The One Mission is a childcare foundation dedicated to helping out pediatric cancer patients and their families during this hard time. This foundation was built because of the struggles and challenges the founders faced with their son at only 7 months old. One Mission has grown across the country because of the Buzz-Off Event, which they hold every year. In June I had the privilege of donating my time to help photograph the event with my friend Shannon. It was an honor to spend the day next to Shannon Cronin, Annmarie Swift and Alisha Maria. This was new territory for me, but I knew Gronk was going to be there. We all were on our best behavior we were hired to be professional and we all were. I didn’t know who or what I would see. I felt lost in a way, which may sound selfish because looking at all of these families suffering from this terrible disease, and but I found it hard to photograph at times. I shed some tears seeing a dad crying when a family member shaved their head. It touched me. His son was given a sign football by the top fundraiser at this event. The whole day was an emotional roller coaster but all positive. Tears that were shed were tears of joy not sadness. It was a truly inspirational day! I’d be lying if I didn’t say I definitely considered shaving my head, it crossed my mind! There is always next year!
A huge thank you to the founders for creating this amazing event! Enjoy a few photos from this inspirational day!
I hope to be a part of this event next year. If you would like to donate or go bald for kids with cancer please check out the websites below. Hope to see you next year at the Buzz-Off Event!!!
A couple of months ago my dad lost his father, but luckily he was able to make the trip down with my mom and they got to see him in time. That is something we all want, to say goodbye before it’s too late. We never know when that moment is going to happen. Unfortunately for me, it made me realize that it had been nine years since I’ve seen parts of my dad’s family. I knew I needed to change that sooner rather than later. It was a last minute decision, but I decided less than a month before the trip to go down to Costa Rica because you never know where you’ll be in a month, year. etc. I had been many times as a kid. We would go visit every 4 years and it always fell around April vacation and my birthday. My husband was able to come for a few days as well. This was really exciting because there was a big chance that he would have not been able to go.
We started the trip in Alajuela where my dad’s family lives. We hung out at the house and made a few visits to family members. In Alajuela you are in the valley and surrounded 360 degrees by mountains. If the mountains look clear from their house there’s a good chance you’ll be able to see at the top of the nearby volcanoes, so we took a chance to visit the Poás Volcano. During our summer it’s Costa Rica’s winter, or what they call the rainy season. We knew it was 50/50 shot if we were going to be able to see the volcano, and of course we couldn’t after that long ride up! We walked to the lagoon as well and couldn’t see anything but fog and clouds. We took a break from walking and noticed blue skies were approaching. My family was very patient and graciously left time for my husband and I walk up to the crater again. The rest of us had seen it before, and I believe my grandfather, Abuelo, was with us because the clouds parted and we could finally get a glimpse of the volcano. We were really lucky!
At the end of the trip my husband and I took a trip to the west coast so I could show him more of this beautiful country. We said our goodbyes to the family and my parents, and were both really glad we could make this quick trip to see them. It was worth it! My husband and I then departed to spend some alone time. We stayed at this amazing hotel called La Miraposa in Manuel Antonio. Thank you and a shout-out to Kristen Wall for the recommendation. If you are planning to take a trip to Costa Rica anytime soon I highly recommend you hire a driving service to take you. They know where they are going and how to navigate the traffic patterns and we just don’t, so it was worth every penny. We didn’t have to worry and got to enjoy the ride and amazing views.
We got to our hotel, relaxed by the infinity pool and watched the sunset. Relaxing was all that was on the agenda for this trip. The next day we went to the Manuel Antonio National Park and explored. Of course as many of you know, I love the beach. So we got a really great balance of hiking, walking around the rainforest and relaxing at the beach. Let me just say we were drenched in sweat and it was worth every drop. Taking turns we went into the tropic ocean which I loved, it’s nice and warm! We had lunch and at local restaurant and of course some nice drinks. I love a good passion fruit mojito, one of my favorites. We went shopping at the local shops, then finished our day people watching and enjoying people run off the beach parasailing out over the water. We took the shuttle back to the hotel and watched another amazing sunset from the infinity pool.
It was bitter sweet to leave and (I or we) wished we had more time. It was the perfect length of time away from our busy summer. Enjoy some photos of our trip below and at the end are some from my iphone. Don’t forget to follow along on Instagram here to see more travels in the future #jenarayatravels
Since our meeting we have had some AMAZING adventures together throughout the wedding process. An EPIC engagement session at Fenway Park in Boston which you can see here(insert link). Yes you did just read that correctly! It was #epic! We met up a few other times to finalize the details of the big day that everyone couldn’t wait for.
The forecast called for rain, but we were extremely lucky Mother Nature was in our favor. The morning of June 26, 2015 it was rainy. I said to myself good, rain now just not later. When I arrived at the Wychmere Beach Club on Cape Cod, I knew this was going to be a day to remember. The sun came out shortly after arriving and we knew we were good. The bridesmaids had everything set up for the bride, they already had the music going, mimosas flowing, dressed in their cute bathrobes and lots of laughs. Jackie’s dad planned a golf tournament for all of the guys that morning. They were having a lot of fun themselves. Everyone I met that day was overjoyed for Jackie & Nate and they all love them!
Jackie & Nate opted for a first look and I’m really glad we worked this into the timeline. There were so many moving parts at that time that they needed time for each other. We met up at a park down the street overlooking the Wychmere Beach Club. It was super intimate and the perfect time to see each other. The bride & groom said I do with their toes in the sand while family & friends witness this amazing moment.
I’m incredibly thankful I got to be a part of your special day. It was an honor and I can’t wait to meet up for drinks soon and have some more fun! Enjoy a preview of your special day. Your wedding party I know you picked on purpose because they were amazing to work with. Your dance party is one for the books! Watching grown men sing & dance made your wedding epic! I love you guys! Enjoy your upcoming Honeymoon in St. Lucia!!!!!
Thank you to all of the vendors that made this day such a success!
Jackie and Nate met at Springfield College, and I have to thank my college soccer coach for introducing me to Jackie last Fall after she’d gotten engaged. I met up with them over the summer to talk about their upcoming wedding, and knew right away that this was going to be a good fit and a lot of fun. Jackie and I are a LOT alike! As we were preparing for their engagement session, I got a text from the Bride-To-Be saying I have a crazy idea: What if we tried to do our engagement session at Fenway Park? I screamed right away and said “YES OF COURSE WE SHOULD TRY THAT!!” Little did they know I’d already looked into that as a possibility, as they had told me that their first date was at a Red Sox game. Jackie and I both looked into booking times for a tour and she nailed it, private tour for the happy couple!
We met early that morning to get a few shots at Jamaica Pond so they could get comfortable in front of the camera and work on some poses before we got inside Fenway. Jackie and Nate were rock stars that morning, and we got some great shots. As it got closer to game time (okay, tour time BUT IT’S FENWAY PARK) we packed up and drove over. We were all like little kids on Christmas morning, very excited but trying not to get our hopes up. Little did we know that once the guide heard that we were there for an engagement shoot they would roll out the red carpet treatment. We were able to sit on top of the Green Monster, go inside the scoreboard behind the Green Monster, sit in the press box and in the grand stand at the seat marking Ted Williams 502 foot home run and walk on the field along the first base line to Pesky’s Pole. The highlight might have been walking out of the visitors’ locker room into the dugout and onto the field. Everyone was out rightly giddy at that point, and walking behind the happy couple I was thrilled to be there to capture this moment for them. Thinking about the many legends of the game who have walked in that very hall was also a pretty incredible feeling.
I was on Cloud Nine for days after this shoot, and THANK YOU to Jackie and Nate for this journey. It’s a pleasure working with couples who have a bit of an adventurous side and want to really have a special experience for their shoot. This was particularly special since it was Fenway and tied very closely together with their story.
Enjoy! Stay tuned tomorrow I will be blogging their wedding photos!
Back in the fall I was having some trouble with my wrist, having had two surgeries in the last two years, and was also having some trouble with my back. The back pain was due to an encounter with a spider, but I’ll save that for another blog post! In any case, my husband recommended someone he’d heard about from his old man soccer team (his name, not mine, for his Over 30 team). One of the player’s sisters, Natalie Brainerd, is a homeopathic physical therapist. I thought I’d give it a try and eight months later all I can say is WOW! I feel amazing, and if you are suffering from an injury or have a chronic problem with a previous injury I cannot recommend Natalie highly enough.
Her company is called Body Clinic PT, and her mission is to provide the highest level of manual hands-on therapy and exercise to treat injury and optimize health for daily function and sports. You do not have to be in shape or a crazy athlete to visit her, she loves treating anyone who is suffering from an injury or has pain they can’t seem to get rid of. We have now referred at least five friends and family members to date and the results have been incredible. One person was nearly unable to walk on certain days due to pain in their legs and back and they are now moving around freely. There is a night and day difference, and it’s a miracle for them and our family to have them feeling this much better after a few visits with Natalie!
Natalie is truly gifted and has a huge heart. We’ve friends through the course of these treatments and when talking one day she mentioned that she was updating her website. I immediately asked to do her headshots for the site and you can see them HERE. I want to take this chance to thank Natalie for everything she’s done and congratulate her on her upcoming website as well. She has truly made a difference for me and my family and we appreciate it!
Thank you for becoming a great friend. Enjoy your new headshots that represent you!
Xoxo Jen Araya
Please check out Natalie’s facebook page to learn more here
