2008 October — Minneapolis Wedding, Event and Portrait Photography by Austin Images

Still sick, still tired.

October 8, 2008 By Susan Leave a Comment

Whatever this is that we have, it stinks.
Gary finally slept in the other room last night.
The alternating coughing keeps us up.
I think I slept well, it’s just weird when
1/2 of a giant king sized bed is gone.
Then again…..kinda nice. :\

I managed to make it to St. Paul yesterday
to photograph a family of 12. Four are
their own and then they adopted 6 others.
2 of the adopted boys suffer some of the effects
of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and that’s why I made
the treck to their home. They will be in the
pages of the annual report for MOFAS.
Gorgeous boys with beautiful smiles.
Thanks for welcoming me into your home!

Today I am on call for NILMDTS.
I can only pray that it goes as well as Sunday
when there were no calls in the west!
NEXT Thursday I have a NACE event that is at
the new Westin Hotel in Edina near the Galaria.
I get to meet Sylvia Weinstock! I’m pretty excited about that.
I LOVE cake! I hope she brings samples!

Well, I’m going to try to make something of
this day and I trust you will too.

70 and sunny? I’ll take it!

Filed Under: Involvements Tagged With: cool opportunities, Wedding resources

Sick & Tired.

October 7, 2008 By Susan Leave a Comment

Well, yes…I am tired of all the attack ads.
No, starting yesterday, I got saddled with
“the crud”. Not sure where it came from and I
refuse to start a blame game but all signs
point to a man whose name I won’t divulge but his
initials are Gary Austin. Thanks hun.
Or was it the initials Benji Sletten! Mr. “covering
your mouth is for sissies!”

Then, in the midst of all of my Nyquil symptoms,
I awake to find that the ceiling has caved in
on top of all of my camera equipment in the
basement….the faucet Gary installed had a small
leak and the ceiling tile said “that’s it!”
I didn’t even get out of bed until noon so imagine
my horror when I came down to the computer to
get some work done and find THAT mess!
All is well. Doesn’t everyone own a wet/dry/shop vac?

Later today I will drug up with some daytime
tylenol and head to St. Paul to do another shoot
for MOFAS. This shoot is of a mother and her 12
adopted children. (I hope they have a shop vac!)

Here is an image of one of my subjects…I just
adore her! I met with the whole family last week.

Thursday is fast approaching.
It’s my sister in law’s birthday and the big
dinner/gala for Urban Ventures that I worked
all summer on. I’m anxious to see how my images
are being put to use!

Have a great Tuesday. Another big Presidential
Debate tonight. Have you printed out your rules
at Debate Drink?

Filed Under: Involvements

Happy Birthday Mom!

October 6, 2008 By Susan Leave a Comment

Today is my mom’s birthday!
We all gathered yesterday at my sister’s
for a delicious time. Anne’s FABulously
famous lasagna and a plethora of desserts!

The kids always help with the candles!

Thanks, again, Anne and Pete for hosting!
Everyone enjoys themselves at your home so much!

(Notable….I was on call in the west for NILMDTS
yesterday and I never received a call. That’s
great news!!)

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: birthdays, Family

Stormy Start.

October 5, 2008 By Susan Leave a Comment

Gary was up and gone pretty early…
He has a golf outing/tourney/member-guest
thing this morning at 9 down in Northfield.
YUCK. Now it’s pouring and thunder is
shaking the house. I suppose they won’t play.
Good thing too, Gary’s getting sick.
Maybe it will clear???

Later today my entire family and some of
our friends will gather at my sister’s
to celebrate my mom’s 70th birthday (which is
actually tomorrow). My sister makes a totally
KILLER lasagna and I can’t wait to get over
there! We were assigned cake & wine. HA! shocker!

Oh, say, speaking of food, I want to give a
glowing review of “Cosi”. It’s fast food, in
a cosi atmosphere. Here in Eden Prairie next
to Pei Wei is this really great sandwich place.
Like Pei Wei, you step up to the counter and
order, they give you a # to place on your table
and they bring it over to you. So basically it’s
fast food with tipping, really. But my mom and I
stopped in there yesterday for a late lunch
and I had the Sesame Ginger Chicken and my mom
had the Pulled Pork. Both really good. I had
driven by a hundred times and always wondered
about it and now I know. A little spendy but worth it.

Okay..on to the homecoming dance.
J picked out a FABulous cocktail dress.
Albeit a short one, the color looked so good on her!
All the girls looked great! When exactly did
homecoming get to be as big a deal as prom anyway?
I remember going to the football game and then
Hadder’s band, “Purple Haze”, played (loudly) in the
high school gym and everyone just kinda stood around.
NO dresses, no suits, no boutonnieres, NO corsages,
no paparazzi line of of parents trying to capture
the innocence on ANY kind of camera. Well, I was
glad to be there to get in on the action and get
some fun shots of J & her date, Scott.

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: birthdays, Family, goodies, nieces and nephews, restaurants

Sunny Saturday!

October 4, 2008 By Susan Leave a Comment

Wow! It’s a completely, gorgeous, brag about it,
wonderful fall day. I’m going to pick up my mom,
bring her back to my place, do her hair, take her
to lunch and hit one of her favorite stores for
a little shopping.
Then I’m going to be heading to my niece’s to
photograph her and her friend as they “get ready”
for their big homecoming dance. How fun!
So, although I wrote “Susan is off today.” on my
facebook status…well, you know how that goes…
I just didn’t have a wedding to shoot this weekend.

Tomorrow the weather is not expected to be very
good so I’ll save the laundry until then. It’s
just way too nice out.

Gary’s got a golf tourney tomorrow in Northfield
and he’s not feeling that hot today…his body
seems to always shut down this time of year and
he’s gets some sort of nasty cold thing…yuck!
Think I may sleep in the other room tonight.

Get out and enjoy this day!

Filed Under: Personal

Getting my lens back today.

October 3, 2008 By Susan Leave a Comment

I got home from my wedding on Saturday
without my 70-200L lens. A &17 HUNDRED dollar
lens. Sure, I felt stupid. I knew right where
I left it but it was gone. But as God would have
it, no sooner did I call Jim Werdin,
I got the call that the bride’s mother had
discovered it and hung onto it. I canceled the
claim and made arrangements to go and pick it up.
Today is that day. YAY!

I have a lot to catch up on but as I go through
my day today I will do so knowing that Sarah Palin
did a FABulous job last night in her first ever
VP debate! (btw, did you all go to DEBATE DRINK
and print out the rules for last night’s debate?)
I had about 20 people playing along with Gary and I!
OMG it made listening to the debate all the more
enriching! Gary thought he would add a rule and that
was “when Biden get’s weepy or cries…chug a quart!”
Needless to say…we ran out of wine.
good times.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Political Humor

Hmmmmmm…

October 2, 2008 By Susan Leave a Comment

Thanks for sending this Steve!
I think I’ll share it here rather than
send it out in an e-mail.

1. There are at least two people in this world
that you would die for.

2. At least 15 people in this world
love you in some way.

3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you
is because they want to be just like you.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone,
even if they don’t like you.

5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you
before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. You are special and unique.

8. Someone that you don’t even know exists loves you.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever,
something good comes from it.

10. When you think the world has turned its back on you
take another look.

Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Life keeps You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going

I have a loss to cover this afternoon out in Waconia.
Pray for the young couple that is losing their first
child at 20 weeks gestation.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: gratitiude, prayer requests

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GARY!!

October 1, 2008 By Susan 2 Comments

Today is my husband’s birthday!
This day starts the very long string
of October birthdays in my circle of
friends and family….Gary’s niece, Mariko
is next on Saturday the 4th!
Then my mom’s is the 6th and so on….

This is also a good day to get out all
of your Halloween decorations!

Next~
I wanted to share this with you.
This closing prayer was in the order of
service for Kip’s mom’s funeral last night.
Words to live by, really.

“Do all the good you can,
by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can,
in all the places you can,
at all the times you can,
to all the people you can,
as long as you ever can.”

~John Wesley

God bless you and your day.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: birthdays, gratitiude