My favorite photographer...David Jay

I had a chance meeting with DJ and his girlfriend Allie (who is just as awesome as he is) in a coffee shop in Tampa one morning. He has been so helpful to me during this very steep (for me) learning curve of photography. I am so grateful to people like him who generously share their talent and knowledge. I'm headed to Atlanta this weekend for a meeting with him and a few others as he introduces his newest showit sites software for photographers which will launch in a couple of weeks. He was recently in Chicago, walking down the street with his friend Kenny, and this is what happened...(stole this from KennyKim's blog)

Kenny's blog entry:

Here's a funny story. So DJ & I are walking and this guy honks at us and pulls over. I thought it was just a friend of mine that I haven't seen in long time that recognized me to say hi or something. Turns out he (Greg Allen) is a photographer from London in town to shoot a wedding. He is a huge fan of DJ. Greg told us that just the other day, he said to himself that if he ever ran into DJ, he will personally thank him for all the impact he's made in his life. Lo and behold, he spots DJ walking on the streets of Chicago! Talk about a serendipitous moment! But really it just goes to show you how much of an global impact DJ has in this industry



Here's a picture from the meeting last night in Chicago...my friend Shandon is the blonde in the front row. She just happened to be in Chicago this week with her Church children's ministry group.

Where does the time go???

When Ron and I moved into our new home years ago, we met and quickly became best friends with our neighbors who lived across the street. And then, boom, boom, boom ...three little boys came along. Even though they moved away and have lived in a different city since the kid's kindergarten years, we still stay in touch, vacation together, etc. and our boys are still great friends - which doesn't always happen - especially since they go to different schools, different set of friends, etc. We met up for dinner one night and the boys all had their heads shaved at the same time (first time ever for Dan). I can't believe they're grown! Where does the time go??


Ages - 2,3,and 4


Ages 18,19 and 20
Ages 18,19 and 20

Happy Anniversary Brian and Heather

He was a single parent. She was his daughter's kindergarten teacher. He liked her from the first day he met her when he took his daughter to the new school. He had no idea she had only recently gone through a divorce (only final 5 days prior) when he asked her out. Nope, she'd sworn off all men entirely, she was JUST FINE all by herself. And so he waited...and waited...and tried again months later. And tried again months later. And tried again(you get the picture)... Still no. I don't know how long this went on, but FINALLY, she agreed to be FRIENDS and meet him at a specific function and SHE brought along another friend. There was no way this was going to be thought of as "a date"!!! And so the three of them "met" at places for a while. And very, very, very slowly their friendship grew (boy did he have patience) until finally she agreed they could "date" each other. Finally, they both were finding happiness. Just as things were looking up for her...she felt a lump. She was so young and had absolutely no family history of cancer, but she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was devastating. Along with great friends and family support, this man stayed by her side...he didn't care what it took. He loved her and wanted to marry and take care of her. And that's just what he did. They celebrated their third wedding anniversary this month. And Heather is a Breast Cancer Survivor. Love you guys!!!

If you haven't read this book...GO READ IT!! I picked it up to read while on vacation and couldn't put it down. For those of you who don't know him, he was named as new co-anchor for World News Tonight following the passing of Peter Jennings. Just a little over a month afterwards, he was very seriously injured while on assignment in Iraq. The tank he was riding in was attacked when a roadside bomb was detonated and he suffered a traumatic brain injury. It's not all bad...it goes back to when he met his wife, their dating years, travels, children. It's very, very sweet and well written. Go get it! I loved it!

We are here...I don't want to go home. It's so very peaceful here. A creek runs below out back. Hot tub on screened in back porch...weather is absolutely perfect!
I don't want to go home...

It was a pleasure shooting the wedding of Casey and Ann and getting to meet their families and friends. The day started for the girls at Panache Salon in the Historic District in St. Augustine, Florida. Everette, the girl "in charge of Ann" that morning did a super job on her hair and makeup (and she cracked me up the entire time). The outdoor wedding was held at the Riverview Club, under the direction of Susan Gabirel fromWeddings by Gabriel with a reception following in the clubhouse - with the BEST food I've ever had(provided by Kathleen Linton of Special Occasions) at a wedding reception. The newlyweds are spending their honeymoon in Las Vegas. Hope they're having a blast.