My Mom

I can smell the subtle floral scent of her perfume in the breeze.  I can hear her sweet voice singing along to her favorite songs.  I can see her big, beautiful smile every time I close my eyes.  I can feel her smooth, cool skin when she would touch my hand.  I can hear her infectious laugh that makes my heart full.

It’s been 2 weeks since my mother left us and I miss her.  I miss her terribly.

I torture myself every moment of every day, constantly thinking of what she would say and do in each moment of my day.  Her reactions were always so predictable that I know her exact response in any given situation.  Right now she’s calling me “crazy” for being so sad and “ugly” for all the ugly-crying that I’ve been doing the last few weeks.  Then she’d hop in the car, disappear for a while, return with pizza, sweets, an iced mocha, a singing stuffed animal, or anything she can think of to make me smile even just for a little bit.  And it wasn’t what she brought me that made me smile.  It was that look of pure joy on her face when she presented me with her little surprise because she knew it would make me smile.  My mother was the best mom and human being overall.  She was the absolute most special person I have ever known and her passing has turned our family upside down… and also the lives of many, many, many others of whom she has touched in so many ways.  She was a spectacular woman.

In looking at my own children, I see the best parts of me.  The best parts of my personality, the best parts of my spirit, and the best parts of my heart.  I sit here with tears in my eyes, thinking, hoping, praying that my Mother saw her best qualities in ME.    It is because of her that I am the mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, woman that I am and I hope I made her proud.

I miss her so much.

Sekou

There’s this little voice in my head that tells me “You know… EVERYONE thinks their kid has got what it takes. You’re no different…”

Yes. Very true, but how crazy would it be to not recognize this amazing opportunity that Sekou was selected for and how foolish would we be as a parents if we didn’t exhaust all of our options in order to make this dream a reality! He trains so hard and continues to challenge himself to improve his skill. It’s something in him that can’t be taught, and we couldn’t be prouder of this guy.

Read his story below

 

Early on we knew that our son, Sekou Mathews, had a natural athletic ability beyond his years.  As a toddler Sekou sat in the bleachers watching (studying) his older brother religiously at practices and games, so once he was old enough to sign up and play in (any) sports, he undoubtedly excelled and dominated.  His heart and passion surpass his physical stature.  His speed and agility are his strengths.  His talent is undeniable.  At the age of 10, he surprised us when he made the decision to quit football, basketball & track to focus all of his time, energy, and his heart into soccer.  He is now 12 and his commitment to the sport is most evident into the soccer player he is evolving into, and we are so proud of him.  His ultimate goal is to become a pro soccer player one day and as hungry as he is, we believe he will get there.

In July, Sekou attended 1 of the 33 FC Barcelona official soccer camps offered in the US where FCB Coaches trained and evaluated 5000+ players.  Recently, we were notified by FCB that SEKOU WAS SELECTED TO TRAIN IN BARCELONA, SPAIN in November!!!  This is an invite-only program where he will participate in an advanced, intensive training program offered to very few players around the world.  He will train at same fields used by Messi, compete in friendly-games vs. Spanish soccer academies, attend FC Barcelona home games, and bond with other players from all over the country who also share the same love of soccer. 

If you are financially able, please consider donating towards this experience of a lifetime for Sekou!   Money raised would go to the cost of the program (accommodations & meals included) and airfare.  ANY amount, no matter how small, will help achieve our goal and is GREATLY APPRECIATED.  Thank you for supporting and believing in our Sekou!!!  He’s so talented, smart, and just an all-around good kid.  He truly deserves this.

 
With love and appreciation,
Liza & Trevino

www.GoFundMe.com/SekouBARCA

 

www.GoFundMe.com/SekouBARCA

 

www.GoFundMe.com/SekouBARCA

www.GoFundMe.com/SekouBARCA

#1 FAN

After missing a few of their games in the last year, I vowed to keep my schedule free of shoots during game days. For everyone that put up with my limited availability the last few months, THANK YOU for being so understanding!

I LOVE watching my boys and I'm so grateful I was able to catch moments like this...



SEKOU… "Lil Pele…"

CY… He’s a BEAST out on the field...

The above photo (Cy #75) was from one of the rare times I brought the dslr to a game AND where I was able to sneak onto the field, which happened to be the one time they wore their practice uniforms instead of game uniforms. Just my luck.

Check out Cy (#74) in action...




Forever their biggest fans...

LOVE.

create.

I was waiting in line at the Japanese supermarket outta town one day, when this caught my attention.

So I bought it.

And I look at it.

Every.

Day.

Nothing Even Matters

Some people stop to smell the roses. I make us stop to take a quick photo, so we remember these small but special moments in our life. It was a beautiful day in Santa Cruz and earlier in the summer when life wasn't so busy.

LOVE.

I spend a lot of time staring at the computer screen, culling and editing pictures for hours on end, sometimes skipping sleep all together. Thankfully, Pandora keeps me going (and dancing at the computer as I edit the night away).

As I uploaded the above image to the blog and began typing this post, the most appropriate song comes on...

#11

To me, he’s the same Lil Oski that was always at the house with my sister and bro-in-law. He’s the same Lil Oski that entertained us for hours on end when my friends and I would dress him up in MC Hammer pants, a Sierra T-Shirt, a medallion, and my sister’s purple suede boots, only to have him put a boombox on his shoulder and dance for us like Michael Jackson as we videotaped him. He’s the same Lil Oski that followed me around the house saying “Weeesa?!” in a scooby doo-like voice. He’s the same Lil Oski that cried to me when my dad wouldn’t let him go across the street to play basketball because no one could take him at the time. The same Lil Oski that had us on the floor in tears from laughing so much because he was so silly, fun and full of life. The same Lil Oski that put a smile on my face even on my worst days.

To see him now – all grown up, mature, and taking the basketball world by storm – I am speechless. The amount of tragedy and loss in his life is far more than any person should endure in a lifetime. I think about it and my heart breaks all over again. His drive, strength and commitment pushed him to overcome what most people would not be able to. Period. For Orlando to achieve so much in his life and to now reach his dream is beyond anything I can put into words. I am extremely proud of not only the basketball player that he is, but the amazing young man he has become. My other sister summed it up perfectly in just one sentence... "God really did a great job with him..."

I made sure to bring my camera with me on the night of the NBA draft where family gathered to support Orlando on what turned out to be the night of his life. I’ll tell the story the best way I know how... in photos.

Then, the call from Indiana...

Waiting...

Breathe.

YESSSSS!!!!!!!

Amidst the cheers, screams, and tears, I hear someone yell “There’s a party up in Heaven tonight!!!!”

Yes. Ms. Vicky, Mrs. Jackson, Mrs. Odessa, Ms. Valerie, Ivan, Angel and Mark.... were definitely present.


From the Linsao/Mathews/Johnson/Sherman/Baria Family, we love you and wish you the best! #11 ORLANDO JOHNSON all the way. GO INDIANA PACERS!!!

my heart.

Happy Mother's Day!

L.

A reminder to myself

Not much of a presence on the blog, I know, but this will change.

As a photographer, I live to capture moments and I tell stories through imagery. This is my creative outlet. This is my passion. I need a camera and photography like I need air to breathe and live.

As a business, I spend more time behind the scenes than I do behind the lens, which is where I have been for the last month.... preparing contracts, responding to emails, working on projects, scrambling to meet deadlines, upgrading gear, amping up for wedding season, and the list goes on. I am SO EXCITED for a couple upcoming projects I’ve had in the works and also some special shoots I’ve got lined up in between.

I sometimes have to stop where I am, take a deep breath and remind myself why I do this and what it is in my heart that led me to this place. Photography has a brought a pure joy to my heart and I’m truly blessed to be able to do what I love.

Emotions: Captivating

As soon as the lights dimmed, the music filled the air, and the curtain began to open, I thought to myself “There is no place else I’d rather be than RIGHT HERE…” I sat at the edge of my seat, ready and waiting for my niece to come out on stage to do her thing.

What photography is to me now, is what dance was to me in my youth. It was my life and it started as far back as I can remember. I had dreams and aspirations to grow up and DANCE, as I chasse'd throughout the house, daydreaming about doing hundreds of chaine turns into the perfect russian.

To see Robriana up on stage, beautiful, graceful, and doing what I yearned to do most of my life, my heart was filled with joy as tears continued to stream down my cheeks. I had my camera with me during the entire performance, but no pictures. Neither videography nor photography were allowed and (I never thought I would say this) I can appreciate that. Had multiple flashes been going off throughout the show or any bright lcd screens distracted my full view of the stage, I wouldn't have been able to take it all in and fully experience the amazing performance by this TALENTED group of young people. They danced from their hearts and it touched my soul, just as true artists do.

For the sake of recording this special night, I made sure to have my camera in hand when we met her outside of the venue after the show. So here’s my girl…

Love you so much and I’m really, REALLY proud of you.

EVERY SINGLE DAY...

... I AM THANKFUL FOR YOU.

Football season has arrived.

The boys played hard today. It's gonna be an exciting season.

Inspired and Driven

I recently spent the day with several hundred other photographers from all over Northern California and, to say the least, it was a good day. Being in a room with so many creative people that share the same passion and an eagerness to learn is a great feeling. I arrived in the morning with a granola bar, a notepad and butterflies in my stomach. I left at the end of the day feeling inspired, ready to move full speed ahead towards my goals, and even made a handful of new photographer friends.

A quick snapshot of Bambi Cantrell in action.

The old days

My 11 year-old and I were in the car on our way somewhere, when a question came up and I had to call home for some reason. I’m sure it was some silly question about something I forgot… “Can you make sure I unplugged the curling iron?” or “Did he want curly fries with that?”. Whatever it was, it was important to me at that moment.

I reach for my phone and there is nothing there. The panic sets in.

Me: “WHERE. IS. MY. PHONE.”

Son: “Seriously Mommy. Again?”

Me: “I gotta pull over to call Dad. Tell me if you see a payphone anywhere.”

I look over at him in the passenger’s seat and notice the perplexed look on his face as he stares straight ahead out of the window.

Son: [pause] “Mommy… What’s a payphone?”.

The funniest part is how I found myself saying “Back when I was your age, we didn’t have cell phones. We used phones connected to the wall and payphones when we were out and about. I used to keep quarters stocked in my car for emergencies…”. I might as well have said “Back in my day, a gallon of milk cost 3 pennies and we did homework by candlelight” because that was the look he gave me. He thinks I’m old. Which reminds me of a conversation I had with his best friend a while ago...

Friend: “Miss Liza, Have you heard this new song?” and he belts out lyrics to Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air Tonight' from back in the eighties.

Me: “That’s not a new song! What do you know about that? That’s back when I was a kid!!”

Friend: “It’s from the OLD DAYS back in the NINES???”

Oh my goodness. He said the “nines”, meaning the 1900’s, as if anything that falls into that century is the "the old days". I laughed for days. These kids constantly remind me that I’m not as young as I thought I was.

Hello and welcome.

I always end each session with a ton of images that I want to share with the world, and having to narrow it down to 1 or 2 photos to add to my website portfolio is always hard for me.  Therefore... welcome to my new blog.  Here you will find some of my recent work, tidbits about my life behind the lens with family and friends, and just some randomness I may have to share.  Hopefully in the process, prospective clients will get a better idea of me as the photographer, and me as a person.

So, in honor of the new blog, it's contest time!  Contact me here and type "LOVE THE BLOG" in the subject line before May 1, 2011.  One lucky winner will be randomly selected to win a FREE one-hour portrait session on the Monterey Peninsula!  Be sure to include your name and contact information in the body of the email.  Enter now :)