• disney

    at my winter home

    Well, it was once. And I am there now, but unfortunately even after asking really nicely, they won’t let me sleep there again. New blog posts coming soon (with lots of Disney pictures of course). Hope all of you got to spend some time in your happy place over vacation!

  • weddings

    christine & jayson- the ceremony

    It was a really lovely ceremony- short and to the point. With Tommy as an integral part of the whole thing, even up there on the altar the whole time!

    Oh, hello there handsome. Looking very dapper in his tux and waiting for his bride and son.

    Tommy took his job very seriously!
    Aunt Rosemary. My favorite. I loooooove this woman!!! She even gave me a back rub during the reception and called to make sure I got home okay! She’s 90 (yup, really!) and is still so totally with it in every way imaginable. 

    Love how the 3 of them held hands throughout the ceremony.Jayson & Christine presented Tommy with a pocketwatch during the ceremony. Um, tears much behind the camera?!And they braided a ribbon together as a binding of the 3 of them as a family. More tears!Congratulations, you two- I mean three!!!

  • weddings

    christine & jayson- getting ready

    Last week I was lucky enough to photograph Christine & Jayson’s wedding! Christine is John’s cousin (once removed? 2nd cousin? both? I dunno how to figure that out- never have- but they are cousins. Somehow.) Christine’s son Tommy and Timmy have hit it off like crazy and they had a great time hanging out together when Christine & Jayson came over to meet with me before the wedding. Jayson is the nicest guy (really! Even John liked him and John hates pretty much everyone.) and they are such an amazing couple. Tommy and Jayson are inseperable which just makes it all the better to watch them become a family ‘officially’.

    The wedding was at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach. We had considered shooting outside since it was still fairly nice out, but the wind was craaaazy and we didn’t want to mess up Christine’s very pretty hair, so we stuck to indoor shots, with great natural light from the windows overlooking the channel.

    My favorite ring shot to date (and I didn’t lose these rings off the second story balcony! Although the story did afford all of us a good laugh that morning, especially the part where Christine said I would be swimming by in the channel with the rings!)

    Everyone has to get ready- not just the bride. Beautiful!!Loved the dress. And loved the shoes!You may recognize both the matron of honor, Nancy who’s wedding I shot not too long ago. Nancy and Christine are sisters and Christine was Nancy’s maid of honor at her wedding. Love that circle of life thing! Nancy made all of the wedding party’s flowers by hand. And the pin on the ribbon is their Dad who passed away a few years ago.

    Tommy checking out the goings on from a distance. Beautiful bride, happy bride, laughing bride!And a toast with the girls before heading out to the ceremony. 

  • personal

    afghanistan photos

    No, I didn’t go for Presidents Day or anything. When I sent the packages to the troops in Afghanistan, the unit I found was Marine Combat Camera. One of the Marines was nice enough to send me some pictures that they took via email to say thank you for the goodies I sent to them. Awesome, right?!

    And as much I’d love to go over and ‘play’ cameras with them, I’m much happier here at home- not in a war zone! Although some photoshoots here sometimes feel like I’m at war a little…

    Please keep all the soldiers fighting to keep us safe in your thoughts and prayers. I’ll be sending out some more boxes to other Marines in Afghanistan in March. Can’t wait!! Oh, and email me or leave a note here on the blog if you are interested in donating anything to include in the packages.

  • personal

    33 days and counting…

    For those friends who know me in real life and those that follow me on FB, you can just skip this post cause I’m fairly certain your are sick of my sickness.

    This is what the kitchen has looked like (plus 2 other prescription bottles that have since been finished and tossed) for the last 33 days. Because I’ve been sick for that long. Totally ridiculous!

    (the cough syrup is John’s. He’s been sick for quite a while himself.)

    Started with a throat infection (that Patrick decided was diptheria) in mid January. Went on an antibiotic for 10 days. Day 11, I got sick again with a bad cold which then turned into the sinus infection from hell- fever, horrible jaw and face pain, all over aches and chills- on the couch for 2 days. Back on antibiotics (a different one this time- why not, right?) for 10 more days. It helped with the worst of the infection but not entirely. Still sick and as a bonus the sickness included flu-like symptoms, swollen glands/lymphnodes and general ickiness.

    So on the advice of my fabulous pilates trainer, Karen, I went to her allergist/immunologist and as of last night I am finally able to breathe, and not thru my mouth. He seems to think it’s a viral thing and that’s why the antibiotics weren’t really helping. I’m on 2 different kinds of nose sprays, a sinus cleanse (umm…..ewwwwww!), a steroid and more motrin. He took a ton of blood to rule out mono (it could be I guess, but I had mono once and was waaaaay more tired than I have been with this sickness and way more sick but with no cold symptoms and a much higher fever) and to make sure there’s nothing weird going on with auto-immune things because of my family history of lupus and  my raynaud’s syndrome (which is in the auto-immune thing). So waiting to hear on those results, but so happy I’ve finally been able- since last night- to stop being a mouth breather. I can breeeeaaaaathe!!!!!

    Thirty three days is beyond my limit. Seriously.