Erin and Marissa Engagement

I met up with Erin and Marissa in their home in Jamaica Plain last Sunday, and scored some shots of the couple's adorable cats and Marissa in her element--making magic in the kitchen. Erin and Marissa are getting married this weekend, and though they were out of their comfort zones dressed-up and makeup-ed, they were dazzling in front of my camera! I love the contrast of Erin's fair eyes and abundant ginger curls to Marissa's swishy dark hair, olive skin, and dark eyes. We strolled through the just-starting-to-erupt-into-bloom Arboretum, and got some lovely shots under magnolia trees heavy with new blossoms. After some giggling, play-fighting, and Marissa's attempts at getting out of it, the shoot went beautifully--and I was able to capture the joy and tenderness that is so natural to Erin and Marissa. I can't wait to capture that dynamic again this weekend at their wedding!

Lilacs and anemonies, oh my!

I just opened the door to let Ivy in, and on my doorstep was the most stunning flower arrangement! It is all lavenders and greens--my favorite colors! The flowers are so lush, with tiny droplets of water still resting on many of the blossoms. My amazing sis-in-law Brooke somehow found a moment between delivering babies (she's so cool) to send us an arrangement, and I just have to blog about 1.) how sweet and darling our dear Brooke is (Brooke! You are the best!) and 2.)this amazing MA-based floral company, Winston Flowers. This is the fourth arrangement Brooke has sent us, and I thought each one to be the most luscious, vibrant, artfully designed arrangement I've seen....Now I usually love supporting tiny little businesses, but Winston flowers is a Massachusetts-based company, with eight or so locations, and I would say many of my brides could find one located within a nice distance. So my blushing brides, since you may be searching for that perfect bouquet, I just thought I'd throw Winston Flowers out there--they do amazing work. And to Brooke, you are so thoughtful--Matt, Viola and I thank you and send you our love as you trudge through your twenty-four hour shift! We love you.

Meeting Miah

This morning I met up with my friend Lorrinda and her adorable, spunky daughter, Miah. Lorrinda is a friend of mine from Lowell High School, where she taught Visual Art and I taught English. We have much in common (in fact, she used to teach photography), and she is one of the colleagues I miss most since leaving teaching. Interestingly, both Lorrinda and I have recently changed careers to pursue our dreams of starting our own businesses. Last June, Lorrinda opened The Velvet Fly, a chic boutique in Boston's North End that carries an artful mix of vintage and designer clothing and accessories. I plan on going in to her store on of these days and capturing some photos of her gorgeous shop, which I will promptly post on my blog!


Viola and Miah hit it off instantly, sitting in the booth together giggling and at some points, creating quite a raucous of squeals and chatter (oh and eating goldfish as you can see).



Miah has her mother's amazing full, rich head of hair and huge, gorgeous dark eyes. She is very verbal and imaginative and charmed me with her adorable stories.

E.I.E.I.O Baby Gear

As a small business owner myself, I like to offer my support to other women who build their own businesses, especially businesses that feature artistic talent. I met Kerry through a friend of mine, and I have become a patron and big supporter of her "baby gear" business. E.I.E.I.O Baby Gear features a line of handmade baby products, including blankets, tummy pillows, and their specialty--a new mom must-have--beautiful handmade, durable, lined slings. I loooove my slings, and always keep one in my diaper bag. Even at nearly two years old and 23 pounds, Viola still fits in the sling. For infants, they allow you to cradle the baby close to you, so the baby has that "snuggled in the womb" security and closeness to you--but you can be hands-free! And for older babies and toddlers, they secure the baby to your hip, so you can get stuff done even when your child pleads be held. Anyway, we met up for a playdate, and I brought along my camera so I could provide Kerry with some images of the slings "at work" for a photo display she takes to craft fairs. Anyway, the kids were so cute that day that I've been meaning to post some of the images--as well as give a shout out to Kerry and her amazing products! If you are a mom, or know someone who is a new mom or mom-to-be, an E.I.E.I.O. sling is a must-have!

Mission Haiti

Those of you who know my brothers are aware of the following:
1.) They are the cutest, funniest pair of wacky freckly redheads out there....
2.) They are incredibly talented and motivated: they are both crazy-strong athletes, world travelers, rock-climbers, white-water raft guides, sky-divers, and have climbed many of the tallest mountains in the U.S. and tried most adventure sports you can think of. (Note photo of Sam doing a backflip by running up a tree--photo credit: Nuria Bates)
3.) They are both incredibly talented carpenters (as evidenced by my sparkling new kitchen that Sammy gutted, reframed, and rebuilt to perfection).
4.) And most notably, they are incredbily devoted to their faith, and are very active volunteers for many causes, including Mission Haiti, explained below.


Sam and Jon are members of a team of volunteers who are heading up Mission Haiti, an initiative to establish, build, and run a center (school, orphanage, and clinic) for children in need on a piece of donated land that is fifty miles outside of the impoverished, illness-ravaged city of Port Au Prince. The rockstar carpenters they are, my brothers are actually drawing up the plans for the buildings themselves, and they are both going to Haiti to actually make those plans a reality. My dad and brother Jonny (who visited the building site this fall) are heading there in June of this year, and my brother Sam and his wife Kristin are moving to Haiti in fall, and plan to stay for a year or more, while Sam heads up the construction of the buildings and Kristin lends her talents as an Occupational Therapist to children in need. If you have a few minutes, please check out this moving trailor that describes the mission.


Anyway, the point of this post is to tell you about a concert that one of the Mission's founders, a singer-song writer and good friend of Jon and Sam is holding in two weeks to benefit the mission. I have heard Sean Forrest perform before, and he is an incredibly talented musician and charismatic story-teller. So if you are interested, make the trip to Manchester, CT on April 11th! Tickets are $20 and all proceeds go to fund the mission and the many children it will serve.