welcoming Treyson…

Posted on July 28, 2010

Little Treyson decided to make a bit of an early arrival…so glad that I had gotten home from holidays the night before, and was still able to be with Crystal & RJ as they welcomed their gorgeous new baby boy.  Being present at a babies birth is so amazing…every single time!  It is just so incredibly special to be a part of such a life changing event!  So happy to meet you Treyson!

our roadtrip…so far!

Posted on July 12, 2010

After Ilaria leaving last Saturday, the boys & I decided we just couldn’t hang out around our very empty house, and needed to get away.  We decided a roadtrip was in order.  The first night we spent in Whistler…and Tuesday morning was spent at the Whistler Airdome.  I had planned to drop them off and go shopping, but after seeing the place, decided I needed to stay, in case any quick trips to the emergency room were necessary!

we made it out alive & relatively uninjured…and continued on to my brother’s house in Squamish for some relaxtion…WRONG!   The boys loved Squamish, and hanging out with Uncle Larry…I too love hanging out with my brother, but would feel so much safer if he just wasn’t into so much crazy stuff!  The boys did some AWESOME climbing…The boys loved the climbing - I found it a bit stressful, but great for photos!  We also had the most amazing weather - and spent on day at an awesome little park just outside of Squamish.  The water was great, and helped keep us cool in the +30 temps!

It seemed we hadn’t had quite enough excitement though, and the day before we left, my brother suggested we should hike up the Chief.  I have heard how amazing it is…so altho I was nervous, I agreed.  We were supposed to leave at 5:00pm, but, my brother is pretty much always late, so we got started at about 7:00.  The hike was pretty tough - harder than I expected, but still pretty fun.  At the top though, once we got on the rock - I was suddenly terrified!  Like, rooted to my spot, almost unable to move scared.  This should be pretty obvious, as you have to know that I would normally have taken A LOT of photos in a place like this…if only I were able to move!  Instead, I pretty much had to continue looking down, and not around…and handed my camera to my brother.  I’m very happy to say that I managed to get up the Chief…but am also confident that it will never happen again!  The hike down was pretty tough as well, as it’s very technical, and not easy IN THE DARK!

ahh…finally off to Victoria, for some serious relaxation!  We’ve had a great time here, spending time with Brian’s sister (who’s NOW 40!) and the rest of his family, as well as meeting up with some old & new friends!  Last night, we went to my friend and AMAZING photographer Michelle Loewen’s house for a great dinner, and got to meet her awesome family…and then snuck out for a quick after dinner photoshoot!  Michelle has always been one of my all time favorite photographers, and I am SO happy to have had her photograph my family!  She’s offered me a few sneak peaks - and I am in love!  Thank you SO much Michelle…I am so thrilled with the pics, and can hardly wait to see the rest!

We spent tonight with my lifelong friend Allison & her family…always so fun to share our kids with each other!  I have tons to proof when I get home…just got a few of my boys down on the beach tonight…it’s been so long since we’ve spent time with the boys in Victoria…it’s such a beautiful city!  Off to Whistler again tomorrow on our way home…for just a little more mountain biking fun!  Thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far…!

more rodeo faves!

Posted on July 5, 2010

I’m heading out of town with my boys tomorrow…ROAD TRIP!  By the time I get home, the rodeo will be a distant memory, and everyone will have moved on, so thought I’d post a few more of my faves while it’s still fresh in our minds!  It was so great this year!  Perfect weather, great rides…major excitement - did I mention I LOVE the sport of rodeo?  I could go on and on…but, I think my photos show my passion for rodeo much better than my words!

Thanks for looking!

mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys

Posted on July 5, 2010

I had the best weekend photographing the stampede…it is my absolute favorite event ever to shoot…I just love everything about it!

Ilaria’s gone home…

Posted on July 4, 2010

And I am so incredibly sad.  She’s the daughter that I never had…and I feel so blessed that she came into my life.  She was a fabulous big sister to my boys, and we will all miss her so much.  Her beautiful laughter, her quirky sense of fun…just everything…

It was an absolute thrill for me to be a mom to a girl for a year…a joy I never thought I would get to experience, and it was everything I ever wished it could be…and so much more.  I found this quote online today…it’s perfect…

“Distance never separates two hearts that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But whenever I start feeling sad, because I miss you, I remind myself how lucky I am to have someone so special to miss.”

See you soon Ilaria…counting the days…thank you for the most amazing 10 months!

Keats took this picture of Ilaria & I just before we drove her to the airport…and yes, those are tears in our eyes…

I guess that’s just the cowboy in me…

Posted on July 2, 2010

RODEO TIME…my favorite time of the year!  I love everything about the rodeo…I was just saying to a fellow photographer yesterday, that it’s really too bad pictures can’t capture the smell of the rodeo!  There’s so many different smells…from amazing food cooking, onions frying…smells from the fair…to the different smells you get walking around behind the chutes.  It’s just all part of the big picture!  So, altho I can’t capture it all…I can show you some of my favorite shots from day one of The Williams Lake Stampede…

and finally…off to the next rodeo - the life of a cowboy!