Neri Wedding

Do you remember when I mentioned I got the opportunity to shoot a wedding for the first time? Well, I finally am revealing the photos to my blog readers! One of my best friend's brother and [now] sister-in-law got married November 19, 2011 and they asked me to be their photographer for the reception portion of their beautiful day. I felt so honored, but I was extremely nervous. Their wedding was absolutely stunning and her dress was b-e-a-u-tiful!

Thank you Aimee and Ansell for extending this lifetime of an opportunity for me. It makes me (relieved) and happy that you enjoyed your pictures! I also had an opportunity to work with the lovely ladies Stephanie and Jamie who are the face of Viva L'Event. They were the geniuses behind this fabulously planned wedding. Be sure to check out their Facebook page and stay up to date with all they do.

All photos are (c) Melissa Vega

Tuesday Tunes v.3

I love sharing with you all new artists that I find. The genres will pretty much range considering I almost love everything, but that's NO to dub step. Sorry. If you want to share music as well, make sure you check out Danielle's blog tongue tied in awe, where I will be linking up! She has one of the best tastes in music so you'll surely find something you like!

Anyway, I introduce to you Jillian Edwards!
A hopeless romantic, just like me, except she actually knows how to put her feelings into lyrics. Something I have not gotten the hang of, or sing, or play guitar for that matter. ANYWAY, if you're into the cute, easy-listening, romantic, singer/songwriter type of music, she's your girl. She's just as cute as her lyrics.

Ps - There's a little surprise at the end of this blog post, so be sure to check it out.

photo source. one // two

Take a listen:

Like what you just listened to?
Well, I've got the greatest news! Her album "Galaxies and Such" is a FREE DOWNLOAD on Noisetrade. Be sure to click here and download it so you can listen to her over and over again like I've been doing. Also, her newest album "Headfirst" is under $7 on Amazon [I just bought it!]. Go support lovely artists like this one.

Hope you enjoyed :]

When in doubt...

(c) Melissa Vega Taken August 2010

I am indecisive.
I think too hard, I worry, I contemplate pros and cons and I allow my mind to get clouded with what ifs, "Am I making the right decision?" along with worrying about the ending rather than the beginning. I am sure all of you have felt this way one or another, you're basically not human if you haven't :] 2012 is opening a lot of doors for me, along with closing a few. While being in college, I have gotten away with not having to make too big of decisions because the next four years were basically planned out for me. Now everything is up for grabs. My life was planned around "semesters", Spring Breaks, summer sessions or ratemyprofessor.com. Some friends of mine are off to Graduate School (which I will eventually get to), marriage, new places, foreign countries or staying right where they are (which is perfectly fine.) As for me, who knows.

Isn't it kind of fun though?
Just not knowing. I have a few exciting things lined up for 2012 including a trip to Thailand and a three month trip to the Philippines, but after that I am going to have to make some decisions. One thing I know for sure though, is that I am truly going to let my heart guide me.

Recently my mother told me to follow my head and not my heart (when it came to love) but I just can't do it. I don't want to be safe.  I don't want to make the decisions that seem like the best for me externally but not internally. She had the best of intentions, making sure I didn't get hurt but If I follow my head, where's the excitement? Following my heart will definitely get me hurt and get me in life's little pickles, but that's where you learn the most. I want to learn. I want to to grow. I want trial and error. I want to look back and say, "You know what, I don't regret what happened, because I followed my heart." I want to live in a different state, make new friends and let the old ones grow.

I want to want.

So do me a favor this year and let your heart guide you.

Don't over think.
Don't worry.
Don't think about what if's and listen to your heart.
If you look back at your life, the best things have happened because you listened to your heart.
Am I right?

Tuesday Tunes v.2

Hey friends :]

For Tuesday Tunes this week, I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite bands, Freelance Whales. I got to see them last year in Chapel Hill and they were absolutely stunning! They were some of the nicest people in the world and love to get to know their fans. I think they can change the music scene. One of my favorite things I respect about them is that they all play five instruments each, minimum. I may be exaggerating but regardless they all switch instruments during shows and definitely show their individual talent.

"To call them multi-instrumentalists might be a little overdone. The kids in Freelance Whales are really just collectors, at heart. They don’t really fancy buffalo nickels or Victorian furniture, but over the past two years, they’ve been collecting instruments, ghost stories, and dream-logs. Somehow, from this strange compost heap of little sounds and quiet thoughts, songs started to rise up like steam from the ground."

Enjoy this lovely band dubbed Freelance Whales.

They're so cool, even Starbucks had to use them for a commercial here.

**last two photos were taken at the show I went to two Octobers ago.

A glimpse into my holiday season, 2011

First off, can I just say how lame I have been with my blogging!
I had envisioned my break just a little differently, however, I would not change a thing.
Here's a little glimpse into my Christmas.

CHRISTMAS 2011 >

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were beautiful ones filled with so much love, new scarves (thanks Mom!), Just Dance 3, lobsters, doggies, warmth, some of my favorite cousins (a new one!) and just overall fun. As you can see from the pictures, my family knows how to celebrate - with JUST DANCE 3 of course! At one point, we have about 15 or us dancing together. What a perfect little way to celebrate life and family. Of course I wish my whole family could've been with us, but regardless, it was a beautiful time.

So I kept talking about Just Dance 3, well, we even captured it on video. Enjoy!

I also added my bucket list FINALLY to my blog! Read along :)