Look at how awesome it makes my furball.  The lens feels so natural in my hands.. like we were meant to be best friends forever.

I was verbally ogling and drooling over it on the phone and the first thing he says is that we’re definitely buying me one once we’re done with the wedding.

Do you see why I am marrying this man?

It’s because he sees my real wants and desires and wants to step in and help me get them even if they have no real personal value to him.  <3  God help me to not sprint down that aisle in September.

Fortunately at least half the world of arthropoda are tame and interesting and my phonecam keeps me busy! This guy was on a door frame this morning.

Every weekend has been booked with a shoot for me. This weekend I’m shooting at my favorite park: McDaniel Farm Park. Since I’m there at least 4 days of the week I know it like the back of my hand and can’t wait to shoot there! On top of that I’ve “rented” a coworker’s 70-200mm 2.8L II so I can get a little creative.  It’s also nearly 2400 to replace so I’ll also be SUPER PARANOID with it this whole weekend.

I’m always impressed by how all these really technical people are also really creative! Quite a lot of good engineers are also fantastic at the liberal arts.  My own Jeremy comes to mind. He’s got a natural eye for things, for sure.  I believe people have many talents and you don’t have to sequester yourself into the stereotypes society places on you. If you have a multitude of talents develop them to whatever extent makes you happy and also to whatever extent makes sense for all the rest of the goals in your life.

Trust me when I say the best things in life, the ones that made me, aren’t the ones that make me feel the emotion ‘happy’.  They’re much more profound than that.

You’re not a label. You’re not a wife, you’re not a runner, You’re not a big brother, you’re not a photographer, you’re not an engineer.  You’re labeled those things but you’re NOT those things. The day you lose your legs, who are you? The day you become a widow, who are you?  The day your camera falls into the ocean, who are you?  What is you cannot be diminished by things outside your skin.

The only label I ever want is my name. Sunira. I’m Sunira.  If there’s a problem, I like to solve it. If there’s tragedy, I need to embrace it.  If there’s a beautiful thing, I like to absorb it.  I am inspired by my world and I just want to express it in whatever way I fancy.  The end.

My mom looked happy, which is pretty much all I wanted out of the entire thing. :) Also Jeremy looks pretty hot in a suit. My friends all came and family too, from everywhere. I really appreciate my family. They always go the extra mile.  I know how lucky I am.

I ate like a piggo though. I got awful looks from Dez yesterday when I showed up to boot camp. :] I wasn’t reporting my weight the entire weekend! That’s all over now, though. I was back in full force yesterday with my diet and my 2 hours of exercise. I am going to dominate the next few months! :)

Here I act like a creeper following these 3 guys until they’re in the perfect light at the park.  Phone creeper Sunira 4 LYFE suckas.

Funny faces, lots of laughs and even a Bollywood pose or two made this occasion a real pleasure to shoot. :) Deepika looked lovely in her Pink and Teal Sari.

It was a beautiful, simple, family affair!

They’re getting married the Saturday after I myself tie the knot! It’s wedding season for my friends!

Also nice to have cute family. Like this one.

She’ll be one of my flower girls in a few months. She’s much older than this now.. grown up so fast!

This is the power of an amazing workout.

For some reason God only knows, I keep forgetting that adding 1-2 hours of P90x type activity + time alone in the calm solitude of nature  adds nearly 4-6 hours of energy to my day. The days I’m most useless and letting my emotions dictate how I feel are the days I haven’t gotten my workout in.

I need to cling hard to my exercise time. It’s the only time during the day that I can clear my mind of everything. The extra hour in the park is like time with God. I am alone, with the birds and the trees and the wind as my only companions and I am drawn easily into a spiritual communion with God. I lay my fears, worries, anger, and solitude out in front of him. I don’t get answers or anything, but I definitely feel a sense of relief, and my sense of aloneness  in these situations dissipates.  It’s been pretty great. It’s solidified my day so far.

I took this picture with my phone walking up a hill at McDaniel Farm Park, where I was Monday. Seriously, thank you Gwinnett County Parks and Rec.

I think the combination of cutting back on my finances, cutting back on all the weekend fun, cutting back on travel, and losing some time to work alongside planning a wedding that I really don’t enjoy is wearing on me. I look in the mirror and I see a whole lot of tired all the time.

2012 is going to be a pretty suck year.  Nothing’s wrong technically but really.. I’m just … not in a great place. I guess that’s okay sometimes. I just don’t like it. :p

I keep dreaming of 2013: the year I’ll be married to my best bud, be as far mentally from the bureaucracy of weddings as I can get, and refocusing on the things I love to do: travel, try new things,  photograph, code & kick butt at boot camp!

How different would our life, our technology, and our outlook be if we weren’t really on the largest side of the size scale of animals on this planet? It’s fun to imagine.

I live in a beautiful part of the country, honestly. Just the perfect mix of city life and outdoor getaways.  I’m five minutes from a pan-asian experience or a quiet walk in a wholly american park. Two hours of time will take me pretty much anywhere I have an itch for most days.  I am certainly happy with my decision to be out here.