restaurants — Minneapolis Wedding, Event and Portrait Photography by Austin Images

Lexi & John’s Wedding Day

February 2, 2008 By Susan 1 Comment

Good morning everyone!
Today Alexis & John are getting married.
Lexi (as she is called), is the eldest daughter
of my mom’s best friend, Judy, who died nearly
2 years ago. Judy’s presence will be felt today.

This is Forepaugh’s….

This will be a small ceremony in a very unique setting
with just immediate love attending.

I stopped out at the Apple store to pick up a couple
of things yesterday and saw my friend, Charlie.
Charlie helped me with my iPhone purchase in December
and is the greatest!
I love how you just stand in the middle of the store and
he rings you up with his hand held device and asks if
you want the receipt e-mailed to you. It’s just such
a breath of fresh air to shop there…personal attention,
fast service, no bull.
Charlie even offered to place my new static screen on my
iPhone for me…I hear it’s tough. He made it look easy.

Thanks Charlie! I’ll see you again. Seriously, ask for
Charlie when you go in…

Jane’s Valentine’s Day cards arrived yesterday
and they look FABulous! I suggested to Jane that we
go with the “pearl” cardstock at WHCC and it
absolutely MAKES the card POP! LLLLLOOOOVVVVE them!
I hope she sends me one!

Say, I did not end up going out to the Health Expo
with Sherrie. I just couldn’t do it. Too much on my
plate. I apologized to her and told her that I would
attend the function next Saturday at Jefferson.
More on that later.

Ummmm, oh yea…cute story I MUST share with you before
I close out today’s entry.
The other day, My sister in law, Kiki we call her,
along with her mom, decided it was time to take Owen
to see the hospital where Reese will be born so
they packed up and drove out to Woodbury and sat
through what they hope to be the final weekly visit
(She’s due on the 6th and everything is looking good).
Now, keep in mind that Owen will be 3 at the end
of March and they have talked a lot about his new
sister, Reese, her room is ready and he understands
some of what is going to happen.
So, the 3 of them leave the hospital and head for
the car and Owen says….”Reese didn’t come.”
I just think that is soooo funny! Love you Owen.

Happy anniversary Sue (Kindra’s mom) & Jesse!!!!

Saw this on Gary Fong’s blog today….I like it.
…John Lennon said it best, “man plans, and God laughs”. My life really changed when I saw the bumper sticker that said, “Since I gave up hope, I feel much better.” …

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: product information, restaurants, unique wedding locations

deep freeze….

January 15, 2008 By Susan 1 Comment

Luck has been on our side, here in Minnesota,
this winter. Mild temps have been mighty
pleasing thus far.
However, the wheels just fell off…
single digits here in the metro and surrounding
areas are predicted perhaps through the rest
of January. Can’t say I love it.

Gary had his appointment with a Cervical Spine
guru here in Minneapolis this morning.
The good news/bad news is that he will not
be needing surgery…YAY!! This should resolve
itself in time. Couldn’t be happier about that!
The bad news is that there is no “quick fix” for
him. He will begin a long series of physical
therapy appointments on Thursday morning.
Thanks for all your prayers regarding Gary’s
health and well being.

I’m going to go down to Forepaugh’s in St. Paul
this week, I’m shooting a wedding there on February 2
for a really great friend of the family.
Such good friends that not only will I be their
photographer, but also my mom’s date!

Lot’s of hair this week.
Nicki’s birthday on Saturday.
My cousin Kim & her son, Orion arrive today
from Missoula.
Kiki & Mike may have their daughter this week!!

Try to stay warm.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: gary, restaurants

Wrapping up in Surprise, AZ

January 10, 2008 By Susan Leave a Comment

We head north this afternoon.
What a pure delight to come down for
a visit and on Dean’s 80th birthday too!

Weather was great (low 60′s), the
company, of course, was wonderful
and we even got Dean’s birthday
gift all hooked up and running (with
the help of Gary’s brother, Glen!)~
Apple TV!

We dined at Skye and let me tell you
what..when you go be sure to ask to
be in “Mike’s” section. He was
awesome and treated us like royalty!
At the very last second before the
steaks came out, we decided that it
would be less noisy in the main dining
room and would he mind moving us….
Mike jumped into action and made it
happen. Thanks Mike, you made our
evening even more special!

Okay, the food…. Hands down the best
filet mignon I have ever had!
One size..10oz…only 28 bucks!
In Minneapolis that would go for almost
40 bucks…with NO sides!!
All 4 of us nearly finished everything!
I could hardly talk it was so delicious.
We will return again and again for certain.
Thanks again Mike.

Going to see if Jacquie can go pick up Hobie
today so he can be there when we get home
and relieve him of the trauma of one more
night with all the gals at Anderson Lakes
Veterinary.

See you all soon.

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: birthdays, Family, restaurants

maple grove, minnesota

November 24, 2007 By Susan Leave a Comment

we had a blast in maple grove!
ventured out around 3 to check in at the
hilton garden inn.

small, quaint, brand new AND this was a
freebie as i won this at last year’s
minnesota miracle new years eve event.
and as i mentioned, we were running out of
days to use it.

we thought we’d pop into bella sera first
for a snack and some chianti. we selected some
bruchetta and it was perfect!!
this is where we met luke, the bartender~great guy
(married recently and hated their photographer).
they have a ragdoll kitten! i told him to check
out my website to see our 2 ragdolls!
luke will graduate this coming spring from
st. cloud. nice to meet you luke!
if you go to “pets” under labels you’ll see
some shots of our cats.

next we headed to another new spot, pittsburgh blue.

we happened to hit it during happy hour so we
proceeded to order their mini philly cheese steak.
it was delicious!

this is where we met greg, one of the bartenders.

he is a pilot and works for wcco, a local
channel here in minneapolis and flies for them
as well. so we are going to hook up so i can get
some aerial shots. nice!
pittsburgh blue pours “salmon creek” as their
house wines just like the airport hilton.

well, we decided that we should head back and
get a little closer to the hotel so on that note,
we headed back to the hotel, they have a small
bar there and a full kitchen.
i actually can’t believe that we passed up some
awesome steaks and settled for pizza at the
hotel but you know what? it was mighty tasty!

when we got home this morning…the cats greeted
us at the top of the stairs..like always and
gary got right to the task of decorating for the
holidays. i love doing it, i just hate hauling it
all out from under the stairs. thanks gary for
getting it all out for me!

Filed Under: Out and About Tagged With: restaurants

thanksgiving eve day…

November 21, 2007 By Susan Leave a Comment

i have incredibly fond memories of this
day from years past.
this was a day where all your college
friends & neighbors would be coming home
and we would all pick a bar and head out
for the night…good times!

axel’s in chanhassen has been host to
many a thanksgiving eve get togethers as
well as Christmas eve gatherings.
as a matter of fact, the axel’s in chan
takes all the tips they receive on
Christmas eve day and donate them to
local charities…everyone is very
generous. the first cocktail is on the house!

yesterday i had about 3 feet of boxes show
up on my doorstep from white house. nice.
everything was perfect and amazing looking.
jane’s cards are almost all together, i’m
just waiting on one more pack and then
i’ll run them up to her. they are just
adorable! i may have to take the image of
betty, the close up of her face, and blow
that sucker up…it is such a great image!

anne, i’m so thrilled that you love your hair!
we went with darker chunks and dark underneath.
those things sometime take a little getting used
to so if she love it now..that’s a good thing!

it’s my turn today! an old friend of mine that
i haven’t seen i quite a while is coming by
today and we are going to swap color services!
everyone should add a little holiday sparkle to
their hair this year!

carly is coming over today, home from iowa state,
to get her holiday hair!

then kiki!

gotta run. have a super holiday!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: holiday, restaurants

burgers with owen!

November 10, 2007 By Susan Leave a Comment

after i finished up at the airport hilton yesterday,
i elected to go with mike, kindra and owen for a
burger at our famous burger joint know as lion’s tap,
here in eden prairie.

owen got situated right away with his stuff.

it’s always packed. there’s almost always a wait.
there’s never room for dessert! and this is why…

but once you sit down and order, it doesn’t
take long for it to get to your table. a plus
when you are dining with a 2 & 1/2 year old!

soon it was time for hats & mittens and we
went our separate ways. thanks guys!!

my next mission was to meet up with ron & cindy
at biaggi’s, also in eden prairie, for a couple
of drinks.

um…don’t ask.

steve working hard

home to relax and head to bed.

today i met with lauren’s mom (remember lauren?)

to discus her order options.
i’m heading back there soon to photograph
their two dogs~ nemo & tobie and then next
year i will be working on lauren’s younger,
triplet sibling’s senior portraits!
yes, that’s right lauren has a set of triplets
as brothers and sisters..cool! THAT’S gonna be fun!

i stopped at nicki’s to check on her puffy foot
but i did not have my camera so no photos.
it’s getting pretty ugly now. before it was
just swollen, now it’s getting all black and
blue looking like she was run over or something.
she can’t walk on it or put any pressure on it
but she is getting the slightest bit of movement
in her ankle…so that’s good.

dinner to night with jane and christopher.
jane’s husband it with mine out in south dakota
and we decided we should try to get together
while they were gone so she and her son and i
are going out when they get done seeing bee-movie.

so that’s all i got for today.
j’s photos tomorrow and a visit with new baby
ian and his mom, stacey, on monday!!

Filed Under: Family, Out and About Tagged With: Family, restaurants

happy birthday mom!

October 6, 2007 By Susan Leave a Comment

today my mom is celebrating another birthday.
we are going to head over to mike & kindra’s
later today for cake and ice cream as they
have graciously offered up their home as the
birthday place today. they also have a new
deck that they have recently completed so i
think they would like us all to see that too!

here’s mom with june & garrick last thanksgiving.

and summer in anne & pete’s pool! raaar!

she’s coming over today for me to work my magic
with her hair. not that it needs magic.
just a gift from me to my mom…i love you mom!

last night mike and kindra brought owen over
for a cut then paid me with punch pizza!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, punch pizza!! so does owen!

thanks gang, for a nummy dinner.
see you later today for cake.
and owen, don’t forget about the airplanes
next weekend!

jennifer…..watch it! anne might send you
a oak tree in holland for some fall color!!~

elena, a new photographer friend who i have yet
to meet, is going to join in on our PUG group
this tuesday! she’s wanted to come but just
hasn’t. i’m really excited to meet her.
say “hi” to michael!

Filed Under: Family, Out and About Tagged With: bella pictures, birthdays, Family, restaurants

sad news today…

September 22, 2007 By Susan Leave a Comment

my niece, “g” got word that a friend
of her’s was killed in a roll over
accident last night (the driver).
wcco is reporting that they were all
wearing seatbelts.
so far all i know is that the 2nd
girl in the car is in critical condition
and the 3rd passenger is the driver’s
cousin and is paralyzed from the chest down.
not good. this all took place on county
road 40 right by my brother tim’s house.

please take a moment to pray for all
the families involved as well as my
brother’s as this is a sign that you
really are a parent when you have to
console your teenage daughter on a
friend’s death…everyone in that house
was home and safe when i got the call.
praise Him.

on to some fun news…
i’m shooting today with megan again for
bella pictures. i just LOVE these!
a long day ahead so i must get going.

but not before i post some shots from our
girls dinner last night at campiello’s
in eden prairie….yum!
sorry, when the desserts got there we
woofed them down so fast i forgot to
take photos but trust me, they were
picture worthy! (we sat in nikki’s section!)
Karen & Becky gifted me with a check
last night in recognition of my dedication
to the foundation. i thought i was going
to cry. thank you so much MOMF!!

gotta run.

God, i lift up these families and
ask that you hold them close and make
your presence known to them.
i pray that the trauma staff is rested
and up to the challenges that they
are going to face in the days to come.
allow for family and friends to gather
quickly and safely to console and grieve
together. and God, please speak to the
other teens that were not involved…
make them see that while they are only
17, they are not invincible….
peace…& be safe.

Filed Under: Family, Involvements Tagged With: Family, prayer requests, restaurants

a chilly saturday…

September 15, 2007 By Susan Leave a Comment

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!

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.

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

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.

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?

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…

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

here’s gary…sick of my camera…again!

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

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!

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

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

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: cool opportunities, fun facts, restaurants

meet mark…

September 12, 2007 By Susan Leave a Comment

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!!!!!!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: equipment, restaurants, spiffy tools