-cool people with cute kids video

there goes brian and elisabeth again- taking all of the good songs.
"eyes" by rogue wave.

i think i have a crush on a couple. this is a first for me. so confusing with all of these new and exciting feelings.
and let it be noted that this video has not 1- but TWO evan running sequences. he runs faster with his tongue out. man- i love these people.

-easterfest.

sweet.

we just got right to it this year.

it was the first time we've dyed eggs. ever. and the boys were little geniuses.

there were no brown barf looking eggs.

i was actually impressed with their precision and patience.

yet another thing they did NOT get from me.

and i feel 15 minutes of fun is totally worth 3 days of green/yellow/orange fingers.

and then we went to dean and jonelle's easter egg hunt.

freaking cute little party.

we always feel so loved at their home.

and when the bunny said he'd do face painting on the kids he had no idea what the lewis boys would order.

not the suggested butterfly or rocket ship.

i said we got right to it this year.

-fran

jonelle's cat was missing for 2 days.

very scary because jonelle lives at the base of camelback mountain and has packs of coyotes running through her grass all night. she was finally found in a box in the garage (which is another story of it's own).

is this really a post about a cat?

no.

it's a post about jonelle's heart.

and how much she loves all things in her fold.

oh man.

we're all soooo relieved that fran's home.

coyotes can suck it.

-pictures of my heart

this picture was done by ken clark (a fellow assistant) and edited by me.

a very long time ago- i met a photographer.

he took my picture.

we conversed very little.

i found him to be interesting and wildly talented.

several years later i bought a camera and began taking pictures- never ever calling myself a photographer.

that's a title saved for professionals.

i just take pictures.

this week i've been assisting that photographer.

years of daydreaming and wishing have come to fruition.

and i'm practically speechless.

dream big.

-more please.

fathers and sons camp out.

blessed be thy name.

i've realized the true meaning behind this mormon holiday.

it has NOTHING to do with creating a wonderful bonding weekend for men and their little men through camping in the desert, eating food off untwisted wire hangers, peeing on piles of fire ants or enjoying the wilderness with fellow twig and berry members.

it has EVERYTHING to do with getting out of the house and leaving me the hell alone.

as brandon was walking out the door at 5pm on friday (suppose to leave at 3:30pm) he said i wasn't acting sad enough to see them go. really? did i volunteer too quickly to retrieve the camping equipment from the garage and stack it neatly into the back of the car? was it the seamless preparation of 3 meals chopped, organized and sealed perfectly into coolers filled with ice? perhaps i was smiling to excitedly as i filled the car to the brim with gas, making sure there was as little work as possible for brandon- eliminating all hurdles obstructing his exit. oh i know- maybe i did cuss a little too loudly when i discovered the boys' duffle bag full of warm clothes and diapers on the floor of the boy's bedroom an hour after they finally left. (brandon's only responsibility was to carry it to the car). the sweating and anxiety over them returning home early because they didn't have the bag was probably too obvious.

i know what busted me- as brandon was giving me that final hug- he could sense the internal happiness flowing through me due to the secret knowledge that i was going to get an entire evening to hang out with chipotle tacos, a disgusting kardashians marathon and my body laying flat on its back. (cue the angels singing).

when you've birthed nothing but boys and your husband is a man- fathers and sons weekend is the sh*t. -heather lewis

the ONLY downfall was that i signed up to race in Pat's Run saturday morning- making me wake up at 4:30am. i left the utopia of that empty house in the early dark hours and rushed into the waiting arms of an excited and nervous jonelle. this was her first race ever and it was an absolute blast running beside her and watching her tear up with every passing mile.

and let's be honest- this race was like an extended vacation anyways. a friend got us all sponsored through Powerade which included high necked race shirts, the most gorgeous fanny packs and a steak breakfast. who eats steak minutes before running 4.2 miles? this girl does. because that's what perfect weekends are made of.

jonelle, dave, kym, shugg, some guy that kind of looks like dave and me.

and because jonelle did an amazing job and because my boys were still gone and because life just needed to be a little more perfect- we spent the rest of the day getting massages and hanging poolside with a sexy breakfast burrito and a whole lotta silent people watching.

booyah.

-na na. na na. (shark music)

nothing like a bright eyed baby and a ton of ISO to make for a fun photo shoot at the aquarium.

here's the problem- i want to take my family's pictures there.

and i want to be in the pictures.

hhhhmmfffffff.

oh well.

great grainy session with my favorite little hodges family.

i can't wait for them to see the rest. too many to post.

most flies they got three leg, but mine got one.

if i could be anything- i would be as talented as linda mccartney.

she's the one i've been studying.

the expert on low lighting and candid perfection.

plus she had an endless supply of interesting subjects.

wow.

makes me wanna load my duaflex and play with film again.

-needing kennewick

is it possible to be a deer in headlights and not even know it?

sometimes i take on more than i should. a lot.

why, why, why do fill my life with more than this bucket can hold?

it's like i run out into the middle of traffic but turn my head before i get hit by a truck.

and the twisted part is that these are the times in my life where i feel alive most.

i think running at max speed is what it takes to get the serotonin flowing.

i'm also thinking it's time to go home again.

ps- please send me an email: arizona.lewis@yahoo if you live in the tri cities area in washington and would like photos. i'll be there for a couple of weeks. probably the last 2 weeks of june and first 2 weeks of july.

-score!!!!!!!!!

i'm the type of person that everyone gives mixed tapes to.

the petersons (pictured below) are the type of people that enjoy making mixed tapes.

it's as if our friendship was written in the stars.

here's a few of my favorite b&w's from our time together-

ps- a list of the artists they've shared with me:

broken bells, blitzen trapper, passion pit, bob schneider, brett dennen, charlie mars, coconut records, david vandervelde, adele, matt nathanson, my morning jacket, rhett miller, chester french, phoenix, pete yorn, delta spirit, rilo kiley, shout out louds, spoon, stephen ashbrook, patrick park, the black keys, the jayhawks, the southland, the white stripes, wheat, paloalto, local natives and guster.

-self assessment

i wish my body didn't require sleep.

i listen to one band at a time. for months.

reading is my strongest coping skill.

caffeine works as an antidepressant on my mind.

i'm an extrovert that prefers to be alone.

i always have something to daydream about.

i know a person before they've even said a word to me.

i regret 85% of the things i say.

i have the world's strongest shut off valve.

i hate being told what to do.

-hoops

so this is why i didn't throw myself off of cliff when i didn't think i could a take another day of parenting. although i looooove my little babies, this big boy stuff is where the fun begins. the boys have started another round of basketball and i can honestly say it's my favorite part of the week. i love their excitement when they make a shot, i love the smell of the gym floors, i love their coach andy, i love how awkward their ball handling skills are and i love the chowfest at sweet tomatoes following the exhausting 40 minute practice. (wink)

and what i love most, most, most is watching lew be the proud papa.

brooks is tall and fast- papa chest puff #1

ade is feisty and confident- papa chest puff #2

and since ade's realized he can dribble better with his feet- he thinks he's twice as smart too.

drinking. it. all. in.

-email

sometimes i get really funny emails from people i don't know.

like this:

Hi,
So the blog world is weird. I had a dream a few nights ago where I took you to a family party at my grandparents house in Scottsdale, then you helped me after my car got broken into. Totally normal, right? Then we were chased by fire snakes. Whatever.
Anyway, I do enjoy your blog, and I promise I'm not as crazy as I probably sound right now. But I thought you'd get a kick out of it. :)

-M

i think i'll start posting more of them. i have an awesome collection.

i don't think it's weird or stalkerish to look at blogs.

it would be weird to try to hack in to a private blog to view it. that seems creepy.

public blogs are a go so stop apologizing for the compliments and saying hello. :)

emails like these make my day.

-gen con hair

what an awesome sunday on the couch with my family.

we love that our fam is 4ever.

-busy day at the office

my current place of employment is bumble bee, az.

i can't get enough.

i don't know how other phoenix photographers find locations in the valley.

i'm so sick of looking for places.

i've found one other interesting spot but even that's posted all over some dude's photo blog.

but who cares.

it's an hour drive and bumble bee is where it's at for arizona lewis.

there's never a single person up there taking pictures, you can pee where ever you want and i'm getting to know the locals. (actually can't avoid them when they're standing 15ft away watching me take pictures and hollering at me to avoid stepping on nails and to come check out the inside of their refurbished bus).

it's always an adventure.

this saturday i had my dearest jose with me to figure out how to shoot for 3 different clients at the same time. an engaged couple, an accessory designer and a sexy cowgirl (those pictures aren't available yet).

we figured it out and when we were sitting down for a super late dinner at a chipotle in who-knows-where, az i said to him:

"wanna know why i look like i've been laying in the dirt? it's because i've been laying in the dirt".

maddie and lindsay's engagements.

a new line called "fun. modern. vintage."

by britt hunter

miner bob and his bus.

photo by jose de orta.

photo by jose.

styling by miner bob.

photo by arizona lewis

sunset by the good lord.