"Shaka Brah!" [Christine Kay, Chicago Photographer]

Okay, I have to admit it. I feel a bit lame to actually flash the shaka and take myself seriously. You know- the Hawaiian pinky-thumb hand signal translated "hangloose" or "right on". Isn't this supposed to be reserved for the super-fly locals?

Eh. Okay. I'll come clean. I did give the shaka a little test drive during my surf lesson in Oahu. After my first really stellar wave-ride I flashed one of these babies in Bill's direction. Felt kinda like a poser, not gonna lie.

Still. The Hawaiians have this awesome laid-back "shaka" attitude of "everything's gonna be alright". I do like the "Island style" kind of thinking. No worries!

That's good because it rained for the first 5 days we were there! Ugh! Rain, clouds, wind. In Hawaii!! This isn't supposed to happen. It's supposed to be sunny and 77 at all times, right?! Well, in the spirit of the shaka, Bill and I tried to just take it in stride and make the best of it. We loved the island! So gorgeous! I might not have gotten the sunny/crystal blue water photos I was hoping for, but it's all good. We had an awesome getaway!

Andddddd I got to eat OUT every meal. Can I hear a whoo-whoo??! Nah. I'll make that a:

This is one of my favorites. I looked down at my feet in an alley and there was this pile of debris with a beautiful little fallen bloom. Sometimes just the simple beauty in the unexpected is my favorite. I like the lines of the natural composition.

We hiked this rainforest during, well . . . rain of course! It was pouring and the trail was super muddy being that it had rained 3 days straight at this point, but it was so worth it! It was awe-striking. I told my husband I could do nothing but hike these trails the whole vacation and be completely happy.

With a baggie over my camera in a not-so-successful attempt to waterproof it, I took a bunch of pictures. There's some raindrops on my lens on most of them, but I think they still are some of my favorite images from our trip.

In an attempt to keep the rain fun, we decided to count how many rainbows we saw on our trip. We got to 21! Most rainbows I've seen in a one-week period ever. It may be faint but check out the double-rainbow from my hotel window-

When we stopped at the side of the road for fresh fruit, these little guys wanted to hop into our car. We had to chase them away, but it was pretty funny.

I have no idea what this is supposed to mean, but I couldn't help but photograph these colorful mailboxes.

A church on the North Shore that was established in 1824. 1824!!!!!

I'm such a sucker for interesting texture. This is a surfboard that I loved.

And this is what sunny and crystal blue looks like. In case you were wondering if we got to see any. Gorgeous!! (Thank you, boogie-boarder, for walking by at just the right place at just the right time.)

P.S. There aren't any photos of me surfing, but I will humbly say- I kinda rocked it. And I do have video to prove it.

Aloha and Mahola for checking out the blog!

Big News!

We are moving to Chicago! Trusting in God's leading, my husband and I are moving our family to the Windy City. After 6 months of emails, phone interviews, two visits, and lots of prayers, Bill has accepted the Senior Pastor position at Edgewater Baptist Church in the Edgewater neighborhood (just a few miles north of downtown). We are heading to a sweet church set right in the heart of the neighborhood. The community there is urban, very diverse, and dense (the second most dense neighborhood in Chicago!) We are eager to see how God wants to impact this city for Christ and can't wait to meet up again with our new church home!

While we are excited for what God has in store for us, it is with heavy hearts that we prepare our home for sale and our hearts to say goodbye. Phoenix has been my home for 30 years and this move is, by no means, an easy one. We love our community, we love our church, and . . . we love the sunshine! Ha! (NO Chicago-weather cracks, please! . . . yes, I AM a lightweight, but I bought a good coat, and I'll be fine. :)

We plan on heading out in 10-12 weeks time. There really isn't much time for photo shoots between now and then, but if you are dying to have a photo session, please contact me asap. I will keep a list of all the inquiries and fit you as my schedule allows.

Thank you! Phoenix, you've been so good to me in the launch of my business, and I will miss this city and all of my amazing clients, friends, and family here!

These images are from an anniversary trip Bill and I took to Chicago last April. Thought I'd share a few.

Here is Bill overlooking the city of Chicago (reflection in the 'Bean', a famous metallic sculpture downtown). Ironic, huh? Who knew he was overlooking his future home and place of ministry?!

I LOVE the Bean!

Here is a little series that I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to capture. It was a beautiful April day, blue skies making their spring debut. Gorgeous, gorgeous day! People everywhere! There were several field trips of kids in the city and I happened to catch this sequence as one class arrived at the Bean.

As the kids came running up, I snapped away, marveling in the joy of these kids. I was beaming ear to ear at their excitement and wonder of the awesome sculpture in front of them. They were LOUD and it was just plain fun to watch them! As I studied the scene, I was particularly interested in this lone guy fidgeting with his camera, trying to get that perfect shot of his own reflection. He NEVER looked up. I couldn't believe it. I mean, he was laser-focused in his own little world. He completely missed out.

So, . . . my social commentary here is simple- Look up! Life is too good!

Mmmmmmm, the textures of this city! Love it!

Upon closer inspection, I found a man sitting in the window studying the view of afternoon rush hour traffic. So much to see and observe in the big city-

Love it! I've seen a couple of taxi drivers in my time desperately try to talk their way out of a ticket so this scene caught my eye. Love it!

I am excited to go back to Chicago and head out with my camera again. The city is rich and is truly a photographer's dream. You can be sure of more posts to come from my adventurers there.