Santa Cruz Island

Although I am a little bit tardy on this post, I am doing it in the honor of Nikolai's birthday today!

The ship left the Santa Barbara harbor at 4am the morning of August 16, 2009 while we were still snug in our cots. As the engines rumbled silently beneath the floorboards, we lay asleep knowing that another SCUBA adventure would soon begin. The next morning came quickly, making waking up that much harder. We walked up the stairs to an amazing made-to-order meal and a buffet with something from each of the five food groups.

After a small bite, the captain went over the dive plan and instructed us to get suited up. It was quite a task orchestrating each of the thirty divers in and out of the water. The first dive we took it easy while we acclimated ourselves to the new environment. After we surfaced, our breakfast order from earlier was completed sitting on the counter of the galley with a sheet of strategically placed aluminum foil. We ate quickly and hurried for our last two dives of the day. We managed to get our wet gear back on for another giant stride off of the deck. Nik was equipped with his Canon S50 equipped with the waterproof housing - Nice! Rather than me trying to describe it, why don't I just let the video speak for itself...



We had an amazing time on this trip and cant wait for the opportunity to dive again with Truth Aquatics. A special thanks to the Manager Chris Callahan and the crew of the Truth, you guys have a first class dive operation!

Sachs:Hill Wedding

AnneMarie & Adam had come to us with an idea of incorporating paisley into their wedding. We were able to design their entire event around a swatch of paisley fabric that they had purchased online. The aisle runner, table runners, belly bar sashes, pillows, invitations, stationary, and the cake were all made with a paisley design. This wedding was not only beautiful but unique and personalized to compliment the couple's non-traditional style. Their wedding party was another example of their unconventional ways because it wasn't just broken down into bridesmaids and groomsmen, they also had bridesmen and grooms women. This group was definitely a fun crowd and continued their party with bottle service at Prospect Bar & Lounge.


Venue: Museum of Contemporary Arts, La Jolla
Coordination: Events by Design
Photography: Bauman Photographers
Videography: treMEDIA Group
Floral Designer: Willem-Aidan Floral Design
Rentals: Magical Party Rental
Lounge Rental: Concepts Event Design
Catering: French Gourmet
DJ: Events by Design
Guitarist: Colin McAllister
Officiate: Pastor Mike
Lighting: Events by Design
Stationary: Eitak
Hair/Make-up: Susie Beyer-McCartney
Transportation: Simply Elegant Limo
Photobooth: ePod Events
Flower Donations: Blooms from the Heart

Doran:Burns Wedding

Kathy and Josh's wedding marked the first ceremony for me where an english bulldog (Chunk) was part of the bridal party. That pretty much illustrates Josh and Kathy's personalities - fun, original, and family oriented. I had fun with this couple and their families who were respectively from New York and California.


Although the day was hot at the Rancho Bernardo Courtyard, the weather cooled down just before the ceremony began at 5pm. The prelude music was comprised entirely of Enya songs. The crazy side of the bride and groom came out during grand introductions when I played Ozzy Osbournes Crazy Train and AC/DC's Thunderstruck.

Catering and coordination services were provided by PearTrees Catering and Stefanie Lynn Muse from Inspired Events. I thoroughly enjoyed the made-to-order stir fry station accented with chinese to-go boxes, chopsticks, and chili sauce.

The guests had a great time and the dance floor stayed packed until I had to pull the plug at 11pm. Since the bride is from the east coast I was asked to a lot of play De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, Diddy, Run DMC, the Beastie Boys, and Notorious BIG. The last song of the evening was the YMCA and everyone in the courtyard participated... even the Dj.

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Burns!

MovementU

I have worked with professional tri-athlete Jessi Stensland on several video projects in the past, so when she called me about helping to develop a video for her new seminar, I quickly jumped at the opportunity. As a tri-athlete, Jessi has continuously pushed her body to it's physical limitations to become one of the premier athletes in her sport. In the process, Jessi has developed key workout strategies to minimize injury, increase flexibility, and enable to body to become more energy efficient. We both agreed that adding a video to the seminar homepage would be more personable, encouraging more participants to register. We filmed the spot at San Diego Audio & Video in approximately one hour.

Her new seminar titled MovementU will be held at the top athletic performance training centers across the United States. This full-day experience is designed to enhance participants' understanding of the body and how to prepare it to perform injury-free and energy efficiently. A dynamic and functional workout will kick-off the day followed by an in-depth introduction to the fundamental elements of athletic performance. Each of the three sports will then be addressed individually with an emphasis on the following:

• Proper mechanics for movement efficiency
• Common sport-specific biomechanical limitations
• Functional and corrective exercises

Click Here to Check Out MovementU!

Browning:Waibel Wedding

Terri and Erik were my fun couple from Arizona. They selected the Bernardo Winery as the location for their wedding ceremony and reception. What I will remember most about this couple was their love for each other, their love for wine and cigars, and their awesome family.


I had the opportunity to work with Krystel from Couture Events who was providing day-of coordination services for Terri and Erik. Krystel and her crew did an amazing job in pulling off a spectacular and intimate event. The music of the evening included classics such as Louis Armstrong, Etta James, Billie Holiday, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Jack Johnson, the Beatles, and of course, lots of 80's music. Yes, Erik was a HUGE 80's fan and had me build my dance mix around Michael Jackson, Depeche Mode, the Beastie Boys, Run DMC, the Cure, and many more classics.


The entire event was documented by Erica Schneider and her team from Acres of Hope Photography. The evening concluded with the bride and groom exiting the venue to the main theme from Star Wars. Thanks for such a memorable event and congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Waibel!

NOTE - I forgot my camera and these photos were captured on my Verizon Wireless Blackberry Storm.

Roman:Rich Wedding

When I first met Duane and Jen I thought they were such a cute couple. Just the way they interacted as I asked them questions about the wedding illustrated that they were madly in love with one another. After I was hired to provide Dj and lighting services for their reception and the Bernardo Inn, Duane and I immediately went to work on the music.

With such a profound love for all types of music, it was very important that I take their guests on a musical journey through the minds of Duane and Jen. This musical journey began at the cocktail hour as I played some classic jazz infused with 80's and 90's R&B hits from artists such as Keith Sweat, Jodeci, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson.


As guests were invited into the reception ballroom they were immediately inundated in the decor accented by the dramatic uplighting placed throughout the room washing the walls in pink and amber. The journey then continued at dinner as we listened to the sounds of John Legend, Robin Thicke, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Neo, Jamie Foxx, and Usher.


Erin Melton from Behind the Bride provided the day-of coordination services and kept me on track with the timeline and entertained with her "funky" dance moves. Each of the guests had nothing but great things to say about how the event turned out - all thanks to the vision of Duane and Jen. We danced until 11pm when Boyz to Men's End of the Road concluded the evening and our musical journey. Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs Roman!

Smith : Benson Wedding

Who would have ever thought that you could find true love through social networking sites? Although Brian and Heidi originally met at summer camp as teenagers, Facebook is what ultimately brought them back to each other. And on the one year anniversary of their first date, they became husband and wife.

I had the pleasure of providing Dj and MC services for this happy couple at the Rancho Bernardo Courtyard on what turned out to be a gorgeous day. The mood was set with a modern mix of contemporary music including Ben Harper, Jason Mraz, Robin Thicke, John Legend, Amy Winehouse, and more. The couple's first dance song was performed by San Diego musician Tyler Hilton. This was my first time hearing of Tyler but he is awesome!

The evening ended on the dance floor as the guests rocked the night away to a mix of old school hip hop, funk, R & B, and top 40 hits. Good times, good people, and good fun. Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. Benson!