Christy & Doug

My friend and photo buddy, Kelly, introduced me to Christy and Doug a few weeks ago at Jimmy's in Naperville. We got together for a few drinks and then we went out to shoot their engagement session. We had a blast!

Sssssssteam heat...

Christy and Doug met because of Kurt Vonnegut and Taco Bell...

Here is an image of Doug talking about their 'love at first sight' moment. He was reading one of Vonnegut's books (he can't recall which one) at a Taco Bell in the city when Christy walked up to him and told him how much she loved Kurt Vonnegut. Voila! I guess the rest is history! :)

I had to pause for a moment and snap this river picture. I don't get to shoot much at night anymore, so I was LOVING life this evening.
Christy & Doug, I had so much fun with the two of you. I wish you a lifetime of happiness together. Always remember to keep up the Jazz Hands!!

The story of our backyard paradise

Last June, Jay and I decided to put in a 400 square foot patio. Jay & I love music, so I guess that explains the baby grand piano shape of the patio. Jay took this photo with his cell phone. Notice the piles of dirt mounting around the cement?
We live on a corner in a new subdivision and, to be honest, we spent only a handful of hours on our beloved patio last year because we felt like we were in a fishbowl. We had a mountain of dirt surrounding the patio. By July (just in time for Leo's birth) the dirt piles had become so overgrown with weeds that they actually started to provide a nice bit of shade for our back windows...yuck!

This year, we decided to make our backyard a nice place to hang out. Two weeks ago, Jay rented a rototiller from Grand Rental Station in Huntley and got to work preparing the soil for some fresh life. (This picture was taken after he chopped down all of the weeds)Jay's arms and joints finally stopped shaking from the rototiller last Friday...just in time to dig some holes!
We laid out each of these stones. They're heavy!

A friend gave me this rose bush. I love the color.
Name that plant...I love this one, but I don't remember its name! By the way, we have the BEST neighbors. They gave us the mulch that you see in these pictures...super sweet. Thanks Rick & Sarah!We spent three whole days working on the yard, but it was so worth it! We still have some edging to do and some finishing touches to put on the landscape, but those are the easy tasks. Jay and I had so much fun working together on this project, and we couldn't have done it without Grandma T, Grampa and Nana each pitching in some Leo time. Thanks guys!
Happy planting!

Our backyard paradise

I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend. We were very busy transforming our patio into an oasis in good old suburbia. Jay & I worked ALL weekend digging, planting, weeding, and mulching. I have lots of images to post from recent shoots...Christy & Doug, your photos are just about done. I will post them in the coming days ;). Have a great week everyone!

Grampa is HOME!

Dad got home from the hospital last night! No surgery needed. Thank goodness! He's looking forward to a weekend of small meals and relaxation. As for us, we'll be planting in the backyard.

Grampa

I grabbed this snapshot at my niece's birthday party last weekend. Do you think Leo loves his Grampa?My dad is in the hospital tonight and Leo misses his buddy.

About five years ago, my dad went to his doctor for a routine colonoscopy. Unfortunately, the doctor perforated his colon during the procedure, and my dad wound up in the ER and eventually on the operating table having emergency surgery to repair the tear.

Since that time, Dad has occasionally had painful blockages. Most of the time he can rest until the pain subsides; however, last night the blockage was so painful that he had to go to the ER. They admitted him to the hospital early this morning.

Bummer: Dad was up in Madison, Wisconsin on his annual golf trip! His best friend, Ray, drove him down to Aurora at 2AM...that's a true friend.

When I asked my dad why he didn't go to a hospital close to the lodge, he said, "I didn't want you to have to drive all the way up to Wisconsin, plus those HMOs are such a hassle when it comes to this stuff." That's Dad, always thinking about the details.

Jay is going to hang out with Dad tomorrow. We'll be back and forth between here and Mercy Center in Aurora this week. I'll check back with you this weekend or early next week. ;)

Baby Dallas is on the way...

My sister-in-law, Kelly, is due to have her second baby in about three weeks. Baby Dallas is due on the best day of the year, June 6th, which also happens to be my birthday (we won't talk about the fact that it is my 30th...let's just pretend that I will be 21 again;).
My brother-in-law, Thomas, gave Kelly the bracelets that she is wearing. One bracelet says 'Lexi' for my niece Alexandria Soleil, and the other bracelet says 'Dallas' for Lexi's baby brother.

A New Harley!

Not for me, silly. My brother-in-law (to be) just got a Harley-Davidson (Police Edition). Erik went up to Michigan a few weeks ago to pick up his new "hog." Poor guy had to ride home during a horrible storm, so he spent more than a few hours hanging out under bridges waiting for the weather to pass.

Mourning Magdalene: Tour '08

Last night I had the opportunity to photograph Mourning Magdalene's show at Chicago City Limits in Schaumburg. The band totally rocked...I loved the shout-out to all the moms ;).

Happy Mother's Day to me (and you)

Today was the best Mother's Day yet...ok, so it was my first Mother's Day, but it was awesome! Jay, Leo and I had a nice breakfast with my mom this morning. We went to Burnt Toast, which is my new favorite breakfast place. After breakfast, Jay and Leo sent me off to Heavenly Massage in Geneva for a 'Day at the Spa'. I got a massage, facial, manicure and pedicure...heavenly. Seriously. When I came home from my day of pampering, I found a dozen roses, a steak dinner and my guys waiting for me. Leo even signed my Mother's Day card! Granted, he's probably the only person who knows what the scribbles mean, but I know there is an "I love you Mommy" somewhere in there.
My little Leo...I love being a mom!

Happy 4th Birthday!

Saturday afternoon I had the opportunity to photograph an unbelievable birthday party. When Tina first emailed me to book the date, I had no idea what a fantastic day she had planned for her son and his friends. There was a tie-dye station and a craft station along with a Scooby Doo scavenger hunt and a Scooby Doo pinata.

Not only was I was impressed with how organized the party was, I was blown away by how nice and well-behaved all of the kids were! There were almost forty 4 year-olds at the party, yet no one fought, no one cried, no one had a temper tantrum. What a great group! Here are a few images from the day. Great job Tina! The party was a HUGE success!