It seems the older we get, the harder it is to get us in one place. My mother could herd cats easier than getting her five children to be together at once. For weeks we tried syncing calendars, but it came to a standstill when my father told me we wouldn't be together until November 26th. As in SIX weeks from now, I countered. His text was as follows: Bianca is flying to Greece for work, Sebastian has school, Zoe has an internship, you're shooting weddings on the weekends, Alexandria is…well, you know her…she just goes with the flow. WHY CAN'T ALL MY KIDS BE LIKE HER?

I responded: If I was like her, you wouldn't have someone to take your infamous Christmas card photo. Boom.

That's when my dad said I was his favorite, something us kids realize he says to each of us when we're alone. And yet we all believe–if not for one second–that we really are his numero uno.

Against the odds, the family rallied to ensure my mom got her annual family photo. She lives for it. No really, her home decor is comprised of pictures of us. You'll find a photo of my baby brother amongst my stuffed animals, a photo of Alexandria after having just sneezed an entire string of spaghetti from her nose, a photo of my dad in his Marine attire. And her Christmas photos, framed on the fireplace mantle.

Can you leave work early?
Can you put that art project on hold?
Dad, can you reroute your flight and leave earlier?
Can you make sure to bribe the kids with toys?
Zoe, can you pick out our outfits?
Can you make sure Jasmine doesn't make anyone cry this year?
Can you tell Sebastian to be there 30 minutes early so he's not late again?
Can we avoid arguing this year?

Suddenly, we found the entire family together. On a sunny day in Orange County attempting to pose for a family photo…

After manic directions from me and a few attempts at capturing a photo (precisely why I could NEVER be a family photographer), we nailed one. Let's not forget how many times I ran to and from the tripod (who's your favorite kid now, dad?!?), but it was worth it to see the smile on my mother's face.

I'm incredibly lucky to have amazing parents. They're selfless, patient, long-suffering, and incredibly kind. After 30+ years together, my dad still finds a way to make my mom smile…

Sebastian is in college and working part time at a restaurant at Downtown Disney. He also scored me discounted tickets to visit Disneyland, so he's my favorite brother.
Zoe recently secured an amazing internship, leveraging her love for social media. She'll be traveling to events and becoming a social ambassador by documenting each event with her iPhone and sharing it on instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. She's a social butterfly, incredibly kind, and funky, so this job was just what she was looking for.

Alexandria is free as a bird. We poke fun at her at times, but we secretly envy her carefree life. She's an artist and funds her life simply by creating what she enjoys and living simply. Once she told me she dreamed of selling organic, homemade soap at a farmer's market. Yup, that's Alex. She recently got engaged and we couldn't be more excited to have Martin as part of our family!!

Bianca, Matt, Parker, and Ryen are doing well. Bianca is still fighting human trafficking with The A21 Campaign (she's the nice twin), Matt is Mission Pastor at Mariner's Church, and Parker and Ryan are as adorable as ever.

I have no idea what they were doing in this photo…but I'll take any moment to embarrass my sister for that one time in fifth grade when she let girls freeze my underwear at a sleepover.

When Ryen played with her iPad at dinner, I wanted to lean over and say I could remember the time when I could buy a song for just $.99…but refrained because it made me feel old.

This is my best friend. We met when we were 17 years old and has become the grout in our familial interactions…all these years later and I'm still madly in love with him.

My brother grabbed my camera and captured a few photos of JD and me. It's awkward being on the other side of the camera, but this photo is special to me because it documents a special moment in time. On this afternoon–regardless of what happened in the past or what will happen in the future–I had everything I needed. A loving husband, a supportive family, and the promise of an Italian meal. Together.

On a technical note, I used the 35mm lens for the family photo and the 50mm for individual photos. I used the self-timer on my Canon 5DMIII camera, while placed on a tripod. A special and HUGE thank you goes to Photographer's Edit for editing my photos with a quick turnaround. I outsourced this edit because I'm still very focused on weddings and running my business, so they help keep my workflow on point. Love them. If you'd like to check them out, feel free to use the jstar promo code at checkout for a 25% discount.

Happy Monday!