Meet Elizabeth and Scot. They braved the cold and snow so that we could do some engagement pictures outside. Walking around in heels on ice covered streets is not easy! We tried our best not to get in the way of other people when we had to bum around in some buildings to warm up. I was worried about this as I didn't want to be a nuisance or trespass:). Elizabeth and Scot are both super sweet and I'm really excited about their wedding this year! Thanks for a fun time!
WOW WOW WOW!!! 2008 is coming to a close in just a few hours. It's been a whirlwind. I think of these words to describe my photography adventures the past seven months: excitement, joy, wonder, and refreshment. Thanks to everyone I photographed in 2008. Sharing in your life through celebrations or fleeting moments meant a lot to me in that it gave me the gift of purpose. Best wishes to all in 2009! Love, cw.
Introducing soon-to-be-parents Mindy and Dave! Ta da!!! Mindy is my sister's friend. She is currently sporting a cute belly, but is eager to meet her little one in January! Dave and Mindy were really fun and wanted something super relaxed and not formal. I think we accomplished the mission! I also like the fact that they have been together for a long time...bringing a baby into a world is a bit easier when the parents have a strong relationship! I'm so happy to have met them and am grateful for our time together. I think you will really dig their photos...and the funny song about a fox in the snow by Belle and Sebastian.
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!!!
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:
Fresh, crisp air. Lake Superior. Hilly terrain. Woodland creatures. Vacationing in Lutsen allowed the Wood clan to relax and play together. The weather was perfect for all (especially me...yeah cooler weather!). I had lots of firsts: going down the alpine slide, sven and ole's, grand marais, tobies, pretty much the entire experience at Lutsen!! Our meals were excellent too as most of our dinners were already prepared! All we needed to do was heat everything up! And Doug treated us to his gourmet pancakes and oatmeal for breakfast.
Meet my very dear friend Bao. A talented and hard working journalist. Has a great sense of style. and the kindest soul on earth. I am going to miss him dearly. You see, I am losing another friend to New York, NY. Bao is leaving his post at the Pioneer Press and is enrolling in Le Cordon Bleu to gain culinary experience. His goal? Be a food critic for a major publication. Maybe own his own restaurant someday too.
His friendship means a lot to me as we've been through a lot of serious and not so serious episodes in our young lives. He even coached me through my purchase of Gucci sunglasses in Chicago!!! Ha! I have them somewhere still...anyway, we did a photoshoot with the purpose of getting a headshot for his future contributions to magazines. But how could you resist doing a themed culinary photoshoot!?!? Enjoy. Love,cw
I did another house photoshoot for Angie and Eric on Tuesday. This lovely home is located near Golden Valley within minutes of Uptown and Downtown. If you like being secluded in a tree-lined neighborhood, but want easy access to the action in Mpls or St.Paul, this home is for you!
Well, I just returned from a very fun, but insanely challenging photoshoot for my friend Angie. She is selling her townhome in Chanhassen, MN and needed some photos. Everything ran much more smoothly after my lenses cleared up from the humidity outside! And what the human eye sees is not always possible to capture with a camera so we were working pretty hard to get our shots! There were moments where I wish I had spider man feet so that I could climb and cling to the walls! She has a lovely home. Enjoy the pictures.
