uno mas dia de caliente!!

picture this....
my sister & her husband at the reception
on saturday night in minneapolis.


i forgot to mention that i was going to be
photographing the "miracle open" for the
miracles of mitch foundation (web site at top right).
well, a record heat is expected and sunscreen
and lots of water will be manditory.
it's always a fun event and this year it is being
held at "deer run" again (like last year) out in victoria
and it is just a really great venue.

megan and her mom & i decided to scrap today's
senior portrait session due to the heat.
the plan is for outdoor portraits and it's just
a blast furnace out there, it is 85 and it's only 8 am!!
you just simply can't move around well and look
cheery when it's this hot. another date is set for
the 11th.
i will be sure to give huge discounts in the future
to the seniors that schedule their sessions in june!!!!

tomorrow is 'national night out"! are you ready? :)
we are having a picnic, games, and a food drive
on our block. we hope the fire truck shows up and
is able to run their hose....we are near a watering
ban here and who knows if they will allow for that.

this is the last day in a long string of 90-100+
degree days. thank God that's over with (for now).

from the frying pan ino the fire!

picture this......
dani's senior portraits
and a collage of amanda & rick's wedding.

90 degrees at 9:30 am today, yuck!
when is it going to cool off?!

sorry this is so late today....much to do.
uploading amanda & rick's wedding images,
had an early senior portrait session outdoors
this morning (dani)...suuuuper hot, we moved
pretty quickly today..changed 3 times. pretty
good i'd say.

the wedding....
eveyone held it together quite well yesterday.
church was cool-ish. "windows" @ IDS was really
terrific, i highly recommend having an event
there. great staff and don't even get me
started on the view!! gorgeous as the sun went down.
food? fabulous!
i ran over as usual but there were so many people there
that i knew and of course the bride and groom were
awsome, so i just kind of hung out with my camera.

amanda did have a little wardrobe malfunction so i
stayed long enough for the girls to sort that out, that
way i could catch the first dance.
it was truly a great day, dispite the heat.
i don't ordinarily get the opportunity to "enjoy" myself
at the weddings that i'm photographing, but this was
certainly an exception to the rule!

amanda & rick, thank you again for allowing me to
join you on your wedding day and
congratulations to you both!

amanda & rick's wedding day!

picture this...
amanda & rick's rehearsal @ mt. olivet
yesterday afternoon. complete with
delicious organ music....classic
wedding march and recessional!

way too hot today, a heat index of about 110.
simply too hot for tuxedos and up-dos!
trust me, a hairdresser's nightmare!
a bride with really long, thick hair on
an obnoxiously hot & humid day with
a 4:00 ceremony!
fortunately, i'm the photographer and
it's an indoor ceremony & reception and the
church is air-conditioned!

i hope to have amanda & rick's images up for
them by mid week.

i've got some prep work to do so that's it for
today.

is it friday yet?

picture this.....
sausalito in september

the past couple of days the nice folks that report
the weather tell me that its' going to be nearly
100 degrees tomorrow. boy i hope the air at
mt olivet doesn't blow!
heat indexes the next few days are going to be
110, 105 and the like...yuck.
planning on a few pool days for sure!
and to think that when my sister and her husband
were talking about putting a pool in we all
instinctively knew that the temps wouldn't get
above 70 this summer...not true.

well, isn't that just like minnesotan to ramble on
about the weather...we are a strange lot!

emily's proof book came yesterday and it's really
my first print item i've received from pictage....
it's very nice. still waiting on sara's books.
those are going to arrive with the leather bonded
cover that i am anxious to see (for quality).

heading over to the church later today to observe
a little of the rehearsal. i talked to amanda yesterday,
she's pretty excited. found out that she has seated
me with my sister at the reception. anne's husband
is in the wedding party so he'll be at the " head table".

i found a cool song yesterday on itunes..
"take me to this place......i'm free" .
i had heard it by another artist but the one that was
available to purchase was by "Natasha Ponticelli"
i love the lyrics and hope to find out who the other
artist was....i'll keep you posted.

national night out is this coming tuesday! don't forget
to get outside and mix with your nieghbors on August 1!
we have a big party here in our yard/driveway.
the police come...my nieghbor kip comes with the
fire truck, the kids love it! food, folks & fun, right?!
have a safe weekend everyone..stay cool.

keep persuing opportunities.....

picture this....
hobie in his ridiculously fabulous lion cut!
don't laugh, he loves it!!


wow, what a day yesterday. my first network meeting
as an actual member, crazy hair day in the salon and
to top it off, nancy and i ventured to oakdale last night
for the "now i lay me down to sleep" introduction
meeting at heather's home. i got home around 10:15.

2 care consulting nurses from abbott (so wonderful!),
2 couples sharing their stories and how the photographs
that were taken of their babies are helping them and their
families go through the healing process.
they shared the photographs and said that they don't
know what the would do without those photos.
i feel pretty strongly about committing myself to this
program and i'm told that it is "life altering".

i don't know what to expect, really, i just know that if
i could give that gift to someone in need........
i'm certain that God gave me this talent for a reason.
i've always known that it was more than just weddings for
me... i love weddings so don't get em wrong, i've just
felt this tugging that there was something more out there.
i have a post-it (thank you by the way, 3M) on my dash
that reads....."keep pursuing opportunities".....
so i am. i may need everyone's support on this one.

my friend nancy is going to assist me for a bit on saturday.
and for that...i am going to foil her daughter's hair!!
friends are good.

gotta network....

picture this....
the miracle kids triathlon is just 25 days away!
this is kyle, a cancer patient and his dad at last years event.
see the miracles of mitch site at right for more info.


it was so humid yesterday and i was so tired after work
that i actually had a glass of pinot grisio. i know, i can
hardly believe it myself!! ya see, i'm more of a red person
for those of you who for a moment thought that i didn't
partake in the adult beverage category! :)


well, i got the call yesterday about the networking group.
i'm in! yay me! this is a terrific assembly of professionals
and this isn't "bni" or anything like that. these folks
broke off about 11 years ago and started their own thing.
i feel that's a pretty darn good track record and i'm honored
to have been elected to join in under the category of
"professional photographer"!
i will be putting together a program for all of the members
that will allow them to sample my services at a discount
so that they can see that i'm no slouch!
(oh, deb, thanks for the late call yesterday..i'll see you today!)
hey scott, if you read today, i think you should join my group.
they will accept one person from each profession and holy
cow, who doen't need life coaching and mediation in their
lives everyday!! I love you scott!


a photographer friend of mine and i are going to woodbury
tonight to hear more about " now I lay me down to sleep",
i'm nervous for some reason...i hope i can stretch my heart
enough to aid in this organization. i know they really need
more photographers to give of their time and talents.

well, i'd better get to work...what do you think i do....
sit around and write blogs all day?????????? :)

happy hump day!

tuesday, muggy tuesday

picture this......
all of the mid-summer flowers in bloom!


i've got a busy "hair" week ahead of me.
i'm pretty sure that i have scared some clients
away due to the success of my photography this
past year. however, i am also pretty sure that
i will be doing it on some level for a while.
i really enjoy it and one of my favorite shoots
to do is when we do hair first (color & all) and then
head out to a fun location for some great shots!

one of my nieces is interested in modeling and we
plan to get together yet this summer and do
some head shots & stuff....she's getting taller by
the minute! she'd be great at it!

i should have received my proof books of sara
yesterday...they didn't come. hopefully today.
i know that sara is excited to get that book in
her hands!

carly and dani (fraternal twin sisters), old neighbors
of mine (and friends....and hair clients!), are
graduating next spring from highschool.
dani decided to switch schools so she could further
her dance career, now their parents will be attending
two graduation ceremonies next june!
anyway, i scheduled their senior portraits yesterday
so they are off to find some cute new stuff to wear
for the shoots!

i talked to amanda today (my bride for this saturday)
and it sounds like everything is coming together!
i'm going to go ahead and observe the rehearsal
on friday afternoon. i've been to that church before,
just haven't shot a wedding there and i would like to
be better prepared for the ceremony.
i mentioned that i was going to use her & rick's
wedding for a studio sample wedding album and
that it was a new vendor and all...she is already
excited to see it! I also mentioned that a replica
album would be cheaper, in case they love it....
and they will!

oh, posted my new pricing yesterday...finally!
have a nice soggy day everyone!
p.s. jacquie, how was your 7 hour flight to raleigh?!! :)

Miss Puerto Rico Wins!

Picture this....
today is the 1 year anniversary of jay's accident. a groom whose
wedding celebration i shot last june (they were married
in the dominican republic-april 2005). he severely injured
his spinal cord in a diving incident and today is still fighting
paralysis from the chest down and in both hands.
he and his wife jill and their "kids" Maximus & Ernie live
in Eagan and are doing great! read more at his site.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jaymagee

who cares, right? i mean about miss universe....
i actually picked her from the start tho'..tee hee.
yes, gary and i sat and watched the whole, painful thing!!

wow! a hot one today...90 somethin' and suuuuper humid!
i hunkered down in the basement and pretended it was 40 below!
when did august get to be such a crazy month?
no pool today, just work. scheduling, call backs, confirmations,
the usual monday stuff.
sitting here waiting for sara's proofbook to arrive. it's a new
vendor and product for me so i'm a little anxious.

did i ever introduce you to mackenzie?? she's pretty much
brand new...cute huh? her mom is a hairdresser too and taking
some time off...as she should!

so far she's the newest baby i've photographed.

hey, i never heard back from my networking group.
they meet on wednesday...everyone said..."oh, you're in!"
so far, i'm not so sure. if they elect to have me join their
group, i get to do a presentation of my works!
no idea what i would do for that...slideshow?
bring all my stuff and do some random shots??
any bright ideas?
that's it for now.....stay cool!

Upcoming Events.....

picture this.....
june 25th will be kari & erik's 1st anniversary!!


saturday, the 29th is rick & amanda's wedding.
can't wait for that! well yes, of course i can.
i actually think i may attend the rehearsal.
many more senior portraits to take in the next month.
postings to my pictage account are going swimingly (too much time
at the pool these days i guess!).
i now have a "client login" link on my web site...also cool.
thank you cory barton!
i have a very wonderful opportunity this week to meet with an
organization called "now i lay me down to sleep".
they are an organization of over 400 members in the US & the UK
that provides bereavement photography-non profit-
for parents suffering early infant loss.
(www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org-check it out)
wednesday evening, i will be meeting with some nurses &
some parents that have benefitted from this program.
it is all at no cost to the parents.
i still don't know that i can actually do this, it already feels creepy
but i guess i'll go to the meeting and get a sense of it's neccessity.

i began a series of "rebuilding" photos on saturday for the family
whose house burned down last tuesday. i was completely
unprepared for my emotions as i rounded the corner on their
street and saw the yellow tape.
i parked, got out of my car, stood there and thought how can
God do such a thing....i wandered around the outside and
saw bikes, a lawn mower, toys, charred debrit and then Dave drove
up (from Westwood) and i just sobbed....i said to Dave...
"this is my greatest fear in life."
the fire was said to have started in the kitchen.
a toaster was pushed into the "appliance garage" on the counter
and they believe that when the cover was pulled down it
actually activated the toaster mechanism.
all of the brick was still standing, even a newspaper that had
been delivered was laying on some left over particle board used
to cover doorways and windows was in the driveway...odd.
i toured the inside and it was a mess. everything destroyed.
dishes, bunkbeds, grand piano, dressers, printers, everything.
it was so quiet, all i could hear was water dripping from the
ceiling and the blue tarp on the roofs flapping.
i believe the demolition is set for tuesday.

Relay for Life

last night i attended the "American Cancer Society's Relay for Life"
in Eden Prairie. an annual event to raise money and awareness.
this event ran from 6pm last night to 6 am this morning.
(um..yea, i went home at 9:30)
at least 100 teams (camps) assembled in the middle of
Central Middle School's race track...literally, camps/tents set up
all aound the infield, all with their own themes, clever names, decorations,
signs etc. (the idea is to have at least one person from your team walking
on the track at all times)...pledges were made in the weeks leading
up to the event. when i arrived they were just getting underway.
they start each year with local cancer survivors making the first lap.
it's incredibly moving. they walk arm in arm, in groups, holding hands,
some in wheelchairs...all ages. cancer respects no age.
as they make their way around the track they pass by HUNDREDS of
luminaries that line the inside and outside lanes of the track.
on these luminaries are names of both survivors and those that have lost
their battles with cancer...decorated by family and friends.

i was amazed at the amount of teenagers in attendance...hundreds.
playing volleyball, throwing footballs, passing soccer balls, dancing
to the band. all with sleeping bags ready to hunker down for the night.
pretty cool.

my favorite part of the night...in exchange for a donation i received a
"gurney ride" from my nieghbor, Kip and his Police & Firefighter buddies.
flashing lights and the whole bit...all around the track, it was quite
a hit! the kids all lined up for that one! next year, they tell me,
they are going to have a siren on board as well!
i plan to return next year and have already made arrangements
to dontate a portrait session to the silent auction.

this morning, i am going to take photographs of a home owned by
a member of my church that burned down this past tuesday.
the church wants to do a "rebuilding" story and archive the process.
i was honored when i got the call.

some women from the church are meeting today to attempt to
re-assemble the photo albums that were recovered from the rubble.
i can't even beGIN to tell you how that touched my heart.
the first thing EVERYone mentions when there has been a fire is
the photo albums. i think i'll try to find out where they are meeting
and go get some shots of that as well.
PLEASE! everyone, store you images with an online processor....
ofoto.....shutterfly.....somthing...and do it TODAY!

peace everyone.

23rd anniversary

picture this.....somebody's FABULOUS!
hey emily, only one more month until i
come and stay with you and your sister!!


dang, i feel like miss doom and gloom lately.
today is the 23rd anniversary of my dad's death.
he was only 49. i know, too young. he has missed
an awful lot (well, not my ex husband, he was worth missing!)

moving on, it's friday and i'll be working with pictage
today. scheduling events, uploading events, trying to
get some sort of workflow down. i sat down yesterday
and picked out 21 of my favorite sara photos (that was fun!).

next i'm going to go ahead and upload images of
my niece to pictage, whose session i did back in may (above).
once i get a few uploads completed i can offer "p3"..
it's a payment plan for pictage which will be HUGE!
i think that people would be more apt to order
what they really want if they can spread out the cost
a little. there is some really cool stuff available and i'm
excited to offer them and even more excited to be getting
in some samples! coffee table books, dvds, proof magazines!
i feel like a company all of a sudden!!!

pete, i'm glad to hear that you had a better day yesterday!
i love you!

have a great friday!

ben update

picture this.......
ben, on his 14th birthday, contacts and all, doing what he loves!

i feel as though i've been hit by a truck. it can't in anyway
compare to what the baker family must be feeling.
puffy, drained, exhausted. i dragged my ass to the gym
anyway this morning, and somehow it refreshed me.
(not my eyes tho', they're still puffy!).
my ipod battery was shot so i went without christina,
earth, wind and fire, casting crowns, nelly, prince and the
list goes on....
amazing what your mind can do without all that outside
stimulation. i actually focused and thought much about
joe, the bakers, the funeral and my own life.
pretty empowering and a darn good work out to boot!
i may leave the ipod at home from now on.

every funeral i ever attend effects me differently, as they should
i guess. different people, different circumstances, different
memories, different time in our lives.
there were actually times during the course of the day when
i wish i'd have had my camera. i know that sounds insensitive
and stupid and may be selfserving, but i just hope that i can
remember all of the tender exchanges that i witnessed yesterday.
why don't people photograph funerals? i mean i'm not talking
about getting "table shots" & college room mate-buddy shots
and certainly there's no dance. but there is something there.....
raw emotion that could be captured from a distance.
maybe it's just that folks don't want to be reminded of their grief.
or, i don't know.....maybe it is just sacred, plain and simple.
then there are some that i suppose would think it was kinda creepy.

anyway, this will undoubtedly not be the last time i write about joe.
rest in peace, joe........oh, and say "hi!" to my dad, will ya!

funeral for a friend

today was a really rough day. joe's funeral.

i started out early to carole's home to do her hair for her.
i suggested that gary just meet me at the church later.
the forecast was for scattered storms and boy did it storm
early on. lightening, crazy thunder and dark skies. crap!
just the kind of doom and gloom you need on the day
of a funeral, right? joesette said, "it matches my mood."
got the hair done, pulled into the garage so carole could
get in without getting wet and i drove her over to the church.

the family all gathered early to console one another,
hold one another, see joe and say their good-byes.

carole sat down next to joe and never left.
eventually people started to arrive....signing the guest book,
leaving cards, making memorial contributions, hugging,
crying, sharing stories....

the service was beautiful, heartfelt, & moving.
i remember an extremely loud boom of thunder as the family
followed the casket in...it shook me...deep. i felt joe's presence.

netti read from revelations, alex got up to speak, my brother,scott
was asked to read a passage but what touched me most was
pete's eulogy. this was his brother. his only brother.
bravely, pete delivered the most eloquent speech.
in what seemed like a moment, pete revealed all the sides
of joe that we knew and some that didn't, like only a brother could.

i couldn't help but wonder if i would have the strength to do that
for my sister. i hope & pray that i never have to know.

what's most difficult for me is to watch, helplessly, as a family grieves.
i love this family dearly and will miss joe.

to the baker family, i lift you up to God and ask that he hold you tight
as you grieve joe's passing.

picture this........life....(don't waste it)

happy birthday ben!

picture this....for ben's birthday last year,
i went with him to a near by park and
captured ben doing some tricks, then i blew this
one up to a 20x30 converted it to black and white
(not a lot of color at the park anyway) and brought
ben back in with the history brush. it looks cool
in his room.

the other day i picked up my mom at my sister's
house for church. it was raining, the garage
door was up and there were no cars parked in it,
(you really should see this garage...there are
people that would love to live here.) anyway, mom,
anne, pete & benji were standing inside and i just
drove right in (so my mom wouldn't get wet).
benji walked up to my window and i rolled it down...
he leaned into the car, looked around and said
"this is going to be mine in two years!"
my sister thinks i should find a new car when he gets
his license in 2 years so he can have mine and
apparently the word is out! :) sounds like
an extravagant birthday present if ya ask me!

well, no cars today, perhaps a "zoomie's" gift card
will do the trick at 14.
happy birthday ben, i love you everyday and
twice on sundays! :)

(we are getting new asphalt at the moment on our street.
my chair is shaking...actually the whole house is shaking!
what could they possibly be doing???)
guess i'll go grab my camera and see! :)

blessings on your day.

a cake job

picture this......a world without cake.

hobie is sitting in my lap as i type. not easy by the way.
he is happy, tubeless, t-shirt-less and purring!
my neighbor, cindy, gave me an engraved stone earlier
this year that reads...."purring is smiling out loud".
i love that. thanks again cindy.
we did get the call from dr. olson and she said his
enzymes are down, but not low enough (STILL!!!)
so we'll just keep on keepin' on i guess.
meds....antioxidents...etc...$$$$$$$$$

kind of a lazy day today. didn't get much done.
i even popped back over to my sister's to hop in the
pool and the whole namn dieghborhood was in it!!!
90, sunny, way less humidity.

i'm figuring pictage out slowly....
when i do, it's going to be so cool. you can view
your events online and you can share your password
with friends & family so they can as well!
there is a crazy amount of products that i have
access to. i can't wait to really get into the whole
process and get good at my own workflow.

it's benji's birthday tomorrow. we kind of celebrated
on saturday but in my opinion, when you are 14, you
still have to have your own day, right?????
besides, saturday wasn't really celebratory.
i'm sure i'll head over there anyway! :)
have a good one.

how hot was it?

pretty darn hot!
it's been 11 years since we've seen 100 degrees.
lifetime fitness even shortened their events in accordance with
the warnings. they held their annual triathlon in the metro area
yesterday. i have yet to read about the outcome.
those people are crazy! :)

anne & pete's pool got to a whopping 91 degrees!
i do believe that's only about 14 degrees from hot
tub standards! nonetheless, we didn't suffer any.

as you can imagine, the celebration lost some of it's
luster (as expected). there's just so much to do before
the service on wednesday. pete, netti & liz spent
the majority of the day making funeral arrangements
and going through joe's things back at his house.
a terrifyingly gruesome task for anyone. what will you find?
well for one, a note written by joe (no date) that starts
"if i should die before i wake...."
so sad & yet so helpful. he makes mention of all of his love
for everyone and lists important names, #'s and things he
wants people to have..his own personal will, i guess.
shouldn't we all have one of these??

i made a correction in my entry yesterday because i found
out that joe was only 44! for some reason i thought he was
older than me. (isn't that just like a woman!)
you never think that someone YOUR age could die, right?
because then you have to look at your own mortality.....
no one wants to do that!
i'll tell ya what tho'...it's NEVER too late to start loving more,
calling more, talking more, writing more, spending more time
with those you love however little or out of the way.
people need people (like barbara says)!

scott, nicki, mom and i gathered in front of the sanctuary
this morning and prayed with one of the ministry staff for
all of the bakers. i bawled. i guess i've started to look at this
like if my only sister, anne, died. or what this would be like
for anne if it were me.....as we age, it simply becomes more
likely and frankly, it sucks.

picture this.....if we all loved one another like it was our last day.

life is shorter than you thought...

picture this..... a calm stream in which we can reflect on our own lives.
can we be more? do more? love more? share more? hug more?

i got a call from my sister anne yesterday morning.
regrettably, the call you never EVER want to get.
i could tell from the moment i said "hello", that something was wrong.
she said, "joe died."
joe is/was :( her brother-in-law...her husband's older & only brother.
it was one of those tragic, sudden and completely out of the blue deaths.
he would have turned 45 in september....crazy either way, really.
apparent heart attack. i'm just beside myself. i'm sad, i'm angry,
my god I'm 44!!!!!
i can say with great honesty that joe was loved...he was loved.
his mother, his sisters (3 in all), his brother, his sister-in-law,
nieces and nephews.....and members of my own family will miss
him dearly and completely.
i've been digging all day through my archives to find a photo, any photo
of joe to post but i've come up empty. i'm so sorry.

one thing i know for sure is that i have made efforts in my life to
ensure that something like this doesn't happen to me!
(another sign of age i'm told)
i guess that doesn't necessarily mean that it can't happen, but
i rest easier knowing that i've made choices in my life regarding my
health that from what i'm told will extend mine (God willing).
now i'm certainly no expert on living & dying nor do i profess to be so...
i only pray that the people in my life might sit up, take notice, and
begin to consider making changes to extend theirs.
i'll miss joe and i pray that he, at some point in his life, came
to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

pete and anne plan to go ahead with the party today and i think
that rather than celebrating all of the birthdays we'll will be
celebrating joe's life.
it will be a gathering day for all of us and we will find joy.

to joe's family i want to extend my ( & gary's) heartfelt sympathy.
if i could attach a song..i'd select "remember me" by mark schultz.

all my love, susan

p.s. a bright spot yesterday.......hobie got his tube out.

sara

sara's photo session went really great yesterday. the weather cooperated
and so did all of my equipment. mostly used my canon 70-200 L lens.
love that thing! and as we wrapped up the wind really started to pick up
and it was really beginning to warm up as well.
so my "picture this...." for the day is sara. we had a great time.
her mom helped out a lot and for that i am grateful! thanks rachel!
sara, you are beautiful and i am proud of you. thanks for the opportunity!

well, i took hobie in this morning to have his liver enzymes checked.
he HATES going....what animal does? anyway so that's on my mind
this morning. we want that tube out and his liver to be mended!
we like to give them those ridiculous "lion" cuts for the summer
so they can be cool and we suffer less hair floating about the house!
when the tube comes out we can do that. i'll be sure to post a photo
of hobie and katie (his litter-mate sister) after we get them cut.

i'm going to talk to "pictage" today and sign on with them for my online
proof viewing service-i think.... a big step for me i feel.
i'm excited about what they can do for me and my clients.
they come highly recommended from some very reputable
photographers. i'd like to put myself in that category.
this will mean that my clients will be able to view the images from their
wedding, portrait session or event usually within 24 hours! no more
waiting for a big, bulky proof book! nice.
it's what i have been waiting to offer people. yay!
hot one again today, try to stay cool!

ben

this morning i will be meeting sara and her mother (rachel)
at the arboretum to shoot sara's sr. portraits....yay!!
sara is excited and so am i.
we plan to do a little mother/daughter shoot at the end
of the session for some fun. i can't believe that she is
going to be a senior this fall...crazy how time flies!
people tell me that's a sign of age.....not so crazy about that!!!
i've known sara for a good 5-6 years as her hairstylist and
now i get the privilege of being her photographer! cool.
it's supposed to get into the upper 90's and get pretty humid
today so we are pretty psyched about getting an early start.

"boys of summer" party this saturday at my sister's new pool-
should be over a 100 degrees that day....good call!! :)

hobie has to fast tonight until his big appointment tomorrow
with dr. olson at mvrs in eden prairie. it's a referral only
veterinarian service and intensive care facility.
now THERE'S something to buy stock in!!!!
GOTTA get that tube out-it's been there since christmas!
everyone pray that hobie's liver enzymes come back normal!!

picture this.....he's been waiting for months! benji, my nephew
(anne's oldest) has been on my case because he isn't even
on my web site...even his friend chris is but not benji....
well, benji, will you settle for my blog for the time being???
i took this on the 4th of july as we were heading to the start
of my sister's neighborhood "kiddie parade"...benji is a pretty
skilled skateboarder and was showing off to his aunt a little...
so the image above is of him...i love you ben! :)

p.s. i just sent a note to phil young of eden prairie, he's running
for mayor..i offered my services to archive his campaign.
i'll keep you posted on his decision. pretty exciting!!

i'll post some photos of sara's images later today or tomorrow.
until then.....stay cool everyone!

ain't technology great?!

i gotta say, when you start into something new, cool things happen.
my web designer, cory barton (www.bartondesign.com), helped
me link this blog from my website (under "links" up top )..too fun!
i'm pretty jazzed about that right now! i know that to some it may
not be a big deal, but to me? HUGE! so....yay me!! :)
i had my good friend and neighbor (jacquie), who by the way
on a side note is no slouch as a photographer herself,
anyway more on that later....i had her take some shots of me
so that when you "roll over" the word "blog" on my site, you get an image of me!
it's just that she shot in RAW and i'm having trouble converting them
to JPEGs so i'm wating on that for now.
all things considered, the shoot went well. thank you jacquie!
i also have another friend (sue) working on a post card/brochure for
me, it's done and needs to go to print...i'll try to post a photo
of that as well.
picture this......emily, (anne's oldest daughter)
and then below is another niece, gemma. she is my brother's oldest.
these are recent shots taken as their birthday presents this year
(may & june). i have family come to my home, i do their hair and then
we venture out and have a private photoshoot.....very fun! they love it!
so do i!
have a great day everyone!

picture this......

picture this......
tuesday.....hair day. class last night was great. it's nice to be able to get
together with other photographers and swap stories, knowledge and
insites. there was about 35 of us and Michelle, who lead this class,
got permission from a homeowner in excesior to not only use her garden
out front but bring 35 people along for a class! the homeowner was
gracious and complied! Michelle was energetic and patient with the
brother and sister models (ages 2 & 1/2 and about 6).
the next class (meeting) is in hudson wisconsin on "falling in love
with weddings"....i'll probably hit that one too. these classes are
all put together by the TCPPA..twin cities professional photographers
association that i recently joined..i really like the folks that are apart
of this organization.
today i picture this.... hobie, my cat, whose tube hopefully comes out
on friday or monday!

no more cannon balls!

well, it WAS a great pool day yesterday!
the carver craigs attended, so did the shakopee craigs
and the excelsior craigs were there too.
a sunny, gorgeous day spent with family. nice.
we will all assemble next saturday to celebrate
"the boys of summer"....there are 4 men in the family
that have either a june or a july birthday and we
thought we would just get together for cake on
one day (bummer, my sister and i LOVE cake!).
"hobie", my male cat that is 10 years old, is
going in this week to have his liver enzymes checked (again).
he had a bout with fatty liver disease in december
and we are continuing to monitor and medicate.
it's been a very expensive process but, he's like a child
to us so.......say or think what you will.
mondays are my catch up and prep for the week days
so i'd better get on that!
have a fabulous day. i will.

Pool Day!

my sister (anne) and her husband (pete) put a pool in their backyard
recently (along with a fabulous putting green)
and it's almost done...a little more sod and they are set!
most of my family will be there this afternoon-should be a beauty of a day!
no weddings yesterday, just a realxing day with gary (my husband)
and a night out for a great dinner and yummy wine with him as well.

i've got a class tomorrow evening on children's portraiture in excelsior.
looking forward to that....some senior portrait as they continue to rage on
and meetings with brides this week.
enjoy the rest of your weekend!

got blog? yep.

it's been said that we are the sum total of our blog........(not really)

i've finally jumped into the wonderful world of blogging so that i can
keep folks up to date with my life as a photographer.
i plan on posting images of current works and information on
upcoming events. in the process i'll introduce you to friends, family & even pets.
it is my desire to update my blog daily so
feel free to check back anytime and see what's new!
oh, and thanks for checking in!