• personal,  travel

    beth & robin’s awesome weekend- part 2

    So, here’s the rest of the adventure…

    Saturday consisted of nothing more than laying in the sun & reading, having lunch, and a walk on the beach. So, so nice. It was a little chilly but still beautiful out.

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    Saturday night we went down to South Beach for dinner (some italian cafe on Ocean where the people watching is so fun) a stroll along the strip and a stop at the Clevelander which is pretty much exactly the same as when we went when we were in college. Except the music sucked. We also stopped in at the RedBull art show which was pretty cool. I think Robin was inspired and may enter next year!

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    It’s so funny how much Miami Beach has changed. When we first started at UM the place was just plain dangerous and ugly. It was gang infested and heaven’s waiting room. All the art deco buildings were just barely being refurbished, and it was only a few that were. Now, it’s a whole new world down there, even compared to how it started booming before we left college in 1991. It’s so good to see it so packed.

    I only brought the point and shoot on vacation (I think that’s a first) so just some fun snaps. Saw a couple with their photographer on the beach and was totally jealous. I wanted to do that shoot!!! (So if there are any brides or couples out there who want a super cool shoot on Miami beach, email me and we’ll make it happen!)

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    Called up and Facebooked some friends from UM from different locations in Miami Beach, sending them some fun memories.

    Sunday was another day in the sun, and the completion of the second book in 3 days for me. I read A Reliable Wife which was great (so different from the book I thought it was going to be) and Shutter Island which was also excellent. I thought the ending in the book was less ambiguous than the ending of the movie and it really went a little further in explaining things. But really, laying in the sun all day and reading finishing 2 books in 3 days? Heaven!

    Got some Padrino’s on the way to the airport, and then back to NY. So sad the weekend was over, but happy to get home cause I was missing all my boys. Can’t wait till next year!

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  • personal,  travel

    beth & robin’s awesome weekend- part 1

    (kinda like bill & ted’s excellent adventure)

    For those of you who follow the blog or me on Facebook, you know that this past weekend I went down to Miami with my college suitemate and BFF Robin for a little mini vacation/trip down memory lane.

    Let me tell you, it was awesome! All fun & sun, drinking & eating, and reading & relaxing.

    We got in late on Thursday night after a two hour delay on our flight. The wine we had with dinner in the airport had well since worn off by then, but I white knuckled my way thru the flight and we got down around 1am. Straight to sleep! Exciting, I know. But it did get better.

    They are redoing all the balconies on my parents building. Friday morning the drilling started at 8:30 am and there is definitely no sleeping thru that. Sounds like 100 dentists drilling in your head. So we had a quick breakfast on the beach at the cafe, and off to University of Miami.

    Went to Pearson (our dorm) and made it upstairs to our old floor and old rooms. (419 and 421)

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    Took a walk all around campus, admiring all the familiar locations and all the new super awesome extras they have. Now there is a money machine in each dorm, an amazing convenience store with like everything you could need. A food court with Wendy’s, Sbarros, Sushi, Chinese- like the mall, only on campus. Wow, and we thought we had it good.

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    The fountain (but now there are like 4 other huge ones too) and lunch at the Rat. They have a great menu now with little couches set up outside. Country club anyone?

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    Ok, how Thelma & Louise are these pictures??

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    Also somehow remembered how to get to our old apartment complex- Ludlam Point and saw our apartments (211 for me).

    Then, our most favorite all you can eat sushi at Taisho for dinner. Got the worst news there ever– they are going out of business this coming weekend!! Forever. No more seafood handrolls!! But I did ask for the receipe and the owner gave it to me. So now I’ll have to see if we can recreate it cause it’s like the best thing. Ever. Thank god we made it there before they did close. Or else the Thelma & Louise thing may just have happened.

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    Part 2 coming tomorrow. If I don’t fall asleep in the blackhole again.

  • personal,  travel

    yes, again.

    I’m back in Florida. Today. I know, I know.

    In Hallandale/ Miami for the weekend with Robin for a girls weekend! Looking forward to a few days of doing nothing really at all; laying in the sun at the pool and beach, reading a ton, going out for all you can eat sushi at Taisho (especially seafood handrolls!), going down to South Beach for drinks, heading to University of Miami for an all-reminiscing tour from our college days, singing loud in the car, and a whole lot of fun and relaxing.

    It’s okay, I know everyone hates me. But I did work ridiculously hard in 2009 and need a break (and a break just for me) before things get totally crazy again in April until the end of the year! (and I don’t mean the end of the school year, I mean the end of 2010!)

    A big giant thank you to John for taking care of our boys all weekend so I can have some girly alone time and not worry (too much anyway, I’m still the mommy and I still worry) about the boys. Thanks JohnnyB- I love you and will miss you!  To my parents for letting us stay in their beautiful apartment and lending us the car so we don’t have to rent one (and yes, I will clean it all up before we leave). And for pitching in with babysitting while I’m away. And to my friends who volunteered to help out too. Love you all!

    Taking the weekend off from blogging. And only have the point n shoot with me (see, really on vacation!) but will post some pictures from our adventure when I’m back on Monday.

    Hope everyone has a great weekend! And because a post just isn’t a post without a picture, here’s two cool shots from Disney taken with the lensbaby. Delish!!

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  • babies

    the lerh family

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    Had the opportunity to travel down to NJ this past weekend to do a session for the cutest little pink newborn baby. She was seriously just a beautiful baby with amazing skin and coloring. And best of all, she loved the hairdryer that I had her daddy blowing on her for all the nakey shots! Between the warm air and the white noise, that baby slept. A lot!

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    She’s only one week old. I know, mom looks ridiculously fantastic. Not fair.

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    See what I mean about beautiful and pink?

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    Daddy just adores his new little princess (hence the blanket) and I’m so glad I caught a little smile. Sweet!

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    Thanks for a great shoot and all the help during the shoot. It was totally my pleasure!! Hope you enjoy your pictures!

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  • couples

    the heights couple

    When I got the original email from B for this shoot, I was immediately so excited! A fabulous couple in Brooklyn Heights for a mini session = a happy me! While I’ve been shooting a ton of newborn sessions, and a few families and parties too, it’s always nice to break things up a little and get to use some of my ‘other’ kinds of ideas. Oh, and I had ideas!

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    They were just as fantastic and smokin as I had hoped. They jumped right into model mode without much prompting at all. And while it was ffffffreezing outside, they did their best Americas Next Top Model and pretended it wasn’t so cold just to get good shots. I loved them even more then!

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    When the picture on the right is your first for the whole shoot, you know it’s gonna be goooood.

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    Just walked around a few blocks with me yelling “oooh! can we stop here?” several hundred times in that small 5 block radius. I loved that they just trusted me and stopped where ever I wanted.

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    Loved Love Lane. Perfect!

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    Seriously? You are so workin it, both of you!

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    And I really need to mention that although it was Ms. B who contacted me for the shoot it was actually her boyfriend’s idea for the shoot! How cool is he?!

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    Thanks to you both for a totally awesome session! I couldn’t have had more fun with you!

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