Meet: Anna and Nick

Meet Anna and Nick. Two cute and funny little persons :). Anna enjoyed playing, picking up her brother, and then dropping him. Little Nick loved exploring in the leaves and didn't mind being dropped by his sister. He just kept smiling. It was pretty cute. It's fun hanging out with a couple of kids and capturing what I see in the most real and natural way possible. I often see a lot of cuteness, goofiness, and innocence. Anyway, I would say that Anna and Nick are so adorable and cuddly. You just want to squeeze them!

A Growing Belly: Josh, Carolyn, Baby

Josh and Carolyn are my brother-in-law and sister. They have a bun in the oven. This photoshoot was a labor of love. No pun intended :). Me, Curt, Josh, and Carolyn spent an evening at the Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen walking the beautiful grounds. This was probably the most gorgeous evening in the fall. I'm so glad we were able to do the shoot when we did. I was a bit nervous doing this one, which seems odd...but someday I'm hoping Barnibus will get a laugh out of the photos. And I'm hoping that someday me and Curt can work more on creative projects like this one because he showed me more interesting angles when we were shooting. And it's just more fun to have the extra help on a shoot. So enjoy! See you in January, Barnibus!!!

Way to go Love on 2008 Tri Season!

Check out www.gearwestbike.com, scroll to the bottom and you'll see a huge picture of Curt courtesy of Yndecam, who takes the best triathlon pictures! If you click on the picture you'll see a summary of his results from this year!!!!! It's kind of fun. So way to go love!

In other news, I'm a bit tired. Blame it on an irregular sleep schedule, I don't know. But I had fun today! After a sweet photoshoot in Hudson, WI I went shopping with my sister for 5 hours, yep. Then I went home and went bike riding in the dark!!! We rode to my parents' house to make sure Speedy, the crazy beagle was still alive. And he's alive! I have to laugh because I wonder what Curt is thinking when he rides with me. Not only am I slow, but I'm extremely cautious and timid. I caught myself saying this over and over, "Don't go too fast! I'm not a fast biker!" "Wait for me!" "Don't worry, I'm right behind you!" "I can't see anything!" hee hee...have a great night everyone! love, cw

Meet: Thomas

Introducing Thomas and his mom, Sarah. We hung out one afternoon for some play time in the park. It was so relaxing it didn't feel like a photoshoot! As you can see Thomas is an adorable little kid who definitely has his mom's heart. Feel free to shed a tear or two when viewing images from our time together. Beautiful.

Engaged: Jeff and Jennifer

Last week I met Jeff and Jennifer for their engagement photos. Talk about two solid people! And Jeff's son got in for some pictures too! I must sound like a broken record, but I always meet the greatest people for my photoshoots. Both Jeff and Jennifer were entirely down to earth and made things pretty darn easy. I absolutely love what I am doing. If I dwell too long about how great this is...I get a bit choked up...hee hee. Let's all raise our glasses to everlasting love! Woohoo!

We will be open this year for...

Trick or Treaters! Yea! I just bought the candy. We will be providing assorted chocolate minis, swedish fish, and sour patch kids! Yea!

I've never really been a fan of Halloween because I don't like the idea of being scared or evoking terror in other people. But I like the possibility in making Halloween a fun, family-oriented event that can draw neighbors together. And kids in cute and friendly costumes are always welcome! Yea!

And gosh am I ready for Halloween this year! I've completely soaked in all of autumn's goodness; from the beautiful weather, colors, smells, to the yummy treats. Enjoy the last few days of autumn!

Sneak Peak: Stillwater Wedding

Sneak Peak: Anna and Nick

Sneak Peak: Sarah and Thomas

Sneak Peak: Jeff, Jennifer, and Jacob

Christopher and Sophie

Two peas in a pod? Maybe. They may be twins, but it was very apparent that they have their own personalities, which I totally love. I picture little Sophie in 15 years as a very social teen dragging her calm and collected brother, Christopher, into crazy adventures. He may go unwillingly, but will do anything for his sister. Awww...the power of twins.

Chicago Marathon 2008

When September rolled around I was indecisive about what to do for Chicago. I embarked on a "four week plan" which consisted of infrequent and short, 4-7 mile runs. I did ONE 13-mile run (a week before the marathon). Curt thought I was INSANE for wanting to do this. But I wanted to finish Chicago!
Here is what I remember: I knew it was going to be a good day no matter what happened. I was happy just to run in it. I saw Curt at mile 6 and it was great. It was hot, but I never really panicked. I used ice in between my head and hat. I poured water on myself. I ran in the shade. I walked when I needed to eat something or absorb liquids. At one point I really needed an advil, but the one I had in my shorts dissolved because I was soaking wet. Poor advil. All the medical tents were out of advil too. I was thankful for the volunteers at the aid stations. I was thankful for the random people who gave me pretzels, a jolly rancher, and ice. I was glad for all of the loud music along the course. It kept me going. The best cheer I heard? At mile 23 when a man yelled, "make it happen." My favorite is reading scripture verses on the backs of shirts or reading about a person who a runner is doing the race for. My time was 5 hours and 8 minutes. My slowest time yet, but I was elated and proud to finish my 7th marathon. Here is a look back at previous results. It was fun to look up my times:
Twin Cities Marathon: 2003 in 4:46, 2004 in 4:10, 2005 in 4:24, 2006 in 4:52
Grandmas Marathon: 2005 in 4:19, 2008 in 4:53
And our trip to Chicago was the best. We drove in on Saturday and had lunch at the Bongo Room in Wicker Park. After the marathon on Sunday we relaxed by going to a movie and eating pizza near Millenium Park. Our stay at the hotel was nice and cozy. The entire weekend I felt like we were on a long, extended date. Here is a slideshow of our adventures:

The Windy City

We returned from our trip to Chicago just today! I think I could honestly live there!?!? We were there for the Chicago Marathon, which I did! Yeah me! I'll tell you all about it later after I go grocery shopping, make dinner, and respond to my emails! Love,cw

Baby Barnibus Makes Three

Meet: Quinn

Quinn is a doll. There's nothing else to say. Maybe except her eyelashes are a mile long and she's a bundle of joy.

Sneak Peek: Christopher and Sophie!

Yep, eat your heart out! Christopher and Sophie are six week old twins! They were cuddly, wrinkly, and oh so lovable.

Our Morning Discussion: To Trick or To Treat

It's that time of year again where we are faced with a decision that could possibly bring joy to a kid or bring them disappointment. We live in an area that is full of school-aged children. There is an elementary school right across the street. But the traffic of trick-or-treaters is well...non-existent. This completely boggles my mind. Every year I buy candy and anxiously wait for the doorbell to ring so that I may drop the candy into the container,hear a "clunk", and wish the kiddos a "Happy Halloween", but I'm always left with a full bag of untouched, delicious candy. Here is what we discussed this morning:
1. Halloween is on a friday this year. Will we be around? If so, should we buy candy?
2. How could we increase traffic flow through our neighborhood? Is our home front not inviting enough? Should we decorate with pumpkins, gourds, goblins, and jack-o-lanterns?

If the kids come to our door, we would offer snickers, nerds, and hershey's milk chocolate. Off to Target!

I heart Fall

sweater and jeans weather...ahhh...this is Fall. Crunchy leaves, vibrant blue skies. me likeeee. And Chicago here we come! Hotel is booked. Five blocks from the start and finish! I'm excited. But firstly, we are going to watch the Twin Cities Marathon. Ahhh...more crunchy leaves, vibrant blue skies and me sporting jeans and a sweater. love you all, cw

Sneak Peek: Quinn

Meet your next prospective U of MN student! So Quinn was sporting her gold and maroon apparel with great style. Goldy the Gopher would surely scoop up Quinn in a heartbeat as soon as he sets his eyes on her. What a gem! Another squeezable little tike!

Meet: Natalie

Oh my goodness...this shoot was entirely fun and relaxed. Meet Natalie. She's got a gentle soul. And the softest eyes. I'm very lucky to be able to photograph the most easy going kids! We walked around the campus of Gustavus and enjoyed the beautiful weather together. She could definitely be a model.