I Heart Mom

My Photo Shoot

First, let me preface this post by saying...it took A LOT of guts for me to post these pics. As a photographer, I hate when people are critical of themselves and it just so turns out, I'm one of those people! Oops. Okay, now we have that out of the way....


I had a wonderful opportunity today to be a model for Suzanne (Brons' dad's wife) and help with a project she's working on for her photography class. I mean how often am I on the receiving end of a camera? So I jumped at the opportunity! Suzanne did a wonderful job and I had a blast!


Thanks again Suzanne for the great opportunity and beautiful pics!

 

And what would a photoshoot be without a few outtakes?  Me being blown away by the fan and then finally showing the fan how I really felt about it messing up my hair! :)

Sunday Afternoon Fun

Another good weekend gone by too fast.  Today our little family of 3 headed down to Lick Creek for a visit with my parents. My dad and Brons filled the afternoon with gun shooting while my mom, Jack, and myself lounged, watched some TV, and headed into town (if Lick Creek, Illinois actually qualifies as a "town") and snapped a few pictures. I thought this series of pics was just priceless!

A Book Review : Unbroken

Also while on vacation, I took a suggestion from my friend Melissa and read Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. I don't get an opportunity to read many books, so when I do, I make it count! And WWII being one of my favorite topics in history, I just knew I'd love it!

To many of my readers, I'm sure you probably couldn't think up a topic that would bore you more, but I think this story is different. Louie Zamperini's story is so amazing, it's almost unbelievable at times.  The author, Laura Hillenbrand (author of Seabiscuit), did an amazing job of telling this story and conducting the 6 years worth of research it took to complete it. But this story goes beyond that of a WWII survival.  It's heartbreaking, yet beautiful and it's a true testimony as to why these men and woman are considered "The Greatest Generation". 


So, if you're looking for a great book, I promise you will not be disappointed with this one. History lover or not, this book is a must read.  I read all 400 pages in about a day and a half and haven't stopped thinking about it since I put it down.  

 

Louie (pictured on the right) with his brother Pete.

Louie today is in his nineties, still living in California.

Washington DC

We are finally back from our week long stay in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington DC.  It's a place Brons and I are both familiar with (All his architectural clients are there and my mom is also from the area and my aunt and uncle still live there) so we visit whenever possible. 

We spent the week seeing the sites. We made a trip to Colonial Williamsburg, visited The Smithsonian to include Air and Space, Natural History, and American History, we strolled King Street in Old Town Alexandria, walked The Mall to visit the memorials, and of course ate at some really terrific restaurants.  We also did our fair share of riding The Metro, which was Jack's favorite part! :)

I was also fortunate enough to attend Fairlington Methodist Church for service last Sunday with my aunt, uncle, and cousin but also got to see the part of my family that still regularly attends the church that I haven't seen in probably 20 years.  The church has been in our family since it was built and my great-grandfather was the first choir director.  My mom and aunt sang in the choir there when they were little and I was baptized there over 30 years ago.  Needless to say, there's a lot of history for our family and it was so nice to attend a service there. 

This was Jack's first trip on a plane and he did great! Me however, not so much. I really hate to fly but of course put on my happy face for Jack.  But the landing at Reagan National was in one word, TERRIBLE.  There were 45 mph gusts and let's just say I had a few choice words before our plane finally hit the runway....and I do mean hit the runway. 

Below are a few pictures I snapped throughout the week.  I refrained from taking my 60D and putting my family through a weeklong photoshoot. So I opted for the compact camera (which is MUCH easier to carry too) so I could just be a normal mom snapping normal candid pictures.  But I pretty much failed at that too. I took maybe 20 pictures total and the others I got on my phone.  But here are a few highlights.

Jack and Brons preparing for "blast off" as Jack put it, in St Louis last Friday.

The view of The Washington Monument from The Lincoln Memorial steps.  As you notice, The Reflecting Pool is under construction. Brons was actually involved with the concrete company doing some of the work and did several drawings for this project!

Taken on The Lincoln Memorial steps where MLK Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.

This picture just puts the statue of Lincoln in perspective. It's HUGE!

The Vietnam Memorial Wall with The Washington Monument's reflection.

Standing at The Vietnam Memorial looking back at The Lincoln Memorial.

One of our must stops on King Street on our last day. Sooooo yummy!

 

I couldn't believe the devastation that took place in Southern Illinois while we were gone.  We woke up Wednesday morning to a 7am (EST) call from Brons' aunt making sure we were ok.  She didn't realize we weren't home, so we flipped on the TV and started calling our friends and family.  I was also scheduled to shoot a wedding in May at the Catholic Church in Ridgway that was demolished.  Fortunately no one was hurt, but the wedding has been moved to an alternate location. 

Jack and me at our family's church service.

George Washington's Masonic Memorial Temple located on King Street on Old Town Alexandria and about a block away from where we stayed.  And for all you Dan Brown fans...yes, this is where the end of The Lost Symbol took place. 

And we were lucky enough to get a little family time too! Wednesday evening we drove to Arlington to meet at The Liberty Tavern for some drinks and a delicious meal.  My cousin, Allison who is now a nurse living in Philly, drove down to see us as well.