SHUTTERmoms!

Hi buddies~!  I’m trying to keep up my goal of blogging once a week.  Thanks to you and all your encouragement I’ve been on track.  This week I’m so excited to share with you a new photography workshop just for moms taught by the fabulous Tim Park.  I’ve been fortunate enough to help him in the planning process and I know this workshop will be awesome!  Here’s the basic info:

* What:  SHUTTERmoms, a photography workshop just for moms!

* Date:  Saturday, January 29, 2011 from 9:00am-12:30pm

* Location:  Garvey Center in Rosemead

* Fee:  $85 early bird and $105 after January 15, 2011

* Why: It’ll be such an invaluable opportunity to improve your photography skills and meet other moms. I really hope to see you there!

* Guess what?  Tim is offering a special discount for my friends.  Here’s the LINK to the website.  Just mention “skippee” when checking out and you’ll get an additional $10 off. 

Photography Improvements

I really encourage you to attend the SHUTTERmoms workshop because I’ve personally seen so much improvement in my photography skills after taking one of Tim’s workshops.  Not only is he a talented photographer but he is also a gifted teacher.  I’ve attended numerous photography workshops but most of the time things just flew over my head or I didn’t gain that much out of the experience.  After Tim’s workshop I felt like I learned so much and I use his tips every single day.  No wonder people from all across the U.S. fly in for his workshops!

Here are some photos of Evan that are SOOC (“straight out of the camera”) before I took Tim’s workshop. 

Tim mentioned that parents take a lot of the same portraits of their kids over and over again.  I realized that I often fell into that same trap~LOL!  Looking back I wish I had taken more detail shots, more shots of the background, etc. to know what the story behind the photo was.  Where were we?  What were we doing?  The mundane details of the everyday become blurred into our memories but those are the things I often want to remember. 

Here are some photos of Evan at a recent event~ the grand opening of Giggles N’ Hugs.  Can you see some improvement from my old photos?

In the back of my mind I always have Tim’s tips on being a storyteller and director in taking photographs.  I try to capture what’s going on in the background and memorialize the story of that day.

Tim also taught us to look for interesting compositions when taking photos.

Tim inspired me to look beyond just taking portraits and to capture beautiful moments and interactions between people. 

Portraits are great but I hope the next time you pick up your camera you’ll also try taking some background shots, details shots and candid moments to try to tell a story of your beautiful life! 

At any given moment I’m thinking about a dozen different things.  I can never keep up with the to dos, randomness and ideas that race through my mind!  Here’s a peek into the mumbo jumbo of my mind, hehe.  

Thanksgiving

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!  We had a lot of fun eating, eating & eating!  One of my favorite memories will be watching Evan ask everyone to juggle for him, hehe.  Our contribution to Thanksgiving dinner was a yummy seven layer fiesta dip!

30 for 30 – Miny’s Birthday!

One of my bestest buddies turned 30!  We celebrated at the Boiling Crab and ate a truckload of seafood.

My college buddies and I usually pitch in for a gift card but I wanted to make this year’s gift more special.  Gift cards are awesome but I love the thought that goes into handpicking special gifts for someone.  Miny is one of the nicest people I know so she deserves only the best.   

Some of the gifts included – cow slippers, Martha Stewart cards, vintage frames, an Anthropologie robe, lip gloss and assorted goodies from Korea/Japan.  My favorite items from the bunch were the ones I made, hehe.

Shuttermoms Workshop

Tim Park is one of my favorite photographers, mentors and teachers.  I was so inspired and learned so much from attending one of his workshops.  I pestered him for months asking if he could have a workshop just for moms…and now it’s becoming a reality!  Save the date buddies!!!  Saturday, 1/29/11.  The workshop will be held at the Garvey Center in Rosemead from 9:00am-12:30pm.  I’ll update you once the details are finalized!

Quick & Easy Greeting Card

Sometimes (a lot of the time) I’m scrambling around before a birthday party trying to get everything ready that I don’t have time to find and write a card.  Luckily I found an awesome solution!  I just cut out the letter of the birthday kiddo’s name and let Evan draw on it! This is a win-win-win situation – it’s so easy, it’s personalized and it keeps Evan preoccupied while I get ready!

Sue & Dave’s Birthdays!

My dear friend, Sue, just threw a surprise birthday party for her husband.  Sue & Dave’s birthdays are so close together that I considered it a celebration for both!  Sue & Dave are like the homecoming king & queen…they’re both fabulous and so nice!  It was really dark so I didn’t get that many photos (boo!) but here are just a few.

Memory Box Frame

Many of you asked about the memory box frame that Helen brought to my photo book party.  Helen and her hubby, Youkeun, were nice enough to work out a deal with their album company to offer these frames to the public.  The cost of the frame is $125 plus $25 for shipping.  If you live in Southern California you could pick it up to avoid the shipping fee.  I’m definitely getting one!  Let me know if you want to order one too. 

The Fall – November 17, 2010

Dear Evan,

Today you took a big fall.  You were standing on a chair, it fell back and you landed on your face.  I was sitting right next to you but in the instant that I turned my head the other way…you fell.  I just held you tightly and wiped the blood from your mouth while my heart was breaking.  Later as I put you in the crib for your nap you just lay there crying and whimpering quietly for me to make it better.  I couldn’t and my heart broke again.  As tears streamed down my face all I could do was stroke your hair and whisper it’ll get better, it’ll get better, it’ll get better.

You finally fell asleep but the next few hours were so hard for me.  I was afraid there was something really wrong and that you wouldn’t wake up.  Thinking that for even a second was unbearable.  You finally woke up and looked at me with those amazing eyes…and I couldn’t have been happier.  

The heartbreak and joy that comes with being a mom will always take my breath away.  I know that this isn’t the last time you’ll fall like that.  No matter what happens though…just know that it’ll get better.  There will be times I won’t be able to be by your side to stroke your hair and tell you that but just remember that you are always in my heart.

 Mommy

Ending on a Happy Note!

Great Toys

I’m sure you have a gazillion toys in your home but some are more enduring than others.  I wanted to share a few things that Evan loves…things he has consistently played with for the past 6 months or longer. 

Ikea Mula bead roller coaster

Evan plays with this at least once a day.  Something about the way the beads move along the pathways is fascinating to him.

PROS:  builds fine motor skills and logical thinking, small so it doesn’t take up much space

CONS:  nothing!

Ikea Latt children’s table & 2 chairs

Everybody can benefit from a space to call their own~ even babies.  Kid-sized tables/chairs are so popular because kids love being able to eat/play/draw at their very own table.  There are so many different kinds of children’s furniture sets but I opted to start with a cheap one.  I didn’t want to worry about it getting ruined or Evan not liking it.  Luckily this super cheap $19.99 set worked out great for us! 

PROS:  kids love having their own space, the low price, made of wood, love the clean colors

CONS:  because of the cheap price I don’t think this is as sturdy as the other pricier ones on the market (but it’s still pretty sturdy, see below)

Schylling ABC nesting cubes

This toy is one of Evan’s favorites!  I ordered it after I saw it featured in a parenting magazine.  This isn’t just a “toy” but also a great learning tool.  It really helps with developing hand-eye coordination and honing fine motor skills as the kids learn to stack and nest the cubes.  Evan loves stacking them up and then calling out all the letters/images he knows~ dog, A, B, horse, juggle.  I think this would make a great gift for a 1, 2 or even 3 year old. 

PROS:  builds fine motor skills, lightweight, kids can learn their numbers/alphabet/colors/animals, so many different games you can play with it, beautiful vintage drawings

CONS:  won’t last forever because it isn’t as sturdy as wood/plastic

Since we love these nesting cubes so much we’d like to share one with you!  Just leave a comment in the next few days and I’ll randomly pick someone to send this to.    [sandelion23!  I'll message you for your address!]

Simple Thanks

I’m so thankful for…

* a baby who loves me unconditionally even when there are many days I know I could’ve done better.

* amazing in-laws who love me just like a real daughter and will babysit my baby and my friend’s baby just so we can have a morning out on the town with other mommies.

* my parents who worked so hard all of their lives to provide a better life for me & my brother and yet still feel bad they couldn’t do more for us.

* a wonderful husband who says I look pretty even when I’m in my old pjs with my glasses on first thing in the morning and who actually likes my silliness. 

* a dog who warms my heart and hands whenever I need something to smile about.

* friends and family who lift me up when I’m feeling blue, make me laugh and inspire me to be a better person.

* friends like you who take the time to leave comments even though I know how very busy you must all be!  

What are the things you’re thankful for?  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

 

I’m so excited to share our Korea movie with you!  Andy did a fabulous job capturing a real life glimpse into our wonderful trip to visit our family and friends.  

Korea 2010 from Jenny on Vimeo.

Apologies to those who use Internet Explorer~ it might be choppy for you!  I highly recommend turning your vacation photos/videos into a mini-movie.  It’s priceless being able to relive precious moments.  I’ve already watched it more than 20 times and each time I still laugh and get teary-eyed. 

I don’t have a lot of family in the U.S. so it was heartwarming to be surrounded by my family and all their love.  I feel so lucky to have been able to spend time with them…especially my grandparents.  They are both such amazing people.  They raised me when I was little and my parents were in the U.S.  My grandpa said that even years after I left he would still turn around every time he heard a child yelling harabuji.   

It was incredibly hard saying good-bye to my grandparents.  I cried so much because I didn’t know when I’d be able to see them again.  As we stood at the bus stop saying our final farewells…I hugged my grandma tightly as she wiped the tears from eyes, smiled and told me a few bits of advice. 

* Pray every single day for those you love and for those who are less fortunate than you. 

* Always wear blush.

* Don’t forget to eat vegetables and exercise.

* Always live with a thankful heart.

We missed Evan so much but we talked to him every day on Skype and knew he was having a blast back home with his grandparents! 

This wasn’t our typical resort/lounging type of vacation but it was even better. Some of my fondest memories will be…

* Walking aimlessly through the streets of Seoul in the rain and eating fried chicken & ice cream at 3 in the morning.

* Eating the best Korean food ever.

* Being on a Korean TV show, hehe.

* People watching in the subway at rush hour.

* Relaxing in our room’s plunge pool & reminiscing about the olden days with my law school buddies.

* All the laughter and love…those are the moments I’ll never forget.

Photo Book Party 

Hi hi!  Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!  I threw a photo book party!  I had a few of my mommy friends come over so we could share ideas about photo books and products.  I have so many photos but never seem to have the time to make photo books or even print them out!  We talked about what kinds of things we could make with our photos and about what we thought of different photo companies. 

I made folders for the mommies with photos of their kiddos that I had taken.  I even made one for Evan, hehe.      

I’m hoping to do more in-depth research on photo books/prints/canvases and share the results with you…when I have time!  For now, here are a few tips/ideas that we talked about at our party: 

* Canvases:  A few of the companies we liked are Simply Canvas, White House Custom Colour (for pros?) and Canvas on Demand. 

* Prints:  We like Costco and Shutterfly for prints.  I actually think they use the same Fujifilm paper.  Even though it’s hard to tell by looking at a photo of a photo…take a look below and see if you can tell which one is the Costco or Snapfish one.  The original photo was taken by Youkeun Oh from Evan’s one year photo session last year.

The left one is from Snapfish and the right one is from Costco.  Snapfish does something to the photos to make them look a bit overprocessed.  Plus, the paper is thinner than both Costco and Shutterfly.

* Calendars:  Caroline had a really cool idea~ she makes a photo calendar each year and fills in her activities with her kids throughout the year.

* Photo books:  One really awesome idea Connie suggested was to make a storybook out of photos of your baby!  You could just make up the words or base it off of a favorite book.  Other great ideas include~ a book of your kid’s artwork, a book of just the simple moments in your life (where you eat breakfast together, your baby’s favorite toy, etc.) and a book that has photos of each of your family members and close friends.

* Memory boxes:  Helen was so sweet to lug her big memory box frame all the way to my place to share with us.  It’s so beautiful and it looks even better in person!

* Groupon for Blurb:  Groupon (my favorite daily deal site) has a deal on photo books for Blurb today.  $20 for $60 at Blurb.  Here’s the LINK.  I bought a few so I’ll share the results when I finish my books!  

Please share your best photo product ideas, tips and tricks!  

 

Giveaway

I was so excited that Shutterfly generously offered a free photo book and holiday cards to my guests.  I also have four gift sets to share with you!  Each set will include one 8×8 photo book and ten holiday cards.  I’ll send the codes to the first four people who say they’re interested!

 

BBQ

Gina and her brand new husband set up a BBQ at the park for Andy since they weren’t able to make it to his actual party.  It was so much fun just relaxing and chowing down on the yummy food they prepared, especially the mussels!  I even told my dentist and she wants the recipe for the mussels~ lol!

Evan learned how to say “Hershey” and kept calling for his buddy. 

We’re so thankful to have such wonderful friends!  

I’m a huge dog lover so imagine how happy I was to be surrounded by hundreds of dogs at the Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade!  This parade is the world’s largest pet Halloween event.

Of course, Connie’s giant angel (a Great Pyrenees puppy named Jack) was a huge hit and we couldn’t even make it a couple of feet before people stopped us again and again.  Bella (the mixed breed) and Akira (the Akita) also got some love but were in Jack’s shadow (literally)~ LOL!

Connie & Sarah~ I’m so happy I got to spend time with you girls!

All of the girls below are gorgeous! 

Oh Bella, you are truly a haute dog!

Two people who always make my world seem a lot brighter and sunnier.  

Here’s a giant THANK YOU for your warm welcome back greetings!  Just wanted to stop by to say HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  I hope you had a wonderful and memorable day with your family and friends.  I’m looking forward to seeing some cute costume photos of you, your kiddos and dogs!

10.31.10

 

Hi everyone!  I can’t believe I haven’t blogged for the past six months.  There are so many things I miss about blogging…the community, the preservation of memories, sharing ideas and being creative through words and photos.  Whenever I thought of opening a blank document to write a post I became too overwhelmed with how behind I was.  I told myself not to worry about that and just start~ so here I am!

Here’s a quick trip down memory lane since the last time I posted…

MAY

* We went to Vegas on a little family trip.

* I got to celebrate my birthday with my family and friends from college, law school and mommyhood.  I felt SO loved and still smile thinking about those celebrations.

* I went to the ER because my head was hurting so much.  Luckily it wasn’t serious!

JUNE

* Went to Vegas for one day to visit the Moon family.  What an adventure!

JULY

* We went to Kansas City to surprise my brother-in-law for his birthday!  Here’s a LINK to a video of our trip.

AUGUST

* Evan & I got in a major car accident.  A lady made an illegal left turn and our cars crashed.  Another ER trip, a broken wrist/back injuries, a wrecked car…but thankfully we were okay!

* Andy sent me on a day trip to Vegas to relax since I had been under a lot of stress. 

* I threw my best friend a bridal shower.  Then we went to San Francisco for her bachelorette party.

* Andy & I went to Vegas for our 4 year anniversary. 

* We went to Orlando on a family trip with the Moon and Shin families.

SEPTEMBER

* I went to Chicago to see the Oprah show! 

* Andy & I went to Korea and Japan for our anniversary trip.

OCTOBER

* My best friend got married and I was the matron of honor and Evan was the ring bearer!

Now that I’ve caught you up on what I’ve been up to…your turn!  I hope you’ve all been doing great! 

Hi buddies!!  So I finally gave in and joined Facebook!!  I’m still getting the hang of it but I now see why so many people have abandoned blogging for the oh-so-easy-Facebook-world.  I still love documenting my memories on my blog too though.  Thank you all for your comments about Evan’s party!  I couldn’t have done it without my loving family & friends and our awesome vendors.

 

This month has been rough.  Andy had to travel for work every single week and my mom has been in Korea so I’ve been on my own most of the time.  At the end of the day I usually have no energy to do anything but read e-mails/Facebook updates on my phone and pass out.  I just wanted to thank those of you who helped make the time a bit easier with your sweet comments/e-mails/texts/phone calls.  Even the smallest of “oh, I know how you feel” or “hang in there” messages really lifted my spirits.  As I type this I’m still alone but thankfully my mom will be back Sunday!  I hope you’ve all been having a fabulous April.  Happy Spring!

 

 

 

Now get ready for some photo overload! 

 

Maui Wowee 2010

 

 

 

Seeing that we were just in Maui (9 months ago) we didn’t think we’d be going back so soon.  Andy’s childhood friend was getting married though so of course we wanted to be there.

 

The first morning we were there we woke up to an island wide alarm warning us of a tsunami!  The whole island was basically at a standstill as they prepared for the worst.

 

 

 

Luckily the “tsunami” didn’t amount to much…just some really strong winds.  It was so windy Evan got knocked down by the wind!

 

 

 

I even felt like I would be blown away at times, hehe.

 

 

 

Favorite Moments

 

 

 

* Hanging out at Baby Beach where the water was super clear and shallow.

  

 

* We stayed at the Four Seasons last year and loved it but wanted to try a different part of the island so we stayed at the Ritz.  The service was so awesome!!  One of the staff members even brought us her own baby’s toys to play with while we were there.

 

 

 

We loved our room because it was actually two separate rooms (including a kitchen/dining area) which was really helpful so Evan had his own place to sleep.  It was nice just having a lot of space to hang out in.  Plus, the patio opened out onto a huge grassy field with a hammock!

 

 

 

 

* Getting to sleep in every morning while Andy & Evan went on walks.

 

 

 

Evan woke up super early because we were on LA time so they had the whole property to themselves.

 

 

 

* Getting to go on date nights thanks to our wonderful nanny.  Evan loved her and was so happy hanging out with her.  She was from an agency that was highly recommended by the Ritz.  Please let me know if you ever need a nanny referral in Maui!  I don’t have any photos of them so here are random Evan photos instead, hehe.

 

 

 

* I love how Evan is so friendly sometimes!  Now that he’s walking he goes up to random people and it seems like he’s trying to make conversation with them.

 

 

 

* Kai & Alison’s wedding was so filled with love and beauty.  I’m so happy we got to be a part of it.

 

 

* Going on a private whale watching cruise and seeing whales super close up!

  

 

 

* Spending lazy afternoons at the pool.

 

 

 

* Evan’s first shave ice experience.

 

 

 

* Watching Evan bond with his daddy.

    

* Shopping with my personal shopper.

 

 

* Spending quality time with my two loves.

 

 

* Here are a few more of my favorite photos…

  

  

 

Traveling With a Toddler

  

 

 

The last time we went to Maui Evan was only a few months old so it was a very different trip.  This time he was walking and so much more curious about everything!  The flight there was so easy we started even planning international trips for the three of us (fools!), hehe.  Evan napped for 2 hours and was in a great mood the whole time.

 

 

 

However…on the way back he skipped a nap so he was restless most of the flight.  Goldie Hawn was sitting right in front of us and I felt so bad Evan was doing a lot of complaining, hehe.  Thankfully she was nice!

 

 

 

Vacations are great but traveling with a toddler is hard work at times!  We were happy to be back home.

 

 

 

Here are a few random items that were really helpful on our trip:

 

 

 

* Disposable Stick-on Placemats – We used these everywhere~!  There are so many times Evan’s food falls on the table and he just picks it up and eats it again.  I feel better with the placemat there, hehe.  He’s always reaching under the table too (gum alert!) so I make sure to stick this on partially under the table too.

 

 

* Gate Check Bag – It kept our stroller clean and free from any nicks and scratches!

 

* Organic Milk in a Box – We haven’t found whole milk in a box yet so these Earth’s Best ones are the next best thing.  They don’t have to be refrigerated so it’s easy to take along anywhere.  You can find them at Target in the baby food aisle.

 

* Hand Sanitizer – The Cleanwell sanitizers are by far the best ones I’ve ever used.  I have one of these with me at all times.  I love how they’re all-natural and alcohol-free so you don’t have to feel yucky about rubbing the alcohol ones in your hands and then feeding/touching your baby.  I don’t like the Purell-types because Purell’s active ingredient is 65% ethyl alcohol!  Cleanwells are great too because they never leak~ unlike other ones I’ve used in the past (Purell, Burt’s Bees).

 

Any other must-have items or tips for traveling with a baby or toddler?  I know there are so many moms out there who are super travelers.  Please share your wealth of knowledge! 

Evan’s birthday party was such an amazing event.  I remember at one point getting teary-eyed because I looked up and realized that our closest family and friends were all there to celebrate with us.  The thing that touched my heart the most was that they had also been there for us throughout the entire year.  The best part of the décor were their smiling faces.

 

 

The Dol

 

Non-Koreans often wonder why Koreans seem to have such extravagant parties for their children’s first birthdays.  The “dol” or “doljanchi” is a celebration of life and a tradition born out of an era in Korean history when babies often didn’t survive to their first birthdays due to malnutrition or illness.  In modern days we’re fortunate not to have such concerns thanks to medical advancements yet the celebrations continue.  For us, the dol wasn’t about throwing a big party…it was just about gathering our family and friends to share in our love for Evan and to commemorate the amazing year we traveled together.

 

Here are some of the details from the party.  Photos were taken by our awesome photographer, Youkeun or by me.  Vendor reviews are in a post below.

 

 

The Theme and Colors

 

It all started with this little paper elephant.  I’ve had Martha Stewart’s elephant punch since before Evan was born.  I always knew I wanted to use this one day for my baby boy.  I finally had my chance.  I designed a logo out of it and used it throughout the party.  I also incorporated our safari photos into the décor.

 

 

The colors I wanted to use were light blue, light green, yellow and silver/grey.  I was inspired by my dress and a pack of paper!

 

 

 

The Invites

 

We searched everywhere online for invites but we just didn’t find anything I loved.  We decided to make them ourselves.  Here’s what we came up with…

 

 

We put a paper belt to keep the pieces together and also to hide the elephant.  When you first see the invite all you see is Evan but when you raise the belt you see the baby elephant!  We also included an advice card for people to fill out and bring to the party for a chance to win prizes.

 

 

 

The Décor

 

 

I had a vision of what I wanted the centerpieces to look like but it took a lot of searching to find the right pieces — the vintage luggage, the stuffed animals, the grass, etc.

 

 

 

The Food

 

Andy, Evan and I love to eat so we had to make sure our guests were well fed.  We had the Kogi Truck serve all-you-can-eat Korean style tacos.  Even my mom’s friends knew about them and were excited!

 

The coolest thing about the party was that our talented family and friends made special dishes for us.  We had everything from Aunt Teresa’s famous 14 carrot cake to Grandma Ahn’s spinach salad.

 

 

We also had a donut station where The Fry Girl made fresh mini donuts.  These are one of Oprah’s favorite treats so I knew they’d be a hit!

 

 

We also had a sweets buffet!  Sophia did an awesome job of making it look picture perfect.  Evan’s Aunt Sandy made yummy cake pops.  You can check out Sandy’s blog for a tutorial on how to make them yourself!

 

   

 

We had two machines that made different flavored coffees, hot chocolate and teas.

 

 

 

The Floor Pillows

 

I really wanted to make a comfortable floor seating area for families to sit with their babies so they could spread out and the babies could lay, crawl or walk around.  We (Andy & Jane) actually made 20 floor cushions!

 

 

 

 

 

The Canvas Bags

 

I made a bag for each of the baby guests personalized with their initial on the front and Evan’s logo on the back.  A lot of the things were the same (organic puffs, bubbles, blow up ball, book) but some things were personalized based on the baby’s age/gender (bib, toy, clothes, crayons, DVDs).  I really wanted to make each bag special for Evan’s best baby buddies.

 

 

 

 

The Slideshow

 

Instead of a traditional slideshow we decided to make a video montage of our first year with Evan including photos, videos and commentary.  If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the link…click me!

 

 

The Doljabi

 

The “doljabi” is a traditional event at each dol where items representing the baby’s future are lined up.  The baby is encouraged to pick one of the items which then signifies what their future will hold.  Guests were able to predict which one Evan would pick for a chance to win prizes.  Evan chose money!  It was so funny because he went right for it and started fanning the bills.

 

 

My very talented friend from Dohl Posters and More designed a board illustrating the items Evan would choose from.

 

 

 

The Thank You Cards

  

 

 

The Links

 

I’m ecstatic that Evan’s party has been blogged about.  I was so surprised and happy when his party photos showed up in my Google reader from one of my favorite design blogs, Twig & Thistle!

 

Here are a few of the links:

 

Twig & Thistle

Petite Productions

Sandy a la Mode

Youkeun Oh Photography

Swanky Chicks

The City Sage

 

The Happy Ending

 

It was pretty stressful trying to plan the party, especially because I made so many things by hand.  Luckily I had so many supportive family, friends and a team of awesome vendors to help.  There were many all-nighters, glue gun burns, paper cuts and countless trips to Michaels and Jo-Ann Fabrics but it was all worth it in the end.  I always say…love is in the details…so everything we put into creating this event was just a product of our love for Evan.