sessions

Session fee $30

Packages start @ $50

Hurry and book your appointment now! It's THIS WEEKEND!

225.603.4414 or

Cherish@CherishedPortraits.com

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone gets ALL the candy they can carry ;)

And don't forget to turn your clocks back Saturday night...

...oh how i love that i can get an extra hour of sleep!!

makes me happy...

UPDATE! Xmas Formals...

...so... it seams that in the midst of the craziness here we haven't made time to prepare for the Formal Christmas Limited Edition sessions.
go figure, right??

We've rearranged some things and decided that Nov. 15th will be our NEW date for these :)
so call or email asap to make your appt.

Snow Days stays the same... email (to everyone on our list) and blog post to come soon! (for real...lol)

Holly Days!

Laura with Homemade Frames was so nice to ask us to fill a few of her frames...

we'll be offering her fabulous line in the very near future! Ya'll are going to love them!

So if your going to Holly Days this weekend go check out booth #116

and tell her Cherish sent ya!

Keeping up with the holiday schedule!

Hi!

We're back from New York! We had an awesome little getaway filled with fun, food and fab shopping... i, of course, snapped all kinds of cool pictures to scrapbook...
(um, i suppose i can catch up on that sometime while i'm sleeping - right!?!? ...lol)

Thought i'd let everyone know that the fall limited edition is almost filled up!!

Friday, the 17th has a few spots open... 11:30, 12:30 & 1:30

and Saturday, the 18th only 10:30 & 1:30 are open!

so anyone that's interested needs to act fast ;)

they wont be open for long...

also. watch for our Holiday Limited Edition posts coming up.

we've already started booking...

(people are just on top of things this year... hallelujah!!)

no body even knows what the backgrounds are going to look like!

HA! don't you just love it?!

Nov 1st we're planning our "Formal Christmas"

so think fun Christmas attire or cutie patootie PJ's

Nov 8th will be our "Snow Day!" or "Snow Angels"

(back by popular demand)

so start pulling out the cool hats and scarves...

oh... and don't forget the mittens too :)

those are always so cute!!

If you already know that your wanting to schedule for either of these days... i wouldn't wait.

give me a call 225.603.4414 or email me cherish@cherishedportraits.com

and let's go ahead and take care of that... i have a feeling that some will not be able to get in.

and of course i want everyone to get the "best times" for the little ones...

...attempting to capture a "happy baby" in the middle of nap time isn't usually my idea of fun ;)

here's a few pictures from the New York trip! i really do have SO MANY that i wanna post.

i'm really having to hold myself back!

(we spent a day in Pennsylvania too, driving through the Amish Country...

...and marveling at the simplicity that they live in.

here's one of the favorites)

(love this one with the skyline... click on the image to veiw larger)

(catching up on some MUCH NEEDED yoga time)

(before lunch @ Serendipity we walked through Central Park and stopped to take a few pics... love this one)

(Dinner @ Buddakan with my lovely Auntie Myra & Uncle Drew ~ aka the best people to tour the city with!)

Thanks Auntie M & Drew for showing us such A WONDERFUL TIME! really, ya'll ROCK!

things that make me, me.

I AM … so blessed.
I WANT… to sleep for an entire day and not feel bad about it.
I HAVE … a lot of things that I enjoy doing.
I KEEP … the fridge stocked with sugar free red bull and string cheese.
I WISH I COULD …make myself be a morning person.
I HATE … to drive in the rain.
I FEAR … I forget to make time for the important things.
I HEAR … the music that’s always in my head.
I DON’T THINK … that I’ll ever be able to wake up and make the bed regularly.
I REGRET … that I don’t work out like i should.
I LOVE … russ & all of the little quirky things that make him, him. Chili’s chocolate molten lava cakes. When I walk in the door and here “cherry!!!!” from little voices.
I AM NOT … going to be upset about not being able to sleep in tomorrow. or the next day, or the next.
I DANCE … not often enough.
I SING … really, really loud. Like, all of the time. Not only when I’m by myself.
I NEVER … watch commercials, thanks to our trusty tivo.
I RARELY … skip out on sushi.
I CRY WHEN I WATCH … other people cry. Or when I get really mad.
I’ M NOT ALWAYS … on time.
I HATE THAT … when I give blood or get a shot I always pass out. Never fails.
I’M CONFUSED ABOUT … the whole “do as I say, not as I do” rule. Who came up with that anyway.
I NEED … to make grocery shopping a regular thing.
I SHOULD … really wake up early everyday and drink coffee while watching the news or checking email. But, do I really think that will ever happen? Um. Probably not… but, what a wonderful idea.

Out of town!

We'll be out of the studio... yes, again... the 3rd - the 7th...

All calls & emails will be returned when we return.

Fall Limited Editions!

Can you believe it's already FALL!?!?

I know. It blows my mind...
Here's our Fall Limited Edition info!

(click on image to view it larger... and just to letcha know, we've already started booking... so hurry and book before it fills up!)

thought it was time to introduce the other man in my life...

this is moses ;)

(click on image to see larger)

i brought the studio lights to my house for the storm... figured it would be a good time for me to shoot Moses' first session.

i've had a few pets in my life. but, he's definitely one of a kind. an extremely strange personality...

hhhhmmmmmm... kinda sound familiar?? :) HA!

This is baby moses... a day or so after he "found us"... July 23rd, 2005.

he was so teeny tiny... my finger nail was bigger than his noes and mouth! oh, how they grow up so fast! lol!

out of the studio...

... we're headed out of town for my birthday

(which is in about 15 minutes... just thought i'd throw that in!)

:)

wwhhhoooo hooooooo!

Be back monday.

all calls & emails will be returned when i get back!

~Cherish

...electricity is a wonderful thing...

...you never really sit and think about until you don't have it... right!?!?

well. we made it through Gustav with only some minor wind damage. our fence at our house is laying on the ground and the yard at the studio looks like someone sprinkled green confetti everywhere... we're VERY lucky. there are trees down EVERYWHERE and the roads are a mess. Russ & i stayed with some friends in Central who have a generator... it was kinda like a mini vacation.

we were only without power for 2 days. but, i heard earlier on the news that 72% of Baton Rouge is still without electricity... and some area's are estimated to be without for weeks.

um. and yeah, the mosquito's are absolutely ridiculous!!! my legs look like i have a mild case of chicken pox... and they're saying that they'll only get worse... oh joy.

we'll be back in the studio monday (the 8th) for everyone that's wanting to get out... i know sitting around looking at each other gets a little lame... lol...
let me know if you want to come by. i'll probably spend most of the day calling clients - so just leave a message and i'll call ya back!

...looks like i'll be pulling the rain boots out!

doesn't really look very promising for us... now does it!?!??

As of today we still have appointments scheduled Tues-Thurs...
we'll be headed out of town again (for my BIRTHDAY!! YAY!!) on Friday
We're completely playing everything by ear - for obvious reason's, um... like we might not have power or we might need a boat to get to the studio... you know... things like that ;)

so. if you have an appointment with me during those days i suggest calling to confirm that we're still on. it's possible that i wont have computer access to check emails, so calling will be the best way to get in touch!
also. if your waiting to hear from me about your order being in or whatnot i will call you as soon as things settle down - hopefully Tues :)
I hope everyone has a FAB labor day weekend and stays safe through Gustav's arrival...

Cherish

The adventures of Cherish + Russ...

:) ok. so, in the craziness of last week i didn't make time to post that we would be out of the studio until the 28th. No biggie... normally i'd do that after i actually arrived at the location to where i would be. Well... Lol... i was unaware that our location would have NO INTERNET & by chance i found a spot that i had cell reception - so if you received a return call from me i was probably sitting on the window sil. HA!

Anyway. Russ & I had a quick trip to Maine to visit is dad & step mom who had rented a house by the beach. i actually lived in Maine as a child... so it was fun to revisit the state.

We visited some of the lighthouses along the coast and a few art museums... ate some "Lobsta" (ha ha ) and went kayaking in the ocean...

We were scheduled to arrive in New Orleans at 11pm on the 27th but, ran into a few issues leaving Portland which delayed our landing into the JFK airport and caused us to miss the last flight out.

ssssssssssssssoooooooooooooooooo... we added sleeping in an airport to the list of 1st time things
and got home around 10am on the 28th... fun fun.

...here are a couple of the lighthouses pictures... enjoy!
(click on image to veiw larger)

Now I'm attempting to get caught up and hoping that the electricity doesn't go out next week... or we'll have a ton of apportionment's to reschedule... whhhooo hoooo.

Austin, New Orleans & Destin... OH MY!

:) I've been quite the traveler these past few weeks...

thought i'd share a few pictures with ya!

Mom & I headed to Austin to catch up with one of my fellow photog friends, Ana Brandt. This was her first time speaking at a convention like this... so, of course i needed to show her the love!

I actually met her at a conference in Cali (where she lives) a few years back. We've stayed in touch and try to see each other as often as possible.

The next week we spent a few days in NOLA with The Professional Photographers of LA.

I've been a member since i was 16.
it's so much fun to see old friends & meet new ones... it's ALWAYS a good time!!
we're a crazy group of people! LOL!
these next few pictures were actually taken in the bathroom of our hospitality suite... the light in the bathroom ROCKED!

COOL LIGHT + PHOTOGRAPHERS = FUN PICTURES!

mandy & shay, GK & our new friend sam & i decide to "model"...

every year there's an awards banquet... this year mom did all of the decor... check it out! i did the cute little pictures in the frames :)

...after the banquet a few of us headed out to Cafe' Du Monde for a late night beignet attack! love me some beignets!
we decide to take a quick stroll to the quarter where i bought (actually i think i had to borrow cash - but you know what i mean) my first Lucky Dog. never really been a fan of hot dogs, but... i must say it was pretty good! anyway. we went up to the 29th floor and hung out by the pool for a little while. :) until we were nicely asked to leave by the security guard! HA!

that weekend Russ & i left for Destin for a much needed "real" vacation!
We had a friends wedding to go to and decided to make a little getaway of it!

The next few months...

Wanted to make sure that everyone’s aware that we’ve been booking into October for a while now… yes, it seems a little crazy – but clients are ordering holiday cards as well.
So if you know your wanting to come in for a session within the next couple of months I wouldn’t hesitate to call. Seems like this year is going to be CRAZIER than usual (I didn’t even know that would be possible! HA!!) so don’t procrastinate…
I don’t want to hear anyone say “I didn’t know that I needed to book that far in advance”. It happens EVERY YEAR – so, CALL TODAY!!

Tiger Fans - Limited Edition!

Sept. 18th, 19th & 20th!

Session Fee $30
Packages start @ $50

Appointments are already filling up...

so call ASAP to set up your time!

VACATION!!!!

...whoo hoo!!
Cherished Portraits will be on vacation :)

We'll back in the studio on Thurs the 14th!
All emails & voicemails will be returned then...
THANKS!!

~Cherish

Out of the studio - be back on the 6th!

...yes... Cherished Portraits will be out of town again... this time just to NOLA for our Professional Photographers of LA convention. So leave me a message or email & I'll get back with you as soon as i get back!

how beautiful...

i love maternity sessions... i especially love them when

they're followed by sweet newborn sessions

like we did with this family!

this mama just happened to be carrying TWO babies in that cute belly...

who would've known!?!? (i guess i'll letcha in on the secret - we shot these early on during her pregnancy to make sure she was still comfortable in front of the camera...)

She ROCKED!

And i mean really... can you get ANY CUTER than this...

out of the studio!

i'll be out of the studio until thursday (the 31st)...
so, leave a message or email and i'll get back to you :)

oh! and on another note - i've apparently been having issues with my email... if you've emailed me and haven't heard back... there's a good chance i never received the email or you didn't receive my reply. so i've started asking for a receipt when my email is read - hopefully this will help me see who's actually reading the emails until we get this all straightened out!
go ahead and email me again, if you dont mind - just to make sure i get it.
thanks!

way overdue!

i know everyone knows i don't photograph weddings (...right!??!?!?... thought i'd make sure just in case there was any question. HA!)
but, i sure do love capturing the bridal portraits!
i love the one with the couch. the colors just blend so nicely.

Polka dots are always fun!

meet ryan + rachel... they'll be getting married in december. ryan was actually my very first date. i was 13, does that really count as a date?? :) i dunno. but, we went to his homecoming together. the picture is hilarious... we literally stood next to each other with our hands by our sides.

very cute! lol.

i have had so many NEW sweet pea planners the past few months... i'm lovin it.
this one has some sweet older sisters that've been coming to see me for a few years now...