Dear INCREDIBLES – You are my heroes, my family and my friends. I love you SO much and I can’t wait to see you again. MUAH.

So the next set of photos were completely unplanned. Everyone was getting ready to start shooting in front of the water and all of the sudden a huge wave came to the shore and well… you’ll see what happened as I just kept snapping haha.

Hilarious no? They ended up using all 5 of those photos on the back of their Christmas card. SO FUNNY.

If you’d like to learn more about The Incredibles, ahem I mean the Barrigers and the work they do in Peru, you can visit their website www.lifemissions.com or the Spanish version at www.caminodevida.com.

Thanks SO SO much to everyone who made donations for the orphanage. We received tons of stuff and I just know the kids are going to love it so much. I pray God blesses each and every one of you for your giving. : ) xo

Be back soon mis amigos! ; )

I am so excited about going to Peru this August!! You’re invited to come!! Click here to read more. : )

If you’ve been a long time follower now, you have most likely already heard me talk about Peru. I spent most of my teen years living in this amazing country, and without a doubt, it changed my life drastically and played a huge part in who I am today. One of the many reasons I am the positive person I am is because I have seen first hand what it’s like to be “without”. So I know no matter what my circumstance, it could ALWAYS be worse. There are so many amazing people in the world who don’t have food or even a roof over their head. I am so very happy to say that I have never gone a day without either of these things. But as a missionary kid, there were times in my life where we didn’t have very much at all. My parents did the best they could to provide for us, but because you sacrifice a lot to be a missionary, there were times we had to wash clothes by hand, make our own milk from powder, and share a room with all of my siblings. We didn’t have the conveniences most Americans take for granted such as Target, a car, air conditioner, etc. No, for the first couple of years of living there, we shopped at an outdoor market. And not the cutesy kind you’re imagining in your mind right now… No, the kind that smells awful, and looks awful too. Living in Peru was never easy, especially at first. Life in America is SO easy and everything is so super convenient. You have no idea until you live in a 3rd world country just how incredibly blessed we are in the United States.  Peru taught me so much. I will be honest, it was SO hard living there at first. I was 11 years old, didn’t speak Spanish… and had been taken from my easy life in America. But they say what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger and without a doubt, Peru made me stronger. I can look back now and thank God that he brought my family to Peru. The experience of living there molded the very woman that I am today and I am so so so thankful for the adventure I lived in this unbelievable country. I lived in so many different parts of Peru…. the dessert, the mountains and the jungle… yes, the jungle!! I’ve seen more of Peru than most people ever will and I feel SO lucky to have experienced some of the things I have seen. Honestly there are NO words to describe it. I wish I had time to write from beginning to end, the 6 years of my life that I spent in Peru. Maybe one day I will. But for now, just know that I love Peru. I sort of feel like it’s one of those forgotten about countries… but if you ever want to discover beauty, Peru is it. Not only for the visual part of it, but for the AMAZING people that live inside of it.

With that being said, I am SO excited to announce that I will be taking a trip to Peru this August and YOU CAN JOIN ME!!!! It is one of my dreams to take a group of people to visit Peru and this year it’s finally happening!! You may have seen me tweet or facebook about this trip for a couple of months now. Planning a trip like this takes a lot of time, but I have finally gotten everything together. : ) I am SOOO excited and truly hope you’ll consider joining us on this trip of a lifetime.

The trip will be a total of 10 days, beginning August 2, 2011 and ending August 11, 2011. We will be visiting an orphanage the first part of the trip and then visiting Cusco, Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley and MUCH more the second part of the trip!

The orphanage is run by Camino De Vida (Life Missions) church in Peru. This is the church I spent a lot of time working under while I lived in Peru and it is one of the most amazing churches I have ever been a part of my entire life. Pastor Robert Barriger started the church about 28 years ago (yeah, pretty much around the time I was born!!), and has done some AMAZING things in the country of Peru. Including starting this amazing home for orphans. You can see their website here. The orphanage has around 40 children. I have been to this orphanage several times in my life and I can honestly say it is the ministry I personally hold dearest to my heart. The children of Peru are so precious… they will melt your heart in a matter of minutes. It’s amazing how different they are from most children in America. It’s generally a lot harder to entertain a child in the states with our day and age of Wii, Xbox, Playstation, etc. All you have to do is simply smile or play with a child in Peru and it rocks their world. Truly. They are in desperate need for love and attention and you now have the opportunity to give it to them. Anyone can donate money to a good cause such as sponsoring a child, but there is nothing quite like going to the actual country and getting to know these beautiful children first hand. You don’t even have to speak the same language as them and they will immediately captivate your heart and change your life forever.

Besides that part of the trip, we’ll be flying to another part of Peru called Cusco, where we will spend 4 days visiting several AMAZING places that will completely blow your mind. Including one of the wonders of the world, Machu Picchu. I’ve personally been to Machu Picchu twice in my life, and to this day, it is still the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed with my own eyes. It truly is a WONDER that I wish everyone could see. Now you have the opportunity to!!!! We’ll also be visiting the Sacred Valley, Urubamba, Sacsayhuaman and so much more.

With this trip you will have the opportunity to see and experience things most people dream about and I guarantee you, it will change your life. Especially if you have never been outside of the United States, this is the opportunity to have an eye and heart opening experience that you will never forget as long as you live.

So what are the details!??! Here is the scoop:

Dates: August 2-11, 2011. (10 days)
We will fly out of New Orleans, Louisiana on August 2nd into Lima, Peru and fly back on August 11th. You will have 8 full days in Peru. Anyone can join us that is 18 years or older. Even if you live outside of the United States, you are welcome to join. : )

Price: $2250
This includes almost everything. All flights, transportation, excursions, hotels and several meals. The only thing it does not include is all dinners, a few lunches and 1 breakfast. Basically the only thing you will need extra money for are those meals, and anything you want to purchase while in the country. Lunch is approximately $8 a day and dinner is approximately $8-13 a day, depending.  You are responsible for getting yourself to the New Orleans airport on August 2nd.

Group limit: 15 is the max amount of people that will be able to go on this trip.
So the sooner you let me know you’re going/pay your deposit, the less likely you will lose your spot on being a part of this adventure!

Deadline: May 1st, 2011
You must let me know by this date if you are coming on the trip. You will need to pay a deposit of $1500 by this date to mark your spot. This is so that flights, hotels and excursions can be booked for the trip. Your balance ($750) is due by July 1st, 2011. All payments must be made via check or there will be a 5% credit card processing fee added to the total if you must pay via credit card.

Very important: You will need a passport to come on this trip.

Ready to sign up?
Email: peru@dellafiora.com to let me know you’re going to be joining us on this trip of a lifetime or if you want to get additional information such as the exact schedule of the trip, etc. Or if you have any questions. : )

If you won’t be able to join us on this trip, but would love to make a donation to help someone else go, please contact me: peru@dellafiora.com — you can of course make donations to the orphanage as well.

I am SO SO SO freaking excited about this trip, you have no idea!! I really and truly hope you will be able to sacrifice your time and money to join me on the trip that I am certain will change your life forever!

I searched high and low for photos of me in Machu Picchu, but no such luck. The last time I was there was when I was 15 and I have no idea where the photos from that trip are. Sad I know. My mom found this one photo of me posing in Machu Picchu at age 13. Oh yeah, I was rocking those pink pants like nobody’s business. *cringe*

The following photos were not taken by me.

Random facts about Peru:

Population: 29,496,000
Capital: Lima – approx. 8.5 inhabitants
Primary language: Spanish
Additional information: Peru is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico civilization, one of the oldest in the world, and to the Inca Empire, the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. The Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 16th century and established a Viceroyalty, which included most of its South American colonies. After achieving independence in 1821, Peru has undergone periods of political unrest and fiscal crisis as well as periods of stability and economic upswing. Peru is a representative democratic republic divided into 25 regions. Its geography varies from the arid plains of the Pacific coast to the peaks of the Andes mountains and the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin. It is a developing country with a high Human Development Index score and a poverty level around 36%. Its main economic activities include agriculture, fishing, mining, and manufacturing of products such as textiles.
Learn more about Peru here.

There are truly no words for how honored I am to have had the opportunity to be a part of this. To know my photos are on such a beautiful card and being placed in the hands of thousands of people across the world… SPEECHLESS. Thank you Robert, Karyn, Taylor, Jenna, Chana, Pedro, Mischa, Sebastian and Alessandro. Los quiero un monton. Feliz Navidad.

So, a couple of weeks later I was on a plane to Peru and accomplished my mission!! I only hope I did the photos justice… oh with the pressure of being flown down to South America just for that and all!! I had so much fun and again still feel so humbled and blessed to have been able to photograph this beautiful family.

On a side note: I am still planning to make a trip next summer to Peru and will be posting details for all of you who want to join me. We will be going to visit the Camino De Vida orphanage that is located outside of Lima and for fun we’ll also be visiting Machu Picchu. Tons more information and details coming soon. : ) I am SO excited about that trip!! And I hope you can come.

Taylor, thank you so much for inviting me down!! I am still so blown away by your confidence in me… and coming from YOU, it truly means way more than you could possibly ever know. Robert, Karyn and Jenna. Thank you so much for always believing in me. You have all made a huge impact on my life and I am HONORED just to know you. I love you all so much!!!

Meet the Barrigers:

Absolutely love the next two.

Love love love this:

While I was in Peru I also got the chance to photograph another amazing family. Nick Balcombe was another one of my dear friends growing up in Peru. He and his entire family were like my family too and I still just love each and every one of them. His beautiful wife Kristin moved to Peru several years later when we were all adults and the rest is pretty much history with those two. Nick and Kristin, along with their beautiful children, Jude and Reese, are serving with Pastor Robert at Camino De Vida in Peru.

Let me just say, I know first hand what it’s like to live in a 3rd world country and dedicate your life to the ministry of serving others. It’s not easy whatsoever to have to give up American conveniences and luxuries, along with all of your friends and family. It takes people with incredibly beautiful hearts to be able to do this… and the families above are some of the finest examples of people with beautiful hearts I have ever met in my life. I look forward to being able to bring a group of people with me to Peru next year so you can too, have the opportunity to experience what it’s like. I am truly the luckiest girl alive to have been able to live in Peru and be inspired by all of the amazing people there… Americans and Peruvians. We are so blessed. Count your many many blessings.

Hair/Makeup by Courtney Davis of Kiki’s Consulting.

I have heard that some people ask other people who know me, “Is Courtney really as happy and positive as she appears on her blog??” The answer really is YES. In all honesty, there are definitely things that bug me, and I do have a list of pet peeves, but overall, I am happy because I am SO grateful for what I have. If I were to constantly compare myself to people who have more than me, then I would most likely be negative and unhappy. But I try to always compare myself to people who have less than me… and it makes me feel insanely lucky ALL THE TIME. I have NO reason whatsoever to not be happy! I would be such a fool if I were not.

About 15+ years ago, maybe longer… when I was really young, I heard about this organization called Compassion International. Growing up in church my whole life, I went to a lot of Christian concerts and I remember hearing about it for the first time at one of the concerts I went to. I honestly couldn’t tell you who the band was, but I remember them talking about it and showing a video about how this organization helps children all over the world. That people would sponsor a child for a small amount every month and help support a child somewhere in the world with school, clothing, food and medical supplies. I was of course too young to afford doing it then but I never ever forgot about it and knew someday I would sponsor a child across the world. I will admit, I waited much longer than I should have… but about a year ago I remembered about it and told myself it was way time to make that happen. It has been a dream come true to help a child and with that being said, meet my sponsor child: Duangdao

Isn’t she beautiful!?! Duangdao lives in the community Baan Huey Lu Luang (approx 400 residents) which is near Chiang Rai in Thailand. She is 4 years old and will be turning 5 this September!! Both of her parents are farmers and are together. She loves listening to music, singing, playing with her dolls and playing hide and seek. Compassion International is an INCREDIBLE organization that allows you to write letters back and forth to your sponsor child. I have been communicating with Duangdao the past year. She is still too young to write but she has drawn me a picture and her Sunday school teacher writes for her to me for now. : )

It amazes me that for only $38 a month I am able to help her so much. I know there are so many people that could help so many children. If you want more information about sponsoring a child, please go here to compassion.com. They also allow you to make extra donations every month or send money for birthdays, Christmas, etc. It’s so amazing!

Sponsoring a child has definitely been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things I have done. I look forward to the day that I am able to go and visit Duangdao and see her beautiful smile!

By the way, Compassion is not doing anything for me because I am talking about this on my blog. I wanted to write it because it’s something that’s a part of my dreams and passions in my heart. It is my hope that you will be inspired to help others… even if it’s not through Compassion. There are so many people hurting in the world who need love and hope. How can you make a difference?

In life it is so easy to lose sight of our real purpose. We get so caught up in the “norm” of life and tend to let our everyday responsibilities and burdens distract us from the deeper meaning of our lives. We set goals when we are young but then as soon as the first thing goes wrong or comes unexpectedly, we quickly get caught up in it and forget all about the dreams we once had. Our inspiration slowly fades away when “reality” sets in and you feel like there is no way you could ever live your dreams the way you always hoped you would. The inspiration dwindles down to almost nothing and before you know it you’re living the “normal” life like everyone else, with no hope of ever escaping it. But I believe with every single cell in my body, that it’s never too late to get it back. No matter how many years have passed, how many mistakes have been made or how much hope has been lost… tomorrow is a new day and a fresh chance to start living the life you were intended to live.

The most tragic thing that could happen to you would be to come to the end of your life and look back at it thinking, “I did not live the life I was intended to live.”

Start living.

Here is my list:

1. open a full time boudoir studio
2. shoot a wedding in England
3. attend a really formal event such as a ball
4. blog everyday for 30 days in a row
5. have a boudoir client come back for her 3rd boudoir shoot
6. sell my motorcycle (2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250 if you’re interested!)
7. be featured in a fabulous wedding magazine
8. shoot a celebrity wedding
9. go to Europe for a month
10. hike the Inca Trail from Cusco to Machu Picchu (4 day adventure in Peru)
11. own a home
12. go to Thailand
13. organize a group of people to go to Peru to visit the orphanage there & play with the kids for a week
14. host a workshop for photographers
15. hire an assistant/mini-me
16. organize all my personal photos
17. start writing a book
18. get a promo video made
19. invent something fabulous
20. join a dance class
21. make a new BFF/kindred spirit
22. lose 25 pounds
23. do something to change someone else’s life in a drastically great way
24. meet my sponsor child (more on that soon)
25. go on more walks with my dog
26. read all of the Twilight books (shush it!)
27. have a wedding featured on Green Wedding Shoes blog. (already had a photo featured there once!)
28. shoot a wedding with Still Motion
29. find the perfect staff for the boudoir studio I open
30. write and direct a short movie
31. go on a photo road trip with a group of fun photographers
32. photograph someone who I admire
33. have a boudoir shoot done of myself!
34. own 20 different chandeliers in my studio : )
35. triple my blog traffic
36. blog everyday for 30 days in a row on my boudoir blog
37. add a FAQ page to my boudoir blog
38. have 5000 facebook friends
39. go to egypt
40. work out 5 days a week consistently
41. be featured/interviewed on a major national talk show
42. photograph a celebrity’s boudoir shoot
43. blog how I “fix” my hair
44. make a really cool craft, etsy worthy
45. have my name show up in google suggestions once you’ve typed in “courtney” (right now it shows up when you type “courtney d”)
46. meet the band RED and tell them how much their music inspires me
47. photograph one of the Victoria’s Secret Angels
48. be featured in a major magazine about my boudoir work
49. visit The Great Wall of China
50. get my boudoir site to show up in the top 10 sites when you google “boudoir”
51. double my income
52. donate a week of my time to a good cause
53. host a really awesome party for friends at either my studio or home that I will own
54. get married (fingers crossed!)
55. get every movie that I love watching over and over on DVD
56. discover more bands/music that I looooove
57. attend more concerts
58. start a family (fingers crossed again!!)
59. adopt a child. (okay that’s not going to happen by the time I’m 30, but I want it to happen someday)
60. spend more time doing personal things
61. be invited to fly on someone’s private plane
62. be asked to speak at a photography convention
63. take more personal photos
64. make a photo book of the 30 years of my life
65. get a book published of my best boudoir work
66. shoot a wedding in L.A.
67. get new photos taken of myself for my website/blog
68. have a whole room in my home dedicated to a gallery of my favorite photos
69. go back to Paris
70. paint a wall pink either in my studio or home
71. buy a vintage couch
72. get 2000 Twitter followers
73. design another tattoo
74. get rid of things I don’t need anymore
75. get some black UGGS
76. get dressed up & wear heels 7 days in a row
77. host a party for my boudoir clients (past, present and future)
78. get another dog (on the fence about that one!)
79. fill up my passport with stamps
80. shoot a vintage-styled wedding (any takers? ; )
81. shoot a vintage-styled engagement shoot (any takers? : )
82. get my savings account to where I want it
83. write a letter- an actual letter to someone
84. host a party for local photographers
85. get my name legally changed to make Courtney my 1st name instead of 2nd
86. have a closet full of accessories for my boudoir clients to use
87. find the perfect lawyer for all my legal mumbo jumbo
88. get my blog professionally redesigned
89. donate my hair to Locks of Love (ooo that one makes me nervous!)
90. collaborate with an amazing interior designer for my boudoir studio
91. get letterpress for both my wedding and boudoir businesses
92. swim in the ocean (I’m scared of drowning!)
93. shoot my 500th boudoir session
94. surprise an old friend with an unexpected visit
95. conquer a fear
96. get packaging specially designed and branded for my boudoir products
97. spend a whole day on a boat in some exotic part of the world
98. do a favor for a friend in need
99. spend a whole day doing absolutely nothing.at.all.
100. have an amazing and huge 30th birthday party!

That’s my ‘lil ‘ol list. : ) Nothing to it right?

And because posts are better with photos…. here is a photo that I shot when I was living in Peru for 6 months in 2007 of a perfect rainbow around the sun. It reminds me that life is full of promise and we really can live our lives to their fullest potentials. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!