change is good!

black was bringing me down and to
be frank this is the time of year,
it seems, that i make changes in my
life (except my divorce in may of
’92 which just simply couldn’t wait!)
besides, i wanted this to resemble
my new website that i am currently
working on changing as well.
hope you like it.

i attended the most aMAzing seminar
last night. i don’t even know where
to start. this was a jam~packed
3 1/2 hour program! all about light
creatively demonstrated by clay blackmore
and some incredible photoshop wizardry
by a woman by the name of jane conner-ziser.
if you could not attend last night i
strongly recommend that you find another
city so that you not miss this opportunity!
click here and go. don’t miss it!

okay, i have to share that i got
an e-mail from a bride whose wedding
i shot in august for bella. she found
me and sent me a really lovely thank you.
she discovered that i was local and
intends on sending everyone my way directly.
pretty cool! thanks nikki, you are
sincerely welcome!!

2499 change is good!

eden prairie gets dumped on…

how much rain actually fell yesterday?
i don’t know but at times i could hardly
see across the street! we are certain
to have mushrooms come up in the lawn
any minute! saves me a trip to the store! icon wink eden prairie gets dumped on...

i finished up elena’s proofs yesterday.
here’s a few more…

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gearing up for a Bella wedding this saturday.
megan i are taking this one again.
here’s megan working at the kelley/orehek
wedding with me on 9/8.

5652 eden prairie gets dumped on...

i must say that when i don’t have a wedding
already scheduled to photograph under my own
name, i LOVE working for bella! for me, it
works. i have met and worked with some really
terrific photographers from all over and
the stuff we share like techniques and
equipment favorites etc….such fun!
i’ve made some lifelong friends and there
is sure to be more down the road.
and when the time comes to let it go…
i’ll be okay with that too. icon smile eden prairie gets dumped on...
thanks bella pictures, i’m in your corner.

rescheduling with corey, my web designer,
soon so that i can make that 2008 deadline
for myself…it’s all about goals right?
i’ll be certain to call for a re-launch in
january…it’ll be a big ‘ol bash for sure!

~today? finish something you started recently!

mario badescu…

tired of unsightly blemishes and
pimples that just invite you to pick
at them until you have to cancel out
on a fun night with your friends!?
well,if you are in your teens,
listen up..if you are in your 20′s or
30′s…have a seat. and if you are
like me, in your 40′s and dealing’
with one form or another of adult
acne…i’m sooooo sorry!
but not anymore! this is it people!
can you hear the angels singing?? icon smile mario badescu...

i did not see this on any infomercial.
altho’ that doesn’t mean there isn’t
one out there…
i actually think it might have been
in a recent issue of MORE magazine (?).
ANYway, it’s mario badescu.
there’s this little bottle that looks
like the contents have separated and
you need to shake it up…but OH NO!
you do NOT! you take a Q-tip (i like to
remove most of the cotton so as not to
waste this magic fluid of the skin Gods!)
and you dip it through the clear liquid
and pass into the pink “gunk” on the bottom.
it’s weird..but when you start to get
a pimple, you just plop this on at night
and VOILA! it’s just that pimple..i mean
simple!! to steal a phrase…
“the burn says it’s working!”

the cleanser is nummy, and the toner is too.
i actually got a kit and it came in a nice
kelly green tote and came with a tiny
sample bag…perfect for the gym an overnite
trip….about 80 bucks with shipping and
it arrived much sooner than i expected.
and when you are desperate and count the
minutes for a package to come and it
comes early..OMG!! right ladies???! icon smile mario badescu...
so go right now and check it out.
i think i will add a special link to my
“check these out” links at the top…

i just got anne & pete’s itinerary for paris.
they are going there first for pete, who
has business to attend to there and 2nd..
it’s anne’s birthday on the 26th of october.
lucky duck! ooo~la~la! bring me back a
real french maids costume! tee hee!
i’ll be spitting my time between working
and being a mom while they are gone.
you know, like real women do. i’ll get
my nieces on the bus and race back here
to work! fret about what’s for dinner
and run them to soccer….UGH! what have
i agreed to!?@*@#!*! don’t worry, i’ll
blog so everyone is in the loop!

oh, yesterday i met julie klaasmeyer.
what a talented children’s photographer
she is! my favorite is the “birthday bash”
sessions that she does.. she actually
arranged for a gal to bring in her 1 year
old and show us what she does…it was
so sweet i thought i’d have to go to
the dentist when it was all over..
thanks julianna!

elena loves her proof slide show! yay!!
we are going to get together again so
that she can have a “wavy hair” shoot too.
looking forward to that, i think we will
get a little crazier for that one! icon smile mario badescu...

here’s elena…

xslide1 heres elena... xslide2 heres elena...

alright…this was my first shoot with my
new camera. i’m still fumbling with the
bells and whistles and buttons and stuff.
everything is different from my 10D.
i’m a manual gal..i like to compose in the
camera so i’ll learn quickly and before
i know it i’ll be able to operate it with
my eyes closed! icon wink heres elena...

most of today i’ll be at a lecture by
julie klaasmeyer and on wednesday
evening i’ll be attending a lecture by
clay blackmore & jane conner-zieser
dedicated t the memory of monte zucker.

today is tax day for some of us so i had
better get that in the mail before i head
off to see julie! icon smile heres elena...

final touches on diane & jim’s album today.
still waiting on megnan & randy clay’s to
arrive (soon).
another bella wedding this saturday. i’ll be
shooting with megan again. CRAZY fun, that girl!

much more tomorrow!
oh, mike & kiki, are you going to tell us
whether you are having a boy or a girl???

a glorious sunday…

finally. i finished zach’s proofs.
now it’s on to elena’s.
we had such a gas yesterday.
we mostly shot out at the university
of minnesota landscape arboretum.
it’s really got everything!
water, bridges, fields, flowers,
fall color, spring color…
seriously, if you can find a little
nook & cranny somewhere tucked away
that no one’s found then you just
don’t know where to look!

3 weddings going on out there.
so, pretty much crazy busy.
however, we did arrive around 4 so
we beat the crowds for parking! icon smile a glorious sunday...

here’s a few more of zach…

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i have a tcppa lecture tomorrow pretty
much all day so i’ll do my very best to
pick a couple of my favs of elena and
pop them up here tomorrow morning.

get out and enjoy this gorgeous day!!

a chilly saturday…

greetings…we are back from our stay
at the airport hilton in bloomington
(just minutes on a free shuttle to the
mall of america!).

wow! again…gary and i got the royal
treatment and were looked after like
celebrities. my man shawn anderson made
certain that we were transferred to a
penthouse room on the 12th floor where
there is a comped bar, complete with
champagne, a a breakfast filled with
everything you can imagine..so much for
those 6 pounds i just lost! icon sad a chilly saturday...

once we checked in we returned to the
lobby and awaited our minnesota miracle
family that was due in at 5. they didn’t
get there until 5:30 so eric baker
took the family on the kitchen tour right
away so they could finish that up before
their dinner rush. i decided to go along.

6852 a chilly saturday...

below…becky chepokas, mitch’s mom far left.

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here’s eric explaining the process of collecting
minnesota’s famous wild rice…he just went up
north recently on a wild rice excursion…pretty
cool, really.

6876 a chilly saturday...

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here’s a fun factoid!
below, in eric’s left hand is wild rice you
would typically find at a super market and
in his right is some authentic, minnesota
wild rice that he actually harvested.
they ride in canoes and pass through the
rice reeds and knock it into the canoe with
those sticks he’s holding…neat huh?

6882 a chilly saturday...

eric ended his magnificent tour by
giving the family one of his wildlife
photos…signed of course. and we let him
get to work.

we parted ways with the family and cranked
up the fun level by heading straight up to
the executive lounge on our floor for some
cocktails and hourdouvers.
here’s shawn, me, gary & becky…

6922 a chilly saturday...

the beautiful minneapolis skyline.
my dad is buried in the fort snelling
cemetery pictured here with all the
white markers.

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here’s gary…sick of my camera…again!
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this young man…is a california transplant
wishing to break into the acting biz. hmmm,
perhaps he is hoping to hook up with the
cohen brothers or something???
he already models and he was fabulous at
waiting on us..thanks so much gabriel
6944 a chilly saturday...

quite needless to say, i mean i could go
on and on about this hotel and it’s
fabulous staff, we had the greatest time
and we plan to make it back there often.
it’s fun to just go stay at a hotel!
the yummy sheets and over the top comfortable
bed~the blue water grill! oh my God i forgot
to mention my most favorite meal in my
lifetime…a farm raised, off the coast of
hawaii, kona fish…here it is…
this was aMAZing fish!!!
eric? kudos my man! thank you so much!

6975 a chilly saturday...

this is gary’s walleye with what else???
minnesota wild rice.

6974 a chilly saturday...

thank you again, shawn. you went way out
for us and i sincerely appreciate your
generousity and friendship. i’ll see you soon

tanya, tanya-bo-banya…..

hey, here’s my friend tanya villano.
i went to meet her at her studio and
we goofed around with my new camera!

4115 tanya, tanya bo banya.....
4125 tanya, tanya bo banya.....
4121 tanya, tanya bo banya.....

she has this really cool space and when
i saw the antique settee, i asked her to
take a few shots of me as well…

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4106 tanya, tanya bo banya.....

today gary and i are going to head over and
stay with our friends at the airport hilton.
i was given a free night there and we thought
since we didn’t get a chance to get out of
town for our anniversary this year, we’d hop on
the shuttle to the MOA (mall of america) and
take the light rail downtown and play in our
fair city of minneapolis for the night!
i’m really looking forward to this! a little
break in the action…

mike and kiki find out the sex of their
bambino today (due early february)! yay!
i’m pretty sure they won’t share that with us.
she thinks it’s another boy…i think it’s
a girl! if it’s a girl, she had better get
the same eyelashes that owen has dang nabit!
see what i mean????

130+3x3 tanya, tanya bo banya.....

my sister set up a fun slide show on her
blog…she’s getting so techy! icon smile tanya, tanya bo banya.....
she and pete have done quite a bit of
traveling in the past year and so she’s
got lots of images from all over the globe!
i wish i could have snuck into the luggage
when they went to fiji!!!
click here or at anytime you can click
on the link on my “check these out” links
at the top right of my blog.

TGIF!

….my friend, gerri, gave me a mug
that reads, “tigf…thank god i’m fabulous!”
indeed!

baby caitlin….

yesterday i made the decision to hand
deliver the image packet that i put
together for the family that lost
their daughter on friday.
i really didn’t want them to wait
any longer and i guess, personally,
i felt this tug to head out to delano
(only 40 miles. 80 round trip…
small sacrifice when you consider
their loss) and see them in person.
turns out they are holding her funeral
today.

shanna invited me in and i graciously
accepted. it was really terrific to see
them. we laughed and cried as we
recalled how friday unfolded.

this couple married a year ago, sept. 9
(sunday), they shared their wedding
album with me and we talked a long
while…it was really so nice.

as i left i made certain that they
knew to call me when they have another
baby and they are sure to do so!
btw, the image that i placed on my blog
of their daughter is their favorite.

i received a blog update from dawn davis
this morning. she writes about how
her husband, bob, flew out the instant
he could to NY after the towers fell.
here’s their lastoria blog.
awesome images bob! nice work.

this morning i’m going to head to one of
my PUG friend’s studio (tanya villano).
we always talk about getting together
outside of work and today we are.
i’m anxious to see her studio!

i have not had much time at ALL to
play with my new camera…makes me
almost sick! i took a couple of shots
yesterday..here’s my neighbor anna!
she loves to draw on the driveway with
chalk!!

4095 baby caitlin....

here’s my boy, hobie…he’s always a
loyal subject!

4076 baby caitlin....

and here’s gaby’s choice for her
yearbook submission…

4534 bwallet baby caitlin....

okay, back to zach’s senior portraits….

make the most of every moment and
dont’ be afraid to hug someone! icon smile baby caitlin....

meet mark…

6837 meet mark...
well, i never thought i would see the
day the i could love 2 men at the same time.
here’s my new camera! (shot, of course,
with my incredibly reliable 10D that
will NOT be put to pasture just yet).

it nearly killed me to wait the 2 hours to
charge the battery. OMG!!!
i used that time to read my manual
and locate everything. this capture
device is CRAZY cool, unlike anything
i have seen and everything they said
it would be!

upon heading out the door to dinner
with this camera in hand gary says…
“could you just leave it for once!”
and i’m like, “ahh…new camera
9th anniversary??”
gary won this one.

we went to campiello in eden prairie.
wow! why don’t we go there more often?!

this place, albeit in a strip mall,
is so fabulous! seriously!
first, they tried to seat us across
the table from one another and i
insisted, in that it was our anniversary,
that we sit next to each other.
soon everyone knew that it was our
9th anniversary and we were treated
like celebs!
our waitress, nicki, was incredible.
everything she recommended we ordered.
even the desert which to me tasted like
Christmas! sooo delicious.

thanks nicki for all the perfect
suggestions and making our anniversary
dinner a night we won’t soon forget!

oh, a shredded green apple/crushed walnut
and fetta salad with a balsamic/dijon dressing,
short ribs…pork tederloin in a fig
reduction, and this scrummy blueberry/almond
cakey~cookie thing with vanilla gelato!
holy hanna!! you gotta go…..NOW!!!

sorry, no photos cuz “herr gary” wouldn’t
allow me to bring it along…turd.
no, seriously…love you, mean it!

gotta run….again!

jacquie, call me the instant you are
on the ground tomorrow!!!!!! icon smile meet mark...

9 years…

hawaii99 9 years...

today, gary and i celebrate our 9th
wedding anniversary. here we are
in hawaii for our honeymoon the
following february @ maui westin.

we sat around a little bonfire last
night talking about ourselves and
our growth as people and as a couple.
pretty amazing when you look back
at your relationship how you can see
where things twisted & turned to
take you where you are today.
all worth it, honey! i love you.

love changes over time too.
i’m so grateful for gary and every-
thing he brings to our marriage.
i bring more, of course,
but what woman doesn’t, right?! icon smile 9 years...
seriously, he is so wonderful~
he is even taking me to meet a new
man today and is allowing him to
live with us. i can’t wait to get
my hands on him and press my face
up against his body and push all of
his buttons. all this, with gary
standing right there~a gift to me…
ahh, alas, ours is not an open
marriage…i speak of my new Mark III!!

(yes, dean and lois…it’s my new camera!)

did i have you going for a minute?
a second? a split second?

no matter.
beware of all images to come captured
with my fabulous, long awaited, Mark III.