finding inspiration

sometimes we look to others for inspiration, often times forgetting that we can draw from our own experiences. i'm getting ready to shoot another great family today for their christmas and yearly family portraits and i started looking outward at first for a fresh persecptive. it became fruitless. so, i stopped...took a breath and remembered that the family itself can inspire these great images. these are some of my favorites of this great texan family on their florida vacation.

SoFly faves

not too long ago, i shot these brides during a fun practice session with SoFly, a great group of women photographers. this was a fantastic opportunity to shoot brides and really experiment with different shots and observe other photographer's workflow, while shooting the same subject. you always think that somebody else is doing so much better than you, but all in all i love these shots and learned loads.

i've got to thank the lovely emily and babette for doning these beautiful gowns and letting us tweak our wedding photography skills.

other's on the list to thank are...

Madame Bridals for wedding gowns.

Anna's Flowers & Delray Beach Florist for beautiful bouquets.

Finally, a special thanks to Beka Hood of Kallima Photography for setting up this fantastic shoot.

thanksgiving.

we've had a bit of catching up to do with the military man. we've been in full family mode and the kids and i are still in a tailspin. girl wonder has been in little girl heaven now that daddy's home. she is definitely a daddy's girl but she's starting to come back around to mommy. boy wonder has had some serious male bonding time but still curls up with me when dad's not around. wonder baby is catching on by taking cues from her big brother and sister. she warmed up to him really quickly. then there's us but i'll never kiss and tell.

our family has lots to be grateful for this holiday season and everthing has magically fallen into place.

lastly, i'm especially grateful for the comments on my last post. thank you for sharing in the moment and rooting for our little family!

[photo credit: Country Living]

he's home

taking a little break to remember the day we've been waiting for.

with a little paint

and some imagination

we created some signage. (was it wrong that i didn't correct spelling?)

wonder girl always entertaining.

anticipation.

more signage.

she sees, she runs, she hugs.

proud to show dad their work.

he's home.

count down

in ten hours we will be a family again.

in ten hours we will be in each other's arms.

in ten hours there will be tears.

in ten hours there will be cheers.

in ten hours military man will be walking through the gates back into our lives.

in ten hours other passengers and families will see the joy in our eyes.

in ten hours we will be in the presence of a war hero.

in ten hours we will close a chapter of our story.

in ten hours we will meet again.

focus

often times i want to be on topic. sometimes i choose to be witty. i always try to be honest but lately i've been absent. i have to admit that lately i've been absent (and repetitive). a post here...a comment there. blame it on adult ADD or the fact that military man's homecoming is a fews days away and i just can't sit still. it's been difficult to focus on anything and trying to read and catch up with my favorites has been very hard.

so, if you've missed my visits, lately, i'll be back soon...i promise.

pumpkin patch

what happens when one gets involved in an auction committee at one's school? all free time gets sucked out of the day, which means little time to do what i love the best...reading, sleeping, picture taking, walks, exercise and fun times with kids. even though, i'm sitting on a committee with seven other women, there's still not enough of us to get all things done. it's exhausting and fun all rolled into one.

this day was different. i took the wonder kids, on our our day off from school, to the trinity pumpkin patch for a little fall fun. it's hard to get into the mood for fall activities down here with beach weather in the air. it's still in the nineties but i collected all of us and a neighbor for some pumkin picking in this heat. he was missing chicago and i miss new england. once you've experience new england in the fall, there's no comparison.

so, finding a pumpkin patch in florida that brings the tradition of harvest to this tropical state makes me smile.

and the winner is...

well, and i like to thank jules for this any many of my other awards. my most adoring fan. thank you...

now, there's a meme chain involved and you know how much i love these...NOT REALLY...but since it's from one of the most loyal bloggers i know; i will do it for her. here we go...

So the rules are:
Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. You must use only one word answers!

Once you have filled it out you then pass it on to 6 of your favorite bloggers and alert them that they have been awarded.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your hair? brown
3. Your mother? roommate
4. Your father? complicated
5. Your favorite food? italian
6. Your dream last night? None
7. Your favorite drink? martini
8. Your dream/goal? bliss
9. What room are you in? kitchen
10. Your hobby? photography
11. Your fear? heights
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? together
13. Where were you last night? relative's
14. Something that you aren't? rested
15. Muffins? banana nut
16. Wish list item? lens
17. Where did you grow up? florida
18. Last thing you did? eat
19. What are you wearing? jammies
20. Your TV? flat
21. Your pets? fish
22. Friends? adored
23. Your life? hectic
24. Your mood? reflective
25. Missing someone? YES!!!!!!!!
26. Vehicle? odyssey
27. Something you’re not wearing? shoes
28. Your favorite store? Anthropologie
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When was the last time you laughed? last night
31. Last time you cried? humm
32. Your best friend? loyal
33. One place that I go to over and over? home
34. One person who emails me regularly? military man
35. Favorite place to eat? mekenita (tampa, fl)

The six bloggers I want to pass this on to are:

brian

subby

betsy

becca

tanya

are we killing the magazine industry with our blogging

YES!!!!

here's a short list of publications that are folding...

Gourmet -- in publication for over 60 years

Cookie -- oh, where will indulgent working mothers go?

Modern Bride

Elegant Bride

Wondertime -- my personal favorite and miss it like crazy!!!

Ebony -- on the chopping block

Town & Country

Cottage Living

National Geographic Traveler

I know that from personal experience I haven't subscribed to a magazine since I started my blog. There has been so much fabulous content posted for free on the internet that I just haven't found it necessary to pay for the glossy pages from the stands let alone a magazine subscription. Another reason is my serious attempt in going green. I just didn't feel the need to have a magazine delivered to my house that will eventually end up in the recycling bin. To add to that, it's been years that I picked up a newspaper, except to use it for packing materials. It's sad to admit it but why hide the fact that we are in tough times both econonically and with the environment.

It's not helping those in journalism. Many are using this medium to help further their careers but are they hurting themselves along the way? Now, that's another debate. I've personally enjoyed their blogs and making connections with them. So, I hope they never stop. It's been a great way of putting a personal touch to their professional work. In addition, is it helping or hurting the photography business? Hum, another debate. There are so many images online one might say that it is saturated and extremely useful for individuals that may need an image to enhance a project.

Now, I'll stick to something I know. My simple life of blogging. I entered this world to enhance my relationships with those I loved, never imagining that I would be making connections with fabulously talented individuals that I would have never met. I'll never give it up.

sick day

Wonder girl is home with a fever today. the poor thing has had this cold for a week and it's not going away. i have her in the bath splashing around and playing with her sister and bath toys while i clean up from the morning rush. it's helping with the fever and not to worry i'm only five feet away from the bathroom, well, within ear shot and in my view. she's singing and splashing and teaching her baby sister a few tricks but what's standing out to me the most is the change in her voice. she's growing into her little girl voice. she's sounds more articulate and grown up. i just love to hear her play make pretend with the figurines and include the baby in her world.

it's the cutest thing to hear. well, gotta go... she's out and wrapped in a towel asking me to smell her soap scented skin.

tt: time flies

Well, as you can see the blogs are all dressed up and running smoothly. it's thursday already and time is flying. i couldn't be happier. in just three weeks military man will be home from a hellacious two plus years. they're behind us, baby. thank God! it will all be over, soon.

what else can i say but HOOOOOORRRRRRAAAAAAAAYYYYY! no, nothing deep or poetic like willow or brian, or witty like subby, nor scandalous like jules...just hip hip hooray tomorrow is one less day!!!!!

under construction

Hi all,

If you're visiting and

the site is a little wonky (love this borrowed word from the brits),

lizabee & co. as well as exposures by liza is getting some work done.

By this time tomorrow I will have a new 'do...CAN'T WAIT!!!

Lyndsay and Susan at the lovely

created this simple and elegant template. Some of their great work is also featured in

nienie. Yes, I read nienie, their life puts my life to shame. There is no room for

complaints or pity parties for the nielson's. Well, with recovery, four children and fellowship

they have little room for that but I digress. I'm really happy with the header and my new

buttons. Check out the sidebar action and grap a link for yourself.

it's friday night

i'm in the mood for an outdoor concert downtown. now, if i had the time and unlimited budget to shop to my hearts content, i would get every one of these pretty little items for an outdoor concert with mom and kids. but for now i'll have to settle what's in my closet. i can hear the music, now.

for the fashionistas out there, everything was found on polyvore.com

theme thursday :: over the hill

[photo credit:: in touch]

over the hill

seasoned experienced

mapping living reflecting

forever young

more fabulous theme thursday players are found here.

the girls of summer

i've had a serious case of smell the rose-itis, especially when it comes to the kids and taking advantage of the things around us. the park has been our sanctuary, our retreat and with these hot summer days our relief. monday's soccer practice was proof of this. while wonder boy ran drills and played a little scrimmage, the girls splashed around, while, i had a little fun with my 70-300 mm lens. i forgotten the great pictures that can be captured with this one. like these...

summer is dangerously coming to an end but down here we can always manage to find a little sunshine.