Good morning and welcome to Chicago…the sequel. Well, not really but I was JUST here a few weeks ago for another wedding.  Gary and I traveled here yesterday afternoon so I could be safely in place for my wedding today in Lansing (about an hour south of the city with the traffic).

Tiffany & Jason’s ceremony is at 2 but I get to start right here at the hotel at noon! Nice. That NEVER happens! Kimberly, the other photographer is starting out at the Bride’s mother’s home shooting all the ladies getting ready and I will be covering the gents!

I must confess that I love this city. The traffic I could do without making it a place I will avoid like the plague should Chicago win the bid for the 2016 Olympics!  :\  That said I just love watching the city come to life in the evening. The buildings are simply gorgeous!

We elected to go, straight away, into the city from O’Hare and on a Friday at 5? No simple task.  We found some great parking and set out on foot and tried not to look like tourists! Yet, where do we end up? At Tavern on Rush where Rush & State Street meet. A HUGELY popular spot but it was early and we decided to sit on the street at a tiny table for 2. They enforce a 2 hour limit at the street-side tables as it is a FABulous place to people watch. We stuck to our end of the deal. I will tell you that Tavern on Rush will not make our list of places to hit again.  Ordinary food….$100. Hmmm, I think I’d rather hit the Trump International Tower & Hotel again and go sit on their Terrace instead….there’s always Sunday! 

Gary will be entertaining himself today as I go off to shoot and we’ll hook up later this evening. Tomorrow we will head back up to Chicago (we splurged with a room at the W on Lakeshore Drive) and we’ll hang in the city all day!

Yesterday, I had such a neat opportunity. Megan and I drove over to WITTS, not far from Logan Square, to meet up with Dawn Davis for lunch. It was a stellar day…sunny & 75 so and we, naturally, opted for the patio out back (ya gotta in the Midwest this time of year ‘cuz it could start snowing anyday!). The bonus was 2 other lovely ladies and fellow photogs were there as well. Angie Garbot and Amy Boyle. The fellowship was wonderful and the food was fantastic. I enjoyed the pulled pork sandwich (big enough to split!) that came with a side of their home made GIANT shells & cheese

As we sat and solved the worlds problems throughout the meal and plugged the meter out front again to allow for more iced tea and chatting I couldn’t help but feel that this was something that I don’t do nearly enough. Life is busy. Friends are busy. But Life is about Friends so we need to, at times, remove the ‘busy’ and lift up our friends. Plus, like I mentioned, I got the opportunity to make 2 new ones yesterday! We left Witts and walked a block and a 1/2 to Angie’s Studio. She gave us a tour and gave us some history on her business and her space. It was really cool!

From there, the 5 of us walked a bit further to the Starbucks on the corner and grabbed some chairs and whipped out our iPhones and shared our favorite aps! I felt like we were in some sort of A/A meeting…you know…”Applications Anonymous”!

We laughed, shared pet photos and bought some fun aps. “Camera Bag” ($1.99) is now a favorite and notable is “Ocarina” ($0.99). By now we were pushing the dinner hour (woops) and it was time to say our goodbyes. What an absolutely fulfilling afternoon it was. Thank you to Amy, Angie & Dawn for carving out time in your “busy” for Megan and I! 

Megan attends Landmark Education Forums and had a meeting last night from 7-10 so I was on my own for the remainder of the day. Grabbed take out with Megan, as she left for her meeting, at Cafe con Leche (Megan rarely eats at home) then the Bear and I went for a walk and I watched old sitcoms.  I talked to Gary and that  just made me miss him & Boo. I’m looking forward to the reunion! By this time tomorrow, I’ll be in a cab on my way to the airport.

First, we had to catch up! John has had me come along side his foundation and others for the past, oh…I’d say at least 5 years.

Fund raisers, sporting events, Campus Crusade rallies, Food Drives, Lens Crafters event for inner city kids…all awesome events!

I adore John and his drive for community. It’s infectious!

Well, John recommended that we meet at a favorite neighborhood restaurant of his, Cafe Ena, on 46th & Grand in Minneapolis.

Wow! What a great find! Tucked back a few blocks west of 35 W.  Menu is simple and delicious. The Ower and Executive Chef is Hector Ruiz

I adore John and his drive for community. It’s infectious! I want to surround myself with more folks like him. It doesn’t get any better than giving! John always says, “Let’s get together and dream.” LOVE that!
That said, John recommended that we meet at a favorite neighborhood restaurant of his, Cafe Ena, on 46th & Grand in Minneapolis.

Wow! What a great find! Tucked back a few blocks west of 35 W. Menu is simple and delicious. The Ower and Executive Chef is Hector Ruiz.
Run, don’t walk (but remember that the 46th exit is temporarily closed at 35W). So exit
on Diamond Lake Rd, take a right on Nicollet, head to 46th, take a left on 46th and go about 4 blocks..it’s up on your LEFT at the corner! FYI, they only serve beer & wine
but have an enormous selection. Buen Provecho!

They are HUGE into fishing and so the plan was to bring
their boat along and get some fun shots out on the water.
God had other plans for us. Despite the cutest pink
tackle box I’ve ever seen!

With the end of the day approaching, the wind gusts reached
as much as 30 MPH that evening and into the next day.
Not optimal for any kind of shoot (unless you’re
shooting a regatta!). Yea, white caps all the way to shore!

We made an executive decision to park the boat, head down
the bird sanctuary path and grab some shots there, out of
the wind…

From there, with the wind still howling, we drove around the lake
and popped into Tryg’s to get some fun atmosphere images.
It was packed. The temp reached 97 degrees that day which ended up
shattering a 100+ year old record so everyone was out!

And of course I can’t leave out the fact that my brunch at
Interlachen Country Club yesterday for NACE was fabulous,
delicious and a nice break in the middle of the week.
And Kudos to Interlachen, 2009 marks their 100th anniversary!

I set up a table, an easel, set out all sorts of albums, guest
books, proof books, framed images etc…then I ran a 200+ image
slide show of some of my favorite images that I’ve shot for NACE
since I started on that fateful day that the 35W bridge collapsed
into the mighty Mississip nearly 2 years ago.

The slide show was a HUGE hit! Next time I’ll bring my 24″
monitor! I just couldn’t swing it yesterday. Everyone
gathered around and reminisced as it looped.
You see, each NACE meeting is really like a mini wedding
reception from decor to floral to signature drinks, not to
mention the venues! Really, a lot of fun.

Tonight I will head up to the Metropolitan to cover a MOFAS event.
Pregnant Pause, being held tonight, is their 4th annual awareness
event for expectant moms.

Tomorrow, I am photographing a fun wedding out at the
Como Park Conservatory.
Yep, another Friday wedding!

Saturday my niece, Amanda, has a dance recital that I wouldn’t
miss for the world!

And Sunday is Mom’s day, of course..ahhhhh.