Travel: Bermuda 2018: The Right Colors

You know that feeling where you’re somewhere new, and all restrictions go out the door? Well, that was definitely my mindset for this vacation. The twins were out and breathing! I guess they wanted to feel that Bermudian breeze.
Getting around Bermuda was pretty easy, not only was everyone extremely helpful and friendly…. the offline map I downloaded before landing has been on point! (See more tips for traveling here.) I’m roaming around everywhere like this is my home town. Except there are no angry New Yorkers anywhere, yay!

Kat and I roamed Saint George’s, really wanting to see the famous unfinished church. It has these gorgeous archways with no ceiling covering anything. The beautiful blue sky shines between each pillar. The church was never finished and it’s now used for events like weddings…. check this out. I’m sure it’s a pretty penny, but those wedding pictures will be completely worth it! (Look at me talking, like I even have a boo)
We tried our best to peak through different archways. We couldn’t really get in. We ran over to St. Peter’s Church real quick, where I figured my boobs needed to be covered a bit.. luckily for me Kat had a shirt I could throw over my dress before going in. The church seemed old and small.
Soon enough we were running back to Town Hall. We saw a posting for a glass-bottom boat tour and we wanted every single part of it. We were escorted to the boat that was waiting for us, already inside were two ladies who we found out later were from Jersey. We also met Philip, aka as Phoopa and his skipper.
Oh my, guys… let me tell you how amazing this experience was. The wind was blowing in our faces, the little droplets of water hit our skin, the sun is beaming, the music is blasting while we’re in the open sea. We stop by a drive though sort of thing, but for boats. Kat and I order a 6 pack of beer. The girls across from us do the same after thinking about it twice.
Phoopa gives us some history about Bermuda, and then proceeds to tell us why he’s considered everyone’s uncle. After a few minutes of spending time with him, I can see exactly why. He is so endearing and his energy is just gravitating.
In the water we see the famous golden mermaid, it’s a tiny statue that sticks out of the water. Phoopa doesn’t really explain how it got there, and once I got home and started googling, I had no luck either. My only guess is that it’s from one of the shipwrecks, and that tiny piece just happens to be sticking out. There are so many shipwrecks here, I had so much fun trying to find different boats in the water. I’m sure it wasn’t that fun for the poor sailors who had to abandon ship.
Phoopa kept playing Chronixx’s song, I Can…. this was the first time I heard it.. and it wasn’t the last. The song was on repeat the whole time and I wasn’t complaining. By the time the 3-hour tour was over, Kat and I knew all the lyrics. It was so catchy!
When the tour was over, Phoopa dropped us off at The Grotto Bay Resort. Our Airbnb host provided us with towels, and luckily for us, it matched the hotel’s perfectly. Which only meant we blended right in. We walked about 15 feet until Kat realized she forgot her phone on the boat. She had left it charging near the captain’s steering wheel. We remembered Phoopa had mentioned he had an evening cruise pick up, and we ran back to luckily see him there. He put on his favorite song and we danced while at the dock. He invited us back into the water, and mentioned how much he liked our energy, this sunset cruise will be on the house… or (cough cough on the boat) We gladly said yes, and hopped right back in the boat!
Though we didn’t get to see the sunset because it was pretty overcast, I didn’t think anything could compete with the view we had in the morning.
Bermuda at night is magical. The stars were shining so bright in that dark sky. I kept looking up, and was just awe at how breathtaking life is. God, I’m so lucky.
Phoopa threw the anchor in the water, and his handy skipper jumped in to bring the boat a little closer to shore. We all stripped down, and he explained a workaround on one of the Bermudian Laws. It’s illegal to come up to land on a private beach in Bermuda….. but not by open waters!
We pulled up to the private island, that we passed by earlier and was filled with models. The clothing brand Revolve was there earlier, and all I saw was beautiful people in bathing suits playing volleyball and blasting music. Now the tiny beach was empty, silent, gorgeous pink sand just staring back at me.
Yes, you read that right, the pink sand was absolutely gorgeous. It’s not as vibrant as we see in pictures, but from far you see the pink tones glisten, and from up close, when you hold the sand in your hands you see the tiny little pink sand blended with the beige sand and it just looks so cool! The sand feels like cotton on the bottom of our feet.
Phoopa screamed at me” You’re wearing the right colors!” and I laughed and said, ” I keep getting that, I don’t get it” He told me there was a big cricket game going on, and the team everyone roots for is blue. When he saw Kat step out the boat with a red bathing suit, he yelled out” Omg, what are you wearing!?” She could only yell back, “I didn’t know!”
This has to be what a Yankees and Red Sox fans feel like.

Photo Journal: Softball Sundays

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Another day, another game. It’s Sunday and that means it’s time to play ball.
The men have their shorts on, and their shirts off— some of them at least.
The sun is blazing, and this time I managed to stay a little longer than the last Sunday. Especially since I was doing my best going back and forth in between the field and my family’s house for a small barbecue that was happening. Let’s just say that my bike gave me enough of a work out.
My camera has been loving the attention I’ve been giving it lately, and I have to admit, I missed her as well — and yes, my camera is she.
My telephoto lens came in clutch allowing me to grab details of the players. I love when I get capture movement and even more when the images tell a story.

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So, tell me, what do your Sundays look like?
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Is it time to document and capture your journey?
Feel free to roam my portfolio where I share images of my couple, maternity, family sessions and weddings.
Interest in portraits of your own? I’m ready to hear from you!
See the packages I offer and contact me HERE.
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Photography: Graduate 2020

3E4A3828   Raymond has been working hard, and now is the time to show it off. I feel for my 2020 graduates, knowing they can’t celebrate the way they want to due to the pandemic. Which is why graduation sessions have hit so close to home.
I’m so proud of his determination and only wish him the best of success.. this is only the beginning. Milestones should always be documented, and I’m so grateful I got to be a part of his journey.
Congratulations Raymond!3E4A38373E4A37813E4A3804If you are interested in booking a portrait session of your own, please be sure to reach out to me HERE. I look forward to hearing from you!
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Photo Journal: Kat’s Picnic for Two

3E4A3597   One of the beautiful things in the world to me, is the radiance of a woman who’s transitioning into a new stage of motherhood.
One of my dearest friend’s Kat is expecting, and her and her spouse couldn’t be happier. Due to these past couple of months being a rough in the world, we’ve stayed away from each other as recommended, but I love having girl dates.
I think making time for your girlfriends is essential. They’re the ones that listen to all your troubles, make you laugh and are with you every step of your journey, so why wouldn’t I go out of my way to do a little something simple, like plan a picnic.
We made our way to the most obsolete part of the park, 6 feet had nothing us today. Our speaker was blasting reggeaton, while we caught up on everything that’s going on in our lives at the same time. Where do you even begin?
For me that was a little easy, as my trusty camera was ready. But let’s be clear this photo session was not planned, not even a little a bit… but I was eager to document some part of her journey— even if I was a little late, and even if she’s almost due.
3E4A36243E4A36213E4A36733E4A3662bf9974af-8933-42ef-b657-72ebc19f895cHow about you, are you ready to document your journey to motherhood?
I know I’m ready to hear from you!
See the packages I offer HERE, or you can contact me HERE.
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Looking forward to working with and creating wonderful memories with you.
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Photo Journal: Sundays Are For Softball

 

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Phase 2 during quarantine, means we’re trying to soak up as much sun as possible. Everyone has been stuck inside, and we needed to stretch our legs a bit.
A friend Leny, always goes out of her way to plan a good time for all of us. This time, a nice relaxing game of softball was what we need to get the good times rolling.
The sun was not shy today, and neither was my camera. I missed photographing natural movements, those candid shots that tell a story.
I clipped my camera to my backpack, grabbed my bicycle and got to riding.
See you guys next Sunday!

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Travel : Washington D.C. 2019

Sometimes it’s time to escape the hustle and bustle of NYC, and find some bustle somewhere else.
    Weekend getaways tend to be my favorite. I can pack a small backpack with me, have a new adventure and go back to work on Monday like nothing ever happened.

A friend recently told me about Bolt bus (and yes, I may be late to the party.. even though I took one about 5 years ago to get to Boston, and completely forgot they existed) and it was time to hit the road.
I visited Washington D.C. a long time ago as a kid. I must have been around 10 years old. I still remember the bright baggy mustard pants, and the turquoise and purple windbreaker jacket I was wearing(It was the late 90’s okaaaay) Think, little Dominican girl dressed like The Fresh Prince, hahaha. My dad’s car ended up leaving us on the side of the road, and our choice was to rent something, anything to get there the rest of the way.    The closest rental car spot only had a limo left…it was the best entrance I’ve made to the white house. How can you possibly beat that?
Adulting is a little different, I hopped off the bus and roamed the streets, taking  in everything so I can remember it this time.
Getting caught in the rain, and not really caring about my hair or clothes was just an extra touch of freedom.
One of my favorite things about has got to be the endless amounts of free museums. If you find yourself visiting, I promise you,your biggest expense is going to be getting there and figuring out where you’re sleeping. And that wasn’t even too costly. I didn’t really do any bar hopping, but museum hopping was all the rage this weekend. Check  out The Smithsonians if you plan on visiting.

Travel: Chicago 2019

Me and my grand ideas.
I was hanging out with my little brother watching wrestling, roaming on my phone while I hear the announcements of body slams and choke holds. Round trip flight to Chicago for the cheap. I ran across the room to get my debit card and booked without even thinking about it—- for a day.
Yup, you read that right!
Why spend the weekend in NY spending money doing something I can do any time, when I can spend my money someplace new?
I message Kat in the morning with a text a little something like this ” Want to go to some museums and eat deep dish pizza this weekend?”
Her and Ed’s flight were booked a few minutes after. Gotta love it!
The invitation was extended to more friends, Kika, Frankie and Cesar were all ready to go.. and I was ready to plan it all out.

We arrived at the airport, everyone had a backpack stuffed with whatever we would need for a quick overnight trip. Technically, we’ll be arriving Saturday morning, and roaming around the city the the whole day, Then checkin in to our Airbnb, and roaming a bit Sunday morning before our flight right back home.
Yes, we were exhausted.
But it was all worth it.

Check out our adventure below… hoping we have many more!

Photo Journal: Prosper And Be In Good Health

“New beginnings” doesn’t always mean starting over. Sometimes it means looking at what you already have and tackling it from a different perspective. Being grateful for how it exists, and rediscovering how it can be better.
One of my biggest goals this year is to learn how to –self care– I want to be able to have a healthy body, mind and soul. I don’t want things, people or situations to dictate my responses or actions. I am in control of me. And you are in control of you.
All of our goals no matter how different, tend to fall into a similar category, being a better version of yourself.
I hope you all prosper and become better versions of yourselves in 2019, 20, 21 or no matter how long that journey may take you. .

Take longer baths, listen to that music a little louder, drink more water, dance in the rain, say more “thank you’s” and less “sorries”, hug people more, be kind, eat better, call your mom more, make better decisions and most definitely surround yourself with people who make you feel good.

Family: The One Year Olds Trick or Treat

I loooove Halloween, I always have. And now that the kiddies are here, and old enough to walk a bit, it’s time to start changing some traditions. Harlie was dressed like a little witch, while Amaury was cute puppy. I broke out last year’s costume and it was still a big hit. The whole night was walked around I kept hearing ” Baby shark, doo doo, doo doo” All I want to know is “am I the only upset that there’s no Auntie Shark?”
And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can see & hear the famous and super catchy theme song HERE. There are so many variations of it! (It’s also like the only thing that keeps this kids sane when they throw their temper tantrums!)
It was a nice night for all of us, and I was extremely impressed with a haunted house that was decorated not only on the outside, but the homeowners allowed strangers to walk inside and see all the madness. There was even a special room full of crazy clown, and they even had a movie being projected in the backyard. How sweet!
Until Next time,

Family: Harvest Festival

I’ve always been really good at finding fun stuff to do. Especially in the summer time. NYC is filled with so many activities, all you have to do is a little bit of homework. When the weather starts to drop it gets a little harder, but that doesn’t deter me for long. Now that I  have kiddies in my life (my niece and nephew) I get to search for family things to do— because no one wants a grown woman without kids showing up to family stuff, that’s just weird.

 Randall’s Island was hosting a Harvest Festival and I didn’t hesitate to tell my siblings about it. The kids would have the chance to play, listen to live music and just roam around (not inside a house)
I signed up Harlie right away to play with the chickens, and she didn’t seem scared, but she didn’t seem to interested to be touching them either. Amaury was a different story, he just looked so confused as to what this creature was next to him, pecking at the pumpkins on the floor.

The kids are getting bigger, and I find it fascinating how these little humans have their own little personalities. Watching them grow and learn is a such a blessing. I’m truly a lucky aunt.