The Story of Christmas/Stuff

a couple months ago, i stumbled across the story of stuff while browsing my friend dane's blog. and then yesterday morning, i was hit again pretty hard.

do you ever get excited about something? convicted about something? maybe something you feel you need to change... but, it doesn't make it past that feeling stage? well, yesterday was a bit different. yesterday moved past that feeling for me.

you see, i was faced with a couple of staggering stats in regard to our consumeristic identity, like: the usa spends about $450 billion per year on christmas, and the usa has consumed more goods & resources since 1950 then the entire world has consumed from adam & eve up until 1950, and it would only take $10 billion to make sure every person in the world has access to clean drinking water. but the stats weren't convicting enough. what was convicting was that i realized i was part of the problem.

the story of christmas, the spirit of the season, is not about stuff. yet, i make it about stuff. i feel good when i give & receive. i feel bad when i don't. but again, that's not what its about. so, carlie & i have decided to change.

this year we are focusing on single-gift giving. instead of the usual barrage of meaningless gifts that end up in some landfill by the following christmas, we are looking at giving gifts to our family that will help bring the family together. and since we are limiting the number of gifts, we are forced to be more intentional in our purchasing and giving.

with this kind of giving, even in a down economy, that leaves some unspent money on the table. and carlie & i have decided to give away three times the amount we have spent on gifts, to organizations that are solving real problems: thirst, aids relief, and education. please don't hear me wrong... i don't say this to give a righteous impression. in fact, our giving, dollar wise, won't really be that large. but, we are committed to share what we are doing, because...

...what if a couple other people changed their perspective on christmas, before the rush of the season is over, and actually acted on it? maybe, just maybe, we could learn a little more about that cliche "true meaning of christmas" and at the same time, make our world a better place.

win.win.

Ashley

i needed a fun girls day. and who better to share that day with than ashley. ashley can light up the room, any room. ashley is full of grace, strength, compassion, elegance and beauty.

i met ashley in 2004 at paul mitchell cosmetology school. ashley remembers our first conversation about an eyeshadow one of us were wearing, but i remember things a little different. i was a hair model for class. actually i was a hair dummy. to this day i still dont know why i eagerly held my hand up in class other than the fact that our teacher was quite attractive. ok ok he was extremely attractive and i couldnt resist! ashley was in my class and begging me not to do it. did i mention he was about to shave my hairline? here i was torn between a hot hair butcher and a girl who i had never met who who cared about my hair. haha, that sounds really superficial but seriously, when your in hairschool you want to have cool hair!

ashley has been one of my best friends ever since. she was brought into my life to help me through some of the hardest times. her friendship and love have helped shape me into the woman i am today and for that, i am forever thankful.

isn't she stunning!!!



does this dress look familiar to anyone??








ashley freelances for motives cosmetics which i absolutely loved.



my favorite!

The Boss

this is my wife. she is not my assistant.

although, if i had to choose an assistant, and she were to accept the offer, i would most definitely hire carlie renee. the truth is... she pretty much runs this ship. hey, at least i'm honest.

The Christmas Box

life with carlie.

i could write a novel... no... a series of novels... thats right, multiple volumes, on the subject. carlie is passionate & inspired. when an idea crosses her mind, nothing else on earth deserves her attention at that particular moment. whether it be going for a run, a new artistic tangent with our branding, or in this case, christmas decor, carlie knows what she wants.

well, she knows what she wants most of the time, but more accurately, is mostly figuring out what she wants as she goes. so, as we prepared for a visit from our family over thanksgiving, carlie got inspired.

in our new home, where would we put our christmas tree?

well... after 3 complete re-designs of the living room, including the shifting of the layout for most of our major furniture, carlie decided.

we aren't getting a tree.

what do you think about that? but don't worry, her new idea will probably evaporate once we unload the christmas box. i know most of you have one. and, if you have been in the business of being a family for very long, you probably even have an entire quadrant of your garage dedicated to the holiday. seeing as carlie & i are just shy of one-and-a-half years of marriage, we have a single, rather small, box of yule-tide accessories.

so, with turkey day behind us, and the holidays before us, pray for me. think of me. because, the exciting part of a small christmas box is that we still have room to be inspired, room to grow; the difficult part is, we are inventing ourselves with each step. and that is tough work.

Dating My Wife

after a week long mancation with the mammoth men, she deserved it. so when i offered the notion of a lunch-date followed by a movie, her excited answer was...

can we stop by the candy store and sneak in some treats?

and, that was it. yesterday afternoon, my bride and i popped in the car and went on our first date in, well... i don't know how long. having only been married a short year-and-a-half, i wouldn't have expected the novelty to wear off so quick. but, yesterday, while simply enjoying a chipotle chicken panini [yum] and sharing a diet pepsi, i couldn't help but be struck by how in love i am with this woman. and, at the same time, i couldn't help but realize what an ass i can be some times, by simply not accepting the blessing that she is, and rather, focusing on the way things "should" be.

carlie, i love you. and i hope you will go on some more dates with me ;)

Still Rolling

in case you have been in a black-hole over the past week, or in st lucia [stephanie and mike, you are exempt], you know about the 24/7 shenanigans of awesomeness being dropped by the mammoth men. well, we are still on the road...

thus far, we have successfully hit the strip, blasted our ghats in colorado, discovered the tomb of stone henge, rocked out some chonies & socks football, and given the photo world a lesson in science.

at this point in time, we are chilling in las cruces, new mexico with tomorrow's plans for taking over a small town or two, between here and phoenix. so make sure to keep checking back at www.mammothmen.com for the unveiling of our story.

and as a heads up, the giveaways tomorrow are going to be extra insane, so it would definitely be worth your time to stop by and say hey.

rock.on.

It's Here

the day has arrived, for yet another adventure. over the next week, make sure to check our progress [or lack therof] at www.mammothmen.com, and as with the last trip, you can expect a double fist-full of posts each day... so, don't worry... we will give you your fill.

photo montage stolen from fred egan.

One Piece At A Time

another gabriel.ryan. video from The Bui Brothers on Vimeo.

24

i know i have written about it before, but i really am intoxicated by the idea of story. maybe it has to do with my spiritual beliefs, that a God who created me would actually care enough to craft the order of my life and that of others, weaving in and out of each other. for me, story seems like the ultimate in the application of creativity.

and so it goes, that unbeknown to me [i had just turned 3], my story changed 24 years ago today...

carlie, my bride, my partner, is perfectly fit for me. she challenges me to look inward at my own heart. she constantly reminds me, in the midst of hard times, that things will be okay... that things are okay. she sleeps in late. she cleans the dishes [every once in a while]. she holds on tight but still gives me freedom to be my own man. she supports our business while i am away. she is my sounding board. oh yeah... and she is smokin' hot!

carlie renee davis, i love you. thank you for choosing me, for letting me be me. and thank you for being you. you are exactly the woman that i need. and even in those moments, especially in those moments, i want to pull my hair out in frustration, or crawl into a corner of my own self-doubt, you bless my life. happy birthday beautiful!

Shannon and Jeff

every once in a while, maybe not always, but in those special moments far and few between, things happen just as they ought to. the kind of series-of-events typically saved for a screenplay... that's what i'm talking about. it is just as such with shannon & jeff.

i have known both jeff and shannon for some time now, and i have spent some of the best times of my youth with jeff hull the second. we learned to surf together (he can now officially surf at least 10 times better than myself), we spent a winter in the rockies snowboarding every day, and i've watched him take his business from a small corner of his dad's garage to a well respected and thriving surfboard manufacturer. i had the pleasure of joining a small group of guys recently for a surf trip to panama, and had the honor of being one of jeff's groomsmen this past weekend. to sum it up mathematically jeff hull the second + anything = awesome.

as for shannon, i've been there as she grew up; one of my sister's best friends. in fact, i know that shannon's life was a testimony to courtney and her influence as a friend probably shaped courtney during her short but passionate 19 years on this earth. i was there, 8 years ago, when at another friend's bachelor party, jeff called 'dibbs' on shannon, braces and all. jeff said something to the effect of that shannon donahue is going to be hot when she grows up... i got dibbs.

8 years later, and things panned out just as their story was written. shannon & jeff, thank you for bringing carlie & i into the process. we are so excited for you, and can't wait for the fun times to be had here on out. we love you.

and i have to give an extra special thanks to my incredible bride, none other than mrs. carlie renee, for rocking out as the main photog on this wedding. being that i was a part of the bridal party, i handed this one over to carlie, and looking through the images (though i did take a few myself) i am afraid carlie might put me out of a job. also, thanks to aaron of ahs photography, for second shooting with carlie on this one.

The Future Of Our Story

if a picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is technically made up of a lot of pictures, than a video should be at least worth a million words...

a gabriel.ryan. video from The Bui Brothers on Vimeo

It's A Lifestyle

eta: 236 hours 37 minutes

Mammoth Men 3 Trailer from FRED EGAN on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Gabriel

today is gabriel's 27th birthday!!!!!

i just wanted to put up a quick post thanking my wonderful husband for being so patient and forgiving with me for the past year and a half. i dont always clean the kitchen, do the laundry, shave my legs, like to clean the toilets (yuck), i sometimes forget to brush my teeth in the morning, oops, i start to make dinner and then decide i dont want to do it anymore, i change mind every, oh i dont know, 2 minutes, i never make the bed in the morning, i read really late at night while the light's bright and your trying to sleep, i get us all motivated to run and eat healthy and half way through our run i throw a temper tantrum and want to go home and eat ben and jerrys, i am not organized, i keep the office a mess... but through all my shortcomings you still find beauty in them and how you do that will always amaze me.

i thank god so much for blessing me with such an incredible man. happy birthday babe!!!

Returning to Suburbia

the past couple weeks have been rad to say the least. i have found myself deep in central america, surfing in trunks in october, snorkeling in hawaii, and jumping from one plane to the next. and though it has been rejuvenating to leave behind wifi, and email, and cell phones... for the simple life, for a lazy afternoon with a couple of beers in a hammock, waiting for the tide to come up, i am amped to get back in the game. not to mention i'm stoked to sleep in my own bed.

so, carlie and i are about to pack up our bags and jump on our last plane for a while (until february at least), and leave the island life, for our daily life. i am sure orange county will be just as busy, as fast-paced, as we left it. and when we roll back into the neighborhood early tomorrow morning, after downloading all the photo & video from the past few weeks, i am actually looking forward to a nice dose of suburbia.


isn't my wife hot?!?! carlie chillin' in the jungle at waimea.

Bits and Pieces

four plane rides, a few rain storms, one wedding, and two big happy families later, carlie & i are back to our home and studio here in south orange county. i can't explain how blessed we are to live this life we have been given, to come in contact with such incredible people, to be wedding photographers, to do this together as a husband & wife team...

we definitely have some exciting stuff to share with you this week, and can't wait to get started on all of it. jamie & jr, we pray that the rest of your honeymoon in cancun is wonderfully relaxing. kacey & alan, we hope your trip down to puerto vallarta is a safe one, and the two of you revel in some much deserved time together. kacie & gregg, we can't wait to see you this next weekend in napa, and are sure that the excitement level is building as we approach your wedding day. and to all those emails sitting in my inbox, i look forward to piecing through the bits of life that have developed over this past weekend.

enjoy.the.story.

oregon has character.

Avalicious

big things are on the horizon for the duo here at gabriel.ryan.photographers. [aka me & carlie]. and, when big things are in order, new avatars are a must...

The Smell of a Memory

its character oozed from the signature dash. it smelled the same. it sounded the same. it took me back.

during my senior year of high school, i turned 17; a bit of a youngster for my class. i had just discovered a passion [or at least what i thought i wanted to turn into a passion] for snowboarding. one youth group trip to the mountains and i was sold on my calling in life: to shred.

so, being somewhat broke, having not fully invested my time in the workplace seeing as our local institution required my attendance in other arenas [aka 'school'], birthdays and christmas were my main hope in obtaining any equipment that would allow me access to pursue my new 'passion.' i didn't care what the 'rents got me, as long as it was snowboarding-related.

the big day came, 17 years old, and i opened my first box. the shape led me to believe in only two options: a sweater or some shred clothes, maybe a pair of pants, a wind breaker... who knew. seeing as i hadn't asked for any sweaters, the possibilities looked promising. as i peaked thru the tissue wrapping the first gift, the mysterious garment was rather disappointing. in fact, my sister immediately snatched the article from my grasp.

those are mine

sure enough... one pair of used athletic pants belonging to my younger sister, ashley. and, to add insult to injury, i found a note beneath the pants. it read,

no snowboarding pants here

haha i thought. very funny.

yet, the alleged humor did not let up. no gloves here. no goggles here. it seemed as if tradition had been broken, and unbeknown to me, my family & friends were throwing me on an un-birthday party. didn't they know what day it was? the reason we called this celebration? i saw a long, dreary winter ahead.

at about the peak of my frustration, i heard honking... yes... honking. i instantly knew. it was pat, my step-dad. you see, pat has a good sense of humor. however, his timing is usually off. i thought, he was coming home from feeding the horses, and thought it would be funny to pull the attention away from me, the big kahuna, the birthday man himself [yes... 'man' at 17], and bring everyone's focus on him for his grand entrance.

so, first i heard the honk. then the sound of tires squealing around the side of the house towards the party in back. wait a sec... what is pat doing driving that? he doesn't drive a bug...

at first i was confused. a little slow to react, i put the pieces together.

birthday + no snowboarding gear = brand new car for me

that was it; a candy-apple red, 1969, volkswagen beetle. and it was mine.

so, this morning, when eric farewell met me for a breakfast burrito and a surf, and he pulled up in his new surf mobile, it took me back. the burrito was filling, the surf was fun, but most of all, thanks for buying that car.

and thanks again, eric, for letting me slap on the new tilt-shift to shoot your new ride. i know it's a little soft, but it will just have to take practice to dial in all those knobs & dials.

rock.on.

Video Blogging 101

special thanks to our friends, the bui brothers, for throwing an impromptu video blogging class monday night after a full day of chowing down knowledge with mike larson and the guys at kiss.

and for the highly anticipated, world wide [web] debut, check out dancecarliedance.com

Cole and Steve

we were just planning on a relaxing weekend north of the busyness of orange county, when our wonderful hotelier let us know that she had recently been engaged and was planning a wedding at the dana powers house on the central coast.

a few weeks later, cole dropped us a line asking us to photograph her wedding. we couldn't have been more thrilled.

cole & steve are two of the most genuine people we have come across, and are a lot of why carlie & i have fallen in love with slo and the rest of the central coast. the air just seems to move a bit slower. people seem a little more worn around the edges, but in a good way... kinda like the way a pair of boots feel after you have broken them in a bit. kinda like the way hi-end fashion brands might sell a pair of jeans with a frayed back pocket.

slo is comfy.

thank you cole & steve for being so cordial, on our visit for your engagement shoot, and again on the weekend of your wedding. both carlie & i truly feel blessed to have been at your wedding. it was intimate. it was genuine. it was perfect.

rock.on.