Both times I have been to Jamaica have been interesting experiences. The second time we went my husband informed me that some crew members from the ship told him about this off-the-beaten path place to go where there is an amazing waterfall and beach area…so, of course, off we headed. It was just Jonathan, Cody and I. We took a cab and were dropped off on the side of the rode. We then hiked down a hill to a deserted beach area where we ran into a beach-dwelling, dreadlock wearing, pipe-smoking local. We continued our journey to this mysterious place and after a little bit of a walk found the elusive waterfall. It was beautiful, it was secluded and we thought we were alone. As we enjoyed the waterfall I saw something coming from the woods-it was an entire Jamaican family and they were coming to take their showers-they brought their soap and shampoo and they did their thing. We were then joined by a Jamaican couple enjoying their daily swim and smoke and we kindly took their picture for them when she handed me her camera. Both times I have ventured to Jamaica we have never done the tourist thing and it has always been an adventure. Needless to say I do not take my camera into Jamaica (my husband will tell you stories about when he had to duck and cover due to gun fire!) So, I brought a disposable camera with me and took a few shots. I think the quality would have been better had I not forgotten about the camera for over a year and finally got the film developed, but regardless they are our memories and here are a few I wanted to share.

One of the Jamaican’s that decided to join us.And there is our ship…

Linda is a fellow photographer. Her and I have worked together behind the camera shooting several weddings and she shot a few promo shots of me for my website, but this was the first time Linda and I worked together where she was in front of the camera and I was behind-and we had a GREAT time! Linda and her fiance Angel are getting married next month and I was honored when Linda asked me to shoot their wedding. We met up last weekend to take their engagement pictures and had a blast exploring downtown. Surprisingly I had not really explored downtown too much except for the Lake Eola and Thornton Park area. We found so many different places and I am ready to go back and explore some more! Angel was so fun to work with-you can tell he lives with a photographer-he knew where to stand, how to pose and where to look and just what to do in general (sure made my job easy!) I had a lot of favorites…here are just a few.

I love the snow and have lived in the southern United States all of my adult life. So as I think of the cold weather blanketing the United States as I sit in 70 degree Florida I am reminded of the times I have traveled to beautiful snowy places. In the spring of 2006 a great opportunity came to travel to one of those places and to go skiing. I had not skied since December 2000 when we spent Christmas at my sister’s in Utah and got to ski at Sundance so this was an especially exciting trip. My husband and his juggling teammate of Team Rootberry were invited to the Monkey Business Ski & Juggling Festival in northern Michigan. It was a short 3-day weekend trip: we flew in-skied/snowboarded-Jonathan competed and won 1st place in the snowboarding and juggling competition-Team Rootberry performed-we skied/snowboarded a little more-and then we headed home. We did not take a ton of pictures; actually most of the pictures taken were of me attempting to get down the mountain, on my skis, without falling (I figured I would spare you of those!)

This was part of the festivities of the weekend…skiers would attempt to ski down the hill and jump over the water (hardly any made it!)Jonathan with his first place medal for snowboarding and juggling (there’s a video of that somewhere…)

The plane landed in Texas, Ashley picked me up and off we went for her beautiful bridal shoot. In the few months leading up to her photo shoot, Ashley and I had already decided on an outdoor setting to take advantage of some of the amazing landscape in Texas but that was not meant to be. The week I was preparing to leave for Texas, Ashley wrote to me in a panic-RAIN forecasted all day Saturday, the day of our shoot! So we talked, discussed alternative plans and I rented an amazing and powerful lens that could handle any situation we came across (the 50 f/1.2!) Ashley went into action and booked two absolutely fabulous places to shoot-the Magnolia Hotel in downtown Houston (with the most amazing green velvet couch EVER!) and the Alexan Lofts (Ashley used to live there so it was perfect and if I lived in Houston I would so live there!) Ashley looked stunning, I loved her feather and her shoes rocked! Oh, and check out the pictures of her bouquet-it is made out of wood (I was so nervous every time I had to move the bouquet-not sure how fragile shaved, intricate wood is and I wasn’t about to find out.) Ashley is marrying her love, Michael, in Las Vegas at the Stratosphere in June. I wish them all the love and happiness in the world…

A summer cruise to Alaska on the Serenade of the Seas was where we found ourselves in July 2008. I was so excited I could barely stand it. I got to go on a ship I had never been on, I got to go to Canada since that was where the ship sailed out of and I got to go to Alaska! The trip actually started out a little sketchy-my luggage did not arrive at the airport when I did! I was so upset and could not stop thinking what would happen if I had to get on the ship in the morning without my luggage. Jonathan was absolutely wonderful-promising to take me shopping if that happened, but for some odd reason this was not cheering me up. The bonus was that I did get to go to the Roots Store and get a few things for the evening and morning and all was happy in the world when the airline delivered my luggage the next morning. We then sailed away to Alaska with stops in Icy Strait Point (or Hoonah), Skagway, Hubbard Glacier and Juneau. The highlight of the trip without a doubt was Hubbard Glacier. Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier on the North American continent and I could have stayed there and watched the glacier the entire time. When ice broke off of the glacier it was a site and sound like no other. We also got to witness what is called a “shooter”-this is when a piece of ice breaks off the glacier that is under the water and then shoots to the surface. And to top it all off…I actually got to wear a jacket in July!

Me on our nature walk in HoonahJonathan doing his own nature walk in HoonahThe spectacular Hubbard GlacierThe shooter we feel so fortunate to have witnessed (when it was first coming out of the water you would have sworn it was a whale!)Just for a little perspective-this is on the 12th deck of a 13 deck shipOur ship parked in SkagwayOn another nature walk in SkagwayAnd oh some Alaskan salmon

So, wow, it’s been a week since I have posted. That’s a long time and I have truly missed my little blog! I have been super busy and spent the last weekend in Texas for two photo shoots. A very good friend of mine, Elizabeth Royer and her husband Todd had their very first little bumpkin right before the year 2010 began. Tristan made his debut on December 31st, 2009. Elizabeth had already planned on me traveling to Texas to photograph little Tristan and the soonest I could get there was January 16th, so this adorable little guy was already wide-eyed and ready to explore the world. I spent all day with the new Royer family and got to photograph them in a couple of locations. I have to laugh at the fact that the only time Tristan slept (except a few very brief times during the photo shoot) was the two hour break I took to go eat lunch with some friends I hadn’t seen in four years! He’s ready to find out what this whole thing is all about and I got to capture that…

I find inspiration everywhere. I have such a vast array of styles and likes. I feel like this complete dichotomy of a person. One minute I feel I should be living in New York amongst the hustle and bustle of the amazing city and riding the subway everyday…and the next minute I want to be in a log cabin sitting by the fire and riding on a sled to go get more wood! I see my photography going in so many directions and wanting to explore so many techniques and styles that I don’t know where to begin. Again that division inside of me surfaces…at one moment of inspiration I love the bright, beautiful burst of color and vibrancy of an image and the next moment I am in love with the soft, vintage, dreamy style of an image I can’t take my eyes off of and then all of a sudden I find myself attracted to a whimsical, artsy and fun photograph. So I continue my journey as I explore the many sides of me! A little of my exploration…

Back in April I hopped on a cruise to the Bahamas with my husband-he was working so I tagged along. I was having a bad month so it was a much needed and appreciated cruise and trip. I had been to Royal Caribbean cruise line’s private island of CocoCay in the Bahamas but this was my first time to Nassau. It was one of those ‘we’re not going to do anything but relax cruises’ and that is just what we did…ahhhh!

In November of 2005, one month before officially moving to Florida, we came to Orlando for Thanksgiving and to begin the process of moving into our new home. During that visit we decided to take a trip out to one of the local parks and do a little snorkeling. Jonathan’s brother Andy and sister-in-law Amanda also came along for the snorkeling adventure (everyone else enjoyed the scenery while staying nice and dry.) It turned out that those of us that braved the water that day truly got the chance of a lifetime. While we were exploring the waters and the spring below something amazing happened-we were all of a sudden surrounded by a mama and baby manatee-they evidently swam into the spring after we had gotten there. We attempted to swim and get away from them, but they seemed more curious about us and appeared to want to play. We kept our distance, but they kept appearing. The mama manatee seemed especially attracted to Jonathan and literally would not leave him alone. There are laws in Florida about the manatees and being new to the state we were not really sure what they were, so after a while we decided that we would go ahead and leave and let them be. We swam with manatees-it is something I will never forget!

We got Lucky the cat after our neighbor’s cat had kittens. Cody and his friend Gage had named all of the kittens and Lucky got her name because she seemed to get lost on a number of occasions and was always miraculously found so the boys felt she was very lucky. At the time we already had one cat and the fear of having two cats was not enough when my seven year old son comes and tells me that he wants to give Lucky a home, “Can we have her, pplllleeeeeaaaassssseeee?” Moms out there know that pulling-at-your-heartstrings feeling. Ok so yes…I caved, I gave in, I succumb to the pressure (not really…she was so darn cute I could not resist myself!) So we gave Lucky a home and she became Cody’s cat. Now there are some that have called her “psycho” because she tends to not like others and will lash out at those that try to be-friend her and I am afraid I have to confirm that this has occurred and she has therefore earned her name “psycho cat”. With our move to Orlando Lucky went to live with my parents…we miss her, but she has now become my Dad’s cat (although Cody will always claim her as his!)

She always slept with Cody (and usually right at his head!)Lucky after moving in with my parents…and I dare ask-does she look psycho to you?