Strollin' Melrose & Venice Style

Yesterday we took my niece & nephew on the L.A. tour.

FIRST STOP...

Tried on stuff, took pics & ate. It was so ridiculously hot!

niece whitley & my sons gf charmaine

whitley & my sister stacy...who picked out your hat?LOL!

me & my sis were obviously having an ugliest hat contest, who wins?

nice look joshy!

nephew johnny & joshy


you can never have enough shoes!



My son had to leave early to make it back to Orange County in time for work. He called my sister & let her know that there was a nice little present on her car.

They had posted this 2 hr. parking along a street that I always used to park on for hours at a time.

Well NONE of us noticed it. The ticket was hand written & the $55.00 amount was crossed out & they put $60.00. She was so upset. I already had to force her to come with us because she has major family drama going on with one of her sons.

Next we headed to Santa Monica pier. Walked around, sat at the end of the pier, kicked back and listened to this guy.

He had an absolutely incredible voice...who would've thought by looking at him? Goes to show ya...don't judge a man by his appearance.






nothing like a stroll on the santa monica pier...

The final stop ummmm yeah...idk...

What can I say...it's obviously Venice Beach, no questions needed, right? Check out the ladies faces!

My sister has been wanting a jacket that one of her friends got there. We found it right away, but decided to walk down a little further to see if we could find another store selling it to bargain the price. We didn't realize how far we had walked when all of a sudden everyone started closing up their shops.



My niece & I started running back to get to the store before it closed. We ran & ran & ran...but by the time we got there, it was closed! When my sister reached us, I think she wanted to cry. She said, "Wow...I get to pay a $60.00 ticket & I get to go home without my jacket!"

I couldn't help but laugh. I tried not to because I knew she was really upset. She went & sat on the bench away from me.

What a mean sister I am.

But in my defense, I was just shocked at how bad her luck is...& the whole thing was comical. I told her that she'll feel like laughing about it later.

The whole ride home she kept asking, "How do you like my $60.00 jacket?" As she held up her bright yellow parking ticket for us all to see...sending me into a laughing fit again.

On a positive note, my son & nephew went back there today & got the jacket for her...AND, she called on the ticket & they told her it had been voided. I told her, "SEE...everything worked out!"

Their Here...Time To Party!

(Brother & Sister just recently reunited)

I finally was able to meet my long lost niece, Whitley. She came down here with my nephew, Johnny for a short visit. It's so awesome to immediately feel the family bond. It's weird how even though you've never met someone before & by all accounts they are a stranger, you still feel complete love for them!

This has been such a blessing for our family!~

I've made tons of plans because I love to be on the go. Now I just have to get my older sister to comply. You see, where I'm a go go go girl, my sister is more of a homemaker (she takes care of everyone & is the best cook in the world)...but I like to grab her, kicking & screaming & drag her out of her comfort zone.

I guess I do that to everyone in my life...I think they need more adventures because life is too short.

So my list so far is:
1. Beach & lunch tomorrow (they will go to the beach until I get off at 1:00)
2. Balboa tomorrow night
3. Beach Bonfire (Fri or Sat)
4. BBQ/Bike Ride (Sun)
5. Melrose, Santa Monica Pier & Venice (Monday...I'm off woo hoo!)
6. Tuesday is still open

any ideas?

Wednesday they fly out to Reno, NV. to meet my dad & stepmom.

I would love suggestions to other cool places in So. Cal. that I could take them. I'm sure I could squeeze more stuff in...Tuesday's open!LOL!

Off to LA Today

K, the pics have nothing to do with the story...they're from Christmas Eve, but I finally was able to download them & was anxious to put them up!

Jullien, Elijah & Me (2 of my Boys...missing Josh)

Today I had to drop Jullien off in LA at Alvera St. for a photo shoot. I heard that there was going to be an awesome photography show in Santa Monica so I thought, "PERFECT...I'll go to that and wait till he's done so I don't have to go all the way home & then try to get back in traffic."

I loved the show (PHOTO LA 2010- CLICK HERE)...it gave me so many ideas, not just regarding my photos but also matting & framing. One of my favorite exhibits was the first one I saw when I walked in titled "Created Equal" by Mark Laita. It was a portrayal of people at the opposite ends of the spectrum or similar (i.e. An African American Christian woman & a white supremicist tattooed male prisoner; a fur trapper & a lady wearing fur, vegetarian & a butcher, a dancer & a boxer). It really made you think. We are all created equal...the difference is life choices. It was VERY COOL...I loved the whole concept behind it.

Then I went down to Santa Monica pier & snapped some cool random pics and hung out till Jullien was done. I grabbed something to eat, sat on a bench overlooking the ocean & some fisherman who were directly below me fishing off the bottom area of the pier. A man sat near by playing the guitar and singing a mixture of jazz & 60's music. I leaned back and thought, "This is exactly what I need. I'm always running & racing around with sports, practices, meetings, and work, it felt so good to have no one needing me for a while."

I looked down to see the large crab that the fisherman had caught scrambling around in the metal wash basin. Kids ran over to peak excitedly inside, as the man told them, "Don't touch him...he'll pinch you." Once the kids left, I had to laugh because every time he turned around to fish, a group of pigeons would swarm the basin, trying to get some easy lunch. He was twisting and turning every few minutes to flail his arms at them...it looked pretty funny.

I need to take the family there, they've never been...I wish our pier was like that!

Anyways, Jullien was happy to work with the photographer, Mark Humphrey, (Humphrey Creative), he said he's a really cool guy and easy to work with. He actually did a viral video for the same photographer back in New York...it'll be coming out soon. The designer & photographer really liked him & so they came back to LA to shoot him. Check out the Photographer's work...(He's done a lot of the Budweiser commercials) CLICK HERE.

After he was done, I picked him up and we went down and walked around Melrose & did some shopping. He was getting mad at me because I was taking too long...typical boy. He was supposed to go to a party with his girlfriend and was trying to rush me.

I actually hate to shop too, but I love this Vintage store on Melrose called, "CROSSROADS TRADING CO - Click Here." I bought some cute tops for $8.00 & a black Armani jacket for $12.00! I'm the bargain shopping queen, I love finding cute, funky clothes for cheap. Besides, I can't feel guilty about shopping for myself at those prices.

We left Melrose so late that I thought we'd miss all the traffic, but even at 7:00 p.m. we still sat in it! I could never work somewhere that I had to commute, what a nightmare!

I have to say that it was a really fun day...I always love doing different things. Not to mention getting to spend some time with my son while he's here (heading back to New York the end of this month). I'm definitely not one of those mom's who wants her kids to move out once they graduate. I wish they could live with me forever...I miss not having them all at home. It gets too quiet!

Today's Tip: All mom's should take a couple of days a month to do something for themselves!

My Cool Birthday Present

Yesterday at work my boss said she's been racking her brain on what to get me for my birthday (Monday, December 8th~not telling the year). She sent me this email:
Hello,
I hope this message finds you well this holiday season. I would like to invite you to my upcoming Kirstography Photographic Excursions. I have 8 excursions planned throughout Los Angeles in December. Each excursion lasts 4 hours, providing plenty of hands-on instruction and time to practice. The cost is $65 per photographer & is limited to 5 people.For further information or to book your excursion, please call or email.
Kirsten L. Levisen
310-980-8581
kirstography@ca.rr.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirstography
http://kirstography.smugmug.com/
Sunday, Dec 7th - Holiday Lights @ Griffith Park
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Los Angeles
An evening Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing holiday light displays after dark.
Bring your tripod & learn how to control your shutter speed to take long, low light exposures.
You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations to create better photos.
Control Shutter Speeds:*Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action)*Slow Shutter (blurred motion) Use Camera's "Night Scene" modes Use self timer or remote control Use flash with a slow shutter speed Use a tripod
Location Info:
http://www.dwplightfestival.com/index.htm
Friday, Dec 12th - Santa Monica Pier-Night Lights
4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Santa Monica
An evening Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing the lights on the Ferris Wheel & other rides on the Santa Monica Pier. Bring your tripod & learn how to control your shutter speed to take long, low light exposures. Twilight is a beautiful time of night to capture all the of the lights & action around the pier. You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations to create better photos. Control Shutter Speeds: *Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action) *Slow Shutter (blurred motion) Use Camera's "Night Scene" modes Use self timer or remote control
Use flash with a slow shutter speed Use a tripod
Location Info:
http://www.santamonicapier.org/location.html
Saturday, Dec 13th - Getty Villa
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Location: Malibu
A daytime Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing the Roman inspired architecture and gardens of the Getty Villa. You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations & Techniques to create better photos. Control Lens Aperture: *Long depth of field (architecture) *Shallow depth of field (close-ups) Control Shutter Speeds: *Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action) *Slow Shutter (blurred motion) Compositional Techniques: *Rule of Thirds *Leading Lines *Curves *Compression/Expansion *Low Angle/High Angle View Point *Orientation-Horizontal vs. Vertical
Location Info:
http://www.getty.edu/visit/
Thursday, Dec 18th - Griffith Observatory
4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Los Angeles
A twilight Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing the Art Deco architecture of The Griffith Observatory & the L.A. skyline. This excursion starts right before sunset & ends after dark. So, bring your tripod & learn how to control your shutter speed to take long, low light exposures. You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations & Techniques to create better photos. Control Lens Aperture: *Long depth of field (architecture) *Shallow depth of field (close-ups) Control Shutter Speeds: *Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action) *Slow Shutter (blurred motion) *Use Camera's "Night Scene" modes. Compositional Techniques: *Rule of Thirds *Leading Lines *Curves *Compression/Expansion *Low Angle/High Angle View Point *Orientation-Horizontal vs. Vertical
Location Info:
http://www.griffithobservatory.org/vshuttle.html
Saturday, Dec 20th - Union Station & Olvera Street
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Location: Downtown Los Angeles
A daytime Kirstography Excursion dedicated to photographing the architecture & activities of Union Station & Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles. You'll receive hands-on training in the following Camera Operations & Techniques to create better photos. Control Lens Aperture:
*Long depth of field (architecture) *Shallow depth of field (close-ups) Control Shutter Speeds:
*Fast Shutter Speed (stop-action) *Slow Shutter (blurred motion) Compositional Techniques: *Rule of Thirds*Leading Lines*Curves*Compression/Expansion*Low Angle/High Angle View Point
*Orientation-Horizontal vs. Vertical
Location Info:
Union Station http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Los_Angeles)
Olvera Street http://www.olvera-street.com/html/olvera_street.html

Now all I have to do is pick a day. How awesome is that present?! When I take pictures...I just guess at the settings and hope it comes out okay. Now I'll be able to learn details and the reasons behind it.

It's like learning a whole new language! The best part...it's HANDS ON, which I'm much better at than just reading from a book that doesn't make much sense to me. Now when I take my trip up to Utah on the 23rd, I can take AMAZING pictures and not doubt what I'm doing.

I've narrowed it down to two specific dates, one of the days teaches you the most, but I really need to learn about night shooting (I'm REALLY bad at it), so I'm kind of torn. I think I'll go with the day shoot and just pick her brain about night time settings...I'm kind of pushy that way.
I can't wait...it's the PERFECT gift!!