Meet the lovely and talented ladies of I Love Blush www.iloveblush.com

Owners Karen and Shannon have begun their blossoming business called

                                                                    I Love Blush. 

Calling all BRIDES!  This wonderful team is able to fulfill your EVERY beauty need.  And, they’ll come to you!  Lash extensions?  Got em.  Makeup lessons?  Got em.  Up-dos?  Yup.  They even offer classes for you and your bridesmaids.  Or, just let them do their magical make-up thing and get you all ready for your big day.  These girls are filling up dates for 2010 already, so don’t wait too long to get them on your wedding team.

I’ve put together some pictures of Courtney and Eric’s ceremony held in Virginia last month.  It was a wonderful trip for Cameron and I.  We even had an entire day to sight see, and went to a few of the major DC sites.  Courtney, Eric and the entire family were incredibly warm, friendly, and so genrous! Thank you for including us in so many activities.  We had a blast!!!!

To view the entire slidshow:   http://www.pictage.com/photographers/slideshows/viewslideshow?autoplay=1&slideshowid=3817&slideshowkey=cfgwpvltjcfbkaat

Many of you will be bundling up the little ones and heading out to a pumpkin patch in the coming weeks.  This is a great opportunity to get in some family portraits too.  I could meet you at the patch, and capture every fun exciting moment for you and the little ones.  Standard portrait package prices apply: $175-$375.00, and travel outside of the Eastside runs $25-$35.00.  This could be the funnest shoot for your family yet!

Contact me at sumhopkins@netscape.net or 425.281.1438 for more info!

When you find someone who does great work, you gotta share the news!  Meet Tanya, florist extraordinaire, owner of Elements in Bloom www.elementsinbloom.com .  I met her as she put the finishing touches on Kathleen and Jim’s wedding at the Salish Lodge this summer.  She was prompt, very friendly, and I think you’ll agree, very talented.  She has a great website, check it out if you have a minute!

Adorable.  Simply adorable.   Check out these sisters.  They had me giggling and smiling the entire shoot.  SO CUTE!!!  And clearly they had a good time at their portrait session.  I had a wonderul time sharing my lake with this family.  We got some great shots, and the rest will be up on Pictage by Wednesday.  Thank you Aaron and Jason, for sharing your little hams with me

I for one, love the fall.  I love the crisp air, I love the smell of the first fires being lit, I enjoy warm beverages under blankets, I enjoy fall photography.  The warm colors of the leaves, little ones in sweaters, and rosy cheeks… all so fun to capture.  There are quite a few sunny days left, and now is the best time to capture some family portraits before winter sets in.  Consider a pumpkin carving shoot: Do a mini session at a park, and then spend another thirty minutes or so carving pumpkins with your kids.  Two birds with one stone: beautiful works of art, suitable for framing, and really fun action shots of one of your children’s oh so important memories. 

I’ve got slots open on both Saturday, October 10, and Saturday, October 17th (weather pending).  Send me an e-mail if you are interested: sumhopkins@netscape.net

“Wow I was totally blown away once again by your work, thank you so much. The slideshow was amazing and actually brought tears to both of our eyes. “

Thank you Michelle!  Your children are so precious, and I love how caring Mathew is with Ashley.  Just what I picture a big-brother to be.  I’m so glad we caught one of the last beautiful, sunny days for your family portraits…

To see the slideshow that brought tears to Michelle’s eyes: http://www.pictage.com/photographers/slideshows/viewslideshow?autoplay=1&slideshowid=3977&slideshowkey=miihhhmxrinrsdyq 

 

Check out this gorgeous white tiger cub!!!  Wendi and her daughter scheduled a personal encounter with this little guy at the Cougar Mountain Zoo in Issaquah (www.cougarmountainzoo.org), and asked me to come along and record the event.  He was so beautiful, playful, and curious.  He played just like a kitten, even stalked his toys.  It was hard to keep in mind that he was very powerful, and with one swipe of those claws could seriously injure a person.  Wendi and her daughter got to pet his back and tail, play with him using his toys, and watch him up-close as he romped around the enclosure.  It was an amazing experience for them, and really fun for me too

My first attempt at sharing a gorgeous slideshow of Kathleen and Jim’s wedding in Snoqualmie last month…

http://www.pictage.com/photographers/slideshows/viewslideshow?autoplay=1&slideshowid=2048&slideshowkey=bpzhtqglbshxxwlb

Still too busy to get pics up (SORRY) but I did want to document my trip while it was still fresh in my mind.  Let me say this was one of the most amazing things I have every participated in, and I feel better for it.  I have something that will stay with me forever, and knowing that I made it…walked every single one of those sixty miles, makes me feel incredibly accomplished.

Day one started at about 4 am, meeting at our captains house then carpooling to Shoreline community college.  A few hours of standing around, feeling anxious and nervous, and then we were off!  Took a while to get going, and we were really lumped together. Taht and the fact we had had very little sleep the night before, made day on so tiring.   Finally get to camp after about 23 miles, and still have to find our bags, and set up our tents.  All we coudl think about was showering and going to bed, but still had to eat dinner.  Frankly, not much was said at dinner, as we were all out of energy.  Day two started around 5am, and we were part of the first group waiting for the course to open.  Warm weather and sunny skies were with us all day.  As was amazing community support.  From the army guys, to the church with the cookie buffet, to the neighborhood that erected a balloon arch, we were so loved and supported.  And to know that these people did this out of the goodness of their hearts, well, at one point brought me to tears.  Being tired, worn out, hot, dealing with blisters and sore over-worked muscles, and then having a hundred feet of people just cheering you on, saying how proud they are of you and thanking you…brings out some big emotions.  End of day two was brutal, my left calf and hamstring so tight and slightly injured.  My teammate Michelle was so great, put her hand on the small of my back and said, “come on, lets go.  Almost there.  You got this.  We can do it.”  And we did.  Coming back to camp on day two was great, you could hear the music first, cheering next, and then all the walkers who had already arrived shouting and clapping for you.  I knew I was so close, and yet I really wasn’t sure if I would make it.  With the help of my teammate, and the cheering of the crew and fellow walkers, tears streaming down my face, I made it.  Over an hour later, my team was the one to cheer on our last walker.  She had terrible shin-splints, and was barely making it.  We were prepared with ice packs, and every one of us cried with her as she pushed thru the pain, and joined her team.  Wow.

Day three, and we’re excited!  We got to walk thru Greenlake, have lunch at Gas Works, walk down by Pike Place, and finish at memorial Stadium in the Seattle Center.  Meagan and I hobbled behind, but our team for the most part stayed together.  We walked thru the tunnel of family and friends to the finish line, and it was totally sereal.  We had finished!  Closing Ceremony was beautiful, and as the survivors walked in together, surrounded by fellow-walkers, we each lifted one of our shoes in salute to their bravery.  This event raised over 5 million dollars for breast cancer research!  And I was a part of it.  Two days later, I’m still swimming in the experience.  Being cheered on and thanked for three days straight, it is alittle strange to be back to the real world, just a nobody.  I wore my pin, and my beads to work last night, and had a table of women who had walked in previous years thank me, and we talked experiences for just a bit.  Can’t believe it is behind me, and can’t believe I made it.

Thank you again, to all of you who supported the Rack Warriors both financially, and with kind words, encouraging words, high-fives, etc.  We needed each of you to make this happen.

Thank you.