January | 2010 | Natasha Brown Photography

Archive for January, 2010

Doppelgänger Week

Jan 31

2010

I have no clue what a Doppelgänger is … I just guessed what it was based on what everyone was posting on Facebook. Is that even a word? Or a fake German word like Häagen-Dazs?

Whatev. My first choice for a Doppelgänger was Jackie Chan. Aaron is convinced he’s my uncle; I just won’t tell him. He really isn’t. I promise. Never seen the man in my life … although we both lived in a tiny island in Southeast Asia. Just with 8 million other people.

So then, I was like, Haha, look at me! I’m funny! But everyone started posting these really HOT people as their Doppelgänger. So it was time to stop being funny … and start getting hot.

My first hot choice for a Doppelgänger is bar none, Lucy Liu. She’s feisty (thanks, Ally McBeal), she can kick a** (thanks, Kill Bill), and she is HOT (thanks, Charlie’s Angels). Although I do get her confused with Lisa Ling. See?! We can’t keep our own people straight!

Second choice is probably Michelle Kwan. The funny thing is that I used to ice skate A LOT. And we are about the same age. I wouldn’t mind being as athletic as her!

Random thoughts for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

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Anatole Hotel Proposal :: Ben & Elisa

Jan 30

2010

Yesterday was a very stressful day for Elisa. Her planner mind had been going and going … but Ben had not proposed yet. She knew they were meant to be together, and she had started the beginning stages of planning her wedding … but that darn guy hadn’t even asked her dad for permission yet!

But of course, that was all a lie. In fact, there was a web full of lies. A ginormous one. IN FACT, she was so upset yesterday that he was this close to breaking down and spilling the beans. But he kept his cool and kept lying.

After taking her out to numerous fancy dinners over the past several weeks (to throw her off), he took her to Nana’s at the Anatole Hotel last night while Aaron, Josh Alltop and I ran around preparing everything. After dinner, they walked downstairs to the lobby, and he took her over to the grand marble staircase which was covered with candles and rose petals. But she was so thrown off by his deceiving that she thought that SOMEONE ELSE was about to propose and didn’t want to intrude. Slowly, he convinced her that it was for her, and as they sat down on the staircase together, he presented her with an “early Valentine’s Day present:” a beautiful Coach purse that she had been wanting. Another evil scheme to throw her off. At that moment, a hotel manager came up and presented them with a complimentary tray of chocolate-covered strawberries … and that there was a special present in the middle that they were to enjoy.

As Ben unveiled the ring, Elisa’s disappointment turned into pure shock. At that point, me, Aaron & Josh blew our covers and ran up towards them as he asked Elisa to be his wife.

The ring? A 1.8 carat Asscher cut diamond from Tacori!

Congratulations, you guys! We couldn’t be happier for you two. Thanks to Ben for asking us to be involved on your special day. And a big special thanks to Josh Alltop – who I have dubbed the Romance Doctor – for organizing the entire thing!

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Posted in Weddings | 4 Comments

Fort Worth Photo Shoot :: Hannah

Jan 28

2010

Maximizer: Excellence, not average, is your measure. Taking something from below average to slightly above average takes a great deal of effort and in your opinion is not very rewarding. Transforming something strong into something superb takes just as much effort but is much more thrilling. Strengths, whether yours or someone else’s, fascinate you. Like a diver after pearls, you search them out, watching for the telltale signs of a strength. A glimpse of untutored excellence, rapid learning, a skill mastered without recourse to steps — all these are clues that a strength may be in play. And having found a strength, you feel compelled to nurture it, refine it, and stretch it toward excellence. You polish the pearl until it shines. This natural sorting of strengths means that others see you as discriminating. You choose to spend time with people who appreciate your particular strengths. Likewise, you are attracted to others who seem to have found and cultivated their own strengths. You tend to avoid those who want to fix you and make you well rounded. You don’t want to spend your life bemoaning what you lack. Rather, you want to capitalize on the gifts with which you are blessed. It’s more fun. It’s more productive. And, counterintuitively, it is more demanding.

This description, taken from Gallup’s StrengthsFinder 2.0, is the exact description of my Hannah. I have never met anyone like her. Confident yet self-deprecating, she is always ready to jump into a new adventure, never interested in the party poopers. If you have weaknesses, she never cares to talk about them, instead preferring to emphasize what you ARE great at. And that’s why I love her.

Besides being an amazing human being, she is ridiculously funny. And of course, we decided that she needed some new and awesome pictures for when she does leap into stardom and start having dinners with Tina Fey and Steve Carrell. B, I’ll cook the dinner, just let me listen to your conversation through the kitchen door!!!!!