West Virginia: Wild and Wonderful

A few weeks ago, I took to the sky! I went to West Virginia to visit one of my best friends - Janice - and her husband Jeremy. I had enough frequent flier miles to fly down, but will explain later how I got home. My flight had me leaving from Philadelphia at 6am, so I had to wake up at 3am to shower and head to the airport to be there for security checkpoints. And I'm glad I got there when I did because the line was looooong! I finally boarded the plane and sat next to a woman who slept the entire flight. Sleep doesn't come easily for me on planes, so I opted to stare out the window for most of the flight. And while I liked my view, I wish I were on the other side of the plane....because that morning I saw one of the most breathtakingly beautiful sunrises. Oh, the palette of colors!! Oranges, red, pinks, yellows, and blues that danced across the morning sky!! And just like that, the flight was over.

I landed in Dulles Airport at 7:15am. My layover was over 5 hours long. Ugh! And even more annoying is that my ability to sleep in airports is even worse than my ability to sleep on planes. So there I sat, watching people, (secretly) eavesdropping on people's conversations, and trying to pass the time with my laptop.

I don't know if I can accurately describe to you the slight commotion that would ensue as the announcers prepared us for boarding. We were in a small section of the airport, and out of ONE gate MULTIPLE flights would be called off. Plus across the way there was another single gate with four departures scheduled within 20 min. of each other. So thus commenced the battle for the announcements. One staff member would call a flight, then would try to keep the button depressed before the other could start her announcements. And when I realized our lady was trying to tell us to board, four of us walked through the door just as they were closing the door to begin boarding the next flight. And for a second, all four of us questioned if we were even getting on the right plane. Thankfully, we did, and off we went.

I arrived to a very small airport (the second smallest airport I've flown into besides Presque Isle, ME) and was greeted by Janice. I immediately noticed the mountains and knew the next few days were going to be a treat.

Saturday morning, we headed to Jeremy's granny and paw paw's for homemade biscuits and gravy. And let me tell you, if you've not had homemade Southern biscuits and gravy (with sausage), you are missing out!!! It was one of the most delicious meals I've had to date. I'm just glad it's not a meal I'll eat with frequency, because it's hard to stop eating!! After we spent the morning with his grandparents, we headed off on our drive around Jeremy's hometown. The ride lasted about 5 hours, and took us through the countryside. It was one of the most wonderful drives I've ever been on. We saw all kinds of animals. Beautiful homes nestled away in the mountains. Cows like I've never before seen (for the sheer number of them). At one point in our ride, Jeremy took us on "the loop". I thought the loop would last 5-10 minutes. Oh no, once on this loop, to get to the other end of the loop takes over an hour. So there are only two ways out. And on the loop we saw coal mines, abandoned buildings, and a really eye-opening area of town.

Friends we saw along the way...

When our ride concluded, we went to Big Daddy's, a local restaurant, for some much-desired dinner. And what an experience Big Daddy's was. It's a local ma-and-pa restaurant, and the small-town feel was just what I expected.

But...awaiting us on Sunday was a pretty large snowstorm - about 8 inches - that would knock the power out and cause us to twiddle our thumbs and sit in silence for a few hours Sunday evening. But as quickly as it came, it left...the temperatures on Monday were warm enough that the roads were clear, the snow fell from the branches, and life carried on as scheduled.

The power came on through the night but then went off again Monday morning. Janice and I were planning to head 5 hours north to her parents house (outside of DC) on Tuesday, but we decided to leave Monday, not sure if the power would come back on. Thousands were without power. BUT, just before we walked out the door, the power came back on. We decided to leave anyway, and made our trek 5 hours north. My mom drove down from NJ to VA and we met at Janice's parents house, where we were spending the night. Can I just say how absolutely wonderful it is to have family friends that you can be yourself with, laugh with and know that even the simple things are considered special and exciting?? We had a wonderful time with the Tilleys and Mom and I left Wed. AM to head back to NJ.

It was a great trip, and I am so glad I could go and see the place my dear friend calls home. Seeing the Appalachian Mountains surround them was so beautiful (I can only imagine what it looks like during the fall peak). Maybe I'll go back during the fall and see for myself :-)

My Little Munchkin

The other day, my youngest nephew came over to hang out at my parents house. We decided to do an impromptu photoshoot. Sometimes I know my nephews don't like being in front of the camera, but Gavin put up with me long enough to showcase some fun faces and smiles.

his attempt at winking...

And I am excited to have added a fun item to my camera bag. I have been looking online for a trick to get little ones to look into the camera, and am so happy to have found an Etsy shop owner who makes "lens bling" like this one that I bought:

photo courtesy of Esty shop: Happy Acres Farms

I can't wait to use it for the first time. For years I have made monkey noises, so finding a monkey to accompany the sounds is even more perfect than I could have thought.

I was in West Virginia this past week visiting one of my best friends. I had such a fun time seeing all the sights, and will be sharing soon about my trip.

Happy Friday!  Have a great weekend!!

Bubblemania

Do you think you are good at blowing bubbles? Do you know you can use a shoelace, a keyring, a hula hoop, and a headband to make bubbles? Well....you CAN!!  I went with my nephews to see Bubblemania, a spectacular performance sponsored by the PTA at their elementary school.

And Seth - the bubble expert - put on this funny, entertaining, and eye-catching show for 'kids' of all ages. I hadn't brought my camera with me, but when I realized I might be able to get some good shots, I grabbed the keys from my brother-in-law and drove the mile down the road to grab my camera. I made it back in time to see his last act -- making a human-sized bubble and having a young boy stand inside.

Seth, the bubble expert 

It was his 8th birthday, so instead of a 'high-five,' he got a 'high-eight'!

 

the bubble wand

the special bubble formula

       

a demonstration before the young boy stepped inside

showing him what to not to do

Seth told him to lick the bubble 

the finale

 

his farewell

The show was unlike anything I had ever seen. And what a simple concept it was. It always helps when your host has blue hair, red suspenders, and makes jokes to have the kids laughing. Job well done, Seth.

Caden Jonathan Cardinal

A few days ago, I posted a sneak peek of little Caden...and just had to put up some more pictures of this precious little baby.

Caden -- sneak peek

If someone were to ask what I did today, my answer would sound something like this: "Well, I photographed a newborn, but not just any newborn. This little peanut was so tiny and cute..." Weighing only 4lbs. 15oz. at birth, Caden Jonathan Cardinal is one of the tiniest I've ever seen. I don't advertise myself as a newborn photographer, but my dear friends Trin and Michael asked me to take some pictures...so I said, Of course! But it was only after I realized how tiny he would really be at 7 days old (happy one week birthday, Caden!) did the nerves kick in and I wondered if I could really do it.

And while Caden was awake for most of our photo session, he finally took a snooze toward the end, so I could get a few pictures like THIS:

I can't wait to post more, but as soon as I got home, I knew I wanted to post one of the basket shots. Trin and Michael, thanks for letting me come and take some photos of your precious family. He surely is a blessing from the Lord.

Here is proud older brother Jackson...he did such a good job smiling and looking at the camera, especially when I became a monkey, noises and all!!

Featured Work: Easy Canvas Prints

As more and more people began asking for options beyond the typical prints of pictures, I realized I needed to find vendors whose work I liked and products that would last for a long time. One of the companies I stumbled upon was Easy Canvas Prints. I ordered my first canvas for a client and really loved their product, and their customer service is outstanding. Now they are my go-to company for ordering canvases.

A few weeks ago they asked their Facebook fans to upload pictures that "defined" love. And so I looked through a number of my images that I thought reflected love - from my perspective - and uploaded a few pictures. They responded back asking for one of my images, saying they would like to use it in their Valentine's Day promotion. Just today, they sent out their email blast to their customers and posted to Facebook the picture I'd been excited to see "displayed". 

It's very exciting to see my work displayed and to have people appreciate what I am attempting to achieve when I look through my viewfinder and capture the amazing people who allow me to photograph them.

If you're interested in having pictures taken, I would love to hear from you. You can head to my website and send me an inquiry...and you could have the opportunity to get a canvas of your very own.

Thanks Easy Canvas Prints...love you guys!

And belly makes three...

Everything was set. The day, the time, the meeting place. Then came the phone call the night before: "Have you checked the weather? We could get 2-6 inches of snow tomorrow." Ahh! But with a quick change, the maternity shoot with Karen and Mike would happen the day after it was supposed to, and the fresh snowfall would make for a lovely session with some wonderful friends, who are expecting their first baby.

I don't think I will ever forget how they told me they were expecting. I got a text message from Mike at the end of the summer with something like the following: So we're wondering if you do newborn photography, because we'll be needing a photographer around March." I immediately called Mike -- didn't text back -- and whispered, "Are you at work?" to which Mike whispered back, "No".... I don't know why I was whispering. So when I realized I could use my normal voice, instead I screamed... "Karen is PREGNANT!!!???"

Karen is due in a few weeks and has that "glow" about her....I loved the blue sweater she chose, and especially love the shot below with the yellow. We drove to nearby Doylestown, PA and found this beautiful historical museum -- a perfect backdrop for a lot of the pics. They were troopers walking through the snow and especially Karen, removing her jacket each time we found a new spot.

Afterward, we went to Chickie's and Pete's for a delicious dinner and some riveting football on the big screens. Karen and Mike -- thanks for spending the afternoon with me. I will be anxiously awaiting the news of Baby Boy Smiley's arrival in a few weeks.