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Paddle Boarding and a Luau

I had hoped to combine events so I wouldn’t bombard you with Hawaii posts, but I’m having trouble because it was such a beautiful trip. I have way too many fun things to show you here, so bear with me. 🙂 Today I’m going to show you pics from the day that epitomizes a Hawaiian vacation- adventures at the beach and a luau.

We went to Ukumehame Park in Lahaina on a gorgeous afternoon for some water adventures. I decided to attempt paddle boarding because it looked a little easier than surfing. Unfortunately it wasn’t quite easy enough for me to master in a mere 20 minutes on the water, but it was fun to try it! Shara’s husband, Mike, was incredibly patient with me and my meager attempt to balance on that large board. And Shara and Samantha did a great job cheering me on from shore and capturing a few photos that made me look relatively skilled at staying up on the board! They also captured my failed attempt to stay up on the board for any prolonged amount of time. (See photos below).

After the paddle boarding/sitting on the beautiful beach adventure, Sam and I went to the quintessential Hawaiian tourist experience- the Old Lahaina Luau. They have that thing down to a science- complete with a mid-meal light rain shower with a double rainbow for our enjoyment! 😉 It was a fun, educational experience with some delicious Hawaiian food, leis, a pig roast, hula dancing lessons, cultural demonstrations and hula show topped off with a beautiful beach sunset. Sometimes you just got to embrace the whole tourist thing and go all out! It was a fun time and gave me all sorts of flashbacks to TV shows that filmed Hawaii episodes like The Brady Bunch and Saved by the Bell. 🙂

Here is the photographic evidence of all the fun!

Ukumehame Park- the view from the paddle board of the West Maui mountains was seriously spectacular.

I’m doing it!

… and then this happened.

Ukumehame Park, Maui

Luau time!

Coconut being shaved, Hawaiian food to try, cultural demonstrations, and the pig roast (that buried thing)

Do any of you also think of the Brady Bunch when you see these?

Our double rainbow present!

Samantha and I embracing tourism. 🙂

Hula dancing and dessert (passion fruit cake and lavender-iced cookies were my favorite)

There’s just something about palm trees and a sunset. Felt like I was in a postcard. 🙂

Posted by jennimansellphotography | May 10, 2014 | Categories: Personal, Travel | Tags: Hawaii, HI, Lahaina, Maui, Paddle boarding, Ukumehame Park | Leave a comment

Farmland in Hawaii

When I was on my way to Maui, walking around farmland wasn’t the first thing I thought about doing. I think that was one of the most surprising things about my trip- Maui has so many different types of land and sites… there was so much more to see than just beaches!

On one of our first days there, Shara, Samantha, and I explored a few different areas of eastern Maui. We started out with a visit to the Upcountry Farmers Market in Pukalani. It was definitely the most picturesque farmers market I’ve ever seen! We tried some Kombucha tea and lilikoi (passion fruit) butter while picking up some avocados and veggies. We followed that with a delicious brunch at a french restaurant. Then we visited the farmlands off of Thompson Road… farmlands that happen to belong to Oprah! I had no idea she owned so much farmland on Maui. It was a beautiful road with great sites going uphill and looking out at the coast below.

From there we went to the Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm and got to explore a bit before the downpour. See the photo below taken after we made it back to the car… should’ve brought a raincoat!

We finished off the adventure by stopping at a couple picturesque spots on the journey home- the Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center in Makawao and the Makawao Union Church. Check out the photos below!

Visiting the Upcountry Farmers Market in Pukalani.
http://www.upcountryfarmersmarket.com/index.html

La Provence french restaurant in Kula for brunch- eggs benedict and a lilikoi (passion fruit) crepe… fantastic!

Exploring Thompson Rd. farmlands up in the hills.

The view from Thompson Road

High school friends still having adventures together 15 years later!

High school friends (me, Shara, and Sam) still having adventures together 15 years later!

The view from Thompson Road

Thompson Road- Hawaiian Cows!

Visiting the Ali`i Kula Lavender Farm as the rain started to come in.

Ali`i Kula Lavender Farm

Great view from the Ali`i Kula Lavender Farm… note the dark clouds up above.

Ah, lavender, such great stuff.

Some of the vegetation around the lavender farm and our next stops on the trip.

You could say we weren’t exactly prepared for the rainy run to the car from the lavender farm. 🙂

Some artwork outside the Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center, Makawao

Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center, Makawao

Outside the Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center, Makawao

I love trees like this.

We had to stop the car to check out this beautiful church- Makawao Union Church
makawaounionchurch.org

Makawao Union Church

Posted by jennimansellphotography | May 3, 2014 | Categories: Personal, Travel | Tags: Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm, Hawaii, Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center, Kula, La Provence Maui, Lavender Farm, Makawao, Makawao Union Church, Maui, Oprah's farmland, Pukalani, Thompson Rd. Maui, Upcountry Farmers Market | 3 Comments

Maui Whale Watch

I haven’t had much time since my return from spring break to get my photos posted (it’s testing season at school), but don’t worry, there are many to come! This trip was a pseudo high school reunion for my friends Samantha, Shara and me. Samantha and I set off from Ohio to spend a week visiting Shara and her husband who live in Maui and I couldn’t have asked for a better spring break adventure. I’ll start with our first day in Maui for this blog post, which I posted a preview of while I was there.. Our first morning there, (with jet-lag’s assistance for a somewhat early wake-up) we went to Maaelea Bay and took a whale watch cruise with the Pacific Whale Foundation. I was very impressed with how they do tours and how informative the guides are throughout the watch. I think my favorite part was when they put a microphone into the water below us and we were able to hear the whales singing below the surface of where we were. I also enjoyed that we saw a brand new calf often (though he/she didn’t show off much for photos) and quite a few pairs of whales. I just found this video someone took in February in the same area (silly me forgot my drone equipment to better capture the event!), so check this guy’s video out if you’d like to see what it looks like from above. A big thank you goes out to Shara and Mike for loaning me their zoom lens and polarized filter so I could get optimal photos of the whales!

Here are a few highlights from the expedition. Hope you enjoy them!

Our Mode of Transport that morning

Samantha and I hanging out on the boat.

View of the sugar cane field burning as we left the bay.

The only whale spout that I captured that day.

Oh how I love sunbeams.

I love how her side flipper looks turquoise underwater.

I love how her white side flipper looks turquoise underwater.

Here’s a glimpse of the itty-bitty baby (that probably weighed about a ton when we saw it!).

I loved the background of this. The mountains in Western Maui are really beautiful.

Love seeing the details on the tail fin.

I already posted this one in the preview, but since it’s my favorite from the day, I’m posting it again. 🙂

Posted by jennimansellphotography | April 19, 2014 | Categories: Personal, Travel | Tags: humpback whale photos, Maalea, Maui, Pacific Whale Foundation, whale watch | Leave a comment

God does good work.

I’m still in Hawaii visiting a friend of mine from high school and we were able to enjoy this sight the other night. I couldn’t help but think of this verse from Psalms while we soaked in the beauty of it all. God does good work.

Wailea Beach, Maui

Posted by jennimansellphotography | April 3, 2014 | Categories: Personal, Travel | Tags: Hawaii, Maui, Psalm 19:1, Wailea Beach | 1 Comment

Coming Soon…

Guess who’s traveling again! Get ready for some beautiful photos from Maui coming your way soon. 🙂

A humpback whale in the Pacific. This was taken yesterday on a whale watch off the coast of Maui.

Posted by jennimansellphotography | March 29, 2014 | Categories: Personal, Travel | Tags: humpback whale, Maui, Pacific Whale Foundation | 1 Comment

33 Ways to Enjoy February

Making February fun since 1981! (Groan, I know, but I couldn’t resist it.) About five years ago, I started this thing where I tried to make the drab month of February a bit more enjoyable by celebrating my birthday all month long. I’ve documented this by specifically pointing out blessings numbering my number of years in facebook photo albums since the year I turned 28. I decided to post it to my blog starting last year with 32 Reasons I Love February. Being the picture-happy person that I am, I couldn’t keep it at just 33 pictures, so there are a few collages in there. There’s nothing fancy or professional about these photos- I just focused on capturing memories without the stress of fancy editing. Here are 33 things that I loved about February this year. Enjoy!

#1- Having a super fun photo shoot with my nieces and nephew.

#2- Getting goat milk soap made by my brother’s family

Check out their Sheldon Family Farm & Dairy’s Facebook page!

#3- Handing my camera to my five-year-old friend at the end of the Super Bowl party

#4- A birthday month present on the first February school day. Thanks for the handmade scarf, Stefanie!

#4- A birthday month present from a work friend on the first February school day. Thanks for the handmade scarf, Stefanie!

#5- Enjoying snow day #7 in IPS. Using my very useful Snow Brum (a gift from my mom. I had no idea how useful it would become in my life!). And loving my well-used rain boots.

#5- Enjoying snow day #7 in IPS. Using my very useful Snow Brum (a gift from my mom. I had no idea how useful it would become in my life!), loving my well-used rain boots, and a fire in the fireplace.

#6- Watching the Olympic Opening Ceremonies at The Palace (i.e. not our homes) with Angie.

#7- Anne of Green Gables projected on the wall and a great time with some girls from my church Community Group.

#8- Surviving a half hour of car-rider duty outside in freezing temperatures each day with friends like this one.

#9- Taste-testing a variety of Oreos during third lunch.

#10- Giving piggy-back rides to this little guy

#11- Chili’s chips and salsa and going to my first Pacers game since I went to one in college back in 2000.

#12- Feeling the love from students on Valentine’s Day

#13- Enjoying a Valentine’s Day snow and some snow ice cream in my hot chocolate

#14- Chatting a lot during a four-hour lunch catching up with my college roommate… and taking a photo in front of the giant snow mountain in the parking lot.

#15- Worshiping in such a great community and beautiful building every Sunday.

#16- Hanging out at Thr3e Wise Men with work friends.

#17- Celebrating my birthday with some of my favorite friends in Indy at Chatham Tap

#18- Receiving birthday cards and presents at school from students and friends who know me well

#19- Blowing out a candle on an empanada birthday cake. Thanks for the lunch feast, Kim!

#20- Kendra coming all the way to Indy to celebrate my birthday dinner with me at Bru Burger!

#21- Having such great art to enjoy at the IMA just down the street.

#22- Getting to know my friend Susan so much better while enjoying the art museum

#23- Seeing grass as the snow finally melted

#24- Seeing the stained-glass window from Benjamin Harrison's wife (on the right) that used to be in my church (current window on left)

#24- Seeing the Tiffany stained-glass window from Benjamin Harrison’s wife at the IMA (on the right) that used to be in my church (current window on left)

#25- Flowers from family and friends- smelling springtime in my apartment.

#26- Celebrating with my brother’s family

#27- A sister-in-law who knows me well and gave me home-cooked frozen food for my birthday

#28- Baking for the fourth annual birthday bake-off with my friend at school. My nutella blondies turned out a bit too cakey to top the fantastic combination of brownies and Cadbury eggs that Meyer made.

#29- Dinner at Granite City and getting to see this fantastic friend of mine more often. So glad Jen and I get to catch up at Bible Study Fellowship each week!

#30- Randomness (I couldn’t really stick to just 33 things): free starbucks birthday drink, finishing our students’ English language testing, conversation starters from friends, my washed car, my t-shirt quilt, and the house on Georgetown that kept their Christmas decor up until March

#31- Taking 20 students to a Pacers game!

#31- Taking 22 students to a Pacers game!

#32- Laughing and enjoying a great dinner with my Indy Mom, Sheilah

#33- Extending the fun into March with a weekend at home with my parents, sisters, and their families. I love being an aunt.

Posted by jennimansellphotography | March 13, 2014 | Categories: Personal | 1 Comment

The Mansoori Family

I had the great privilege of meeting and photographing this family a few weeks ago. They were so welcoming and their gorgeous family (and gorgeous home) made my job pretty easy! Lilly was an extremely helpful and loving big sister to her two-week old baby sister as I took these photos. The Mansooris were so easy to work with and up to try any photo ideas I had. I’m so glad it worked out for me to help capture the new addition to their family! I hope you enjoy these highlights from our session!

Posted by jennimansellphotography | March 6, 2014 | Categories: Babies, Children, Families | Tags: Indianapolis photographer, Zionsville photographer | 1 Comment

…and now there are 4!

You may recall my newest niece’s newborn photos from summer and her lovely family’s photos from last spring. Now I’m thrilled to bring you Betty’s six-month photos, as well as photos of the four kids together. One thing is for sure, my siblings make really beautiful children. I absolutely love that I live just fifteen minutes away from these little niblings (does it count as a word if it’s in urban dictionary but not on dictionary.com?) who never fail to make me laugh and give me lots of love every time I hang out with them. Alright, enough words, here are the little beauties!

Yes, that is mama's arm int he background that I haven't taken the time to remove. I think it's nice to see that she's well-supported. :)

Yes, that is mama’s arm in the background that I haven’t taken the time to remove from the photo yet. I think it’s nice to see that the baby is well-supported. 🙂

Posted by jennimansellphotography | February 9, 2014 | Categories: Babies, Children, Personal | Tags: Indianapolis children's photography, nieces and nephews, zionsville children's photography | 2 Comments

Baby Nathan

Hello there!

You may remember Addison from previous posts on this blog. Well, she’s a big sister now and I had the privilege of meeting newborn baby Nathan and enjoyed doing a bit of a lifestyle shoot of their family a couple weeks ago. Hope you enjoy these photos!

N is for Nathan

Posted by jennimansellphotography | February 1, 2014 | Categories: Babies | Tags: Indianapolis newborn, lifestyle photography, newborn photographer, zionsville newborn | 1 Comment

Winter Wonderlands

I’m sure most of you have had your fill of snow pictures over the last couple days, but I had to find something productive to do with my snow day home from teaching… so here’s my blog post of snow pictures! 🙂 Since Thanksgiving, I’ve had my share of snowy days in both Pennsylvania and Indiana. Yesterday was a one-of-a-kind day. Over 11 inches fell in one day here in Indianapolis before the arctic chill set in. I took a walk over near the White River to enjoy the tree-lined snowy roads and get some photos. It felt so strange to be all alone on these city streets. I couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful it all was. God made a lot of beauty in this world. I enjoyed the beauty yesterday and today I’m enjoying (and feeling very grateful for) the invention of electricity and heat to keep me warm inside in this -9 degree weather! In stark contrast to my last blog post, I give you the recent winter wonderlands I’ve experienced: