Marisa & Ruben : Whenever

Some days, I wake up and thank God for my love. Other days, I wake up and thank him for my friends. For the last few days, I haven't stopped thanking whoever it is I should be thanking for the internet. Not only has the internet provided me with a platform to pour all my pointless ideas into, but it has allowed me to meet some fabulous people I never would have met in my normal day-to-day life. Yes, I said it. I have real life friends and I have internet friends. And I'm damn proud of it!

One of those friends is Marisa. We 'met' over a year ago while I was in the beginning stages of planning our wedding on a wedding forum. I can't even remember exactly why we came in contact for the first time, but I do remember that I adored her feisty spirit. We fell into an email friendship and she was a valuable resource for me when I had weird, random questions. It's hard for others to understand how you can build a friendship with a stranger but I'm here to tell you, it's not weird. It's cool!

Back in December when I posted my Giving is Awesome giveaway, Marisa submitted a heartfelt entry about a dear friend of hers. It just so happened that I chose her friend which meant that Marisa would also receive a free session with me. Here's the catch though, Marisa lives in New York with her husband Ruben while he attends Columbia. I honestly didn't think we'd ever have this session because you know, I live in California. When I found out I'd be in New York, it all worked out perfectly and I did the happy dance because I was going to shoot in New York and meet my internet friend!

I met Marisa and Ruben (for the first time!) in Manhattan this past weekend and it was like we'd known each other for years. I devoured every last second I had with them as we wandered around the artsy streets. And in those moments, I was thanking God for this incredible gift I get to experience, documenting people's lives. Oh, and of course, for the internet. Thank you for hanging out with me so friggin' early in the morning. I adore you both and when Steven and I visit in the fall, I'm definitely looking you up. xoxo















About 20 minutes into our session, Marisa wanted to change out of her really cute rainboots and into her fabulous brown leather boots. She slipped the first boot on only to realize that she forgot to pack the second boot! Here's a shot of her putting the rain boots back on and laughing. I'm not gonna lie, I probably would have pouted for about 5 minutes. I loved that Marisa just moved right along.



















My favorite shot of the day. Marisa and Ruben in their own world and the lady and her dogs didn't even flinch.