Based on the title of this blog post I bet you’re expecting to see photos of a high school senior, but no…let me introduce you to the ever-adorable Addison.  She just turned one year old and she is on her way to Harvard!  Yes, you read that right…Harvard!  O.k., O.k…she isn’t actually heading to Harvard but her Daddy is.  This beautiful family recently received the news that Dad was accepted into Harvard’s graduate school program and in a few short months they’ll be packing up and heading east.  Luckily they have friends and family are here so I have no doubt I’ll have many more opportunities to photograph this beautiful little girl over the years.  I’m very much looking forward to hearing about their ventures!

The series of photos below made me giggle!  I’m sure a lot of parents have experienced this exact scenario!

When I met my client for her shoot she was sitting at a table passing the time reading a book…I knew from that moment we would get along just fine!  Not only did we share a passion for books, but we also both love all things fashion, brick oven pizzas and a host of other things!  She is also from Como Park where I spent a few years coaching their varsity gymnastics team.  Needless to say, we had a wonderful time working together and neither of us could get over the summer-like temps outside!  It’s certainly not typical March weather in Wisconsin.

Working with this little guy was a hoot!  His mom packed a few nostalgic pieces from both her and her husband’s childhood to include in the shoot.  Little Sammy was like a kid in a candy store playing with the goodies his mom brought along which definitely made my job easy!  He was just as content as could be as we worked our way through the box of props stopping only twice!  Once so he could watch a fire truck whiz by and another….well, I’ll let the picture speak for itself!

 Break 1: Watching the fire truck go by…

Break 2:  He’s a boy through and through…

It’s hard to believe this little guy will be off to Kindergarten next year!  It has been such a treat for me to watch him grow over the years and see his personality take shape.   He has character galore and his enthusiasm about going to school is absolutely adorable.  He told me just how excited he is to learn math, science, but most of all he is excited about reading…a kid after my own heart!  Considering my youngest son started Kindergarten this fall, I know all too well how hard it will be for his parents to watch him get on the bus for the very first time next year.  Something tells me there may be a few tears shed!

If any of you follow my This Lunch Rox blog you’ve probably heard me mention someone named Maria quite a bit…if not, here’s a little backstory:

Maria Emmerich is the person responsible for my family’s transition to a healthier lifestyle.  You can go back and read about it HERE, but to summarize…I had been working out for a little over a year and was so frustrated that I wasn’t achieving my weight loss goals.  A friend of mine from the gym introduced me to Maria one day while we were working out and I learned that Maria had a book called “Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism”.  I purchased the book that day and the rest is history.  Everything she wrote in her book made perfect sense to me and since then my family and I have taken baby steps toward a healthier lifestyle and the results in how we all feel is nothing short of amazing.

Maria and I  talked often at the gym and over the years have become quite good friends.  She encouraged me time and time again and helped me achieve not just my weight loss goals, but also helped my family learn healthier eating habits.  Words really can’t express all that she has done for me.  The fact that I am no longer plagued by sugar cravings, tired for most of the day, forgetful (the list goes on and on)…it truly feels as though Maria has given me the best gift a friend could ever give.  With her help I’m so much more awake, alive and energized and my day isn’t consumed (pardon the pun) with thoughts of food than I’ve ever been before.  I can safely say that my life has changed for the better because of the hard work and dedication Maria has put into her research about food and how it affects our bodies.

Not long after I purchased Maria’s book I learned that she wrote the book as a way to fund the adoption of two precious boys in Africa.  For two years I’ve agonized with her as they were met with one delay after another.  They were matched with their sons over one year ago and expected them to be home shortly thereafter, but yet again there were delays.  It has been heart-wrenching to know how eager Maria and her husband, Craig, were to get those boys home yet have absolutely no control over it.  Imagine the joy we all felt when we received word that they got the go-ahead to head to Africa to retrieve their boys.  They kept me updated on their travels back to the states via texts and I breathed a huge sigh of relief when they finally touched ground in the United States.

Maria and Craig were so eager to have photos taken of their family that they invited me into their home just days after they arrived.  I didn’t want to interfere at all with their bonding time so I quietly observed and captured moments as they unfolded.  It took every ounce of energy not to pick these little guys up and snuggle them to pieces during the session.  Luckily, since then I’ve had plenty of opportunities to spend time with them and they have given me the unofficial title of “Auntie Jamie” which absolutely makes me heart sing.  The little boys will always hold a very special place in my heart to say the very least.

I just returned from Imaging 2012, a convention for professional photographers in New Orleans, and what a trip it was!  Not only did I have a chance to meet up with some wonderfully talented photographer friends but I also had the opportunity to speak at the Miller’s/MpixPRO booth.  As nerve wracking as public speaking is for me, it is always so neat to meet with people afterwards and hear what they took away from the presentation.  A huge thank you to all of you who stopped by and a very special thank you to Miller’s and MpixPRO for selecting some of my products to display in their booths!

Now I’m back at the studio gearing up for some winter studio sessions along with WPPI 2012: Las Vegas!  If you are a photographer planning to attend WPPI this year you can pre-board for my platform presentation HERE.  This year I’ll be talking about how limiting distractions and the simple act of giving transformed my portrait business.  I’ll provide some concrete solutions for photographers who feel overwhelmed and are struggling to find balance in their everyday lives.