This year, our building decided to celebrate the last day of our pool season by hosting the 1st ever Doggy Day Pool Party! All of the residents brought their little pooches to celebrate and enjoy a nice swim on a hot day. We all had a great time and are already looking forward to next year! (Notice our little Willow sporting her hot pink polka dot bikini) Enjoy!
This week, I spent one of the most gorgeous summer mornings photographing this beautiful family at their Northern Virginia home. Brand new baby Aidan, is the newest addition to this growing family and is a perfect little brother to big sister, Peyton.
This week, I spent one of the most gorgeous summer mornings photographing this beautiful family at their Northern Virginia home. Brand new baby Aidan, is the newest addition to this growing family and is a perfect little brother to big sister, Peyton.
Every spring, for the past 10 years, Bobby & I have been coming to the National Cherry Blossom Festival. For the first few years, it wasn't always a success because the blossoms only bloom for about 7-10 days. (Peak bloom lasts for about 2-3 days) And because we lived so far away, we would have to make our travel plans months in advance. Sometimes we would get it right, and other years we would completely miss the blossoms.
It's funny to say, but one of the main reasons I agreed to move to DC was because of this one week...the week the blossoms come to town! Living here, I am able to visit the tidal basin nearly everyday. This past spring was no exception! I literally spent 8-10 hours a day walking around DC and taking in all of it's beauty. Most days, I was here by sunrise and then back again to see the sunset.
I wanted to capture every stage of the blossoms. Unfortunately, the poor weather this spring was the hardest part to deal with. I think in all...the blossoms only bloomed for 2-3 days this year. Where as in years past, if the weather holds out, we can get a good week or week-and-a-half of blossoms at their peak.
But unfortunately, mother nature had other plans...On the 3rd night of peak bloom, a bad wind and rain storm hit and took all of the beautiful blossoms with them :( I am very thankful to have spent so much time there and wanted to share these images with you today. Hope you enjoy!
A few weeks ago, my family and I attended the 2013 Balloon-fest at Solberg Airport, NJ. This event happens once a year in July and is by far one of my favorite days. Waking up at 4am is worth every bit of the loss of sleep as soon as I see the first balloon inflate. The balloons arrive at sunrise and within an hour, 125 hot air balloons all ascend at once and take off together. This year, we had the perfect day with gorgeous blue skies and a cool summer breeze. I am already looking forward to next year!
This week I photographed my dear friends in Cape May, NJ. Cape May has always been a very special place for Brit & Bob...after all, they got engaged in this adorable little town while on a sunset carriage ride a few years ago. This weekend, they returned to their engagement destination! And with their little bundle of joy right around the corner, they couldn't have visited at a better time. Enjoy!
We just returned home from our annual summer vacation to Wildwood, NJ. This year, both Bobby's & my schedule worked out perfectly so that we could both go down the shore together. We spent most of our week relaxing with our family at a gorgeous condo only 1 block from the beach. We could watch the sunrise & sunsets over the ocean right from our 3rd floor balcony.
Our adorable little cousin, Brielle made a special trip to spend the day with us at the beach. She had so much fun chasing seagulls and playing in the sand with her "Unka Bob & Debbie". At one point, her adorable little curls were COVERED in sand as she sat on her little princess chair eating ice cream.
Already looking forward to next year for another relaxing week!
Last May, my cousin Steve returned home from a tour in Afghanistan. He spent his time as a medic in the field and thankfully returned home safely last May. I recently came across these photos and wanted to share the town of Harleysville's Welcome Home Celebration. Enjoy!
Today I was lucky to spend the day with my dear friend, Morgan and her brand new son, Joseph Aubrey. He is such a little cutie who just LOVES to be held! Each time he heard his mama's voice, he would crack the cutest little smile. I just couldn't get enough of his teeny little lips and those chubby little cheeks. One day...he is going to be such a little heart breaker. Until then, he has brought so much joy to his Mama & Daddy. What a beautiful family they have become!
For those of you who know me, you'll know that I am a girl of many passions...photography, antiquing, & decorating to name just a few! I have an obsession with totally re-decorating my house for every season. For the past 2 months, I have had a Tuscany inspired dining room but today I felt as if I needed a change. Today I wanted to totally clear out and start fresh with some of my new antique treasures.
I think one of the main reasons why I love collecting antiques is because I will always remember where each and every one of them has come from. Each one has a story...looking at them takes me back to a memory of either a special person or place who I was with when I got them.
Some of my favorite treasures are my antique cameras. My Aunt Deb gave me my first antique camera and my collection has been growing ever since! I think I actually had my first antique camera before I ever was interested in photography. I guess this passion, runs deep! :)
A few of my other favorites are ones passed down from my late grandparents. A small metal stove was a childhood favorite of mine. It used to sit on the mantle of my grand-mom's house, and now sits on my dining room server and makes me think of her often. A tiny pair of bird-watching binoculars used to sit on my grandfather's den windowsill. As a child, I can remember spending time with my grandfather in his cellar and watching birds through those binoculars. When they passed last year, those were the two most important things I have to remember each of them.
Enjoy!
Another beautiful sight to see in Washington! I have been here many times before, but today I had hoped it would be a lot quieter since it was a weekday. As usual, it was another "rainy" summer day in DC. I hoped that because of the dreary weather, the Cathedral would be fairly empty. Turns out...it was! I had almost the entire church to myself.
I spent the next few hours slowly making my way through the beautiful main cathedral...noticing every beautiful detail inside. The hundreds of stained glass windows, the beautifully lit arches & archways, the gold & colorful mosaic tiles, the hand-carved ceilings - I just couldn't get enough of it!
I think the most impressive element of this cathedral is that the entire place is open to the public and is free to roam. There are hidden chapels and secret passages which are all underground and connecting different parts of the church. There is even an elevator to take you all the way up to the highest tower. On a clear day, I can even see my house :)
Being here, I realize how lucky I am to live near such a beautiful cathedral. When I walk inside, I feel like I am back in Tuscany and visiting the small town of Assisi. And when I was up in the tower and looking down onto the lush green landscape and lingering rain clouds above, I felt like I was visiting a castle in Ireland. This place is so special to me - Enjoy!
This weekend, Bob & I visited his best friend's house in York, Pa to throw a summer tiki party. The day began with a trip to Home Depot to buy the necessary tools to redo his deck.
We spent the afternoon power-washing the deck & house, cleaning out all of the hedges, & re-staining his patio set. By the end of the day we were all exhausted but got to enjoy some amazing tiki drinks in his new backyard space! This Tiki-themed retreat has been a goal of Mike's for a few months now and it was so exciting to see it all come together!
I spent much of my day Sunday visiting the local town of Adamstown, which is known as the Antiques Capital of the World! I came home with some really cute Tiki-themed antiques including some cool old Tiki mugs & even a Hawaiian luau girl bowl. Lots of fun stuff to add to my collection! Looking forward to heading back to York for some more summer fun soon!
A few days ago, I woke up to ANOTHER rainy DC morning. Not willing to let the rain get me down, I decided to take a trip to our National Zoo. The zoo has been a popular topic this past week here in DC because of the red panda, Rusty's escape. Theory has it that extraordinarily heavy rain helped the tall bamboo stalks to lean further than normal into the animal's enclosure. He apparently used the leaning bamboo to climb out and escape. Rusty was found a day later wandering the Adams Morgan section of town and is now back in his home.
A few days ago, while visiting DC, I stumbled across the National Portrait Gallery. Since I first moved to DC, this museum has long been my favorite spot to take in beautiful portraits of historical figures throughout time. One of the most interesting things I learned on this recent trip is that this very building was once used as a medical recovery hospital during the Civil War.
Walking through the halls, each piece of art is beautifully illuminated and works so well with the stunning architecture of each room. Soothing paint colors accent each room and add to the full experience of the gallery. This museum is a must-see spot for all DC visitors!
This week I had the wonderful opportunity to attend our dear friend's intimate wedding at Potomac Overlook Park. The day began early around 10am on this beautiful summer morning. Once everyone arrived, we all walked down a quiet path to a clearing in the woods where close family & friends watched them exchange vows under an old cherry tree. Several guests shared touching words at the conclusion of the ceremony. We then made our way back to a small picnic pavilion and shared sparkling cider and delicious Tres Leches wedding cake. We said farewell to the lovely couple as they left on their weekend getaway to Williamsburg, Virginia.
Throughout my childhood, I fondly remember our trips to York, PA to see my mother's Aunt Posey & Uncle Rich. I have so many great memories of the fun times we had with all of our cousins while playing there. I can remember how much I used to LOVE taking off my shoes and socks and running around in Uncle Rich's perfectly manicured lawn. His yard had the softest and silkiest grass I had ever seen and it was always so pretty!
This weekend, I had the opportunity to once again visit Aunt Posey & Uncle Rich's home in York. And just like I always remember, the yard was absolutely beautiful! I was almost tempted to slip off my shoes and take a quick walk across the silky (perfectly-trimmed) grass.
While there, I had such a wonderful time spending the afternoon with a few of my late grandmother's sisters and brother. It truly was a special occasion to have 3 of her siblings all together at once. Aunt Annie from California & Uncle Tommy from Michigan had come to see Posey which made for a mini family reunion on this lovely Summer day.
Over the past few years, I have gotten more and more interested to learn about my family history. A few months ago, while visiting Aunt Annie in San Diego we got to talking about what her mother and father were like? (My great-grandmother and great-grandfather) I couldn't believe the stories she could tell! I even leaned that my great grandmother was an excellent seamstress and would sew many clothes for her 12 children. But by far the biggest shock was to hear that my sweet little great grandmother's favorite afternoon activity was to watch wrestling matches on TV where she would get so excited and scream at the TV as the men would fight...who would've known? :)
One of the best parts of the day was when Aunt Posey brought out some old photos of my great-grandfather and great-grandmother) . I had never seen any of these photos nor had I ever seen any pictures of what they looked like. She even had a photo of my great-great-grandparents and a photo of my great-great grandfather shortly after he arrived from Poland. (How Cool!!)
I always knew my mother resembled my grandmother-but I was absolutely shocked to see how much my mother resembled my great-grandmother! Those were some strong genes and I'm pretty sure I have gotten some of them too :)
At the end of the day, I just couldn't leave without snapping a few photos of their yard which looked just as pretty as it has my whole childhood. Enjoy!
Over the last 3 years, students and organizations from around the world have been creating handcrafted bones with the intention to bring attention to genocide going on in countries such as Sudan, South Sudan, Burma, Somalia, and Syria. Each of the 1,000,000 bones represented a call to action, a story, and a voice. The national mall was covered with these bones for three days this week to honor victims and survivors of these mass atrocities.
A few weeks ago, while visiting an art gallery in Old Town Alexandria, I stumbled across a small sampling of the One Million Bones Project. Then, on Saturday morning I woke up to news that the day had finally come where all of the bones would be laid out for anyone to see. The family and I headed into town and arrived just as the sun was setting on the first of 3 nights for this exhibit.
This was the third and largest installation of the bones. 50,000 bones were on display back in August 2011 in Albuquerque which was then followed by another 50,000 bones on display in New Orleans back in 2012. This week was by far, the largest display to date. If you look closely, you will notice biodegradable bones scattered amongst the plaster ones. Each of these biodegradable ones were from supporters who made a $5.00 donation to place them on the mall this week. Looking forward to seeing what further projects this organization creates in the future. Using art is such a great way to bring attention to a social justice issue.
A few days ago, I was lucky enough to spend one of the most beautiful days of the year with my mom and dad. We spent the day at Longwood Gardens, located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. While there, I had the opportunity to photograph some of the prettiest flowers I have ever seen.
The Longwood Gardens story began over 100 years ago with a young philanthropist named Pierre du Pont. He originally purchased the nearly 1,000 acre property in an effort to save the many trees growing on the land. Over time, he used his fortune to further develop the land with many fountains and green houses to enhance people's experiences while there. As early as 1914, du Pont was focused on creating Longwood Inc. which would help to manage the property and continue his legacy for many generations to come.
I remember frequenting Longwood Gardens all throughout my childhood and was so pleased to revisit it this week. I am already looking forward to my next visit!
Last week we celebrated Memorial Day here in Alexandria, Va. It was such a great day to be with family and remember those who have given so much for our country. We relaxed here at home and cooked out on the balcony. Summer is finally here!
Powered by Squarespace
