A PUMPKIN CARVING MASTERPIECE

Pumpkin carving.  A holiday tradition.  For me, it's been a while since I've shared in this fun, yet slimy activity.  I went in to Sweet Home Chicago, the pizza and pasta restaurant at The District, and Jerry, the owner, asked if I would like to join in on The Pumpkin Contest.  Sure I said!  Without hesitation.  Although, I knew that it had been years since I've actually done this.  But I always love a good challenge!  And plus, there was already some smack talking starting around the restaurant.  As most of you know, I'm a pretty competitive person.  So I couldn't pass this up.  Even though there was prize money involved, the bragging rights were sounding pretty good too!

And so the brainstorming began.

A day or two passed by and then this 'brilliant' idea popped in my head....well, I thought it was brilliant anyway.  But I had to figure out how to pull it off.  I envisioned it in my mind and then just grabbed a pencil and started sketching on my ever so fabulous chunky pumpkin....

Beautiful one that is, isn't it?!

So I sketched it all out, then started carving.  

This is what I came up with...

In case you missed it, here's an explanation...  ;)

Perfect.  Isn't it?!  I already love the city of Chicago and the restaurant's name happens to be Sweet Home Chicago.  So what better way than to show off this famous city than with it's famous skyline.  I was pretty proud of myself and my mad artistic skills to pull this off.  And many, many hours.

And for the record, I WON!!  

(Sorry these photos aren't any better.  I was too lazy after all the pumpkin carving to pull out the tripod!)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN everybody!  ;)

Be safe!

THE PULSIPHER FAMILY

I love this family! I had so much fun with them during our session. Jon, the dad, said to me before we started that he didn't want to do the traditional 'family portrait'. Ya know...sit here, turn your head this way, one more inch to the left, all while sitting in a studio.... I assured him that I wasn't that kind of photographer. ;) I like random. Fun. Relaxed. And to just enjoy the moments that happen in front of me. Don't get me wrong, I direct a little bit, but then just let the moment happen.

When we were just about done and started to head back to our cars, the oldest little boy said, Mom, When are we going to get our pictures taken?! We kind of laughed and she said that we have been getting our pictures taken. I said, I'm gonna take that as a compliment! ;) Roshelle said, You should! And so I did!

These boys are too cute and I enjoyed getting to know this family a little better. Near the end, the youngest boy was telling me about his Halloween costume. He's 'bones' or 'mr. bones'....You know the costume that is made of black spandex with bones on the outside of it to make him look like a skeleton. Well, he was soooo excited about it that when I was about to get in my car, he said, You have to come over to my house now and see 'bones'!! So I pulled up next to them at their house and he comes running over and said, Are you going to come in my house now!! You HAVE to!! I mean seriously, how could I say no! So I went in and he and his brother put their costumes on for me and I raved about it! Because, really. They were cool! And about 10 seconds later, he said, Ok, you can go home now! ;)

I LOVED this yellow tree!

Someone kept telling him that I had a bone coming out of my camera?! Hmmm.... I wonder who that was?!! ...Roshelle... ;)

He's looking for it here.

This could be my most favorite shot from the day...

Thanks Roshelle and Jon!

FIRST SNOW FALL AND A PULSIPHER SNEAK PEEK

Today. Blizzard. Need I say more. For this southern girl, I'm not sure I ever get use to it. I wish that summer and fall could last a little longer. Ok. A lot longer! But it is what it is. The only thing I like about it is how beautiful and peaceful it looks falling....from the comfort of my own home, that is. Time to get out the coat, the snow boots, the hat, the gloves, the snow shovel. Yep, anybody want to come over and shovel my driveway for me?! ;)

Well, it's been a little busy around here. Between football games, the NFL (Geaux Saints!), the NCAA (Geaux LSU!), youth football playoffs (Go Lehi!), and pumpkin carving, its been a fun couple of weeks! Yes. I said pumpkin carving. I was entered into a contest for the best carving and let me tell you, I'm pretty proud of myself. But you'll have to wait to see the result. The artist in me was definitely unleashed and helped make a masterpiece! If I do say so myself.

And I do have more awesome football photos to post. So stay tuned! ;)

But for now, I'm gonna leave you with a little sneak peek of this awesome family.

More to come...

I'M PUBLISHED!

I received an email a few months ago from The Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana asking me if they could refer me to a lot of people who inquire about photos of their plantation. They saw my blog post about my visit there and loved my photos! They get inquiries from magazines, book authors, and others writing about them and often need or want images to go with their articles and such. We've been emailing back and forth ever since. I love being able to work with them and get to know them better. (Thanks Teresa!)

Well a couple weeks after our first initial meeting over the internet, I received an email from American Way Magazine. They saw my images of The Myrtles Plantation on my blog and wanted to use a couple of them for their article on popular "haunted" places to visit and stay across the United States. Very exciting! And what a perfect month to write about it in. October! This plantation is very busy this month for obvious reasons. If you're in the area (or not in the area) go check out the 'mystery tour' this month especially! It's definitely worth it! It's sure to get you in the spirit of this month and may even make your spine tingle with the atmosphere....oh, and the stories! True stories! This plantation even made it in National Geographic's Traveler Magazine - "Stay List" that lists 150 places in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean.

I don't have hard copies yet of the magazine, but I couldn't wait to share the news any longer. This issue of American Way Magazine came out October 15th.

Here's a copy of the front page of the article. They talk about 5 places to visit that are sure to get you thinking about ghosts and 'the uninvited'....

Here's my photo....I call it 'my page' ;).....with one of my favorite images from the day I spent there at this amazing plantation!

If you want to see the whole article, you can check it out here.

Happy October everybody!!

EMEREE IVA

Emeree has got to be one of THE cutest babies. Ever. She's so sweet. And so far, a pretty good baby according to her momma. My patience was definitely tested though while trying to capture a few images of her. ;) But Tanya told her that she needed to get used to it. And I agreed. 'Cause I wasn't about to put my camera down. And with this little cutie around, I probably won't for awhile. At least in their house. Emeree's brothers and sister are all use to it. They even ask me when I see them...Amee, did you bring your camera?! Not only are they use to it, they ask for it. ;)

Here are a few images I captured while with her. The fun part of it was when we were done, I got to spend some one-on-one time with Emeree while her mom rested. And this little thing is definitely a little sweetie pie!

I'm gonna end with this last shot...for her daddy.

And any other Saints fans out there! ;)

Emeree says WhoDat!!

OKTOBERFEST AT SNOWBIRD

Ski Utah! That's pretty much the slogan around here. It's even on our license plates. And yes, I do believe we have some beautiful mountains, with plenty of snow, just minutes from downtown Salt Lake City. Very convenient. Those reasons are why many, many people from all over come here and ski. I'm a southern girl. I wouldn't call myself a 'skier'. Have I skied? Yes. Many times. I'm a pro at the 'bunny hill'. ;)

But what some don't know is that these ski resorts are absolutely beautiful in the summer time. With many events and things going on every week. Lots of festivals, food, and local (and non-local) artists along with fun activities for all ages. Jeff and I usually travel the 15-20 minutes to the Little Cottonwood Canyon to Snowbird a few times during the summer. Whether it's to hit the Rock and Blues Festival...actually any festival ;)...or go hike our favorite trail along the mountain side and check out the wild life from deer to chipmunks to moose. And don't forget all the crazy beautiful wild flowers. Oh yeah, and the temperature drops at least 10 degrees up here in the mountains. ;)

This time we hit Oktoberfest. A festival that happens every year here. Jeff claims he's German, so he 'felt' right at home. Little kids and even adults dressed in German clothing were seen. Booths filled with German items along with American things too. ;) German food and music everywhere.

Vivian and her friend Nadia came with us. They had fun riding a couple of the rides there. But they pretty much have fun doing anything together!

(The rides are here all summer long.)

Here's a view of some of the fun. If you can see that little white tent there in the middle, there's a mechanical bull for people to ride. Yep. A mechanical bull. On the other side of this, there's trampolines equipped with bungy straps for young kids. I still want to jump on the trampolines and show off my mad skillz. ;)

The girls first rode the ZipRider.

After that, we decided we were hungry. Ok, we were starving. So while Jeff was getting brats and German potato salad, the girls and I settled for the 'Central Gritts' deli. Jeff and I usually hit this place every time we come up here. They have THE best sandwiches. Seriously.

I know. They look like sisters....

Just havin' a little fun...

Ummm. Yeah. I just had to throw this next shot in. And yes, it's a Pepsi machine.

The girls riding the ski lift to the Alpine Slide.

Random shot. But I like it.

The Alpine Slide. I think Vivian's winning! Sorry Nadia. ;)

The tent where all the muscial artists perform. From music to dancing.

I love this place. Snowbird is definitely one of my favorite places to go in the summer.

A note to the family.

I can't wait for our family reunion! There's so much to do here and so much beauty to see. We're gonna have a blast!