My So-Called Life Lessons

NYC With My Nikon

2012-01-27T06:23:00.001-06:00

I am sitting at O'Hare airport waiting to board my flight to New York City. It's 6 a.m. I got up at 4:45.

I am travelling solo on this trip, and while I will miss Mike terribly, I am excited about the companion I will have in tow: my camera.

The truth is that I have been doubting my photography skills as of late. I feel like I'm doing it all wrong. And while I know that is irrational, that is how I feel.

So I am using this weekend to bond with my camera, to reaquaint myself with its quirks, to find its sweet spots. The great thing is that aside from an opera at The Met tonight (!!!) and a dinner tomorrow night, my time is my own. I can go where I want to go and see what I want to see and no one is going to tell me differently. With a backdrop as inspiring as NYC, I am thinking my camera and I will be fast friends again in no time.

How To Spend A Sunday Afternoon

2012-01-15T18:30:00.000-06:00

Two of my favorite things to do are take pictures and play with my dog.

Today was a good day.

On Birthdays and Fame

2012-01-08T21:10:00.000-06:00

One of the 2011 goals I set for myself fizzled out around August. It was my photo a day challenge. I actually did take a photo pretty much every day, but getting the photos off my camera(s) and posted on a regular basis was far too much work once we moved and my photo biz picked up.

Even though I still haven't posted many of my 365 photos, one of the great things about that goal was that it got me into a practice of taking photos on a daily basis. 2011 may be over, but I've found that I've continued taking a photo every day in the New Year. Thank goodness because this past week was worth remembering

My birthday was January 4 (as it is every year), so Mike and I made sure our Christmas decorations were down by then. We spent Jan. 2 de-Christmasing our house.

My mom made a habit of doing this every year to make sure that my birthday actually felt like my birthday instead of an extension of Christmas. And since it was my birthday this week, I got a couple nice surprises.

It doesn't get much better for a girl than cupcakes and flowers. (Flowers were courtesy of Mike, the cupcake was courtesy of my friend/co-worker Nicole.)

I bought myself a most excellent birthday present this year on my actual birthday. I have a very dear and very talented friend who has spent the past several years studying vocal performance and performing in Toronto. This winter, he's performing in an opera stateside, and I bought a ticket to visit him in New York City and see him for his opening night performance - at The Met no less. I am over the moon excited for this trip.

On Friday night, Mike took me out to a delicious Italian birthday dinner, since my actual birthday was on a Wednesday. We went to a place in our new neighborhood that we hadn't tried yet, and I think it is safe to say we might become regulars. It was that good. I am still thinking about the pork tenderloin I ate.

Mike and I spent most of Saturday getting ready for company and then entertaining said company. I decided it was high time for us to have a get together at our new place. We had about a dozen people over and as always, I made way too much food. Thankfully a lot of it was veggies and fruit based so I can justify gorging myself on the leftovers.

All the activity of yesterday means we've laid kind of low today. Taylor is especially tired. It's hard being cute for that many people.

Speaking of my dog, he's been featured on this blog enough for you to know he's quiet photogenic. Case-in-point, I took the photo below this morning in our backyard.

Well last weekend, I got an email from the director of the rescue that saved Taylor. She asked if I had any photos of Taylor on a white background. She mentioned they were redoing the website and needed photos. I told her I could get her one thanks to the wonders of Photoshop. So I send her a photo, she sent me the mockup of the new site and lo and behold, Taylor is front and center. Check it out:

He's famous! But don't you worry, we are not letting fame go to his head. We still only feed him steak every other night.

So that was my week. A pretty good way to start out 2012 if I do say so myself.

The Year That Was

2012-01-02T20:01:00.000-06:00

As I sit back and reflect on this past year, I honestly don't know where to begin. It's common practice at the end of one year to reflect on all that it brought and that's why I don't really know what to say about 2011. It threw me for a loop.

At the end of my 2011 Resolutions post, I wrote this: "Here's to a new year full of surprises we haven't even dreamed up yet." And that is exactly how I would classify this year - full of surprises.

In 2011, I:
- Moved into a new home - one with a backyard! Mike and I found out our new home looks spectacular decorated for Christmas.

- Survived a blizzard that shut down the city of Chicago for a couple days.

- Got a promotion at work. It wasn't a position that existed at my firm before. It was something I thought I could do, I wanted to do it, so I asked if I could. It's amazing how much you can get in life just by asking for what you want.

- Got invisalign (only two months left!)

- Took a ton of photos. I couldn't tell you how many but I can tell you that I had more shoots this year than I've ever had. I photographed everything from families of 11 people to dogs in costume. And I took some photos that I am really damn proud of.

- Made enough money from my photography business to purchase the computer of my dreams.

- I traveled to New Orleans, Wisconsin, Michigan and spent an extended weekend near Philly with some of my favorites ladies in the whole wide world.

- Got engaged. (!!!) That was by far the biggest and best surprise. And even more surprising is that it's not anything I have ever mentioned on my blog before.

Mike proposed on our trip to New Orleans in February, and while I mentioned our New Orleans trip on this blog (here and here) I never actually got around to writing about the proposal, which is a shame because it was by far my best moment of 2011 - one of the best moments of my life actually. I tried to write about it several times, but every time I sat down the words failed me. It was too big, too precious, too perfect, too unreal that I never found the words to adequately convey how I felt in the moment. It was a moment I tried to imagine for a good three years, and when it finally happened it was more wonderful than I had anticiapted. Just how do you write about the moment when your hopes and dreams turn into a glorious, beautiful reality?

And for the record, the proposal was perfect. It was like a scene out of a movie mainly because it was in a place that has been used as a backdrop for movies. Case in point:

While Mike and I were in New Orleans we drove out to an old southern plantation called Oak Alley. It was a 60 degree day with a bluebird sky overhead and not a cloud in sight. As we walked among the 400 year old oak trees, trees so massive their limbs grew down into the ground and back up, Mike got down on one knee, asked me to marry him and then gave me the most gorgeous ring I have ever laid my eyes on. I of course said yes.

To sum up, I was given this:

And I was given it here:

So yes, it was great. And words still escape me.

As fantastic as that was though, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the general state of restlessness and anxiousness I felt this year. Trying to buy a house is a lot of work. Moving is a lot of work. Trying to plan a wedding is a lot of work. Trying to run a successful part time business on top of a full time job is a lot. And I did it all.

Right after we got engaged, we put in an offer on the house. And all those months we spent waiting on the house, we put off a lot of plans. We couldn't very well give deposits to wedding vendors knowing that at any moment we'd be withdrawing a significant amount from our savings to close on a house. We couldn't book a week long vacation anywhere knowing that we could possibly have to cancel it if we needed to close on a house at the end of the month. It was frustrating to say the least. So that's why after five months of waiting around, we decided to wait on the house no more and moved on with our lives. Moving on with our lives meant moving into a new house and that was right about the time that my photo shoots really started picking up and they didn't let up until December.

I feel like I have been running nonstop since August. I've generally been tired and cranky. Just ask Mike. Really only these past few days have I begun to feel the stress lifting. The holidays are over. I only have two shoots left to edit. For the most part, Mike and I are settled into the house. Our routines are established. Wedding plans are beginning to fall into place. It's a good feeling, one that I hope continues into 2012.

If 2011 was the year of surprises I couldn't even dream of, I really hope 2012 is the year of balance. I still will have a wedding to plan (and get married at!), a full time job and my photography business, so my plate will runneth over. But if I want to make it through this year still sane, I need to also take care of myself and my family. I want to not only get through 2012, but to enjoy it. I want to appreciate the small moments. I want to enjoy the big moments, and I want to create many moments that leave me happy, content and fulfilled.So to you I say, here's to a year of enjoying many things, big and small.

Merry Christmas To You

2011-12-25T21:29:00.000-06:00

There is nothing like instant nostalgia, so let me show you photos of my Christmas day, AKA today.

The day started with some present opening by Mike and I. This is the first year we put up a full size tree, so I think we both felt the need to fill up its undersides.

Santa Came!

And this was our place Christmas morning.

That scerene setting however, quickly turned into this.

Taylor enjoyed it though.

After presents, I set out on my main mission of the day: to make our dessert. It was a rather ambitious mission. I decided to make a red velvet cake, the most Christmas-y dessert I could think of. This was the recipe I chose. I was somewhat apprehensive about making it though as the recipe said it was an "intermediate" skill level. I am more of a seasoned novice.

In case you haven't made red velvet cake before, this is how you make a red velvet cake.

Got it? Good. And here was the finished product.

I made Mike try it first and give me his honest opinion.

Success!

Of course, the rest of our meal deserves some applause as well. We had ham, rolls, cranberry sauce from a can (my favorite), green bean casserole and mashed potatoes.

It was all delish, and most of it, was actually made by my man. I should also note that I drank a particularly tasty beverage (or three) this afternoon: cranberry juice, vodka and a club soda.

So that was our Christmas day in a nutshell. In summary: presents, baking, eating, drinking and now football. I hope your day has been just as lovely.

From me and my entire crew, we'd like to say Merry Christmas to you.

Because when your pets outnumber you two to one, you need to dress them in holiday clothes to show you are still the alpha.

Sleepy Santa

2011-12-11T22:53:00.001-06:00

I have been meaning to upload photos of my Christmas decorations ever since Mike and I put them up last weekend. I have taken photos, I just haven't done anything with them besides let them sit on my camera. So no, this post does not include photos of my Christmas tree. It has some thing even better - a sleeping, 3 month old Santa.

Taken earlier today. I am hoping to post more from this shoot and also, obviously, photos of my Christmas decorations at some point too. Hopefully, that point will be some time before 2012.

Catching Up

2011-11-28T21:12:00.001-06:00

From the end of September to the start of November, I had 11 photo shoots. It was by far the busiest my little business has ever been. My October was why you didn't really hear from me on this blog in November.

Every year the month of November feels like the month that got away. It is swallowed up by the end of fall and the start of Christmas. And this year was no exception. Except this year, my November was a blur of photo editing.

I am just starting to dig myself out of a Photoshop coma, but what I am emerging with is a selection of photos I'm really proud of.

Photos of an adorable baby.

Photos of my best friend strolling in Chicago with her hubby.

Photos of a high-fiving family, taken at the end of a very successful shoot.

Even photos of dogs in costume. (Sorry Lexi, I know how much you dislike that.)

But what I am most excited about is the return of the my friend Carly and her family. They have appeared on this blog many a time, however as of this spring, shoots with them became a challenge. You see, they used to live a cab ride away in Chicago, and they are now a five-hour drive away in Michigan. Luckily for me though, they relocated very close to my parents' house. So when I went home for Thanksgiving, I stopped by Carly's house to see her and meet her daughter Amaya.

This is Amaya.

The last time I saw Carly she was pregnant with Amaya. She is now six-months-old, and these are her six-month-old pics.

Of course, Amaya's big sister Shayla got into the action too. And Shalya is as cute as ever. (For reference, here are Shayla's 6-month-old pics.)

I am not sure when I'll get to see them again, but I sure do hope it's soon. They certainly are fun to be around.

The Why

2011-10-29T22:56:00.001-05:00

Today was a long day. I got up on a Saturday at 7 a.m. and didn't get home until 4 p.m. By the time I got home, I was exhausted and starving. I gobbled up my dinner and immediately took a one hour nap, and I am not a napper.

You see, today I had two back-to-back photo shoots. And I'm heading out to the suburbs tomorrow morning to have my third and final shoot of the weekend. I don't usually have this many shoots in such a short span of time, and I'm totally not looking a gift horse in the mouth. I am thankful to be getting out on beautiful days and taking pictures of babies and dogs. There are certainly worse ways to spend a day.

However, it takes some dedication, this whole photo thing. It eats up a lot of what would otherwise be my free time. I plan my weekends around shoots and my evenings are spent editing photos. And it also asks a lot of Mike. My photography weekends mean he's stuck either carting me around or giving up his car. And it also means that he's left to deal with our unruly pack of animals by himself. There are times when I have questioned how worth it is to do this when it's not a job that pays the bills. It's superfluous.

So when my alarm went off at 6:50 a.m. today, I totally had one of those moments where I questioned why.

Tonight I have my answer. My day started by photographing my friends' 3-month-old girl Madelyn. I was culling through her photos tonight and this one stopped me dead in my tracks.

You know what, when I look at that photo I don't question why. When I look at that photo I think oh man, I can't wait to do this again tomorrow.

More to come of this sweet little girl.

The Best Present I Could Give

2011-10-27T21:24:00.003-05:00

I've known Lexi since my freshman year of college. And she was one of the first people I know to become a mom. Her honesty about its trials and its joys is just one of the many things I love about her. Also, that she's smart, she's funny, she's driven, she's talented, etc...

I also love her family, which is why I thought it a fitting present when I went out to visit Lexi for her 30th birthday that I take some photos of them all. She's been a big supporter of my photography from day one. So I guess this shoot is my way of saying thank you. And happy birthday.

Lexi, you are the best. And I hope you like your birthday present.

Weekend Snaps

2011-10-23T21:31:00.000-05:00

Mike, Taylor and I spent most of this weekend up at Mike's sister's house. She lives in what is best described as the middle of nowhere Wisconsin. I love going up to her home because it really does feel like an escape from the city. Her family's home is surrounded by rolling hills dotted with cattle and horses and rows of waving corn fields. It feels like a million miles away from home in the best way possible. My cell phone goes to roaming not far after we turn off the expressway.

We spend weekends up there generally hanging out, watching movies, running Taylor tired and playing ball in the yard with Mike's niece and nephew. And I always spend some time up there roaming their property with my camera. I never have to go too far though. Just out there back door is all the scenery I need.

It's spectacular at sunset.

And equally awe inspiring at dawn.

You can't ask for much better scenery than that for a city girl and her camera.

My People

2011-10-10T22:28:00.003-05:00

I've had a couple really good weekends in a row. The weather has been amazing, and I've had the good fortune of enjoying this weather with some of my favorite people in the whole world.

Two weekends ago, Mike and I headed out to the west side of Michigan for the weekend.

We did some apple picking.

And we hung out on the beach and saw some beautiful Michigan sunsets.

But our main reason for heading there was hanging out with these folks.

I hadn't seen my entire family since last Christmas, so this visit was long overdue. To say I had a good time is an understatement. I really do love my family.

This past weekend, I few out to Philly to hang out with my other favorite people - my chicas.

Lexi, Kelsa and I have known one another since college, but have remained close despite living several states away thanks to the wonders of social media. I am in Chicago, Lexi is in Philly and Kelsa is in Phoenix. The special occasion for this reunion was Lexi's birthday. We celebrated Lexi's birthday in style (as seen above) with wine in hand. I would travel the world to be with these girls. Lucky for us, our rendezvous was at a winery just a few hours away by plane.

Kelsa and Lexi, besides being all around amazing women, are business women. Kelsa's good with finances (understatement) and Lexi - well Lexi can organize and decorate your entire home before you can clean up your entryway. So of course, some proper head shots were in order.

Yes, my friends have beauty and brains

I didn't bring Lexi a present for her birthday, but I did bring my camera. So of course, some pictures of her family were a must. I love her family like I love my own. And her kids, gosh. They are photogenic just like their mom.

I returned home from my Philly weekend only a couple hours ago, and while I probably should be unpacking and getting ready to head back to work tomorrow, I couldn't help posting these photos tonight. I will have a lot more to share in the coming weeks. But at the moment, my heart overflows because I have so many wonderful people in my life. My people are the best.

Three Years of Wonderful Memories

2011-10-05T23:37:00.002-05:00

When people ask me how I got my start in photography, I always talk about a baby shower I went to for my friend Carly. You know Carly. Her family has graced this blog many a time. Well I took maternity photos of Carly as her present and those photos were shown at her baby shower. At that baby shower there were a couple other women who were pregnant and inquired about my services. Kathleen was one of those women.

I never knew that attending that shower would turn into this little side business. I also never imagined through it that I'd get to meet people as wonderful as Kathleen and her family.

I first photographed Kathleen and her husband Paul in August 2008 for her maternity pics.

These two were right at ease in front of my camera - my kind of people.

And then there was this photo, about six months later.

God I still love that picture.

We met up again on a gorgeous fall day last October when Jack turned one.

We shared some laughs.

And now look at him.

Jack just turned two and with two came the constant request of AGAIN! I think they all jumped off this little ledge about 25 times.

We met up on a gorgeous fall afternoon and hit some of the sights downtown - The Art Institute and Buckingham Fountain later. I always love shoots with Jack, but you know what I realized I love even more? Shoots with Jack and balloons!

Gah! He kills me.

Enjoy. There are So. Many. Photos.

If you ask Jack to show you his muscles, this is his pose.

I like to call this sequence of photos, Where's the fountain?

This is my favorite family photo I've ever taken. Ever.

This shoot with Jack was a bit bittersweet. After three years of getting to know this family, they are packing up their things and getting ready to move down south. I am incredibly excited for them, but can't deny that I'm sad to be losing such great photo clients. And honestly after three years and four shoots, I'm pretty proud to say friends as well.

Best of luck friends. You will be missed.

Our Great Outdoors

2011-09-25T20:09:00.001-05:00

Mike and I got the keys to our new rental home on a Sunday. And on Monday night, we brought our first of many carloads of our belongings to the new house. We also brought Taylor because we wanted to introduce him to the coolest thing about our new digs - the backyard.

Mike and I have both been city dwellers for quite some time now, each having lived in our fair share of apartments and condos over the years. So for us to finally have a space like this to call our own simply felt unreal.

In our old condo, I sometimes felt trapped because I couldn't ever just walk outside and lay in the grass. Sure our condo building had a courtyard, but I didn't want to be the shoeless, crazy lady laying in our building's shared space. My default excuse for heading outdoors for the past year has been walking the dog. But it's safe to say that we are all enjoying being able to lay (and play) outdoors on our little patch of greenery. (As I type this, Mike and T are wrestling in the backyard. It's a family past time these days.)

Since the new place is a little bit bigger than our condo was (understatement), we've had to do some furniture shopping. And while we still have two bedrooms upstairs without a lick of furniture, we've got all of the outdoor furnishings and decorations we could want.

Mike got a fancy new BBQ because Mike loves to barbecue. And I love to eat his barbecue, so we both win.

We also got an outdoor table and matching chairs. I can't tell you how much I have loved sitting out here. The few meals we've had at this table have been spectacular.

The thing I really got excited about though was the plants. We have plants! A few weekends ago, we drove to home depot and bought a bunch of baskets and flowers to put in them. I am giddy every time I see these little pops of color all over the yard.

We lucked out in the greenery department because our backyard came with a garden. We have tomatoes, cucumbers and banana peppers that grow like weeds.

On Labor day weekend, I shucked some corn we got from a guy selling it by our local park, threw in some tomatoes and banana peppers from our garden and topped it off with a little salt, cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. This was one of the best salads I've ever eaten, and I think it's because close to half of the ingredients came from our very own backyard.

For a while, we thought we had squash as well. However I cut one of the "squash" open and found out it was instead a very yellow cucumber - one that we probably shouldn't eat. Some quick Googling lead us to realize this vine was either infected or we had simply let the cucumbers sit on the vine for two long. It didn't matter too much though. We found another use for them. They are now Taylor's favorite toys!

I am slightly sad because the season of walking around our backyard barefoot has already come to an end. We really only had a month to enjoy it. I also realize I bought a bunch of plants that will be lucky to make it a few more weeks. But after not having outdoor space for so long, I had to try and soak up all that we could from the backyard we now have. The great thing is that we'll have one more thing to look forward to next spring - replanting and spending more than just a month walking around barefoot in our very own backyard.

It Glows

2011-09-18T12:26:00.000-05:00

I had a photo shoot yesterday, one that I am very excited to share, but just not yet.I've got a lot of pics to get through.

On my way home after the shoot from Grant Park back to the El, I walked by the famous Chicago Theater sign and since I had two cameras in hand, I had to take one out and a grab a few snaps.

Man is my city gorgeous. And I am realizing I really should try and photograph it more at night. It literally glows.

Oh and the shoot I am so excited to share is with the one and only Jack! Get ready.

I Will Never Forget

2011-09-11T20:57:00.003-05:00

Ten years ago, I wrote these words in my journal:

I walked out of my room in a dreamy sleep to see the World Trade Center on fire, then flip to the Pentagon and it's the same picture. Over and over again, I see this plane fly right into the World Trade Center and then pieces of it flying out the other side. Then this giant fireball practically the size of the building flares up. It looks like a terrible scene in a movie.
I am still not completely clear on everything that took place but I do know this: Members of the Taliban hijacked five U.S. planes today. Two were driven into the World Trade Center, one into each tower. I am not completely sure but I think they have both collapsed. I am certain one has. Another plane was driven into the Pentagon and a section of it has collapsed. Another plane may have gone down somewhere in Philadelphia. But I am not completely certain of anything because everything is in Spanish. The images were enough for me to comprehend that this was a tragedy of catastrophic proportions.

Everyone has a 9/11 story. Mine just happens to be set on the shores of the Mediterranean coast in Spain. I was two weeks into my fall study abroad program on September 11th. In fact, I was midway through my afternoon siesta when my host mom burst into my bedroom to tell me "Come quick! Something terrible has happened in the U.S." I don't think I have ever been more filled with fear as I was walking toward the TV in my host mom's house.

Today is a day filled with tributes and remembrances, but it's not really anything I can relate too. My experience that day and the ones following it was so foreign. Literally. I didn't participate in food drives. I didn't donate blood. I didn't attend a candlelight vigil. I sat in my host mom's house crying and trying to make sense of it all, which at that point was no small feat since my Spanish was still pretty terrible.

But while I can't relate to the typical 9/11 experience, my memories of that day and that time are still incredibly vivid. And what I remember most vividly from that day and the days immediately after September 11 was the goodwill of the world.

I didn't go to class the day after Sept. 11. Me and my fellow American study abroad students holed up in one of the computer labs and watched CNN online for hours. Once we emerged from our collective grief and anger, we went back to class - our classes that were filled with students from Sweden, Germany, Japan, Russia and England. What happened in New York was too big not to talk about, so we did. In Spanish, we talked about what happened in the U.S. We talked about what the U.S. was going to do next. My fellow students expressed their sadness for us. They asked if our families were ok. They asked if we knew anyone who worked in the World Trade Center. And most of all they said what happened was terrible and how terrible they felt for us Americans.

Being told "Something terrible has happened in the U.S." is the first memory I have of Sept. 11. The second took place a month later. It was shortly after the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan, and my class was having a discussion about the U.S. invading that country. An American student, from Texas, and a student from Sweden were debating the merits of my country's diplomatic strategy. The Texan was arguing that we needed to show the Taliban that we were going to defend our country, and that we don't let attacks on our innocent civilians go unpunished. We were teaching them and all terrorist harboring countries a lesson. The Swedish student countered "With bombs?" He questioned our actions. He said more innocent lives would be lost and there would be no end. And in that moment, I knew we had lost them. I knew all that instant goodwill my country built up on Sept. 11 was eroding. The rest of the world was looking at us differently than they had a month ago. I saw it on my classmates faces.

I don't want to debate the merits of the war in this space and the should we or shouldn't we have, and should we stay or should we go. But I do know this: Whenever I think of September 11, I think of the day in that classroom when I saw the world's respect for my country vanishing into thin air. And I always think how we could have done something so much better.

Gratuitous

2011-09-10T23:02:00.001-05:00

Moving has thrown a wrench into a lot of things. My blogging being one. As you all know, posting here has been sorely lacking as of late. But what's killing me most about that is that I have had all these great photo shoots with adorable, adorable children that I have not yet been able to share. I still want to blog all these shoots and hope that I'll also be able to blog all the great shoots I have coming up (which will also have a ton of cute kids). But in the meantime, it felt wrong to have all these awww-worthy photos just sitting on my hard drive. They had to be shared. So this post is nothing but gratuitous, cute kid photos.

Go!

I told you. Ca-uuuuuuuute kids. And I, of course, can't end this post without at least one gratuitous cute dog photo as well. The photo below was taken Labor Day weekend as Mike, Taylor and I hung out at the doggie beach on Saturday morning. My dog sure does love the beach.

I Really Wanted To

2011-08-28T21:34:00.003-05:00

So remember my plans to return to blogging this weekend? Well if writing this post on my phone while in bed on Sunday night counts, then I did it!

This weekend kicked my booty like last weekend. And I think the one before that too. I honestly have lost track.

But amid the cleaning, painting and several trips to the hardware store this weekend, I did manage to sleep in later than I have in a long time on Saturday. Mike and I also walked the dog on Saturday and picked up ice cream. And tonight, I finished the book I was reading while sitting on my back deck under a beautiful sky.

So I won't say this weekend was all work, but I am really hoping next weekend is a lot less work and a lot more back porch sitting.

Boxes

2011-08-23T17:32:00.004-05:00

The photo below nicely sums up my life this past week. Once I am done unpacking, and sorting, and splitting time between two houses, I shall return to this blog. That will hopefully be by this weekend. I am ambitious if nothing else. And tired. I am also really tired.

For the record, the pets didn't help unpack a thing.

Project 365 - Continued

2011-08-07T15:15:00.000-05:00

I am still continuing on with the 365 photo project I started at the beginning of this year. I haven't been as good about sharing the photos I'm taking though. Now is as good as any time to pick back up so here's what the last three weeks of my life look like:

For a full run down of my photos, visit my complete project here.

Maternity Photos and Mosquitoes

2011-08-02T21:23:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I met Rebecca and Eric not too far from their home near Lincoln Park. It was a hot, hazy and humid day, but you'd never know it based on how relaxed Rebecca and Eric were in front of my camera. They braved the mosquitoes and the heat and the humidity with laughter. These two are going to be great parents. Also, I have to say this is probably the quickest I have ever posted a shoot. I just love these photos so much I couldn't wait to share them. I hope Rebecca and Eric like them too.

Rebecca and Eric, thank you so much for contacting me and braving the heat. This shoot is so worth every mosquito bite I am scratching today.

Just For Me

2011-07-24T20:39:00.000-05:00

I used to be so much better about sharing my random about the town photos on this blog. I kind of got away from that (and really taking random about the town photos) once my little side business picked up.

On Saturday morning, I waited down by the lake shore for my photos subjects to show up and decided to take those moments to capture a few shots just for me.

And these little toes showed up and I started taking pictures for other people.

More to come from this shoot. Oh how I loved this shoot!

Happy Unofficial Birthday Taylor

2011-07-17T19:43:00.000-05:00

When Mike and I originally talked about getting a dog a year ago, we thought it was something we'd have to put off until we had a few things in place, things like a bigger house, less hectic work schedules and a few less cats. A dog just didn't seem to fit in the mix.

But then we saw this photo:

Photo courtesy of Project Rescue

And we knew we had to see if this dog might be able to fit into our lives. A year later, this dog, our dog Taylor, is a part of our lives, a big part. I hesitate to say he runs our lives, although some days it does feel like that.

We fostered Taylor for a week and then we adopted him. Mike and I knew there was no way we could give him back and hope he'd find a better family. We felt like we were his family already. However for that week we fostered him, Mike and I had several conversations about how we thought having a dog would change our lives.

There was no doubt having a dog would be an added expense. Having a dog would mean we'd need to come home on time from work on a more regular basis. We also knew it would make traveling a little more complicated. Looking back now I kind of have to laugh because there were so many other things that never crossed our minds. Having a dog has enriched our lives in ways we didn't foresee.

Taylor has improved my and Mike's relationship. Mike and I have to communicate in ways we didn't have to before getting our dog. We constantly talk and compromise on who will walk him, who can head home from work on time and what he should and shouldn't be fed. We haven't always agreed on things, and there may have been a few times that we argued over whose turn it was to take him out. But we always talked about it, and as a result we've learned a lot of the fundamentals of the general give and take of a healthy relationship.

Taylor has introduced us to many of our neighbors. Before getting Taylor, I always saw dog owners talking to one another on my street and suspected there was some secret dog club. There totally is a secret dog club. And I'm now a part of it. It's an automatic conversation starter when your dog walks up to another and starts sniffing its butt. I have started conversations with many a person because of this very thing. A few weeks ago Mike and I attended a concert with a couple who lives down the street from us. This couple has a dog named Rose who is quite fond of Taylor and vice versa. Suffice it to say, we probably would have never met this couple had our dogs not loved playing together so much.

Taylor has also gotten Mike and I to be a lot more active. His energy level varies from high in the summer to warp speed in the winter. He's kept us on our toes from the day we got him. I don't think he's ever had less than three walks a day and most days its four. I now rise every week day between 6:20 and 6:40 a.m. just to make sure he gets in a good hour's worth of playtime in the morning. Mike and Taylor also run now pretty regularly after work, something Mike didn't do before getting Taylor. In the summer months, Mike, Taylor and I go down to the doggie beach frequently. Lake Michigan's shoreline is one of Taylor's most favorite places in the whole wide world. On warm days, Mike and I actually get in the water and play with Taylor. Not once did we go to the beach before getting our dog.

As a result of getting Taylor, Mike and I also have gotten involved with some really great rescue organizations. I take photos of the new dogs that are taken in by Project Rescue on a semi-regular basis. We also have both donated money and attend fundraisers benefiting local animal rescue organizations. We figure it's the least we can do after Project Rescue took a look at our heartworm-positive, mangy dog and thought he deserved a second chance at life.

Mike and I often times say we lucked out because we somehow got the best dog. We could have wound up with a lot of different dogs, but this dog, our dog Taylor has made all the difference. It has been a great year with Taylor. Sure we've had to change our lives in a lot of ways (I still don't enjoy getting up at 7 a.m. on the weekends), but everything we have gotten back from inviting Taylor into our home has been so worth it. He's a great companion. He makes us smile. He makes us laugh. Some people may just think he's a dog, but he's more than that to us. He is a member of our family. And a darn cute one at that.

Gone to the Dogs

2011-07-10T13:47:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love when I get to photograph parts of the city I've never been to before. And that's exactly what happened with this photo shoot. I hopped on the El after work and headed over to Logan Square, an eclectic little neighborhood northwest of downtown. It's totally charming and full of great boulevards and funky, colorful artwork, like the blue wall below.
I met Julie through Project Rescue, the amazing not-for-profit that saved my dog. Julie is a board member with Project Rescue and was in charge of a wildly successful art show they had a few months ago. I donated a photo shoot and one of my prints to the art show. (And walked away from it with a new print of my own.) Julie was unfortunately outbid at the art show on my photo shoot package, but she contacted me a few weeks later and scheduled this shoot anyway for her family, most of which was in town from overseas. And I knew any family photo shoot we did would not be complete without the canine family members as well.

This shoot definitely was about the family but of course, from time to time, the dogs totally stole the show.

After walking around Logan Square, we went back to their house for a few more pics and some playtime for the pups.

Well playtime for two out of the three.

Thank you Julie for introducing me to your lovely family and awesome dogs. Thank you also for all the amazing things you do helping give dogs a second chance on life with Project Rescue.

Boom!

2011-07-04T22:48:00.001-05:00

Up until Thursday, I had no idea what this weekend's plans held for Mike and I. We were debating whether or not to go back to Michigan, but in the end decided given work schedules and the crazy holiday traffic, it would be a better idea to postpone Michigan for another weekend. Instead we stayed here, and let the weekend's plans kind of fall into place. And they did quite nicely if I do say so myself.

I started my weekend by getting drinks with my coworkers at a great outdoor cafe downtown. Mike and I met up with friends on Saturday night to catch a movie (and drinks) with friends. On Sunday, we ventured out to the suburbs with a different set of friends to watch an Abba cover band at an outdoor amphitheater on an absolutely gorgeous night. Mike, Taylor and I also spent a significant amount of time playing on the lake shore. It seemed like the weekend couldn't get any better. But then Mike and I made a delicious all American meal today and took a walk tonight to our local park with the pup. We stayed for a bit and caught the fireworks below.

I set out with a to do list at the start of the weekend that contained all the things I planned to do since we were staying home. I didn't get almost any of them done. But I have to say, our weekend turned out being so much better than anything I could have planned in the first place.

Mobile

2011-07-01T21:02:00.002-05:00

I just dowloaded a mobile version of Blogger. I am hoping this might help me post to this here old blog a little more often. It has clearly been neglected as of late. So here goes. Mobile blogging... Photos included!

Home Tour

2011-05-27T11:48:00.001-05:00

It all started with the bathroom. I just needed to paint it. So I woke up on a Saturday morning about a year ago, and I did it. I loved it. And suddenly I felt the urge to paint it all. Mike had lived in his place for about 5 years at that point, so after 5 years of wear and tear the entire place could have used a fresh coat of paint.

And now, it has it. This past weekend Mike and I tackled the final room in our place that needed repainting - the kitchen. I was looking forward to repainting this room the least. I knew with all the cabinets and the edging and the crap on the walls that it wouldn't be easy. It actually ended up being the room we painted the quickest. It helps when you've already had four other rooms to practice on. I absolutely love, love, love how the kitchen turned out, but first I feel the need to revisit the rooms we've already done that I didn't post.

Up first - our second bedroom. It's gray!

I fully admit it doesn't still look like this today. The walls are still the same color but random crap has made it's way back into this room. This room has always suffered from an identity crisis. It used to have a second bed in it, it's had the dog crate in it, it's got our desk, it's where Mike's clothes and laundry live, where Taylor's toys live and also where Mike jams on his guitars. So it's got a lot going on, and I've never really figured out a way to make it all peacefully coexist. But for the weekend that we focused on this room, it did look really put together.

This basket holds many of Taylor's dog toys, but somehow they always end up on the rug in our main room anyway.

The shelves that we added actually did make a big difference. Mike's got a ton of moments and memorabilia that was previously scattered. My favorite part about this room redo was organizing these shelves with pieces of my man's life.

And since these photos were taken, I've added a few photos to the room. Two weekends ago, Mike told me he wouldn't clean until I hung up all the frames that were lying around our house. There were eleven total. Four of those eleven frames went in this room.

The painting is by Mike, the photo on top is by me and the photo on the bottom I won at a charity auction.

These photos now by the desk, are a collection of Mike's family photos and ones from his childhood. Fact: when I first met Mike, these photos were the only decorations on his living rooms walls.

You've already seen the living room, but I did add this one print below. It's a three foot by two foot canvas print of this image. And I love it, so much. It's the first thing you see when you walk into our place.

Back to the recently painted stuff. Up next is my and Mike's bedroom.

No home tour is complete without the presence of animals.

The color on the walls in here is called Not Quite White. I wanted to paint the room something a little more bold, but started thinking resale and decided to tone it down. The room previously had a green tint to the paint, and I really liked that. But I also hated our dark brown bedding and wanted to go with a lighter wall color. This room doesn't get as much ambient light as I'd like, so I knew I couldn't go dark. The paint I bought I originally thought had more of a yellowish tint to it. It doesn't. But it's light and airy, so I still like it.

And it allowed me to get green bedding. I absolutely love how the green patterned bedding goes with these new sheets we got. And in case you're wondering, the photo on the right is all the books currently on my night stand.

Six of the eleven photos that I hung a couple weeks ago went above our bed. I absolutely love how this little collage turned out. Although that's not originally how I planned it. How I originally planned these frames looked awful once they were up. So I just started putting holes in the wall. The end result is much better, holes and all.

This is the top of my dresser (AKA jewelry storage) as well as the wall opposite our bed. Just the other night Mike commented that it looked bare. I couldn't agree more. However I can't bring myself to hang another thing in this place. I have hung enough.

And now, the kitchen, which is currently my favorite room in the house. But first, let's look at how it looked before.

It had the same greenish paint that was once in the bedroom. And it was a flat paint. Who paints a kitchen with flat paint? The developer who sold Mike his place that's who. These walls were so gross between all the food splatters and pet wear and tear. I could not wait to paint over it all.

And now, now it's awesome.

The rearrangement of the art is probably my favorite thing about this room. That and that the paint color is called Hummus. My kitchen is painted Hummus. How cool is that!?! Also, Mike and I have a lot of wine. You should come over and drink some.

The elephant who lives on our window sill I won at a bridal shower. In fact it was this bridal shower. I won it for the TP bridal dress. And the Vermouth print Mike and I got at a resale shop we donate to for a steal - $15! It fits perfectly above our sink.

This room wasn't really so much of a remodel as it was a repainting. The kitchen is already pretty great. It's got cherry wood cabinets, granite and stainless steel appliances. So paint and cleaning really goes along way to pulling this room together.

So that's it. That's my little house tour. In case you've every wondered what my place looks like, there it is. I really wanted to share all this because Mike and I honestly don't have people over all that often, so chances are not many people will ever see all of our hard work. And if you ever do get to see it, I can guarantee it won't be as clean as it was in these photos. Darn pets ruin everything.

Mother's Day with Macy

2011-05-18T22:18:00.001-05:00

I love when people come to my by way of a referral. I know a lot of awesome people who happen to know a lot of awesome people. And photographing awesome people is one of my favorite things.

This awesome family came to me via referral. Little miss Macy - the subject of this Mother's Day shoot - is a cousin to these boys. I met her and her parents on the south side of a Chicago at a little park I did not know existed. I hope to be back to it soon though because it is a great location. And this is a great family.

My absolute favorite shot of the day.

Madeline, I hope you enjoyed your first Mother's Day. It was an honor to share part of it with your beautiful family.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T12:56:00.002-05:00

For my 30th birthday, my mom gave me this photo album among a few other great presents.

This photo album is filled with photos of me from birthday to age 18. She spent a long time compiling these photos and putting this album together. I had no idea she was doing this and one of my favorite memories from my 30th birthday was looking through this album with Mike.

I have a terrible memory, which I think is part of the reason I have always loved photography so much. It takes me back to moments and places that otherwise would have been long lost in my subconscious. This album however did so much more then refresh my recollection of my childhood. It showed me what a great childhood I had - a childhood made absolutely wonderful by my wonderful mom.

Me and my mom- probably one of our first photos together.

You see, my mom is the kind of mom who made my birthday cakes.

My mom is the kind of mom who planned and organized a trip to Disney World when my sister and I were kids.

My mom is the kind of mom who was a Girl Scout Troop leader - but also didn't let her girls slack on their Girl Scout duties just because she was the troop leader.

My mom is the kind of mom who sewed our Halloween costumes.

My mom is the kind of mom who took us to the Detroit Thanksgiving Day parade and then propped us up on a van so we could see better.

My mom is the kind of mom who helped us decorate our wagons and bikes for Elementary school parades.

My mom is the kind of mom who chaperoned school trips to Washington D.C.

My mom is the kind of mom who bought me all the stuffed animal cats in the world and even let me decorate my entire bedroom in cats. (I wanted nothing more than a cat when I was young and she's allergic.)

And even though I couldn't have a cat, my mom nurtured my love of animals. My family had a dog, guinea pigs and bunnies while we were growing up.
My mom also is the kind of mom who when a baby squirrel falls out of its nest, she'll get books from the library and figure out how to raise the baby squirrel herself. My mom, sister and I did this, and we named that squirrel Scampers.

My mom is the kind of mom who came to every school play, every church play, every parade, every award ceremony and every orchestra concert I was in.

My mom is the kind of mom who paid to fix my grandpa's violin, so I could learn how to play it. She also always encouraged me to play despite that it was painful for my entire family for the first few years.

My mom is the kind of mom who planned really great trips all over the U.S. during our summer vacations.

My mom is the kind of mom who took me (and my friends) to Chicago several times in my childhood, which is one of the main reasons I live here now.

My mom is the kind of mom, who even when I am sure money was tight, let my sister and I take dance and gymnastics classes.

My mom is the kind of mom who took us to lunches with Santa when we were young enough to believe.

My mom is the kind of mom who every six months made sure we went to the dentist and took us to the eye doctor just as often.

When my parents got engaged, they were offered by their parents money toward a wedding or money toward a house. My mom is the kind of mom who had a small wedding but invested in her unborn children's future. She and my dad got married and bought the house that I grew up in. They still own that house. It has a great backyard which used to have a great swing-set.

It has always been a real challenge to shop for my mom. Every year, my sister and I try to think of what to get her, but I felt like this year that challenge was even greater. This album showed me that she's given me more than I could possibly ever give to her. She's shaped and molded me in so many wonderful ways. She's given me a lifetime of opportunity and countless amazing memories, all lovingly documented. She's provided an example for what it means to be a great wife and a great mother. So on this Mother's Day I could think of no more appropriate gift than this - a public display telling the world (i.e. my small blog readership), just how wonderful my mother is.

Thank you mom for all you have done and all you continue to do. I love you, so very much.

Three Times the Fun, Three Times the Cute

2011-05-07T16:17:00.006-05:00

The last time you saw this family, they were a family of three. And in just six months time, they have doubled in size to a family of six! Their three newborn boys were born in March, spent a couple weeks in the NICU and then came home as happy, healthy five pound boys just a couple weeks later.

When I met the brothers (Finn, Carter and Everett), they hadn't even been home a week, but had already transformed the lives of this family completely. I won't go into the logistics of caring for three newborns, mainly because I don't have the slightest idea of how much work that takes. But I will say this, this family's capacity for loving these babies is endless.

There certainly isn't any shortage of love for and from brig brother Colin as well.

Being young and cute is really hard work...

So they took a short break midway through our shoot...

And then it was back to the task at hand.

The most amazing thing about this shoot was watching these boys naturally intertwine with one another as they lay together. After all, they are certainly used to sharing close quarters. I love that none of the photos below were posed. This is how close these boys really are.

I think it's pretty safe to say that even if they aren't always this intertwined, they are always going to be this close.

Happy Mother's Day to you Jessica. You have a beautiful family, and I have absolutely loved getting to know you all.

A Moment of Happiness

2011-04-20T23:09:00.000-05:00

I have been a really foul mood lately. It's quite the funk. I blame it on the weather, I blame it on work, I blame it on having to navigate through my first week of Invisalign in which I realized I can no longer snack or drink coffee with ease.

Instead of all that though, I'd like to share something with you that is making me very happy right this moment.

It's this:

This photo was taken Sunday morning while I spent a couple hours hanging out with a family I've gotten to know over the past couple months. These three little miracles came home a week ago, and it was an absolute joy to capture them. It was hands down one of the most enjoyable mornings I've had in a while.

I hope to share so much more from this session, but it might be a while since my free time is in short supply these days.

2011-04-11T20:42:00.000-05:00

I used to come home from work every night to then sit on my laptop for a few hours. In fact at one point I remember making the declaration that I was going to institute a self rule that my computer must be off by 10 p.m. And it was a really hard rule to follow that rule. Mike was in the habit as well. So many nights we sat side by side on the couch, each on our respective laptop many times with the TV on as well. I called this dueling laptops.

Sometime around the start of this year, I stopped doing that. it was as if a switch flipped and the very last thing I wanted to do was spend one more minute staring at a computer screen, even if it meant being creative and sharing photos that I'm very proud of. I just didn't want to do it. And for the first time since I started this blog almost five years ago, maintaining it started to feel like a chore.

That is the last thing I ever wanted this blog to be. It was supposed to be a creative outlet, and suddenly I felt void of any creativity. Or the times when I did, I was simply to tired to put thought to keyboard.

It was around this same time that my job became the most demanding thing in my life. I started working more and wanted nothing more than to come home and zone out. What little energy I had was spent making dinner, doing the dishes, staying on top of my laundry and every once in a while picking up the phone when my mom or sister called. I admit I dodged their calls way too often, but I was exhausted and didn't really have much to say beyond "I'm working a lot."

My work schedule is still in hyper drive, but I'm managing with it and finding ways to not let it become my life. And even though I'm finding more time, it doesn't mean it's being taken up by blogging. The more time goes by, the more I realize I am OK with that.

The truth is, I'm not really sure what to do with my little corner of the Internet any more. I started this blog with the intention of keeping an active, current record of my writing that I could hopefully turn into a freelance career some day. Those dreams have long since dissolved. This blog then in a somewhat surprising twist of fate became the thing that launched my photo career. But I'm not really sure how much I want to make this a blog strictly about my photography. And at the same time, if I do want to make this a blog about my photography, I need to spruce up my blog platform significantly. I read a ton of photo blogs and this one doesn't live up to the caliber of what I think of as a good photo blog. Also I am not really sure how much of my life I care to share with the world any more. As such, at the same time I've stopped blogging, I've also kind of stopped using Facebook. Oddly enough, I've become more of a Twitter user despite being adamant that I didn't see the point in it for so long (ahem Kelsa and Lexi).

What does this all mean? I don't know. This isn't some grand going away declaration. I'm not closing up shop over here. But I also can't say how often I plan on updating. Who knows, maybe now that I have this off my chest the ideas will start flowing. I just don't see that happening though. As much as I used to make sitting on my laptop a part of every night, I've now done the opposite. This isn't a part of my every night, and I'm not itching to make it that again.

I do want to say though that my 365 project is pressing on, so even if I'm not over here, I am still providing glimpses of my daily life over on Flickr.

Touristy Stuff in NOLA

2011-03-20T18:31:00.001-05:00

Mike and I stayed right in the heart of the French Quarter when we were in New Orleans. Our hotel wasn't too far from two of the city's biggest attractions - St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Park. Both were worth photo-worthy and luckily in very close proximity of one another.

Sr. Louis Cathedral is the oldest continuously operating church in the United States. The first church on the site was built in 1718; the third, built in 1789, was raised to cathedral rank in 1793. The cathedral was expanded and largely rebuilt in 1850, with little of the 1789 structure remaining. Also, it is beautiful, day and night.

At. Louis Cathedral sits right next to Jackson Square, also called the Plaza de Armas, so the view of the church from the park is a great one, although the square itself also is pretty beautiful.

Not too far from the Cathedral and the square is Cafe du Monde, a New Orleans institution, famous for is Cafe au Lait and bignets. Holy mother of God it is a good thing I don't live anywhere near this place. I would eat bignets every single day of my life. If I could I would eat a whole plat of them right now. As you'll see below I have a bit of a bignet problem.

I don't want to necessarily say the next thing we did was touristy, but several people did ask me when I got home if we went to the lower ninth ward. And we did. I hadn't been before so it's not like I had much to compare it to. The devastation was very apparent and certainly lingering, but it wasn't everywhere. We would see a home that was boarded up and caving in right next to a well kept home with a manicured lawn.

But it was easy to forget about the parts of the city that looks like that, when we were surrounded by the parts of the city that look like this.

I've still got a little bit more to share from my NOLA trip. And yes, I am saving the best for last.

Also, I know I haven't blogged about it for a while, but I assure you I am still doing my 365 project. You can find my entire set here.

Living Easy in the Big Easy

2011-03-06T20:11:00.001-06:00

Mike and I arrived in New Orleans at 9 p.m. on Thursday. By the time we checked into our hotel on the corner of Bourbon and Orleans Streets we were exhausted but hungry. Mike lived in New Orleans for a summer during his late teens and thought he remembered this really good burger joint just around the corner. His nose remembered because we walked right into Yo Mama's at 10:30 with the intention of getting a burger and a beer.

We stayed until 2 a.m.

New Orleans at night has a way of doing. It sucks you in, allures you with its loud music, blatant debauchery and easy access to booze. So it was that we spent our first night in New Orleans drinking late into the night and walking Bourbon Steet with people of various levels of sobriety. It was good people watching. And Yo Mama's was good conversation with the locals, so we couldn't not stay out. It was as if the city was beckoning us to walk its streets, listen to its music and eat its food. So we did. And we didn't stop for three days.

This is the interior of Yo Mama's. If there ever were a bar that was made for my Mike, it was Yo Mama's - home of the famous peanut butter burger. Yes, peanut butter on a burger. I highly recommend it to round out a night of drinking.

As we found out though, New Orleans looks slightly different by the light of day - quieter, with an old world beauty.

Of course, it's still New Orleans so even in the light of day there are still signs of the 24 hour shenanigans taking place in the city.

This picture after all, was taken on Bourbon Street at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. I don't think any part of Chicago is this active at 4 p.m. on a Sunday.

While food and booze is the cornerstone of any NOLA vacation, what really made the trip for me were all of the street performers. Any time of day in almost every corner of the French Quarter, there are performers of all types - full bands complete with drummers and dancers, tarot card readers in Jackson park, duos of fiddlers with dogs and solo guitarists with their cases open and filled with hard-earned, and well-deserved money.

On Saturday night, Mike and headed out without a destination in mind. We wandered the city and started out at a German Jazz bar on Bourbon Street. We ended the night in the back room of a bar that housed a mid-sized concert hall, and one of the best Cajun bands I have ever heard. We danced until they finished playing.

By Sunday, we were heavier and more rested than we were when we arrived. It also was 65 degrees and sunny which was a most welcomed temperature. Remember, Mike and I had braved the Chicago Blizzard of 2011 just a few weeks prior. We wandered the city and at one point laid down in Jackson park for 20 minutes. We baked in the sun because we could.

On our way to get brunch that morning, we passed this man gently strumming "What A Wonderful World" on his guitar. As we walked by, Mike dropped some money in his case and I smiled because I couldn't help but think, it certainly is in New Orleans.

More to come. This is only a small taste of our wonderful trip.

Why Hello Again

2011-02-27T21:15:00.000-06:00

Yes, yes I know. It's been a while (sorry mom). Even though I haven't been posting here, I have been diligently keeping on top of my photos of the day. I just haven't been very good about blogging them. Or anything else for that matter, including my fabulous trip to New Orleans.

It would take forever and a day at this point to post all my photo of the day photos, so instead I'll point you to days 38 to 57. They can be found here. Check out Day 43 in particular. That was an awesome day, one that will be hard to top.

I'll be back hopefully soon with photos from Naw'lins. It's definitely worth reminiscing about.

Project 365: Week Five

2011-02-07T22:20:00.001-06:00

As I am sure you can guess based on yesterday's post, most of this week's photos are snow shots, like Day 31, Day 32, and Day 33. The photos I took on the last four days of the week however are my favorites.

Day 34: Sunset
Day 35: Specs
Day 36: Expectation
But of course, we got more snow on Sunday, so my final day of the week, Day 37, is a snow scene.

Winter Wonderland

2011-02-06T22:45:00.000-06:00

I am writing this post on Sunday night, not actually believing that I survived the week. It was a doozy of a week here in Chicago. We started it with a covering of rock hard snow on the ground, snow that had fallen weeks ago and didn't leave because it never had a chance to melt in our frigid temps. Instead it just slowly wore down to it's rock hard, icy under-layer, covering most of the city's greener spots. Then we got the blizzard. So we now end the week with more than two feet of snow on the ground. I honestly feel like a deserve some sort of reward for survivng these past seven days, but I'll settle for the pizza and beer I had while watching the Superbowl tonight.

The city got a light dusting of snow on Monday night, but the blizzard didn't pass through until Tuesday afternoon. I very luckily got to watch the first flakes fall from the comfort of my own home, while sitting in my PJs. I sat there on my couch until 6 p.m., watching the flakes fall, and then begin to blow and then almost completely obscure my view. And believe you me, I would have stayed in my home all night, but I had to pick Taylor up from daycare. So I put on my boots, hat, gloves and wrapped a scarf around my exposed face and stepped outside.

I have lived in the city more than six years now, and I don't think it ever felt as foreign to me as it did on that walk. The wind was howling, the snow was blowing, and I didn't see a single soul on my walk. In a city of millions of people, it's very strange to walk down the street at 6 p.m. and not see anyone else. It felt so apocalyptic.

I knew the storm was going to be as bad as the weather forecasters predicted just based on that walk. Already the blowing snow was producing two foot tall snow drifts. It's not like the snow just fell and blanketed everything with two feet of snow. It swirled around and left little rhyme or reason to where it accumilated. While walking Taylor home, I'd see a bare patch of cement and then immediately be trudging through two feet of snow to only a couple paces later be met by a couple inches.

By the next morning however, everything was covered.

My street looked like northern Michigan in the middle of winter. Sidewalks were no longer visible. Everything was covered in snow with the only variation being how much.

Entire cars were buried. Cars were stuck. Just down the street from my building was a car blocking the street that remained there until Friday. And that sight certainly wasn't an anomoly. Lots of cars were stuck. Those that were parked in a spot had little chance of successfully manuvering out of the spot, and then making it to the nearest plowed thoroughfare. I have never been so happy that Mike and I rent a spot in a garage just up the street.

None of this however daunted my dog.

Rest assured he is reveling in all the snow. I am certain that if we had a backyard, he'd make himself a snow bed and lay in it until the first thaw.

As a result of the storm, most of the city shut down for Wednesday. I worked from home the entire day and Mike was brave enough to trudge in for the afternoon. By Thursday though, the city was generally back open for business, so I headed in.

I made it, despite the trains running late. And a lot of other people did too. Downtown seemed about as busy with city life hustle and bustle as it does on most days. The only real difference being that mounds of snow lining the city streets.

This morning I woke up to find we had another light dusting - no more than a couple inches. At this point, that seems like nothing more than icing on the cake. It barely registers with the exception that it dusted everything in that fresh, new snow look. By in large though, I don't think anyone was fazed by it. At this point people have either dug out their cars or resolved to leave them until things thaw out. Which honestly is not something I am looking forward to. The snow, while a pain, has at least become manageable and makes the city look the way February ought to look. It's the muck and the mud and the mess and the daily Taylor baths that I am worried about. Because when the snow melts, that what us Chicagoans have to look forward to next.

Not this Chicagoan though. What I have to look forward to next is vacation. Mike and I leave for New Orleans this week. We'll spend three whole days in The Big Easy. And it's my hope that by that point, snow will be the furthest thing from my mind.

Project 365: Week Four

2011-01-30T21:30:00.000-06:00

Apparently this is the only kind of blog post I write now a days. It's not that I don't have other things to post about. I do. My dog ate my glasses last week. That is some prime blog fodder right there. But I didn't write about that, and now I feel the moment has passed. Mainly because I ordered a new pair of glasses on Saturday, so clearly I have moved on.

This past week also has moved on. And it moved rather quickly. I can't really believe it's Sunday night already. But it is. And before I know it, I am going to be smack dab in the middle of a busy Monday. But before I find myself there, here's a look at my past week.

Day 24: Post Work Walk
Day 25: Colorful
Day 26: Living in the 312
Day 27: Pancake Party
Day 28: Looking down
Day 29: Radar
Day 30: Nap Time

Project 365: Week Three

2011-01-23T20:40:00.001-06:00

It was another crazy work week, so my photos weren't nearly as inspired as I had hoped they would be. I do wish there were a way to carry around my fancy camera and get the kind of artistic shot I'd like to take on a daily basis. But I just know that isn't feasible. And I keep reminding myself that looking back it's the collection as a whole that I'm going to love so I should be able to overlook the few that aren't as technically perfect as I'd like.

This week did have one major high. Mike and I booked a flight and a hotel room for an extended weekend in New Orleans. I've never been, and Mike hasn't been since he was a teen. I am incredibly excited to get away for a few days, to sleep in, not worry about taking care of the animals, to not answer work emails I don't have time to answer, to not spend my weekend cleaning and to consume a ridiculous amount of delicious, high caloric food. But more than anything I'm excited to capture the city with my lens. Creatively speaking, it should be a goldmine for me. I can guarantee that week's photos are going to be good.

Day 17: Picasso
Day 18: Headache
Day 19: Rolling (with accompanying video)
Day 20: Knit
Day 21: My Favorite View
Day 22: Nano Sushi
Day 23: Frog Dog

Project 365: Week Two

2011-01-16T21:59:00.000-06:00

This week was a lot of work. I put in a lot of hours at work and then came home to work on my house. But I ended the week with a dent in my work to do list and a freshly painted and redecorated second bedroom. I'll take it.

Day 10: Small and Stealthy
Day 11: Today It Snowed
Day 12: Retro
Day 13: Almost the Highlight of My Day
Day 14: Self Reflection
Day 15: Stained Glass
Day 16: Man Cave

Project 365: Week One

2011-01-09T16:15:00.000-06:00

I used to be a very avid journal writer. I have about a dozen or more in storage that are filled with my teenage to twenty-something ramblings. And without them, there's a good chance I'd forget most if not all of what happened during those years of my life. You see, I have a terrible memory. (Just ask Mike.) I think that's why I've found doing this photo a day challenge has been really fun so far. I know looking back on these photos years from now that they will help me to remember some great times I otherwise would have forgotten. Although this week was pretty memorable, as it was the week I turned thirty.

Here is my first week's collection of photos. I'm keeping the entire set on Flickr, so the links below will take you there, which provides background into the reasons behind these shots. And just for reference, the numbers on the photos corresponds to the day of my 365 project. I've got a long way to go, but I am currently very hopeful that I can actually do this.

Day 2: Vivian Elle Invitations
Day 3: Bleak and Blustery
Day 4: Birthday cupcake
Day 5: Habits
Day 6: Spanish souvenir
Day 7: Flowers from my parents
Day 8: Home Renovations
Day 9: Old Folks Alley (it's photo set, because together these shots are better than the sum of their parts)

Blessed

2011-01-04T22:43:00.001-06:00

I let it be known every year that I could not be more displeased with the actual date of my birthday. It falls after a very busy holiday season making it a forgotten day. And truth be told, if it were not my own birthday I would probably spend every January 4 doing a whole lot of nothing.

As it's my birthday though, I always feel pressured to do something. Some years I let that feeling slip by. Last year I honeslty didn't do a thing. Given that this year's birthday is one ending in a zero, I felt I could not repeat my inactivity. So this coming Saturday handful of my close friends and co-workers and I will partake of beer and curry fries (my favorite!) at a local bar.

With Saturday's plans set, I didn't think of much for my actual birthday. Well my friends and family did. Between the voice mails, text messages, Facebook shout outs, Twitter mentions, virtual e cards and my friend Jenny's attempt to say Happy Birthday in every way possible, I truly felt loved. My family also outdid themselves. I received flowers from my parents and cupcakes from my sister - both delivered to my work. The cupcakes went over particularly well. And my man, well he made me a delicious dinner and did all the dishes. That's one of the ways we say I love you to one another. We take care of the perpetual mess that is our kitchen.

I am ending this first day of my new decade feeling very blessed, blessed that even though my birth date may not be the best, the people I surround myself with certainly are.

Two Zero One One, Here I Come

2011-01-01T22:15:00.001-06:00

I ended 2010 feeling simultaneously restless and exhausted. Something about this past few months of work and dog care and photos and attempts to balance it all left me incredibly unmotivated and yet wanting so much more. It's a terrible feeling to want to be doing so much but lack the motivation to tackle anything. It resulted in a lot of to do lists with nothing crossed off. Hence my 2011 goals list was at one point about 10 items long - double what I wanted it to be. So I gave it some thought, came home last night and whittled that list down to five things.

Before I list them, I feel like I should explain their purpose. Most of my 2010 goals were photography focused. I did them with them the hope that this past year would be the one where I made the jump to full-time photographer. But something happened in 2010 that I didn't count on. I started a new full-time job that I actually love, and slowly but surely (and after some soul searching), I became convinced that I'm actually happy right now with photography as a hobby - a hobby that affords me buying fancy new photography equipment.

With photography no longer my singular purpose, I actually wanted to introduce a little more balance in my life. I wanted goals which I thought would be more fulfilling as a whole to my life instead of being so focused on one aspect of it. And I think that's why I started feeling restless at the end of this year. There were all these other areas of my life I felt were lacking, so in 2011, I'll focus on those.

Goal 1: Workout
Last year, my contract ended on my gym and I opted not to renew. There's a gym I can use for free at my office, so I saw no point in paying for another one - one that I barely used. But the thing is I barely use the one at my work either. I do miss working out, so my plan is this. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, when I can stay later at work, I'm going to use my lunch hour to fit in a quick 20 minute work out (30 if I can). And the other days of the week, when I have to walk Taylor in the mornings, I'm going to start running with him to the park. I walk him there now, so if I start running him there it gives me a little extra calorie burn. And I don't have to alter my schedule, I'm just going to start making better use of my time.

Goal 2: No more fast food meat
This is a carry over of sorts from last year. I did better about grocery shopping for ethically-raised meat, but I didn't do as well when I ate out. I want to stop giving money to corporations that treat animals as nothing more than dollar signs on their bottom line. If I do eat out, I want to make sure that what I order, does not contain meat unless it is advertising that the meat is local, organic and ethically raised. Thankfully there is the best sandwich shop ever steps from my work that has this exact philosophy in mind. I love you Hannah's.

Goal 3: Less money on clothes
I spend a lot of money on clothes, accessories and shoes. According to Mint.com, it's the budget item I'm most likely to overspend on. I'm not proud of it. I'd like to make better use of my money in 2011 (hopefully by throwing it at a house), so this is one area I know I can monitor and control easily. I'm setting a goal to not spend more than $100 a month on clothes, shoes or accessories - basically anything to outfit myself. Even that seems ridiculous to type because I realize that amount would be a complete luxury to most, but it's something I think I can achieve and is actually a reduction for me. Again, I'm not proud of this but it is what it is.

Goal 4: Ambiance dinners
My parents came to Chicago for a wedding in October. That Saturday night that they were in town, Mike and I made them dinner. As we set the table, my mom started asking where the place settings and candles and fancy napkins were. Mike and I had the candles but nothing else. We ate on mismatched places with mismatched silverware. So for Christmas, my parents got Mike and I proper place settings - table mats, napkins, napkin rings, candles - the works. I love them, and I want to start using them on a regular basis. Because the other thing my parents impressed upon Mike and I was the importance of sitting down to a nice meal on a regular basis. She and my dad do it often, and they've been married for more than 30 years. I figure this is one piece of advice I should take. So that's it. Mike and I are going to have weekly ambiance dinners.

Goal 5: Photo a day
Lexi, this one is for you. I have toyed with the idea of doing the photo a day for a year challenge before. And I've always loved the idea of doing it, I just didn't think I'd have the commitment to stick through with it. And I'm still not sure if I do, but I guess we'll see. Lexi did help me see that I don't need to be lugging around my fancy camera everyday. I have a decent camera on my phone, and a small point and shoot that's pretty portable. Not every shot needs to be of the best quality. Sometimes, just getting the shot is good enough. So I'm doing this. I hope this goal will help me stay creative and challenged with my photography throughout this year, while also serving as a great way to document my year.

I do know though that there's no way I'm going to be able to post a photo every single day. I don't turn on my laptop every night. So what I'll do it take a photo every day and do a weekly collage of my shots. Here's my first one, a self-portrait taken on 1.1.11.

Here's to a new year full of surprises we haven't even dreamed up yet.

2010 Goals: Revisited

2011-01-01T11:46:00.001-06:00

Before jumping into all I plan to do in 2011, please allow me to review what I set out to do last year and how I fared with all my aspirations. (To see the purpose behind my goals, see this post.)

Goal number one: Take 10,000 photos
Done. Knocked this one out of the park. In October I met and surpassed this goal. I have no idea what my actual total ended up being because honestly, keeping track of my photo totals was a pain in the ass. I am happy knowing that I exceeded my goal. I don't need to know by how much.

Goal number two: Get on WBEZ photo of the day.
This didn't happen. I tried, I submitted a lot of photos to the WBEZ Flickr pool, but in all honesty, there are a lot of great photographers submitting to that pool. It's worth taking a look at. And the WBEZ stream did favorite my stream, so it was a step in the right direction, but not a goal met. I'll keeping submitting photos and see if it happens some day.

Goal number three: Attend six digital photography meet ups.
I attended two, and got great photos from both (seen here and here). But once spring hit, I was too busy with shoots and editing photos to take photos for leisure purposes. So no more meets-ups did I attend. Goal met? No, only one-third there.

Goal number four: Buy only ethically-raised meat.
This was one of those goals for which I started out with a lot of steam. I even wrote a couple posts on the subject, here and here. And I don't mean to say I stopped focusing on this, but I stopped getting preachy about it. I still kept this goal in mind, and I certainly changed some of my habits. I haven't bought brand name, big chain grocery store meat in over a year. I stopped buying any pre-made frozen lunches (think Lean Cuisine) with meat as an ingredient. On top of that, I have limited my meat intake when dining out and also tried to make more vegetarian than meat dishes for lunch and dinner. I consider this goal a win. I wasn't perfect, but I made some life changes in the right direction, changes that now seem a way of life and not a goal I'm striving for.

Goal number five: Touch my toes.
If anything I think I'm more inflexible now than I was last year. I totally forgot about this goal come February. Oh well. I guess my being inflexible isn't all that much of a hindrance since it didn't really affect me in 2010. Goal failed.

So that was 2010 in a nutshell. For 2011? Check back soon. I'm cooking up some things.

What I Did On My Christmas Vacation

2010-12-27T19:43:00.001-06:00

I was in Michigan the past four days. Mike and I took the pup on his first multi-state trip back home to see my family for Christmas. And while the most that Mike and I did over our last holiday was make one dinner, this trip involved a lot more activity.

We arrived Friday night and had a delicious dinner with my parents. After dinner my mom and I headed to downtown Detroit to attend the Christmas Eve service at my sister's church. I love the Christmas Eve service at her church, so I was incredibly happy that I was able to attend this year. The service always leaves me feeling very warm and fuzzy, something which is definitely achieved through the ornate decorations of this beautiful, old Gothic structure.

The next morning I slept in until 9 a.m. Let me say that again. Nine A.M. That hasn't happened in I don't know how long. The reason is due to the one thing that made this trip so fantastic - my parent's backyard. Taylor was in heaven in my parent's backyard.

He ran himself ragged chasing squirrels all day, so he slept in a little later than usual. Mike and I got to be lazy parents and instead of walking him, we just opened the sliding back door and let Taylor chase squirrels until he wanted to come back in. Which wasn't often. So yes, the backyard was great for my sleep, bad for my thighs. I didn't walk him once the entire time we were in Michigan. Much less than my standard two times a day. But Taylor didn't care. He would have stayed in that backyard hunting squirrels until he scared them all away. Or until his neck cramped up from staying in this position for hours on end.

Saturday afternoon we headed to my Aunt Janet and Uncle Ray's house to see my mom's side of the family. My aunt and uncle's house is always a ton of fun for both the adults and kids. They are excellent hosts who have a variety of adult beverages, and their basement is a fun zone housing a pool table, darts and a Wii on a giant projector on the far wall. And this year, they added a brand new shuffleboard table. I'm proud to say that in the battle of the younger generation (Mike and my brother-in-law) and the older gentlemen (my dad and uncle), my man's team eeked out the final win of the night.

My Aunt Janet also has the family tree at her home. This year my cousin's daughter was working on a school project having to deal with her family tree, so we brought out the giant knitted cloth and examined the names that connected with and preceded our own.

My grandma stitched this giant family tree. Christmas was always her favorite time of year, so I thought it fitting that even though she no longer is with us mentally, we collectively sat around on Christmas day and admired the work she so lovingly created.

The day after Christmas was spent at my parent's house. So Taylor got more backyard time and I took advantage of my morning by scoring some crazy good deals at my local mall and picking up some last minute grocery items for my mom. My sister and her family came by as well as my dad's sister and her family. We hung out and all partook of the buffet my mom set up way too many times. Then we opened present and my sister decided to turn me into a living doll by dressing me up in pieces from my great aunt's collection of jewelry.

So that's it. That there is how I spent my Christmas vacation. To sum up: food, family, fun and necklaces.

I hope your holiday was filled with far too many good things as well.

Checking One Item Off

2010-12-20T20:43:00.000-06:00

I have a lot rolling around in my head right now, not that you would know this from my lack of posting. But I assure you these things are directly related. Blogging is on one of my many to do lists items, but the problem I'm having right now is navigating my many to do lists.

This time of year seems to be the time of lists. Lists of presents, packing lists, lists of the top songs and movies of the year, lists of groceries to buy for dinners to make and lists of New Year's resolutions. Possibly all this list making is ingrained in us at a young age, trying to determine if we've been included on Santa's good or naughty list. If so, it stuck really well with me. I am the queen to lists at the moment. Honestly, I don't know how parents, especially single moms, ever stay on top of life.

I recently downloaded an ink pad app for my phone. It functions as my very own virtual post-it note, which will forever remain a favorite place for my many to do lists. This app I should say is in addition to the To Do List Task Manager app I downloaded last month. Apparently one list making device was not enough. In full disclosure, I also use my calendar on my phone as a reminder of sorts. I am pretty sure the dog would never get his heart worm pill and our neighbors would never get their monthly rent for the parking spot Mike and I use were it not for reminders on my phone. So yes, three. I need no less than three phone apps to help me keep my life straight.

And still with all these list making functions and dinging reminders, I still let so much fall through the cracks. My nephew's birthday was last Tuesday. Were it not for an email from my mom the following day, I might have forgotten his birthday entirely. That's not something I'm proud of, but it's true. Also, today I finally made a long overdue dentist appointment. I was due for a six month check up in August. Instead I'll be going in early January. My good friend Yvonne, someone whom I enjoy talking to very, very much (and unfortunately lives many states away) I have meant to call since early fall. I have thought about calling her so many times, but never actually have. It always seems life gets in the way before that happens.

I think that's why I feel so frustrated right now and possibly why my blogging has been so sporadic. Blogging lately hasn't been about writing about what I'm feeling or seeing. It's been about posting what I feel I have to. And honestly, if I don't feel that I have to post anything then I have a hard justifying taking the time to write about what's on my mind. How can I when my to do list for any given night includes, among many other things, tending to laundry, returning email, making dinner, editing photos and returning long overdue phone calls to my mom. It seems that every night by the time I finish the things I feel obligated to do, I have about 20 minutes before I need to go to bed. And then I usually remember something I have forgotten to do that night which I inevitably put off until tomorrow bumping one or two of those things I was going to do tomorrow until the day after and so on and so on until months have gone by and I wonder where the time went.

This wasn't intended to be a confessional about my lack of blogging (or blog reading) but that's what it is. I do still really enjoy blogging. And I will continue to rearrange my to do list in order to share the things that are rolling around in my brain. I promise. It's on my to do list.

And just because this picture makes me laugh, here is a photo of my dog I meant to post months ago when Mike and I took him to our neighborhood Howl-o-ween parade.

HA! I swear he was not run over by a car, but that was probably the funniest possibly way he could have laid down. And in case you are wondering why he's wearing a football jersey, that was his costume for the doggie Halloween parade. (You know you love it Lexi!) And this next photo also is just because I meant to post it back in October. It's our little family, minus the cats, which are pretty much like whiny, step children now that we have a dog.

OK, that's all for now. I'll be back. Hopefully soon. Please don't wander away too far.

Ho Ho Bah Humbug

2010-12-14T22:29:00.000-06:00

This past weekend my friend Carly and I tried our second attempt at her family's Christmas card. She had visions of a winter wonderland scene with trees and snow and reds and greens and her smiling family plopped in the middle of it.

Our first attempt ended about 5 minutes in when we realized it was just way too cold to attempt outdoor photos. Our second attempt was this past Saturday and the weather was the other extreme. It was dreary and raining. By the time our shoot start time came around, the rain had already started washing away the snow. So we opted for the winter garden in the Harold Washington Library, hoping it would have some sort of Christmas ambiance under it's glass roof. It did not. So we got a few shots, but in the end, it wasn't what any of us expected. (Note to future self: finding indoor public locations with Christmas decor in the city is TOUGH. Get to scouting locations!)

I left our shoot feeling disappointed and even less in the Christmas spirit than I had before. I fully admit that I am not in the Christmas spirit at all this year. (Unlike my friend Kelsa who literally is filled with the Christmas spirit all the way to her tippy toes.) In no way have I decorated my home. It looks the same as it did on Nov. 1 and Oct. 2 and Aug. 15. And it will look the exact same way it does now on Dec. 25. I just didn't see the point in pulling out our decorations this year. I don't even have enough Christmas spirit to compose my yearly rant against inflatable lawn ornaments. I assure you I still hate them.

It wasn't until yesterday when a coworker presented me with a stack of letters that my Christmas spirit started bubbling up. Every year one of the attorneys in my office organizes a Letters to Santa program sponsored by the Chicago Tribune. Children in less privileged parts of the city write letters to "Santa's Helpers" asking for presents. The children go to schools that are 100 percent free lunch and "serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to ensure that (the students) receive three hot meals a day." Over a quarter of the students are wards of the state and over a quarter are being raised by grandparents. These kids live in my city, but far from the only Chicago I've ever known.

As I was handed the stack of letters asking for toys, clothes and school supplies, I didn't know how to choose. I wanted to buy something for each of them. And then I came across a letter from a 10-year-old boy who had clearly put some effort into writing his very legible letter. In it he said:

My favorite sport is basketball. I like basketball because you can have fun. You don't have to worry about getting hurt and you can be a star player. My favorite dish is tacos because you can have all the topping you want like Ranch dressing, sause, salad, cheese and it's very good.

I like Christmas because you can give more to people and you can see parts of your family that you haven't seen in a while.

Thank you very much for reading my letter. I hope you enjoy it. I hope you have a great Christmas.

So this afternoon I took my lunch hour and bought him a basketball. I wanted to buy him more but was restricted to a $25 limit. I can safely say that buying this boy I don't even know one present will probably be the highlight of my Christmas season. Then again, my Christmas shoot didn't end up being a total bust, so I guess my Christmas spirit is slowly emerging. It's just taking a little longer than usual this year.

This One Is For Aunt Janet

2010-12-04T21:31:00.000-06:00

My Aunt Janet has told me she loves when I post pictures of Chicago on this blog. She is after all a big part of the reason I live here now. My Aunt Janet lived in the Chicago suburbs when I was younger, and whenever my mom asked what I wanted to do for my birthday I would always answer "Go see Aunt Janet in Chicago." As a result I fell in love with this city at a young age and vowed to move here one day.

I am here now, and I love this city - my city - just as much as I did as a middle school girl. I love it so much that on Sundays when I have nothing planned, I'll wander its' streets and document it with my camera.

Stick a Fork In It

2010-11-26T22:24:00.002-06:00

Mike and I spent this Thanksgiving snuggled up at home. We opted not to head to Michigan or Wisconsin this year. So that meant I wouldn't just be able to sit down to a Thanksgiving meal this year. This year, Mike and I were in charge of our own menu.

In light of this fact, and knowing our own culinary limits, we opted for some easy to prepare dishes: green beans from a can, pre-made rolls, store bought cranberry sauce, and a prosciutto-wrapped pork loin in lieu of turkey. Don't let the pork loin fool you. It's crazy easy to make. However, it wouldn't feel like Thanksgiving to me without mashed potatoes, and Mike felt the same way about pumpkin pie. Lucky for me, Mike makes awesome mashed potatoes. Unlucky for me, I was stuck making a pumpkin pie. My first ever attempt on a very high pressure pie making day.

So here I bring you, Amy's 15 easy steps for making pumpkin pie.

1.) Find the easiest pumpkin pie recipe you can.
God bless All Recipes. I was able to find two recipes that would do - both listing pre-made crust as an ingredient. God bless pre-made crust. So I used the ingredients from this recipe and added the amount of vanilla extract listed in this one. I thought the vanilla might add a little something.

2.) Thaw your crust.

While pre-made crust is a gift from God and Trader Joe's, it still takes time. You can't just take it out of the freezer and start baking. It needs time to thaw. About 1.5 hours to be exact. I got a little impatient 45 minutes in and tried to see how pliable my crust was. It was not and snapped in half. Thankfully the pre-made crust I bought had two crusts in the box. I suggest you buy a package containing two pre-made pie crusts as well.

3.) Assemble ingredients.
Thankfully, I picked an easy recipe so this step did not take long.

4.) Place thawed pre-made crust in pie pan.

This step is as simple as peeling back the cellophane layers that cover the pie crust and putting it in the pan. I tore a little bit of the excess crust off the edges to try and make them more even. I used the excess edges to fill in the spots on the bottom of the pan that seemed thinner.

5.) Attempt to get fancy.

This step entails taking a fork and trying to make pretty indentations on the rim of the pie crust. I tried. It looked ok. But I decided not to devote too much time to this. Ultimately I cared more how my pie tasted than how it looked.

6.) Try your best to ignore the cute dog making sad puppy eyes in the kitchen.

This will be difficult but you must press on. You have a pie to make!

7.) Break two eggs in a bowl and whisk them.

That's really it for this step. No witty commentary necessary. I honestly took longer taking a photo of this step then I spent actually doing it.

8.) Put all remaining ingredients in to the bowl and stir.

I figured this might be where the recipe would get complicated, but much to my surprise, it was not. I thought I might have to mix things separately or add them in a certain order. Not so. Really this step is measure, dump and mix.

9.) Realize what time it is and open a bottle of wine.

In this case, it was 2:07 p.m. And the wine was this great bottle of Merlot that Mike and I got at the Leelanau Cellars while we were at Kristin and Galen's wedding.

10.) Pour contents of bowl into your pre-made crust.

I tasted the pie mixture just to make sure it tasted like pumpkin pie. Much to my surprise, it did, so I poured it in.

11.) Take your mom's advice and dig out your cookie cutters.

I was talking to my mom earlier in the morning. I told her of my planned attempt to make a pumpkin pie. She assured me making pumpkin pie was really easy and even suggested a way for me to jazz up my pie. Since I bought two pre-made crusts, she said I should take the one I didn't plan on using and put some crust leaves on the top. Genius! The only problem was out of my tub of 100 cookie cutters (also courtesy of my mom), I couldn't find a single leaf. I found cutters for trophies, fire trucks, bats, dinosaurs, but no leaves. I finally settled on the pumpkin cookie cutter. It made sense.

12.) Cut leftover crust and get to baking.

I cut my leftover crust and plopped my cutout smack dab in the middle of my pie. And then I held my breath hoping it wouldn't sink into my pie. It did not, so I shoved it into my pre-heated 425 degree oven and set my kitchen timer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes the temperature needed to be turned down to 350 degrees. And since I'd been drinking wine, I knew I might need a reminder.

13.) Pet the dog that was making sad puppy eyes at you earlier.

Realize that sadly the puppy fell asleep sometime while you were making your pie.

14.) After 40 minutes, take the pie out of the oven.

Then stick a fork it in to see if it's done.

It is.

15.) Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at minimum 2 hours.

And in the meantime, eat your Thanksgiving dinner.

My dinner was quite good by the way. It wasn't traditional. There wasn't a turkey. There wasn't stuffing. There wasn't a green bean casserole. But there was me and my man sitting at our table and eating by candle light. That's not a practice we do often enough, so for that I gave thanks. And honestly, for so many other things. I have much to give thanks for. I hope you do too.

Jack is Back

2010-11-14T21:58:00.000-06:00

It really doesn't get much better than this: A warm fall day, yellow and red leaves on the trees, a soft setting sun and the cutest little boy that ever did live. That is right Jack (JACK!) is back, and is as cute as ever. See for yourself.

Jack is a huge fan of Cheerios, so I'm pleased they made an appearance in the photos. In true Jack form, he was full of smiles, even with a mouthful of Cheerios.

Like said, it doesn't get much better than that.

Leaves and Lashes

2010-11-07T19:49:00.000-06:00

I'm not gonna lie. Some shoots are easier than others. I would not put Colin's shoot in the easy category.

Colin is a rambunctious little kid. He's definitely not the type to sit, look at the camera and smile. In fact, I think I was only able to get that type of shot one time before he ran off in search of something to fix. I, however, didn't mind him being on the move because I loved his adventurous spirit. And his lashes. Colin has some beautiful eyelashes.

Colin has an equally rambunctious dog (who's name escapes me right now). Getting the two of them in a photo proved difficult but I managed to snap a few.

We started at his home and then ventured down the street to his neighborhood park.

Thankfully the park was full of colorful leaves. Leaves which Colin loved throwing around and playing in.

I loved this shoot. I loved hanging out with Colin and his family on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. It really was a Chicago fall day at its finest.

Tyler

2010-10-31T20:24:00.000-05:00

It took a couple months and quite a few emails to finally get a date that worked for Tyler's shoot. And when the date finally came, the fall sky was gray and overcast. Thankfully Tyler has some crazy blue eyes that brightened up almost every photo. And just as his mom promised he would be, he was in great spirits throughout the whole shoot.

On our cloudy day, we wandered all in and around Millennium Park. For the most part, our backgrounds were the gray and blues of the buildings and greens of the grass where ever I could find it. And then out of nowhere, we came across this patch of colorful flowers. It was an absolute photographic gold mine.

We ended our session at The Bean, as you can see from the above pics. I have been to The Bean several times and on a couple different shoots now. I've taken quite a few photos of it from several different angles, but none of them compare to the shot below. I am absolutely in love with it.

One Of My Favorites

2010-10-17T20:22:00.000-05:00

During the month of October, I've had three great shoots with three little boys and their families. I'm still working on getting them all squared away, but once I do, I'll be more than ready to share them all on the blog. And after this weekend, I am a whole heck of a lot closer to doing that.

One of those cute little boys was none other than Jack! I edited some of his photos tonight and was grinning ear to ear. I've grown to really adore Jack and his parents. I met this family first through a friend, and over our three shoots together I've gotten to know them. And trust me when I say they are great people.

I was most certainly looking forward to this shoot. And I am most certainly excited to share this shoot. But this one shot, I just had to share now.

More to come!

Picture Perfect

2010-10-15T23:01:00.001-05:00

As my little business grows I find myself constantly having to make decisions about how much to let it grow. One of those decisions came in the form of having somewhere more professional to display my work than Flickr. Sure, Flickr is nice, and I actually use it to upload most every photo that goes on this blog. But I also didn't like how public and unprofessional it felt.

I started toying with the idea a while ago about selling some of my travel photos on Etsy. And while I do think Etsy is a great place to do that, logistically it just didn't make sense for me. I'd still need to find someone to print my photos and then find an easy way to ship them.

Enter Zenfolio. I now have a print site that is hosted by Zenfolio.

The beauty of Zenfolio is that I can upload and display my photos, but I can also sell professional, high quality prints from it. I've started using it as a way for my clients to preview their photos online. And yesterday, I got my very first ever print order from it. That was thrilling to say the least. I have officially sold prints! It also allows me to change the settings so people can download their photos directly from my site. This has made the single biggest difference in my little business because I don't burn CDs anymore (I hate CDs), and I no longer have to wait in line at the post office to mail out CDs (I hate the post office).

I also like Zenfolio because it give me a platform to sell prints of my non-photo shoot photos. The stuff I snap here and there that catches my eye. That used to be the only type of photography I posted on this blog, but my how times have changed. I still take those types of photos, and I still want to share them. I hope to start posting them more regularly on my print site, and when I do, I'll let you know. But what you could do to help me out is let me know if I'm missing anything. I put my favorites in the art prints section of my Zenfolio site, but I know I'm missing some. So if you have ever seen a photo on this site that you would like to see on my print site, let me know in the comments. And if you think you might want to purchase any of my prints, let me know. I might have a little discount code for you. Yeah, my print site does that too.

So without further ado, please go check out my print site, found here.

I took the following photo a Galen and Kristin's wedding. It's currently the desktop photo on my laptop, and guess what? It's going on my print site.

Kristin and Galen's Wedding - Part The End

2010-10-02T16:27:00.005-05:00

I am kind of sad that this is my last post of Kristin and Galen's photos. I have had such a great time reliving this wedding while putting together these posts.

This last post is photos from their affair downstate. After we finished celebrating on the shores of northern Michigan, we took the party south to Kalamazoo. Kristin and Galen wanted to share their wedding celebration with more people than the resort would hold, so they brought their reception to the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts and finished celebrating in style.

This next photo is one of my absolute favorites. I saw this stairwell and knew there was a good photo to be had there.

Kristin and Galen, a million thanks to you.

Thank you for introducing me to your fantastic friends and family. Thank you for making me feel so welcome and such a part of your family. Thank you for hosting such a beautiful event. You made my job very easy. Thank you for being so relaxed and at ease in front of my camera. Again, you made my job very easy. But most importantly, thank you for having the faith in me to photograph your wedding day(s). I was honored. I still am honored. Yours truly was an event I will never forget.

Kristin and Galen's Wedding - Part 2

2010-09-23T22:23:00.001-05:00

One of the most amazing things about Kristin and Galen's wedding was seeing the interaction of their two families. As much as this wedding was about Kristin and Galen's unity, it was about their families uniting too.

This actually wasn't the first wedding Kristin and Galen were in together. You see, they have known each other for quite some time, having first met when they were kids. Their moms have been friends for decades. So while yes, this weeding was about Kristin and Galen becoming husband and wife it was also about the families officially becoming a family. And it truly was a beautiful thing to watch, especially since there were so many helping hands making it all come together.

And yes, I know what you're thinking. I do have some very photogenic friends.

So yeah, I should have warned you that was going to be a long post. The next one should be too. It's the reception! Coming soon(ish)!

Kristin and Galen's Wedding - Part 1

2010-09-19T20:50:00.000-05:00

When Kristin and Galen's multi-day wedding was over, I asked Kristin if her wedding was the best wedding she'd ever been too. She emphatically said yes. And it's not hard to see why. This wedding was simple, perfect, joyous and a true celebration of the unity of this couple and their families.

I am honored that Kristin and Galen chose me to capture their wedding day. And capture it I did. I took close to 2,000 photos and when it's all said and done, I'll be turning most of them over to Kristin and Galen. I'm going to do my best here not to share all of them on this here blog. But since there is so much, I'll probably devote my next few blog posts to this wedding.

What follows are photos of the resort where everyone stayed, the rehearsal and a late night jam session on the beach the night before the wedding. It is my hope, that these photos truly reflect the happiness and joy that surrounded this wedding and these few days we all spent hunkered down in the north woods of Michigan.

Normally I post a few photos in black and white, however, I just felt the color in these photos was generally too good to erase. These next two though, fit as black and whites.

Early on Wednesday morning Galen and Kristin headed down to the water to check out some visual of their wedding day set up. As they walked back toward the resort, they first walked side by side and then, almost as if magnetized, linked up and walked the rest of the way wrapped in an embrace. They were separate and then together. Rather symbolic of the journey they took that week.

Up next (hopefully soon) - the wedding day!

Editing

2010-09-11T23:35:00.000-05:00

September and October are shaping up to be pretty busy months, photo wise and in my personal life. In the meantime, I'm working away at editing photos - lots and lots of photos. I'm really hoping I'll have some blog posts of the wedding up soon, but in the meantime, I am really enjoying the editing process. I'm enjoying it mainly because I'm coming upon photos that look like this.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend. You can guess how I'm currently spending mine.

Putting My Skills to Good Use

2010-09-06T16:21:00.001-05:00

Ever since moving to Chicago, I've been on the hunt for volunteer opportunities. Unfortunately for one reason or another, I never have volunteered in the city. That's not to say there aren't great non-profit organizations in Chicago. Quite the opposite. If anything, there are too many, and when researching my options I've become overwhelmed quickly. I've never gotten beyond that step. Well with a simple email exchange a few weeks ago, I think I'm now officially a volunteer.

When Mike and I fostered Taylor, we began exchanging emails with the rescue organizaton's owner, Bridgid. She was checking in frequently to see how we were all adjusting. During those first few weeks she became an invaluable resource as Mike and I tried to understand our new family member. In one of our email exchanges, of course, I had to send some pics of Taylor in his new home.

After one such email, Bridgid, complimented me on my photography skills. I thanked her and mentioned that if she ever needed a photographer that I was available. That's how I came to photograph four Project Rescue pups yesterday.

Project Rescue at any given time as at least a handful of dogs available for adoption. Bridgid and I worked together yesterday to corral and photograph four of them to put updated pics on Project Rescue's site. And surprisingly, I didn't take any of them home with me. It was tough though. Look at these faces.

I'm most likely going to start doing this once a month. And next Saturday, I'll be photographing an event they are having in the city. So just like that, I'm volunteering. It feels really good to be using my skills to help a great organization and sweet little puppy faces. And honestly, if any of my photos can inspire someone to go see one of these dogs, I'd be over the moon with excitement.

So of course, I have to say if you live in or near Chicago and are thinking about getting a dog, please contact Project Rescue. They do great things, like save my dog Taylor from a certain death sentence.

Little Boy Blue

2010-09-03T23:25:00.000-05:00

I first met Liam about six months ago, and I was immediately enamored by his startingly blue eyes. I loved them so much that they are featured pretty prominently on my photography site. It wasn't just his eyes though. He had a sweet, jovial attitude and was content just to stare at my camera for minutes at a time.

Well in six months time, this little guy has learned to not only walk, but run. We hung out at Montrose Beach on a sunny summer evening. We explored the sand, played on boats and Liam did his best to rundown some seagulls. He didn't manage to catch any, but I certainly was able to capture him with my lens. And my lens, loves Liam.

The only problem I had with Liam's shoot is that he's at a stage where he sticks his tongue out a lot. I have several shots where his mouth is wide open in a grin and his tongue is hanging out. I called it his Kiss face, because it looks like this:

I would like to thank who ever named this boat and then left it sitting on the beach that day.

There were a few references to Liam's family in this shoot. The first is a wooden tug boat. It was Liam's grandpa's toy originally, and Liam is the third generation to play with it.

The other family item in this shoot was this Dr. Seuss book. It was a gift from Liam's grandma, who sadly passed away not too long before this shoot. I hope some day Liam looks back at this photos and thinks of a grandma who I am sure loved him very much.

Thank you so much Liam and Ellie. I'm already looking forward to our next shoot.

Moments from An Amazing Wedding Week

2010-08-28T11:44:00.002-05:00

I have take more than 1,500 photos so far for my dear friend Kristin's wedding. It has been beautiful, each and every moment. I'm bursting with pride for this amazing couple and a few of the images I've captured of them. So much so, that I couldn't help sharing these little snippets of their wedding day.

Expect at least three blog posts about this wedding to come. There's so much more.

A Couple Things that Make Me Happy

2010-08-19T21:40:00.000-05:00

Two things I love: Sunsets and little blond hair, blue-eyed boys.

So it's pretty safe to say I enjoyed this shoot. I hope to post more soon, but I don't guarantee anything. I'm on vacation next week and will have more wedding photos to blog than I can probably handle when I get back. Please stay tuned. Amazingness is on the way.

Walking and Working It

2010-08-15T22:10:00.001-05:00

I feel like my life is a little different these days. To say that having Mr. T has changed my life and my daily routine is an understatement. Things are different with a dog and not necessarily for better or worse, just different.

I now regularly wake up before 6:30 a.m. In fact most days, by 6:30 a.m. I'm already out walking the dog. Early last week, the ball of my right foot started hurting. I came home, put an ice pack on it and contemplated how I could make it feel better immediately because I have a dog that needs to walk.

Later that night when I took Taylor out, I realized my sandals were doing my feet no favors. It's no wonder though that my feet are reacting to the lack of support in my shoes. I now on average walk about 4 miles a day. Between my commute to and from work and the two walks a day T and I go on, I generally log anywhere from 4 to 5 miles each and every day. I have not been to my gym in months. I really don't feel the need and honestly will probably cancel my membership when it expires in October. Between the dog and my free gym at work, I just don't see me having any reason to hold a membership I don't use.

The dog has also had an unexpected effect on the way I view Mike and our relationship. Having this dog that doesn't always choose to listen and has no idea what is in his best interest has really forced us to communicate a lot more than I anticipated. Mike and I have discussed every aspect of our dog's behavior since getting him and have become dog psychologists in the meantime. But I have been pleasantly surprised so see that as far as dog parenting has gone, we've been on the same page the entire way. I try not to ever compare my animals to kids, but at the same time I can't help thinking that this bodes well for any future child rearing we may do.

My life has not been entirely about the dog though. My sister was in town this past weekend. We did a lot of girly things, including shopping for dresses we didn't need, splitting an entire pitcher of sangria over a tapas dinner, lounging on the beach this afternoon and making the winning dress in the toilet paper bride game we played at a bridal shower on Saturday. I can work a toilet paper wedding gown. The weekend was a lot of fun, but I also think I'll be going to bed within the half hour. I am beat.

At this point though, I just need to make it through this week. As of Friday afternoon Mike and I will be on vacation. We're packing up the Jeep on Monday morning, dropping the dog off for boarding and heading up Michigan's west coast for the wedding of a fantastic couple. It will be my first week-long vacation in over a year. It will be my and Mike's first vacation together this year. And it will be the first time I think a vacation will truly feel like a vacation. Because on vacation there will be no 6 a.m. dog walks. The only think I plan on doing at 6 a.m. is sleeping.

Folk and Roots, A Retrospective

2010-08-08T21:14:00.002-05:00

I haven't had a photo shoot in over a month. That's the first time this has happened this entire year. And while normally, I might be a little sad over that fact, truth is I'm not. It's summer. I have a new pup. Mike and I have been working on getting our home presentable so hopefully in a few months time we can move out to something a little bigger. My personal life has become a little too hectic for shoots.

The thing that actually worries me right now is that I have five people with whom I've corresponded regarding setting up a shoot - one that was scheduled for last Sunday and got cancelled last minute. I'm worried that they are all going to email me tomorrow and say this coming Saturday is the only day that works for them. Truth is, I'd love to not have another shoot until September. I've got the wedding at the end of this month and I'd love nothing more than to have it be the only thing I need to focus on for the time being.

The good thing about not having shoots to edit is that I've finally gotten around to some of the personal stuff I shot over the past month. The weekend of July 10, Mike's mom was in town. This also was the weekend of the Folk and Roots Festival - my favorite of all the Chicago festivals. We grabbed our lawn chairs, parked ourselves right in the middle of the lawn and settled in for the day. The music was fantastic as always, but that was the first weekend Chicago got really hot. And given there was no shade on the lawn, the most we could do was fan ourselves with the programs and pray for a passing cloud to stick around for a bit.

I only took my zoom lens to this event, and I didn't move around a whole lot. I challenged myself to really observe my surroundings from my seat and take photos of what I thought were representative of the day. I've really been trying to work on telling a story with my photos, and I think this collage below does just that.

Blueberries and Apricots

2010-08-01T20:15:00.002-05:00

It has been a week since I posted. I am happy to say that's not the norm for me lately. But these past few weeks have not been normal, what with the home improvements and adjusting to life with our newest family member. But I have had nothing short of a fantastic weekend, full of good weather, walks with my pup and drinks with my man. I even took a nap today. Slowly but surely, life has returned to normal. It was this weekend that allowed me to feel like I finally hit the reset button and am mentally back on track.

When I left you, I was on my way to a bridal shower in less than 10 hours. Well I went to the bridal shower, and it was absolutely lovely. The shower was at the bride's mom's home in Kalamazoo, Michigan (a short Amtrak ride from Chicago). The bride's mom lives on beautiful gardened acreage, and we had spectacular weather to boot. Being I live in a concrete jungle of sorts, it's amazing to me that I can take a two hour train ride and be surrounded by sprawling beautiful nature.

This bridal shower was for none other than my dear friend Kristin, the same Kristin whose wedding I will be photographing at the end of this month. To say I am excited for this wedding is an understatement. I know it will be beautiful in a thousand different ways. I feel like I can't lose given that I'm working with an amazing couple, in an amazing setting. They are getting married in northern Michigan on a secluded lakefront property that will be overtaken by this wedding and its guests. It will be small and intimate, and I know just full of thoughtful and beautiful touches. Kristin wouldn't do it any other way.

I also am excited because it will be the first full week I've had off work since last August and also the first vacation Mike and I will be taking together this year. Given the location of the wedding and reception, Mike and I are turning the wedding into a tour of the west side of Michigan. I happen to love the west side and Mike hasn't seen much of it.

But back to the shower. The maid of honor, (whom you may recognize, as she a regular around these parts by now) threw the shower using blueberries and apricots as the main decor focus. I am now in love with this color combo.

This shower also was for Kristin a homecoming of sorts. She has spent the past two years living abroad in Australia (JEALOUS!) with her fiance. This was the first time I'd seen her in months, as well as a lot of the other people in attendance. I am certain she was thrilled to have so many close friends and family members all in the same room. These are the types of events she longed for while living halfway around the world. And I think I can speak for everyone there, that it's great to have her back.

Thank you ladies for putting on such a beautiful shower. I absolutely cannot wait to see you all again for the wedding festivities.

Home Sweet Home

2010-07-24T22:26:00.001-05:00

I wanted to write a long and flowery post about our home renovations, and getting T back in our home and how it's all home sweet home now, but I just can't at the moment. I'm getting on a train to Michigan in about 10 hours for a whirlwind half day visit, and I am flat out exhausted already. I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in over a week with all the changes going on over here. But the changes have been good. Good and draining.
I figure pictures will tell the story of our remodel better than I can right now, so I'm just going to do what I do best - show you all some pictures.

The sad thing about this remodel is that I didn't document the before of our home all that well. I think the best before is probably in my Bertha post, so go check it out. The during however, was photo-worthy.

It's a little unsettling to say the least to come home to a home with no ceiling. This was Tuesday night.

You can see in these pics the recessed lighting Mike installed. I had no idea he could do electrical work until this project. I was mighty proud.

The great thing about this ceiling redo was that it forced us to make improvements we had wanted to for a while. Recessed lighting was one of those improvements. In the meantime though, we lived in a plastic palace.

I took Friday off work to repaint our main living room. Repainting is something I have wanted to do since the day I moved in. I hated the paint color and how impossible it was to clean. Mike and I spent Thursday night prepping and priming our walls so I could start bright and early on Friday.

This is the very, very beginning of our remodel taking shape.

And here my dear friends is the finished result.

The main wall color is not a terribly dramatic shift (the blue wall is!), but to Mike and I who used to see every bump, scrape, and divot in the walls, fresh, clean walls are a novelty. We're hoping we can keep them this clean for a while.

Also, I love, love, love the recessed lighting. Believe it or not lighting has always been one of Mike and I's hot button issues. Our new lighting may have solved that.

I swear those photos are straight. I think it's the lens or me.

So that's it.

Or well not. I am afraid to say we still are not done. We've become the people that touch up some paint and somehow end up remodeling their entire home. We don't plan to remodel our entire home. I don't think our checkbooks or patience could handle that. However, our list of home improvements is still expanding, not shrinking. But for right now, we're just grateful that nothing has to be done at the moment. It's time to enjoy our home sweet home.

Lessons with Mr. T

2010-07-18T13:13:00.001-05:00

Mike and I will (reluctantly) be taking Taylor back to the shelter today. He, Mike and I all have a big week ahead.

Mike and I are dealing with minor home improvements Monday, Tuesday and hopefully not Wednesday. When the roof was redone on our building a few months ago, the ceiling in our condo suffered some minor damage. The roofers are repairing it free of charge, but Mike and I need to do some furniture rearrangement today which includes moving our big ass dining room table into the second bedroom. The second bedroom has basically been T's room since he moved in.

So we've got that going on, and then on Wednesday, Mr. T's going to the doctor for a couple injections for his heart worm and possibly the loss of his manhood. Mike has already apologized to T several times for the eventual ball snipping.

Please don't do it man!

We'll take him to the shelter today and then not pick him up until Saturday most likely. It will be almost an entire week he'll be away from us. And I know we've had him with us for less than a week now, but it seems like a very long time to be away from our dog. And yes, he's totally our dog. Mike and both already dropped the L bomb.

In this very short amount of time, we feel like we've gotten to know this big floppy mutt pretty well. For instance:
- He loves goat cheese. I found very early on that the only way he'd take his morning and evening pills was if they were covered in a thin layer of goat cheese.
- He loves stretching. When he fully stretches out, he looks like he's flying and we call him Super Dog.
- He does not like sleeping alone. The first night we had him we set up his crate in the second bedroom and shut the door. He whined and barked until Mike finally gave up and slept on the floor next to his crate. He's slept in our room in his crate ever since and has done just fine.
- He doesn't bark. Like ever. The only time was the first night when we shut him alone in the second bedroom.
- Squirrels are his favorite. If given the chance, he would chase them until his heart gave out.
- He's smart. Our biggest concern with Taylor was by far the cats and his reaction to them. At first, he was incredibly interested and excited by them. After a few days of our training him, he stopped and now pays barely any attention to them.
- He's gassy. Dude's got some really smelly farts and could totally prove a worthy opponent to Mike in a burping contest.
- He loves other dogs, a lot.
- He love people, a lot.
- He loves Mike and I above everything and everyone else.
- The feeling's pretty mutual.

Mr. T Minus Six Minutes

2010-07-13T21:21:00.001-05:00

Internet, meet Taylor.

Taylor, this is the Internet.

Taylor is the newest member of my and Mike's home - now also known as the crazy pet emporium.

We first heard about Taylor through one of my coworkers. She volunteers with this great organization called Project Rescue here in Chicago. She knew Mike and I had been looking a little more seriously into adopting a dog and suggested we think about fostering Taylor as a way to get our feet wet. We met him yesterday and immediately fell in love with his personality and fluffy face.

The rescue owner said Taylor was brought to a shelter by his owner (who claimed not to know him). The shelter had a high kill rate and Projct Rescue swooped in and saved Taylor six minutes before he was scheduled to be no more. His previous owner kept him outdoors most of the time, so at his first visit to the vet, they had to remove six ticks from T. Hence, his awesome haircut. He's part chow and possibly collie, so he's definitely sporting a summer 'do at the moment. At the vet, he also tested positive for heartworm. But since he's only a year and a half old (they think), he's expected to make a full recovery. But he needs a good home to relax and recover in. That's where we come in.

Before we even met Taylor we decided to shorten his name to T. But you can call him Mr. T. I'm sure this isn't the last you'll be seeing of him around these parts. And I'm also pretty sure this foster situation is going to turn into a premanent residency.

Oh and in case you're wondering, the cats are adjusting. Some better than others.

Oscar has not left this chair since we brought T home. And yes, he is a drooling mess in that photo.

Scouting

2010-07-11T22:20:00.001-05:00

I took my lunch hour a few weeks ago to scout photo locations just beyond the high foot traffic of Millennium Park. I found a fantastic little gem that really didn't look like it belonged in downtown Chicago - a tunnel of trees right next to Lake Shore Drive. I'm so glad I found it because it became the backdrop of some of my favorite photos from Konrad's shoot. Here's a little sneak peek.

I gave his parents a little sneak peek of the second pic during their shoot. His mom seemed pretty thrilled with it. She said they hadn't gotten any laughing photos of Konrad yet. I felt honored to be the first one to capture his smile.

July Fourth Weekend: A Retrospective

2010-07-11T19:43:00.000-05:00

Mike and I spent July 4th weekend hanging out in Wisconsin with several of his nieces and nephews. It rained most of the weekend, but we all managed to have a lot of fun regardless. I took a lot of pictures over July 4th weekend. Here are a few of them.

Dark Curls and Brown Eyes

2010-07-06T20:54:00.005-05:00

That first photo, I think it's my favorite. But I can't really tell. Zoe and her family were such wonderful subjects that I have a hard time choosing. Zoe was a happy, little seven-month-old with dark curls and brown eyes. A killer combo. See:

Having done as many kids' shoots as I have now, I am well-acquainted with Sophie the giraffe. As you can see, Zoe and Sophie were pretty well-acquainted too.

Zoe lives in a beautiful home (not too far from my own) that has been in her father's family for generations. We of course had to get some pics of it as well. I love this next photo because I think it's probably how they would look most days. Ok, maybe they were a little more well dressed than usual. But it looks like a real moment anyone would have sitting on their front porch.

We went back indoors for Zoe's contractual 15 minute snack break and then got a few more smiles out of her before we all called it quits.

By the way, the photo on the left is a three generations photo. I just love generation photos.

April, PJ and Zoe, it was an absolute joy. I hope to see you all around the neighborhood real soon.