The Hasawaga General Store :: Life

I like love hearing people's stories. If you and I were to grab a cup of coffee I'd sit awkwardly close to you, lean in even more awkwardly close, and listen intently as you told me everything. I'd want to hear about your kindergarten crush, your best friend forever, and what you want to be when you grow up. I liken myself to a four year old who cannot help but ask why. And why. And why and why and why. The initial response will never be enough because I always want to know more. On our last day on the island we decided to take a drive up the road to Hana. We had heard of the infamous fifty mile drive complete with endless hairpin turns, mile high waterfalls, bamboo forests, and black sand beaches. Three hours into our adventure we stopped at the Hasawaga General Store and my world {and my heart} were rocked. Hasawaga has been in business for over one hundred years proudly serving the community of Hana on the island of Maui. The moment I walked through the rusted corrugated metal entry way, I knew this grocer had more than few good stories to tell. From the aged produce bins to the aisle of dried mango and fishing supply, something, somewhere, was begging me to stay. To walk awhile and explore the beauty that only a hundred year old general store could hold.

So naturally, I did. I'll admit that I'm probably the only person to ever get excited about taking pictures in a grocery store. And to the crowd of locals I most likely stood out like an Eskimo in Mexico. But with every aisle walked, another discovery was made and a new story told. While the waterfalls were stunning and the black sand beaches impressive, what really stole my heart on our Thursday afternoon drive was the Hasawaga general store. It is my hope that you are able to enjoy these pictures just as much as I enjoyed taking them. Our day was most certainly one to be remembered and our short but painfully sweet stop in Hana will be dear to my heart for quite some time. I can't help but think there is something truly wonderful about a company that keeps people coming back for over a century.

Enjoy!

I'm in awe of how much this image captures. Within a six foot radius we have dog food {both canned and dry}, milk, frozen chicken, Theraflu, and Windex. Amazing.

Happy Thursday!

Michelle

The {Other} Cross Family :: Personal

A few weeks ago, in the midst of the Colton graduating / moving to an unknown state / packing up our life chaos, we had the opportunity to spend some time in the Shenandoah valley with Colton's family. In attendance were Colton's parents, grandparents, brother + sister in law, and, the newest addition to the family, our niece. While I'll be the first to admit that small children intimidate me to the fullest {they're tiny, flawless little deliveries from heaven} after a few days in a cabin in the woods I was begging for my own sliver of snuggle time with Fiona. She's super cuddly, sleeps in excess, and hardly ever cries - which, quite frankly, is the perfect combination for an amateur baby holder like myself.

And on that note, it's my joy to introduce you to Tristan + Jackie with their precious new girl, Fiona. Let's just say I'm pretty blessed to have married into such a wonderful family.

Jackie, you are gorgeous and your laugh is stunning.

This is happiness.

Congrats on your new bundle of perfect. She's wonderful.

Michelle

Emily :: Kea Lani Fairmont Portrait Photography

Technically we met last March in Las Vegas. It was the fifth and final day of our conference and I had just a few short hours remaining before I was to hop a plane back home. I walked into the Photographer's Unite meeting and, as fate would have it, found myself an empty seat beside Emily. This Emily. The naturally beautiful, oddly fascinating, and easily approachable, Emily. We exchanged a few words before the program began, but I left quickly after the session assuming I would never see this sweet girl again. In fact, when I ran into her a month later at the Jasmine Star Workshop, I didn't even remember her name. But I knew her face. And her smile, and her laugh, and the way she made everyone around her feel comfortable. And so our friendship began. Since that April morning when Colton and I so (so, so, so) nervously modeled for Jasmine's workshop, Emily has, in the truest sense of the word, been my friend. While we are both at similar stages in our businesses, we have had the joy of sharing a summer full of texts, tweets, and phone calls discussing photography, life, and everything we love about the both of them. I remember standing in H&M when I got the text from Emily saying she had big news. Big, big news. I responded with a hundred exclamation marks and begged her to tell me everything. When she let me know that she was headed to Maui for the Making Things Happen workshop, I started shaking. Shaking because that's my default reaction. To exciting and disappointing news alike, my body immediately searches its reserves for every last ounce of adrenaline before shooting it through my veins like an IV drip of strong, black coffee. Too shaky to type I called Emily back. I was excited, yes, but mostly I was speechless. Speechless because only a few hours earlier I had discovered I too would be joining Lara Casey and a handful of other amazing individuals at the Maui intensive.

Last week Emily and I shared tears, laughs, and a week full of changes for our lives and our businesses. When asked if I would capture the new portraits for Emily's website, I was elated. Hawaii, the Fairmont, a flawless blue sky, and my friend. I could not have orchestrated a more perfect day if I tried. Enjoy.

And I'll leave you with what is easily my favorite image from the day. Easily.

Happy Monday, Friends!

Michelle