My Mom

Of course when I went "home" for Jacki & Jack's wedding, we (Cian, Shaylinn & I) stayed with my Mom so I thought I would post an entry about my Mom.

When I think of my Mom, so many things come to mind....She is so many things to me, she always has been.

She is my Mom first, & not afraid to tell me when she thinks I am doing something wrong or not quite right (yes, even still LOL).  She is one of my best friends (I am so blessed to have many), my hero, my mentor, my biggest fan.  She is someone I can count on for anything, she is ALWAYS there for me, no matter what!!!  Oh, I could go on & on.....She is simply AWESOME!!!

I hate that we are so far apart, but even though we don't live down the road from one another, she is ALWAYS just a phone call away!!!

Thank you for being such a good role model Mom, you do such a great job!!!  

This is me with my BEAUTIFUL Mom!!!!

I LOVE & MISS YOU SO MUCH MOM!!!

XOXOXO

Thank you Jacki for taking these pictures for us!!!

We all Love & Miss her so much!!!

We can't wait to see her again!!!

I hope you too have a great relationship with your Mom!!!

Til next time....

Much Love, Many Blessings, & TONS of Laughs,

;) Shannon

Jack & Jacki

I was so excited to make a trip home for one of my best friends weddings.  Jack & Jacki got married June 28th, & I had the honor of being her Matron of Honor.  Their wedding was truly a reflection of who they are.  Jacki is extremely crafty & creative, & took care of just about every detail on her own, & she did a fabulous job.  They got married in their back yard, surrounded by close family & friends who mean the most to them.

Thank you both again for allowing me to be such an important part of your special day.

Of course I took pictures too!!!

The first few pictures are just some of the incredible details that Jacki created.  She is so talented!!!

They had a beautiful & delicious cake, that their sister-in-law made. I LOVED their cake topper!!!

An Irish Blessing.

The beautiful bride...

The Gorgeous couple...

I wish you guys a lifetime of happiness beyond your wildest dreams!!!

Much Love & Many Blessings,

;) Shannon

Rick & Niki...SO FAR BEHIND...

I can't believe how long it has been since I posted here....& I have so much to post about. So, I'll do my best to catch up....First, I'll start with Rick & Niki's Engagement/Wedding that I was able to shoot AT...The "REAL" photographers were AMAZING!!!! Bob Davis & Corey McNabb shot the engagement shots, & George Burns & Rich Hein shot the Wedding. HOLY MOLY....I was so nervous, I could hardly think, but felt so privileged to be able t

o shoot along side these AMAZING & TALENTED photographers. It truly was an HONOR!!!! I am not kidding when I say that I couldn't even think when I was shooting along side Bob & Corey, I felt like a child staring at a couple SuperStars...LOL. Thank goodness I only had a day to recover before the Wedding, because I was able to calm myself down just enough to be able to think for myself, not that George or Rich were any less intimidating, I just had time to build my confidence back up, not to mention, I had vowed to myself that if I made a fool of myself, I told myself that I would blame it on my hair being too tight, & heels on my feet....LOL...hey, I had to tell myself something...hahaha

Bob & George are partners of la Storia foto Bob & his wife Dawn are incredible people, & extremely giving of their time & talent. Just check out their blog & you'll see what I mean. I contacted Dawn about two years ago through the blog, & am blown away repeatedly by how genuine & sincere she is. Since Bob & Dawn are from Chicago, & Rick & Niki were getting married there, I contacted them to check their availability, &/or to see if they could recommend a photographer in the area since both Rick & Niki were still deployed in Iraq. Long story short, to my COMPLETE ASTONISHMENT, they offered to shoot

 their wedding....I was stuck between wanting to scream & cry, & it wasn't even "for" me, it was for friends who completely & totally deserved it!!! Like I said...AMAZING, INCREDIBLE people!!!!

George, the other partner of la Storia foto is Oprah Winfrey's personal photographer, again, I was completely blown away!!! Since we had so much more time to talk throughout the day, George helped me out...A TON!!! THANKS AGAIN GEORGE!!!

Corey McNabb is the man behind The McWorkshops , The Rockstar Roadtrip, that he does with Amber Holritz of Holritz Photography, a husband & wife team, of

 incredibly talented photographers, Nathan (the other half of Holritz Photography) has recently introduced Photographers Solutions, a great way to cut down on workflow, or to simply let someone else take care of the editing & other responsibilities that can be sourced out to give you back your life. Back to Corey for a moment, he is also an incredibly talented Wedding Photographer, who by the way, has a wonderful wife (Jill) who makes fabulous martinis...according to Amber, I hope I get the privilege of tasting one someday. I didn't get the chance to talk with Bob or Corey that much, because we were so limited on time, but I have had the opportunity to have lunch with Amber, & I have to tell you she is quite fun!!! I will make it to one of those workshops...sooner or later...LOL!!!

Rich Hein, again, such a nice, genuine person. He is another talented & giving photographer for the Chicago Sun Times. I was blown away by the generosity of everyone involved, & pray that I will be able to give back in some way. George, Rich & I had fun shooting the wedding, both of them helped me out throughout the day, & I can't thank them enough for all they did for me!!!! (PS...Thanks to George & Rich, for educating Chris on what I really "needed," I was able to get the 580EX II flash & Gary Fongs Lightsphere...not that I have any idea what to do with it, but I have it...hahahaha!!!) I wasn't "working" with them, but I have to say, I would JUMP at the opportunity to shoot with ANY of them if given the chance!!!

Thank you again, all of you, for allowing me to live a dream for a couple days!!! I am truly indebted to you all for what you have done for me!!! If ever there is anything I can do to help you out in any way, please don't hesitate to ask.

Now for some pictures...

This is Bob Davis

This is Corey McNabbThis is George Burns & Rich Hein...I told you we had a good time shooting the wedding...

Here are some of my favorite engagement shots...

Here are a few from their wedding day...

Spring...I LOVE IT!!!!

There are so many things to love about Spring...besides the warmer weather, the return of green grass, full trees, & for the flower lovers....the blooming flowers....those are the obvious things to love about Spring.

This year, there is something brand new for me, & my family...

Children's SPORTS!!!

Cian is playing both...T-Ball & Flag Football!!!

I have to say....I LOVE IT!!!

As busy & crazy as it can be at times....yes, even for 5 year old kids, I LOVE IT!!!

They have so much fun out there, & to watch them grow from game to game is a BLAST!!!

Here are a few recent pictures of Cian & Shaylinn...

The Playground DIVA....LOL

She thinks she is all that & a bag of chips...LOL

Little Miss Hollywood...

This is the only decent shot I have of Cian in his Football uniform....I'll obviously have to work on that!!!

His T-Ball Uniform...I lost the battle for them to be Yankees...obviously

(Sorry Buddy)

His first couple practices were quite chilly...

Shaylinn was COMPLETELY bundled up...LOL

...or so I thought..."I COLD MOMMY"

...it really was quite chilly...LOL

A couple game shots of Cian...

"That's what I'm talkin' about....right there"

LOL

He thinks he's slick...

I am such a proud Mom!!!

(Even if he is wearing a Cleveland Indians uniform)

Dad is quite proud also...

We have been crazy busy with all this going on, but like I said...

IT IS SO MUCH FUN!!!

More soon...

;) Shannon

HAPPY EASTER!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter.

We had a fun filled day!!!

Cian woke up early, of course, he was SO excited!!! He got a peek at his basket, & had to bring us about 3 different things to show us that the Easter Bunny brought him, within about 5 minutes, before we gave in & got out of bed. Of course he also got the advantage of scoping out the "hidden" eggs before his sister got up

Shaylinn is not an early riser AT ALL!! Matter of fact, more often then not, she will tell me "GO MOMMY!!! I SEEPING..." as she points to the door, then covers herself back up & pretends to sleep, snore sounds and all....LOL

We knew it was going to be a challenge getting her out of bed before 9am....LOL...not to mention I was fearful that she was going to let us know all morning that she wasn't happy about getting up so early, regardless of what the reason was....

She didn't let us down...she was NOT happy that her room was being invaded with wild excitement, before her eyes were meant to open. She couldn't even think fast enough to tell us to "GO" LOL...she just gave us her "mean mug" as the sleep film faded from her eyes & the hair on the back of her neck went back to normal...LOL Sadly, I didn't have my camera to capture it, Cian just couldn't contain himself any longer....DANG IT!!! LOL

We did have a fun morning hunting for all the eggs, & playing with the inside toys the Easter Bunny left for us, of course Cian & Shaylinn had the breakfast of CHAMPIONS.....Mini M&M's. I think it helped Shaylinn wake up a little....hahaha...& they made Cian slow down enough to eat them, so he wouldn't spill any....lol....it worked HAHAHA

It was a little chilly for us here, well, since Friday & Saturday were such Beautiful Spring days with LOWS in the upper 60's & highs in the mid 70's. Not so for Easter....the morning was in the mid 30's, however, the afternoon did warm up to the mid 50's so we were able to enjoy an Easter Egg Hunt outside. They each got kites & bubbles from the Easter Bunny, & I can't wait to get them out to play!!!

Here are a few pictures from our "HUNT"

A little slide time never hurt...of course scoping things out on the way down...LOL

LOL....I LOVE how she was looking for her next find...& missing the egg with her hand!!! LOL.....DETERMINATION!!!

A sweet little kiss....Cian was so happy for her that she got the LAST egg!!!

I LOVE that they are so affectionate with one another & they get SO EXCITED for each other!!! Well MOST of the time....LOL

I AM TRULY BLESSED!!!

LOVE THEM!!!

Here is a little detail shot that I love to get every year.

This one, just happens to have the contents of their baskets behind it...LOL

I love Easter!!!

Much Love & Many Blessings,

;) Shannon