My Little Brother is a Doctor of Jazz!

Well, he will be soon anyway. Here are a few pics from a fall trip to University of Illinois for his Doctoral Recital. Although being cramped in the car with my parents and 2 kids for the 5 hour drive (up one day, back the next) was less than wonderful, it was worth it to see him play. Little Connor was enthralled--at one point, she walked right up to David while he was playing, and just stood there and stared and smiled, and he played right to her. It was a very sweet moment. On the way back, we took a detour to Kickapoo State Park, a beautiful jewel of an area surrounded by pretty much nothing but cornfields.

The frustrations of being a photographer's child...

Here's my bro!

His teacher, Jim Pugh--one of the foremost trombone players in the country.  He plays with Steely Dan!

The amazingly talented Christian Tamburr on vibes...

A few shots around the University of Illinois, and some architecture from one of the music buildings where David studies.  

Amy's Beautiful Family

I've got a ton of pics to share, so I'll dispense with the words and get straight to it. Love you Amy!!!

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Rhonda and Cameron Are Engaged!

Congratulations to such a fun and beautiful couple! We got lucky with one of the last warm days this fall.

An Awesome Opportunity!

I am so behind on my blogging it is shameful. This fall has been INSANELY busy for me, but that is a wonderful thing! I have so many beautiful weddings and engagements that I will have up soon, but I had to do a quick post to share the incredible experience I had today.

I was contacted late last week inquiring about availability for a VIP event today. It turned out that the VIP was the First Lady, Laura Bush, who was scheduled to visit Lincoln's Birthplace National Historic Site. The National Parks Foundation, in partnership with The History Channel's Save Our History Campaign, kicked off a fundraiser event called "Give a Lincoln for Lincoln" to raise money for Lincoln related historic sites and in conjunction with the upcoming Lincoln bicentennial. (That's a lot of Lincolns for one sentence!) :)

I was pleased to pass the Secret Service's muster, and was granted all access during the event. I had a special Secret Service pin, as opposed to a regular press pass.  I was allowed to shadow the White House photographer, which meant I got to be much closer and have more access than the other media. It was really amazing; I got to walk right along with her as she toured the park and participated in several activities with local schoolchildren. I felt like a VIP myself!

Here are a few photos from the day that I wanted to share. It really was an incredible experience, and I am so grateful I was asked to be involved!

(Oh, and to those who know me, don't worry, I haven't turned republican on ya :)