True Blue

This is the last of my new background colors. In retrospect I wish I had picked a slightly darker blue, but I think it'll grow on me. When I pulled it out of the tube it shipped in I thought they sent me the wrong color. I stood there looking at it thinking it couldn't possibly be right, but it was. That's what happens when you give me too many choices!

I really think this one can go either way as far as gender is concerned (and for the record I think a darker blue could, too, but let's face it...the purple is for the girls).

That's How I Roll

Congratulations Luna! I did indeed get a Dodge Nitro, and I love it! (And shame-on-you to all of you who didn't guess but tried to pry the answer out of The Husband. Cheaters.) In all honesty, it was at the bottom of "the list", way behind the H2, another Ram, the Charger and the Chrysler 300. To be perfectly truthful it only made the list (with the Caliber) because it comes with an available manual transmission...my preferred way to drive.

It just so happens on the day I went to the dealership they had my Nitro in the showroom with a clearance sticker on it. I'm always drawn to the clearance rack, so while I waited for them to give me a price for my trade and tell me how much the sweet-all-red-Ram-with-the-lights-on-top was, I wandered over and took a look.

Then I saw it had a 6 speed manual transmission. And got, like, double the gas mileage my truck was getting. And was on clearance. It was quickly moving up the list.

I had them run the numbers on both the Nitro and the sweet-all-red-Ram and then went home. It was really a no-brainer. The payment and better gas mileage for the Nitro worked for us, and I figured I'd adjust better to an SUV than a car space-wise. I won't be hauling couches around, but I might be able to fit a chair in it!

After driving it for a few days I can safely say that I'm happy with our decision. I love driving it and think I'll get used to sitting closer to The Husband. The Oldest commented that it looks like an H3, so The Husband dubbed it "the po-man's Hummer". Fitting, don't you think?

Lilac

I needed a model for my new lilac paper (I couldn't make my Little Buddy sit for that one) so I borrowed Thelma's youngest to come and model for me this afternoon. That gave Thelma an hour or so of uninterrupted time to pack for their upcoming move. I love it when a plan works for everyone!

How cute is she?!

Cocoa

This morning my Little Buddy volunteered to sit for me so I could show you some pictures of my new cocoa background. (He'll do just about anything for some gummy worms). This was a practice run for the 25 minute mini sessions I'm offering in October, and I'm very happy with the way it turned out. I think it's just enough time to hold a youngster's attention while allowing them to enjoy the experience at the same time. Getting your picture taken should not be stressful!

Some have asked about gift certificates and/or scheduling their session after October. After thinking it over I've decided I don't really have a problem with it. If you'd like to purchase a session for yourself or someone else for after October, just let me know and I will make up a gift certificate for you. The certificates will be valid for up to 90 days after the date of purchase, so those of you who are pregnant can wait until the babies are born. :)

Tomorrow I hope to get my Little Buddie's help so I can show you the blue!

Saying Goodbye

After months of deliberation, waiting to close, hemming and hawing, more waiting, repairs and waiting, we have finally decided to trade in my truck, affectionately referred to by me as "Big Blue".

We've been discussing it seriously since spring when gas prices skyrocketed. Big Blue gets a very reliable average of 11 mpg. Needless to say, it's hurt our pocketbook. To top it off it's had some mechanical issues that we thought were taken care of, but realized this weekend weren't. It's time to say goodbye.

Now, I'm the first to admit I've gone through more than my fair share of vehicles since The Husband and I met. I've already come clean about my inability to commit to them. When we met I was driving a Pontiac Sunbird. Since then I've had 3 Ram trucks, a Dodge Intrepid, Dodge Avenger, Pontiac Grand Am and a Dodge Stratus. I always have a list of "next" vehicles in my head.

Based on my past history you'd think I'd be thrilled to pick up my new ride tomorrow afternoon, but in reality I'm kind of in shock. I can't believe that we finally decided we've had enough with repairs and pricey tanks of gas, and I can't believe I won't have a truck, but in the end I think I'll be happy with my new _____________.

Can you guess what I'll be driving? The first person to guess correctly will win a $10 gift card to my favorite coffee joint. Contest ends Tuesday at 5 pm Eastern time. Not valid for people with whom I've already shared or family members who they may have told. Good luck!

Macro Monday!

Wow! I didn't think last week's waffle was going to be that easy to figure out!

Friday my birthday present arrived...a new macro lens! My birthday isn't until the beginning of October, but you didn't think I was going to wait to open the box, did you? I'd been coveting that lens for almost a year! I owe The Husband a big thank you...he wanted me to get a longer lens for rugby shots. There's always Christmas!

Saturday's Sports

A few from the day's events, beginning with The Oldest's first cross country Invitational...

and ending with The Husband's rugby game. You can check out the team's website here.

Cross Country

Here are some pictures from The Oldest's first cross country meet on Wednesday night. I got a sweet shot of the start of the race with the smoke lingering from the gun, but I can't post it because I don't have a release from the other parents.

Home Sweet Home

Today I had the pleasure of hanging out with Thelma and her family while their house was being set on it's foundation. It meant a lot to me to be able to share this moment with them. They have waited for this for months and I am so glad that things are moving along on schedule. It will be so nice for them to get all settled in before the holidays!

This is the first section being lifted...





Now it's secured and they've lifted up the section of roof...

Time to move the middle dormer out of the way so they can set the second half of the house...

These 2 smaller dormers go on each side of the larger middle one. Aren't they cute?

The view from the top of their driveway.

The middle dormer...

Suffice it to say the occasion was pretty well documented!

One last shot of the front as it was when I left. I'll post some of the finished product when I get 'em! Congratulations you guys! I'm so happy for you!

Drive By Landscapes

I consider myself to be a much better driver than passenger, especially when a long trip is underway. I usually try to occupy my time by consuming large amounts of Dunkin' Donuts coffee (in fact, many trips have been planned around the location of my favorite coffee establishment). Unfortunately, much to the dismay of my friends and loved ones, God did not bless me with a bladder capable of holding much. If I'm driving I can manage to keep my mind off of the fact that I really have to go...but as a passenger I find there's nothing else to do but sit there and think about it. Constantly. So we have to take that into account as well.

So last Saturday when we had a 3 hour drive one-way to The Husbands' rugby game (with Thelma driving) I had to come up with things to keep my mind off the potty.

I went straight to itunes and downloaded a bunch of podcasts and a couple of tv episodes. We tried to bore the kids to sleep with a British woman reading Aesop's fables and several other stories, and while they did seem to be bored, they did not sleep. We listened to "Tick Tock Turkey and the Chocolate Tree", a story about a time traveling turkey and his sidekick, Future Dog, (the adults got a kick out of that one, but the laughing wasn't good for my bladder). The Backyardigans saved the day for kids and parents alike.

On the way back home I decided to try some drive by landscape photography as a means of amusing myself. While Thelma drove at 70 mph. I had my head and thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment hanging out the window. I missed a few very interesting subjects, but these are 2 keepers from my experiment.

A Family Portrait

I had the opportunity to photograph a family session for some friends of ours about a week-and-a-half ago. The session was very formal, which I find a bit challenging. I find it's hard to get people to relax and be themselves when they're all dressed up! Luckily the weather was beautiful and we were able to go outside and use the country club as a backdrop. This is my favorite picture from the session.

A few days later I saw some beautiful portraits another photographer had taken in her home studio. They were so gorgeous that it inspired me to order some colored paper and get my studio up and running again, just in time for you to take advantage of my October special! You will now have your choice of white, black, orchid, true blue and cocoa for your session. I'll post some pictures as soon as they arrive.

Sessions will be booked for Monday's and Thursday's only, so be sure to book your appointment early!

Macro Monday!

I enjoyed all of the original guesses last week! Thelma was the first to figure out that last week's shot was a basket, with H-dub clarifying even further that it was an Easter basket. Nice job everyone!

Good luck this week!

Some Rugby Action

Here's a few shots from Saturday's rugby game at Genesee. Thank you to the team for allowing me to post them on my blog!

A very rare 4-shot sequence of The Husband running the ball...

New Website!

I'd been frustrated with my old website for some time, and for various reasons. It was one of those things I knew I'd have to deal with eventually, but for months I lived with it because I just didn't feel like sitting down and doing all of the work involved in creating a new site.

I finally had enough when I knew I needed to either update the old one and live with it longer, or take the plunge and find something that could grow with me. I picked the latter.

So go check it out and let me know what you think! I need to add a couple of links in the main site, and I'll get to that soon. Notice that there's a link right to my blog on the splash page...I love that you don't have to do a bunch of clicking to get there!

To celebrate my new site and my upcoming 35th birthday, I will be offering a few specials during October:

• $35 mini sessions. (25 minutes) Limit 2 people
• $35 11x14 enlargements
• $35 off any size gallery wrap
• $350 for a CD of full resolution images with print release (past Brides and Grooms only)

These specials are valid for the month of October only, so act fast!

The Best Weekend Ever!

Thelma and I are fortunate to have married the 2 most wonderful men in New York. Seriously. Friday morning The Husband told me that Saturday Thelma and I were going to spend the night in our favorite hotel, away from child and housekeeping duties. Woo hoo!



I promptly call her up and ask her how long she's known about it, and we wonder how we are going to get through the next 31.75 hours until we can check in.

Saturday afternoon the boy's had their first rugby game against Syracuse. We started our weekend of bliss by stopping at my favorite coffee joint.

Even though my 70-200 isn't enough "reach" for sports, I love to bring it anyway. If there's no good action I can always shoot candids.

I just love this photo of my future Daughter-In-Law.

And who cares whether or not I get any good rugby shots when I have this one? I'm going to be in so much trouble when she sees this.

I love the look of concentration on Thelma's husband's face.

This image shows how my normally mild-mannered husband turns into somebody I don't recognize during a game.

Meanwhile, the kids have their own rugby game going on. You can see The Youngest didn't inherit his Father's thirst for blood, thank God.

Thelma and I couldn't help but laugh when we noticed her youngest with this wrapper stuck to the bottom of her foot.

A couple of the evening's festivities. I'd forgotten how much fun bed jumping was! The low ceiling gave it an element of danger. We decided we simply have to do some bed jumping every time we stay.

After burning all of those calories we ordered some desert!

Sunday morning we laid around and watched America's Next Top Model re-runs until checkout. We'd made appointments for hot stone massage's at some random place I picked out of the phone book. Needless to say, it was quite an experience. A word of advice for you all: never pick your Massage Therapist out of the phone book.