er dad slipped the corsage around her thin wrist and fought back tears. He smiled and kissed Grace on the cheek before she posed for pictures and waved goodbye from the stretch limo. Zoe and Grace flung their arms around each other and promised to return from prom on time...my little sister and her best friend have been through a lot together, but this experience was something they were excited to add to the list.
A few months ago, I photographed Grace as she battled cancer. Since then, she's undergone new chemotherapy, but the cancer didn't respond to the aggressive treatment, so doctors decided to stop all treatment. She was treated at Los Angeles Children's Hospital and though the effort valiant, Grace's body remains unresponsive. We are, however, still praying for a miracle.
Grace donned a Betsy Johnson cocktail dress, glitter Toms, and a wig while she and Zoe posed for pictures. JD made reservations for the pair at a chic restaurant in Pasadena and ensured they were to be treated like royalty by leaving his credit card number and 30% gratuity for their server. Don't hang out the window or else your wig may fall off, Grace's mother chided from the sidewalk, but Grace couldn't hear over the sounds of hip hop blaring from the stereo.
For just one night, Zoe and Grace were two normal teenagers off to prom.
Kisses+Disses : In Laws + Sketchers
05.13.11
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F
amily is a crazy thing. You're biologically linked to someone, yet there are times when you might wonder if the stork left you on the wrong doorstep. Or maybe that's just me. I'm also a twin who insists if I didn't look so much like my sister there's no way we'd be related. Or friends for that matter. It's just that we're so different, disagree about everything, yet we're forced to kiss and makeup because THAT'S WHAT SISTERS DO. At least that's what my mom said.
Now, in-laws? Well, that's a whole other enchilada because, really, you pick them. When choosing a spouse, you also choose in-laws. And you somehow make it work. Yesterday was my father-in-law's birthday and I tweeted the following:
This, of course, led to questions and accusations on the internet from friends, but allow me to clarify: He wanted those shoes!! He causally mentioned it during dinner one night. I'm a great listener. Duh.
JD took responsibility and bought his dad a birthday gift and it was received with sincere appreciation. I, however, would like to point out that while my father-in-law opened the gift, HE WAS ALSO WEARING THE SKETCHERS I BOUGHT HIM FOR CHRISTMAS.
This week's DISSES go to...
*Parking tickets in Philadelphia. We were tourists...how were we supposed to know how far to park from a stop sign?!
*The History Channel. For causing my husband to lose hours of his life watching the documentaries about aliens and/or monks. Or worse, alien monks.
*Peeta and Gale in the casting of The Hunger Games Movie. I'm on board with everyone else, but they totally missed the mark with my two favorite boys!
This week's KISSES go to...
*Herbal tea, Vicks Vapor Rub, saline nasal spray, the green goop I swallowed from a dark bottle of potion I bought from a pedlar in Costa Rica. They aided in my road to health.
*California. For being a state of abundant fresh food, sunshine, and people weirder than me.
*My father-in-law for proving my point.
he has him wrapped around her... and Kathie held up a pinkie finger to demonstrate her point as she arranged flowers on the table. Marie has her father wrapped around her finger--her mom said--so when it came time to plan her dream wedding, Marie told him she wanted it in her dream location: grandpa's knitting mill. Perkiomen sat empty for years since the business closed decades ago and has since been used as a storage facility, but where others saw a mess, Marie saw a treasure. With friends and family pulling together to refurbish the factory, it was ready for a wedding six months later.
As Marie descended the stairs of Perkiomen Mill in her wedding gown, gently placing each foot in front of the other, she opened the factory doors and walked down Jefferson Street toward her grandparents' home. The same street which held sweet childhood memories was now the street leading her to the man of her dreams. Charlie waited patiently in the backyard, in front of grandma's barn like Marie requested, and there they met under clouds of gray. Charlie wrapped his strong arms around her thin frame and reminded her not to cry. She nodded and they smiled. In front of grandma's barn. It was the start of a perfect day and at the end of the night no one doubted why the good Lord gave Marie two pinkie fingers: one to wrap dad around, and the other for Charlie.
Marie and Charlie...I like you more than I should. Like, I wanna pack you in my back pocket and carry you away from Philadelphia. You both are incredibly kind, generous, and giving people and I am honored to have documented your day. It was a slice of perfection and I felt lucky to witness your union. JD, Lori, and I were blessed to be there surrounded by your loved ones. Much Love and Appreciation... j* (p.s. Marie, I promise one day we'll do a Zumba class together!)
Marie and Charlie used vintage sewing machines they found in the mill as wedding decor...
I just about died when I saw Marie's OdlR wedding dress....to say I was obsessed would be an understatement....
A little color with red wedding shoes...hellllllllo Jimmy Choo!
The entire wedding was a labor of love and DIY...Marie and her family assembled each bouquet and centerpiece with the utmost level of pride...
Marie and Charlie opted to see each other before the ceremony...but she couldn't resist a a sneak peek before the First Look...
After the wedding, the rain started. As we drove from Pottsville to East Greenville, it poured. And the entire time I'm sitting in my car praying for a miracle because we still needed to photograph the entire bridal party and commence bride and groom photos. Here's Marie and Charlie leaving the church in a happy oblivion...
...and just LOOK at this dewey light! As we parked our cars, the skies magically parted and gave us just the perfect amount of time for photos...
And before anyone gets a lil crazy about posing my clients on railroad tracks...never fear...it's an inactive track...
While we were shooting wedding pictures on the railroad tracks, a neighbor beckoned us into her backyard and offered her porch for more photos...with flowers like this, I couldn't resist...
For the seating assignments, guest cards were made as timecards...so cute!
After six months of hard work, the mill was transformed into a beautiful wedding reception venue in East Greenville, Pennsylvania. When I walked into the space, I couldn't help but feel the life emanating from every nook and cranny...I loved it!
Marie spent hours cleaning each vintage sewing machine, but I think it makes for a perfect wedding reception setting...
The Grand Entrance...
Heartfelt and beautiful speeches...
To see more of Marie and Charlie's vintage Pennsylvania wedding, feel free to check out the slideshow for a full scope of the day with music provided by Amy Seeley found at WithEtiquette...
Relief
05.11.11
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I
pretty much tell anyone within earshot I'm! SO! Sick! I've called everyone who'll answer their phones to inform them as well, and proffer a cough for good measure. My cough sounds like an 87-year-old who smokes eight packs daily...and just finished a triathlon. It evokes just the right amount of sympathy. Last night when JD tucked me into bed at 8 p.m. he admitted to liking the pace of life when I'm sick. I'm weaker, softer, slower...and I watch t.v. when I normally wouldn't. Add cherry jello and I'm his dream woman!
Last night while watching CNN, I was made fully aware of the tornado devastation in Alabama. And, whoa. It's tragic and heart-breaking. I felt helpless and wanted to do something, especially after seeing images like this....
(All images courtesy of Google.com)
What I felt was small, like I couldn't do anything. But then I realized when someone combines a lot of small actions, a big change can result. I've donated to the Red Cross and if you'd like to do the same, you can simply text REDCROSS to 90999 and a $10 donation will be made. You can also donate to these wonderful organizations through their websites, but be sure to indicate Alabama Tornado Relief to ensure everything is appropriated correctly...
*Red Cross *Salvation Army *Samaritan's Purse
I hope our small actions can bring about big relief. Together.
few weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of collaborating with the girls at Utterly Engaged for a photo shoot. They hosted a contest and each entrant was limited to a $200 to make a wedding tablescape come to life with the theme Snap, Crackle, Pop! The winner of the contest had their tablescape photographed by me and featured in the latest issue of Utterly Engaged's online magazine. I finally had the pleasure of working with Nancy of So Happi Together and here's how her ideas came to life working with a team of amazing people...
