Posts filed under 'Personal'
Mabuhay! Greetings from Manila
Hope all is well with you. I landed in Manila Friday night. I have quite a travel scheduled planned for the rest of the year between the Philippines, North Carolina and Michigan for weddings, portraits, events, and pleasure. I’m in the process of making plans for my stay in Manila. I already have a few things lined up with local photographers and wedding planners with a couple of other ideas in the works.
I really want to take advantage of my time in the Philippines to learn more about local wedding traditions and wedding photography as well as explore the country. I am planning on attending Elegant Weddings, a world-class wedding fair at the end of the month at the EDSA Shangri-la Hotel.
It will be great to make connections with local vendors and to see the new and innovative wedding ideas from the Philippines to share with you. More to come…
Need to get a hold of me or chat? The best way will be through email since there is a 13 hour time difference. 
Add comment November 15, 2008
All Hallows’ Eve
Just wanted to wish everyone a GREAT HALLOWEEN! I hope you have lots of treats with maybe a trick or two…. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Add comment October 31, 2008
Hallowe’en at Greenfield Village
What does 800 hand carved jack-o-lanterns look like??? Well you have to go to Hallowe’en at Greenfield Village Dearborn, MI to find out. The Village is lined with hundreds of carved pumpkins lighting the pathways. The paths leads you to different spooky scenes and Trick or Treat stations. I love when I get a chance to go to this event! This year we had a nice size group going - my mom, Meredith, Kevin, Chloe, Meredith’s mom, Wendy, Tony, Breanna, James, and Anthony. All the kids looked so cute in their costumes!!
The Group
Chloe the Daisy
Chloe and Mommy
Anthony the Clown and Mommy
James the Cow
Breanna the Dinosaur - showing her “RAAARRRRR”
Me and my Mom
Breanna at a Tick-or-Treat Stop
Add comment October 18, 2008
Playing around and Family Portraits
Heading to Michigan, I was so excited to see Zavier and Dante. It has been a while since I had seen Zavier and this was my first time meeting Dante in person. Dante looks just like Zavier when he was littler. It is hard to believe. They are so adorable I could eat them up! We hung out a while and played. Of course, I had to make sure to get some snaps of the whole family all together. The boys are growing so fast you don’t want to forget them at this stage! I miss you guys!
To see all the photographs from the session, follow this link.
Add comment October 17, 2008
Getting in the Spirit
What a Pumpkin Sees
Happy October!
Add comment October 3, 2008
Talk Like a Michigander
Okay, so I found this funny website that lists off some of the slag or phrases that seem to be from Michigan. Some of these….I don’t know where they came from as they were not used where I grew up, but some are RIGHT ON. Pretty funny to have it all listed out. I always find these type of regional language differences very intriguing so I wanted to share.
I have been caught using the following…. The Bridge, Dethaw, Doorwall, Glovebox, A Good One, The Joe, Michigan Left, Party Store, The Ren Cen, The Thumb, The U.P., you guys, and my all time favorite “Up North”. Oh and I love Euchre (pronounced U-ker). If you have no idea what I am talking about, check out this site for details. Spread the word, it’s a fun game! :-)
Add comment September 27, 2008
Congratulations to Fred and Erin!
It was really an honor to be the wedding photographer for Fred and Erin’s wedding. Justin has known Fred since 
and I met Fred when I met Justin. He has been a close Friend of Justin’s and a good friend to me as well. So photographing their wedding meant a lot to me. I am so glad Fred and Erin found each other and I hope Las Vegas treats them well!
Fred and Erin had their wedding outside at a beautiful setting, under a gazebo overlooking Lake Michigan just outside of South Haven, MI in Coloma, MI. The reception was steps away under a white tent surrounded by tiki touches. Everything went perfectly and the beach was icing on the cake or should I say cookies. Congratulations again to Fred and Erin! We wish you many smiles and fun adventures together!
1 comment August 15, 2008
Lilly Pads
Looking at Lilly Pads makes it clear why Monet was so interested in them.
Add comment August 1, 2008
4-H Photography Competition Thoughts
Let me just say it was really great to see all the work of the entrants ranging in age from 4 to 18 years old at the 4-H Photography Competition. It is always eye opening to see what others see, especially when all the photographs center on one topic: this time the topic being horses. I hope my comments to the students brings them even more ideas, inspiration, and interest in photography. I hope they all keep going out there and exploring the world around them through their cameras. 
There was a lot of really great work including two younger entrants that stood out in my mind. One was 8 and the other was 6! I couldn’t believe it. Looking at their photographs, you could almost feel the moment and see the soul of the horses they were photographing. It was amazing. You could really feel the connection they felt at the moment the photograph was taken.
I am so glad we live in the world with digital photography so easily available. It allows children to have the opportunity to be creative with a camera without the many expenses in the past of film and developing. Now you can even cross off the worry of a little one breaking your digital camera with the “Kid Tough” digital cameras now available for even the littlest photographers. They are free to explore all that they can reach!
Add comment July 11, 2008
North Carolina 4-H Photography Competition
I am excited to be one of the judges for the upcoming North Carolina 4-H State Photography Competition. The competition is being held this Friday at the Hunt Complex. The entries are from youth involved in the 4-H organization. I can’t wait to see all of the photographs that have been entered into the competition. Good luck to all the entrants!
Add comment July 8, 2008
Legend of Sleepy Hallow
Make sure you check out all the great shows, classes, movies, and events happening at the Holly Springs Cultural Center. Here are some photographs from the performance of the Legend of Sleepy Hallow.
1 comment June 13, 2008
Just LOOKING for an excuse to get RID of that Bridesmaids Dress???
Okay…I know there may have been the lucky chance that you were in a wedding where you absolutely LOVED your bridesmaid dress; but what about those other ones in the WAAAYYYY back of your closet??? I just found out about this great website - http://thebridesmaidparty.com/
Okay, so the gist is that you can donate your old bridesmaids dresses to help empower poverty stricken, abused women. The Bridesmaid Party set up a program with Hopecraft & Rubia (non-profits) where your dress breathes new hope to women in Lea Toto, Africa and Darra-i-Nur, Afghanistan. They reuse your beloved bridesmaid dress; transforming it into a different product making everyone overall much happier.
As a special bonus, http://thebridesmaidparty.com is offering a $25 credit towards future purchases on their website (applied $40 or more purchase). So not only do you get to clear out your closet and help women around the world, you also get to pick up a few cool things for your wedding or event at a nice discount.
Here is the link to get more info on donating your bridesmaids dress.
Add comment June 10, 2008
