An Open Letter To Derek Jeter #farewellcaptain

I still remember the first time I saw you take the field. I was watching a Yankees game, for the sake of watching the game and then your face appeared on the screen. Now I was paying attention. It was your first game and it was love at first sight. like every other girl I became obsessed with you.  Posters, cards, pictures, magazines, I had them all. I was going to grow up and marry you.  

There’s a famous quote by Maya Angelou that says, “People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” And that’s exactly why twenty years later, at the age of 35 with two kids and a husband, I’m still in love with you.

My first time seeing you play in person was at a game in Anaheim. I showed up early to catch you at BP with every intention of making sure you saw me too. I was shouting at the top of my lungs like every other person there, trying to get YOUR attention. Trying to be noticed. To get an autograph. To get a ball. Something.  And then you stopped. You looked around and in Jeter fashion you tipped your hat. At me. And at every other kid in that stadium yelling your name. You made us all feel like we were the only one there. Like we mattered.  And it was always that way whenever you came to town. You stopped. You tipped. You thanked us. You always made us fans feel special.

So it was no surprise that you made sure I got my ball at Dodger Stadium a few years later. I was yelling so loud during batting practice that I’m sure it annoyed you. Probably why you threw that ball at me. To shut me up. It worked. I was all smiles all day.

The next year I showed up at Anaheim, with that very ball in my hand and a contraband poster that said, “DJ Please sign my ball.” I kept shouting to you during batting practice in hopes that you’d hear me. Like always, a tip of the hat and I knew you KNEW I was there. In an effort to outsmart all the other fans, I was on the Angels dugout side. People said you’d never come. You wouldn’t hear me. You wouldn’t see me. But they were wrong. In the middle of your fielding practice, you tucked your glove under your arm and ran towards me. As I realized what was happening I started jumping and shouting. You motioned me to be quiet. OMG! You were coming towards me. You walked right up to me and asked me, “Where’s that ball you want me to sign Sweet heart.” I told you the story of how I had gotten it from you at Dodger Stadium, you smiled and asked if there was anything else I wanted signed. And then like always, YOU thanked me.

People have asked me why I didn’t get you to sign a new ball so that it could be worth money someday. The answer is easy. The memories and my stories are priceless. They’re not for sale, they’re for me to hold on to and tell my kids and grandkids who will no doubt know who the Greatest Baseball Player ever was. Derek Sanderson Jeter.

I tell these stories over and over, to anyone who will listen and I still get as excited as I did then. They speak volumes of who you are, of what you mean to baseball and the countless fans that admire and love you.

Over the years I grew up, I got married, I had daughters of my own. As I moved on things from my past were lost or tossed, but never you or the memorabilia. Never the stories and never the love. Some moms are embarrassed of their teenage crushes and yet my girls love you just as much as I do. They share the same stories, the same admiration and I’m so blessed that I was able to share You with them. They’ve been to the games, they’ve watched you on tv, they own the jerseys and the posters. They are Derek Jeter Fans just like mom. They shout at the tv in October, they cheer at the rings. You've given us the best that baseball has to offer. Even when the Yankees were down, they still cheered. They still loved you and kept the hope because it didn’t matter, we had The Captain on our side.

And so today our love story ends. And I'm ok knowing that it's not the only one you have, today there are millions of stories like mine being shared by moms to their little girls.

 It’s been a great run. You’ve been the best kind of love to have, not easy when you live in Dodgers Town but it prevailed. You were baseball when baseball didn’t know what it was. The definition of greatness, class, and humility all in one. Today I tip my hat to you. Thanks for the memories Captain, you will be missed. 

Karyme's Frozen First Communion

My love for party planning started long ago, before Pinterest and before Instagram. I've always loved the details, the little extra touches that make your party the one every person remembers. As I'm planning I'm usually envisioning how it will photograph and sometimes my imagination takes me way out there, lol! Yes, I can and have gone a little over board, but in my defense I try to buy things in advance, on clearance, and do my best to incorporate my ever growing stash of items I've collected over the years.

This party was brewing in my mind for a while and the ideas just kept growing and I kept getting more and more excited as the pieces all came together. Using old Christmas decor and little bits of things from my stash gave me the look and color scheme I was envisioning. This is the one time Jesse was glad I collect, hoard, same difference! Because I was able to use a lot of the things I already owned. I kept debating on keeping it all in blue and white hues, but decided the pop of pink would be the extra touch to make it stand out and tie the two sisters together.

 I had it all planned out but something was missing. Something to make this, the candy table of all candy tables.

Looking online to see if I could get inspired was only confusing me. Nothing was grabbing my attention. Finally my daughter asked me to build the castle. And that was it! That's what was going to set HER party apart from all the other 999,999 Frozen Parties this year. So her Daddy made her wish come true and just like that my baby had her own little Frozen Castle!

Once that was settled I had to enlist my equally excited and detailed, AMAZING Cake Girl Gaby! She knows me. She knows my mind is over the top and she knows that I don't mess around. She knows my style and together we have created some pretty amazing Dessert Tables. So once she knew what I wanted, it was up to her to surprise me. She never lets me down. Ever. Her work is almost as beautiful as it is delicious, or vice versa, or both, lol! She's amazing and we have lots of ideas planned for this year. If you need the best Baker in town, look her up at L.A Cake  Tell her I sent you, she will make that butter cream extra frosty. 

All of my parties take my time and I've loved them all but this one has been one of my Favorites. I've had about ten requests for me to plan and design their next event. I have several ask to buy a castle from me too, so that's in the works. If you want one, just message me!

Enjoy the images.
Marisol

Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend... Jessie & Janet Engagement Session at Dodger Stadium

Sometimes all the stars align and every thing falls into place. This was the case on this day when I had the chance to photograph this beautiful couple. Jessie & Janet love baseball. They met over baseball and fell in love at the field. They knew they wanted to incorporate The Dodgers into their engagement shoot and so on this beautiful day in December, THIS HAPPENED....

 I know that just by looking at the way Jessie looks at Janet, these two love birds will enjoy many, many Extra Innings Together.

Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

I was fortunate enough to shoot at Linda Vista Hospital and collaborated with the Amazing Christian Escobar (Christian the Make Up Artist) for these shots of my baby girl. Enjoy!

Fall in Love...

Dream Big Little One...