Mixing Business With Pleasure

We're back down in Florida for more fun in the sun. We took Brynn to Ft. Myers Beach the other day and she was soaking in the Spring Break experience...music, sun, sand, and she was loving it. I am a little nervous for her Freshman year of college when she will want to go on her first Spring Break without us.

Anyway, no pics to post yet since I did not bring my own computer. I am doing a family shoot tomorrow night, so I will post that when I get back. Also, I am trying to keep up with all my emails, but my iPhone has not been cooperating, so I will get back to all of you asap.

Happy Friday and have a good weekend!

Megan & Patrick

I love it when my clients have something specific in mind for their shoot. Megan & Patrick and I planned their engagement session over a month ago and we opted for a downtown shoot on St. Patrick's Day. They both come from very Irish families and will be incorporating some Irish traditions in their wedding day, so it made perfect sense that we would celebrate their engagement on St. Patrick's Day. Who knew it was going to be the warmest day of the year so far without a cloud in the sky? I think it is a sign...or is it luck of the Irish??

Megan & Patrick knew each other in high school, but their story doesn't start until they began dating in college at Marquette University.

He is in to architecture, so we had to include some shots of the skyline.

I love this photo.

I am so excited for their wedding in August. They are such a sweet couple and we had a ball exploring the city.

Just look at how Patrick looks at his fiancee...that is LOVE :)

Too cute!

Hello Sasha Fierce...

This is the real Megan...

I guess I cracked them up ;)

Megan is a Jameson Irish Whiskey aficionado...or "Jame-O" as she calls it. We found this flag on the sidewalk and we were so excited!

Megan & Patrick thank you so much for such a wonderful day. I would not have rather spent my St. Patrick's Day with anyone else. You two are the sweetest and I can't wait for your wedding day!!

P.S. I meant to post this on St. Patty's Day, but was too exhausted from my day downtown. It is scary how true this list below is. Thank you to my Irish buddy Bill O'Brien for passing this along ;)

What It Means to be Irish...

1) You will never play professional basketball.
2) You swear very well.
3) At least one of your cousins is a fireman, cop, bar owner, funeral home owner or holds political office. And you have at least one aunt who is a nun, or uncle who's a priest.
4) You think you sing very well.
5) You have no idea how to make a long story short!
6) There isn't a big difference between you losing your temper or killing someone...
7) Much of your childhood meals were boiled. Instant potatoes were a mortal sin.
8) You have never hit your head on a ceiling.
9) You spent a good portion of your childhood kneeling in prayer (Catholic guilt forever!).
10) You're strangely poetic after a few beers.
11) You are, therefore, poetic a lot.
12) You will be punched for no good reason...a lot.
13) Some punches directed at you are from legacies of past gen erations.
14) Many of your sisters and/or cousins are named Mary, Catherine or Eileen ... and there is at least one member of your family with the full name of Mary Catherine Eileen.
15) Someone in your family is very generous. It is more than likely you.
16) You may not know the words, but that doesn't stop you from singing.
17) You can't wait for the other guy to stop talking before you start talking.
18) You're not nearly as funny as you think you are ... but what you lack in talent, you make up for in frequency.
19) There wasn't a huge difference between your last Wake and your last keg party.
20) You are, or know someone, named Murph.
21) If you don't know Murph then you know Mac. If you don't know Murph or Mac then you know Sully . Then you probably know Sully McMurphy.
22) You are genetically incapable of keeping a secret.
23) You have Irish Alzheimer's... you forget everything but the grudges!
24) 'Irish Stew' is a euphemism for 'boiled leftovers.'
25) All of your losses are alcohol-related ( loss of driver's license, loss of money, loss of job, loss of significant other, loss of teeth from punch...) but it never stops you from drinking.
26) Your skin's ability to tan.... not so much.
27) At this very moment, you have at least two relatives who are not speaking to each other (not fighting, mind you, just not speaking to each other).
28) Childhood remedies for the common cold often included whiskey .
29) There's no leaving a family party without saying goodbye for at least 45 minutes.

Baby Anna

'Tis the season of babies!!! All these babies being born are getting me excited for my own which will be here in September. I can't believe how fast my pregnancy is already flying by. I will be 15 weeks this weekend and in a few short weeks we will be able to find out if Brynn will be bossing around a little brother or a little sister.

I got to spend some time with Baby Anna this week and she was such a doll. Beautiful little girl with wonderful parents.

We wore her out and she had to take a little cat nap ;)

Brian & Kathy, thank you so much for letting me take Baby Anna Rose's first photos. You two are certainly blessed. Enjoy!

Luck o' the Irish

St. Patty's Day is one of my favorite holidays...although it is not too much fun to celebrate it when your prego :( Instead, I got to spend an awesome day in the city yesterday with an awesome couple. Here is a little sneak peek of what's to come:


Last weekend we went to an authentic St. Patrick's celebration at the home of a real Irishman. Brittany and David had a wonderful get together with all the trimmings of a perfect St. Patty's Day.

I was so bummed I couldn't partake in the real Irish coffee:

Brynn was all decked out though.

Just a random pic:

Hope everyone was Irish yesterday and hungover today ;)

It must be the hormones...

Has it been a whole week since I last blogged?? Not sure where the time went this past week. Lots of friends with babies being born, spent some time with Chad as Brynn and I tagged along on another business trip, and reunited with my Delta Zeta sisters at the Crimson Lounge at Hotel Sax downtown Chicago. It was a good week. Still feeling the gurgling in my belly and the the never ending need to nap whenever possible, but I'm in week 13 now, so hopefully things will start making a turn for the better any day now.


Speaking of pregnancy, my hormones must be on high alert because I just caught myself fighting back the tears as I listened to the new Darius Rucker song on the radio "It Won't Be Like This For Long." You can watch the video here or you can read the lyrics below:

He didn't have to wake up

He'd been up all nite

Lay'n there in bed listen'n

To his new born baby cry

He makes a pot of coffee

He splashes water on his face

His wife gives him a kiss and says

It gonna be OK

It wont be like this for long

One day soon we'll look back laugh'n

At the week we brought her home

This phase is gonna fly by

So baby just hold on

It wont be like this for long

Four years later bout four thirty

She's crawling in their bed

And when he drops her off at preschool

She's clinging to his leg

The teacher peels her off of him

He says what can I do

She says now don't you worry

This will only last a week or two

It wont be like this for long

One day soon we'll drop her off

And she wont even know your gone

This phase is gonna fly by

If you can just hold on

It wont be like this for long

One day soon she'll be a teenager

And at times you'll think she hates him

Then he'll walk her down the aisle

And he'll raise her veil

But right now she up and cry'n

And the truth is that he don't mind

As he kisses her good night

And she says her prayers

He lays down there beside her

Till her eyes are finally closed

And just watch'n her it breaks his heart

Cause he already knows

It wont be like this for long

One day soon that little girl is gonna be

All grown up and gone

Yeah this phase is gonna fly by

He's try'n to hold on

It wont be like this for long

It wont be like this for long

Wow, I just read the first verse and can feel the tears burning behind my eyes. For those of you who know me, I am not sap or a hopeless romantic, but I do love a good song that really hits to the heart of a matter. When I was listening to this song I was thinking about my baby girl and how fast the past (almost) 3 years have flown by. I was also thinking about how I shouldn't mind that she comes in our room every night at approx. 2:15 a.m. and asks if she can lay with us. I also had to laugh to myself at how this very morning at 6:00 a.m. she rolled over in my bed and asked me to come lay in her bed with her instead of her laying with me in my bed. I said, "No, sorry, I am not getting up now. Ask your dad." And she did, and he got up without a word and followed her into her princess room and snuggled with her in her twin bed. About 20 minutes later I heard her crawling back into my bed into his warm spot. She curled up and slept for another three hours. Poor dad got stuck in the little bed by himself. Kinda funny.

This is one of the last stinky diapers Chad had to change since she is a big girl now. Monkey see, monkey do. Think he'll miss this? Good thing we have another on the way so he can do this all over again :)

Another Random Post

Some more randomness for you on this Monday.

I went to my friend Krissy's baby shower a few weeks ago and the cupcakes are worth mentioning since I could eat about 4 at this very moment. There is a new little business in Geneva that makes specialty cupcakes and they are superb.

The Latest Crave has cupcakes in every flavor you could imagine:

vanilla/vanilla, vanilla/chocolate, chocolate/vanilla, chocolate/chocolate, snickerdoodle, jack and jill ( chocolate marshmallow) NEW!!!, blackbottom, carrot, craving cream, key lime filled, lemon filled, Mocha, Orange Pound, Peanut Butter & Jelly, German Chocolate, Red Velvet, Filled Vanilla ( lemon, orange, or key lime), Coconut, White Chocolate, Raspberry Truffle, Chocolate Cherry Filled.

My next random thing I wanted to share is that Brynn started gymnastics last week and is loving it. She insisted that she needed a "suit" for her class, so Mimi picked up a little purple leotard for her to wear. She didn't take it off for three days.

Finally, the most important part of my post...we all attended the Fowles Family Bowling Fundraiser last weekend in Lake Zurich for my friend Michele. For those of you who are faithful readers, you know the whole depressing story. If you want to hear it again, you can start here.

This was one of the most fun and most organized fund raisers I have ever been to. They had a phenomenal silent auction, several raffles and door prizes with the most creative prizes ever. I immediately had my eye on this incredible stack of kids' games from Monopoly to Twister and I just had to have it. Brynn and I put all our tickets in this box (aside from the few I snuck in to the Mario Tricocci massage -- but we won't tell Brynn about that one).

Unfortunately, we did not win the stack of games, but luckily, my sister and brother-in-law did! So we can play them at their house.

Michele's sister Katie, Courtney & Ella, Michele, & me

Michele and her youngest daughter. Don't you want to squeeze her cheeks??

Brynn loved her bowling shoes and could not understand why we had to give them back when we were done. She got a terrible blister, but nonetheless, she refused to take them off.

All of the money raised by many different organizations will help this family significantly as Michele's medical bills are constantly rising. This organization supports family members of our military who are battling cancer. They made a wonderful contribution to her and her family. Michele's husband finishes his tour this summer and will be home from Afghanistan for good in August or September. Yea!!!!

There were lots of tears of joy being shared today. I got the goosebumps many times and choked up even more times at the thought of all the people who pulled together to support a friend in need. I love it!!