Hoping these make you warm and fuzzy inside! xox

I met Leo and Elena again, this time I flagged them down at the corner of a tube stop, jumped into the tiniest car I had ever seen and we drove happily all the way to a place called Kent. They told me 'I think it's the kinda thing you'll like Trish'...and spot on they were, that place is stunning!

On the quiet sunday morning which followed, we just walked the streets of London, close to where they lived. It was fun revisiting favourite places, little hangouts, trying yummy pastries, and enjoying the relaxed quiet of the neighbourhood.

See you in Sydney soon!! xx

Breathaking Versaille...such a gorgeous place to shoot! Sorry can't show you too much here because I think Elena is wearing the dress at some point on the wedding day too...

Leo goes Euro ;)

And I couldn't pass up a Parisian cafe shot!

The weather was pretty brisk for most of our time there but when it began to rain I was extra happy because everyone cleared the streets except us! Thanks for braving the cold you two!!

Outside Notre Dame...one of my faves!

Playing with the grand architecture near the Louvre...

And we finished off with a lazy afternoon walking the streets of Montmartre checking out paintings and enjoying the vibe, dressed in red, white, and blue :)

Leo and Elena, thank you so much for the opportunity to head over to your side of the world. You both are incredibly lucky to have such beauty and history so close to you, and I was also super lucky to photograph you in a little part of it. Part II coming soon!! xx

Say hello to these little indians!

Aunty Becc, thank you so much for being so creative and getting all this together for your little nieces and nephews, you are seriously the best aunty ever :)

One of my favourites, I just loooooove her fiery hair.

Little cutie, especially with the hiccups!

Sharing secrets...

Can't tell you how much I love this one, it's begging to be made big and stuck on a wall!

Thank you ALL for such a fun afternoon, I think I feel the right age when I get to play make believe with kids....looking forward to more shoots like this!!! xx

Charlotte & Noel from tealilyphotography on Vimeo.

xx

Something a little different for the dress shot, they were living on the 26th floor, and the wedding date just happened to be the 26th of the month....

Getting ready with a city view...

Gorgeous Charlotte!

Something blue...

I hope the girls don't kill me for putting this up but I love it!! Captured by Joel :)

Just a little teary! Big bro Mike pats Noel's butt reassuringly haha!

Another gorgeous Faye Cahill creation...

Seriously, positively, glowing :)

There was definitely too much funny going on in this wedding I could hardly do my job. I think I need to write in my contract a disclaimer in case of events leading to tummy aching, doubled over sort of laughter! Noel's dad (middle left) even came out with a 'Hug Mat' apparently used in Japan to demonstrate how a married couple should cuddle, while Danny (middle right) is in the act of shying away from an armpit hair that may or may not have been part of the entertainment for the night....!

Love Charlotte's dad's expressions here in the lineup!

Too funny!!

Absolutely stunning, one of my fave shots of the night...

With special mention to the following couple...

And uh...single ;P

Charlotte & Noel, thank you sooooo much for letting us be a part of the crazy fun you called your wedding day. You have the best family and friends and I know the years ahead for you both are going to be filled with so much more of the fun and laughter that exploded that day, and I can't wait to get you the rest of these images so you can relive it all over again! Muchas gracias!! xx

Our gorgeous nephew Zac, his bowl cut rocks!

Fab little details...

Fey's dad putting on her mother's pearls...

On the (freezing) ferry ride across!!

The boys waiting on the deck while the bride's ferry comes in the background...

The Musos (aka. The Celebrant & The Groom) who played the processional as the bride made her entrance.

Easy, Breezy, Beautiful!

This is gold! Taken by none other than Uncle Joel :)

The perfect lazy afternoon....

Jeannie made these awesome little kids packs to keep the little ones entertained while the speeches were on...

And just a few quick snaps on route as we made our way home to the sunset...

Jon & Fey, it made my day (and Joel's bank holiday) to celebrate with you two with the God and the sun smiling down on you, and the closest of family and friends to witness this special occasion. Looks like you had an amazing honeymoon and we wish you every blessing in the years to come...!! xx

My friends had dined at BWI a couple of times in the past few months and made me jealous posting divine photos on facebook so I had been hanging out to try this place. Definitely met all expectations, the service was impeccable, and the dining experience was a delightful 5-course with a couple of extras in between....

Yummy little extras...

Chilled vichyssoise, oscietra + salmon caviars, beignets of hawkesbury oysters // White + green asparagus, slow poached organic egg yolk, fresh black winter truffle from manjimup

xx

The poster pictured here is one of Godi's optom tools. Not everyone in the rural villages are able to read and write so they used hand symbols instead! I think there's a 'hand dance' floating around on someone's video somewhere :)

This is the lovely Martina. We stayed in her little house last time we were there, and boy has it improved since then! Gone is the dirt floor and leaky roof and everything looks so nice and neat. The kittens have also grown up but there's still lots of chickens running around. Martina has also found a hobby and hopefully also a small income source in making these woven blankets you see pictured here.

This is Noellia, you may have seen a glimpse of her in Joel's video. She was only a little one year old last time we were here and couldn't walk but in the years passed she had grown to be a gorgeous bubbly little girl. Until February this year when she began to have bleeding noses accompanied by a lump on her nose which continued to grow. Biopsies were conducted and the cells were confirmed cancerous, she was taken to La Paz for a month to undergo treatment but she couldn't bear the chemo and missed her family back home, who were also missing her. She has only be given a few more months to live, and our prayers go out to her and her family. We thank God that her family's faith is not shaken and they continue to trust in the power and providence of God despite this pain and sadness.

We presented them with a big group photo of their church which was taken in 2006 and they loved it! One of the missionaries we met in Bolivia talked about how there may be language barriers, especially in short term trips like these, but there is always a language of love that speaks louder than words, and it was moments like these - seeing their delighted faces and their warm embraces - you knew that being there made a difference.

***

Part II begins in The Yuquis - a jungle tribe outside the city of Cochabamba which involved travel of three separate taxis, and an hour long boat ride in hulled out tree trunks pictured here. At this stage in the trip, it was just myself and Tina remaining and after a couple of rough days (I kinda had some domino-effect sickness), we were ready for our last trip with the Elijo La Vida girls. We were told to pack for warm and humid weather with a jacket just in case....boy were we lucky for the jacket just in case!

Warming up by the fire...

The Yuqui people were very different to the other people in various communities we had met. They qualified for government aid and often had people visiting them and providing donations of clothes and food. Personally, I was a little surprised by the difference in attitudes, and began to understand why you can't 'just give', even from most honest of motives, as expectations are created that are not sustainable for communities such as these, who begin to rely on others to survive.

We had a little house to cook meals in - deep fried donuts and hot milky oats for the kids, and deep fried fish and rice for the adults!

The morning after we heated up another big vat of milk (from milk powder) and gave them some bread with dulce de leche for breakfast. We also handed out big packets of powdered milk and oats per family to take home.

Very interested to see how this community progresses - they have a church and a school and a big bunch of kids running around and a lot of love from the many people who visit. I do hope that education will play a big role in teaching them how to look after and work for themselves, and how to help work together to build the community up as a whole. Okay, that's it for me from this trip...if you are interested in finding out any more about this trip or mission work in general don't hesitate to drop me a line, I'd be happy to chat or put you in touch with the right people!

I have a bunch of weddings and shoots to share with you after this...so stay tuned, or get the sneak peek on my facebook page if you're impatient :) xx

The ride to Huacareta was a little bit terrible for me...squished four in the back of a 4WD/ute wasn't a problem at first until the roads were so bumpy I kept getting dislodged from my carefully carved out space and as the night grew blacker and I couldn't see anything as we drove on high beam through mountain/canyon terrain I thought it was best that I kept my eyes quite closed (has anyone seen TopGear Bolivia??). Anyway, apart from that everything was great - the weather was warm, the people were absolutely beautiful, and we had enough time in the region to bond with some of the kids while we kept their hands occupied with lots of activities.

Here are the doctors!! After that looooong 8 hour journey from Sucre to Huacareta, we thought we would be sleeping on dirt floor but to our surprise arrived at this lovely place owned by this couple who worked in the area. We were greeted with hot drinks, hot showers, and beds not to mention a fruit forest out the back, two gorgeous dogs, and a hilarious parrot who was extremely amusing to wake up to.

Here are our doctors, working wherever they could set up, and doing whatever they could do....

Godi was very high in demand!

This little kid in Monteagudo made me sad. He was barely 2 and his brother had knifed him in the eye for some reason or other but they had waited too long to get it checked out and now it was beyond much hope...

The clinic in San Miguel...

Plenty of time to enjoy each other's company and the company of the locals over massive meals, cooked over a fire...

Loved that burnt orange wall and the fact that a horse could walk by at any moment!

Hello kiddies! They were carrying cups because we told them we'd be teaching them how to brush their teeth today and giving them some toothbrushes!

Nurse makes a fantastic comeback :)

Paddlepop sticks + PVA + the gift of instax polaroids = priceless!

The little boy on the right is Jamil. I helped him make his paddlepop stick house and he was the only one who properly grinned for his polaroid.....he was kinda my favourite :P

Dental hygiene time!!

Lilli had a particularly good set of teeth actually!! Most of them were half black or simply missing by a really young age...

We travelled with a team of girls called Elijo La Vida ("choose life") who educated and diagnosed women about their health and issues related to abortion, provided counselling services, and gave assistance and support to those choosing to keep their baby. Vero (pictured here) was also particularly gifted in children's ministry and held the attention of these little ones intently!

Hello Jamil!

A time for prayer...

And a time for preaching!

Church at La Montana

"Ven, de todo bien la fuente,

Ven, eterno Salvador
¡Oh! ayúdame a cantarte

Dignos cantos de loor
Tú, Señor, por mí moriste
Quiero yo por ti vivir

Eres tú mi esperanza
Eres tú mi porvenir"