Michael and Nadine
Congratulations!
Michael and Nadine are a couple with impeccable taste. From the venue, to the flowers, to the choir and the food, it was all wonderful. The event that not only looked great, but was also enjoyable for all in attendance. As you can see, the dress and all the accessories turned out great and Nadine looked beautiful today. Looking forward to going through the photos more thoroughly in the next few days. You'll find their photos in the recent wedding section later this week.
Got all my work done early today and headed off to the beach with Kafrey and our neighbour Finn.
(Sidebar: Does this seem weird - I wasn't able to get a rental car from Hertz for Saturday - Sunday if I were to pick it today, Friday, or Saturday. But I was able to snag one by picking one up Thursday afternoon and keeping it until Sunday. So essentially I was swooping in early and taking someone's reserved car. When I asked Curtis-my-Hertz-guy about this he just shrugged and said Hertz would figure it out. Very strange business, it's like the locations have no power whatsoever and are at the mercy of "Hertz", the head office. I hope this doesn't mean somebody's Saturday plans are ruined - like me and eight other customers three weeks ago.)
So the beach is great fun. Highly recommend taking your pooch down to Cherry beach. Huge off leash area and plenty of water to wade around in. It also exhausts the dogs completely.
The drawback is the drive home. Lakeshore road, at 3:30 pm on a Friday afternoon is a very bad idea. I there I was, bumper to bumper with the rest of the world. My mind wandered a bit and I was looked at the guy behind me in the rearview mirror. He looked completely dejected. He also looked a bit like Mike Melick (rugby guy from my old club, the Saracens), but it wasn't him. Mind kept wandering, thinking about what a nice guy Mike is, the good old rugby days, old teammates etc etc. About 300 metres and 15 minutes later, who should pull up beside me in the next lane but the big man himself! Did I conjure him, did I catch his brainwaves and think about him? It really was him. We exchanged hellos but then the traffic got moving and lost track of him. So Mike if you are reading this, hi again and hope that all is well with you!
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Looking forward to tomorrow's wedding (Mike and Nadine) at the Markham Museum. Am excited to see how her outfit turned out. I've seen the dress (Lowon Pope, totally stylish and beyond the norm) but stuff like accessories, jewelry were still up in the air.
Also, Julie and Andrew's wedding photos are now posted. Hit the imajing.com recent weddings section to take a peek.
Sisters
I photographed sisters Jen and Steph today down and around the U of T campus. Jen, on the right, was the one who overheard me talking to Bonnie about photography about a month ago. I think I mentioned it in a previous blog. Anyhow, I had my business cards with me, as usual, we booked a time and here we go! The portrait will be given to their mom for her birthday. Isn't that a great idea! I think their mom will love it! And I hope she doesn't know about me (yet) and isn't reading this and ruining her surprise!
Back to work... gotta get Julie and Andrew's wedding photos online tonight!
Julie and Andrew
Congratulations Julie and Andrew!
Sleeping arrangements
Darius has always liked using some sort of pillow when sleeping... this, however, is a first.
Photos from Andrea and Kevin's wedding are now posted! Visit the
recent weddings section here.
Grandfather
I found out today that my paternal grandfather, or "Ah-dia", passed away this morning in Taiwan. He was 101. He was not well for the past 10 years or so, and relied on my aunt and uncle who are still in Taiwan for day to day assistance. Despite his great age, the past few years, and the fact that I have only met him a few times in my life, it is still difficult for all when someone passes.
Andrea and Kevin
Congratulations to Andrea and Kevin!
If they look a bit familiar, it's because Andrea is Kathy's sister and I shot Kathy and Dave's wedding back in December.
It was a truly enjoyable wedding day at the University of Western Ontario campus' Great Hall. Andrea and "her former ex-boyfriend and now husband" (I'll explain), Kevin are two of the most kind and laidback people you will ever meet. You could literally feel the good vibes and love from the family and friends who surrounded them... despite the good natured jabs at Kevin's expense during the speeches. The two of them dated a bit in high school until life led them down separate paths. A few years ago, Andrea's mom noticed in the local paper that Kevin's mother had passed away. Andrea couldn't make it to the visitation because she was living out of town, but her parents made sure to attend. And it was because of that gesture that Andrea and Kevin regained contact and have been a couple ever since.
It was a fun wedding to shoot and it will be fun to edit and go through all the photos. Hope to have them posted by about Tuesday evening or so.
Jake
Playing chicken
GAH!
I was looking forward to making a nice salad topped with grilled chicken tonight. Alas, when I opened the package of chicken breast, I got a whiff of that tell tale smell of meat gone bad. What is it with me and chicken? This is the third time in about two months that I ended up with bad chicken and a sudden need to improvise dinner with what's in the freezer and/or pantry. The first time was totally my fault, bought the chicken on Sunday and tried to cook it on Thursday or something. Even though the expiry date said it was good until the Saturday or so, I've since learned not to trust the label. The second time I think it was a combination of No Frills dregs and the 10 minute walk back home from the store. Another $7 or so down the drain. Tonight is totally inexplicable. I actually borrowed a car to go to LOBLAWS so that I could pick up three watercooler bottles of water and meat. I even made a point of bringing a cooler with ice packs and packing the meat in that for the short ride home -- to no avail. I hope the pork I bought is ok.
Anyhow I'll have to check and see if I can get a refund. But that means bringing a stinking tray of meat all the way back down. Ew.
I'm making burgers for dinner. Feh.
Thanks for reading this rant. I'll actually write about photography tomorrow.
Happy Birthday Kafrey!
Today our boy is one years old!
He seems like the same dog we got back in December except better behaved and less stinky. But looking back at the photos and the measurements I took, it's hard to believe that this dog has gained 25 lbs, gotten about 4 inches taller and has grown out of a collar. For a while we never though he would fetch, but now he can -- he can even 'bring it'. He is also slowly losing the exuberant puppy gallop and moving more like a regular dog when he runs. And he's still cute, even though his head doesn't look so big anymore. Fred was right, the right dog would come along. Kafrey was worth the five month search.
Happy Birthday doggy!
