say it with a card...

i absolutely love cards and i save almost every card! i even have them organized by sender(s), and to keep the dates straight i date them on the back. a card tells a story- sometimes it is one of love, humor or comfort but each one has a special meaning.

a card can record history... years ago, growing up my mom used to sing to me "you and me against the world".  that was our saying because we always knew through thick or thin we would always be there for one another. every card she gave me she would always sign "you and me against the world" at the bottom. we even danced to the song together at my wedding. on my wedding day the card that my mom gave to me had the usual quote but with one addition "you and me against the world + scott". he was now apart of our family which meant we would always be there for one another. well over the years my mom still continues to sign "u & m. a. t. w + s + p + l " at the bottom of each card (my little ones were added). as you may notice it is now abbreviated but the meaning is still there and it has recorded history as we add to our family.

a card can record milestones... as each occasion passes and the years go by i notice my son's writing changing. his first card to me was nothing but cherished scribble that only a mom could understand but now i have printed letters varying in size with his name signed across the card and a backwards C. i know one day that signature will be of a grown man but i will always have the sweet memories recorded in my cards. and not to forget my daughter although her cards have the scribble of a toddler i wonder to myself will she grow-up to have the same child-like print that i still have to this day?

why all of this talk about cards? well it was only natural for me to start designing my own cards. here are a couple of custom cards that i have started. LeilaPie will now start offering custom cards. i hope you like them!

 and with Valentine's just around the corner I couldn't resist...

where i get this love of cards? i am not sure but i have a feeling my mom had some influence on the matter. she has been known to shop for hours for the perfect card.

xoxo
lisa

All Aboard...

for some fun and exciting pictures...

it is a new year and what better way to start off the blog than with a new family? 

isn't this family beautiful?

(FYI- both inside and out)

 and their little one is just precious!

 P.S. this definitely is one of my all time favorite pictures!!!

he loved the choo-choo train so of course we had to pretend we were choo-choo's...

which only made this shoot that much more fun! i had such a blast with him running up and down the tracks.

but the best part of this shoot--- 

the family love between them...

a boy's hero 

and a mother's love and laughter

it is moments like these that make this so enjoyable and inspire me!!!

XOXO Lisa

New Year- New Beginnings

I started out on this adventure capturing moments, first of my little ones and then those of my friends. When I started I didn't know where this was going to take me but I always knew I loved taking photos of beautiful things and people. Whenever we would go somewhere you would hear from me "just one more minute" as I was snapping away.




sunset on the westside of Maui


Years ago, before even I recognized this passion my mom bought me a Nikon... I carried that thing everywhere! As time passed and my path took me in the direction of teaching and marriage I packed away that camera but still had the memories it had captured for me. As another dear friend says "if there is a picture of it- then it really did happen".

A couple of point and shoots later, the birth of my son, and our five year anniversary brought the first DSLR camera (Nikon D40x) into my life. After several months on bed-rest (6 to be exact) we were so excited to welcome our son into our lives and of course needed to capture every minute. Well, after developing our pictures and getting blurry images of my husband cutting the cord I nearly broke down in tears (I blame the hormones).

So on the eve our 5 year wedding anniversary as we were preparing to take a trip to our favorite getaway (San Diego, CA) with our newborn I heard a a sniffle from him. The panicky mommy that I was, would not leave until we saw the doctor the next morning. We had his blessing to take him on the trip (which was less than a 2hour drive away) but I just couldn't go. As we were canceling the reservations we were heading to the store to buy the D40x. How there is a correlation between the two, beats me; but this action alone set me on the path I am on today.

Three years later, an active preschooler and a new addition to the family (our daughter) had us heading to the store for another DSLR (Nikon 90). My daughter who was already one and spirited (a kind way of saying a pistol) and my son who is a baseball loving little boy were growing so quickly and moving at such a fast pace I didn't want to miss anymore moments. So my husband bought our next camera which would gave us more speed (I didn't want to miss those pitches or hits). He also gave me my Christmas present early (the 70-300mm lens).

This time around I decided to learn everything there was about the camera. What did that mean? No more shooting in automatic or presets! Day after day I read, practiced and learned how to shoot in manual in different conditions at various locations. As I started posting pictures on Facebook and getting feedback I started to realize maybe this could be just more than a hobby?

Well here I am a little older and a little wiser and the lesson I want to teach my children is to listen to their hearts and to follow their dreams. My dream is to capture those special moments for others. To see the happiness of moms, dads, families once they see their memories gives me happiness and peace. I can't wait to see that same happiness from brides and grooms but that is another adventure and post for a later date. We lead by example so here I am taking my dream to the next level- LeilaPie Photography.

here is my other inspiration...

thank you for visiting and taking the time to read about me. i hope i get to meet you and capture those special moments for you!

XOXO
lisa