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aloha! in case you were wondering, ohana means family. our ohana is made up of david, kim, april, rain, and kona the dog. welcome to our blog! we are san diego wedding photographers, but we put everything in here. san diego weddings, orange county weddings, hawaii weddings, destination weddings, road trips, and even friends with beach balls. come on in and share a little aloha. please leave comments as often as possible. we love hearing from our extended ohana. mahalo for stopping by!
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Friday, March 13, 2009

CALARTS just made this the luckiest friday the 13th EVER!!!


as of today, we will no longer associate friday the 13th with anything bad.
kim and i are absolutely busting with pride because today our daughter april received a brightly colored letter in the mail.
no, it wasn't from willy wonka. it was from a place april has been dreaming about since she was a tadpole.
let's go back a bit shall we. (insert dream waves here)
from the time april was just a cute little girl she saw the world with animator eyes.
here's how she pictured us.




when she was about 6 years old she drew her first animated character, andy bug.
she drew this little guy everywhere... for years. she even added andy bug to her ultimate collection of pokemon champions. I CHOOSE YOU PIKACHU!
seriously, from the time this little guy popped into april's imagination drawing was her passion. she never stopped drawing. ever.
when she was 9 she drew an entire comic book game based on the trials and tribulations of andy bug and his numerous variations (air bug, regular bug, water bug, winter bug, and my personal favorite, mystery bug).
we still have the book and nearly die laughing every time we look through it. it's awesome. especially the page april censored because andy suffered too grim a fate at the hands of the dreaded king chompper. (yes, she spelled it with 2 p's. april's caption on that page reads, "sorry, under the cercemstances we are not allowed to show this scene." isn't she precious.




as april grew a little older we put a camera in her hands. from day one she took some amazing photos, and she still does today.
this portrait of her, however, is slightly less than amazing. in fact, it kinda creeps me out.




with practice comes improvement. over the years we have watched april's drawings get better and better. our whole family LOVES disney and pixar. while we watch in amazement at their animated characters, april puts pen to paper, or in this case paint brush to grocery bag, to recreate her favorite scenes.




there is nothing better than gifts that come from the heart. april has presented kim and i with some of the most incredible gifts from hers. we absolutely love all of april's art, but it's drawings like this one that mean the most to us.




for the past few years april has been polishing her artistic skills at the college level. we give her endless ribbing about her "noodz" but the life drawing classes she's taken really helped her get to where she is today.
today! that's what i started talking about before i sidetracked myself.
today is the proudest kim and i have ever been of april...




because of this brightly colored piece of paper.




today april received her acceptance letter into CALARTS.




congratulations april. you won!
all those years carrying a sketch book with you everywhere you went finally paid off.
you have made rain, mom, and i extremely proud. we couldn't be happier for you. we can't wait to see what the next few years hold for you. you are going to see and do so many amazing things. this is such an exciting time in your life and ours.
just so everyone knows what an incredible accomplishment this is, CALARTS only accepts about 8-10% of applicants. the average class size there is about 12 students. so, out of thousands of applicants, they thought april had something pretty special. we think so too.




april, as you get ready to head out on your own path, never forget that mom and i will be there for you through all life's challenges. even though you'll be 3 hours away from home, you'll never be alone. we will always do everything in our power to support you. we're so happy that you achieved this goal and we can't wait to see you graduate and be super successful.




as an added bonus, rain's softball team (the maroon monkeys) CRUSHED their opponents tonight (team wicked)!




to quote april from earlier today...
this was the best friday the 13th EVER!!!





97 comments:

Anonymous said...

How incredibly awesome, and what amazing talent! Hooray April!!!! Love the portrait of the woman-soooo beautiful!

Jason Lee said...

Wow, what an awesome story. Congratulations to April!

MM said...

I'm so proud of you April!!!!!

Chris+Lynn said...

Such an inspiring story of love, support, and following your dreams! Congratulations April!

Anonymous said...

Amazing!!!! Ooodles of Congratulations April! Great job on raising such an awesome girlie Kim & David. I am so excited to see April's talents continue to grow! Happy Friday the 13th! :)

Nat said...

That is so amazing!!!! Congrats, April!!! You totally deserve it, with talent like that! This is just the beginning! I have a feeling you will get really far :)

Corinna Hoffman Photography said...

Awwww... CONGRATS!!!!

amanda lynn photography said...

Wow what an accomplishment and what a talented and amazing young woman!

Congratulations!!!!

OHANA PHOTOGRAPHERS said...

andy bug ftw!!

Anonymous said...

Great job, April! You're on your way. No stopping you now! Love ya, Aunt Patti, Uncle Ken and Noah.

Anonymous said...

Wowzers! Dreams do come true! :) Congratulations!!!!!

kymberli q. said...

This is so incredibly awesome! I remember on our maternity shoot telling you guys they'd be crazy NOT to accept her! Obviously, they are in their right mind! Congratulations April! I can't wait to say that "I knew her when..." LOL

kymberli q. said...

And congratulations to Rain for a great game too!

Emily Faulknor said...

That is freakin' awesome! yay April!!!

Anonymous said...

Awesome! What a great post. You guys are awesome parents and just a great family. Congrats all around.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations April!!! And on the first try too, awesome! Go Andy Bug!

Mary Marantz said...

Congrats April!! That's awesome!!

Anonymous said...

CONGRATS!!!!! That is so awesome! I know you're proud! She is very talented and I'm so happy she's getting to live her dreams!!!!

Anonymous said...

April, you SO rock! I got quite emotional as I read this post... man oh man, I'm sososososo proud of you! :) I cannot WAIT to see where this leads...

LOVE LOVE LOVE TO YOU!!!!!

Tiffany said...

That is so AWESOME!! Congratulations to all of you! April you are so talented~ I can't wait to see more of what you do!
Congrats, congrats, congrats!!

Sublime Studios said...

that is awesome! what an accomplishment! i love how proud you are of her- what a fun family!

Kelly Park Photography said...

Congratulations April! This is so exciting :) Can't wait to see more of your work!!!

Anonymous said...

so COOL!! what an honor! congrats april! and rain!! :D

Brandi said...

Way to go April!!! Obviously artistic talent runs in the family.

Anonymous said...

That is AWESOME April you are so talented. Best of Luck! Enjoy your new journey! Your MOM and Dad fricken are so proud it gleams in this post. Rain way to go!

Moongypsyi said...

CONGRATS April!!!! ROCK ON!!! You will have a BLAST BLAST BLAST!!! I can't wait to see all the art you'll make, and watch one of your movies in the future! ~christina

Carrie Hasson said...

I'm in tears! I can just feel how proud you are of her, and her talent it incredible! Congrats April, what an amazing accomplishment! I can't wait to share this with my 10 yr old daughter, that if you put your heart and mind into something, anything is possible!

Anonymous said...

Go April! Go April! Bust a move! Go April!

Congrats young lady. It is to be expected - you are amazing!

Anonymous said...

Wow! What an honor!
Fantastic and congratulations!

Studio222 Photography said...

I almost cried. That's so awesome! I love seeing her drawings through the years! I noticed some that you had on facebook and was like "WOW. She's ridiculously good!" Of course they accepted her! :)

Ps...congrats Rain too! :)

Anonymous said...

The mom in me wanted to cry and hug her!! Congratulations to April! What an amazing gift to be accepted and appreciated for what you love to do, and what a wonderful future that has now been laid out in front of her - mostly in part to the love that her Ohana has given her unconditionally. With you guys as a support system, she will soar to the skies!

Congratulations to all of you - April, you go rock it girl!!!!

Anonymous said...

April:
So Happy for you. Where is your new school located? We are rootin for you! Be the Best you can be. Janet

Christopher said...

Just fantastic. Good for you and good for April!!

Melissa Koehler said...

YAY April!!! So proud of you!! Congrats!

Staja Studios said...

What a great accomplishment! Congratulations to April and the rest of the Baxter Ohana!

Melissa said...

This is so cool you guys! She is so talented! I bet you are so proud

Sarah said...

So.. I'm a baby, but I'm tearing up over here. :) Thanks for letting us into your world so we can share in the excitement!! :)

Hybrid Photography said...

I'm so so so happy for you April!!!

But now who will laugh at my LAME jokes when I shoot with you? hah!

Eric Foley said...

I guess I will have to say it again and again and again and again. You guys never cease to amaze me! Congratulations on your accomplishments!

Anonymous said...

OMG! How freak'n awesome is that!? Congratulations April! (well and Mom and Dad).. on a side note.. seriously.. you're old enough to have a kid in college.. I don't really believe it.

Anonymous said...

That is flippin awesome!!! My husband is an artist and it's so cool to see young people start with sketching and head into the art world. She WILL LOVE art school!!!

Donadio Photography said...

Congrats April!!!! Art school is the best...youll do great!! Congrats!!!!

erica said...

she is SOOOO talented! I seriously thought one of those drawings was from a movie that I haven't seen yet. Congratulations April!!!

Anonymous said...

Yay April! I knew you'd do it girl.

Work it, work it, work it ;)

Shannon Lott said...

This post brought tears to my eyes. I feel how proud you are. Congrats to April!! She is so talented.

Unknown said...

so rad!!!-Aaron

Nina_VK said...

YAY April Congrats Lady!! You are gonna knock their socks off there!! Way to go David and Kim for bring up such amazing girls! :)

Anonymous said...

Totally fantastic! That is FABULOUS news!!!

Gretchen Edwards said...

WOW!! April is so amazingly talented!!! I seriously want to buy a print of the walle pic!! I love it!

Anonymous said...

Awww, that's so awesome! Major congrats! :)

Stephanie said...

Yippeee!! Doing a little happy jig over here for you all. What fantastic news. :D Can't wait to see more of your work. It's amazing!

Anonymous said...

Awesome, awesome, AWESOME!!! I can only imagine how proud you must be of her. Such a wonderful accomplishment. She is so super talented and absolutely deserves this! Congrats to you all!

Anonymous said...

Wishing April a great big hug and congrats on CalArts! Amazing!!!!!! Best wishes on the new school year!
So no more wedding photography :(

Will Parris said...

Congratulations April!! Looking forward to seeing all your work for sale in Disney stores and Art galleries all across the world! Well to the done!! Much aloha!!

Anonymous said...

wow April is such a talented artist! :) Huge Congrats from Orange Turtle!!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations April!!! I'm so happy and excited for you! You are so talented!

Kenzie Shores Photography said...

wooohooo!!!!

Anonymous said...

thats great! Congratulations to April on being accepted!

J. Castro Photography said...

You guys must be soooo proud! Congrats again April!

Anonymous said...

Hi April:



I’ve been on your family blog and saw the exciting news and picture of you celebrating. I, like so many others, are very proud of you and your accomplishments and that you are fulfilling a dream you’ve had for years. Make the most of it, have fun and enjoy every moment. I don’t know much about the school of arts that you are going to but I’m going to look it up on the internet so I can get an idea of what it is like.

Big hugs and congrats from your Aunt Jeannine!!!!

Love,

Jeannine

Anonymous said...

CONGRATULATIONS APRIL!!!! That's so awesome! :)

Anonymous said...

wow, congratulations!

Anonymous said...

You guys are ROCKIN it! And CONGRATS to April!!!

Anonymous said...

Congrats!! April is so talented!

Blair Van Bussel said...

Congrats April, your drawings and photos totally rule! No doubt they made the right decision, im sure you will be doing amazing things there! And David and Kim...you are awesomely supportive parents!

Anonymous said...

YIKES. What an honor for her and you all!

Anonymous said...

Ohmygosh!! Congratulations April!!!!!!! Yay!

Ginger Murray said...

Yeaaahhhh.... the self portrait really is creepy, LOL!

Ginger Murray said...

and btw, a huge congrats!!! Art school.... what a dream!:)

Enoch Photography said...

What a awesome step in the perfect direction! Congratulations to April! Can't wait to see an Andy Bug cartoon in action one day. //e

Anonymous said...

WOW! What awesome news!
I love the story behind the acceptance.
Congrats!!

PS: You have a wonderful family! How heartwarming!! :)

Val McCormick Photography said...

That is super awesome news for a super awesome girl!!! Just don't forget your photog friends when Disney picks you up "K"
~Big Hugs~
Val

Hanssie said...

For some reason this post got me all teary eyed. Yay for April. So much talent in one kid!

Gina said...

Wow, that is soooo awesome! What a talented girl you have! April is lucky to have such supportive parents encouraging her to follow her dreams!

Anonymous said...

Wow!!! Congrats April -- you are living proof that dreams come true (ok, do I sound like a Disney movie now?) This is so beyond rad! I'm super stoked for you!!!And btw -- you are SUPER talented! :) Rock on!

Shyla said...

April-girl,
I'm not surprised at all. You, my dear, are all kinds of talented wrapped up in your short 15 years of life ;)
(haha).
You should come to Boston to celebrate. ;)

Anonymous said...

WOOOOHHHOOOOOO!!!!!!!

How WONDERFUL and EXCITING and AMAZING... CalArts is beyond lucky to have you on board and I CAN'T WAIT to see how much greater of an artist you are going to be....you are already amazing so I'm assuming you'll graduate as the new and improved SUPER APRIL 2.0

So so happy for you, CONGRATULATIONS, CONGRATULATIONS, COOOOONNNNNGGGGRRAAATTTUUULLLLAAATTIOOOOONNNSSSS!!!!!!!

- Kami, Kelen and Mike

Anonymous said...

I got a little teary eyed. SO happy for you all especially April!! WOW!! Such an honor:)

Erin Harvey said...

That is so awesome, congrats April!!

Anonymous said...

AWESOME!!! I know I already extended the congrats on FB, but how cool is it to see the creativity over years outlined here. Congrats, girl!!

Erika McCauley said...

What an AMAZING story!! Congrats April!!!

Anonymous said...

Talent obviously runs in the family :)

I'm so, so pleased for you April. It's wonderful that you're getting recognized already by your peers and I'm sure you're going to go on to do great things in the artistic field! You go girl!

Btw, there's nothing wrong with the number 13 ... it's my lucky number... sounds like it might be yours too :)

And finally, your parents rock for being so supportive!!

Anonymous said...

P.S. Rain, way to go on the win!

amber dawn said...

That's so AWESOME! Congrats April! You're amazing...you'll do great!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!!! So exciting! All of April's work featured in this post is beyond amazing and I can definitely see why they chose her out of all the applicants! Congrats again April!

Anonymous said...

For real this was some of the best news i heard that day. April you have mad mad mad skillz as you already know and jen and i were so jazzed when we heard this. You deserve it!!!!

Stephen Grant said...

What an accomlishment, to you all! Treasure this moment forever! It's just the start of something grand.

.E. said...

tissues.. I need some freakin tissues.. I am guessing cause I am a mom.. but Ohhhhh how wonderfully delightful for April.. what a serious honor.. and to see someone have a dream come true is well nothing short of amazing. While I dont know you guys personally I sure feel like I do through your blog and I am equally as proud of her accomplishements.. You Go Girl.. Knock their socks right off... cause I have a feeling you will. and Way To go Rain Crushing your opponent in softball.. Happiness to you all.. and much love as well

Congrats Mom and Dad.. looks like you have done a helluva job raising some pretty talented and amazing youg woman.

ally michele said...

yay!!! this is wonderful and april is so deserving!! she's an amazing talent and it's bomb digity right that it's recognized and loved!! :)

Jodi said...

how awesome is that! Congrats! She is so talented.

Anonymous said...

YAY!! April- Congrats!! :) You are an amazing artist and I can't wait to see what you create! This is the greatest tribute- I adore Andy Bug. :)

ksenija said...

wow. i got all teary eyed reading this post. what a heartfelt, amazing & funny post --- a HUGE congrats to April!!! i cannot even imagine how proud you both must be & how insanely ecstatic she must be!!! :D i am overfilled with happiness for you guys.

Anonymous said...

awesome! Congratulations!!!!

Lisette Price Photography said...

Congratulations April!!! She is seriously talented and I can't wait to see where life takes her after CALARTS! :)

Ruby Rideout said...

i'm so happy for april and for the whole family! What a talented and beautiful young lady! Congrats and big hugs April!!

Araxi said...

Sooooo excited for you and your family. I remember reading your Twitter updates on the long journey to take her out there during the application process and thought how lucky she is to have such a support system! Congrats and all the best to her!

Anonymous said...

That is so awesome !!!! I got teary eyed and wanted to tell April CONGRATS, HER WORK IS AMAZING !!!