Long Time, No Blogging

Hi everyone! I'm sorry that I haven't updated the blog recently. We had a little pregnancy complication last week that involved a trip to labor and delivery to stop contractions, so I was "out of the loop" for a couple of days. Since then I have been busy trying to catch up!

I have been continuing with my sessions and enjoying getting outside for most of them. The grass is green and the flowers are blooming--it's a great time to take outdoor portraits! I will be continuing sessions until the end of May, barring any unforseen circumstances of course. I do have a few sessions open for May, so if you'd like to get portraits done before I take a break for the summer, please call or email me. Also, I have started booking appointments for late in the summer when I return from "maternity leave" so if you'd like to be one of the first to have an appointment then, also call or email me.

Here are a few from my sessions this week:

An adorable one year old at Old Salem. He was serious, but such a little talker to only be one!:



A brother and sister at Tanglewood. Boy it's easier getting sibling shots when one of the siblings is eight and follows directions very well!:






And finally for the April recipe contest...I finally did receive recipes from several of you. Thanks so much for those who participated! The winner of the contest is Sally Mangham. She submitted a great recipe for porkchops involving pineapple juice, soy sauce, and Italian bread crumbs. It is yummy, and best of all easy! So Sally, you have won a free 12x18 mounted print from a future photo session--Congratulations! The May contest will be a photo contest where you will vote on your favorite from my sessions so far this year. So be on the lookout for a later blog entry about that contest.

New Adventures

So it seems that entering into a new life adventure often calls for the services of a photographer. And of course I am more than happy to oblige!

In the past week I have had the pleasure of photographing two newborns--my niece Paige and little Grant, born just two days after Paige. Believe it or not, newborns are some of my most challenging subjects. Now I know you're thinking, Julie, they sleep constantly and they don't run away so how challenging can they be! All of my newborn sessions, though, have lasted about three hours. Those three hours are filled with lots of nursing, peeing, pooping, fussing, and finally SLEEPING--which is what we want for newborns! But take a look at the beautiful angels below and you'll see that with newborns the reward is definitely worth the challenge.

I also had the pleasure of photographing a young lady entering an equally exciting stage in her life--marriage! Candise is getting married in May and a family member was sweet enough to offer bridal portraits to her as a gift. We had a great time out at Tanglewood taking her portraits. I just love the look of outdoor bridals!

Here's sweet little Paige:




And her future fella, Grant:



And here is the lovely bride:



Also, I'm starting to think that you all cook about as well as I do because I don't have very many recipes in my email box! Someone needs to win that mounted 12x18 portrait, so dig out those recipe boxes and email me something tasty.

"Hey, Mon!"

Tory, the girls, and myself just spent a wonderful vacation together in Jamaica. Some people thought we were crazy for taking the girls on such an ambitious trip, especially with me being six months pregnant, but we had a fabulous time! We stayed at a lovely all-inclusive resort in Montego Bay that was just perfect for having kids along. If you ever need information on a great place to take your kids on vacation--just email me! Now, of course, I couldn't come back from such a trip without some photos, so here goes:
The sunset on our first night:


The view from our balcony:


Grace and Claire had their hair braided in typical Jamaican fashion:

Claire's favorite thing to do was to fill this red bucket with sand and water:


Tory and the girls went on a sailboat ride:


So being in Jamaica, we had a chance to try a lot of local dishes like Jerk chicken, a Jamaican appetizer bread, local fruits, etc. All of these new dishes (and being six months pregnant!) have me thinking about food, food, food! So for April's contest, I am asking that you all send me some of your favorite recipes. You can email them to me, but please also post a comment telling everyone the name of the recipe you sent. I will try them out and pick a winner at the end of the month and that winner will receive a free mounted 12x18 portrait (may not be from a previous session)! Hmmm, maybe you could hang it in your kitchen...

I hope all of you have also had a wonderful Spring break and enjoy a joyous Easter weekend.