NEW YORK CITY 2.19-2.21

Thanks to a very special person, my husband and I were given JetBlue plane tickets for Christmas and decided to spend them on a weekend get-a-way to one of our favorite cities, New York. Let me first say this was our first time on JetBlue and we were very impressed by them. Roomy seats, plenty of baggage allowance, in-flight entertainment and S&B service were all terrific and I highly reccomend flying with them when you book your next flight. If they're reading this (yeah right), they can mail me my complimentary tickets at their convenience.

Anyway, we landed early Thursday morning and boy was it brisk weather. These Southern kids were FREEZING but after checking into our fabulous hotel in Times Square we were ready to beat the streets. I'm telling you people, when we're there, we log 8-10 miles at least everyday just walking around and exploring the sights. Because we've been fortunate enough to travel here more than a few times, we decided to go outside the City and take a look around. Mitch talked me into traipsing around Brooklyn, namely the DUMBO area. For those of you who don't know what that is, DUMBO is a euphenism for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. It's a great little area with incredible skyline views of Manhattan and a dozen little galleries, shops and boutiques. Of course we had to see something on Broadway as no trip ever seems complete without, so after a game of rock/paper/scissors we chose Little Mermaid which was a great production. Our seats gave us a wonderful view of the entire stage and I found myself singing along to many of the songs just as if I were 12 years old again and watching the movie for the 100th time. We walked the Manhattan bridge which was incredibly scary as trains go flying by you and you feel the bridge sway under the weight or see grafitti in the strangest of places (one has to be high to get to where they do when painting) but the views are incomporable. Something else we enjoyed (but only reccomend in the daylight hours unless you're with a large group) was checking out Coney Island. After the subway leaves the underground rails you get to see parts of New York that you would typically never get a look at. Brighton Beach is beautiful and although cold, it was easy to imagine what it might be like on a hot summer day with the roller coaster and ferris wheels running as people skated the boardwalk and grubbed on Nathan's Famous hotdogs. The ride is a little long but if you enjoy "people-watching" I really think you ought to do this.

All in all, it was an awesome trip that ended far too soon. I love the Northeast. It has so much culture and yet, there are still parts of it where you can feel the community of it all. Enjoy some of my photos here. More will be posted on my facebook and myspace albums if you follow me there as well. Thanks for reading my "travel guide". LOL-Please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.


This is for THE'BOTTLETREE // She knows who she is =)

Stormclouds Were Letting In Some Sun. . .

Manhattan Bridge View


Grafitti over Chinatown - I love the art!



Mitch and I - Pretty Proud Of This One!

Coney Island @ Brighton Beach

The Husband - Isn't He A Hottie?

Proud of this one too! We were walking about in DUMBO

Snowclouds Not Quite Breaking Open - We Did See Flurries!

I Had Just Lost My Scarf To The Wind. It Was So Cold!

Love All The Color From The Art Though..

A Wedding To Remember...

This past weekend while many couples squeezed in reservations and last minute gifts for their "special someone", I was granted the opportunity to photograph a real Valentine moment as Lisa Gomez tied the knot with Eddie Gilmore and it was definately not a wedding I'll soon forget. These two brought together very blended and multicultural families and there wasn't a dry eye in the church as Lisa's brother brought her down the isle to her groom in place of her father whom has passed away. It was a beautiful ceremony attended by a myriad of friends and family both local and from out of state. I wish the new Mr. & Mrs. Gilmore all the happiness and a hundred more Valentine days just as special!

One of the things I love most about photographing weddings is that it gives me a chance to get an inside look at families and their backgrounds meeting all kinds of characters. I often step outside of just the "picture lady" for a wedding and become much more as my assistant this past weekend soon found out - if you're there and you're willing, many jobs can often befall you in the downtime in between photographs. You may play hairstylist, nanny, dress straightener, messenger or even a shoulder to cry on. While it can get a little overwhelming at times and often I'm ready to crash out by the day's end, when I look back over it all I am reminded of why I love my job and thank God for the blessing of being able to do it.

So you've read that I had an assistant this past weekend and I would be completely wrong to not publicly thank Ms. Toy Bourn for all of her help. She and I had the greatest time on this mini-roadtrip into Louisiana where the wedding took place; singing songs at the top of our lungs, watching the hotel hot-tub overflow with bubbles from some kid dumping in an entire bottle of shampoo, trying out Starbucks new breakfast sandwiches (which I have to give an A+ to) or driving through two cities looking for a restaurant to dine at on Valentine's evening only to wind up back at the hotel eatery. This girl is too much fun and took on the task of being my help in full stride. Thanks Toy for making the trip there and back bearable! Below you'll find a snapshot we took on the way out of town that I think will give you an idea of just how silly we got. This girl is one of the hardest working people I know and would give you her last dime if she knew you needed it but- she also knows how to have a good time. I hope this tickles you and brings a smile to your face as much as it does me each time I catch a glance. Happy Valentine's Day all!

Presenting Mr. & Mrs. Paul Blackmon

Mallory finally married her Aussie sailor! Many of the wedding party joked about the fact that these two are so comfortable together you might think they've already been married for years. But of course that idea can be laid to rest when you find out that she and Paul rarely have spent tons of time together due to the fact that he is serving our country from another state whereupon her completion of school, she will join him. These two seem to be a perfect match and I wish them all the best in their new life together!

Gracelyn Farmer Turns 2!

Blowing into her second year at full steam, Gracie celebrated her birthday today with the help of some of her closest friends and family. I loved watching her little expressions of surprise and hearing her say, "oh wow" over chocolate covered strawberries and her gifts. The Farmer family, whom are the true epitome of class, opened up their home to make their baby girl's day especially memorable. What a great afternoon it was - chasing around these tiny tots (and big brother Wallace) and snapping up all their fun. Happy birthday Gracie, and many more!

Gracie & her Girlfriends...


Yummy Cupcake!


Jane-Claire & Juliana (Gracie's 2nd Cousins)


A Tea Party fit for a Princess!

Gracelyn Alexis Farmer - 2 Years Old!