-making my momma proud

i do have a refined, less crass, more polished side of me.
it is very very small. very very small.
HowEvER- when this side does decide to surface, some shocking things come out.
for example:

i was asked to decorate this GORGEOUS home in paradise valley for a holiday party.
the owner gave me 100% freedom.
after about 10.2 seconds in the home i decided on wintery peacocks.
because when i dream about the perfect tree, it has peacock feathers-
in a room with a glittery chandelier,
an over-the-top mantel and
josh radin playing in the background.

this is a bit of another mantel i did in the living room.
i'm so into twigs this year.
i thought it was a good way to tie the 2 main rooms together.

these are some of the centerpieces for the party.
that's rice filling the vases.
i also thought that was wintery.
and delicious.

the owner didn't need much in the bathrooms so i did simple finishing touches.

i'm so uncomfortable blogging about this kind of stuff.
i have a step by step tutorial i put together on how i made my tree.
i may post it but fear i'll lose my ability to tell a good fart joke.
know any good interior decorating sites that might want that kind of thing on their site?
(with a side dish of flatulence?)

-cake punching (in the face)

surprise!!!
it's my birthday!!
thanks friends for an evening of sushi, karaoke, pink tights, fighting cakes, queen, sweaty hot rooms, front and back cleansings, lots of laughs and not having to plan.
probably my favorite bday thus far.
maybe next year the economy will pull it's head out and we can go back to nyc and find some other baked goods to punch in the face.

staci, jonelle, victoria and me

tiff, pris, me, jamie, thera, kayla and steph

bette midler makes me feel sensual too.

a bite before the altercation.

queen. no words necessary. thank you.

thers, james and tiffs

and just when i thought i couldn't love tiff anymore, this picture surfaced.
man, i love this girl. (and my circus hair)

jonelle is sometimes too amazing.

and of course the night had to end with this old cougar posing in the bathroom with me.
telling me she wished she had a family of her own.
through her vodka and bubble yum breath.
now that i'm 32, does this make us peers?
hooray.

-gross= amazing

sometimes we wear things contrary to our mother's strong advice.
we'll see how many twi-tards i can offend tonight.
can't wait.

-and now i'm 32

for my major total sweet birthday this year,
this young man and his hair took me to breakfast-

the greatest gift any man could ever give me.
we also met audrey, landon and nash.
audrey's great because she hardly even noticed my 3 diet sodas before 9:30am.
and she knows how to wrestle her toddler (that outweighs her).
but wait-
there were full blown bday festivities before the sun even came up.
pris, victoria, dave and i all ran south mountain in the darkened bitter cold.
maybe it's the old age setting in but i really enjoy a good sunrise.
almost as much as watching wheel of fortune and eating pecan sandies (barf) (that was an old people joke)
but really, i can't think of a better way to enter this next year of life than to be flying down a mountain surrounded by arizona's unlimited beauty and early morning laughter.








the day ended with homemade cd's on my doorstep, a blood red pedicure, new leopard platforms, green mussels and sushi, a blackberry full of bday texts and some loving words from my mother about how much she and my dad love me and are proud of me.
the only thing that could top this year would be new moon on friday and a surprise party on saturday.
shhhhhh. don't tell me.
it's a surprise.

-love

i once read that being a parent is like watching your heart walk around outside of your body.
i agree.
times 2.

-zerhog

i was smart.
it was a long time ago but nevertheless- i was.
i worked as a coordinator and a counselor for an in home program with mentally ill adults.
i was professional. i had benefits. i wore slacks.
i didn't love it and peaced out when the radio gig pulled me from my degrees and building resume down to the depths of the entertainment industry.

there's only one thing i miss about being smart.
and that would be hanging out with marci herzog.
she's smart. she's fun. she's rock hard. she's pretty great. she's still rocking and rolling with the crazies.
and now she has amazing little nev.
giving me another reason to worship the ground she walks on.


for more pictures of this rad family click here



and because it's friday- enjoy the greatest song ever made.

-i need more money- for shopping

so so wet behind the ears. (what does that mean anyways?)
here's a couple shots from scottsdale fashion week- aka butt kicker for the outdoors sunspotty one trick pony photographer that i am.
it was a blast.
i learned a ton.
and i'm ready for more.
for a good time go to thesoop.com for more of my pictures and others from the event.

photo by erick lazo 360 photography

bandi panda- oh my gosh this show was a trip.
so much fun and so very unpractical.
the audience laughed with each design.

kevon hall

kevon hall

kevon hall

bebe.
this show was really all about the hats and shoes for me.
and the shoes.
and the shoes.
and the shoes.
shoes at bebe. who knew?

nostalgic boutique
i could not get over this model.
isn't she adorable?

aga couture by alex garcia acosta

kate spade

kate spade
DYING over the white tights this year.
and yes, i will be rocking them- no matter how fat they make my legs look.

kate spade
my favorite look of the night.
the color combo sang to me.

and then there was this girl for barneys.
the most amazing walk and presence.
i loooooooooved her - and so did everyone else.
there was a literal gasp when she came out.
just look at the crowd.

photo by erick lazo 360 photography

seriously- there was too much to post.
i didn't even include the banana republic, escada, st john or carolina herrera collections.
if you're into it this kind of stuff- click here for more pictures. (coming soon if they're not there yet!)

-snap out of it

ever seen a picture of yourself that makes you laugh just thinking about it?
this is mine.
i was so stressed about my dumb camera at scottsdale fashion week.
these people -the video guy and intern- were patient enough to listen to my gripes and sit while erick tried to get it to focus. i think jose actually got this shot.
either way- the entire low lighting experience kicked me in the crotch.
i've been editing the shots and crying my way through the fuzzy mess.

and after 2 major melt downs i have to sit back and laugh.
i'm laughing at what a big freaking deal i make out of everything.
i'm laughing about the crazy expectations i put on myself.
i'm laughing about the amazing evening i nearly missed because of my perfectionist tunnel vision.
and i'm really laughing when i think about how everyone must be laughing at me too.

humbled.

now- back to work

-tis the season

and the reward for the worst mother of the week goes to................
me.
i've been calling it in this week.
the boys are starting to play together so leaving the house isn't so urgent but along with all the play comes fists of fury to the chest and a lot of biting.
and i'm tired.
priscilla and i are on a mission to leave shards of our skin all over phoenix's south mountain so waking up at 4:40am to make sure we're running the terrain in pitch black increases our chances of falling- and bleeding all over the blessed desert.
(in reality- we have to be home in time for the men to leave for work and to catch a shower before the babies awake and chaos ensues). i feel better than ever and have seen some of the most amazing sunrises of my life. but holy jeez- i'm tired.

and then there's all the work i've bitten off. i'm up to my ears in gorgeous photos to edit, post, wipe their noses and send to the appropriate parties. this past weekend was scottsdale fashion week and i've got a gut full of kate spade, barney's and other amazingness to digest.

the holiday photos rush has hit. i'm so very happy.
i love taking pictures.
i love being busy.
and i love feeling a little bit more alive this year.
check out the photo blog for proof of what's keeping me from teaching my children the sounds of the alphabet and how to stop crapping in their diapers.
here's a preview:



ps- i have a couple spots left open for family photos and such to be completed in time for the holidays. let me know if you're interested.
arizona.lewis@yahoo.com

-arizona lewis cameo

Italian Summer Show. from 5stories high on Vimeo.

so remember this post?

well, here's an amazing video put together by my new friend, jd smith, with a small little appearance by yours truly teasing her little brother. (in the middle around 10:16)

AND- i also got a line in the credits. woo woo. (cat call whistle)

see what you get when you carry around a camera and act like you know what you're doing?!

don't forget to watch the last couple of minutes. dave really shows his stuff.

-bzzzz and tears

these are my babies.
ade sat in his costume for FOUR hours.
brooks was in his for maybe four minutes.
both of them made us laugh and wanna squeeze them.
for very different reasons.





thank you halloween for being as chaotic and cavity inducing as i'd wished for.