Traditions--some like it wierd.

We have a fun, yet slightly odd, tradition in my family at Christmas. It's so much fun that people from outside of our family have taken time to join us on Christmas afternoon in order to participate. It costs nothing, yet everyone goes home with a gift.

What is this, you ask? Well....it's Yard Sale Christmas. The game is played a little like Dirty Santa with one major difference. You're not allowed to buy a gift. You must "go shopping" within your own house for some item you would put in a yard sale. Anything goes, and boy, do I mean anything.

Some real doozies that have never been forgotten include a lovely wagon wheel chandelier that came with my sisters new house. Oh, did I forget to mention that one of the rules is that you must remove your gift from the hostesses house upon your departure? Another memorable "gift" was a retainer, yep, the kind you wear on your teeth. It returned year after year wearing a new disguise each year. My personal favorite was the time someone painted it gold, and hung it from a red ribbon to create a unique tree ornament. ;-)

There was the box that contained tightly packed clothes from a recently cleaned out closet, and let's not forget the chalk parrot statue, that one made it back for several repeat performances.

Wonder what we'll have this year? Good times.

Now, I gotta go do a little "shopping," see ya'll later!

Christmas Shopping...fa,la,la,la,laaaa...HELP!

Do you feel the same way about gift shopping that I do? Of course I enjoy shopping, hey, I’m a girl, it’s part of my genetic makeup. And I certainly enjoy making the people I love feel special and valued. Spending money, that's a mixed emotions kinda thing for me. Enjoy the spending, hate the counting up the totals afterward, he-he-he.

But (you knew there was gonna be a “but” in there, didn’t you?) I face the same challenge every year, finding thoughtful gifts that the folks on my list will enjoy and appreciate. Some years I feel like I do pretty good, others leave me feeling less confident. The real winners are gifts that get used, talked about or enjoyed long after the Christmas season is over.

That’s one of the reasons we started offering Gift Certificates at Memory Lane Portraits. Everyone knows how precious a great portrait is. It’s a wonderful memory that starts with the session and lasts for a lifetime. (You know something is valuable if folks are still hanging on to it years later.)Every year we get calls from folks saying their mother told them all she really wanted this year was a great family portrait for her wall.

Keep an eye out, tomorrow we’re starting a Limited Time Special on our Gift Certificates from Memory Lane Portraits by Rhonda Lester. If you’re one of the smart folks who signed up for our mailing list, you’ll get an email with details.

Also, if you're wondering, yes, we're gonna be taking sessions the week between Christmas and New Years--so get the gang together and let's plan a new family portrait for you. Growing, changing families often need new portraits every year, and everyone else about every 4 or 5 years. How long has it been?

Fallin' in Love: Wedding Photos from the Mountains

This was a new twist on wedding day photography for me, and a LOT of fun! David and Kacey had a small chapel wedding in Blowing Rock, NC. Most of the time I'm hired to start photographing before the ceremony starts. This time was different, their chapel provided a photographer for the ceremony.

But this family ought to win a "Fan of the Year Award" because they wanted something more creative and fun to celebrate the day. I arrived at the end of their reception, and I'll admit that felt kinda odd, you know, like I was late. I had a bad dream one night kinda like that, but that's another story. Then we headed out for a real adventure as we spent a few hours be-bopping around and taking photos of them.

We found a beautiful abandoned barn, a little covered bridge, and lots of surrounding areas where the trees were just awesome. Beautiful people, beautiful place, beautiful day--can't ask for more than that. Well....a little warmer weather would have been lovely, but we managed.

Welcome to the family, Brooklyn

Ok, I'm gonna sound like a grandma, but honest, I'm her auntie. Miss Brooklyn is just the cutest thing, don't you think? These are some quick photos taken at my brothers house a couple of weeks ago when I got to meet her for the first time.

It's been a while since we added a little girl to the family tree, that puts the count up to 7 nephews and 3 nieces (plus a goddaughter and two godsons, don't forget them.) Gonna be fun buying some little girl stuff for Christmas-woo-hoo!

Givin' Away Money - Wheeeee!

FREE MONEY--sort of. Tonight I'm thrilled and honored to help give away a total of $20,000 to a variety of charities who provide services in the fight against breast cancer.

My dear friend Karen started a non-profit organization called "Focused on a Cure" (yep, you guessed it, Karen is a photographer, hence the name) a couple of years ago and I've been able to contribute in a small way by helping to photograph their major fund raising event each year. It's always great fun, and raises a lot of money for the cause.

This year I was asked to serve on the committee that reviews the requests for funding by various organizations. What an eye-opener! I have never been involved in the world of non-profit grants, and it's much more involved than I imagined. Tough but rewarding, through this process the committee decided how to distribute the $20,000 that Focused on a Cure has raised. Tonight the recipients will gather for a small reception and receive their checks.

One thing I'm sure of, it's going to be a wonderful evening.

If you know a cancer survivor, or an active fighter...give him or her a hug. Special people, that's what they are, very special indeed.

Taste of the Town - Hospice Fundraiser

Headin' out to enjoy the Taste of the Town event at Showplace in High Point. Great food, huge silent auction (I've donated a $400 gift certificate) and beautiful surroundings. This is a wonderful fundraiser for Hospice, and they provide such a compassionate service to families in their greatest need. I'm honored to help them out!

Bestest Buddies

Every little boy needs a dog during his childhood, don't you think? It's the perfect friend, one who will love you, protect you, teach you how to stick your tongue out. Yep, the perfect friend.

If you've been around me much, you already know how much I love photographing babies. And you might know that as far as I'm concerned dogs are just children with four legs, and of course they are always welcome here at the studio. But even at that, I'll have to admit, when we got ready to for this part of the session, I wasn't sure how it was going to go.

You see, Cora's an active dog, and a big active dog at that. I had no idea how she was going to act when we put little Alfred up next to her. Well, she showed me a thing or two. She was amazing! Completely docile and sweet. What a great pup. Looks like the start of a great friendship.

Photo of the Day - July 31, 2010 - Mast General Store

The beautiful Mast General Store in Valle Crucis-built in 1883, and still in operation today. If you haven't been, you outta. They're bound to have something you need.

Photo of the Day - July 30, 2010 - Watch Your Step

Sometimes you just have to laugh. The carefully painted words on this flight of stairs warns "Watch your step, it hurts to get hurt." Just too funny!

Photo of the Day - July 29, 2010 - Let's Go For a Ride

Back to the bike shop--summertime and bikes just go together.

Photo of the Day - July 28, 2010 - Window Shopping

If you live in High Point, you're gonna recognize this. It's is the front window of Bicycle Toy and Hobby on Main St. at night. I always love driving by there at night and seeing all the bikes on display. And I don't even ride!

I took a little creative liberty with the colors--to add a little drama. http://www.bicycletoyandhobby.com/

Photo of the Day - July 26, 2010 - Magnolia Part 2

Here's the second photo in our 3 part series of close ups of a magnolia. This is the stamen (I think that's the right term, if you're a botanist or just someone who knows, feel free to correct me.) Anyhow, it's the doohickey in the center of the flower. And yes, I'm pretty sure that's how you spell doohickey because believe it or not it was in my spell check. And yes, I'm aware that starting my sentences with phrases like "anyhow" and "and yes" is driving you English majors nuts. But honestly, it's how I talk, and this aint an essay so I'm gonna have fun with it. Try to pretend I'm speaking with bad grammar instead of writing with it, maybe that will ease the pain. ;-)

Back to my flower photo. Sorry for the rabbit trail. The centerpiece doohickey reminds me of wild mushrooms we used to gather in the woods when I was a kid. I'm guessing you can't eat the magnolias, but they sure are pretty and full of textures.

Photo of the Day - July 27, 2010 - Magnolia Part 3

This is the third and last in the magnolia series. This petal had caught dozens of the little seeds in it's bowl, and it was just beautiful to me. I love the creamy softness of the petal against the rough but delicate texture of the seeds. I can imagine a summer storm coming through and either blowing them away or filling the petal with rainwater until they float and eventually weigh down the petal until they trickle to the ground.

Photo of the Day - July 25, 2010 - Magnolia Part 1

I've always loved Magnolia blooms for their beauty, but had never looked at them closely. For the next 3 days I want to share some close up images with you, starting with this flower bud. It looks like some poisonous thistle should be birthed with all those spikes. Nature never ceases to fascinate me!

Photo of the Day - July 25 - Feelin' the Heat

If you look, there's beauty in everyday things. This lovely fan is part of the vent work on the top of my air conditioning unit. Now that I think about it, having air conditioning is beautiful even if you're not looking at it with an eye for art. ;-) One of the many things to be grateful for in my life.

Photo of the Day - July 23, 2010- Hidden Beauty

This is what was left after my Irises faded and fell off a while back. They're delicate and stunning when you slow down to look at them. Makes me wonder what else I'm missing out on, you know what I mean?

Feelin' right at home.

My sisters and I were in Knoxville, Tennessee recently, and we found a great little place in the downtown area to have lunch. I knew it was going to be good when we walked in and the hostess had a basket of green beans she was stringing in between taking care of customers. Can't say I've ever seen that before, but it was very welcoming.

You know me, I just had to get a photo. She didn't want me to show her face, but was gracious enough to let me take this pic to share. Hello, Knoxville! You've got a great town there--wish we'd had more time.

I'm gonna marry the boy next door.

Last weekends wedding was so much fun! It was a fairytale love story if ever there was one.

Ashley and Brandon literally grew up next door to each other, and have been sweethearts for years. When I was putting together their childhood memories slide show for the reception, there were lots of photos of the two of them together even as little kids. There were prom photos together, and even the two of them in their high school graduation cap and gowns together.

Thanks, Ashley and Brandon, for taking time to create something really special to remember your day. After the wedding, we went to the road where they grew up, and where their families still live. These photos were taken in a shed on her great grandpa's farm where they used to play when they were kids. I could have spent hours photographing on the farm, but I had a hunch Brandon wouldn't be as enthusiastic about that idea as I was. ;-)

What great stories they're going to have to tell their kids someday! Congratulations you two, and thanks for including me in such a special and utterly fun day.

Happy Birthday Mom! Wish you were here....

Today would have been my Mamma's birthday. She was an amazing woman, and I was blessed beyond measure to have her to nurture my life.

Yesterday, I was talking to someone about the importance of having portraits taken of each of your children with each parent separately, because of the lasting value it has. I speak from experience, I have four siblings, and I'm so grateful I have beautiful portraits of Mom and myself taken by my friend and mentor Karen Goforth several years ago.

I almost didn't have these portraits made. I felt heavy (I was a lot heavier than I am now, in fact) and we were on vacation so it seemed like a lot of trouble. Boy, am I ever glad we took this time. These prints, and the others in that session are truly a treasure of great value to me now. I can enjoy our moments together again as I see these photos on my desk every day.

If I can share a gift with you, dear reader, as a token birthday present for my mom, it is the encouragement to take time to have portraits made with the people you love. See yourself through their eyes, not your own. You're a beautiful part of their lives!

Lilly's Pearls

This is a photo taken during a 4 generation session--4 beautiful women, 1 beautiful family. Lilly and Mom live in Chicago and came home to Thomasville to surprise Grandma and Great-Grandma for Mother's Day. While they were together was the perfect time to create a new family heirloom.

The pearls in the back belong to Great-Grandma, the baby bracelet is Lilly's, and the pearls in her hand are Grandma's but were worn during the session by Mommy. I can envision that someday she'll be photographed in her wedding gown with these same pearls.

Photo of the Day - April 29, 2010 - Faces of Hickory

April 29th I took a little trip to Hickory to speak for a group of Pro. Photographers. We had a great time, and I got not one but TWO Photos of the Day. Thanks Rosemary, for being my model through the textured glass, and I couldn't resist the cool face on the front of the building across from where we met--isn't he cool!?

Photo of the Day - April 28, 2010 - Birds of a Feather

Wow, what a difference a few days makes! These little baby robins were naked, ugly, and tiny just one week ago. (See the Photo of the Day for April 21st) and now they can barely fit in the nest and are beautiful with their feathers. I know it's not the best photo, but Mamma Robin hid her nest pretty well in the holly bush, and I'm not a big fan of pain.

Photo of the Day - April 27, 2010 - Stairway to Higher Learning

High Point Library staircase. It's got beautiful lines and curves, and just interesting shapes overall. the entire library is like an oversized sculpture on Main St.

Photo of the Day - April 25, 2010 - Backyard Beauties

These sweet tiny little flowers popped up in my backyard. I don't know what they are, but I hope Randy doesn't mow them until they're through blooming.

Photo of the Day - April 20, 2010 - Zebra Pumps

My friend Brittany is going to the prom, and she going to be drop dead gorgeous in her fab-u-less jungle themed gown. Seriously, I know that sounds pretty far out there, but it looks great. (Of course, she's always gorgeous no matter what she wears.) These are the pumps that go with her dress--I think they're super cool!

Photo of the Day --March 30, 2010 - Peach Blossoms

I was photographing the Bartlett Pears in bloom at the Archdale Public Library (one of my favoritest places) and noticed this puddle of water in the parking lot with upside-down blossoms floating along like polka dots. It was much more inter sting than the other photos I had already taken.

Photo of the Day --April 1, 2010 – Wild Violet

Seeing these little wildflowers always take me back to my childhood. The dark purple variety grew in the field near the stream close to our house, and I would pick dozens of them to make a small boquet to give Mom. When I discovered clusters of these blooming in my back yard, I was thrilled. This one's for you Mom...wish you where here.

Photo of the Day --April 21, 2010 – Cheep, cheep

I found a robins nest in the shrubs in front of the studio today. Three little hatchlings, and one egg. They're really very ugly when they're this new--all bald and scrawny looking. So ugly they're kinda cute. I thought it was pretty funny that the three of them had their heads buried in the center, as if they're trying to listen for chicky number four to talk to them through the eggshell.

Quote

Here's an interesting quote I read today: Creative people rarely need to be motivated. They have their own inner drive that refuses to be bored. They refuse to be complacent. They live on the edge, which is precisely what is needed to be successful and remain successful. --Donald Trump in "How to Get Rich"

Gala at Kyle Petty's Place

Well, I'm happy to report that the planning committee survived the Randolph County Partnership for Children's Second Annual Gala at the Kyle and Pattie Petty Farm on Saturday. Actually we more than survived--we thrived! Right up until we plopped into bed in the wee hours of Sunday morning and slept very, very soundly.

The tickets sold out, and between tickets and auction sales, we raised even more money than we had dared hope for, pretty cool, hun? What an amazing group of people gathered in one place! Just like having 250 of your closest friends come over for a hoedown. These folks really "got it" and made the night a resounding success. They were generous, patient, fun, and they looked sharp dressed up in their denim and diamonds. Plus, I think they had a pretty doggone good time, and even learned to do a little square dancin'.

The food was great (fried chicken and the best fried squash you ever tasted from Snyder Farms Catering), the music was awesome (Rocking Horse Band really does rock) and desserts were amazing. If you haven't had Chocolate Lava cake or Baileys Irish Creme cake from Homeland Bakery (http://www.homelandbakery.com/) your life just isn't complete yet. You better call Torri Nelson right away and fix that.

The party was a "Barnyard Dance" theme, and was held in the Petty's barn. Let me just tell you, I'm doubting you've ever seen a barn like this. At least I hadn't, and I grew up in the country. According to Kyle's son Austin, when his sister Montogomery Lee decided to have her wedding at the farm, they spent about a million dollars renovating the barn to host her reception. Of course that was before they added the "trophy room" (aka: museum) onto it. Let's just say it's nice, reeeall nice.

How was your weekend?

Photo of the Day --April 7th & 8th 2010

April 7th -- Wisteria blooming in the studio garden.




April 8th--the bolt that gave me a flat tire on my birthday. ;-)

Photo of the Day --March 12, 2010 – Rainbow Circle

Guess I found out today why we can’t seem to find the end of the rainbow. Circles have no end. I spotted this one in my parking lot, but not a leprechaun in sight. Figures!

Photo of the Day --March 11, 2010 – Straw

There was a fog on this morning, so I headed out early to see what Creekside Park had to offer before going to the networking event at the Chamber of Commerce. No luck at the park--the fog was burning off fast--but on the way back this field of straw beckoned me to pull over and photograph it.

Funny thing was that the Mayor was on her way to the Chamber event as well, and said she saw me. You never know who's watching!

Be Patient With Me...

I know, I know....I'm way behind on posting my Photos of the Day. But I promise, I've been taking them. Really. Scouts honor.

I'll try to do better about sharing, and over the next few days I hope to get two or three posted every day until I'm all caught up. I'll go ahead and warn you, for a little while it's gonna be a flower fest. Spring is glorious and it seems like there are new blooms somewhere every day, and they all beg me to photograph them. I'm happy to oblige, because I love beauty in all it's many intricate forms.

Photo of the Day --March 9, 2010 – A Square of Sky

I was photographing a commercial project on location today at Thomasville Medical Center, and I was enjoying the skylight in their grand lobby. I love the strong geometric pattern, but even more I love seeing beautiful blue skies.

Photo of the Day –April 4, 2010 – Sunrise Service

Today was probably the most peaceful, beautiful Easter morning I can ever remember. I was on my families property in the mountains with camera in hand waiting for the sunrise, meditating, and remembering my Mom. I took a little hike in the woods, then on the road to get back to N.C.

My original plan was to be at Mom’s gravesite for sunrise, my plans got kinked up but it turned out I was exactly where I needed to be. Her favorite place was out on the farm with the mountains and all of nature surrounding her. If her spirit kissed the earth today, it would certainly have been at The Andy Place Farm, not the cemetery.

Photo of the Day --March 7, 2010 – Hydrangeas

I’ve discovered that hydrangeas thrive in the kinds of conditions my yards usually offer: shady with a gardener of questionable commitment. Some day I’m likely to have a yard with nothing else in it but hydrangeas and lilacs, until then, I’ll enjoy taking photos of them when I can.

Photo of the Day --March 6, 2010 – A Daisy a Day

Gerbera daisies are so cheerful and vibrant. I really wanted to find a new angle to photograph them from, and this was my favorite image from the attempt. I liked the depth of looking into the petals from the side and it made a flower that is usually thought of as being flat faced have a lot more dimension.

Photo of the Day --March 5, 2010 – Archdale United Methodist

Tonight the sunset was reflecting in the church windows making them look like they were glowing from within.

Photo of the Day --March 8, 2010 – Down on the Farm

I was driving back from a committee meeting in Asheboro, and thinking of what would make a great photo of the day for today when I saw a little dirt road I’d never been down. “Let’s see what’s down there,” I said. It was a beautiful farm that was a real step back in time. I thought a sepia tone image would give this photo just the right feel, like an antique print.

Photo of the Day --March 4, 2010 - Split Rail Fence

One of the best things about this Photo of the Day project is it has motivated me to stop and photograph some of the things I see and enjoy everyday. This little fenced in field is one of the joys of my drive to and from work everyday.

Photo of the Day --March 3, 2010 – Will it Ever be Spring?

It’s sort of like an April Fool’s joke early—I was hoping by the time we were into March we wouldn’t have to worry about any more snow. This is the top of the gazebo at the hotel, taken from my ninth floor window.

Photo of the Day --March 2, 2010 – Iris

The formal banquet at PPNC was tonight. It’s the one time a year I get really dressed up in an evening gown and heels. After posing for a Board of Directors photo, I attended the dinner and then helped present the print awards to some very happy photographers. Before you ask, I didn’t have prints in the judging this year—just not enough time in the day to get everything done. Maybe I’ll send something to nationals??

This is a beautiful purple iris that was one of the flowers from our table’s centerpiece. Taken on our hotel bed, using the bedside lamp for light. I took several different photos, but the abstract feeling of this one won for Photo of the Day. You’ll probably see more photos of these flowers—I want to see how many different shots I can get before they fizzle out.

Photo of the Day --March 1, 2010 – The Imperial.

The back of the Sheraton Imperial hotel at night. I like the way the cool toned shadows of the trees make the section on the right look like it’s made out of marble. I thought about laying down on my back to show even more of the building, but honestly it was just too cold. Plus, a woman laying on the ground outside a hotel after dark just didn’t sound like a good idea. ;-)

Photo of the Day --February 28, 2010 – Hall of Lights

Dear Reader, I know you probably think I've abandoned my Photo of the Day project, but it's not true. I've been photographing every day, but just too caught up in life and work to get them posted online. I'll try to catch up over the next few days.

There are several images I had ready to post, text and all, but the disk I had them saved on got "lost" on my desk. I found it this morning, (a good sign for the rest of the week being productive, don't you think?) so we'll get back on track. Now, let's think back to the end of Feburary, the week of our last snow for the season.....

The challenges of creating images while attending convention continue. After a very busy day of seminars, meetings, visits to the trade show, catching up with friends, working the registration desk, and exploring the print exhibit, it was nearly midnight before I got time to myself. This is a photo of the lights in the hallway of the hotel, underexposed about 2 stops for effect. I liked the pattern and the lines of the walls. Taken at 11:38 p. m.

March 10, 2010 – Bunny Ears

I remember as a kid we used rabbit ears to pick up television signals, but they were never as cute at these.