Cheri Root Blog » Personal

A College Trip | With the Roots

Cheri — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:44:56 +0000

Where did the time go? He was just starting Kindergarden and now we are choosing colleges. Yep…that’s how it happens. So in the pursuit of choosing a college we decided to take a weekend family trip up to Tallahassee and Gainesville to check out two Florida colleges-Florida State University and University of Florida. Cody has been an FSU fan since we said we were moving to Florida and he determined who his “team” was going to be. It is definitely his #1 choice but we were making the trip up north so decided to visit both schools. As soon as we drove onto the campus of FSU and saw the FSU Circus tent I was sold! We spent quite a bit of time on campus and were actually there on graduation day so we got to attend the screening of the MFA thesis films. Ten short films that blew us away-I could have sat through ten more. I can see why FSU is one of the top film schools in the nation. This is what Cody wants to do so it was a huge bonus to our day. That night we made our way to Gainesville and met up with YouTuber Steve Dez to watch the UFC fight. I think that made the trip all the more exciting for my hubby! Then it was onto UF where we started off visiting with some real life gators! We were all very impressed with the UF campus and although we were there on a Sunday we were able to pick up some information about the college and the bookstore was open so we got to check out the numerous choices of Gator apparel (tie, boxers, beanie, earrings…anyone?) Where will he go? Stay tuned…

The End of Summer

Cheri — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:53:55 +0000

Labor Day traditionally marks the end of summer. For us here in Florida that has nothing to do with the weather and though traffic will slow down a little bit at the theme parks they are still very busy with tourists (especially from Europe who take “holiday” at times other than Americans.) The British are known to take an average of 28 days of vacation a year as compared to an average of 14 for Americans. So, in that respect, the busyness of our city continues. So what does Labor Day mean to us? Well it means school has begun again, the football season is back, pumpkins have made their way into the stores, season 5 of Dexter will begin and there will still be trips to the beach…

The Saturday Review

Cheri — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:44:15 +0000

I am extremely sentimental and my family means everything to me so when I found Lisa Leonard Designs I fell in love. Lisa Leonard is a unique jewelry designer and most of her pieces can be personalized for whatever emotion, feeling or message you want to convey including the names of your family members. Her jewelry symbolizes something and has meaning when you put it on. She has also created some other items. I got the pewter heart to give as a wedding gift-a one-of-a-kind gift with the names of the bride and groom (something they will always have and cherish.) Lisa also has key chains, baby spoons and mens jewelry items. You can read about her, her family and her inspiring story on her blog (but you might need a few tissues…just in case.) I finally got a piece of her jewelry from my family with all of our names on it-it’s Lisa’s necklace titled “Whoo loves you…”

Go-Karting with StirFry TV

Cheri — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:08:25 +0000

My husband Jonathan Root of Team Rootberry arranged for some Go-Karting fun with StirFry TV so we all met out at Orlando Kart Center (an amazing Go-Kart facility with fast cars and an awesome track) and the racing began! But before we get to the racing let me tell you a little about StirFry TV. StirFry TV consists of River, Scooter and Bek. They have an entertainment channel on YouTube where they are bringing “Hollyweb to YouTube”…and they are growing every day (well their channel is growing…they seem to be the same size as when I met them!) Their most recent video is a YouTube spotlight video featuring iJustine, whom I consider to be the Queen Bee of the internet (plus she’s friends with Ashton Kutcher so what’s not to love!). You should check out the video here. Ok…ok…now for the racing. This is actually not the first time Team Rootberry and StirFry TV have raced together but it seems every time they do race there is one of our infamous Orlando storms…this time was no different.

A Little Experimentation

Cheri — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 05:44:25 +0000

This blog post is about experimentation and I feel very fortunate that I got to “write with light” with local artist Stephanie Matos. I met Stephanie at a basketball game I was shooting and our common interest brought us together. Stephanie is an exercise physiologist and artist that you can read more about on her Facebook page here. Her paintings are amazing and I look forward to seeing where she takes her photography. So tonight we played with light in a whole new way and had a ton of fun. I can’t wait to collaborate with Stephanie on some other projects. Here is our first one…

Cody | A Wakeskate Update

Cheri — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 01:52:09 +0000

Cody has been wakeskating since last November and rides several times a week. He has also been competing in a few wakeskate competitions lately. I love to watch him ride. Here are some shots I thought I would share from tonights competition. Yep, that’s my son…

The Saturday Review

Cheri — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 14:51:13 +0000

I love to read and especially love when I find a book that has an impact on some aspect of my life. I have a “to read” stack of books that I have been working on when I have a moment and have been trying to dedicate some time every night to read. I just recently finished the book, “Ignore Everybody And 39 Other Keys to Creativity” by Hugh MacLeod. As I read I underline statements that have meaning to me (my husband does this…prior to meeting him I would have NEVER written in a book…well except my text books in college-I wrote all over those suckers so maybe this is a trait I have and just didn’t know it!) Anyways…back to the book. Here are a few of the portions of this book that I found interesting, therefore I underlined them:

“Your wee voice came back because your soul somehow depends on it.”

“It’s not doing it – when you know full well you had the opportunity – that hurts far more than any failure.”

“Nobody but you and God know why you were put on this earth, and even then…”

“Anyone can be an idealist. Anyone can be a cynic. The hard part lies somewhere in the middle – that is, being human.”

“There is no silver bullet. There is only the love God gave you.”

“A Picasso always looks like Picasso painted it. Hemingway always sounds like Hemingway.

A Beethoven symphony always sounds like a Beethoven symphony.

Part of being a master is learning how to sing in nobody else’s voice but your own.”

“Wanting to change the world is not a noble calling, it’s a primal calling.”

This book has had an impact on my life. It has reminded me why I am on this journey called photography.

My wee voice did come back…and my soul depends on it.

For Our Fathers

Cheri — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:13:47 +0000

A very prominent human need is that of protection and stability and father’s are an important part of providing that basic human need. My father is a man of few words but many actions and through his actions I am aware of his love for me at all times and have always felt a tremendous sense of peace and security because of his presence in my life. The things he taught me I will always know. They are engrained in me-part of who I am now. Our father’s have shaped our lives in ways they will never know. Sadly my husband lost his father several years ago when he was a teenager. Although my husband has not had the physical presence of his father, his father’s influence and spirit has been a part of his life always-his father is still influencing my husband’s life because of how he lived his life. On this Father’s Day we are thinking of our fathers and our grandfathers (whom we have also lost) and remembering what they give and gave to us and knowing that they are still providing for us that basic human need that we desire.

Daddy’s GirlJonathan with his father and familyUs with Grandpa HoffmanUs with Grandpa Wolfe…and I am forever grateful for my husband and the father he is to Cody. He has brought that human desire of stability and protection to his life not to mention his love, guidance and a connection that can only be between a father and son!

A Birthday Party: at the Roots

Cheri — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:12:59 +0000

My husband’s birthday was last weekend so we had a small get-together BBQ with a few friends. We grilled up some burgers, made some baked beans, had some chips and dip and then Carol (Jonathan’s agent & our friend) brought these amazing cheesy pepper thingys that we put on the grill along with one awesome pasta salad. I’m telling you those cheesy pepper thingys were really good-they were gone before I could get a picture (maybe I can get the recipe and share it!) Oh, and a few of Jonathan’s friends from Stirfry TV showed up-they have a fun channel on YouTube…you should check out here. It was our kind of party…laid back, a few friends, good food and great conversation to celebrate my hubby’s birthday.

On This Memorial Day

Cheri — Mon, 31 May 2010 13:04:11 +0000

There are several members of our family that have served our country including my father, my grandfather, my husband’s father and grandfather along with numerous uncles and cousins and many friends. On this Memorial Day I want to pay special tribute to the only two people I personally know that have served tours in Iraq and/or Afghanistan: my cousin Paul Cook and my friend Marcus Johnson. My cousin Paul spent time in Iraq and Marcus did tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I have heard several of Marcus’s accounts of his time in both countries and am so very grateful that both him and my cousin are safely home. As I pay tribute to both Paul and Marcus and thank them I also remember those that lost their lives while serving their country-those men and women that I did not personally know, but someone knew and loved.