Flight 93

I was asked to photograph a recent event, which was a local effort to raise money for a memorial for Flight 93, called Banding Together for Heroes Concert and Rally. Two community bands played, one from my local area and the community band from Somerset County, PA, where Flight 93 went down. It was a beautiful, touching day, filled with music and personal stories of loved ones lost on that day.

photos of the planned memorial...it looks amazing

names of loved ones lost that day...the most touching part of the day was when the director of the Somerset Community band shared that he had a piece commissioned for the event by a local composer. it gave me goose bumps. info on this grassroots effort can be found here: www.honorflight93.org

you snooze, you lose...

were his last words to me as I trekked back to my car. He was a ham and his little sister was all girl...thanks Jaden and Maya, for a lovely saturday morning behind the lens!

and one with an antique texture applied...

baby belly = bliss

Meet Emily. She is expecting her first baby, and a lot of people couldnt be happier for her. Some of her friends were recently asked to think about why she'll be a good mom, and here's my list:

...her heart is as big as the sky

...she's patient, kind, giving

...she is strong in her faith, which will provide her with the guidance she seeks

...she's already been practicing (stinger!!!)

...and she's married to this guy, so she has no choice but to be a good mom! {KIDDING!!}


congratulations to emily and derrick....your baby boy is one lucky dude :)

wishing....

what do you wish for in a day?
more time?
more money?
more sleep?
to feel the touch of a lost loved one?

those of you who know me personally know that i work in the area of special needs adoption, and it is something that is close to my heart. so, when i had the chance to take photos of waiting children, i jumped at the opportunity. their photos are used to help families connect with them, learn about them, and make a huge decision on whether they are able to meet their needs.

sometimes we dont need to use the photos, those kids are the lucky ones. other times we need to make sure the photos are on display for the whole world to see, because those kids wish, too. but, what they wish for is a fundamental belonging - a mom, a dad, a brother or sister. or just someone who will love them for who they are & what they have to offer to the world.

i sent her completed shoot in, and you can click here to see which one was chosen to represent her...i think it matches her personality perfectly :)

so, in honor of sweet J, who I had the privilege of photographing, wont you help spread the word? check out http://www.adoptpakids.org/ and click on the heart gallery link to learn more.

its dance recital weekend...

which means there will be a lot of twirling...alot of tapping...and a lot of shenanigans with our bff...

wanna sneak past the fence?

i'm so glad they did! and, since the kids were soooo cute and hamming it up, it made playing around with different finishes on their raw images a lot of fun!

and a b&w conversion....

Joan's 5k Run

Today was Joan's Run, the first annual 5k race in honor of my friend's, mom who passed away from the disease this year.
I was honored to have been asked to document the day in photos, and am sharing some of them here. I'm really proud of Jenn's efforts to coordinate this race and raise money for pancreatic cancer research... she put a lot of time, energy and love into this event, and she pulled if off beautifully.there was another team at the race running/walking for their friend, Jen, a young mother who is currently battling pancreatic cancer. I have a group photo of them, and the passion and love showing in their faces is truly touching.

the ladies first place winner....yay Kathy! and this is my neighbor...she doesnt know I'm posting this and I havent asked her for permission. and i dont think i'm going to. you see, i like her, i really do. she's very nice and fun to hang with, but i'm a tad miffed that after a 5k run, she is crossing the finish line with not only a smile on her face, but not a single drop of sweat to show for it! but, on a serious note....it was heartwarming to see all the people who came out for the race to support Jenn and her efforts. It was also great catching up with old friends, some who traveled from quite a distance. Should you feel compelled to support the organization that Jenn raised money for, its http://www.pancan.org/

seriously?

photo shoots dont get much more enjoyable than this...
seriously.

{madelyn} {nate - channeling his inner pirate}

{jack}

on your mark, get set, vanilla ice cream....

a grand time was had running races to trees, talking about BFF's, shooting the breeze about baseball and learning about pre-school horse races....i really dug working with these sweet kiddos!

and one with a funky twist to match her darling personality...