Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

Last night at dinner...

The Youngest:  Daddy, this chicken is really good.

The Husband:  It's pork, but thank you.

The Youngest:  Daddy, can you cut up some more chicken for me?

The Oldest at dinner last night, after being given a new watch to assist in his timeliness when being picked up from school events...

The Oldest:  What am I supposed to use it for?

Last week in the car...

The Youngest:  Mommy, I'm going to take Mrs. Fox (his teacher) to a nice restaurant for dinner.

Me:  Uh, that's great buddy.

The Youngest:  Yeah, I'm going to take her to Friendly's.  

Lindsay & Pat's E Session

Yesterday I had the pleasure of shooting another winery E Session with Lindsay and Pat.  (I love my job, lol!)  Lindsay's favorite winery is the Thirsty Owl, so we started off there.   This time I decided to sample a few wines and chat before actually starting the session.  (Did I mention I loved my job?)   I can see why it's Lindsay's favorite winery! 

Lindsay and Pat are such a fantastic couple, and I love the way they interact with each-other.  I'm always slightly worried before an E Session that the couple is going to be nervous and uncomfortable in front of the camera (I know I would be).  I need not have worried, though, because they were completely at ease, and it shows in the pictures.  

I had a fantastic time you two!  Can't wait for the wedding!

Their dog, Izzy.  

Once I found this beautiful light at Sheldrake I couldn't stop taking pictures of them in it.  

"Y"

Yatzee!

"X"

Xanthan Gum

"W"

Workout

At the risk of looking like a freak, I took Junior to the gym on "W" day, hoping someone would let me take a picture of them working out. As luck would have it, my friend Marissa, a Personal Trainer, was just getting ready to train Lisa. She was kind enough to let me take a couple of pictures.

Thanks Lisa!

"V"

Visor

I wear one of these whenever I work out.

P.S. This is my first blog post on the Mac! Woo hoo!

Earth Day

I'd forgotten that yesterday was Earth Day until after dinner, when The Youngest pulled his "Litter Bag" out of his backpack and asked if we could go for a walk so he could clean up the Earth.

How could I possibly say no?

We live on a major road, and it never ceases to amaze me how much trash ends up in our front yard. Daffy and Daisy are a pair of ducks that live in the ditch that borders our property, and we decided to clean it up for them.

Here's Daffy and Daisy.

I love the look on his face here. Turns out he was convinced he'd just picked up a stick of dynamite, lol!

I swear this kid is amused by just about anything.

"U"

Under Armor

Once You Go Mac...

Please forgive my recent absence from the blog!  Things have been crazy here!  As you might have guessed from the post title, I have made the leap from PC to Mac user. Some of you may remember that I'd purchased a new notebook a few months ago....well....it turns out Vista and I are mortal enemies.  While I love that little machine, I just got tired of all the headaches that came with trying to actually get work done on it.  So with the advice of Peter and some Photographer friends of mine, I decided to give the Macs a try.

Which brings me to the reason for my absence.  I've been brainwashed by PC.  I'm honestly having some degree of difficulty finding my way around Mac Land.  Some things are just...well...odd.  Like the way Photoshop opens up on a Mac, and the fact that I can't seem to drag it over to the monitor I actually work on.  And the fact that there's no Start>programs menu.  I have applications on this thing I don't know how to find, lol!  And don't even ask how long it took for me to realize there was no 'backspace' button.  :)  I think I'll be fine once I have some time alone with it, but this week the boys are on spring break and between that and the remodeling I haven't had much time to sit and make friends with my Mac.  

Do they make "Switching To Mac For Dummies?"

Jessica & Paul's E-Session

Yesterday The Husband & I had the pleasure of photographing Jessica & Paul's engagement session in the Finger Lakes area. (Yes, I did say The Husband & I took pictures. He's expressed interest in shooting with me in the past, and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for him to get his feet wet.)

We started off at Jessica's favorite winery, Lamoreaux, then headed over to Wagner's brewery, and finally ended up in Watkins Glenn at the Rooster Fish Brewery . Jess & Paul are a wonderful couple, and as you can see the camera loves them.

Here are some of my favorites. Looking forward to the wedding you two!

Nifty Fifty Friday

Our granite countertops are being installed today!! The Husband is stuck at work and is dying to see them, so I'm posting one picture here. I'll post more next week after I paint and (hopefully) tile the backsplash. I'm so excited! Honey, you're going to love it!

P.S. The big white blobs are the under-the-cabinet lights.

"T"

Treo

Usually I'm waiting for our cell phone contract to be up so I can upgrade my phone, but not this time!! I absolutely love this thing, and I'd be lost without it!

"S"

Stone Chapel

Can we pretend you haven't already seen this picture?

"R"

Ratchet

I confess, I wasn't feeling very creative that day...

Flattery Will Get You Everywhere

I was on the heavy side when The Husband and I met, but was working on loosing the excess weight. When all was said and done I'd dropped around 25 lbs. or so. I was critiquing my body in the mirror one morning, thinking out loud about the area's God blessed me and the one's he didn't, when The Husband (who was The Fiance at the time) said "If anything, I think you could use a tummy tuck and that's it."

Huh?

Now, many of you know The Husband, and he's really one of the sweetest, selfless individuals you'll ever meet. It's hard to think a man like that could open up his mouth and shatter his significant other's self-esteem in one sentance, but he is, after all, a man. They seem to have a knack for these things.

Last night I was cleaning up the kitchen while The Youngest was finishing up his dinner when I heard "Mommy, you're getting thin." I turned around, in shock. It seems I've done something right as a parent.

"What did you say honey?"
"I said you're getting thin."
"What made you say that?"
"Because you're getting thin. When you get thin you get taller."
(Giving him a big hug) "Thanks, honey. That was the nicest thing anyone's said to me all day."

And now I'll let you have dessert even though you didn't eat all of your dinner.

Sheldrake

After meeting with Theresa & Peter on Saturday, The Husband, The Youngest and I headed up to Sheldrake Vineyards in Ovid, NY. Jessica & Paul are getting married there at the end of August and I wanted to check it out beforehand. The staff were really nice and helpful, and used to people with camera's. The girl I talked to laughed when I asked if I could take some pictures.

Isn't this a beautiful location for a wedding?

"Q"

Quads

I had a dentist appointment on "Q" day, so by the time I got home all of my ideas had been taken...Q-tips, quarters, quiet. I knew it was bound to happen. Quads were the only other thing I could think of, so as much as I didn't want to post a picture of my legs, well, there they are, lol! The funniest part was me actually taking the picture. My remote wasn't working, so I had to stand far enough away to be in focus, but close enough so I could reach over and press the button.

The Lord Of The Ring

This year all of my couple's are having their ceremonies and receptions at venues I haven't worked at before, which is SO exciting for me. Because I don't like surprises, it's important for me to check them out beforehand. This not only keeps me from getting lost on their important day, but it allows me to check out the lighting and decor, and hopefully spurs my creativity.

This afternoon I met Theresa & Peter at the Fountainbleau Inn before heading over to Lawrence Chapel. They're getting married at the end of September, and I'm hoping the leaves will start to change prior to their wedding day. The wooded location of the chapel is amazing, and the views of the lake from the Inn are fabulous. Some fall color would be the icing on the cake.

Here's a picture of the chapel:





When I met them last year to discuss their photography needs, Theresa was waiting patiently for her engagement ring because it was being custom made. (If I remember correctly Peter designed it. Is that right?) She was wearing it today, and it's stunning! They asked if I'd mind taking a picture of it because some of her out-of-town friends hadn't seen it yet. I was more than happy to oblige. Isn't it gorgeous?

I have to give Peter some credit for these images. He puts a lot of thought into things, and after I took the first picture of the ring on the windowsill of the chapel, he asked if I'd take one of it sitting on a mossy rock. (He has no idea that I could take pictures of this ring for an hour, easy, but he will soon. Muahhaa.) As I was taking this shot I was wondering what else I could do with the ring that would be creative. I thought about slipping it over something...maybe a twig...but decided everyone was probably ready to go. Then, as we stood near our vehicles, Peter held up this:

Great minds think alike. :)

"P"

Pasta

"O"

OREO'S

Pink and black one's at that!

"N"

Necklace

"M"

Massage Oil

You can see I buy it in bulk, lol!

Abstract Flower Macro's

Just fooling around, playing with flash and wishing spring was (really) here.

"L"

Lisa & A Lens