Wordless Wednesday...

15 minute mini-mini session...

So my friend, Tina, asked me to snap a couple of pix of her with her family before they attended a wedding on Saturday.  Of course I was thrilled to gain more practice so I jumped at the chance.  They are SUCH a beautiful family...I mean, seriously, look at the those kiddos (Karly and Brady); SO c.u.t.e.!!  The father's eyes - gorgeous blue and Tina's smile - simply stunning!

See this tree?  I stupidly asked Barry to lean against it!!  Not sure if YOU'RE familiar with poison oak/ivy but I'm really not!  Turns out, the tree was FULL of poison!  Guess I better learn what's poisonous and what's not! ;-)

Can't wait to get more practice photographing this family - it was a fun 15 minute mini session!

Strike a pose...

I had the opportunity to snaps some pix of our little neighbor, Gianna, before her dance recital this past Saturday and it was SO much fun!  This girl really knows how to work it! 

She's a blast to take photos of because she LOVES the camera and the camera LOVES her!

HFD...

We had a great day Father's Day with the Fathers in our life!  So glad everyone made the trip safely (including you Niki all the way from DE!) and had a great time and great food! 

Thank you to our fathers for always being such great dads!  ;-)

 

No double-dipping please...

Today, we met my mom and sister in Wellsboro (my hometown) and walked/wheeled around "The Green", aka, the mini park area on the corner of Main St. and Central Ave.  It's "Laurel Festival" time and there were TONS of people with the same idea; walk around "The Green", shop a little at all the craft tents and food vendors and of course, see if you run into anyone you haven't seen since graduation (which, by the way, was only a couple of years ago so it's not like a lot of time has gone by!).

I haven't attended any part of the Laurel Festival (the week long carny, the craft fair on "The Green", the queens pageant, bicycle and foot races, musical concerts, pet parade or the big finale always on Saturday, the last day of all the hoopla...the Laurel Festival Parade) for a number of years so it was a fun outing.

We were surprised to see a handful of other people and their furry friends also out for the day.  Quincy was really interested in some playtime but no such luck - too many people!  Funny story, as we sat deciding on which food vendor to grab some carny food from, this lady walked up to us carrying a Schnauzer.  We briefly chatted with the lady who was munching on an ice cream cone and as she strolled on her merry way, she reached down with the ice cream cone and gave her dog a bite and then she continued to take another bite of the cone herself!!  No joke, I saw it for my own eyes!  Sorry folks, Q and I don't share a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g. but the bed!  No double dippers in this household!

Quincy actually spent most of the time "riding" in my wheelchair and LOVED it!  I decided to walk around a little and push him in the chair which people got quite a chuckle out of.   After strolling around for a while,  we came across a man with a dog on his back.  I just had to take a picture.  At first, I thought he had an infant in a carrier on his back because all I saw was this little ponytail and nothing but hair...turns out it was a little pooch in a pouch!

 

So if you've never been but you're looking for something fun to do next June and you don't mind crowds, you might enjoy The Laurel Festival in Wellsboro.

No, this is not a paid advertisement.

I am in no way affiliated with the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce or "The Laurel Festival".

But maybe I should be.  :-)

Pay it forward...

A very dear friend who we'll call "Roni" makes the trek to Honduras nearly every year to do God's work.  This year she is not traveling with the 2012 team.  "Roni" has no idea that I am writing this post, but I felt led to do so when I read the email from her today regarding the needs of the children in the orphanage as well as those making that trek in a few short days.  
Despite the many economic problems that we have right here in our own country, we are STILL very truly blessed as a nation.  Those who have traveled to third world countries like Honduras truly understand the blessings we have but for many who have not made such trips it is impossible to fully comprehend what some people must endure on a daily basis just to survive.  Not only are these people over-joyed with the outpouring of support (financial and otherwise) but they also hunger for the Word of God.     

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".  

Matthew 28:19

"Roni" sent these photos from her trip last year:

The 2012 Plan & Wishlist (per "Roni"):

Prayer for the Team of 8 women, 2 youth, and 9 men from various area churches.

Tentative work plans include:
Next phase of the sewage treatment project started last year. A donation toward this has immediate value for health and environmental reasons and long term value of educating them on the construction of a system and why raw sewage/streams are not a good match.

Field trip/events:
Due to the loss of funding, the decision to take a field trip this year will be assessed on the ground. If they are having trouble meeting basic needs, the money we raise for a field trip will instead be put into their food budget. Normally the average cost to send one child to the waterpark is $10-$15, so designating a donation for this is a good gift either way.

Other wish-list items:

• Sheet sets twin size, new or used in good condition

• Bath towels & wash clothes, new or used in good condition

• Scrapbook project- alphabet stickers, self- adhesive photo mounting squares or photo mounting tape, 8x8 top loading refill pages.

• Soccer shoes, all sizes (used in decent condition are welcome)

• Soccer balls (deflated)

• Boys dark socks and belts (to be worn with school uniforms)

• Match box cars (used in decent condition are welcome)

Monetary donations checks/cash can be given to Roni Stiger, or mail checks:
Payable to:  Friends of Renacer
(Please put Stiger on the memo line, so if there are questions concerning the donation I can contact you.)
Mail to:
Asha Temple, For Treasurer
1816 Blanchard Ave.
Williamsport PA 17701

All donations are used for this mission project. No funds are handed over to an agency where administration costs are deducted and whatever is left goes to the orphanage. We take the funds with us, and any funds not used on the ground are placed in the scholarship fund. If you choose to donate money, you can specify for general use, identify a specific project from our list, or designate it to be used toward one of the ongoing projects listed below.

• Scholarship fund-This allows academically eligible students from the orphanage to attend the national public university in Honduras. We provide tuition and a stipend for books and living expenses. We have made the commitment to improve their lives long term through this opportunity. Hopefully they will not be limited by the choices their parents made, which led to abandoned children. This is the most important ongoing need at the moment. We currently have 10 students in various programs at the university, so helping to offset a portion of a semester with even a small donation is helpful.

Money for the milk fund. We provide money each quarter to provide milk at each meal. 

So by now, I'm sure that you've figured out that "Roni" is her real name!  In any event, she would love to have packing donations by 6/22, however, she can take them up until the end of the day on 6/27.  Monetary donations are accepted any time. All donations are very much appreciated!

Bloom of the Laurel...

I had the pleasure of spending some time with my friend Heather on Saturday.  She grew up in rural Montoursville and let me tell you, it made for a wonderful backdrop for our photos!  Our goal was to capture the beauty not only of her baby bump but also the beauty of the mountain laurel since its window for blooming was coming to an end.  Funny thing - I grew up in Wellsboro, home of the "Laurel Festival", and I really have no recollection of seeing much laurel!

Very soon now, this basket will hold a baby instead of mountain laurel and the father's baby shoes!  ;-)

Practice make perfect...

Friday, I had the opportunity to do a little more practice photography with Olivia.  She was the best little model ever - if only my skills were on point, I'd have plenty more photos to share with you (I guess that's why they call it practice!).  By the way, YES, Olivia's eyes are really that blue - they're absolutely beautiful!

Modeling is sooooooooooooooooo exhausting...

I really need to work on these skills before the stork delivers Heather's little girl next month!

An apple a day...

Keeps the doctor away...oh wait, wrong Apple!

We've finally taken the plunge into the world of APPLE!  Yes, we've become one of those people who will forever have an electronic device attached to their hip.

This little device has been quite a challenge since I laid my hands on it on Friday morning.  Three trips later, yes I said THREE, (all in the same day!) to Best Buy and I'm only slightly more savvy than when I began this endeavor on Friday.  I guess it's probably just me, I'm iPad/techie challenged!  (In fact, we still have the old antiquated-style cell phones, no Smart Phones in this house, NOPE, they're all the dumb phones!)

Despite all of the challenges, we absolutely L.O.V.E. this little thing...so far!

Sweet Caroline...

This pretty little thing was a great helper at the baby shower on Saturday.  Not only did she LOVE helping Heather open the presents but she also served as a little "tester" for some of the gifts (you know, just to make sure they'd be safe for the soon-to-arrive baby).  Caroline was also interested in my camera especially in viewing the images!  Her mother, Kristy, offered to hire her out as my little helper anytime. ;-)

Meet my new assistant, Caroline...

Mini-shoot...

This cute little baby was at the baby shower over the weekend so, of course, I had to do a little impromptu mini-session...what a perfect opportunity.  I'm actually planning to reconnect with mother and baby again soon to practice more shots so I'll have a little more skill under my belt when Heather's baby arrives in July!

This is such a beautiful photo of the two - I was really pleasantly surprised at how nice it turned out considering we had so many little kids clamoring around us begging to hold the baby.

Anyone have any babies they want photos of?  

Just kidding...  :-)

Oh baby!

This weekend I had some fun snapping photos left and right at my friend Heather's baby shower.  She got a truckload of goodies for the baby-to-be and it was a real blessing to help out with the photos.

Heather's nephew, Blake, wore the cutest cowboy boots and I just couldn't resist snapping a photo - they were so small and so stinkin' adorable!

Happy Monday everyone!