March Madness & a Cover Shoot

In March I headed West for my latest photo shoot. I packed for a 4 day LA trip & mistakenly sent my winter clothes to Aspen where I would be heading post shoot. I arrived in LA to a heavy rain storm and 50 degree temperatures. For this shoot “Murphy's Law” would pay me a visit. The rain didn't let up, either did the winds and the sun failed to shine-not even for a minute. I blasted the heat in my LA home & dug through my suitcase only to find I had packed tank tops, Oh & more tank tops! I fielded calls from my PR, photographer, hair/makeup artist & the magazine all trying to find resolve to the weather. Push it back, shoot in the rain, wait to see if it blows over? Finally the shoot was postponed. I went to the gym, spray tanned, cleaned out my LA closet, & dropped off 8 garbage bags filled clothes to the good will. I had dinners & lunches with friends, all the while waiting on Mother Nature's dismal mood to end. 

Finally the sun came out. I headed with the crew to Malibu. While sitting in the limo getting hair & makeup touch ups, we heard  a knock on the door & opened it to 2 cops investigating a suspicious limo! It was cleared up quickly with a laugh. I then braved the freezing 60 degree day in tiny bikinis, trying to look sexy as goosebumps invaded my skin. And worse I immediately developed a bad case of the sniffles. Five frigid hours later we wrapped and Jack In The Box never tasted so good! The pictures from this shoot are my absolute favorite. Even with all the hiccups  along the way, the end result (photos) came out superb. Watch the behind the scenes video for all the drama!

Special Thanks to: 

~Aktueel Magazine, Netherlands, for an amazing cover. 

~Brian B Hayes my photographer & dear friend 

~Nickie for freezing & holding reflectors :) 

~Angie my assistant, for being pregnant & still running my life with a smile 

~Sarah Maxwell, Hair/makeup a pregnant trooper & beauty guru 

~Erich who made the funniest behind the scenes video ever 

~Jerry for doing great PR

~My Husband who lets me fly across the country to pursue my dreams & defines the meaning of unconditional love. I am the luckiest wife in the world.

Kaki West K9 Magazine Cover: A Woman's Best Friend

Why do we always hear this expression about us dog lovers as “man's best friend”? Where does that leave us ladies? From NYC to LA peering out of Louis Vuitton or Birkin bags will be a little dogs head. Walk into any park and observe moms juggling their kids & cell phone while having her other free hand clasped firmly to the leash of a dog pulling her along. Drop by your girlfriends house and you will be greeted by the barking of her loyal guard dog. Cheers to the women who love, nurture, protect their babies aka dogs. Thank you to the dogs that love us unconditionally and bring a smile to our faces daily.

I am honored to be on the cover of K9 magazine with the my best friend, my maltese Roki. http://www.k9magazine.com/kaki-west/

We can all do more for animals. Please support, donate or volunteer for animals rights organizations:

www.aspca.org

www.humanesociety.org

www.peta.org

The Ides of March

I traveled to my 2nd home in LA for the weekend, for a friends baby shower. I spent 48 hours in LA-LA land & realized so much of what I had valued was no longer relevant to my future. In the land of Peter-Pan syndrome had I all of a sudden grown up? Perhaps it was my newlywed glow or sense of contentment?

On the plane back to NYC I read a book that seemed to resonate within me; The Ten Golden Rules by M.A Soupios, PHD. 100 pages of 10 simple rules in life & spirituality. My favorite rule is #2 : Worry only about the things you can control. So often we, especially women, take on the emotional taxings of others, friends, spouses, relatives & hem and haw over dramas out of our control. Which leads me to rule #5 Master Yourself " Self mastered people are self-assured without being self-satisfied,quietly confident without being vain or proud. I arrived home to my husband of 1 month & while at dinner I realized the most important rule #10 Kindness towards others tends to be rewarded. My husband is my life's reward & true love makes you a better person.

Sometimes we must let go of the past & look to the future. Most importantly keep our eyes wide open in the present to realize it's okay to move on.

"Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn."