Jessica and Davey - Wedding

Jessica and Davey gave me the task of capturing their wedding today. We were afraid it would rain and it help off for a good chunk of the day but we got hit with some light rain during the photo session. Which I usually secretly love because the photos turn out so unique and fun!! but I never tell the couple this until after of course! :)

These guys were both so easy on the eyes. Good looking couple and good looking bridal party, together with some shnazzy shoes and a touch of rain!!

here's the result......

If you want to see more photos see the slideshow here:

www.avcphoto.com/slideshows/jessicaanddavey

where have I been.....

My goodness it's been forever!!!

Lots has happened in my life the past few months. Lots to update, lots to talk about. If you have seen me on facebook you know a lot of it...I hope to post some more details and since wedding season has officially launched there will be more photos to post and more fun things to talk about.

Here's my first wedding of the year to get things started. Luanna and Phil had a great day, sunny a little chilly but not cold enough to keep us indoors. They braved a bit of the wind to get some really nice shots outside. We all had a great day celebrating the two of them and I remembered why I love wedding so much!

enjoy....

One night in Hong Kong.....

So we landed in Hong Kong safely and will be staying here one night. We get to check in to our hotel, eat then explore! Not all of us went exploring cause some of us wanted a nice shower and bath for the first time in 2 weeks, others just wanted to rest on a bed with a mattress and not an inch thick mat. But those of us that did go exploring will not forget how worth it it was to go see the amazing skyline of the city of Hong Kong and the sights we saw on the way. We are only 3 hours from Cebu by air but yet t seems like a planet away.....

riding the train from the airport to downtown...

Good thing they speak a lot of english here and just about everything is translated so we can figure our way around the subway...

This nifty little contraption shows our progress towards each stop in the train. We actually stayed in Kowloon, which is the mainland section of Hong Kong overlooking the island of Hong Kong, which was the last stop. 

walking through the trains station it was evident we were now in a first world city. That's my fellow christian brother and world player of the year (2007) Kaka(that's in soccer for those of you not familiar!). :) 

We decided to walk our way from the train station to the hotel. We thought it was a bit closer than it ended up being but the walk was awesome to be able to see and experience the streets of hong kong. 

Newspaper and Magazine stand in Kowloon. 

They have some mega cool phones. Technology in Asia (specially Japan and China) is further ahead than the US. Most of these phones can play live TV and have the latest and greatest gadgets in them. Coming soon to america.....

duck anyone? 

Our hotel..wait till you see the view.....

First the inside view of our suite! We got the upgrade! :) That's me watching soccer! YESSSS! Finally a country that loves it's soccer! :) 

THey drive on the left hand side of streets here and the steering wheel is on the right hand side of cars. Very interesting to see....

Billboards....

around the district we were in Kowloon there is lots of shopping and it's very fast paced...very New York Cityesque....

Could be times square eh?

Dave took us to his favorite place to shop. He has been going to this guy every time he comes to hong kong. THe salesman is this funny guy who has a twitch and makes these funny faces as he tries to tell you his stuff is amazing and good price! See Dave and his negotiating skills here...

I love the city lights at night....

My man Bruce Lee is revered here and he has this sweet statue right on the Avenue of stars overlooking the skyline.

A close up of the skyline of Hong Kong Island. 

A full view of the skyline. One of the best I've seen! 

Walking back we ran into all sorts of 5th avenue like stores...

It's about $7 Hong Kong dollars to $1 US dollar. So that makes these dishes about 2-3 US dollars. Too bad I can't read any of them...

Before I went to bed I looked outside my window and thanked God for how good he is to me....

Philippines Day 13...Final Day..

This morning was our last few hours here in this community. For some of us it may be the last time we ever come here. For others it may be only one of many. Regardless, the people here have left a deep and lasting impression on our hearts. Their hospitality, love and care for us has been astounding. 

We often go on these trips thinking we have something big to give and usually end up leaving knowing we were the ones who received so much more than anything we could ever give. However I do believe that the people here feel like they received so much from us and so I'm realizing it becomes an amazing interchange of cultures, lives and love that happens. I'm excited and looking forward to the next one already! 

Yesterday as the students went around all the homes we told them that we would be doing family portraits in the morning. We weren't sure how many people would show up but a lot of them did. The following photos are probably my favorites from the whole trip. I am captivated by their eyes, their look, their glances, their faces, they reveal very little but say so much about the depth of life they have each lived. Full families, single dads, single moms, just kids. They all have dreams, hope and a future. It's hard to look away....

Philippines Day 12...

Our last full day here and we had one more stop to make. We went to a Drug Rehabilitation center. To our surprise we found a python!! Apparently it's their pet here with all the men! crazy! Very soft skin! 

The men here spend 6-12 months willingly. One of the things they do is work making fish floaters for fishnets. They all have different jobs and it aids in getting them back into enjoying work again. 

This was our guide for the rehab place (House of Hope). Ruque (pronounced rookie), told us of his story of being a drug user and after having gone through rehab he wanted to stay here helping others gain the freedom he received. A strong believer in Jesus his resilience and compassion for fellow men here was inspiring. 

We met so many people like Ruque during our time here; Filipinos laying down their lives for the betterment and salvation of their fellow brothers and sisters, communities and country. 

Philippines Day 11...

Today we got to walk around in the community and went to visit Lionela's home in a nearby community. A lot of these photos were taken as we walked through this beautiful country. I was fascinated by observing everyday life unfolding around us....

Everywhere we went we saw little kids laughing, smiling and loving life. One of the things that every kid around here plays is this game with their sandals. They put one of them upside down, throw the other one several feet away and then pick it up and try to hit the one and make it fly. So fun! but so hard! They laughed at me the first few times I tried it! 

 
I love the street art. Hopefully there's no profanity here! 

Some of the older kids and teens love arcade games. You find these in many spots throughout the different communities here. It costs $1 peso (1/3 of a US penny!!). 

This is the neighborhood where we stayed, Purok 7 in Nangka. 

I never did find out this boy's name but his eyes were so captivating to me. Just beautiful! 

Taking a break.....

Women sit in this position as they do laundry or wash dishes for hours!

In the neighborhood near Lionela's house there were kids everywhere. This is another little girl that smiled every time she saw me with the camera. so cute! 

A lot of homes are built up. Here's some kids looking down from theirs. 

I just can't take enough pictures of the children here....

I love the contrast here....

Kitchen....

This dude had some cool looking hair. Very unlike most of the other boys I had seen here. He even kind of posed for me. 

These are the stores that are everywhere where people get a lot of their daily needs. 

This evening we ended up at the mall to do some shopping before we headed back. To our surprise they were having a photo session and dancing for the annual Sinulog festival. Celebrating the Santo Senor Nino (the saint pictured here with one of the queens). There were some photographers in this section and I snuck in to the section to get some shots myself! :) 

Another one of the queens of the Sinulog....

and I found ANOTHER apple store! 

One of the only nights where we got to ride in the back of one of the Jeepneys so I was able to get some night traffic shots....

Back at Joy Ful Jiji got an opportunity to thank the group for coming to Cebu and share a bit about her life. Another great day.....

Philippines Day 10...

This was a light day for us. The students went around doing interviews of the different homes, meeting and learning about life in this community. Here's a couple images....

This was our last evening doing  the tutorial and we got to hang out with the older kids. Rick is great at showing them some cool physics tricks! 

This is Justin in his home. 
Another view inside Justin's home. Shaquala and Andrew were interviewing the family. I love the family portraits on the wall and of course as poor as people are here, TV is a staple in most homes. :)