Mike and Charlotte, founders of Pranava Yoga Center
718 North Weber Street
Colorado Springs
January 19, 2009
I’m so excited for my friends Charlotte and Mike! You may remember them as the amazing yoga couple who share our names: here are their engagement portraits and wedding photos. Now their dream is about to come true as they open their own yoga center.
They have a gorgeous studio on Weber Street in downtown Colorado Springs. They’ve developed a large following in the yoga community, and several of the best yoga instructors in the area have signed up to be a part of Pranava. I’ve taken Mike and Charlotte’s classes before, and I know that their new business will be a huge success. After lots of hard work, Pranava will be opening for classes on January 31. If you are in Colorado Springs, please check it out!
Yesterday I did a photo shoot with Charlotte and Mike at their studio and at the Garden of the Gods. They are so beautiful to photograph.
I am proud of my country today. I’m glued to the inauguration coverage on TV, wishing I could have been there myself. Today I really miss living in the DC area. Still this is a profound moment in history that I will always remember.
Mexico City
January, 2009
With all the travel I’ve done in the last three weeks, I still haven’t had a chance to post most of the photos. I went to Mexico City for the first week of January with Mike, my parents, my brother Paul, and my brother’s family.
As I mentioned earlier, the trip didn’t turn out quite the way we’d hoped, because almost all of us came down with a flu that had swept through our family reunion the week before. Most of our plans got canceled during our week in Mexico, including an outing to the Saturday market, a private tour of the pyramids, and Mike’s birthday weekend in Cancun.
Despite all the sickness and cancellations, we still had a fantastic time with my family. It’s rare that all of us spend time together like this, so I loved even the quiet moments of reading books with the kids.
We didn’t get to see much of the city from beyond our car, but I did get a chance to do some drive-by shooting.
Heather Lassell from Canada, David Pearce from England, and me
Photo by John Wiley
The DWF karaoke party
Carefree, Arizona
January 14, 2009
David is a classy, yet hilarious English gent, so naturally Heather and I had to sign him up for “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.” He had never heard the song before, but he sang every word of that horrible mess with a straight face and not a hint of embarrassment. Heather and I did the background vocals. Yes, there is video. No, I won’t share it. David is my hero now, and I hope to be able to visit him the next time we’re in England. Heather is my newfound sister from another mother. Thanks for the photo, John!
Last week I attended the annual convention of the Digital Wedding Forum. It was my third DWF convention, and this year it took place in Carefree, Arizona. This convention was my favorite yet, because I loved the location, the scenery, and the timely information in our seminars. I wasn’t sure whether the seminars would repeat everything we’d discussed in the previous two conventions, but I learned a lot last week. The industry is constantly changing, and I need to stay ahead of the game. I came home rejuvenated and energized for 2009.
I also had great times with my photographer friends from around the world! I get to see many of them only once a year, so it was great to spend time with them. I can’t believe that I have to wait another year before we can do it again. Here are a couple of the less-incriminating photos from the week.
Carefree, Arizona
January 13, 2008
I’m spending this week outside Phoenix, at the annual convention of the Digital Wedding Forum. I look forward to this convention every year, because it’s the only time that I get to see many of my photographer friends from around the world. We learn new techniques in art, technology, and business, and check out the latest products in our industry. This year we have the added benefit of gorgeous desert scenery all around. I can’t stop smiling this week.
Once again, I took all these photos with my Canon G10 point-and-shoot camera. I like to travel light.
Happy birthday to my wonderful husband, Mike! You mean everything to me, and I thank you so much for sharing life with me. I can’t wait to celebrate birthday 100 with you on our rocking chairs.
Mike turns 33 today! He’s had a rough time lately — we were supposed to spend his birthday weekend in Cancun, but he was too ill and we had to come home early. So please send him some birthday love!
My nephew Robby, age 3
Mexico City
January 4, 2009
Today we went walking with the kids in colorful Mexico City. Mike is feeling better, thank goodness, so we took them out on their bikes in the warm January weather.
I brought only my point-and-shoot camera (Canon G10) on this trip, so all of these photos were taken with it. It’s a new camera, and I’m liking it so far! I’m an SLR junkie, but this one is almost a suitable replacement for family snaps.
We’re on vacation in Mexico with my family right now, but half of us have the flu: Mike, my mom, my brother, and my nephew. Several of my relatives at our family reunion had it last week. Poor Mikey has been in bed for a couple days. So far I still feel good.
My niece Kenna, 5, and my cousin Bridget, 6
December 30, 2008
Kenna and Bridget got cameras for Christmas! Kenna’s camera was a gift from me, so I was really excited to see how much she loves it. She has taken tons of photos with it already. It’s in the blood, I tell ya.
Bridget, Liam, Kenna, Peter, Robby, Philip, Kathleen, Annie, and Timmy
(My cousins, niece, and nephews)
Our family reunion in Dallas
December 31, 2008
We spent the new year in Plano, Texas, with my dad’s extended family. It was the first time in almost six years that all of us have been together, and lots of children have been born during that time. My grandmother asked me to take a photo of all nine of her great-grandchildren, since we’ve never had all of them together at one time. I wasn’t sure if this task was even possible, but Grandma is in the hospital right now, and I really wanted to do this for her. It was a huge team effort involving all the adults, but we did it! And now Grandma has a framed copy of this photo to brighten her bedside table and show off to her visitors. Doesn’t she have adorable great-grandchildren?
This photo shows the nine kids in order of age. It includes my brother’s three kids, my cousin Pat’s three kids, and my cousin Bill’s three kids. My niece and nephews have loved playing with their second cousins this week; Kenna keeps asking when there will be another “cousin party.”
