snow fun

snow day from darlene dame on Vimeo.

okay, i have come to the realization that i need to pay in order for my videos to be HD on my blog.. maybe one day i'll cave and upgrade.. but for now, i hope you enjoy this un-HD clip (unless you go to my vimeo) of my brother and sister-in-law, brooks and cristi, and my nephew nixon. they put up with me asking them to fall in the snow without coats and throw it in the air without gloves. i even got cold and i had a long coat, gloves, and boots on!  we were blessed by the snow gods with the largest snowflakes ever, making for some great shots. this will be a yearly tradition with this family and i'm excited because i just love them :)

asuyeta

asuyeta from darlene dame on Vimeo.

asuyeta is a clothing brand created and designed by erika bates. she is originally from germany but now lives in boise, idaho with her husband and son. she creates and makes everything by herself. she is truly talented, not only with designing, but with her photography and photo-shoots as well. she currently has a kickstarter running so she can release her newest collection called "wild and free." this video is just a little behind the scenes of what she does. 

 (i finally figured out how to embed the video, now let's see if i can learn how to make it automatically HD.)

 ooooh first world problems.

eye of the tiger

 we went and "laid" with the tigers the same day we rode the elephants. there were signs everywhere talking about "laying" with tigers and once tanner saw that, he wouldn't stop talking about it until we went... to lay with them. haha. it felt safe, but they would never let this happen in the states. every little move they made, you felt like you had to jump away. regardless, they are beautiful animals and it would be awesome to own a baby tiger.

 trust me, this is normal. just about every time we do something, there are sunglasses ready for a photo. the boys at proof don't miss an opportunity.

 i know, i know.

 "he moved his head?! ah, jump away!" haha see what i mean?

 it was an awesome experience to visit these tigers and to ride the elephants in chaingmai, thailand, but i can't help but feel sorry for them. i mean, i know they are there for tourists like me, so i get these opportunities, but i don't like the thought of them being in cages and kept away from their families. i know that they are in good care but these are wild animals and are meant to be in the wild. i by no means am an animal activist but my feelings do hurt for them. i mean, look at that cute little guy^^^ i'm sure his mama would like to look at him and cuddle him just like i would my own babies. i hope that when all the tourists leave that they let them all out to be with each other. ooohhh i hope, i hope, i hope.

exciting news!

no no, no baby. 

BUT, proof will be on shark tank february 15th at 7 pm! the boys filmed with shark tank last fall and we had to stay mum until we heard from them. we got the email telling us it will air and needless to say, we're all very excited! so now we can tell you all to tune in to see what's in store :) i know it's the best way for you to spend valentines weekend ;)

boudoir video shoot

jayme montoya boudoir from darlene dame on Vimeo.

jayme montoya is a very talented, boise local, who specializes in boudoir photography. and she is GOOD at it! i could only imagine the nerves of doing something like this. i could see how jayme made the model feel so comfortable in her own skin, let alone in front of the camera. she makes it really fun by hiring a professional hair and makeup artist to pamper you and make you glamorous! if you want to give your significant other a special treat for valentines, this is a tasty way to do it! you can find all of jayme's info here and take a look at her talent! be sure to book asap because she is always busy!

elephants

 

i love elephants. 

for being such a large creature, they are quite graceful and very smart. we got to watch them paint with their trunks and i was impressed! above are some of the pieces they painted and my brother in law bought one for his daughter. we thought they would charge a lot but it was only $30. we watched them preform tricks like playing the harmonica, walk with only their front two feet, kick the soccer ball into the goal, sit and paint. we rewarded them with bananas and sugar cane. we then got to ride one, which was something i've always wanted to do. now, if i can only convince tanner to get one as a pet...

long neck village

in chiangmai, thailand, we visited a long neck village. granted, it was for tourists, but traditionally they really do wear the rings around their necks and add to them every couple of years. these were some of my favorite photos that i captured on the trip. there was so much color and beauty i couldn't stop clicking. they had some of the rings set out for the tourists to try on and you wouldn't believe how heavy they are! i don't know how they can handle keeping them on all the time. we saw a daughter giving her mother a shoulder rub and was doing her best to massage under the rings and i'm sure that it felt great. i can't wait to share more pictures!

2012

Here's to 2012! It's going to be a hard year to top since we did some amazing things. I have been so spoiled and blessed. My family didn't travel growing up, well, besides our road trips which I have fond memories of, and since I've been married I feel like I've seen it all. I'm married to a man with the travel bug embedded in his soul, and hey, I can't complain. So here's to 2012 and our travels to.... Holland, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Florida, Bahamas, California, Arizona, Mexico, Cambodia, Thailand (which were in as I'm typing this) and we will be in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and China in the next week in a half. In two weeks we will be in Canada and as far as I know, that's it for a while. I can't wait to share pictures of our Southeast Asia trip! It's been awesome and I can't get enough of this delicious Thai food. Life is too good to me.