Posts Tagged ‘coral’

Live Work Love Episode 7: Sex Dust, 2016 Pop Culture Re-Cap, And Celebrity Deaths

During the first moments of 2017 Coral and Jeff have a discussion about what went down in 2016 pop culture, despite the fact that they are completely out of touch with “pop culture”. There is also some talk about celebrity deaths, the New Year’s Day tradition of the Polar Bear Dip and how Jeff got roofied with a new age hippie powder called “Sex Dust”.

Enjoy the ride!

Listen on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/07.-sex-dust-2016-pop-culture/id1159309526?i=1000379726967&mt=2

Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes AND if you leave a review that would be super awesome. It helps out in the search rankings so more people can discover Live Work Love.

Thanks for listening!
– Jeff

Coral Totally Took The Wind Out Of My Sails

For some reason I was home alone on Saturday morning, which doesn’t happen often. I think I even slept in a little, which happens even less. These two things made for the beginning of a great day. It got even better when Coral texted that she was coming to pick me up. That sounds weird considering we live together, but it was exciting because normally when one of us comes home that is exactly what we do. We park the car and go in the house. This idea of getting picked up seemed so spontaneous. Romantic even. Visions of hot cocoa and chocolate chip croissants filled my head. Where could she be taking me, I wondered. Feeling like an excited little boy on his way to the candy store I grabbed my backpack and camera as I ran out the door. Whatever cute adventure she had in mind I wanted to document it.

This photo was taken in May 2015 and has absolutely nothing to do with this post, but since I’m writing about Coral I should really have a photo of her. Anyway…

I get in the car full of excitement and as she begins backing out of the driveway I ask where we’re going. She very naturally says, “Oh, we need to put gas in the car and I need you to pump the fuel because I don’t want to.”

I’ve been walking around in a lifeless zombie like state ever since. With a single solitary tear running down the side of my face.

Photo Shoot Sunday


James really wants to pursue acting as a career. Unfortunately, we don’t live in Los Angeles, but we’re going to do what we can to help him. Coral’s working on a website for him and wants to start submitting head shots to agencies. And if that means impromptu trips to The City Of Angeles, so be it. We hired our longtime photographer friend, Richard Fusillo for James’ photo shoot and I tagged along taking some of my own photos while keeping Elliott away from the action.


Elliott stole mom’s camera and took his own “behind the scenes” photo.

After walking around downtown SLO for a couple of hours we drove down to Shell Beach. I wasn’t around for all of the SLO locations they shot at because I was keeping Elliott busy strolling him through the rough and tough streets of SLO.


A RARE SIGHTING…Coral in front of a camera! She’s so cute. She’s also very demanding. I don’t know how she talked James into getting into the water. And not just walking a few steps in the water, but getting fully immersed.


He’s such a good sport. Or he’s just straight up loco en la cabeza. Probably a little of both.


We are so lame. Yes, this is a photo of Coral and Richard both taking photos of James. If only Evelyn was with us, she could have stood back and taken a photo of me taking a photo of Coral and Richard taking a photo.

Typing that last sentence made my brain hurt.

Elliott was not too excited to be on the beach today. Last time we took him to the beach he was running, tripped and landed face first in the sandy water while fully dressed in jeans, sweatshirt, socks and shoes. This was on New Year’s Day, so the water was pretty cold. Needless to say, I carried him almost the entire time we were at the beach today.


Homeboy’s getting heavy and I had to set him down from time to time so my arms wouldn’t fall out of their sockets. As soon as I set him down he would start reaching for me, yelling, “Catch!”, which in Elliott language means, “Pick me up, dude!”


Daddy selfie. Fake smiling through the arm pain. Check out that ninja grip he has on my hoodie. He was making it very clear that there was no way I was setting him down again, which bummed me out because I really wanted to stack rocks. There were a couple of rock stacks where we were and they were beyond sad, standing at about 12 inches tall, if that. As soon as I saw them I was like, “I eat weak stacks like you for breakfast! I will murder you!” but I never got the chance to show off my skills thanks to Mr. Lead Butt Elliott.


Luckily, I managed to pawn him off on Coral for a couple of minutes. Not long enough to stack a pile of rocks, but long enough to get some of the feeling back in my arms.


Coral turned her phone away from James dunking himself in the freezing water long enough to catch Elliott and I heading back to the car.


When we got to the top of the stairs we ended up sitting on a bench to watch the sunset, which was quite spectacular.

And that’s how you spend a Sunday afternoon. I hope you all had a good weekend.

– Jeff

Photos Of Coral Taking Photos #1

I can see this becoming an ongoing series of mine. I have already amassed A LOT of photos of Coral taking photos. Some might consider it an unhealthy amount. Others might consider me a stalker. She is much more the photographer in the family than I am, which means she gets to use the fancy camera. Although, since investing in the GoPro I’ll have to admit I’m feeling pretty fancy lately.

Another thing I’ll have to admit is how cute she looks with a camera in her hand. I mean, Dang! She is one hot little cutie! One of the things about Coral that you might not know is that she transforms into a totally different person when she gets a camera in her hand. I’ve seen the transformation take place numerous times and it never gets boring to me. I love watching her work.

I’ve learned that once she’s in her element it is best to step back and let her do her thing. If you get in her way you get trampled, so be on the lookout.

These photos were all taken back in October after spending a day in Cambria. Highway 46 is a gorgeous drive from Paso Robles to Cambria. It can get pretty windy up there, but on a clear day you get a spectacular view of the Pacific and can even see Morro Rock off in the distance. If you find yourself on this drive I highly suggest stopping by Jack Creek Farm and trying one of their delicious Apple Cider Slushies. So good!

Coral doesn’t know I’m writing this and I might get in trouble for it, but oh well…I’m going to say it anyway. She is totally available for photography jobs. I know she won’t do a wedding, but she’s totally up for product shots, possibly some candid style portraits and of course, fashion photography. If you’re interested in hiring her contact her through one of her IG accounts or let me know and I’ll pass on the message.

Check her out on Instagram. She has two accounts at the moment.
instagram.com/slomygosh: Her personal account with lots of photos of our kids and some other random stuff.
instagram.com/coralcoloredglasses: Her professional account. Since May 2014 it is mostly photos of her deer series, which is totally worth checking out, but if you scroll down past May you will see some of her fashion photography.

Thanks for looking!
– Jeff

I’m Well Taken Care Of


(Pismo Pier with Elliott – July 2014)

This photo doesn’t have anything to do with this post*, but I like it and have never posted it before because I am so awesome at procrastinating. Anyway…

Today, the first day of 2015, was spent at Cayucos Beach for the annual Polar Bear Dip. It’s also our oldest’s birthday so this has become his yearly tradition. He is 15 today and this marks his 10th year in a row as a Polar Bear Dipper. After the gazillion crazies emptied out of the surf Coral and I sat on the beach. We have yet to participate in the “freeze your genitals off” frenzy that so many others enjoy so much. Some day we’ll do it, but that day was not today. So, there we sat. Coral had just bought me an amazing pulled pork sandwich. As soon as I finished licking my fingers clean (because why waste a napkin, right?) she handed me the last half of her burrito scrambler thing-a-ma-bob which was also a culinary delight. At some point after I inhaled that treat I made a comment about being “well taken care of”. That one little comment sparked a whole train of thought in Coral’s brain and a few minutes later she said very definitively, “You ARE well taken care of.” I shook my head in agreement. After all, I had, just moments before, made the very same statement. She took it a step further, laughing as she said, “Look, you’re not even wearing anything that you bought for yourself.” Then she went down the whole list of what I was wearing while sitting there on the beach. “My dad gave you that hoodie. I bought you those pants, belt and socks. Your parents gave you those shoes last Christmas (as in Christmas 2013). I even got you the hat you’re wearing.” Proudly, I was able to prove that not everything I was wearing was given to me. I bought the T-shirt. As it turns out, Coral even bought the fancy polka-dot boxers I was wearing.

I am very thankful for being taken care of so well. It’s funny though, because my family knows me. I mean, they really know me. They know that for me to look somewhat presentable they need to step in otherwise I’ll be walking around with faded and torn jeans, a 4 year old hoodie worn down to the thickness of a piece of paper, a dirty misshapen hat and shoes with holes in them.

Here’s to another year of being a spoiled brat well taken care of.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

– Jeff

* Come to think of it, the above photo totally relates to this post because Elliott is the next generation of being well taken care of. If I think I’m well taken care of it’s nothing compared to this kid. I mean, seriously, he doesn’t even wipe his own ass.

Deer Hunting With Coral And Richard In Paso Robles

Hopefully, you are all familiar with Coral’s “You Don’t Belong Here Anyway” Series. If not, check it out on Instagram, @deeries.

I am the driver on these urban safari’s, but from time to time I bust out my iPhone and take photos too. Yesterday was the first time we’ve taken a guest with us other than our screaming 3 year old and our overly talkative 12 and 14 year old. And who was our guest deer hunter? None other than local badass, Richard Fusillo.


Coral and I discovered this field right off the road where the lighting is just crazy beautiful. This photo is totally unedited because shooting during “The Golden Hour” is almost cheating.


Sadly, this baby deer died in somebody’s front lawn. I guess Coral gets the lively shots of deer and this is what I get.


No photo adventure with Richard is complete until he gets to shoot an abandoned building in a state of total decay.


I’m not against hopping a fence either. Here’s a double exposure I got of Richard in his element.


Here’s a shot Coral got of me with all my fancy camera equipment.


And, of course, the long shadow selfie.

Enjoy!
– Jeff

You Don’t Belong Here Anyway: A Photo Series By Coral

If you are not yet following my lovely lady on Instagram I suggest you start.

Where we live happens to have a huge deer population and I don’t mean Goliath size dinosaur deer. I mean “huge” as in there are A LOT of them. A few of months ago Coral started deer hunting. With a camera, not a gun. And I’ve got to tell you, they are a bold and brazen bunch. So much so that we caught one on our porch late one night and I know you might be sarcastically thinking, “Big deal!” I’d think that to if the deer just strolled through our front lawn to get to our porch, but no no no. To get to our porch means you have to climb 21 steps and make your way past a baby gate. Now, if you’re thinking, “must be a pain in the ass when you have to carry groceries from the car or take the trash out,” you are exactly right. But I digress…

as I often do because…who knows? Anyway, as I was saying…

A few months ago we decided to take a leisurely drive through the neighborhood just to find some deer and on our first outing we caught a baby deer, no bigger than a foot tall, walking across the street about 60 seconds from our house. Don’t get me wrong, deer are total pests and have literally eaten enough of Coral’s plants that she’d need to apply for a loan to replace them. I’m talking a lot of plants here, people. However, seeing the baby deer walk across the street was incredibly adorable. And, in a way, so out of place. It sparked an idea for Coral and she started documenting the deer we find. Coral came up with the “You don’t belong here anyway” series based on the contrast/contradiction of seeing the deer (nature) mixing in with the neighborhood (civilization).

Coral is much more eloquent with words, so I’m giving her the floor here:

We discovered that the entire west side of town abutted a vast hill country. The result of which is wildlife intersecting with civilization. Deer, rabbits, mountain lions, wild boars, skunks… For better or worse, the line between nature and neighborhood is indistinct and very blurry here. And though the deer particularly have been a nightmare for me as a gardener, I can’t help but be in awe of them- impressed with their bold resilience, and a bit confused by it too. I’ll be forgoing fashion for a bit to post a series of photos documenting the deer throughout my neighborhood; it’s called You Don’t Belong Here Anyway. I hope these photos and their title encourage you to consider whether it’s the deer, or the suburban sprawl that remains out of place, and I hope you enjoy!

– Coral

I couldn’t have said it better.

If you can please picture us in Safari outfits cruising around Paso Robles in a 1976 Scout, it would be much appreciated.

It’s not Coral’s first color choice, but as the driver on these urban hunts I get to choose the color of our vehicle.

Be sure to follow Coral on Instagram: @slomygosh

Enjoy!
– Jeff

Such A Wild Family We Are

Coral cracks me up. I saw this on her Instagram tonight and it made me love her a little bit more.

.

It’s the simple things, people.

Kaitlyn Really Brings Our Family Together

Evelyn brought Kaitlyn home about four years ago. Like any seven year old girl, Evelyn wanted a baby sister. She found Kaitlyn at Beverly’s in downtown SLO and it was love at first sight. It’s Kaitlyn’s winning smile and overly happy outlook on life that won Evelyn over. Personally, I didn’t see it. What I did see was the possibility of what we could do with Kaitlyn. In other words, how could we, as parents, mess with this new unwanted child? Evelyn is a big proponent of anthropomorphizing, which makes picking on her dolls or stuffed animals especially gratifying because of the emotional attachment she’s developed with these inanimate objects. She honestly thinks her dolls feelings will be hurt or that it will feel the pain of being hit in the face with a yo-yo.

It didn’t take long before James, Coral and I started messing with Kaitlyn. Putting her in high places where Evelyn could find her but would be unable to rescue her, like hanging from one of our exposed pipes. Naturally, Kaitlyn started disappearing. I think in an effort to protect her Evy would hide her from us and then forget about her. Poor Kaitlyn was missing once for about a year and a half. She survived and upon returning James’ response was, “Oh no…Kaitlyn’s back.” Evy, of course, was pretty excited about it.

Kaitlyn was recently discovered after another long disappearance. The other night while walking past Evy’s room I saw Coral in there holding a naked one-legged plastic baby in the air asking where its leg was. Turns out Kaitlyn was discovered by Elliott (our two year old) who welcomed her back into our lives with a traditional homecoming surprise of “pull your leg out of its socket and chew on it like a wad of bubble gum”. Personally, I think it was a territorial thing for Elliott and his way of letting Kaitlyn know that he’s the baby in the family.

Yesterday I found Kaitlyn’s missing limb under a chair and quickly attached it. When I showed Coral I asked her if she had an old shoelace I could borrow.
“You’re not going to hang Kaitlyn,” she told me.
“I won’t hang her by the neck, just by a foot, but I definitely want to make a little noose.”
Sadly, we couldn’t find a shoelace so we used decorative tape and Coral came up with what you see in the above photo.

Here’s the view from the foot of James’ bed. I’m not sure why we chose to hang Kaitlyn in James’ room, but probably because he dislikes her the most out of all of us. Well, I guess Elliott isn’t too fond of her either. After all, he’s the one that dismembered her.

Yes, I totally just wrote all of this about a stupid little doll. This is my life, people.

An Evening At The Pool

A few days ago we escaped the heat by floating around in a big puddle of water.


I was cloud obsessed. This post could easily be 20 photos of the sky. At least.


James and his big fat goggles.


Elliott contemplating a swan dive.


Coral prefers stealing my parents’ roses to swimming. Can you blame her? They’re gorgeous.


This was about 5 minutes after the first sunset photo.

Sadly, Evelyn isn’t represented in this post because all the photos I got of her were blurry and I just don’t have it in me to post blurry photos.

Until next time…

– Jeff

Happy Mother’s Day

coral preggers with elliott, 2011

Dear Coral,

I probably should have made this last year. You know, since Elliott is almost 2, but I procrastinate sometimes. Anyway…

Thank you for being such a great mama to our kids.
Even though they make us crazy.

Happy Mother’s Day! from jeff claassen on Vimeo.

I love you!

My Lady And My Baby

Some photos from the last few days.

my lady
Coral asked me to take some photos of her for her latest blog post. I really liked this one because the idea was that she would be covering her face with the book, but I got a little sneaky and took this in between “book closed” and “book open” shots. Also, she liked it enough to use it in her blog post, but our edits of the photo are totally different, which is fun to see.

my lady and my baby
Mom and son just strolling down the sidewalk.

my lady and my baby
That is not a monkey on her back. It’s a bear. Grrr!

my baby
Elliott eating an orange right off the tree. Hey, why not? I almost didn’t post this because I am very critical about feet being cut halfway off. It’s like, “Hey! Couldn’t you just tilt the camera down a teensy bit to get the toes in there?” Contrary to popular belief, I’m not Annie Leibovitz.

Thanks for looking!
– Jeff