• birthdays,  bsquared business,  personal,  school

    10 for Tuesday

    Another tuesday, another tenfor.

    1. So Sunday was my 42nd birthday. And after 10 years of my birthday being on 9/11 (ok, my birthday has always been on 9/11 but not THE 9/11) I have to say that it hasn’t gotten any better. Spent the morning and into the early afternoon watching the memorial on TV (I cannot not watch it.) and crying. Saw my friend and babysitter Liz reading the names at the memorial to honor her father and uncle who were both lost on that horrible day. Saw the names of many RVC residents, many of which I knew, went to school with, know the families. And the whole day just sucks. All I remember is the fear, the incomprehensible events of the whole day, the not knowing when it was going to end, and the mayor saying the loss of life would be ‘more than any of us can bear’. Watching people fall to their deaths. Not lost. Murdered. So, it’s impossible for me to get happy that day. I think after 10 years of trying to enjoy my birthday (a day which I loved until 10 years ago) is obviously a fruitless effort. A lot of people say that a birthday is a bright light on an otherwise horrible day. I disagree- there is no light that day. I decided next year I will be celebrating my birthday on 9/13. And if it was legally possible to change your birthday, I would.

    2. Now that I depressed you (sorry), moving on to the good part of the birthday. Presents! Looky what I got!! (the amazing Tiffany purse is from John- the guy is on a roll lately with the great presents!- thank you JohnnyB!!, the camera is from me to…me!, and the little tin of candy sushi was made by my friend Beth and her son Stephen- super cute!) Oh, and the frame which coincidently matches the Tiffany box and bag is a little sneak preview for you of some of the custom frames I’ll be offering starting next week!

    3. So the new camera is a 5d mark ii. And as my friend Kate would say… “I’m a smitten kitten”! All the better to take your picture with my dears. And really, how cute is that bag!?!

    4. The big boys are playing on 3 different teams this fall. Middle school football (their first time playing), Little League fall baseball, and an NJBL travel team. And wow, the schedule is just overwhelming. I’m not sure how this is going to work out for them and when they’ll have time to do homework or eat some nights. But if we see that school is suffering from all the activities, something will have to go. Should be an interesting fall, huh?

    5. For those of you who’s bsquared sessions are still coming up, you’ll be getting a new little add on in your order bags. A little brochure with all my new product offerings in it. I also found a new iphone case maker that you can design yourself today. So be on the lookout for those being offered soon too! Christmas is coming, afterall.

    6. Been doing some shopping for the house and for the business (and sometimes the two kinda run into eachother) and have gotten some super cool new stuff.

    New pottery barn coffee table (and another little sneak peek of the custom frames in the background)

    New pillows and blankets. (I’m sure some of the blankets will make their way into a newborn shoot or two)An old bread bowl. Again, can’t you just see the little baby all smooshed up in there with some nice squishy blankets?Old rangefinder cameras. Going to get them cleaned up and try them out. Should be interesting and I can’t wait to try to shoot with film!

    7. Heard a great quote yesterday about photography. It’s a camera, not a magic wand. Love!! (the bunny has nothing to do with anything, but he’s cute)

    8. So you know how I have that Edward Norton thing, right? My cousin emailed me the other day to let me know that his movie 25th hour (which I love!) was playing in NYC on Sunday evening. With an appearance by the man himself. Yes, Edward Norton live and in person. And I couldn’t go. Didn’t want to go into NYC on 9/11. Ridiculous? Maybe. Did I blow my shot at meeting him? Possibly. I’m convinced it will happen some day. Any help available from any of you blog stalkers?

    9. Today is picture day at Timmy’s school and I bought a package. The pictures are usually pretty bad but I feel too guilty not to buy them. I just get the lowest package, but I hate doing it.

    10. Have some fun & styled shoots (of my own kids anyway) coming up on the blog soonish. Stay tuned. (the flowers don’t have anything to do with anything either. but i hate posting without pictures)

    Have a great Tuesday everyone!

  • birthdays,  occassions & parties

    caroline’s birthday party

    I was so excited when her mom asked me to shoot her dress up party. Since she’s such a fantastic girl who I adore, I knew her party would be a blast. And it was!! Loved the girls creativity and fun, spirited ideas. Lots (and lots) of pictures to follow. It was too hard to choose!

    Happy Birthday Caroline!! (she’s the one on the right top row)

    My favorite sisters!!!

  • babies,  birthdays

    brayden turns 1

    Taking a short break from the baseball trip posts (I’m home now, by the way) to bring you a little guy I’ve had the pleasure of photographing since he was born. So excited I got to photograph him on his one year old birthday!!

    And what would a first birthday be without a cake smash? And a crying baby. (it was the hat that made him cry)

    Happy birthday, Brayden!!

  • baseball,  birthdays,  elf on the shelf,  personal,  travel

    baseball trip 2011- day 2 Chicago I

    We left early Tuesday morning for the 7+ hour drive to Chicago. It was pretty and the first farm was exciting. After that it was naps, DS’s, snacks and tons of “how much longers”. We stopped for a bathroom/lunch break somewhere in Wisconsin which just so happened to be across the street from a US Military Base. There were a ton of soldiers in the restaurant and I decided I would buy whoever was on line at Subway their lunch for the day. You know how I have a real soft spot for all US soldiers. I mean, they put their lives on the line for us every day. I figured lunch was the least I could do. It was awesome!!

    And they were nice enough to stop for a picture with the boys. And Bob.

    The guys pictured above even gave each of the boys a “challenge coin” from their unit. They explained that you get them for doing something good for your unit and gave them to me with a handshake. It was pretty cool and quite an honor. Timmy can’t wait to bring it in for show and tell in first grade. And we finally made it to Chicago. With no time to spare, we took the subway over to Wrigley for the game. Even though they spent most of their 12th birthday in the car, they still had a good day. Grandpa Jack and Grandma Inez even flew in for the game (and left the next morning). Looked up just in time to catch this. Love it!Messing around with some sun flare. I was so bored. Then it was time for Tuesday’s surprise. Birthday wishes on the scoreboard at Wrigley!And Bob. Tried to find him a elf sized birthday hat but didn’t have much luck. He celebrated the boys birthday anyway. Well, at least he liked the game. And I can’t go another day without props to my Pilates trainer Karen who suggested Bob come along on the baseball trip. I think a lot of people thank you, Karen!!

     

  • birthdays,  occassions & parties

    erin’s 40th

    The lovely Erin turned 40 recently and had a big party at Two Steak and Sushi Den to celebrate. She asked me to photograph a bit of her evening and I was more than happy to. Two is super trendy and has such cool decor. I’m sure the food was great too!

    Such a pretty birthday girl!!The birthday girl with her parents and her sons. How cute is that baby?! Happy birthday Erin!