Francois, Risa, Hannah & Zach
Two weeks ago I photographed Risa & Francois and their kids. Sometimes you worry that the kids might be a bit shy around the camera, but as soon as I arrived I was greeted by two chatterboxes ready to have a great time. They were so much fun! My favorite part of the day had to be hearing Zach do his fire station alarm – SO CUTE!!!
Mr. Zach peering out though the tree….
and then getting to join Hannah up in the tree…
I know Hannah doesn’t have her full smile here, but I love the shot with her gorgeous curls in the wind!
Zach was quite the little water man. He started off fully dressed and within minutes was soaked and loving it. When he heard his job was to splash as big as he could, you should have seen him go! Here he is with his dad been thrown up into the air….
Many thanks to Risa and Francois for all your support and for such a fun day! Give the kids some Mickey ears for me (the reward points they get for being extra specially wonderful that eventually turn into a trip to Disney)!!
APWA Florida Chapter 2009 Meeting & Trade Show
This past week I provided coverage for the APWA Florida Chapter, a group near and dear to my heart. For those of you who aren’t familiar with APWA, it stands for the American Public Works Association and is home to hard-working, fun-loving public works folks. I became involved with the group about two years ago when I attended my first Gold Coast APWA branch meeting. I was running on three hours of sleep, about to flop over from exhaustion, and (sad to say) begrudgingly stepped in the door. Immediately everyone introduced me around… even bought me some raffle tickets (which I won 3 times with!!). I left having experienced one of the most unexpected and happy nights. Since then they have looked after me and supported me as family.
Anyway, rarely do these folks get mentioned by the public. Most people aren’t even sure what exactly their city or county public works department does. Believe me, these guys do more than I can easily mention here. They are looking out for us all and help our daily lives run as smoothly as they do. Long story short, it was my privilege to document the State Meeting & Trade Show and now get to share it with you all.
Jeff and Wayne running registrigation with the usual smiles and mischief…
Cheech welcomed the first timers in the newcomer’s session.
The opening session lunch started with the color guard presenting the flag. It was extremely special to all the members for two reasons. First, the color guard’s funding was cut unexpectedly for the event and out of their good word and hearts, they still showed. Secondly, they paid a tribute with a half mast flag to Tony Meffin, a close friend to many and longtime member of APWA. Here they are, heads bowed, in tribute.
Our inspiring Keynote Speaker, Jerry Way, who flew all the way from Sacramento to share how he made it through tough budget cuts in California much like Florida is facing today.
One of the most memorable parts of Jerry’s speech, other than his optimism, was his mention of the “Dash Poem”. He talked about the dash between the start and end dates of our lives, how it means so much and that it is everything in that dash that distinguishes us all. (Jerry tells it much better than I do!) The photo below is a slide from Jerry’s presentation… this dash happens to be his father’s life.
Quite a bit more happened the first day with some wonderful technical sessions organized by Frank Van Pelt, but if I keep up this level of details, I’ll have a novel. So…. I’m changing gears to show you highlights from the rest of the week.
The rodeo was one of my favorite parts – the events use public works equipment and just have fun using the equipment. Here’s a picture of vacuball, using the truck you pick up basketballs and try to make baskets.
There are so many more to share and there’s no way to fit them all, so I’ll leave you with Russell’s enthusiasm.
Make sure to check out the rest of the photos in the Client Access section!
Simply Irresistible
I’ve been running around the state taking photos and I’ve barely had any time to look at the great stuff I’ve captured. I did, however, get a chance to look at some of Katie, Michael, and Mackenzie’s session. I couldn’t resist posting these right away. I’m sure there will be a part 2 to Michael, Katie & Mackenzie’s photo shoot, but for now… enjoy!
Mackenzie was a getting a little tired (this was towards the end of the shoot) and then we stripped her down and gave her to her daddy on the couch. As you can see, she was all smiles!
That was a tease, I know… More to come soon!
Sweet Sixteen, Jillian!
Happy Sweet Sixteen to Jillian! It was a blast taking Jillian to some great spots over on Palm Beach Island for her shoot. She was a perfect little model… complete with a Hummer-full of outfits! Here are some of my oos and ahhs from the afternoon.
One of our stops for the day was a garden over on the island. There were nooks and crannies aplenty. The good sport that she is, Jillian was up for everything. Here she climbed in under a tiny blue roof and befriended the Buddah statue that the roof is actually intended for. A tight spot, but it was certainly worth it!!
Jillian’s eyes are so striking – check this puppy out! Even in black and white they’re stunning.
At the entrance of the garden is a great spot with a mural…. add in a little hair shaking fun and you get this!
Ah, my model Jillian!
Throw in some sky and Jillian’s eyes and a bit of sparkle…
Another shot I love…
I’ll leave you with couple photos from in and around Sloan’s, an ice cream shop in City Place.
Thanks, Jillian! Many thanks also go to Melissa and Holly – her accomplices who helped make the day as amazing as it was and full of laughter!
Summer & Chris Hitched!!!
Exciting news… Summer and Chris are married and on to their new life together. I could go on all day about how wonderful it was… Chris did an amazing job with his own vows. When a marine is crying, you know it’s a great wedding! The bridesmaids sang Summer and Chris down the aisle, Summer’s dad was their preacher, and everything was so charming (even the cake falling over!) – and lucky me was there to witness it all. The best part was the focus on the truly important stuff. Here are a few shots from their engagement session…. Thanks for being so much fun, Summer and Chris!
After the graffiti wall we headed over to the Kaypok tree on Palm Beach Island. The next photo has to be my favorite photos from the day…. The reason I love it? Chris is constantly aware of Summer’s happiness and everything else. Not treating her as fragile, but as a treasure. Here she’s slipping down the tree root and…. he’s got her.
And to finish out, one of the photos that Summer is “obsessed” with….
