Time Flies

Where does the time go. It seems like each day flys by and is over before I know it. Can it be nearly two weeks since I last updated the blog? I didn't mean for it to be so long but Michah, Mathew and Meghan do take up a lot of the time. Everytime I turn around, one of the three demands my attention.

You would think there would be a repite once the kids go to sleep. Nooooo, that's not the case. First there is getting the kids into bed. We try for 8:00 PM but most nights it is a little later. Meghan usually falls asleep pretty fast. Meanwhile once she is sleeping, Mathew, yells "I have a stinky" So time to change his diaper. Someday he will be potty trained but he is resisting all of our efforts. So finally Mathew is changed but now he needs to sample all of the beds and may even try to watch tv with Sheryl.

Somewhere during all of this Michah wakes up and demands to be fed, burped, and diapered. If we are lucky Mathew will drop off somewhere around 11:00. I've tried to get him to take shorter naps but he still manages to stay up late. Now that Mathew is asleep, Michah has settled, I get a couple of things done. But soon Michah is crying again. Only this time he wakes Meghan. Now I have to resettle her. Before I know it the night is over and it is time for me to drop off. There is still so much to get done and so little time. It is no wonder that my head drops around 5:00 PM for a 30 minute cat nap.

On another front, I have been informed by the Chicago Jewish News that they will be publishing 3 of my photos from a wedding I photographed earlier this month. It seems they are doing a story on the wedding because it was the first Jewish wedding at Starved Rock State Park in recent memory. So anyway, they will be using some of my photos to accompany the story.

I also heard from the Chicago Wedding Guide that they wanted to publish 5 of my photos. Rather than paying a stock agency for photos for their magazine, they contact photographers and ask for submissions. I submitted nearly 50 photos and they picked 5. I was also told that depending on the layout they may want to use some additional photos. So all in all it was quite a day.

Glasses

I know this post is overdue. Where does the time go? I was just talking to somebody the other day about Y2K. We never hear about that anymore. Remember that? We were all so concerned there would be major computer snafus when the calendar changed to 2000. There were a couple of strange mishaps like 105 year old adults getting Kindergarden registrations. We can laugh at that now. Speaking of now we are getting ready to usher in 2007. Hard to believe.

Anyway today was the day Meghan and I went to get our eye glasses. I've known for a while that I needed glasses. Small print has been giving me more and more trouble. About 3 weeks ago I saw the eye doctor. Yup, I needed reading glasses. Meanwhile, Meghan had been tested at school and then referred her for an eye exam. She is farsighted and needs glasses. At least there is hope she will grow out of the need for glasses.

Today was the day to get glasses. I wanted Sheryl there to make sure I did not look like a geek, nerd or a refugee from the fashion police. We took the kids and headed to LensCrafters in the mall. We spent some time picking out frames. Meghan was a great help. No matter what frame I tried on, she loved it! Finally we found frames for the two of us and it was time to order the glasses. When it came time to sign the paperwork, it was full of small print. You would think that a place that knows their customers have trouble seeing would make sure the documents were readable. The sales clerk agreed! A couple of hours later, Meghan and I have our glasses. This is really going to take some getting used to.

Michael Andretti and the Century Council

Did you know that 65% of underage drinkers obtain their alcohol from friends and family? I didn't! As the parent of 3 kids, I never would have suspected this. However, as it has become more difficult for minors to buy beer, they turn to other sources.

Last week I received a call from the Century Council to see how much I would charge for a special event. As I did not have any plans for Friday morning, I asked what they needed. Just a photographer for a couple of hours to take some photos at a special event. After a little more conversation, I discovered the Century Council is a not-for-profit organization working to reduce underage drinking. Since I felt this was a worthwhile cause, I thought this would be a good opportunity to give back to the community and donated my photography services.

While one of the sponsor's is the distillery industry another sponsor is Michael Andretti, the Indy Race Car Driver. This morning's event was the start of a new awareness program aimed at making parents aware of where 65% of underage drinkers get their alcohol. Along with local dignitaries, Michael Andretti was there speaking and signing autographs.


This is one of less than 5 street legal Indy Race Cars.


Michael Andretti is on the left.

I think that Michael and I were the only ones who were not wearing a suit.

Incredible Weekend

This weekend actually started out on Thursday with an engagement session for Shannon and Derrick. They will be getting married in October. We met for their engagement session and went to the Village Green at Stone Prarie. It was a great evening and you can tell these two are so in love. I had a great time photographing them.

We started a little before sunset. There was a quarter or a half moon in the evening sky which added to the romance of the evening. Looking at these photos, you would never know we were in the middle of an office complex. The area was so quiet and serene that evening. Just us and the wildlife. Finally we had a nice sunset and it was time to go home.





Friday I photographed Renee and Nick's wedding. This was the first of two wedding for the weekend. It was a lot of fun. We started at Renee's house where the women were getting ready. There were a a couple of flower girl's who were not sure what everything was about.


When I got to the church, the guys were not ready. So I had some time to experiment a little bit. The church has these great stained glass windows. I wanted to see how I could use the light coming through these windows to my advantage.



After the ceremony, we went outside the church for some photos. I was lucky enough that there was a light breeze to move Renee's veil just right for this photo! Sometimes, everything works out.


Then it was off to the Sheaton Four Points for the reception. After seeing this sweet table I wanted to skip dinner and start with the deserts. I also saw something interesting, the DJ was actually using an I-pod to play prerecorded music. What ever happened to discs? Not records mind you, but CDs! I have seen some DJs use computers before but never an I-Pod.



Saturday, I actually took some time off to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary with my wife. I can't believe it has been 9 years with this wonderful woman. In those 9 years, there have been several trips to Walt Disney World, 2 dogs, 3 kids and so much more! If not for her, I would not have been able to open the studio.

To celebrate our anniversary, we ate dinner at Weber's. A couple of years ago I photographed a wedding at Weber's in downtown Chicago. The food was great and I've always wanted to go back. About a year or so ago, they opened one here in Schaumburg. However, we've never had the opportunity to go. For our anniversary, my in-laws came and babysat our three kids so Sheryl and I could go out for dinner. It was nice to be able to eat and talk without the contant interruption from one of the three kids. All too soon the evening was over and time to go back home.

Sunday found me back at Starved Rock for another wedding. This time it was for Lauren and Joel's wedding. These folks are such great people and so in love. Everytime I met with them, you could see the love they have for each other. Believe it or not, this was my first opportunity to photograph a Jewish wedding. The bride and groom do see each other before the ceremony. I did want to provide them the opportunity for a "first look" and get the expression on Joel's face when he saw his bride for the first time.

Following the advice provided by Cliff Mautner at our photographer's workshop, I had Lauren stand by herself for a few minutes. Then I had Joel come to meet us. Anticipation! You can tell just from looking at the photos of Lauren that she can't wait to see Joel. I was able to capture his expression as he rounded the corner and saw Lauren for the first time on their wedding day. Mission accomplished.




A little bit later, I was taking Joel's photos when this butterfly decided to spend some time with Joel. No matter what we did, the butterfly just would not leave Joel alone. It was hyterical.



Lauren and Joel's ceremony was in the Great Hall at Starved Rock. I have never seen this place look any better. Everybody did a fabulous job decorating the place. There were so many little details that when they all came together - WOW.



At the reception, Joel's thirteen year old daughter, Robin, sang "At Last" during the first dance. She sang so well that I expect to hear her on the radio or on Broadway someday. Well what is a Jewish wedding without the Hora? This was Robin's first time being put in one of the chairs. You can see the fear on her face as she is first lifted into the air. As she feels more comfortable, her expression changes to one of excitement.




Finally, it was time for Lauren's dad's speech. I guess he is known in the family for his speeches and everybody was waiting for the toast. Well the "confluence of influences" was quite a hit. It had everybody laughing. Some folks were laughing so hard they were crying. You just had to be there. Unfortunately, the evening came to an end about two hours before I think it should have. A great time was had by all.