About

i didn’t think when i originally began blogging in 2007 that i’d still be sharing bits and pieces of life all these years later! to be honest, i go back and forth more often than you’d know about keeping this blog going.  while the online community is wonderful in many ways, it’s also a place for a lot of hate. for now,  i choose to keep blogging because i believe it is a source for good…because i believe there aren’t many channels left in today’s world of media that celebrate motherhood and family and the good things in life.  of course there are days that are hard and difficult and full of terrible things, but i believe life, marriage, motherhood and all those little tasks that fill your day are a gift. and i’m thankful for this little space on the big internet to share those things i love and to be a part of a community of bloggers doing the same.

at the end of my day, if i’m lucky, i’ll have ten or twenty minutes left to browse my favorite blogs or online sites.  i want to be uplifted and edified and encouraged in those ten or twenty minutes of browsing and i hope this space can do something like that for you, too. i hope when you read this blog, over anything else you’ll take away a message of finding the joy in what is around you, in your own family and friends, in good food and good places, in having hope, in learning and growing, and in your own surroundings.

it’s a nickname from my husband!

if you are emailing with a particular question in mind, please check the FAQs below first. you can also search with the sidebar on the right side of the blog, as a lot of things are filed for easy search access right there!

your emails mean so much to me and i appreciate you taking the time to write! i apologize in advance if i am unable to respond personally to your email. i try my hardest, but it can be difficult to keep on top of them. thank you for understanding.

my personal email is [email protected]

we use a canon 5D mark III and mostly use a 24-70mm lens, but occasionally will use our 85mm lens as well. we edit photos with lightroom.  we also use our iphones a lot and edit iphone photos with apps like the vsco cam app.

in addition to our photos, we shoot all of our videos with our canon 5D mark III and sometimes our smaller handheld sony camera as well as our go pro (for anytime we’re at the beach/ taking it near water or underwater.) we edit all of our videos using final cut pro.

also, shout out to my iphone where honestly most of my photos are taken these days (on instagram especially.)

stay true to yourself and your own voice! blog about what you love, not what you *think* will make your blog successful. be original, be consistent, and have fun!

after seven years of banking in NYC and DC, my husband josh chose to resign from the corporate world to pursue more entrepreneurial projects, and to take on the business side of Love Taza for me. my husband was good at his job and was even ranked as one of the very top performers while he was in banking, so i am incredibly proud of him for all of his hard work and for taking the big leap and risk to work for himself and for us. josh is the kind of guy that gives 110% to his work projects and then comes home and gives 110% to his family life. it’s one of his best qualities, his dedication and devotion to the task at hand. he also has helped me a great deal with Love Taza and all the work that goes into this blog over the years. i feel his help even more so now as i am usually preoccupied throughout my day with lots of babies. :)

currently, he has started a new role in arizona which is why we have decided to remain here for the foreseeable future!

as for me, i love blogging and am so grateful for the opportunities and creative experiences it has given me.  there are so many things i want to do with my blog, my side projects, and my other creative endeavors. but my family always comes first, and this is such a short season of life, being a mama to my little ones, that i don’t want to miss out on it.  i’ve learned balancing work/life/kids is a big myth. it’s all about juggling everything the best you can, and just being as fully present as you can with whatever task you have in front of you at any given time.

being a mother is a full time job. it’s one of those 24/7 type gigs, with what some might think is terrible pay and the worst hours on the planet, but i’ve never loved anything more than being a mama. if you ask me, it’s the most rewarding and wonderful job in all the world. i absolutely love it.

being ‘self employed’ is not easy. it’s definitely more risky. and it’s often not valued or respected the way a big corporate job might be, but if we’re learning anything in this life regarding work, josh and i just really want to find work that challenges us, allows us to create, has a positive impact, and is something we enjoy. pursuing our own endeavors is fulfilling that desire for both of us right now.

we love being able to work together on many different projects throughout our day! we are so thankful for the chance to do it and for the flexibility that it brings into our family life.

while i originally began blogging to document my newlywed life in NYC for just family and friends, i feel fortunate to have gained a readership over the years. because of this, this blog has been able to support my family in a small way as we’ve partnered with different brands and advertisers that both josh and i feel work well with our lifestyle and are a good fit for my readers.

it’s important to us that Love Taza is authentic and transparent, so we are incredibly selective about our partnerships and only partner with or share brands we believe in and use. we are often pitched things, from book deals and inquiries to do tv shows to endless products to test or promote. while the inquiries might be frequent, i hope my readers know we turn down far more than we ever say yes to (probably 99.9%).

and when we do partner with a brand or work with an advertiser, we disclose that relationship. sponsored posts, giveaways, and gifts are always noted as such.

Love Taza may use affiliate links when linking to a specific product which means we may make a make a small commission from sales purchased through that link.

to inquire about opportunities to partner or collaborate, please email [email protected].

while i’m not seasoned enough to give out much advice on this, i do believe successful marriages take a lot of work, a lot of selflessness, and a lot of great communication. josh and i have our bad days like everyone else, but i believe the emphasis which our faith puts on family and marriage plays a big role in the success of ours. i think celebrating the little things you love about your spouse, rather than focusing on the things that annoy you, can go a long way.  {here is my favorite talk/sermon on marriage.}

i never said my life was perfect. it’s not. no one has a perfect life.  but i choose to look at what i am blessed with rather than what i do not have. i work hard to find the joy in my day-to-day.  regardless, i have terrible days just like anyone. while i try to be honest about the entire picture, i like to keep this blog on the positive side.  please do not ever look at my blog (or anyone’s blog) and compare your life to it. a saying i love, “comparison is the thief of joy,”  has never rung truer than in the blogging world.  i can’t choose what you’ll take away from my blog, but i hope you’ll take away a message of finding the joy in what is around you, in your family and friends, and in your surroundings over anything else.

since this is a blog that is mostly about my life and what i love, my family tends to play a big role in it, especially as i am in the thick of being a mama.

our family loves spending time together, and i am one of those mamas who loves to document our experiences through photos and writing, whether they are shared with others or not. (what you see is just a small part of our everyday.) when we do share snippets of our children’s lives, we feel we are respectful and thoughtful. as our children grow older, i know that their presence in this space will shift more and more.

of course, the level of what people are comfortable sharing online will vary from one person to the next. i hope we can all be respectful of one another and our families as we read online sites and social media channels.

i am grateful for the way this blog has provided opportunities for us to spend time together doing and trying new things as a family. it has proven to be a wonderful tool for all of us to remember and memorialize the amazing times we have had together!

we have lots of great NYC Guides for you here. enjoy the city!

please search “DC” on my sidebar for ideas while planning your trip. too many to suggest right here!

we work with chloe digital for web developing.  josh and i take and edit all of the photos and video content (unless otherwise noted in the post) and i write every single post on Love Taza (unless specifically noted guest posts.)

i have a new round up for you of my favorite lipsticks right here!