Mike and Blanca: Family Portrait

Over Fourth of July weekend, Mike and Blanca invited me out to their home to take pictures of them and their adorable little boy, Nicky. Little did I know, this photo session would be more like an aerobic workout, as I tried to keep up with Nicky! He seemed to think this lady with the camera was all part of a game, so he ran around and babbled and squirmed his way throughout the session.

We tried so hard to coax him into sitting still, but afterward as I edited the session, some of my favorite images are where Nicky is just doing what Nicky wanted to do. His expressions are only matched by how cute he is in person - he has huge dimples and an infectious giggle - and you can really tell how much Mike and Blanca dote on him.

Mike and Blanca, muchas gracias for opening your home to us, for the Taco Man and margaritas, and for allowing me to capture images of your beautiful family!

I absolutely love this picture. Blanca was singing him a Spanish lullaby and Nicky was just mesmerized and lay perfectly still while she was singing.

Kevin and Janelle: Just Because

Like many couples who are no longer "newlyweds" but have only been married a couple of years, Kevin and Janelle decided it was time to update some of their pictures together. Since they are pretty much the epitome of "beachy-cool" (I think I made that up, but you all should know what it means) we had some fun hanging out at the beach and the pier near their house. Between takes, we enjoyed a rare moment of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy weekend and Kevin checked out the surf.

These two were incredibly game, from squinting in the bright light to risking standing near the water underneath the pier when the tide was coming in... I think the pictures reflect their laid-back vibe and how much they care about each other.

Kevin and Janelle, Scott and I had a great time hanging out with you - thank you both for the fantastic dinner and good company!





I hope they don't kill me for posting this! They were so great at just naturally falling into poses, we started joking about their future modeling careers and then they struck this one.

The End Is the Beginning

With all the graduations, birthdays, and orientations going on lately, I've been surrounded by beginnings and endings. And this week, one of the biggest endings and beginnings of all took place for our family - my mom retired after 30+ years of teaching. To celebrate, her work colleagues, past and present, gathered with family and friends and put on a wonderful party for her.


Teaching is a profession that isn't always valued as highly here as in other countries. I think a lot of people think that teachers have it easy - they have winter break and summer vacation. Maybe some teachers take it easy, but my mom is one of the hardest working people I know. She's gone to work everyday and shown integrity, compassion, and sincerity to each of the children she's helped to grow and made a huge impact on so many of them. She told me the other day how surprised and overwhelmed she was that so many people had done and said so many kind things as she's getting ready to retire- but I wasn't the least bit surprised. I know how amazing she is as a teacher, because she's taught me so much too.

Here's to a wonderful summer vacation, at last, that will just keep going! Congratulations, mom.

This is one of my dad's dear friends, Ron. He is always cracking up or making my dad laugh.

My dad actually took this picture.

This is Sue, who organized the party with another teaching colleague, Sandy.