willowdawn photography

A GORGEOUS senior!!!

2008-04-10T17:25:00.001-07:00

-146-1.2-Edit.jpg, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

I have barely started proofing these and I couldn't wait to post a couple. Every time I finish an image, I think... "that's my favorite." But then I finish the next one, and it's my new favorite. So I can't pick a favorite. She is absolutely stunning though.

I thoroughly enjoyed shooting her yesterday, and she made my job so easy. Too easy and I over shot. Then I had to try to narrow them down... NOT easy!

Enjoy!

Spring is here... Spring is here...

2008-03-18T07:37:00.001-07:00

Spring is here... Spring is here... , originally uploaded by willowdawn.

it's the best time of the year.

Parents with little ones will have Little Bill singing in their heads for the rest of the day. Sorry!

I'm so happy to see my little bulbs with the first signs of Spring. My pear tree is almost fully covered in blossoms, and soon the cherry trees will follow suit. It really is an amazing transformation.

Mr. McConnell - your sneak peak!

2007-11-12T07:25:00.001-08:00

TMcConnell (128).jpg, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

While editing these, my girls and I were struck by how much you resemble Wesley - from the Princess Bride! Hope you enjoy your sneak peak and I'll be in touch soon with the rest of your proofs.

2007-11-12T07:22:00.001-08:00

TMcConnell (177).jpg, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

2007-11-12T07:21:00.001-08:00

TMcConnell (286).jpg, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

2007-11-12T07:16:00.001-08:00

TMcConnell (88).jpg, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

I'm cheating on blogger...

2007-11-02T14:34:00.001-07:00

I've decided to try out a new blog provider. I'm not sure I love it, but the templates are bit more my style so head on over the the all new, hopefully improved...

ubiquitous blog

I love fall...

2007-10-15T05:22:00.001-07:00

virginia outdoor center-88-Edit.jpg, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

It is my favorite season, followed by winter... crazy I know. Yesterday my hubby showed me how to get down to the river and WOW was it beautiful. Definitely worth the hike!

ILP get-together casualty...

2007-10-14T12:23:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

We had a great ILP get-together. It was fantastic meeting other photographers and bouncing ideas off of one another. Our "outside of the box" attending asked my daughter if she would "die on the steps?" We had so much fun!

Trying a new slideshow option...

2007-10-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

Our church participated in the annual "Market in the Park", handing out free coffee, donuts, balloons and water. My oldest daughter brought some of her gifted, artistic friends and they painted faces for free as well. The girls did a fantastic job and I hope that we were able to bless others on Saturday.

The photo disappeared...

2007-10-01T11:55:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

So I'm replacing it... strange things are afoot! (

Look closely...

2007-09-29T15:14:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

creepy isn't it? My daughter and her friends helped to paint faces in our churches booth at the Market in the Park today. They did a fantastic job.

Thanks ladies!

Not as illiterate as I thought...

2007-09-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

So my old site is back up... yeah me! and I'm working feverishly to have a brand new image by the 1st of November. We'll see if I can pull it off!

Website currently down...

2007-09-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the inconvenience. I'm getting a new spodey odey one and I didn't realize that my current site would become invisible in the meantime. I'm pretty tech illiterate... so please bear with me. I can still be reached at info@willowdawnphotography.com if you have any questions.

Thanks for your patience during this time of transition!

Strange things are afoot...

2007-09-23T05:44:00.001-07:00

Name that movie! Hint: It's a really stupid one from 1989.

But seriously, while not really strange, definitely exciting things are happening in the wild world that is Willowdawn Photography. The portfolio building chapter will close at the end of October. Beginning November 1st, look for big changes. Why all of the sudden? you ask. Well, after filing my business taxes for the first time, I finally felt like a grown up business owner! So, on a whim, I decided to apply to the business side of a popular photography forum. It is by application only, and low and behold I was accepted! Yeah for me... but now I have at least 50 hours a week of reading to do to catch up! Oy vey. I've learned so much in just the past 4 days, and have begun to do revamp my entire business model.

So buckle up! It's going to get interesting around here!

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen!

2007-09-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a productive and quiet week. Little one is in Iowa with her grandmother, visiting her great-grandparents. Hubby is in Estonia, and the oldest is in school 7 hours a day...

So I've made myself complete some tasks that are more difficult with the normal interruptions of life. I've put together my welcome packet (printing as I type), assembled one of two sample Asuka books, and next on the list to make my business cards and appointment reminder cards. I hope to be done today, so that tomorrow I can fix the little details left over from home renovation projects. But I was tagged by Christie, and while I'm not sure which "tag" I'm supposed to answer, I'll take a stab at both of them...

"8" Interesting Things

I'm adopted. I spent almost 6 years as foster child. My older brother and I are siblings adopted together.
I've been to every state except for Alaska. I will get there.
We move a LOT! My oldest daughter has lived: California, Texas, California, Hawaii, Florida, California, Rhode Island, Florida, Hawaii and now Virginia. My youngest joined us in Florida the first time.
I home school my youngest daughter. I've home schooled the older one as well, for 5th and 8th grades. We play it by ear each place we move.
I'm a gourmet cook. I love to bake and cook.
My birth family has been briefly written about in a book by Peter Coyote.
I'm very mechanically inclined. The best compliment my extremely talented older brother once gave me was "You'd be a better mechanic than me if Mom hadn't taken the time to teach you all that girl stuff." I lived in the garage with my dad as a little girl.
I told my mom that I was going to marry my dad when I grew up. When she mentioned that she was already married to him, I told her she could live next door.

"4" of Everything

Jobs -

Manager of the Business Center at Office Depot (back when it was called Office Club),
Recruiter for Physical/Occupational Therapists,Supposed to be sales for Canon Copiers, but really I just made color copies for artists and graphic designers. I think it's were I developed my eye for color.
Sales @ Macy's
Sales @ Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma (twice - the discount is hard to ignore!)

Places I've lived - We'll go with the last four...

Virginia
Hawaii
Florida
Rhode Island

Favorite TV Shows -

Law and Order
Scrubs
The Daily Show
Gilmore Girls

Places I've been on Vacation -

Okinowa
Canada
Maine
The Big Island of Hawaii

Movies I Can Watch Over and Over Again

The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride

Favorite Dishes - This is harder than Movies...

Places I'd Like to Be -

Camden, Maine
Salem, Massachusetts
Sonoma, California
San Francisco, California

Musicians You've Probably Never Heard of but Really Should Know -

Another sweet newborn.

2007-09-14T10:58:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Meet four week old Rheannon. So beautiful and pink!

2007-09-14T10:57:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

This Snoopy was her Mama's when she was little.

2007-09-14T10:56:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Her grandpa made this beautiful cradle for her. What an in credible heirloom.

My self esteem is plummeting...

2007-09-05T16:24:00.001-07:00

Are the comments not working? I've had 111 visitors today alone, over 200 for the month and not a single comment? Would someone please say something... anyone... Bueller...

My ILP look!

2007-09-05T10:07:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

I started out having a little fun with the "ILP Look" and found out that I can push my post processing a bit more and I'm OK with that. More often than not, I'm a softer, more natural look kinda girl. But some photos just scream for a push to the absurd. Like this one.

She's so embarrassed by her smile...

2007-09-02T13:37:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

that we got her some dentures until her adult teeth grow in. Unfortunately, the bank account was empty so the budget was small. She seems happy enough with them though.

2007-09-02T13:36:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

2007-09-02T13:35:00.003-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

2007-09-02T13:35:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

All I want for Christmas...

2007-09-02T13:34:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

is my four front teeth! Well, we've lost a couple more, and are now on a diet of bananas!

The Maternity session turned Newborn!

2007-08-26T08:33:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Saturday's session was planned as a family/maternity session, so imagine my surprise when I received a call on Friday saying this precious one came on Thursday! Almost two weeks before the scheduled induction. And we thought we had plenty of time!

She is so beautiful and pink!

She had had enough of us by the end of the session however, and was not afraid of voicing her displeasure! Even crying, she's adorable.

2007-08-26T08:32:00.003-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

2007-08-26T08:32:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

2007-08-26T08:31:00.003-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

2007-08-26T08:31:00.001-07:00

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2007-08-26T08:30:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Yippee!

2007-08-24T14:00:00.001-07:00

Yippee!, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

My oldest daughter has always loved school and was very excited to begin today. I can't believe my baby is starting her sophomore year of high school. By extension, that makes me old!

Know a good orthodontist?

2007-08-21T06:27:00.001-07:00

toothy-grin-(1-of-3).jpg, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Check out that grin! She is loosing her teeth is such a strange way. It's totally random. She has one more loose one, so pretty soon we are going to have buy her some baby food!

Secrets with Grandma!

2007-08-21T06:26:00.001-07:00

Secrets-w-Grandma.jpg, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

I love this shot of my youngest telling Grandma something top-secret.

Latest session...

2007-08-14T15:17:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

This beautiful girl is the reason I have started a photography business. Last year she asked me if I would shoot some senior portraits for her since anything I produced couldn't be worse than what she had gotten from the school chosen photographer. The response was overwhelming and here we are. So today we did a second shoot so that pretty little miss her can put together a modeling portfolio. The rest of the pics can be found here.

Moo Stickers!

2007-08-13T15:11:00.001-07:00

Moo Stickers!, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

I ordered several of these little books from Moo. They are too cute! The color is brilliant and the detail is sharp. They are high gloss and very high quality.

Look like fun?

2007-08-13T15:09:00.001-07:00

home improvement-23.jpg, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

We finished the flooring in the upstairs! Yeah!!!!! We still need to install the shoe molding and are STILL waiting for the threshold pieces for into the bathrooms to arrive with the correct finish and without damage. You can only install hardwood flooring in one direction and since we have done a continuous run throughout then entire upper floor, we had to dry fit the boards backwards to keep them straight and to be sure that we install the first row of boards exactly where they need to be. So basically we doubled our work. I think we might be gluttons for punishment. I have to finish painting (look over Hubby's head and you'll see where I finished my gallon of paint) and I've picked out new curtains, but those will probably have to wait until next month. But the bed is back in place and it's starting to look like a bedroom once again.

Hallway... done!

2007-08-06T14:28:00.001-07:00

home improvement-7.jpg, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

We had wanted to complete the hallway a couple of weeks ago, but the stair nose (the rounded edge on the front of the stairs) came in damaged and the wrong finish... for the fourth time! So finally, we got three of six pieces in not damaged and were able to lay the hall floors. We've started our oldest daughter's room, and will continue tomorrow and Hubby is taking Thursday and Friday off. So HOPEFULLY, we will have the entire upstairs completed by Sunday night. Now I need to go back and paint the trim and install the shoe moulding... but we're making some progress!

Beautiful Senior

2007-08-04T09:30:00.001-07:00

Tosha-(17-of-59)-copy.jpg, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Isn't she gorgeous? She had such beautiful skin and eyes. And a sweetie to boot!

In the French Parterre at Hillwood

2007-07-27T08:49:00.001-07:00

In the French Parterre at Hillwood, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Yesterday we had a lovely lunch and tour of Hillwood Museum, the former residence of the late Marjorie Merriweather Post (think Post Cereal). More photos on my flickr...

Quite Proud of Herself!

2007-07-24T11:49:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

We took a small break from the eternal home improvement projects to spend some time at my mother-in-law's boat with visiting family. Boozilla drove the jet skit back to the boat with her "trophy" on the back. Don't worry, the smoke is due to the wrong fuel mixture being used... it's not going to combust any time soon.

Anyone looking to buy a boat? All this can be yours!

Master bedroom and bath color palette

2007-07-19T14:23:00.001-07:00

Master bedroom and bath color palette, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

In case you're wondering... why yes, I have lost my mind. If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you may remember that I just painted my master bathroom approximately 6 weeks ago. Well, I don't like it. And not the green which is where everyone one else was iffy. I don't like the blue. I'm just not a blue kinda girl. I don't really dress in blue, there is very little blue anywhere else in my house. I'm not sure what I was thinking. But it's too blue. So I'm going to redo it. Since my flooring is stalled, my front door is stalled... I guess I'm going to paint! Better to paint before the floors go in anyway. So here is the new palette. Much more like me. The lighter color will be in the bedroom and the darker will be in the bathroom. I'll paint the cabinets a creamy white and towels of white, grey and brown. I'm thinking of using the same lighter color in my family room and into the halls of my home. Unfortunately, my entry/stairway is two stories and I'm really not sure how one paints up there. So that will take a little finagling.

Also on the home improvement menu...

2007-07-14T10:00:00.001-07:00

storm door (41 of 47)-11.jpg, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

I've been painting the bannister and railings of our staircase in preparation for the new hardwood floors. See the dark inside my daughter's room... that will be throughout the entire house, save the two upstairs bathrooms. Painting all those nooks and crannies is a pain! Going to put the flooring in the hall this afternoon. Someday this house will be pretty... someday this house will be pretty... someday this house will be pretty...

It never ends...

2007-07-14T09:56:00.001-07:00

storm door (25 of 47)-1.jpg, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

So last winter our storm door wasn't shut all the way and the wind pulled it... breaking the casing it was attached to. So we finally get the new one in, and it's not damaged (LONG story that I'll save for another day) and planned on installing the new beautiful door this morning. In preparation, yesterday I pulled off the old one only to find that my entire door frame and transom window over my door is completely rotten. MAKE IT STOP! This home ownership stuff is a lot of work. I'm reading to go back to base housing... let it be someone else's problem for a little while! So now we are getting a new storm door, a new front door (did I mention that I just repainted the old door, inside and out?) and a new transom window. So much for a budget! But the entry will be pretty!

Herding cats....

2007-07-09T07:38:00.001-07:00

ANTM (24 of 47).jpg, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

would be easier than trying to photograph this child! Click this link for a slideshow of our last practice session. No direction, just all Boozilla.

OK, I give up... the html says there is a link, but nothing is showing. If you click on the photo, it is part of a set on flickr and then view slideshow for all the fun of shooting Boozilla. She walks in and out of photos at will.

Dinner with friends...

2007-07-03T10:05:00.001-07:00

J, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

I love this shot because my hubby is laughing! He has worked incredibly long hours for the past 18 months, so to see him relaxed and enjoying himself is a treat. It doesn't hurt that he's catching up with his "other wife". A guy he used to work with, and they saw more of each other than their actual wives.

Need Opinions Please...

2007-06-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

Playing with some new conversions...

Black and White

Chocolate

or Vanilla?

Spotsylvania Film Festival

2007-06-18T15:47:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Our church has a motto:
"Loving God, Loving People
Turning the World Upside Down"

So to love our neighbors, we did free face painting at the Spotsylvania Film Festival. I say "we" but I had little to nothing to do with it, other than birth one of the artists! AJ and Julie painted the faces, arms and sometimes feet of nearly 200 kids! They took requests and painted what ever the child wanted. I had planned on helping paint, but when I saw what these two talented ladies could do, I knew any poor kid that stuck in my line would be sorely dissapointed. They loved it so much that even when the sun went down and the movie started, they wouldn't leave. We finally had to stop allowing kids in line and turn our truck around so the gals could paint in the light from the headlights! They painted non-stop from 6:00 till 10:00 p.m. They were awesome and the kids loved it!

Still painting...

2007-06-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry for lack of updates, but I MUST finish this kitchen. This kitchen will be the death of me I'm pretty sure. When we bought the house, it was pink with grey undertones. Very dentist office-y. There was also a wall-paper border at the ceiling. Wasn't working for me, but I wasn't sure what exactly I was going to do as I needed to replace countertops and floors, and possibly new cabinets, as well. So for a quick fix, I painted it a medium coffee color. Lovely, color but I quickly realized that there wasn't enough contrast between the medium oak cabinets and the coffee walls... So next paint job was a gorgeous shade of red. Word to the wise, do NOT buy Behr brand of red paint. When I was on coat 5 of 6, I read that they have the worst red coverage. It's true. So at this point I have two coats of coffee, and six coats of red. I'm sick of painting this kitchen! Well, we finally figured out what we are doing. Reusing the cabinets, but new countertops, and dark Jacobean bamboo floors throughout then entire house. Well, the Jacobean can not be used next to the medium oak cabinets, which means, you guessed it... I'm painting not only the walls, but all of the cabinets as well. So in the past 20 months that I have lived in this house, I have personally put ELEVEN coats of paint on the walls! I'm still working on the trim and the cabinets.... Calgon take me away!

I promise to post before and after pics when after actually comes. The countertops are being reordered as they arrived damaged and the flooring is currently occupying all space in my garage!

Live... in concert!

2007-06-07T06:34:00.000-07:00

I LOVE the band Live. Have since about 1992... so we definitely hit their show last night. We had a great time with my brother-in-law, his girlfriend, and two of his best friends. I also learned a couple of lessons.

1. I want a decent zoom lens. I sold the kit zoom as it was heavy and slow. The longest focal length I have is 85mm so it was OK for stage shots, but really didn't get me that close to the action.

2. A polarizing filter works great for the lights of the stage, but not so great for shooting the image off the jumbo-tron.

First shots with filter:

Shots without the filter:

The stage shot with the filter is soooo much more palatable than without, but the jumbo-tron shots with the filter, Ed is green. So it was a toss up as to which way is better I guess.

This just in... Maniacal teen with clippers on the loose!

2007-06-05T05:34:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

2007-06-05T05:33:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

My hubby is assuming that the paint fumes have gone to my head... at least he hopes it's the paint! Actually, I've always wanted a mohawk and my very serious life has prevented it. I have a one month window to be absolutely stupid with my hair. The fact that my teenage daughter thinks it's soooo cool that she got to give it to me is just gravy!

Oh yeah, changed the music to something a little more fitting. I love the band Live and we are going to see them in concert tomorrow night! YEAH!

How I spent Memorial Day and all this week...

2007-05-31T10:48:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

2007-05-31T10:47:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

I wasn't very nice to my sweet hubby so I'm editing my post. I appreciate everything he did to make this project easier and get finished. We really did work well together and I shouldn't give him so much grief.

Burgandy Shoes

2007-05-28T03:40:00.000-07:00

I love Patty Griffin, and have several of her albums. The song playing is one of my all time favorites. When I first heard it, I wanted to learn it, so I hit repeat a few too many times for my oldest daughter's liking. As she came down the stairs... she was chirping "sun, sun, sun, sun...." So on the way to school, I put Burgandy Shoes on continuous loop. We listened to it 8 times. Then when I picked her up from school, I made sure that Burgandy Shoes started as soon as she entered the car. I think I've scarred her!

Master bath redo...

2007-05-25T06:09:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Well, my hubby went away for three days, and came home to new (sort of) master bath. I had picked paint colors that he wasn't too sure of, so I figured that if he came home and saw it done, he would understand my vision. I accidently formatted over the before photos, but trust me, it wasn't pretty! A little unsolicited opinion... avoid wall paper like the plague! Personally, I think it should be abolished! This room had a border around the ceiling that had not be afixed properly, so they took Elmers Glue and glued it back in place. Not fun... Everyone wants a change every now and then, and pulling that stuff off is a pain! And if you sell your house, I can pretty much guarantee that the owners will be cursing you as they tear it off the walls.

So the jury is still out on the green. Hubby doesn't like it, the six year old declared it "hideous" and the 14 year old loves it... we'll see. It's just paint, and can always be redone. The floor still needs to be replaced. I want to put tile in, but it is on the second floor and I would have to put a whole new subfloor in. It's a temporary home for us, so I don't want to over improve it.

2007-05-25T06:02:00.003-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

2007-05-25T06:02:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Maymont PB shoot

2007-05-25T05:54:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Anyone within driving distance of Richmond, Virginia should be sure to make a trip to Maymont. What a beautiful park and gardens. Had the pleasure of meeting and photographing this sweet and too cute for words little boy and his also adorable mom. Haven't really begun processing the photos yet, but hope to get some time this weekend... on breaks from painting the house! Hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Let summer begin!

Tag... I'm it!

2007-05-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

I've been "tagged" by Jenna of About Image Photography, and am now to share five reasons I blog...

5. Less formal and intimate atmospere for sharing than say flickr or other bulletin boards.

4. It's a window into my world of photography.

3. It's a record of my learning and growth.

2. I'm not faithful about updating the family page and one post every couple of days is less intimidating than updating 30-40 pics.

1. I want to "slurp" my blog into a book after one year with Blurb. Hopefully the improvement from day one to day three hundred and sixty five will be dramatic. If I had to come back and recreate the year, it would never get done.

Off to tag some others!

I'm not nearly html literate enough to figure out how to put active links, but labled differently in the thread... I'll leave that to you young cool kids!

Navy Leadership Reading list books.

2007-05-20T08:02:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Start reading Honey!

Chilean Sea Bass with a Lemon Grass Slaw

2007-05-20T08:01:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Coated with a Rice Crispie crust, pan fried and finished in the oven. Delicious!

Vegetable Flowers

2007-05-20T08:00:00.003-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Made from yellow and green squash, with carrot centers.

Candy Rats

2007-05-20T08:00:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Made from chocolate covered cherries, Hershy's Kisses, and almond slices.

White House Food Service Garnishes

2007-05-20T07:59:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

The swans are turnips, the red flowers are beets, the purple leaves are eggplant, and the large rose is a watermelon.

Lunch with the White House Food Service Staff

2007-05-20T07:58:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Just in case my Friday wasn't exciting enough, I spent Saturday at the US Naval Observatory attending a conference for spouses of Naval officers who have been selected for command. At the third module, the chefs from the White House's East Wing, presented us with recipes and cooking tips for 10 recipes from the menu at the White House. There were beautiful garnishes on display. It is clearly evident that these young men enjoy what they do, and are very good at it! We had a great time talking with them and asking all sort of questions regarding the first family and life as their chefs. And of course, all the yummy food wasn't too bad either. The Master Chief and another Chief presented aprons to the Admirals' wives who hosted and planned the seminars.

First Place, Art I - Painting

2007-05-20T07:51:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

After an exciting day at the Pentagon, we rushed home to attend the Fine Arts reception at our oldest daughter's school. She was awarded a Scholastic Achievement award in Art, a first place ribbon for her painting, and an honorable mention for her pen and ink drawing. We are abundantly proud of her.

Meritorious Service Medal

2007-05-20T07:49:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

My husband was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal at an award ceremony on Friday. Obviously, he is in the Navy and it was also his last day with this office so they had a "farewell" for him as well. His mother and grandmother were able to join us for the award and a tour of the Pentagon.

NC State Marine Corp ROTC Commissioning

2007-05-14T06:35:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

I had the honor and the pleasure of photographing the commissioning ceremony of a friends oldest son.

2007-05-14T06:34:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

His father (furthest away of the three on the right) performed the oath swearing with him. What a special memory for both of them.

2007-05-14T06:32:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

His mom and sister, "pinning" him. In the olden days, the pins would be attached to your shoulders and collars the backings would be left off. Then your buddies would give you a nice whack, making the pins jab into you. When his mom had put his on, she give it a gentle punch!

Such a Little Lady!

2007-05-14T06:29:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

All dressed up and filthy... again! She was almost black with dirt by the end of the day. She ripped the dress within hours of owning it! I've always joked that she only LOOKS like a girl. Her additude and actions are so much more like a boy. But what a fun girl she is.

America's Next Top Model?

2007-05-11T05:30:00.001-07:00

America's Next Top Model?, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

OK, so she was totally cracking us up! Everytime we would start to take pictures, she would get these crazy expressions and weird body poses. Some of them were kinda cute, but others were just crazy! When we would laugh, she would get her feelings hurt and pout that she was going to be America's Next Top Model and she was practicing. Oh, she keeps me in stitches.

2007-05-11T05:28:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

My Fairy!

2007-05-10T09:06:00.001-07:00

My Fairy!, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Thank you to Jennifer for making my precious baby into a fairy. She loves it, as do I! Check out Jennifer here:

http://www.jenniferadamsreflections.com

Found a wild child in the woods.

2007-05-10T07:14:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

If she looks a little wet and muddy, she is. It wasn't 5 minutes before she "slipped and fell" into the creek. Funny she hasn't figured out that her mother is a little smarter than that. So much for the freshly brushed hair and the cute new dress. Oh well, these pics are more HER anyway. We've always joked that she's a walking disaster, looking for a place to happen. I've always been envious of mothers who have little girls with the perfect hair, tucked back into the perfect bow. That's never been my girls, but then that's never been me.

She's sick of me too!

2007-05-05T08:50:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

More with the UWA.

He thinks he's a Baldwin brother...

2007-05-05T08:49:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

I can never tell the Balwin Brothers (Alec, Daniel, Billy, ?) apart, but wasn't one of them arrested for punching a photographer? Here's my hubby "protecting" his girls from the Mamarazzi. No worries, it was all in fun.

More UWA...

2007-05-05T08:47:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

This should keep the boys away a little longer!

Fun with an UWA.

2007-05-05T08:46:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Just having fun with my ultra wide angle lens. I really wish it would distort just a little more on the wide end.

New Music today...

2007-05-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

As much as I love Loreena, I was needing something a little less sad! So here is one of my absolute favoritest songs. "The Adventure" from Angels and Airwaves. Wish I could afford licensing rights... I'd have it on my website.

I had the same last dream again
The one where I wake up and I'm alive
Just as the four walls close me within
My eyes are open up with pure sunlight
I'm the first to know
My dearest friends
Even if your hope has burned with time
Anything that is dead shall be re-grown
And your vicious pain, your warning sign
You will be fine

Hey oh here I am
And here we go
Life’s waiting to begin

Any type of love it will be shown
Like every single tree reach for the sky
if you're gonna fall
i'll let you know
that i will pick you up
like you for i
i felt this thing
i can't replace
when everyone was working for this goal
where all the children left without a trace
only to come back as pure as gold
to recite this all

Hey oh here I am
And here we go
Life’s waiting to begin
Tonight
Hey oh here I am

And here we go
Life’s waiting to begin
Tonight
Hey oh here I am
And here we go
Life’s waiting to begin

I can not live
I can’t breathe
Unless you do this with me
I can not live
I can’t breathe
Unless you do this with me
I can not live
I can’t breathe
Unless you do this with me
I can not live
I can’t breathe
Unless you do this with me
I can not live
I can’t breathe
Unless you do this with me
I can not live
I can’t breathe
Unless you do this with me

Hey oh, here I am (do this with me)
Here we go
life's waiting to begin (do this with me)
Hey oh, here I am (do this with me)
Here we go
life's waiting to begin
life's waiting to begin

The Lucy Virginia

2007-05-03T08:05:00.001-07:00

The Lucy Virginia, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

My latest photography project was a little out of the ordinary for me. My mother-in-law needs to sell her motoryacht and so we went down to help photograph it and I've created a website to facilitate the sale. All this could be yours!

http://www.lucyvirginia.com

Uncle Paul

2007-04-30T14:16:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

He wasn't thrilled with the thought of having his picture taken, but I think I might have convinced him that the camera loves him.

Capturing life as it happens...

2007-04-29T07:00:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

My Father-in-law recently passed away and as I was looking for photos for his funeral I was struck at how few we had as he was usually taking the pictures of the grandbabies. I've decided to not let that happen again, so no matter how small the occasion, photos will be taken. I wasn't interested in the technically perfect photos for Cary's memorial, I wanted to remember the times we had shared. So, yesterday we went to my Mother-in-Laws house to see long time family friends. We had a wonderful afternoon of good food and good company... and this was life happening.

The Supervisor

2007-04-26T11:39:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

This morning we went to the City Dock in downtown. There were many men fishing off of the dock and Boozilla became the supervisor. She would sit and talk with the men, then walk the dock inspecting their buckets of fish. I think (hope) she was the bright spot in many of their days.

2007-04-26T11:37:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Overseeing the removal a large shad from the line.

Penelope's Song

2007-04-26T08:13:00.001-07:00

Thank you to Jennifer for the imeem recommendation! Even I figured out that one :o). Hope you all enjoy Loreena's newest song. This was her encore presentation on Tuesday night and it is from her new album, "An Ancient Muse".

Music and lyric: Loreena McKennitt

Now that the time has come
Soon gone is the day
There upon some distant shore
You'll hear me say

Long as the day in the summer time
Deep as the wine dark sea
I'll keep your heart with mine.
Till you come to me.

There like a bird I'd fly
High through the air
Reaching for the sun's full rays
Only to find you there

And in the night when our dreams are still
Or when the wind calls free
I'll keep your heart with mine
Till you come to me

Now that the time has come
Soon gone is the day
There upon some distant shore
You'll hear me say

Long as the day in the summer time
Deep as the wine dark sea
I'll keep your heart with mine.
Till you come to me

No photo today...

2007-04-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

as cameras were not permitted in the hall last night, but I just had to share about Loreena McKennit with everyone. If you have not heard her music, RUN to http://www.quinlanroad.com/ and check her out. Fourteen years ago, I was walking past The Nature Company in a mall (do those stores still exist?) and heard music that captivated me. I turned in, not even notifying my friends that I was shopping with, and requested to buy the album that was playing. Many CD's later, I finally had the opportunity to hear her live at the DAR's Constitution Hall in Washington DC. She travels with 9 of the most talented musicians and it truly was a magical night. I'd have her music playing on my blog, but apparently I'm too old to figure this stuff out! But seriously, go listen and enjoy!

Free Scoop Day!

2007-04-21T12:56:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Ben and Jerry's has a free scoop day every April. It's a bit of a tradition for our family, so yes, we drove 65 miles to get free ice cream. We love us some Ben and Jerry's! But don't worry, we did other errands while we were there. Georgetown is a fantastic little shopping district that has store we shop at, but don't have locations nearer to us.

Please don't judge the photographic qualities of this photo... it's just a memory!

The full picture...

2007-04-18T16:34:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

from which the accidental self-portrait comes from.

the accidental self-portrait

2007-04-18T16:19:00.001-07:00

accidental self-portrait, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

100% crop of her eyes, you can see me, the clouds, the grass and my gear bag!

Up a creek...

2007-04-16T11:35:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

The girls wandered up the creek after we took photos. Loved this casual shot as they humored me for one more.

Think I found my next canvas!

2007-04-14T08:54:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Yesterday my oldest daughter had her birthday party and I took portraits of all the guests. This was my favorite of my daughter. I just absolutely love it. And while I had thought that I would use a 3/4 or fully body shot to avoid the huge head issue, I just love it too much.

A sweet moment...

2007-04-12T10:50:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

They don't seem to come too often. Two seconds later they were wiping algae on each other. Sweetness gone. They really do love each other. I swear!

Practice, practice, practice...

2007-04-11T16:21:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Took the girls out for more practice, and yes they are sick of it! But as soon as Boozilla met the grafitti wall, the additude came leaping out of her!

Dogwood blossoms

2007-04-11T07:25:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

I have always loved Dogwood trees. The Dogwoods we have in California are a little different. Here in Virginia was the first time I had seen this pale green blossom. Love this shot so much it's now my desktop. The weather has been so grey lately that I need a little but of beauty as I sit at my display. Thats "monitor" in Mac talk for you PC people. :o)

This is one big head!

2007-04-09T12:38:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

I ordered a 16x20 gallery wrapped canvas of the Boozilla. It arrived today and I am in love with it! But that is one big head to have hanging on a wall. Lesson learned, use a full body or 3/4 shot next time. Now I'm off to take a suitable photo of my older daughter. Can't show favoritism.

Happy Birthday/Easter!

2007-04-08T14:03:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

My daughter's birthday fell on Easter this year so of course she needed a bunny cake! Unfortunately we all have evidence that I need to step away from the pastry bag. That or find a different buttercream icing recipe. What a disaster... but in the end my baby liked it and that's all that really matters.

Lemonade Anyone?

2007-04-07T04:58:00.001-07:00

Relax in my hammock?, originally uploaded by willowdawn.

Oh wait... that was last week when the temps hit the mid-80s. Seems I put the hammock out a little too early.