Just another day...

As she walks down the beach, a slight breeze blows through her hair and sun is shining warmly on her face. The tide is coming in and the waves are splashing against her ankles while the wet, warm sand squishes between her toes with each step. She sighs to herself and thinks how this is just the perfect place to be. She turns her head towards the ocean and can taste the salt water with each wave as it crashes towards the shore. Looking towards the horizon, she sees the dolphins doing an acrobatic show just for her. As she pulls her skirt around her legs, she takes a seat just at the water's edge to enjoy her surroundings before the sun completely sets and wonders if she could move here and start her business over. Since she was three years old, she has loved the ocean and the peaceful feeling it gives her to sit on the beach. Leaning her head back to allow the last few minutes of the sun to shine on her face, she senses someone is walking towards her and is able to tell who it is by the smell of his cologne. He places his hand lovingly on her shoulder and she tilts her head to allow her cheek to rest on the back of his hand as she hears the voice of Abu the store owner in her ear.........TIME TO WAKE UP SLEEPY HEAD! SCREECH SCREECH SCREECH WAKEY WAKEY. Ugh! The alarm clock has sounded its annoying tone at 530am. The alarm clock that her husband thought was hilarious because of all the annoying voices that it plays....sounds that you could not sleep through or ignore when it was time to get up. Well, there goes my wonderful dream. Darrell is up like a champ to get ready for his 24 hour shift at the fire house and I just want to go back to sleep. Which I did as he showered, woke up when he kissed my forehead good bye and drifted back to sleep for a few seconds and woke to him closing the front door. Ok, I can go back to sleep for just a little bit longer. Maybe I can get back into my dream. Just as I felt myself drifting away, it was not the cool breeze by the ocean that I felt on my face. It was the hot stinky breath of the dogs. Granted only two of them can stand beside the bed to breathe in my face, Pete, the corgi, has to jump up on the bed and plant himself on my chest. Not only do I get his hot breath but also a paw to the side of my face. You can just hear him saying, "Hey you...Human! Get up, I have to pee." Maybe I can just ignore them and they will give up and go back to sleep. No such luck. They know I am awake and start body slamming the bed. Ok, Ok, I am up. As soon as I move to sit up and put on my slippers, the dogs are doing a dance. I haven't quite figured out if its the pee pee dance or hurray Mom is up dance. Either way, all three are all over me and under foot. If I don't move fast enough, Shadow, the rott, gooses me in the rear...an indication I need to hurry up. Outside they all go and I come back in to fix myself a cup of tea to enjoy on the front porch watching the sun come up and thinking how lucky I am to be here. A few hours pass and I head to the post office. I watched as the clerk wrote down the date....oh my! It's my birthday! I completely forgot. Oh well, just another day. The best seat in the house!! I needed to see over the heads of the family members that gathered outside the church waiting for the new couple to emerge through the wall of bubbles that were being blown in their direction... so I climbed in the back of the couples truck! Nice thought on my birthday....this was the Red Hat Society parade entry in Delaware.

Sticking my nose where it shouldn't be

Have you ever sat back and thought what the heck were you thinking when you did this or said that? Well, today is one of those days for me. I have two friends that I really care about and thought "hey why not introduce them to each other?" Both are in the medical field and have that as well as personalities in common. Both are strong willed, opinionated, head strong, etc etc. Ok I know....two head strong personalities may cause for some clashing BUT it will be entertaining for the rest of us to watch....right? I really do hope they can at least be friends that can hang out together and have fun. I AM NOT PLAYING MATCH MAKER!! Let me repeat that...I AM NOT PLAYING MATCH MAKER. (wiping sweat from brow that is forming due to nervousness.) (Hope you are reading this J and M....I am not playing match maker.) I just think you two could be great friends to hang out with. And if you don't get a long (cheeks turning red and hanging head in shame as perspiration forms on the pits of my shirt and forehead) IT IS NOT MY FAULT! Love you two!

Three Sweeties in the Trees

I sure love my job! Great places, great people, what else could I ask for? Well, that Hummer I really want! Red, leather seats, sun roof, etc, etc, oh to dream...... Great view of the falls after a rain.

These three were so much fun to photograph! They never complained when they had to walk through mud or sit on the ground or for that matter act like they liked each other!! Natural posers.

Love the attitude

Well, I asked Sarah for some attitude and this is what I got! Love it!!

Aren't kids just awesome? I love my job!

Kids are awesome!

This little princess is Gabrielle who was so kind to grace me with her presence and allow me to photograph her. (Her parents were sweethearts too.) Anyway, Miss Gabrielle was not happy when her mommy got out of view so she presented a nice challenge. But you know what? That's ok. I had fun and I think we captured some great poses!

I like to take my time with everyone that comes in. Whether its the child who is not at all happy about being there. Or the teenage girl who must fix her hair and makeup every 5 minutes. It's all good!

When you go into one of the retail chain located photo studios, you are whisked in and out within 15 minutes. You get the "Hi, my name is and I will be your photographer today" speech, shake hands and then follow them in. About 3 poses later you are whisked out so the next appointment can come in. After a few minutes, you are able to view your poses on the computer and then you receive the "Oh I just love this one. Here is what it would look like if you bought the BIG package or we can change the color or put it in this layout." Once you fall in love with a certain layout then you are told "that only comes in the BIG $$ package. It's all about the money there. Just like anyone, you have to make a certain amount to pay the bills and to keep the business going but why at such a high price? I was told that if a manager does not fulfill a certain quota for that store, then they are reassigned.....let go....fired....replaced.....etc. They sucker you in with the $10 or $25 package knowing someone will buy the big $$ package. I think everyone (yeah probably being selfish here) should look at their local hometown professional photographer who does this to make you happy, to work within a career they love and of course, probably to make some money on the side to pay the bills. But you know, I do this for the love of making someone happy with their photos without rushing them through the process and if you want to buy the BIG package from me, I won't stop you. But I won't pressure you into it and I will take my time to get the poses you are happy with. If it takes an hour, fine....no 15 minute rush jobs here.

He did what?!

I cannot believe it! My husband, who seems pretty indifferent to what I do on the computer, asked, "What the heck is with the photo of my boots?" After I picked my chin up from the floor and tried to compose myself, I asked if he read my blog. "Yeah and what's with the boots?" he asked again. I still didn't answer him because I was amazed, no shocked beyond belief that he read my blog. OMG, break out the party favors, he actually read my blog! Or did he just look at the pictures? Oh who cares? He took the time to show his fellow firefighters my web site and then looked at my blog. I told him everything is fair game when I have the camera out. He just shook his head and said he didn't think his boots were photo quality but he did like what I did with them. I still cannot believe he LOOKED AT MY BLOG!

Caren and Eric's Wedding

"I look like a dork", was the statement I heard as I walked into the dressing room. Curious to see who said it, I peeked around the corner to see this cute little five year old getting her hair curled. Trying not to giggle too loud, I asked why she thought she was a dork. "Look at my hair...its curled." All the females in wedding party were busy getting ready and they all had their hair done in the similar style curls. The maid of honor said, "Well look the photographer fits in with us because she has curls." With this I asked the little girl if I was a dork too. Without hesitation she piped up with "Yep" with her now curly hair bobbing up and down. This was going to be a fun day! :-) It was fun to listen to the 4, 5, and 6 year old little girls being told the rules of the day. The best one was when they were told they were not allowed to lift up anyone's dress especially the one who was going commando! Which the 5 year old pointed to the person who was not wearing any underwear. I thought I would wet myself with laughter on that one. This instruction took me back to when I got married. My 17 year old daughter who was 3 at the time, stood behind me during the ceremony lifting my dress up and down. I do believe there is a picture or video of this at someone's house. At least I had underwear on.....

More rantings from an old woman

I received this in an email today and all I can say is read it, think about it, and contemplate on where this nation of ours is going..... THIS WAS WRITTEN BY A SOLDIER IN IRAQ. Okay, I need to rant. I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael Jackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an entertainer who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent Millions, and he did a lot of things that make him a villain to people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn't the point of the rant.Why is it that when ONE man dies,the whole of America grieves the loss? When a man dies whose only contribution to the country was to entertain, the American people find the need to flock to a memorial in Hollywood, and even Congress sees the need to hold a "moment of silence" for passing? Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he's a freaking martyr because he entertained us for decades? What about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those Soldiers who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war,still raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United States of America. Where is their moment of silence? Where are people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over them because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a Soldier dies,there are more people saying "good riddance," and "thank God for IEDs?" When did this country become so calloused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a "Pop Icon?" I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They need to PUBLICLY recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people can live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE, those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for them. But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all,we will never make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies,or write hit songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood, sweat and tears so that people can enjoy what they have. Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it. Feel free to pass this along if you want. Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who is serving in the military;"So that others may live..." Just remember, Only two people have ever effectively given their lives for you; Jesus Christ and The American G.I. One died for your sins, the other died to give you freedom.

Pretty in PJs

Well, we have received many calls for boudoir photos and thought "why not". But I didn't feel it would be appropriate to have a portfolio of this type of photos located on the main website. What parent wants to search for a photographer to take their child's portrait and then look through a portfolio of sexy, yet classy, boudoir photos. So, if you are interested and would like to see this type of photography style you can visit our "Pretty in PJs" section at www.prettyinpjs.com. You must be 18 years old to schedule a photo session for this type of photography. On a side note, I just completed the finishing touches on the new website so it may not be available for viewing until the end of the week. So if you cannot see it, come back later. :-)

I'm melting!

Wow, is it hot! I felt like the wicked witch of the east from the Wizard of Oz screaming "I'mmmmm mmmmmeeeeelllllllttttting!" Of course the vision of flying monkeys came into mind and that wonderful saying of "I'll get you and your little dog too" when my assistant would not spray me with the hose that was located close by. Hummpf! How rude! Guess it wouldn't look very professional of me running around with a wet T-shirt taking photos of the lovely bride and groom to be. Well, I guess it depends on how you look at it and who is doing the looking. Shame on me. Anyway, it was a great day and it's only part over. Have a few more shoots this afternoon and cannot wait to do them!

Rantings of an old woman

I like to take time to get to know my clients either before or during their photo session. You know, the typical small talk about what they want to do in life and after high school. That is, if I am talking to a HS senior. While talking to a senior girl the other day, she got a little teary eyed when I asked her what she was going to be when she grew up. I felt terrible! All these things were running through my head at what would have made her cry with that question. She said that she didn't know. OMG! That's all? (I didn't say that out loud.) "It's ok", I told her. That is an awful big decision to make. Here you have been in school since you were 4-5 years old. If not sooner, if you went to preschool. You have never experienced life, I mean, really true grownup life and have always been under the protection and guidance (and don't forget the rules) of your parent or guardian. Now you are expected to decide on your own what you want to be when you grow up. Gee, I am (UGH) going to be 44 this month and I am still trying to figure out what I want to be! :-) I have two girls (21 and 17) and very proud of what they have accomplished in life and what they will accomplish as they progress into adulthood. I know from my own experience that you may set out on one direction in life and due to obstacles or fate, you turn towards another path. And that's ok. I wanted to be in commercial art/photography when I was in high school and then with "persuasion" from Dad, I ventured towards pre-med. Oh yeah, that was a mistake in judgement but I stayed in the medical field and became an EMT (emergency medical technician). Oh the love of the adrenaline rush was a great addiction. From there the only path I could see taking was becoming a nurse. (Dad said there was no career or money in photography.) So after 19 years, I have been an emergency room nurse and paramedic. BUT, I have always had a passion for photography and would pose my girls and then my nieces and nephews for portraits to give out at holidays. And then a sideline of photos for family and friends. It was a part-time "hobby" for the past 27 years. (Oh my that is a long time-probably longer than most of my clients have been alive.) For the past few years, the hobby has progressed into a part-time career that thrilled me to the bone. (Ok so the old woman is not up to date on the cool lingo.) I started rethinking what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to do a job that made me happy. Something that I didn't mind getting out of bed for. Of course, I reviewed the different paths I could take in the medical field. But why take on more responsibility of a career that I did not enjoy? When my dad's health started failing over the past year and right before his death this past January, I decided I needed to make a change in my life. I talked to him about it and he agreed, I needed to do what made me happy and not what other people (especially him) expected me to do. He never said he was proud of me to my face, but he ranted and raved to everyone else that he came into contact with. That all changed a few months before he died, he told me he was proud of me and would always be, no matter what I did. So here I am, ranting to cyber space and owning my own photography business. Wow! Am I happy! (I still work part time as an ER nurse....cannot give up the license and skills that I worked so hard to accomplish but I am so much happier with my life and the direction it is going.) Anyway, back to the main purpose of this ranting...you need to do what makes you happy in life. (But keep it legal and healthy.) And it's ok if you don't know what you want to be when you grow up. Take a breath, release the stress, you will know when the time comes which career path you want to take. Oh, parents, don't throw hard, sharp objects please. Just hug your kids and love them...no matter what.

Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Services!!

I am so excited!! We are now offering the services of a makeup artist and hairstylist that can be added to any package! Bonnie Rider from MaryKay will be providing your makeup application and the best part of it is.....you get to keep the makeup that is used! How exciting is that?! After you have scheduled your appointment with us you will contact Bonnie through her website and complete a survey. This way she will make sure she provides you with the appropriate products based on your answers. After completing this survey, make sure you contact Bonnie via email telling her that it was completed and when your appointment is. (I will tell her too about your appointment but she needs to know that you at least completed the survey.) Her website is www.marykay.com/brider and her email is brider@marykay.com. I am so excited to be able to offer this to you to make your photo session exciting and fun! Did I tell you that I was excited?!

Shame on me!

Wow! Have I been a bad blogger this past week. Well, technically it wasn't my fault. Every computer I signed on to would not allow me to post to the blog or just flat out would not go to the internet. I felt like a black cloud was over my head and the lighting from it was shorting out all the electrical equipment I came into contact with. Enough of the elaborate excuses!! Things seem to be back on track, at least for the moment. Hope you all had a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend. I was excited to have the weekend off! (As some of you know I am also an ER nurse and have been, ugh, for almost 19 years.) Spent the holiday at my sister's celebrating my nephews 12th birthday and spending some time with family. Actually got a few pictures with my nephew smiling. He typically growls and cringes when the camera is in front of him. (Had to be sneaky to get those pictures.) Well, enough babbling. Have a great summer!