This session lasted all of two minutes before a downpour came and chased us out of the roses. But two minutes was all I needed. Love my beautiful girl. She’s getting so big already!

Took it to the repair place (we have no Apple store on Maui – whaaaa!) and they said they’d take a look inside the drive. I got a call later that it was indeed blocked and that coins and a button were the culprit. Not only were they shoved in there, but they ruined the drive. Major bummers. All my files for the website were waiting safely on the Mac and the store needed it for at least a week. Bummer.

I can’t say that I’m too terribly mad at Cruz. He is, after all, two years old and we’ve been working on putting spare coins in the piggy bank. He must have thought that the computer disc drive was a super special spot to hide his coins. Plus, it’s just really hard to be mad at this face….

Here are the culprits, which are now safely tucked away in the piggy bank!

I’m headed out to a wedding this afternoon and then will get down to business on finishing this website. I have lots of things coming up for it – new portfolio galleries are coming and a very special new page called Camera Chat is coming as well. So many things planned and never enough time!

Dear Baby Boy Cruz,

Today you are two and I find myself wondering how this time has passed so very quickly. I remember two years ago today in such vivid detail. You were even a gentle soul coming into this world in probably one of the easiest births on the planet.

2010 was a very hard year for Mommy, and whenever I think of 2010, you are the light – the good thing – that came out of that horrible year.

I love the way you love your Daddy. I love the streak of mischief you’re developing, the way you hug me, the way you rub your elbow to put yourself to sleep. I love how your favorite pair of shoes is your blue boots and you yell “Boots!” whenever it’s time to leave the house. I love the little cleft in your chin. I love the way you are obsessed with anything with wheels – but mostly race cars and trains. You love to dance and you love the ocean with a fierce passion. You are going to be a water boy for life.

Your Daddy and brother and sister and I love you so much. We are so thankful that you came and surprised our family. Though I am sad that you are not my tiny baby, I am overjoyed that you are my big boy and I look forward to our many adventures ahead. I love you big boy so very much! Happy Second Birthday!

Love you always and forever to infinity and beyond,

Mommy

I recently discovered a really awesome camera bag and bought one – a Pompidoo! They checked out my work and loved it and asked if they could feature me on their blog. I really loved answering their questions and collecting a few of my favorite images.

To read the full interview on this Maui Photographer, visit Pompidoo’s Blog!

Full Interview of Maui Photographer, Mariah Milan

This personality and the place she lives in is as sunny and bright as her POMPIDOO camera bag in Idle Turquoise colour!

Hawaii, Maui awarded Mariah Milan with a great smile, wonderful photos and exciting greeting “Aloha!”.

We are excited to interview Mariah and speak about family, photography, love and inspiration!

What role does photography play in your life?

Photography plays a huge role in my life. It’s not only my profession, but it’s my way of capturing my own family and where I live. It is my artistic outlet. Sometimes I feel like I live and breathe photography.

Why do you like it?
I love it because moments come and go so quickly. Photography catches that one moment – even just a fraction of a second – and freezes it forever. As time passes I may forget for a moment just how my son’s nose used to crinkle when he was a baby. And then an image pops up on my screensaver from years ago and I’m instantly reminded. It’s a time capsule. It’s a moment of life frozen forever. There is an immense sense of poetry in that. For me it’s all about love. Whether that’s a wedding day, a family, a mother and a child, or the birth of a baby. I’m so grateful that I get to photograph it all!

Do you see it as a hobby or as a professional occupation?
For me it is my professional occupation. I am out on a shoot 3 – 10 times per week. It provides for my family and still allows me to create my own schedule. It is truly the best job in the world! You can take a look at my website and blog

Do you have any other hobbies?
I’d like to think I’m crafty but I’m really not very crafty I love graphic work and love tweaking out my website and also keeping a family blog that is a journal of our families’ adventures. I also love going to the beach with my kids.

What does “stylish” mean to you?
Stylish goes so far beyond something looking good. Lots of things can look good. For me stylish is looking good in tandem with actually functioning extremely well. I’m a mom of three so practical and functional is HUGE in my world.

Could you please show some of your most precious pictures? Which do you like the most and why?
I am attaching some pictures for you. The hula girl is my daughter, Ryenne. I have a 20×30 canvas hanging in my home. I love that image of her! I have photographed tons and tons of newborns, including my two boys. The baby posed like a little frog is my son, Kai. He’s the only baby that I ever posed that way. So the image is also very special.

What is in your POMPIDOO bag?
I use my Pompidoo as a hybrid bag. I wish that I had it before! It’s a combination diaper bag/camera bag and goes all over the place with me! I have my Nikon with 50mm lens, diapers, wipes, change of clothes for the kids, wallet, lip balm, business cards, keys, Square reader, cell phone, and even some toy cars for the boys!

Thank you for making such a great bag! I LOVE IT.

I love the turquoise color – it is PERFECT.

The past few weeks have been especially busy. I’ve been up to 3am daily trying to get out galleries and get “caught up”. I still have sessions in the queue… I am taking today and tomorrow off to be with my family and I have vowed not to sit at the computer and work. These two days it’s all about enjoying family, the beach, and starting 2012 off right. If you’re waiting for your gallery and sneak peek, I promise they’ll be up in the next few days.

Hau’oli Maka Hiki Hou – Happy New Year!

Mariah, Peter, Ryenne, Kai Boy, and Cruz

Red Dirt, Sugarcane, and Haleakala on Maui's North Shore

Image by Tanya at Cozy Impressions, Austin

He is the epitome of thoughtful, lovey, and sweet. He is a Mama’s Boy through and through. His imagination runs wild. His thoughtful comments blow me away all the time.Just the other day he walked up to me and said, “Mama, you’re my beautiful and so is my Ry Ry. I love you.”

 He is the tiniest of my babies. He is still so small that he can climb into my lap and fold himself up into a snuggly little ball. When I go to sleep at night he’s curled up on his tummy like a newborn with his legs tucked under him. But don’t ever say he’s small because he’ll yell, “No I’m not! I’m a big boy!”

 Kai is a person who loves life. And he’s a fighter. I know in my soul that this child will grow to be an incredible person. I love having him as my son. I am so thoroughly honored to be his mom.

 Happy 3rd Birthday Kai Boy!!! Love you to infinity and beyond….

My kids are a given. Period. Nothing even comes close in importance to me.

But the next thing on my list would probably surprise a lot of people. It wouldn’t be my pictures. Or my computer. It would simply be my insurance documents.

I’m sure you’re shocked I wouldn’t grab my pictures. They are priceless – for sure! My old family photos, those of my parents and from my childhood that are prints, are safely tucked away in a safe deposit box at the bank. They truly are irreplaceable. But my digital files I have backed up at Mozy Online Backup. Mozy has actually saved me a few times. When my external drive went wacky and truncated my files, I retrieved them off of Mozy. When I accidentally deleted the wrong images, I went and got them off of Mozy. Indeed Mozy has saved me several times. Not only are my personal files on there, but backups of your client files are there too. I know this sounds like a total advertisement – but it is. It’s important. Computers fail. External drives fail. Having your images and documents in a separate location is a big deal.

Mozy is running a 10% discount for signing up this month. I promise every penny spent is worth it. The code this month is SAVEME10. Just click Mozy Online Backup – Get Protected Today! to get started.

Clients, your files are protected in one more off-site location: SmugMug. I have changed my business model to include the high resolution files on disc, but I want you to know that should something ever happen to your files or your home, the images are safely stored in another location.

If you have any questions about backing up files, please don’t hesitate to ask!

I have sat at the computer bawling on many occasions. Just in a little funk and wishing that I could make it to Nevada for the service. But at least I know that I had a hand in putting some things together for it.

It was an absolute honor to put together a memorial collage for my Grampy. I enjoyed going through all the images from his life – from a little boy, to his Navy days, wedding, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. What an amazing, wonderful man. I’m so proud that he was my Grampy. And I’ll always miss him.