April 30, 2007

With over 400 votes sent in 3 days, we have the winner in our April giveaway!!  (Click the link to read the details and rules of the contest).  They will receive wedding photography coverage by Jason Angelini, a web gallery of their images, and a custom designed album.  In addition, any profits made from add-ons or products will be donated to Food for the Poor.  And the couple with the most votes is...

Samantha and Patrick!!!   

With a "green wedding" to educate guests and share the couple's concern over the environment and animal rights, as well as a registry where a percentage of purchases will be donated to the Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Samantha and Patrick have won the contest!  Congratulations!  We think it is wonderful that you want to use your wedding to "make some sort of change for the better" as you mentioned in your nomination.  It is going to be great to see all the organic and animal friendly details you incorporate!  Send dad an email and he'll get your date booked for you. 

Portia and Aundre's story was also one of love and generosity, as they work selflessly for their families and sacrifice to meet their life goals.  We wanted to do something for them as well.  After all, the reason for this contest is to celebrate the spirit of giving.  We are giving them half off the coverage charge for their wedding!!  Just send dad an email or give him a call.

Congratulations to both couples, and to all the couples who were nominated!  A quote by Elbert Hubbard says, "Love grows by giving.  The love we give away is the only love we keep."  In that way, every wedding, every marriage, is its own celebration of giving.  Thanks to all of you. 

April 27, 2007

Today is the last day to send in your vote for our contest!  Only votes received before midnight tonight will be counted.  Be sure to read the stories of the two finalists below and cast your vote!

**UPDATE:  Voting has now ended.  Come back to my blog on April 30th when the winner will be announced!

April 25, 2007

Today is the day!  It is time to announce our two finalists for the April Giveaway.  We have been accepting nominations since the beginning of April and received so many beautiful stories of love and kindness triumphing!  Thank you to EVERYONE who sent in a nomination and shared these stories.

Even after taking out the weddings happening on dates for which we were not available, there were still so many couples to consider.  It was very difficult to decide on only two finalists from all the nominations.  We continued to narrow down the potential finalists and the more we narrowed it down the harder it got.  It felt like a huge responsibility to make these choices.  Finally we were stuck.  Mom, dad, and I just could not agree on the final two.  We decided to call in some help and had others rank the order of the remaining couples.  Using their input, we picked our two finalists.  So without further ado, here they are:

Couple One:  Samantha and Patrick

Here’s our story (as told by Sam) –

Patrick and I met in 2005 via Friendster, the lamer and tamer version of MySpace. Patrick had gone on Friendster to search for a girl, aged 25-30, within 100 miles of him, who also happened to be a fellow vegetarian. Only two matches came up and I apparently was the only one of the two who didn’t seem like a total crazy. So, Patrick sent off a message to me and it cracked me up. I was a bit hesitant to respond since he lived in Venice and I in Safety Harbor – a good hour and a half away. But I responded anyway and I’m so glad that I did. After a few messages back and forth and a few awkward phone calls we decided to meet up when he was going to be up in the area for the minor league baseball all-star game (yawn). And what better place for an initial meeting/first date than the Pie Factory, where their website proudly states that they are not a "coffee house" in the '60s sense of hippies, poets and guitarists.” We hit it off and had a great time and decided to meet up again and again and again. We dated long distance for about 9 months, and then I decided to take the plunge and move southward to Sarasota where I could pursue a new career and be closer to Patrick. And after living here for about 6 months, Patrick turned in his keys at his “oh so charming” apartment and moved in with me. Our relationship has been filled with so much fun and laughter. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t crack each other up and hardly a birthday goes by that we’re not swimming with some sort of aquatic creature (manatees for sam’s birthday and dolphins for patrick’s).

On Groundhog’s day, and over a year a half into our relationship, Patrick recreated on of our dates and popped the question…and I said yes!

We’ve only been engaged for a little over two months now, and are already in full wedding planning mode. As we’ve been searching through books, magazines, websites, and just tossing around ideas, one “trend” has been consistently coming up: eco-friendly and green weddings. And since animal rights, the environment, and shying away from excess are important to us, it only makes sense for us to create a green wedding that will really showcase who we are while also ‘educating’ our guests about what’s really important to us … and at the same time, being an elegant, classy, and fun affair. One of the main reasons that brought us together and that we love each other so much is that we are both vegetarians for compassionate reasons. So, despite the possibility of a few grumbly guests, we will be having a full vegetarian wedding, with vegan options for our vegan friends. We want our guests, most of whom are not vegetarians, to taste how delicious and filling vegetarian food can be, while also educating them a little bit on what they’re eating and why. We’ll be doing a plated dinner, rather than buffet, since buffets create more excess and wasted food. We will feature vegan and organic wines (yes, most wine is not vegan since its filtering process requires crushed animal bone) and organic beers. Our flowers, for the most part, will be organic and we will use soy candles instead of regular, petroleum based candles. Our registry has been linked to the I Do Foundation where 5% of any purchases will be donated to the Big Cat Rescue in Tampa – a sanctuary and rest home for retired, abandoned, and injured exotic cats….All little steps towards creating a wedding that’s not only fun and inventive, but that also gives back to the natural world around us.

We realize we may not be the most heroic couple out there, but we’re doing our best to do our part for the world around us, and staying true to who we are. And we know that we may not be able to create the ‘greenest’ wedding possible, but we hope that the eco-friendly steps we do take will make some sort of change for the better.

Thanks for considering us!

 

Couple Two:  Portia and Aundre

Several years ago, I heard a quote that I have not been able to forget…

" Generosity is giving more than you can and pride is taking less than you need. "

Portia and Aundre live that quote on a daily basis.

I met Portia in 2002 and was immediately struck by her poise and intelligence. She was only 19, but you would have never known it! We immediately struck up a close friendship and over the years, I would come to learn that her maturity was well-earned.

Portia spent much of her youth caring for a younger sister and a mother who was fighting a battle with substance abuse. While some teens were creating fake ID's to get into clubs, Portia was pretending to be a few years older so that she could get a job to help with household expenses. In a world when many might give up or be tempted to seek assistance from others, Portia has relied on her own inner strength to not only survive, but thrive. She is a rock for her friends and family. She asks for nothing but love and friendship in return.

Aundre is the perfect match for Portia. Though I do not know Aundre as well as I know Portia, I know he works very hard to support an ill mother in Trinidad.

Aundre and Portia have overcome similar adversity and because of that, they share a camaraderie few others could match. The two of them work very hard for everything they have. They both work "day jobs," while each pursues their "dream job" on the side. Aundre aspires to be a part of the music industry and Portia runs a fledgling catering business.

It's quite fitting that the two met at a first time home buyers class. Since then, they fell in love and they have been saving to purchase a home together. The two are so motivated to succeed on their own that, though they are engaged, Portia does not even have an engagement ring because they decided it made more sense to put that money towards the house fund. A year ago, Portia's car was totaled in a car accident and instead of seeking a replacement; she opts to take the bus in order to save for their home.

Portia and Aundre are used to hardwork, but I would love to see something come easily for them. The gift of free wedding photography would be a well-deserved blessing.

Attached is a photo of Portia and Aundre taken by Jason Angelini at my wedding in 2005. I hope that the two will win this contest and be photographed as husband and wife in 2008 by Jason Angelini himself!

Congratulations to both of the couples on being our two finalists!  Luckily, mom, dad, and I do not have to decide on a winner...that is up to all of you blog readers!  To vote for the couple who you think should win photography coverage by Jason Angelini on the day of their wedding, on-line image hosting and ordering, and a custom designed album all for free (and have all profits from their wedding donated to charity), just click on their names above their nomination stories.  This will send an email with your vote.  If you are not able to get the link to work with your internet browser or email service, send an email to jasonangeliniphotographyorders@yahoo.com with the subject line as either "Vote for Samantha and Patrick" or "Vote for Portia and Aundre."  We will not be opening the emails; instead, we will simply be looking at the subject line of the emails and counting the votes for each couple.  So it is very important that you have the names of the couple you are voting for in your subject line (by clicking the links above, this will be done automatically for you).  Remember, follow the voting rules that we have posted in the contest details!  Only one vote per email address or none of the votes from that person will be counted.  Voting will be open until midnight this Friday, the 27th, and no votes received after that time will be counted.  The winning couple will be announced on April 30th!  We are so excited!  Start sending us your votes, and send your friends, family, and co-workers the link and have them vote too!

**NOTE:  Voting has ended and all links have been removed.

We again want to thank everyone who sent in a nomination.  We were so moved reading all of your stories.  As you read in the April Bulletin and my blog entry at the beginning of the month introducing the contest, we decided to have this give-away because we were inspired to share a generous spirit.  We wish we could have done something to celebrate the love and lives of all the couples.  One particular nomination was for a couple whose lives were affected by a relative having Multiple Sclerosis.  They were both participating in the MS Bike Ride when their nomination was sent in!  My dad's father also had MS and dad did the MS Bike Ride the year mom was pregnant with me in honor of him.  Any time you see dad, you will see him wearing a red MS Awareness Bracelet.  Because this cause was one important to dad as well, we made a donation to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in honor of this couple, Courtney and Adam.  Here is the email of the donation that we would like to share with the couple:

Dear Lucia,
Thank you for your gift to the National MS Society in honor of Courtney and Adam. Gifts like these not only pay tribute to persons whose lives have been affected by MS, they help fund promising research into the cause, treatment and management of the disease.
If you have any questions, please contact the National MS Society at 1-800-FIGHT-MS.
Thank you again for your generous support!
The National MS Society
 

April 24, 2007

"Friday I'm in Love" by The Cure (available for purchase on ITunes):

I don't care if Monday's blue

Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too

Thursday I don't care about you

It's Friday, I'm in love

Monday you can fall apart

Tuesday Wednesday break my heart

Thursday doesn't even start

It's Friday I'm in love

Saturday wait

And Sunday always comes too late

But Friday never hesitate...

...Dressed up to the eyes

It's a wonderful surprise

To see your shoes and spirits rise

Throwing out your frown

And just smiling at the sound

And as sleek as a shriek

Spinning round and round

Always take a big bite

It's such a gorgeous sight

To see you eat in the middle of the night

You can never get enough

Enough of this stuff

It's Friday

I'm in love.

This is the song dad got stuck in his head on Friday when it was played at Ashley and Kenny's wedding.  They were married in Orlando with their reception at The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne.  Kenny's ring was engraved with a very important reminder:

Before the ceremony, Ashley got in a trolley that they had rented for the wedding day to go meet Kenny for their "First Sight."  They both had the biggest smiles on their face when they saw each other!  Dad took some pictures of them before they went to meet their families for group pictures.  Jackson, their one year old, was there waiting for them.  I met Jackson when Ashley first came over to meet dad and he was so much smaller then! 

After the ceremony, the wedding party went with dad to walk the streets of downtown Orlando.  Dad said this was so much fun!  Can you believe that 10 people can fit arm and arm walking down a sidewalk together?!

The DJ for the reception was a friend of the couple.  He played awesome music!  Besides "Friday I'm in Love," he also played The Ramones, Johnny Cash, Rancid, and Bon Jovi.  Dad came home singing .  Here is a sweet moment during the couple's first dance.

After the reception, Ashley and Kenny planned to go downtown with dad again for more bride and groom pictures, but it started raining so they stayed close to the hotel for a few quick pictures before they went to join their friends to continue the celebration.  Congratulations Ashley and Kenny (and Jackson!)

Saturday, Will got the old ball and chain.  No, we aren't being mean to Carly!  Will literally got a ball and chain to carry around on his wedding day.

Carly and Will had a big wedding, including about 375 guests and a wedding party of 27 people!  Their reception was held at the Manatee Riverhouse on the Manatee River.  It is terrific that they were able to find a beautiful location that can accommodate that number of people. 

Okay, we know, if you count the people in the picture there are only 25.  That's because the two flower girls aren't in that picture.  They were very cute and had a special greeting when they saw dad.  Click this link to hear one of the flower girls saying "Hi" to dad. 

When mom and dad saw this picture, they both immediately pictured it as a big 20x30 canvas print.  It would look gorgeous blown up and hanging on the wall!

The reception featured a seafood buffet and a cookie bar, complete with milk and my personal favorite, chocolate milk.  There was only one problem...someone must have really loved the cookies because many of them went missing before the reception started!  If I had to guess, I'd blame the Cookie Monster.

From Google Images

One thing dad learned quickly about Carly and Will is that they are huge gator fans.  When dad did their engagement session, it was scheduled around the Gator games!  It was no surprise to see a Gators garter and a Gators groom's cake at the wedding.

The newlyweds left the reception in a golf cart, complete with tin cans dragging behind.  Have a fun honeymoon Carly and Will!

Sunday dad was able to celebrate another special occasion with the Belcher Family.  Ramsey's Christening was at the Palma Ceia Methodist Church.  It is so sweet when family and friends gather together to celebrate each other's lives.  Those are the times that really mean something!  Dad has been blessed to be able to capture the moments of James and Allison's wedding day and then photograph their maternity session and Ramsey's newborn session.  Seeing them and their families again for Ramsey's Christening was wonderful.  Here are a few pictures from the event.

Thank you yet again for letting us share in your lives.  We are so happy for you and your growing family!

Tomorrow the finalists in our April Give-away will be announced!  Come back to vote for the one you think should win free wedding photography!

April 22, 2007

All the nomination stories we received are wonderful, and it is going to be so hard to choose two finalists from the entries.  We will announce the final two on April 25th and then voting will begin!  You will be able to vote for one of the two couples from the time of the announcement on April 25th until midnight on April 27th (please be sure to read the voting rules posted in the April Bulletin.)  The winner will be announced on April 30th!  We're so excited!

Today is Earth Day.  The first Earth Day was in 1970, and this day serves to remind us to take action every day to protect our planet and preserve it for us and for our children.  There is a beautiful Native American Proverb that says, "We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."

Here is a link from the U.S. Government's Earth Day page on things you can do at home and at work to protect the environment:

http://earthday.gov/athome.htm

http://earthday.gov/atwork.htm

And here is a link to some fun Earth Day activities, including planting a tree, building a bird house, and picking up litter from your neighborhood or nearby streets.  It also mentions listening to music about the Earth, and I have to recommend Jack Johnson's song "3 Rs" from the album "Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George" as a great song!  It is available for download on I-Tunes.

http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-Earth-Day

One thing that you can do today is switch to Energy Star lightbulbs.  According to Parenting Magazine (March 2007), if every household replaced its five most frequently used lights with Enery Star bulbs, it would have the same effect on reducing greenhouse gases as if we took 8 million cars off the road.

Dad took this picture of the river on our trip to New Hampshire a few months ago

There are some wonderful Earth-friendly products you should be aware of.  One of our favorites is Method cleaning products.  They are non-toxic (GREAT for families with kids!) and made of biodegradable ingredients derived from natural materials (such as soy and coconut).  The packaging is recyclable and they do not test on animals.  And best of all, they do a great job of cleaning!  Check out their website at www.methodhome.com or go try out some of their products at stores such as Kmart and Target.

Seventh Generation is another great company offering a wide variety of products including trash bags, paper towels, and toilet paper made from post-consumer recycled material, chlorine free diapers and feminine products, vegetable based household cleaners, and non-toxic, biodegradable laundry products.  Their products were featured on Oprah so you may have already heard about them.  Definitely visit their website to find out where to buy their products and to read more about environmental activism:

http://www.seventhgen.com/

Here is a picture dad took from the airplane window as he landed in Vegas last month

Don't forget about the benefits of organic food for you and for the environment.  Here is a great explanation of organic agriculture from Newman's Own Organics:  Organic agriculture is a holistic system with the primary goal of optimizing the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals, and people. Management practices are carefully selected with an intent to restore and then maintain ecological harmony on the farm, its surrounding environment and ultimately the whole planetary ecosystem.  Newman's Own has wonderful fresh produce, pet food (NOT affected by the horrible recall), coffee, and other snacks.  I love their slogan, "Great tasting food that happens to be organic."

I recommend Stonyfield Farm for yummy organic yogurt and milk for babies, toddlers, and the whole family!  They were one of my first real foods and I can say from experience that they are delicious.

One of mom's pictures of a garden from a trip to Europe in 2004

Mom has already picked out a few outfits for my little brother from Kate Quinn Organics, www.earthorganicbabybasics.com, who offers beautiful certified organic fabrics to care for the Earth in style!  One of mom's favorites from them is this beautiful Infant Sacque (the picture is from their web site).  They have them in lots of colors.

There are just so many earth-friendly companies to look into that offer such awesome products and care for our planet at the same time.  You'll find anything from recycled furniture to earth-friendly hangers!  Next time you are shopping for something, be sure to do an internet search for the eco-friendly companies that sell that product.

Dad's picture of a cornfield at a farm in Bradenton

Finally, here are some charities that work for the Earth if you would like to make an Earth Day donation or find out more about getting involved:

Earth Watch:  www.earthwatch.org

Clean Ocean Action:  www.cleanoceanaction.org

The Nature Conservancy:  www.nature.org

Earth Day Network:  www.earthday.net

When visiting my great-great Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill,

dad took this picture of their "back yard," Lake Ontario

It is sad to think of all the many, many problems facing our Earth today.  I have seen a few movies lately that show some issues we are facing.  The effects of Urban Sprawl can be seen before you even leave my neighborhood with all the new housing communities and shopping centers.  The movie "Over the Hedge" shows how animals are losing their habitat as we grow and cut down trees and clear land.  In "Happy Feet" the poor penguins are having a food crisis because of people.  That doesn't even deal with the many issues they face due to global warming, an issue that has gotten some good attention lately with Al Gore's new book and movie.  There are so many books, movies, web sites, organizations, and companies that I could tell you about in honor of Earth Day, but hopefully I gave you (and my own family!) some ideas to get started in helping to make the Earth a cleaner, healthy place for me and my generation!  Mom and dad say that they know there is always something more they could be doing, but every little bit helps. 

April 21, 2007

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO GET IN YOUR NOMINATIONS!  We can tell already that it is going to be very difficult to choose the finalists.

April 20, 2007

Tomorrow is the last day to get in your nominations for the wedding photography give-away!  Read the April Bulletin for details and then email your nomination!

I said I'd be sure to post some pictures of Sam and Patrick's engagement session, so I'm back to tell you about it!  Dad said Sam and Patrick were so playful with one another, and it was fun to watch them just having fun and goofing off.  The session started at the courtyard where Sam and Patrick live.  They are going to be moving soon and wanted pictures there before they left.  Then they walked around to some nearby places that were meaningful to their relationship, such as the theater where they often go out on dates and the restaurant where they had their first kiss.  These pictures will be sure to bring back great memories for them later in life.  Here are a couple in the courtyard:

Sam and Patrick's cat Sophie is giving dad a mean look!  She did not like having her picture taken.

As it got darker outside, they walked the streets of the city nearby for a few more pictures.

Sam and Patrick have some awesome ideas for having a wedding that reflects their beliefs and who they are.  It is going to be great!  You two should do a guest entry for my blog with some good ideas for Earth Day coming up this Sunday!!!

April 18, 2007

Dad usually books up rather quickly for Saturday weddings, and this was certainly true for last weekend's date.  Lehanna and Michael booked with dad in 2005!  Dad met the couple when he photographed the wedding of Lehanna's brother Joe in April of 2005.  Joe and Becky have their 2 year anniversary is coming up next week, and their daughter will be turning one in June!  Lehanna and Michael were so happy when their wedding day finally arrived, and the smiles never left their faces. 

Before the big day, Lehanna had asked dad if he would ride in the Limo with her, Michael, and the wedding party.  Dad of course said yes, but he brought up the concern that it might be a bit tight on space with so many people, including a bride in her wedding gown.  He didn't need to worry one bit.  The couple had the biggest limo in the Tampa Bay Area, a 30 passenger limo from Sunshine Limousine!  Needless to say, there was plenty of room for everyone inside.

When I told you about the last wedding dad photographed, I showed a picture of the bride's limo going through the drive-thru at Starbucks.  There was no way this limo could have made it through any drive-thru, but Lehanna and Michael had time in between their ceremony and reception and decided to stop at McDonald's for a quick bite to eat.

The newlyweds sharing a sweet kiss...

Dad said he hasn't had a messy cake feeding for a while, but Lehanna and Michael made up for that!

It was great for dad to be able to share another wedding with this family, and to see the family grow again!  Be sure you stay in touch Lehanna, Michael, Joe, and Becky!

Sunday the weather was not looking that great for Lauren and Jamie's engagement session.  The plan was to start the session at the beach, and Lauren had been worried about rain.  Her and dad had decided to see what the weather was like the morning of, and when the rain stayed away it seemed like a good thing.  However, what they got instead was some REALLY strong wind!  At the beach, with no trees or anything else to shield them, the wind was practically blowing them over!  They decided to leave the beach and head over to the second part of the session. 

If you don't remember Lauren and Jamie, they are the second place winners of the "Most Romantic Proposal" Valentine's Day Contest and won this engagement session for free!  You can read their proposal story, "The Airport," on our Valentine's Day Contest Archives.  Because Jamie proposed at the Tampa Airport, dad thought it would be really cool to do their session there.  He contacted the airport to get permission, and after tons of paperwork and forms he got the approval to photograph there.  They even let dad take Lauren and Jamie onto the airfield for a short time (with an escort of course, who was very nice).  Mom thinks this picture should be an ad for the airline with the slogan, "For wherever life takes you."

After they left the airfield, dad, Lauren, and Jamie walked around the main terminal.  Lauren and Jamie look like they were having so much fun!

Jamie proposed to Lauren when she came down the escalator and saw him on one knee at the bottom.  Jamie said there were too many people around to reenact it , but the couple posed for a kiss in the spot where they became engaged. 

Mom really liked this picture of Lauren and Jamie lost in a kiss in the midst of all the airport travelers. 

Their wedding is coming up in less than two months, so dad will be seeing them again soon!

Monday dad got to meet Kayla, who is 7 weeks old, and her parents.  Dad thought it was really neat that Kayla's dad works as an antique and classic toy collector and dealer.  What a fun job!  

Look at Kayla's gorgeous blue eyes!  Mom keeps wondering if my baby brother is going to have brown eyes like her and dad do, or blue eyes like I do.

This is such a loving picture of a mother's embrace.  This is mom's favorite from the session.

Here is another sweet mom and daughter picture...

Dad said it was really touching to see Kayla's mom and dad holding her and comforting her.  They showed what parenthood is all about.

Last night, dad photographed Sam and Patrick's engagement session making it 7 days in a row of photographing people!  That's so awesome!!!  We want to give a big THANK YOU to all of you who invite us into your lives to capture these special memories.  We are so blessed.  I'll come back and share some pictures from Sam and Patrick's session very soon!

April 17, 2007

Aww, talk about being "Lucky in Love"!  Check out this cute clip from The Price is Right:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GirViU1tsDw

Less than a week to get in your nominations for a couple to win free wedding photography!  Saturday is the last day!

We were back to the pediatrician yesterday and I have a sinus infection and an ear infection.  So the illnesses continue!  I'll be back with more blog updates and pictures very soon.

April 16, 2007

Our prayers are with all of the victims and families of the victims in the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech today.  The violence and cruelty are shocking and senseless.  Many universities and churches are organizing prayer services and the local news is broadcasting information on that.      

April 14, 2007

My grandma is still in the hospital, but will hopefully be able to go home today.  The surgery went well, though she has quite a recovery period ahead of her.  When I visit her, she lets me lay next to her in the bed that moves up and down.  I think that she thinks I should be more impressed by that bed than I really am .  Thanks to everyone who asked about her.

Dad is keeping very busy lately, and loving every minute of it.  Wednesday was an exciting evening as he got to do the engagement session for the winners of the "Most Romantic Proposal" from our Valentine's Day Contest!  In case you missed it, here is the proposal story that won them a free engagement session, 2 months of a website gallery for their engagement images, and an 8x10 portrait statuette.

"The Birthday"

I woke on the morning of May 19, 2006 a bundle of nerves.  My gut had a knot in it the size of Texas.  I woke got ready for work and kissed my girlfriend goodbye for work.  She didn’t know I had taken the day off to plan a birthday she would never forget.  I already had the plans set and was going out to buy a nice outfit.  I called her boss at 11 o’clock and asked if she could get off work early so that she could meet me for her birthday dinner.  He said it was fine.  I called her and told her that I had just transferred her a hundred and fifty dollars for her to go out and buy a nice outfit for dinner.  I had her meet me at the house at 5:30.  I picked her up dressed and ready to go.  I took her to a really romantic restaurant called Oyster Catchers.  Its extremely fine dinning.  The place had a private beach, dock and an incredible view looking over Tampa Bay.  Just as the sun was setting, we walked outside to watch it on the dock.  There were about 10-15 people out there on a beautiful day.  The colors in the sky were absolutely beautiful.  So there we were watching the sunset on the end of the dock, and I was standing behind her with my arms around her.  I turned her around, and I got down on a knee and popped the question, saying, “I have known forever that you were going to be my one and only, I love you with all my heart and there is no one else that I would love to spend eternity with more.  You are my rock, and I want you to be my wife, will you marry me?”  She was extremely ecstatic.  Everyone around us clapped and made it really special.  She was so happy.  She kept asking me to do it again.  She was completely shocked.  After dinner, desert, and a few celebratory drinks we left the restaurant.  I had always figured that I wanted all of our friends to celebrate on the same night as us.  So I bought a room in downtown St. Pete at the Hilton with a great view over the bay.  I had about 20 of our close friends meet us there.  The thing was that none of them new that it was for the engagement.  They all thought it was for her birthday.  So she opened the door to our hotel room and all of our friends were waiting to surprise her.  Then we announced what had just happened and everyone was going crazy.  We all went out and had a couple drinks before retiring back to the hotel for the rest of the night for some relaxation after a long day.  Everything went as planned and turned out wonderfully.

Danielle and Matt were great to photograph.  Dad said that they were very laid back and so friendly that it felt more like they were just hanging out together.  They are so sweet together!  They took some pictures near the water...

...and after sunset they walked down streets for more pictures.  Mom's favorite is the one with the pink background. 

As soon as the portrait statue is ordered and arrives, I'll show a picture of it on my blog.  Congratulations again on winning the contest! 

The next afternoon, dad headed to the beach for a family session.  They were from Buffalo and in town for a wedding that dad is photographing today.  The two boys were about the same ages apart as me and my little brother will be.  They had on matching shirts in one of dad's favorite colors, orange.  Mom thinks that is so cute and says she's going to do that with me and my brother once he is born.

Dad said both boys were so happy and had such cute smiles.   I wish I could have gone to play with them!

Right after they arrived at the beach, a thick fog came in.  What a beautiful setting! 

Have fun at the wedding today! 

Yesterday dad was back to visit with Cadence and her awesome family.  Dad photographed Cadence when she was just 6 weeks old and she is now a whole third of a year old!!!  Cadence sends dad the best emails, and she has a super sweet family.  Dad was really excited to be able to see them all again.  Cadence, I think you need to do a guest entry on my blog since you write so well!

Cadence is sitting up all by herself, and she looks so cute doing it.

She also looks cute with her various facial expressions.  In the first picture, Cadence looks like she is thinking, "What are you people making me do??"  Then comes the resigned smirk in the second picture.

Dad said he had a good time at the session, but how could he not when spending time with such a sweet family.  Cadence has already grown so much, and dad can't wait to see her again in just a few months.  Dad said the pictures from the next session should be even more fun because Cadence will probably be crawling all around by then...UH-OH!  Thanks for letting us share your first year with you and your family, Cadence!

April 12, 2007

Today my grandma is being admitted to the hospital for a couple days for a big surgery.  Grandma, we know everything is going to go well and we are praying for a speedy recovery for you.  We love you!

April 10, 2007

We love getting emails about my blog!  You can email us or use the "Send a Blog Comment" link at the top of my blog if you ever want to leave me a message or if you have something you think would be great for the blog.  Rachel and Seth sent us an email about another Easter tradition to add to the ones I told you about in my Easter entry.  They are living in Paris.  There in France the bells are silent from Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter) and don't ring again until Sunday morning.  There is a legend that bells fly over to Rome during that time, and fly back on Easter bringing chocolate eggs with them.  That is cute, but how does a bell carry an egg?  I guess the same way a bunny lays an egg, right?!

Our family came over for Easter, which made it a good day despite being sick.  Both dad and I were in bed most of the day so we don't have very many pictures, but we both got up for the Easter Egg Hunt!  We had the hunt after the yummy dinner mom made (with help from Katie and Aunt Lora) that neither dad or I could eat because our tummies weren't feeling well.  Everyone else said it was really good though.  Grandma went outside and hid the eggs for everyone else to find.  I FINALLY got out of my pajamas and went out with my basket to find my eggs.  I looked very hard, as you can tell from my serious expression in the picture below.  When I did find an egg I got super excited!  Katie was the first to find all of her eggs, and pop pop took the longest.  In fact, there was one egg that pop pop never even found.

After finding the eggs, we all went back inside and opened our eggs.  Inside was a number that corresponded to a present.  I kept trying to open the eggs but it was very hard so I had to get help.

Thanks to grandma for setting up the hunt and getting us all presents.  I got lots of cool things, like a two headed dragon, books, and a pack of little sunglasses.  Everyone else liked my sunglasses too.  I have a silly family sometimes!

Our whole Easter weekend was an eventful one.  On Friday, mom and dad met Terra and Jared for their maternity session.  Mom said that they were laughing and enjoying themselves the whole time, which made the session awesome.  As mom was going through the pictures after the session, she was cracking up.  Terra's outtakes were hilarious!!  She makes the funniest faces!  I won't show any on the blog, but mom emailed them to Terra to make her laugh.

Terra and Jared are expecting their little girl in just 2 weeks, though Terra thinks the 11th (tomorrow!) will be the big day.  Here she is gorgeous at 38 weeks pregnant.

Their baby's name will be Ella, which mom and dad are especially fond of as that is the name they had picked for a girl when they were pregnant with me (before finding out I was a boy of course).  Every time dad moved his lighting or when flashes went off Ella would move all around, probably posing for the camera and already being a diva.

Mom and Dad want to thank Terra and Jared for a really fun Friday evening, and if either of you did the Blazing Challenge at the wing place afterwards we want to see the picture !

While on the topic of babies, we have to congratulate Riley and Frank on the birth of their baby boy who was born on my birthday!  Dad did Riley and Frank's maternity session last month and will be photographing their wedding in October.  We can't wait to meet the new addition!

So with all the baby talk, I guess it is time for the announcement.  Mom and dad had an ultrasound a little over a week ago and found out that I will be the big brother to a....

NEW BABY BROTHER!!!!

He was a little shy at first, but when he finally showed himself it was very obvious that he was a boy.  Mom thought some people might think it was weird if we put the close-up picture of his boy parts, so here is a normal one that shows his whole profile.  He has his butt in the air and his legs are curled up toward his head.

We are all so excited and mom and dad already bought matching shirts for me and the baby that say, "I'm the Big Brother" and "I'm the Little Brother."  Mom is very out numbered!

But back to the weekend's events!  The day before Easter, dad photographed Jennifer and Jacob's wedding.  Just to give you an idea of what fun people they were, here is the card Jennifer gave to Jacob the morning of their big day.

After having hair and makeup done at the salon, all the bridesmaids got into the limo and headed to the ceremony site, with a stop at the Starbucks drive through on the way.

The main wedding color was pink, and Jennifer's dress had a pink satin ribbon around the waist to match her pink shoes.  Her bouquet in shades of pink looked so romantic against the lace on her dress.

At the reception, as the bride danced with her father they played a slide show of pictures that showed Jennifer and Jacob growing up.  It was a sweet background to the parent dance.

As the newlyweds left the wedding, they drove away in their car decorated with "Just Married" and "Best Wishes" stick-ons...and a back window decorated in cake icing.  Good thing it rained to help wash that off!  Congratulations you two!

If you haven't already, don't forget to send in your nominations for the couple you think should get free wedding coverage, including an album.  See the April Bulletin at the top of my blog for details.  We are taking nominations until April 21st.  We received an email asking if vow renewals would count as part of the give-away.  The answer is YES, of course!

April 8, 2007:  Easter Sunday

Happy Easter!  We hope everyone has a wonderful day celebrating with their loved ones.

Just for fun, here are some things about Easter and its traditions that you may not have known:

     *Easter lilies are pure white flowers symbolizing purity and rebirth (it grows from a bulb that is buried and "reborn") and are used to decorate churches and homes.

     *The lamb represents Jesus, who is often known as "the Lamb of God." 

     *The egg became associated with Easter because it is a symbol of new life, which is what Easter and the Resurrection of Christ is all about.  When they were adopted as an Easter symbol, they were traditionally marked with a cross or stained bright red to symbolize  the blood of Christ and the Passion.

     *The rabbit, as one of the most fertile animals, is also a symbol of new life during Spring.  It wasn't until about the 1500s that it became associated with Easter, and this seems to have started in Germany with a story about an "Easter Hare" who laid eggs for children to find.

     *The White House Easter Egg Roll began in 1878.  There was a tradition to roll eggs on the Monday after Easter, and many families in Washington, including the family of the President, participated.  The President for the first Easter Egg Roll was Rutherford B. Hayes though there have been stories of informal Easter Egg Rolls at the White House starting with President Lincoln.  The history of this event is rather interesting!  This year's Easter Egg Roll will be on April 9th and some of the special guests include Stephen Baldwin, Olympic Gold Medalist Kerri Strug, NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne, and fitness expert Denise Austin.  More importantly to me, there will also be Bugs Bunny, Clifford, and live entertainment from Sesame Street!  And of course the Easter Bunny.

To learn more about the Christian origin of Easter, here are a few links:

     *http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm

     *http://www.familylife.com/resources/Eggstravaganza/true.asp

     *http://www.crivoice.org/cyeaster.html

We are going to try to enjoy our Easter the best we can with so much sickness going around!  We really can't get a break here!  It started just over three weeks ago when dad got the flu.  He had a fever and was feeling really horrible so he spent a couple days in bed to try to rest up before a weekend of weddings.  He was getting better as he left for the convention in Vegas, but his cough never went away (and still hasn't!)  While in Vegas, I got a fever and it was really high, at times over 104.  I felt awful!  As soon as we got home, mom took me to the pediatrician and she gave me some antibiotics.  A couple days after that mom got a fever and was sick with a cold.  I was getting better just as she was feeling worse.  Her cold started to fade and be bearable just in time for me to get this stomach flu that I have now.  I can't keep anything down and I'm miserable.  And then, late last night, dad started to feel sick again and he thinks he might have the stomach flu now too!!!  We need to all feel better and stay healthy for a while because we are sick of being sick! 

April 7, 2007

Another day, another trip to Urgent Care.  My mom called my pediatrician today because I wasn't able to keep anything down, my stomach hurt a lot, and I had a fever.  I still had a day left of my antibiotic and mom didn't know if she should give it to me.  My doctor told mom to take me to the Pediatric Urgent Care center to be sure I wasn't dehydrated and to see what they said about the antibiotic.  So we headed over there and it turns out that now I have a stomach virus.  It is NO FUN!!!  My stomach hurts so much that it makes me cry, but the doctors told me that I just have to wait for it to pass and mom has to be sure I stay hydrated with only clear liquids.  Poor me!

Mom also wanted me to post an update on the Kariza wrap she bought in Vegas (read the Vegas entry for details).  She does not recommend these and had me remove the links to the company because even though she hand washed it and laid it flat to dry, the wrap is frayed and falling apart.  She might get to wear it once before it is completely worthless, but it is already ripped in places.

April 6, 2007

The last day of March was the first day for Lisa and Jonathan as husband and wife.  Dad said that in all her emails before the wedding, Lisa had always been a truly caring person.  He was looking forward to seeing her on her happy day.

Lisa and Jonathan had a ceremony that included many Jewish traditions.  Before their ceremony, they came together with the Rabbi to sign the Ketubah, or marriage contract.  This symbolizes the moral commitment that the couple has to one another.  It was so sweet to see their smiles when they saw each other for the first time on their wedding day.

The ceremony took place under a canopy called the Chupah.  This symbolizes the home to be shared by the couple.  It is open on all sides just as Abraham and Sarah had their tent open to welcome friends and relatives.

Mom likes this romantic picture of the newlyweds .

The florist for the wedding was the talented Dana Dineen (www.danadineen.com) and Rob Sword was great as always as the DJ (www.swordsounds.com).  But the vendor that really stood out were the caricature artists!  The only other wedding dad has seen with a caricature artist was his own!  Mom and dad had a caricature artist and a fortune teller at their wedding years ago.  It was neat to see someone else have one as well.  Here is a picture of Lisa and Jonathan's caricature being drawn.

Here is a picture of mom and dad having their caricature done at their own wedding.

The guests at mom and dad's wedding and the guests at Lisa and Jonathan's wedding all enjoyed having their caricatures drawn.

Though the next day was April 1st, there was no April Foolishness at Rachel and Jarrod's wedding.  They were married at Hollis Gardens with their reception at the Magnolia Building in Lakeland.  It was a beautiful day and dad borrowed Rachel's dress for some pictures outside.

Rachel's bouquet was light blue and yellow, which were the same colors mom and dad used for the flowers at their own wedding.  This picture shows Rachel carrying her bouquet as she is escorted by her dad for the processional.

The Spring colors used throughout the wedding were beautiful for an April wedding!  The groomsmen had on light green shirts with blue ties and the bridesmaids wore green dresses with blue sashes that matched the groomsmen.  Jarrod's boutonniere and the bridesmaids' bouquets were bright yellow flowers. 

Congratulations Rachel and Jarrod!  It was a terrific day for a terrific couple!

My second birthday was awesome!  Mom felt really bad because we all had plans to go to Disney World for my birthday but she got sick and wasn't feeling up to going.  By the end of the day, she saw how much fun I had and didn't feel as guilty.

When I woke up the morning of my birthday, mom told me what day it was and I was so happy!  I had been talking about my birthday for a week and it was finally here!  Mom sang Happy Birthday to me and when we left my room there were streamers in the hallway and birthday streamers decorating the kitchen.  Dad gave me a big bunch of balloons, including a vroom (car) balloon and a choo-choo balloon.  I kept walking around the house pointing everything out to mom and dad saying, "See, my birthday!" 

After breakfast, we got ready for the day and mom and dad took me to the toy store.  When we told them it was my birthday, they gave me a balloon there too!  I got to play with lots of toys and mom and dad bought me a few things.  Then we headed home to get ready for my birthday party.  I had gone with mom a couple days before to pick out decorations.  I liked lots of things, so mom let me mix things up.  I picked out some things that had vrooms, come with choo-choos, and napkins with Superman.  I've never seen Superman, but mom sometimes plays Superman with me which is really fun.  Here are some of the things we got all set up.

I got to pick out my birthday cake too.  The day before, mom and dad took me to Publix and showed me lots of pictures of cakes and let me decide.  My two favorites were, you guessed it, the choo choo cake and the vroom cake.  I picked the vroom cake so that is what we had at my party.  I had practiced blowing out the candle before my birthday even got here, so I was ready after everyone sang to me and blew it right out!

Until the new baby is born, I have a good thing going.  I am the only grandchild for both sides of my family (and the only nephew, or niece for that matter!)  That means I got lots of presents!  Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful presents that you gave me!  My grammy sent me so many cool things, and I really loved the alphabet puzzle that sings the alphabet song (I am getting really good at singing along!) and the Big Brother book.  Nonna got me a bear that reads stories to me, Aunt Lora got me a bunch of videos to watch and books to read, Katie got me CDs to listen to, and Aunt Kellie got me an airplane to fly outside.  Another gift I really loved was the slide my grandma and pop pop gave me.  As soon as it was assembled I started playing on it right away.  It was lots of fun!

Mom and dad's presents to me were great too.  I got a little cottage to play with outside.  The fireplace is actually a secret trap door that is fun to peek through.

They also gave me a new bed for my birthday!  I picked it out when we were at the toy store.  It looks like a choo choo train! 

When I sent into my room and saw it all set up, I thought it was the coolest thing!  I went right in it and pretended to sleep for a few seconds, then got up and started jumping on it!  I do love my bed, but at night it is hard to stay in it all by myself.  Last night was a rough one, but mom says that she is proud of me and she will help me and I'll get used to staying in it all night all by myself.

Before everyone left my party, we broke open my vroom pinata to get the candy out.  I may have eaten one too many lollypops though because the next day I had a little stomach ache.  It was worth it though, I had such a fun second birthday!  THE TERRIBLE TWO'S ARE HERE!!  Mom and dad say I'm too adorable to be very terrible though .

Today we started out the morning at the Urgent Care center because I woke up and couldn't walk.  My right leg hurt so much!  Mom and dad waited about an hour but when I still couldn't walk and kept telling them that my leg hurt they decided to get things checked out.  As we were driving to Urgent Care (my pediatrician's office was closed today), I suddenly got another high fever!  I'm still on antibiotics from last week when I was sick.  The Urgent Care doctor didn't do much.  He told mom and dad to give me Motrin every few hours for my leg pain and to keep my fever down.  I'm still having some trouble putting any weight on my leg, but I'm feeling a bit better so maybe I'll be okay soon.

April 2, 2007

In last month's blog, I told everyone to stay tuned for exciting news...and the time has come to share the news!  We are having another contest, giving a deserving couple our photography services for free!  Also, any profit made from the winning couple's wedding (from print sales, etc) will be donated to charity.  Be sure to read the April Bulletin at the top of this month's blog for details.

One of dad's favorite quotes is by Mahatma Gandhi who said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."  We are excited about being able to share our blessings through this contest, and just as we have been inspired by the generosity of others we hope to pass on that giving spirit.  There is a great organization called Just Give that has a wonderful idea for engaged couples.  Instead of a traditional gift registry, you can "register" for your family and friends to contribute to your favorite charity.  Check out their web site at www.justgive.org.  While there, be sure to read about other ideas for your wedding such as donating your flowers, leftover food, or even your wedding gown.

I hate to revisit such a sad topic, but if you have not checked the recall list of dog and cat food lately, be sure to do so.  More foods have been added as more brands have been found to be contaminated.  Here is the link to the cat food recall list:

www.menufoods.com/recall/product_cat.html

And for the dog food recall list:

www.menufoods.com/recall/product_dog.html

I'd again like to recommend that pet owners look into Paul's Pet Food, a company that offers free home delivery of Nature's Select Premium Pet Food.  We think it is a great company with a great product.

Mom and dad were trying to decide whether or not to share the news of the ultrasound now or to make the big announcement when the baby was born.  They decided to tell everyone...but we thought it would be fun to have a little poll first to see people's guesses.  This is my first time trying a poll in my blog so I'm not sure how it works but I'll give it a try.

Poll Removed:  The results were 50/50 like mom predicted,

and we started telling so many people that it didn't matter anyways! 

I'll share the answer and some pictures in my next blog post.

I will leave the poll up for a few days and then come back and share the big news in a later blog entry.  Mom thinks the guesses are going to be mostly 50/50 anyways, but it might still be fun to see the results.

Grandma says that every time I travel I get sick, and our trip to Vegas for the WPPI Convention was no exception.  Dad flew in before us to go to a workshop.  The day after I arrived, I started to feel yucky and soon had a fever that got above 104.  Dad went out and got me some Tylenol which brought the fever down somewhat, but I still did not feel well.  Mom ended up staying with me most of the time and missed all of the convention except the trade show.  She didn't mind though because she said the trade show was what she was really interested in and dad still got to go to everything else.  The last day, I was feeling a bit better so we ventured out around town for a couple hours before mom brought me back to the hotel.  Even though I was sick, we all still enjoyed ourselves.

Vegas is a flashy town!  Every where you look there are really tall buildings and giant signs.  Dad had time to explore before we arrived.  The old Strip had a covered walkway over the street.

The new strip had much taller and grander buildings, including this Eiffel Tower replica at the Paris Hotel.

Nevada history was represented by the giant statue of a gold prospector.  Looks like he found a lot!

Vegas is of course well-known for its night life.  The town was brightly lit no matter what time it was.

Besides exploring, dad got to meet with some great people who were at the workshop dad attended before the convention began.  It was led by celebrity wedding photographer Joe Buissink.  Watching Joe in action was a great experience and dad learned a lot.  Here are a few pictures dad took of the models at the workshop.

Mom and dad spent most of the day Monday at the tradeshow checking out all the latest products.  Dad even got a pass for me and grandma so we could walk around too, but I wasn't feeling well so grandma took me back to the hotel before too long.  Mom is really excited about some of the companies she saw, and some of the newest products from companies we already work with.  We'll be making some changes as to what albums we offer and we'll be adding new prints and products as well.  I'll be sure to tell you all about it on my blog when we do!

Monday night dad got to hear from some truly awesome photographers, including Yervant and Mike Colon, and watch them work.  Here are two of the pictures dad took while there.

Tuesday mom and dad went back to the tradeshow to visit a few booths they missed the day before.  Then mom came and napped with me at the hotel while dad and grandma went to Bally's version of The Price is Right.  Neither of them got called up to be contestants but they still enjoyed it.  They both think the showcase showdown was rigged though because all the people over bid.  It included a new car, a DVD/VHS combo, a scooter, and a few other things and it was supposedly under 15,000.  After it ended, dad went straight to a class and didn't realize that grandma had put her name tag on his back!  Dad said he'll get her back for that.

Even though I was sick, my fever was much lower that day and since it was our last night in Vegas we headed to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.  We got to "meet" famous actors, musicians, athletes, and political figures from past and present.  Dad also went into the room with all the horror movie guys but mom, grandma, and I decided not to join him.  We were glad too once we heard all the screaming and loud noises coming from in there!  To be honest, I was a bit freaked out by the whole wax museum in general and stayed fairly apprehensive as we walked through.  Here are pictures of us being silly as we hobnobbed with celebrities.

Dad with Nicholas Cage on the set of his new movie, Ghost Rider

All day long, I was excited to go see the pirates!  When we finally got there and saw him,

I didn't want to get any where near him.

Grandma getting cozy with Mel Gibson

Since dad has met Jerry Springer (he was a guest at a wedding dad photographed),

it was only right to go shake his hand and say hi when he saw him.

Mom singing on stage with Elvis

Bob Hope

Dad is just a little shorter

George W. Bush and dad giving a speech

After we left the wax museum, we went to shops in The Venetian, named appropriately for its attempted resemblance to the city of Venice, Italy.  The ceiling is made to look like the sky and in the middle there is a "canal" with gondolas and gondoliers who serenade those in their boat with Italian songs.  I loved watching the gondolas go by!  After I asked to see the boats so many times, mom asked if I wanted to go on one.  I decided not to because it was getting late and my fever was coming back.

We got dinner and looked around quickly before heading back to the hotel.  As we were walking, mom saw this stand with some beautiful fabrics.  It was a company called Kariza Designs and they make these one piece fabric wraps which can be worn over 100 ways.  You have to visit their web site and check out their on line catalog.  They are so neat and mom can't wait to wear the one she bought!  **EDITED:  Mom says that she definitely does NOT recommend Kariza wraps!  She hand washed it and laid it out to dry before wearing it, and just from that it is already frayed and falling apart!  She did not even get a chance to wear it once!!! 

It was a very windy and cold night so we looked for a long sleeve shirt I could wear as we walked back to the hotel, but in all the shops there weren't any long sleeves we could find in my size!  Instead, mom just wrapped me up in her sweater and carried me.  We also saw an oxygen bar in the shopping area.  Dad thought it was funny to see people sitting there obviously attracted more by the bright colors and hype than the "product."

Wednesday morning dad had one last class to finish up his WPPI experience.  It was led by Fernando Basurto and focused on engagement sessions.  Dad said he got some great ideas that he cannot wait to try out.  Here are some of the pictures dad took at the class.

The Las Vegas airport's security line was absolutely crazy!  It was so long and wrapped around so many times before you could go through.  Mom, dad, and grandma all said that they have never waited so long in a security line for domestic travel before.  We got on the very full flight and the people sitting in front of grandma, mom, and dad all put their seats back.  When drinks were served, mom wasn't able to put her tray table down since I was on her lap and her pregnant belly took up some room too.  Grandma made a loud comment about it and the lady in front of mom put her seat back up.  At least she was nice, unlike the lady sitting in front of dad.  Because the flight was very full, they had asked people to keep their carry-ons under the seat instead of the overhead bins if they would fit, so dad put my carry-on of snacks and toys under the seat in front of him.  When I wanted one of my toys, he had to struggle to reach under the seat to pull out the bag since the lady had her seat back all the way to dad's knees.  He bumped her chair as he pulled the bag out and the lady seriously threw herself back as hard as she could, forcing the chair to hit dad in the head before she turned around and gave dad an evil look.  Dad got mad and mom told the lady that he was just getting the bag out, which was hard with her seat all the way back, so she didn't need to be so rude.  The lady didn't care though.  She just gave another mean look and sat back in her reclining seat.  Is it seriously worth the couple inches of reclining when having your seat back makes the people behind you SO cramped and uncomfortable?  We all think it is the worst airline etiquette there is and we never put our seats back.  The second flight, though still very full, was much better and the people around us were much nicer. 

Mom said the one good thing about me being sick was that I wasn't affected by the 3 hour time difference.  I was sleeping much more than normal anyways, so the time change didn't bother me.  Just yesterday mom started to feel sick as well, so she'll be heading to the doctor tomorrow (I've already been and got my medicine).  Serves her right for trying to find the "silver lining" of me being sick.

This entry is long enough, so I'll be back another day to tell about the two weddings dad photographed this weekend.  Since my birthday is coming up in just a couple days, I'm sure I'll have some pictures of that as well!