Deborah's fitness photos

My friend Deborah--spin instructor and writer extraordinaire--is working on a fitness book for moms and asked me to shoot some headshots as well as some fitness photos for her. The night before, we thought we might have to cancel since the freezing temps caused the schools to cancel for the following day. She confessed that she'd already invested in a spray tan, and hadn't eaten for two days in preparation for the photo shoot! We decided not to cancel and just let her kids and my kids play together (along with a babysitter Deb brought). So glad we didn't cancel! Deb looked awesome and was a fabulous model. As you can tell from these images, she is very fit and photogenic. Here's a preview.

Behind the scenes: Christmas 2008 shoot

Many of you received our Christmas card this year. What you Don't know is what went on behind the scenes. It was a chilly day, so between their individual shots, the children huddled in the van parked nearby! Gabrielle wouldn't be serious (big surprise!), and then had a meltdown towards the end--hence the photo of her crying while the other two decided to act silly. Finally, they were freaked out due to a hole in the caboose window that could have been made by a bullet (or a rock--I quickly pointed out).

Anyway, enjoy the lighter side!

The Keith Family

What a great time we had taking these pictures! Even Marley the dog got into the action. She was very well behaved for most of our session, but lost her patience toward the end and stole a headband while the family made chase to get it back. These are all going to be part of their Christmas card--I can't wait to get started on it.

My birthday

I celebrated my birthday this weekend with friends and family. It has long been a tradition in my family of origin to drag out birthdays for as many days as possible. I think in the past I have had birthdays lasting upwards of a month!! So, celebrating for a mere 3 days seemed a bit limited.

My kids got me some awesome earrings and a bracelet, and Dennis surprised me with an Iphone!! I am still trying to get used to it, but can already tell it's going to be loads of fun. Now I just have to figure out how to "twitter."

Here are a couple of pics of the gourmet cupcakes the family got me. If gourmet cupcakes have not yet hit your area, beware: they are coming! Get ready to slap down $3 to go with your $4 latte from Starbucks down the street! These came from Ivey Cake (www.iveycake.com).

Yoga

Those of you who know me know that I love yoga! I discovered its benefits about 5 years ago and have been a regular participant since. That said, I've had my ebbs and flows in terms of consistency. This summer has definitely been an ebb! With the kids home from school, activities, camps, photography, and my regular swim/bike/run routine, it's been a challenge fitting in yoga. 

I finally got in a good workout 2 days ago at Sanctuary Yoga in Green Hills. I love that place! My friend Stacy and I went together and got our butts (or abs, as the case may be) kicked by Paige, aka the "yoga nazi." Just kidding. She is actually a very nice lady and a great instructor. So, I'm still sore 2 days later!

Speaking of yoga, I recently did a shoot of my friend Keleah prior to the birth of her 3rd child. I wanted to share some of the awesome images we got. Isn't she a beautiful pregnant lady?

Yesterday my son did his first kids' triathlon. It was so much fun being part of the event. I lined up the swim start as well as worked the finish line and was amazed at how talented some of the swimmers were. You could definitely tell which ones were on a swim team.

Alex did awesome, but most importantly, he had fun, felt good about himself, and wants to do more in the future.