Today is my Mom’s 59th birthday. Isn’t she gorgeous? Surpassing her beauty is the outstanding job she did as a Mom and continues to do as a Grandmother. She’s the bee’s knees. I love you so much Mom!!!
p.s. Why couldn’t I have gotten HER nose?
Vote. Please.
November 4, 2008 – 4:22 pm
My good friend and fellow bleeding heart, Todd Adamson, posted this on his Facebook page. I snagged it so I could share it here. In his photo description he says “Take it. Share it. Post it.” I dig it!
I’ve voted. Have you?
Happy 30th Brent!
October 21, 2008 – 10:36 pm
Thirty’s the new forty, right? I sleep better thinking that, so let’s go with it, k?
So Brent turned ***gulp*** forty today. I know what you’re all thinking… gosh, Brent robbed the cradle!
He seems to be at total peace with the big 4-0. Hopefully I’ll embrace it as gracefully when it’s my turn. In the meantime, I’m content to be 26. :)
A big huge thank you to my Momma. She offered to host the whole family at her house with Brent’s favorite meal. My mom and sister both have the gene that allows them to whip together a meal for twenty with as much ease as brushing their teeth. If I have that gene it seems to be laying dormant. Brent’s Mom provided the sinful dessert. Mmmmm.
Saturday night we went to the wedding of our dear friends, Mark Surgalski and Carra Duley. It was a beautiful wedding! Here’s a pic of the dynamic duo while we were vacationing in Hilton Head together this summer.
Here’s a shot of me with my precious family at Mark and Carra’s reception. How cute are Brent’s dimples?! Totally bummed neither of my girls got them.
Here’s one more shot from the reception… Carlyle and Ben Robinette. This is the most genuine smile I’ve ever gotten out of her. Somebody’s got a crush. ;) If you had seen his skills on the dance floor you’d have a crush on him too. Just sayin’.
What do you guys think of the new blog? Give me some feedback.
Girl Trip ‘08
October 14, 2008 – 10:18 pm
Sunday night I got home from my annual girl trip with Erica and Rachel. Each year we go someplace different. Last year it was Miami Beach. The year before it was NYC. The location really isn't important. I'm confident we could keep ourselves entertained at Grayson Lake. Rachel lives outside of Cincinnati and Erica lives in New Jersey… so our visits together are few and far between.
Rachel and I have been friends since 2nd grade. Erica and I have been friends since 7th grade (except for the time in 10th grade when she asked Barry Stewart to Morp even though she knew I was going to… in retaliation I asked Scott Kiefer, with whom she was madly in love). Wonder where those boys are? I digress…
Last Thursday, my two BFFs and I met up in Scottsdale, Arizona at The Spa at the Camelback Inn (Oprah and Gail are regulars). It was blissful. I have so much work to do, I really had no business going out of town again… but I feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to jump into the holiday madness. If you've never had a scalp treatment/massage I highly recommend one. It was quite possibly the most enjoyable 20 minutes of my life.
In true girl trip fashion we talked incessantly about our kids, consumed a gazillion calories each day, fought over the thermostat, argued over who had to sleep with Erica, didn't read a single page of our books, pretended we weren't the oldest ones at the night club, and laughed until snot was coming out of our noses. Can't wait to do it all over again next year!
This was the view of Camelback Mountain from underneath our umbrella at the pool.
Erica, your assignment for this year is to learn how to rock. K?
At dinner one night, our entertainment was the couple sitting next to us. No exaggeration, they made out through the entire dinner. Here, Erica is pretending I'm taking a picture of her. To say we were acting like we were six years old would be generous.
My friendship with these two girls is so special. I love them to the moon and back!!!
Back to Blogging
September 29, 2008 – 10:29 pm
So the summer's over and I've decided no time like the present to dust off this blog. It's been a whirlwind last few months and I'm looking forward to spending some time at home. I've made lots of new friends all over the country this summer (even a few foreigners). Since my last blog I've been to Kansas, Texas, Ohio, Tennessee, South Carolina… and I just got home from Light Pro Expo in Captiva Island, Florida. Whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about the time I've spent in a Delta or US Air terminal. Raise your hand if you despise airline travel. Seriously, it makes me cranky.
Near the top of exciting things that happened over the last few months… my Dad gave up his job as Ashland's Mayor to become the superintendent of the Ashland Independent Schools. Unfortunately there was a conflict of interest being both, so the city's loss is the schools' gain. Interesting side note: My Mom and Dad divorced 15 years ago. After their divorce, my Mom went to the University of Kentucky in Lexington and got her doctorate in education. After that, she came back to Ashland and became the principal at Hatcher, a local elementary school. She's now an administrator at the central office (Director of Pupil Personnel and Title 1). My Mom and Dad's offices are steps apart. Crazy, I tell ya. What better form of family counseling than working together everyday? I'm pretty sure somebody's already lined us up for a reality show on the E! channel. Good times.
In my excitement to reconvene blogging, I almost forgot to mention that over the summer, in addition to several speaking gigs and a family vacation, I went… drumroll please… CAMPING. That's right folks, I said camping. Katy and John (my Sis and BIL) bought a camper, for reasons I'm still unsure. Under the guise of "quality family time" I've been lured into some of the less luxurious vacation spots I've yet to visit. Over Memorial Day weekend, the Kentucky State Horse Park was the first stop on my camping trifecta. Despite sharing a camper with seven other people and having to use the bathroom for all to see and hear (sorry, TMI I know), I actually had fun. My sister is a fantastic cook and kept us all very well-fed. Brent and John kept the coolers well-stocked so as not to become dehydrated. We even got to see our first Polo match. Fun stuff! My second camping trip was during the Fourth of July at Grayson Lake. Since it was close to home, I drove up separately and snuck away relatively unscathed. This past weekend was my last camping adventure. I got home from Florida on Friday night, slept a few hours, washed the airline yuckies off, and hopped in the car for Fallsburg. Don't let the "Falls" part of the name fool you. Brent and I joked as we passed school buses and satellites in most of the front yards along the road. Heaven forbid there be a cell phone tower nearby. That's asking far too much. I'll admit, we did share some QT together. My sister and her family are truly our best friends… it's just that I'd rather spend QT at a Four Seasons. Hell, I'd even settle for a Ramada. Dirt and bugs should not be part of a "vacation". I'm just sayin'.
I also traveled to Northern Ohio for my step-brother's wedding this summer (Mark and Erin). Annabelle and my niece, Langley, were flower girls. How cute are they? It was a beautiful wedding and the reception was way fun. I'm posting this picture mostly because I think the girls are edible, but also so you people will stop asking me to photograph your weddings. Clearly, I'm no wedding photographer! This is proof.
I'll leave you with one last highlight of my summer. Each year I put an ad in the Ashland Tomcat football program. For the past four years I've photographed one of the "stars" of the team for my ad. This year, Ryan Bonner was the star of the show. Isn't he pretty? Not a bad football player either. Go cats!
I've got a couple more traveling jaunts before the year's over. Next Tuesday I'll be in Louisville speaking at the KPPA Fall Seminar. My personal photographer, BFF, Jen Hillenga is speaking on Sunday. If you're a KY photographer, I'd love for you to come to my class, but Jen's class is an absolute must-see. The girl is crazy gifted and you shouldn't miss out on this opportunity to learn from her.
I've got one more trip before the Christmas chaos begins. In a couple weeks I'm going with Erica and Rachel (my two BFFs from high school) to the Camelback Inn Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona. This will be a much more relaxed trip than last year's Miami trip. I can't wait! It'll be bliss (as long as they don't bust out the conservative blah blah blah).
One more thing… since I posted a pic of Annabelle, I'd remiss if I didn't post a pic of Carlyle too. Don't want to provoke any sisterly hatefulness. So here's my little straight A, never-missed-a-day-of-school-EVER seventh grader. I hope I didn't just jinx her.
OK, I'm off to bed to watch Tivo'd SNL. Thank goodness for Sarah Palin fodder. Have you seen the Katie Couric interview? Again, I'm just sayin'. :)
p.s. Whitney, Winnie, and Joanne… I had a blast with you girls today. I hope Annabelle didn't traumatize you too badly. Winnie, I'll be on the lookout.
Fusion Extreme
May 14, 2008 – 4:17 pm
If any of you (photographers) are in the Kansas area, I’ll be speaking at the Fusion Extreme workshop in Emporia, Kansas next week. One of my BFFs, Jen Hillenga, will be speaking also. She’s a rockstar ya’ll. My good friends, Kevin and Dixie Jordan, are speaking too. Love these kids! I’m so excited to get to play with my friends!
Come play with us!!!
Nothin’ But a Good Time
April 14, 2008 – 9:24 pm
Raise your hand if you’re ready for Rock of Love 3? ***raising both hands***
Even in puffy-faced renal failure, he does it for me. Maybe it’s the guyliner?
Idol Gives Back, join me?
April 9, 2008 – 8:25 pm
For spring break, my girls went on a Disney cruise with my Mom & stepdad. When Brent and I agreed to let them go a year ago we thought it was a great idea. Wow, did I have second thoughts. Last week was one of the longest weeks of my life! The girls have spent extended periods away from me, but I was always able to talk to them everyday. This was quite different. In nine days, I talked to Carlyle one time. I didn’t talk to Annabelle at all for fear she’d have a complete meltdown. Plus, my sister had warned me about a friend of hers who returned from a cruise last year to a $2000 cell phone bill. We’re a bit concerned about our next cell phone bill.
The girls got home Sunday night. I’m sure I’ve never squeezed them so tightly. I’m so thankful to have them home with me. Tonight, the girls and I are cozying up on the couch to watch Idol Gives Back. As Gandhi so eloquently said, “You can be the change you want to see in this world.”
~blogged from my iPhone
I fought the tub, and the tub won.
April 8, 2008 – 5:22 pm
But, I went down fighting! Friday morning, I slipped and fell in the shower. Picture a 100-year-old iron and porcelain bathtub. Oh. Sh!t. My head hit first, then my elbow and left hip. The pain was paralyzing. I am such a doofus. Grace has never been one of my strengths. Brent came in, made sure I hadn’t knocked myself out, and promptly made a note to get some non-slip strips. He wasn’t entirely surprised. This wasn’t my first rodeo. Two years ago I fell down the stairs and did quite a number to myself.
Friday was our last day of White on White limited edition sessions. We had to re-schedule the entire day. My head was splitting, I was nauseous, and couldn’t keep my eyes open. I’m sure I caused a mild concussion. My head’s all better, but the bruises are popping up everywhere. This is my elbow. I’ll spare you the rest.
Saturday, I felt like I’d been hit by a train. I’m not sure what hurts most, the bruises or the bedsores from laying on the couch all weekend. If anybody wants reviews of the movies on Direct TV this month let me know. I’ve got ‘em all covered. Highly recommend Gone Baby Gone. Excellent!
p.s. Happy birthday Dad! I love you!!!
Way to go Brandon!
April 1, 2008 – 7:30 pm
It feels wrong rooting against the Reds; but as long as Brandon Webb is pitching against them, you do what you’ve got to do. Hometown hero Brandon Webb, pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks, was home over the weekend. He and his gorgeous family came in Saturday for pics. Ordinarily, Saturdays are off-limits for me; but I was happy to make an exception for the 2006 Cy Young Award Winner. 
Yesterday, he and the Diamondbacks were in Cincinnati playing in MLB’s opening day game. Brandon pitched a winning game against the Reds! Congratulations!!!
My friend, John Flavell with The Independent, took this super cool picture. John, you must have a really good camera.
Here’s a shot from Saturday of Brandon, Alicia, and Reagan. Way to prepare for the big game. Family Picture Day does not exactly equate to a stress-free day. I think he was just glad I didn’t ask him to take off his shirt this time. Next time, I make no promises. 
Happy Birthday Reagan!!! I hope you had a fun party!
It’s here! It’s here!
April 1, 2008 – 2:15 pm
I just pulled in my driveway and noticed our weeping cherry tree is in bloom. Spring is finally here! Yay!!! So long to my seasonal affective disorder. Happiness!
Blogged from my iPhone
Congratulations Dad!
March 31, 2008 – 8:54 pm
What a whirlwind week it’s been. Two very exciting things involved my Dad. Last Monday he was named Ashland School System’s superintendent. In 1996, after a 29-year career in education, he retired as Ashland’s assistant superintendent. He’s been the Mayor of Ashland for the past 6 years. He’ll have to resign as Mayor on July 1st, the day his new job begins. It’s a bittersweet time. He has the highest approval rating of any Ashland Mayors.
One of his proudest moments as Mayor came last Thursday (the day after he was named the new superintendent), at the ground-breaking ceremony of Ashland’s multi-million-dollar riverfront project. Here he is at the ceremony with Senator Mitch McConnell (Senate Minority Leader- I’m trying not to hold that against him).
I love this picture of him in front of the KY/OH bridges.
This is my favorite picture from the festivities. Annabelle taught him how to rock. I’m so proud… gets me all choked up.
I love you Dad and couldn’t be more proud of you!!! You really do rock.
Happy Birthday Carlyle!
March 31, 2008 – 8:25 pm
My 1st baby just turned 12. Gah… how did that happen?! Depressing, I tell you (she’s even getting boobs!). And for anybody doing the math… I was 13 when I had her. Here’s Carlyle opening birthday presents. The older they get, the smaller and more expensive the gifts. Thankfully, Annabelle’s still content with dollar store gifts.
And here’s the birthday girl with my Dad, Ashland School’s new superintendent (congratulations Dad!). He always tells her “You’re my number one!”. What happened to me being his number one? I’m the first of his two daughters and four granddaughters. What’s up with grandparents and their grandkids anyway? What ev.
This is Gracen… one of Carlyle’s BFFs. She’s my kinda girl.
Bring it on!
March 23, 2008 – 4:05 pm
Carlyle’s a Verity cheerleader! This is serious stuff. Tryouts were
Friday night. I’ve never seen so much nervousing! Of course, I was
cool as a cuke. We had a celebration party at our house afterwards.
Lots of squealing going on. It’s just beginning…
Cograts girls! Now, bring it on!!!
My Valentine
February 14, 2008 – 9:55 pm
It’s been so long since I’ve blogged and I’ve got so much to blog
about, it’s rather daunting. For now, a picture of my littlest
Valentine that I took 2 minutes ago. She’s seven and I don’t care if
she sucks her thumb until she’s 97. I could eat her up.
Track Santa!
December 23, 2007 – 3:09 am
I apologize for neglecting my blog. I’ve got a pretty good idea of what pergatory must be like. The last few weeks have been brutal! Among all the holiday chaos… I lost a hard drive that had all my retouched files from the past few months, TMJ has found a cozy home in my left jaw, and we’ve all had strep throat (except Carlyle who has never missed a day of school, knock on wood).
Despite the yuckiness, I’ve had joy and happiness and will post more later. For now, I wanted to share this site with you: Norad Track Santa. For the past several years tracking Santa has been a family tradition. Starting on Christmas Eve morning, we can find out exactly where Santa is thanks to radar, satellites, Santa cams and jet fighter aircraft. Not only do we track him online throughout the day on Christmas Eve as he travels across the world, but we call and personally speak to a Norad Santa Tracker who lets us know exactly where Santa is and where his next stop will be. 1-877-Hi-NORAD. I’m getting excited just thinking about it!
While Santa’s inside eating cookies and milk we’ve left for him, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph will be waiting outside. We sprinkle reindeer food in our yard for them (the recipe: a cup of sugar, a cup of instant oatmeal, and a cup of glitter).
That’s all for now. Blessings to you all, my friends! Merry, merry Christmas!!!
Some shallow talk.
December 4, 2007 – 12:24 pm
Several people emailed me questions in response to my last post, but I wanted to blog my answers to the questions that were asked here. Now these are the kinds of questions I’m talking about! If I wasn’t a photographer, I’d be a make-up artist. Questions are in turquoise below.
Posted by: Jenny
Jenny… I can tell you and I would be fast friends. After all, it is all about the lipstick, isn’t it? I’ll wear the same few lipsticks for a year or so and then move on to something new. I’m a "your lips, but better" lipstick kind of girl. I gravitate towards the nude/flesh tones. For the past year, I’ve worn these lipsticks: Aveda in Seashell, MAC in Viva Glam V, and Victoria’s Secret Lip Gloss in Piece of Cake. For several years, I’ve had a holy grail lip liner. Wouldn’t you know they’d discontinue it?! It’s Revlon’s Timeliner for Lips in Mocha. I’m all about luxury make-up. In fact, if I could choose one place to live for the rest of my life it would be the basement of Bergdorf Goodman (beauty and fragrance department). But this drugstore lip liner totally does it for me! Sure, I wish it said Chanel or Nars… but I can deal. I can’t find it in drugstores anymore, so I snagged some from eBay. You really can find anything on eBay. Hopefully I will have found a replacement before my current stash runs out.
Posted by: Amy Zellmer
Botox?? Have you tried it?? I am so not above having it done! lol… and isn’t bleaching an amazing thing?? my parents sunk a large chunk of ching into my teeth too! have a wonderful holiday season!!
Amy, I am being serious when I tell you that I quite possibly love Botox as much as my two children (well, that might be a slight fabrication); but the joy I have received from watching that hateful crease between my eyebrows disappear has been life-altering (again, a very slight fabrication). I’ve been getting Botox injections for the past 4 years. I can spread my visits farther apart now and only go every 6-8 months. The pain is minimal. Actually, I kind of enjoy it (sicko). I only get it on my forehead. My Doctor won’t do around my eyes. She says I don’t need it… yet. It’s true, I’m a certifiable Botox junkie. And yes, bleaching is a wonderful thing! So is toothpaste for sensitive teeth. My teeth have definitely become more sensitive. I now bleach every few months for maintenance.
Posted by: Erica Amato
I have a question for you friendy….do you still think it is possible for ol’ John Edwards to win the presidency? You always have been a dreamer! On the teeth issue…you know if you bleach one more time your teeth are going to start falling out!
Last but not least… Erica, my dear dear patronizing best friend. Why did you come and dilute our nice little, albeit shallow, discussion with politics? I never said I thought John Edwards was going to win the Presidency. I do like him, but my vote is clearly better spent backing Hillary or Barrack. I’d love to see Hillary win. You know I never got enough of Bill. :) But I won’t be sad to see Obama in the White House either. Actually, things are looking pretty good from where I’m sitting. Even if the GOP somehow manages to pull it off and win the election, looks like he’ll be pro-choice! Hey, you brought it up. :) Something has got to be done about that lisp though! Seriously.
Happiness!
A Dental Diversion
November 29, 2007 – 2:37 pm
I get lots of emails everyday with questions pertaining to photography. With the holiday chaos around here, this email was a welcome diversion and made me smile.
I just wanted to compliment you on your photography! It is really awesome! Also, your teeth are beautiful! Did you have them bleached or are they veneers?? What dentist do you go to? I hope that isn’t too personal of a question. Thanks and keep up the great work!
Isn’t that great? Too personal? Heck no! My parents could feed a small country with the funds they’ve sunk into these teeth. I’m happy to talk teeth! I replied to the email; but in case any of you are wondering… I bleach, they are not veneers, and Jimmy Daniel is my dentist (McDreamy’s got nothing on Dr. Daniel).
If anybody else has a non-photography related question, fire away. I’m OVER photography right now. Who wants to talk perfume? Botox? How about Big Brother trivia?
What I’m Thankful for…
November 24, 2007 – 2:43 pm
Last week we lost a hard drive. We didn’t lose any raw files (I can hear my clients breathing an enormous collective sigh of relief), but we lost lots of retouched work. We’ll be burning the midnight oil trying to catch up. This couldn’t have happened at a more inopportune time.
So this Thanksgiving, in addition to all the good stuff, I’m thankful I haven’t resorted to smoking crack.
How about lipstick! I check your blog and love your lipstick color. I’m a lipstick junkie and well…..being a stranger, I thought it would have seemed a bit odd to ask. So you’ve opened the door. What brand & color is it?