Utah or BUST!!!

So this past weekend I had a grip load of photo shoots lined up in Utah with my cousin and fellow photographer, Seini . I was SO excited to finally have some time to concentrate on my work. Uninterrupted. But I felt like all the odds were against me. I woke at 4 am Friday to drive down the hill, pick up the sitter in time to make it to the airport to board my 7am flight. Out of JOHN WAYNE... or so I thought. I was SO prepared, map quested the directions, had EVERYTHING packed and ready to go. Not until I arrived at the airport and circled and circled then stopped and asked Skycap "Do you know which terminal JETBLUE is in". He looks confused then says "Oh... you're looking for LONGBEACH international". I was SO dying. It was 6:15 and I had 15 mins to book it to LONGBEACH without killing anyone in the process. I'm embarrassed to say that I arrived at 6:30, then took, I swear, ONE minute to drag my bags to the check-in counter just to have the Rep say "Sorry Ma'am, you've missed your flight by FIVE minutes." . "O. "OH. MY. GOosH!!... you're kidding?!" I beg, almost thinking in my head I could offer a free shoot if she'd PLEEEEEZE S T O P the P L A N E!!! I'm so sure I looked that ugly... I didn't really care, I just wanted to GET there. Thankfully the counter agent could see my desperation and plight and agreed to reroute my ticket to leave out of San Diego and arrive in Salt Lake at 4:30, just in time for our scheduled 5pm LADY STEELERS shoot. So I agreed and my adventure to UTAH began:

Board the Metro to the Am Trak station in Anaheim my two duffle's and studio equipment bags in tow.

Sit at the AmTrak station trying to kill 1 1/2 hours.

Pull out my cam and take pics of the station, only to have 3 security guards ask me to NOT take pictures because of the security risk on the other passengers. "You're kidding, right?!" I say "Nope. We're NOT kidding" they tell me sternly... and yet a whole bunch of tourists are taking pics of the gorgeous Spanish architecturally influenced station with their POINT and SHOOTS. Whatever?! I think... then head outside to discretely take shots only to have FIVE guards come out and ask me to stop taking pictures, that I'll need to speak to their manager OR pay a FEE. What the freak?! Didn't you just say it was a security risk??? AND Isn't this public property?! I think this to myself then realize that they are serious and I didn't wanna get arrested. Whatever... I couldn't pretend I was only amateur with the humongerous cam body in my hand. So I obliged and tucked away my treasured cam. I've learned the bigger your cam, the more stickler people become about you taking images on their property. Totally stinks when you're just playin' around. I did catch a few though. lol!:



Board the Am Trak for the two hour train ride along the coast. First time I'd ever been on a train.

Really anxious for arrival. I had dreams the whole time that I missed my stop and FLIGHT from SAN-SLC.
Luckily it did NOT happen.

Unloaded the Train then haul everything to the bus stop to go to the airport.

checked in at the counter. Go through security then get body searched (happens EVERY time- it's this darn Hawaiian bracelet that slipped on my hand in my slimmer days and now can't come off. ANOTHER hold-uplol!)

Almost miss my flight waiting on Jamba Juice to Pleeeze mix a quick smoothie then book it down the terminal.

FINALLY get on the flight and arrive in SLC!!!!

Meet up with my peeps. Get AMAZING images from the photo sessions.

Go to my cousin's graduation party where I hear the tiiiiightest reggae/island jam band since Fiji, Na Drua . Listen to "BE YOUR MAN", sooo my kinda jam! (Just had to throw that in there. lol!)

Then returned back home. Safe and sound.


Total images captured: 3,578
Total hours of sleep over the weekend: 7

I was SOO POOPED! Still am. One day I'll catch up. But I am SO glad I made it. It was SO completely worth all the hassle to get some AMAZING images... a lot even SOOC! Hooray.... and thanks Sein for making it all possible!!!