Goals

I am so excited! My "first-season-here" goal was to photograph five weddings in fall-winter 2008... and five couples have signed with me in the past week! I also have a couple of brides who've already booked their 2009 weddings. Amazing.

Our first Wisconsin wedding is coming up on July 19 -- it's an outdoor ceremony in Spring Green, which is a really beautiful part of the state -- so stay tuned for some pretty pictures : )

Another goal was to make our website more comprehensive and easier to navigate, and that has happened thanks to my multi-talented husband, Eric. When things slow down a little I'll post photos of albums, proof books, DVD covers, etc. in the "wedding rates and products section," but for now it's great just to be able to move anywhere in the site from the little navigation bar along the top. Check it out and please let me know if you find any glitches.

My next goal: Survive the county fair. The dog show starts in an hour so I better get going.

The Putz Inn

We got back from Colorado -- we had so much fun! I'll post a few pics if I get time -- and our house is fine but our county has been declared a federal disaster area because of all the flooding. The river has crested but some people are still literally rowing boats down their street. Every hotel in this town is full of displaced people and the people who've come to help them.

As it happens our phone number is apparently listed in many on-board GPS systems as (don't laugh) "The Putz Inn." We don't know why this misfortune has befallen us. The first time someone called our house at 3 am and asked if we were The Putz Inn I thought I was getting punk'd.

Long story short: a FEMA contractor is staying in our spare bedroom on the first floor.

Somehow this is not as strange as it sounds. She's the coolest person I've met in a long while -- funny and carefree and totally low-maintenance. She rolled into town earlier today and called every other hotel she could find, had no luck, and finally dialed The Putz Inn and got me. I explained that no, this isn't The Putz Inn, the Putz Inn was apparently some kind of bar but I've never been there, never seen it, don't even know if it still exists. She was desperate for a place to stay. I judge people instantly (maybe a fault, but I've never been wrong) and I liked the sound of her voice and her crazy attitude, so I told her to come on over. Now she's downstairs in the guest room transmitting super-secret FEMA forms over our phone line.

She is from Florida and she still can't believe we'd invite a total stranger to stay in our home. We like her stories and we're happy she's here.

Strange how life works out sometimes, isn't it? As Kurt Vonnegut wrote, "Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God."

Going to Grandma's!

We're off to Estes Park, Colorado... I won't be checking e-mail or messages very often and cell service is unreliable at my grandma's house, but we'll be back in business on June 24.

Eric and Tricia

Wow, I just met one of the sweetest couples ever! Eric and Tricia will be married next spring and we did their engagement session this afternoon. It actually stopped raining and tornado-ing long enough for us to make some pictures!

The Rock River is flooding like crazy and all my favorite spots are underwater at the moment : (
But we went for a walk in the park instead...



Then we went to town, where these loyal fans donned their hockey jerseys...




And this next shot is one of those genuine, fun moments that I so enjoy -- I think anyone who knows Eric loves his laugh, and how lucky that we got that twinkling ring in there!


There are still lots of photos to look through but I think these are my faves so far. Best wishes, Eric and Tricia, and thanks for letting us share in your joy...

Mara

I had the pleasure of visiting Mara's family farm yesterday for my first senior/teen portrait session of the year. I still have lots of pics to look through (Mara with her dogs! her horses! and the friendliest, nibblinest, tree-climbingest goat I've ever met!) but this image wanted some attention right away.

Her dad's tractor ran out of gas out in front of the house, which turned out to be a happy accident -- soon after we made this photograph her dad came home from town with the gascan, juiced up the tractor, and moved it to the shed.