I love W. Somerset Maugham. When I read The Moon and Sixpence for the first time, I cried at its last page, not because it was sad but because I was sad for my vicarious journey to come to an end.
In my journal, I carefully copied this gold nugget: ”Every production of an artist should be the expression of an adventure of his soul. “
He could have been talking about Valerie. An artist to her very core. Brave. Courageous. Totally crazy. And my sweet friend.
Val’s Mom, Lucille, secretly found all her friends from all different seasons of her life, and threw the most elegant shindig.
Girl knows how to celebrate a birthday, I’ll give her that . . . plus a whole lot more. Love, love, love this girl.
Sweet. Life.
I LOVE the Olson Family. I met them sixteen years ago . . . in the nursery at church. Jill and I were lobbying for playdates for our newborn boys that were weeks out of the womb. Only now do we laugh at how desperate we were for adult conversation which quickly went by the wayside as the babies started coming. At that time Gregg was pitching for the Orioles and Jill was living in a whirlwind of spring training, game days and airline travel with little ones. We quickly learned to be honest girlfriends. Nothing off limits. The best kind of friends.
It was icing on the cake that during our trip to California, Carl and I got two whole days with Gregg and Jill and their kids. They eventually landed in Newport Beach. Jill still lives in a whirlwind of the best kind, raising these beautiful kids with Gregg. Gregg is the scout for the San Diego Padres, and they own Toolshed . . . cutting edge sports apparel. And two years ago, I got to serve as the official family photographer when Gregg was inducted in the Orioles Hall of Fame. But the BEST part of it all is that Jill still asks me the hard questions . . . like, “how’s your prayer life?” “have you been in the Word and journaling this week?” She’s one of those rare jewels that draws me closer to God every time I talk to her.
God is so good.
I got California.
I got five days with Carl.
I got to live life with the Olsons for two days.
And I got to talk as long as I wanted, curled up on the couch with a glass of wine and my friend.
Sweet. Life.
A carefully folded, white butcher paper pilgrim hat. A clickety old black, push-button reel to reel tape recorder. A tattered copy of The Preppy Handbook. Ticket stubs from the train ride at VanSaun Park . . . these are in the time capsule in my Grandma’s attic . . . the one I wish I had to store my childhood snapshots of Thanksgivings with my cousins. Now . . . jobs, children and the busyness of life keep us from gathering, but not last night. Airplanes flew in from all over the country to bring my cousins home . . . just in time to celebrate our grandma’s 100th birthday. More on Gi-Gi soon . . . but for now, my heart is full for my aunt and uncle and cousins . . . our collective kids (there are 23!) have the same sweet bank of memories from which to pull. Sweet life.
View the entire gallery here.
The complete Miles family, sans Scott and Cat . . . newlyweds who were sorely missed.
David, Tina, Hannah, Max and Elizabet . . . in from north Jersey. Carl still remembers David as the guy who inherited Grandma’s ’72 Nova Supersport- she racked up a whopping 6K miles on it when she rolled it out of her garage, and David got his sweet classic.
Meredith, Molly and Abigail . . . Floridians in every sense of the word.
Jack and Meryl . . . Riley and Mason . . . they live in TriBeca, and I seriously wanna do a life swap with Meryl just to see what it’s like to live in the best city in the country.
Aunt Marianne and Uncle John . . . surrounded by the love that keeps them young and smiling.
Gi-Gi with her chicks.
Hold tight for more of Gi-Gi’s party pictures . . . it’s a weekend long throw down for my sassy, spirited, sweet grandma.
Anne and Gary know what to hold onto and what to let go. Battling cancer kinda does that to a couple. That’s why Anne can throw on a neon pink wig, big sunglasses and dance in front of a room full of cheering fans, jump on a plane to visit her Lily in Italy just days before the holidays, and make each grandchild feel like THE favorite. That’s why Gary just watches Anne in motion with that look that says she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him.
Life is a lotta laughter , swedish fish and gummie worms . . . if you’re part of the Gamber gang.
The real deal.
I’m happysad about this family. For years I’ve sat with Nancy and Tom in the bleachers, watching their daughters, Kristen and Rachel slam on the volleyball court with my neices, Katie and Rachel and Marat on the indoor soccer field. Six years ago I became a BIG fan, and now it’s seasons of volleyball behind us. The girls are at UMaryland, James Madison and soon to be UGeorgia, and I’ll sadly wait for the next wave of volleyball girls to flow through our family so I can get back in the bleachers. On top of it all, the Cormans are moving to Georgia. . . they will be sorely missed. I’ve loved every second of documenting the Corman’s milestones . . . but Georgia’s only a quick flight away . . . and I don’t let go easily . . . have shootsac, will travel.
Did I mention that I LOVE this family?? From the first time Kristen and Rachel came to a game night at our house, didn’t know a soul, and jumped in like they were part of the family, they captured my heart.
Tom and Nancy are living the crazy life right now . . . but you’d never know it. That’s why they can smile and laugh so easily with one another . . . cause they keep the main thing, the main thing. LOVE.
Meet Staci Summers. She’s the president of Haute Cocao, purveyor of the most amazing handcrafted gourmet chocolate creations you’ll ever taste. So, going in, I knew she was everything I admire about a woman entrepreneur. Smart as all get out, a sense of style that you just wanna steal, and the best part is that she’s the kinda gal that makes you feel like her trusted friend right from the get go.
BUT, I had no idea about this other side of her. She’s a dedicated wife and mother who has created the most warm and inviting home for her family. And she knows how to throw a party. Without giving away all the details . . . it was a surprise birthday party for her husband, Jason. And she pulled it off, inviting his childhood best friends to come celebrate with them. She found a time capsule in his childhood attic which she had him uncork at the party. To watch Jason and his best friend laughing about keepsakes they both remember was priceless.
She’s my new hero. Climbing trees, running plays, rollin’ in the leaves . . . Lindsay keeps life an adventure for her “left and her right”, Bradley and Patrick. Our mutual friend, chef, Patrick Peregoy set us up, and I scored the win this time around. Lindsay sees the years clicking away . . . the time that her boys still want to hold her hand, kiss her cheek and brush the hair back from her face. Theirs is a special bond, forged through the quiet and the chaotic. They have each other’s backs, and that’s so obvious.
So why are you waiting, reader? You don’t get to go back to these days . . . capture is so important. Whether you invite a friend to document for you or spend your rainy day money on hiring a professional, get someone to capture YOU with your loved ones.
Zoe. . . she got the gold star for the day for being the cutest, most cooperative little princess on the planet.
Marin. Full of life and completely motivated by the Halloween candy.
Trent . . . a big ole sack ‘o love.
And beautiful Bridget . . . contemplative and every bit the big sister.
The Cassells are a family that I love. Jenn and Mike are raising their crew with love, laughter and a HUGE sense of humor.
Annual portraits. Done. Jenn gets ‘em done at the same time every year. Smart lady . . . she hasn’t missed a year.
These are my people. Every single one of them I love with all my heart. And I know I talk about ‘em all the time here on the blog, but if you knew them, you’d talk about ‘em too.
So, on Saturday afternoon, they came to my house for a little photo shoot. Squeezed between soccer games, birthday parties, work schedules and Bible study, we didn’t do too bad:)
How much beauty does one family get? And they’re even MORE beautiful on the inside if you can believe it.
My sister took that little Jake right in her arms and totally threw him way up into the sky where his Dad caught him. Katie and Jules were riding backup in case Chris missed. It only took us three tries to get the little guy caught. He didn’t seem to mind. The corn was pretty soft.
Love this little man.
Hello beautiful Maryland. This is my road. This is my family. Aren’t I a lucky girl???
When I pulled into the driveway, I was uncertain I had the right house . . . until I saw Suzanne amble out onto the front walk, stunning in her black dress, blonde hair pulled back from her beautiful face. She was joined by her handsome husband, John, and as each of the Wagner women stepped through the doorway, I was stunned by this gorgeous family of athletes. Volleyball. Soccer. And I could tell by the way they interacted that life is full of passion and adventure in the Wagner home. Just the way I like it.
Beautiful Nicole, who is a senior this year at John Carroll, and will be attending Eastern University next year.
Courtney. Who is just a little reserved . . . but I got little glimpses throughout the day of the spark that lights up her dad’s world.
And Shannon, who wears her joy all over her face . . .for all to enjoy.
As I was getting ready to leave, Suzanne said, “Hey. I have this idea for a Christmas card . . . ” I was doubtful that we could pull it off without off camera lighting, but I threw the ISO’s on my D700 waaaayyy up, and took a stab at it. Bumped the blacks just a bit in Lightroom, but other than that, it’s pretty straight out of camera.
So, huzzah for Suzanne Wagner!! Call her, because she’s pulled off all kinds of out of the box family Christmas cards, from a full Magi tableau to Nativity on the Farm. I am humbled. My girlfriends laugh at me, because my idea of a kickin’ Christmas card is to throw everyone in hats and scarves and stand out in the falling snow.
If you’re ready to take a stab at a cool Christmas Card, give me a shout. I’m game
