starkey gala...

i met cheryl maclennan last night
along with the other photographers for
this year's starkey hearing foundation
gala. there are 12 or 15 of us.

even though things can change between
now and the 21st of june, i am still
on for the vip welcome party at bill
austin's home in eden prairie and i'll
also be shooting at the pre~party on
friday evening. i've been added to go
along with jane seymore to an art
gallery in edina before the vip on
thursday and then hook up with the other
photographers back at bill & tani's home.
make sense? it's going to be crazy fun!

i feel the lull before the storm...
things are quiet this week (sort of)

i have a hilton family tomorrow,
check in around 5.
saturday is "art on the lake" in
excelsior...that's always fun!
a couple of graduation open houses
(one is being held at my sister's)
TCPPA class on monday, "lift up
america" twins game event on tuesday
where i will be photographing a group
of under privileged kids (i worked with
this group back in december at a food
drive/vision clinic event at the
eden prairie center). bill austin is
going to be there so i will finally
meet him. two of the photographers
that were at the meeting last night
will be there as well. these kids
are going to run the bases and one
of them will throw out the first pitch
so i'll be down on the field at this
event also.



i'll most likely miss my pug meeting
but i'll try to swing in on my way
home...game starts at 7 and i'm sure
i'll head out shortly after that.

that's it for today. make it a great one!

happy birthday G!

another birthday in the family today!
another hair/photo op.
those are piling up! i have yet to
do emily & owen...woops!
going to do g's hair and photos on
friday i guess...she's a busy girl!
we may even end up using them as
her school portraits...??????
i'll be posting them over the weekend.


okay, dinner in rosemount last night
for gary's mom's birthday. the name
of the place is "Rudy's Redeye Grill"
i guess there are a few around town
which means that linda and charlie young
are doing okay with all the axel's &
bonfires too. this one falls between the 2.
i stuck with the walleye cuz it never
disappoints! perfect green beans and
mashed, garlic potatoes! yum.
it's consistent from restaurant to
restaurant!
it's an awful long way to go for dinner
but with bonnie & steph coming from
northfield and glen & yasuko from
lakeville....how could we argue!?



here's the birthday girl...



ask for tanya (the manager) and tell her
that sue & gary austin sent you!



one problem, it was bonnie's "80th"
birthday!! no one ever said anything
to me! gary made mention of it when
we got to the restaurant and i went
a little burzerk! i said, "you don't take
your mother out for a pasta dish and give
her a garden soap gift pack for her
EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY~!!!!!!"
and gary's like, "why not?" ugh!! men!

besides, one of the cards i got for her
had a cat standing in a litter box and it
read, "hmmmm, a gift in a box? coming
right up!" yea, like that's appropriate
for an 80th birthday. i'm so glad i had
him stop at bachman's on the way to i
could get her a little something extra!
we had a nice time.

my brother and i hit the local bruegger's
bagel place...



not really a fan i have to
say. oh well, but the company was quite
great! we like to get together every now
and again and solve the world's problems
then attempt to tackle our own. :)
seems everyone else's issues are so
obvious, defined & fixable...why is that?!

i just received notification from pictage
that my new sample album that i designed
and the 4x4 replicas should be here today or
tomorrow! really excited to see them!

dinner tonight with cheryl from the starkey
hearing foundation. more on that tomorrow.

happy birthday bonnie!

today is gary's mom's birthday!
we are all going to head out to dinner
tonight at a new spot...
ruby's something or other...it's another
"axel's" off shoot restaurant.
yes, of course i'm going to bring my camera!
and i'll get the name straight tonight too.

it is gorgeous today...low 70's and sunny.
this is why we minnesotan's live here...for
the 6 really nice days a year that we get! :)
the rest of the year is simply designed to
keep the "riff~raff" out! but that doesn't
seem to be working so well lately.
before they die...here's some colorful stuff
from out front...(well, not the first one)







g's birthday is tomorrow...card's in the mail!

hobie & katie's vet visit went really well.
dr. rodney toogood was just happy to see hobie
and not have to do the roto rooter thing to him
for once! dr. toogood is really great.
altho' dr. lorna reichle is studying animal
behavior for 2 more years at the u of m and
we miss her, dr. bey & dr. toogood are really
pretty wonderful.
hobie is just under 14 pounds and katie just
over 10...they really are mostly hair!
going to change that very soon however.

my brother, scott, is coming over this morning
for a haircut. he apparently started something
that he couldn't finish yesterday and has
called in the professional to fix it!
then we are going to head out for just a bit
to discuss what photos are needed on his
web site and also toss around some ideas that
he can consider to get his name out there!

scott is a mediator, life coach (& fitness buff)
extraordinaire ...AND a 1st degree black belt!

tomorrow evening, i'll be meeting with cheryl
maclennan of the starkey hearing foundation.
she's flying up from grapevine texas to meet
with the photographers for the gala to discuss
the game plan. can't wait to meet her!

one last thing..."hell's kitchen".
chef ramsey has another great group of
winers on his hands this season!
makes me appreciate a perfectly prepared
meal when we go out to a restaurant that's
for sure!

try to get outside today! :)

miracles of mitch foundation donates to camp courage

drove to annandale, minnesota yesterday
to tour the camp courage facility!
what an amazing place! it was built in 1965.

there was about 15 of us and we caravaned up
and brought picnic lunches.
dr. joanna perkins, one of the doctors at
children's in st. paul and a current board
member for the MOMF, was our tour guide.
she's gone up many times in the role of dr.
on staff. she guided us around the entire camp!
thanks so much joanna! you are tireless!
(she's the one in the orange shirt with the
gorgeous, long wavy brown hair!!!)

the week that the foundation is sponsoring
is the week of july 29th through the 3rd
of august. this will be all cancer patients.
my plan here is to be up there the day all the
campers arrive for sure and then perhaps
one other day.
it was quiet while we were there as it was
mostly staffers and jr. counselors preparing
for the MDA (muscular dystrophy) campers
who were arriving that afternoon.
so i think it will be really energizing to
be there when everyone is arriving and
getting settled into their cabins and bunks!
i can't wait to be there!!
here's a few shots from the day....

steve bringing up the rear with his
gay blackberry in his left hand!



it started out a little drizzly and
chilly but the sun eventually came out!
(like STEVE should! kidding!)



here (l to r) is steve (mitchie's dad),
shawn anderson (from the airport hilton)
and mitchie's grandfather, ron stanchfield.
(oh, and shawn mentioned that he wants the
hilton to get involved that week as well so
i'll keep you posted on their input too.)



the picnic was fun and the kids ran around
for an hour...at what point in our lives
do we lose that energy!??? love to get that back!



okay, here's something fun....
all around the camp are these little
elf homes. you open the door and there's
furniture and stuff inside...pretty fun
for the kids!



all in all, a great day!
we can now all visualize the time
that these kids are going to have there.
the MOMF is going to sponsor
kids with cancer from the ages of 7 through 17 and
i'm most certain that this will be an annual
donation for years to come!

happy foo'in feckant!

yesterday was june 2nd.
our family will forever refer to
it as "foo'in feckant".
years ago, when i was growing up,
there was a boy in our neighborhood
who's birthday falls on this date.
but whenever you asked him when his
birthday was, he would reply
"foo'in feckant"...we recognize it
every year! funny what you carry
with you your whole life!

i have a wren building a nest in my
little red bird house that i bought
about 3 years ago in excelsior.

apparently the male flies around
and sets up house at several different
places then invites the female to
inspect them all and select her
favorite and when she makes her selection
she tears everything out of the house
that the male prepared and re-does
the whole thing. don't ya just love
the wren!? :) don't even get me started
about their song....it's my favorite
(next to the cardinal).





yesterday emily had her "kid" party.
never a drop of rain on her luau themed
pool party! this was fun here's some
shots from the day...









she got a real, live, russian tortoise!
i believe i have mentioned that emily loves turtles.
her best friend gave this to her!





today, i am heading up to camp courage in annandale.
the miracles of mitch foundation is sponsoring a
week there this summer ($40K!) and so they are
getting a tour of the facility and i wanted to check
it out as well. i'm not so certain that i will be
able to go up there the week that they have
selected, but i'll make a valiant effort for sure!

oh, a little prison work yesterday as we tore
out all the mulch from the passed 4 years and
replaced it with all new...what a work out!

happy birthday hobie & katie!!

i must first wish my cats a
happy, happy birthday!!!!



so, the scripps spelling bee....WOW!
i thought that all they did was
memorize words..turns out these kids
memorize roots and definition!
CRAZY how these students can pull
something out of thin air just by
knowing a word's root origin!
and then, not only that, but they actually
congratulating their opponents authentically
after they lose. i'm amazed! wow!
most of these kids are "home schooled"
and i think that if they had been
allowed to remain in "mainstream"
schools that they would have been
massively attacked personally and/or
crucified by your everyday student.
it's sad to say that students today
just simply are afraid of and are
threatened by those who have i.q.'s
greater than the average student.
the nerds of today are the billionaires
of tomorrow!

last night we bounced back and forth
from "so you think you can dance" to
"so you think you can spell"! big night
at the austin house!!

today...2 cancer families check
into the airport hilton in bloomington.
(don't forget about hobie & katie's
11th birthday today!!)

i aligned myself with a new organization
yesterday... it's the CFPA!
"children & family photographers of
america"...pretty cool group!
i'm excited to be apart of this great
team and share my knowledge!
check them out!
here are a few of the images that i
submitted to them...







i'll be adding their logo, the miracles of mitch
logo and the NILMDTS logo to my home page soon.
perhaps the starkey hearing foundation one as well.
all with hyper~links.

then next best thing...

perhaps my new guilty pleasure...
this is a show where they are looking
for the next best celebrity impersonators.
it's pretty darn funny.
the judges are really great.
i think they are on to atlanta next week.

another beauty..."shear genious".
they just wrapped up their season with
a finale last night and i must admit,
i have been told about this show for months
but have not seen one episode until last night.
not bad. i would have been able to call
this one from the start i'm afraid!!


moving on....

we finally got the rain that they have
been promising!
so much last night that a husband & wife
duck team moved in.....so cute!
i'm hoping they nest here....if they do
i will be sure to post updates and photos.

can you believe tomorrow is june 1st?!
busy month for me. weddings, portraits and
the starkey hearing foundation gala.
june's going to go fast!

getting together with one of my nieces soon
to do her birthday hair/photo shoot!
these are soo much fun. i'll be shooting
her senior session later this summer!

i still owe emily HER birthday hair/shoot!

hobie and katie's 11th birthday is tomorrow!
they got birthday cards yesterday from a
local pet store with a coupon for a free toy!~
how cute is that!

it's gorgeous here today....upper 70's and sunny!~
perfect summer day.

enjoy it.

"on the lot"...

okay, love the show...hate the host!
we are going to tivo and zip passed this
"nails on the chalkboard" woman. she's
just awful. and another thing...
could they BE anymore like american idol?
i love the concept of the show, i've
enjoyed the movies these folks have
put together yet they butcher it with
the female version of "dunkelman".
that's right, remember him? he was
ryan seacrest's side kick the first year
when kelly clarkson won. yep, she's that bad!

lots of hair today (including my own).
sheena is coming by later to swap
services. i'm thinkin' a little color!

i have a huge order coming from WHCC today.
can't wait. included in that oder is
"angel" from last friday morning. i'll be
sending those images and DVD on to that
family later today.

got an incredible sample package from
"graphistudios" in italy. beautiful sample
albums, replica albums and parents albums.
affordable, gorgeous wedding album design.
i've been waiting for this package since
OCTOBER!! i actually had forgotten that i
ordered it. it's just stunning work.
can't wait to produce my first album
with them.

have a great day.
thanks for the note lois. say hi to felice!
we really want you two to come up this summer!

short week...

what a weekend!
family, friends, smores, gardening,
food, wine...and that was just friday!!

last night anna and kyle came over to
ask if we would light some of our
fireworks before they had to turn in.
so we grabbed a few and lit them
in the street. even scott, jacquie & will
joined in...fun!

hit the baker pool yesterday...
(i talked to peer down at the ridges
and he said that they were pretty slammed
down there so yet again, we rescheduled!)

ben and his friends goofed around awhile...




scott put on pete's scuba gear and got a
quick lesson...he's going to go for his
certificatioin with the rest of us at
the baker pool next month!





owen ("ono" as he calls himself) was
"fashionably" late (due to a nap)...








oh, and here's spice. she's FINALLY getting
"hooked up"! she's been in heat so long that
it's driving everyone crazy! she's a full
bred birman and she's going to have kittens!
the kids are pretty excited. pete, on the other
hand is worried that she'll have 8 kittens and
anne won't want to part with any of them! :)




....mrow....

hobie and katie turn 11 on friday.
they are growing so fast.... :)
i'm thinking of inviting their cousins over
for a little tuna cake & milk...hats...horns..
cat nip...the works!!

memorial day...

hello everyone.
today is memorial day.
a day set aside to recognize and
remember those who have fought &
are fighting for our country's freedom.
strangely cool. on one hand i guess
i feel that everyday should be memorial
day and on the other, i'm afraid if
we didn't have this one day...
few would remember.
so while we're grilling, boating, planting
napping, golfing, camping, biking.....
take a moment and thank all the service
men and women for tirelessly making the
ultimate sacrifice.

today, on our calendar, it also says
"12th anniversary". gary and i got
together on this date 12 years ago.
he asked me to an REM concert on that day!
i had actually been cutting his hair for
nearly a year before we dated. who knew? :)

okay, so i didn't go to the golf course
yesterday so i'm heading down there today.
i did get all the rest of the flowers in!
nice to have that done. feels like summer!

enjoy your memorial day!

ridges at sand creek...

heading back down to jordan today to finish
up photographing mike malone's golf course.
it's green and lush and sunny. it'll be a
perfect day for this.



first off to westwood.
it's been a few weeks since i've been to
church due to involvements and travel that
it really felt great to get back.
mark bendell, our outreach pastor spoke today
on how to pray effectively....on this
the global day of prayer.
how timely for me to receive this message
at the end of a week in which i have experienced
great grief with two different families over
the loss of their unborn children.
i've been praying a lot lately in ways i never
imagined i would.

last night gary and i drove to northeast minneapolis
to a great bar called "the bulldog". great food.
met jimbo, steve, tom & anna. didn't stick around,
just headed back home.

well, i'm off to complete the gardening here at
the house and then i think i'll pop down to
jordan. if not today, i'll go down tomorrow.
the weather is just so pleasant that i can't NOT
work on memorial day! :)

have a safe one.

praise Him.

lunch with jacquie..

after several weeks of trying to get together,
jacquie and i manage to finally have lunch.
my birthday was back in april but let me tell
you...this was worth the wait!

our kick boxing date got way~laid (i'll explain
later) but we hit redstone in eden prairie for
what turned out to be the greatest afternoon
to enjoy lunch outside.



started with wine,
a VERY dirty martini and a canyon flat bread pizza!




then we moved into ribs and a huge salad.
once that was devoured, we sat back, got a
couple more drinks, chatted and soaked up some sun.
the we ordered dessert. i got their signature
chocolate cake (with a flaming candle..jacquie
insisted in that we were celebrating my birthday!)
and jacquie ordered their yummy banana cream pie.





are you kidding me?
just about had to roll ourselves out of there.
THEN jacquie ordered a full rack of ribs to go!
um...dare i say... the $200 lunch. MAN!
it was such a lovely day and i'm still full!

jacquie, thank you so much...sorry about jabz.
well go again soon.

i went with the springers to anna's softball
practice last night. she's really going to be
a great pitcher someday. she's never reallly
pitched before and she like, 7...check out the
form!! i was really impressed!





here's her silly brother kyle!



thanks for letting me tag along. i'd love to come
watch a game sometime too!

well yesterday morning, on our way to kick boxing
i got a call from heather. a couple at st. francis
had lost their baby at 17 weeks. i was the closest
and the only one available so jacquie doubled back
and dropped me off so i could head down there.
this family was grateful to have the opportunity for
a photographer to come and photograph their "angel".
please go to NILMDTS for more information
in the event that someone you know is in need of our
free services or care to donate. thanks.

pirates of the caribbean????

well i, for one, did NOT go to the midnight
showing of pirates 3. the reviews are in
and i'm glad i got all my sleep last night.
perhaps i should be a critic...mostly
because it takes a lot to impress me.
i typically wait for dvd's and then sit
and watch in the comfort of my own home!
i know...BORING!! but i'll tell you what
i got really tired of saying "there's another
2 hours of my life i'll never get back"~
and THIS movie was 2 hours and FORTY~FIVE
minutes long! ugh! can you say "restless leg
syndrome"???
my brother and his family went out last night
to see it, so i'm waiting to hear from them
what they thought. the girls just like
johnny depp, kierra knightly and orlando bloom
so they were probably just happy to stare at
them on the screen!

well, another friday, a beautiful one on tap.
weather in the low 70's!

jacquie and i are heading to jabz and then
my birthday lunch.

have a safe holiday weekend everyone!

jordin sparks wins american idol!

okay.....shocker, right!? not really.
what a night. loved melinda doolittle's
performance! and even tayor hicks!
but my biggest surprise was the return
of ruben studdard! that guy can SING!!!

i've seen each and every american idol
season and altho' kelly clarkson has been
my favorite since the beginning....
chris daughtry is a very close 2nd!
i have yet to purchase other winner's
CD's, i think that carrie underwood and
even ruben studdard & taylor hicks deserve
a second chance! they all did remarkably
well last night!
i'm sorry that fantasia couldn't be there
but i understand that she was "working"!
good for her!
what the hell was bette midler doing there?

the skuttle~butt was all about why
sir paul macartney didn't show up.
they rehearsed all those beetles songs~
last year when they sang all the prince
songs and HE popped out was so cool!
so everyone was thinking...hmmmmm.....what's
going on? where is he? i'm sure we'll
find out soon but so far no one has come
forward to say anything...and ya know what?
so what!
oh, and what about green day???
hey, wanna perform in front of 130 million
people??? SURE!!! whatever.
i thought it was "sell out city" myself.
sure, i'm happy for jordin and all but
c'mon...it's one big finale infomercial, right?!
i enjoy the show but lets get one thing
straight...i won't be standing in line to
purchase my "idols across america tour" tickets.

moving on...
i wanted to mention that i got a really
terrifically yummy thank~you gift delivered
the other day. this was from Emmeline Yang,
a graduate from USC whom I have never met.
i photographed her for her parents (we sat
next to them at the film school portion at
the galen center) and sent a CD out to her
in LA. she's from england and has spent
the past 4 years studying at USC in film.
anyway, these cookies arrived and i thought
"what the...?" and then i opened the card
and it was from the Yang family!
thank you so much Yang family!

dancing deer baking company out of boston.





they have yummy brownies and cakes too! enjoy!

more rain today. MUCH needed but all the
flowers i bought to plant are all still just
sitting in their flats out front. :(
oh well...color is color, right!? :)

american idol finale...

well, it seems that it's on everyone's mind.
"blake" or "jordin"? i've thought jordin all
along so i'm just going to stick with her.
but of course it doesn't do much for blake's
case to have him get up and sing what KDWB
dj's touted as a "disney power ballad"!
i mean, c'mon...i thought nothing could be worse
than carrie underwood's "inside your heaven"! UGH!!
these finale songs are so cheesy that i've
actually developed a "dairy intolerance"!~

okay, what's NOT cheesy?? dancing with the stars!
the cutest couple on the planet won the title
last night! apolo anton ohno and julianne whatshername.
i called that one too!
there are two summer competition shows coming
that i think are pretty interesting....
"on the lot" which started last night. i really
think that this one could be cool. i'm sure
our niece, machie, the big film school grad from
USC, will think it's stupid...who knows.
the other is...drum roll..............
"fast cars and superstars"! it starts on like
june 1st i think. it's a nascar thing.

what's going on this weekend for memorial day?
us? nothing. golf i suppose if the weather holds.
however, we are true believers in not partaking
in any "holiday golf"...too slow. no fun.
so we'll leave monday open for a big fat bbq!!

anne, i'm feeling much better, thanks for your
concern. i love you!

jaquie, are you still living next door?

owen (who calls himself "ono", apparently he
is having trouble with the "w"....so cute!)
came by for a haircut yesterday. he is sooo funny!
didn't WANT a haircut. why do kids cry? i don't
understand it? i did NOTHING to traumatize him
the first time. and forGET about the blow dryer.
HATES that! he's 2, what can i say. sorry, no photo.
he was more interested in getting to his "nonni's"
for a treat! BAD aunt...no treats. hey, it was
last minute...i wasn't prepared! next time.

well, slow news day.
go jordin!

birthdays are blessings...

emily celebrated her 10th birthday on sunday.
i love her. we are a lot alike, i think.
very big hearts and always thinking of others.
she's a very special 10 year old.







the whole family gathered at their home around
4:30 for kabobs and ice cream cake! yum!
i have taken to gifting my nieces and nephews
with a haircut and a photo shoot so we will
get that on the calendar soon.
but i couldn't resist throwing in a subscription
to "cat fancy", a pair of sterling silver and
turquoise turtle earrings (i got them in arizona)
and a turtle sarong that i got in mexico!
oh, did i mention that emily is mad about turtles!?
closely rivaled with the entire "american girl"
doll collection..she's CRAZY about all that stuff!

the bakers were there and it's always great to
see all of them too.


however, gary and I will definitely get together
with bonnie (his mom) in that the 5th of june is her
birthday. then michael's on the 15th.
TONS of graduation parties in june...looking forward
to a busy june.

i'm going to head out and get stuff for the gardens
today...we are so behind!

now i lay me down to sleep...

i am posting late today because
today i was called to photograph my first
session for nilmdts.

heather called several times over the weekend
and when I was finally able to get back to her
she told me of a family that had just heard the
baby's heart beat this passed wednesday and then
it was gone. i committed to the session and the
nurses at HCMC were given my cell # so i layed
it on my night stand thinking that either sometime
last night or today i'd get the call.
it came at 4:10 this morning.
so i stumbled around in the dark until gary flipped
the switch for over the headboard and i quickly
got dressed and grabbed my equipment that I had
prepared last night and headed out the door.
dark. quiet. no traffic. i had the radio tuned
to ktis and i even turned that off. i needed to
prepare myself for this as it was my very first
session with this organization.
i prayed that God would give me the courage to
preform this job and that He would make it possible
for me to face this family in such a grief filled
time. He did.

i was up on the labor & delivery floor before 5 am.
the baby (Bishop) was in a tiny room all to himself
being prepared by mid-wife "jen". the nurses were so
happy to see me and could not believe that there
was even such an organization out there that does
this sort of thing.

i knew what to expect when i got there so when
I first layed eyes on Bishop I was calm, focused
and prepared mentally as well as physically.

they induced the mother earlier and she gave birth
around 4:30 so the timing was good. Bishop still
had good color.
But that was soon to change. this I was also aware
of so I worked quickly. Jen was really terrific!

when I completed what I could there in that small
room, jen wheeled Bishop around the corner to the
room where the family was awaiting not only the baby,
but me as well. They were all so appreciative to
see me and have me there to do what they couldn't.
Bishop's older (17 year old) sister was trying to
hold it together. It had been a long night for
everyone.

mom was not certain that she wanted to hold him
and I let her know that I was not there to rush
her into anything and to take her time.
the grandmother was ready so I started with her.
soon after, the mother was ready and so i began
to get some really nice images of the mother, father
and Bishop together.
then the sister decided that she would want a moment
with him too.
i'd love to post some other images but at the same time in
an effort to protect the privacy of this grieving family
i'll simply post his sweet little hands...




i have ordered the images to be sent on to the
family..WHCC does a "rush" for no charge which is
wonderful in that many times these families use
one or more of these photos for the funeral.


as i drove home i was amazed by the sunrise.
i'm still here! it'a new day for some and for
others, it's the first in a long stretch of days
to healing. i know that the images that i captured
today will speed this process. i find great hope and
peace in that.


I was home by 6 am

happy birthday emily!!

first i must apologize for not mentioning
my brother's anniversary yesterday!
he and kindra celebrated their 7th(?) wedding
anniversary yesterday and altho' i called,
i failed to make note of it here...sorry m&k!

today, however, is emily's TENTH birthday.
i've been know to whip up birthday poems and
so i'm still working on hers! the party is at
4:30 today!

kathryn's recital yesterday was nothing short
of fabulous! summit dance really puts on a show!

here's kathryn...i took her to her room while
gerri parked the car. kathryn calls me "aunt sue"!
always has...she just decided one day that i was her aunt!



the big finish....she's 2nd from the right..




all ages and this year...so many more guys and
i am tellin' you, they are AWESOME!!!




afterwards we headed over to the marsh and sat
on the patio and enjoyed a yummy lunch.
check out my "marsh salad w/ chicken"!!!



86 degrees yesterday....60 today....nice!
gotta love minnesota weather.