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Monday Musings

March 1, 2010 – 10:29 AM

This past week was a good week. It was busy, but it was good. There were quite a few highlights. Nothing big or over-the-top, it just felt like one of those weeks where everything clicked

The Olympics have come to an end. I love watching the games and love even more hearing the stories of the athletes and their family’s. I think it’s important to understand what the non-professional athletes (are there any participating any more) and what they have given up or put on hokd to achieve their dream of being an “Olympian.” As a result of the athlete stories I’m not a huge fan of the team sports such as hockey. I’ve always been a fan of the individual sports where success and failure comes down to that one individual, their training and their effort that day. Cross country skiing has always been my favorite events and a sport I’ve enjoyed since I was small. I think about the 50K Classic Cross Country event. 30-miles on skis with a stop long enough to change skis. the athletecism is remarkable that after 50K the time difference between first and second place needs to be decided by a photo finish.

All week long we braced for the snowstorm we were supposed to get by Thursday. Thankfully we escaped the storm and  instead of the 6″-12″ predicted, we got away with 2″-4″. I awoke Sunday to find a fresh coating of snow which had fallen throughout the night. Snow so weighted down with moisture the snow-blower wouldn’t handle the it. I procrastinated throughout the day and finally decided, after dinner to go to my parent’s house with Kujo to shovel their driveway. I like snow and I like Winter, but I’m ready for Spring. Enough already.

Saturday Stephen and I took a ride to Alfred University located in of all places…in Alfred, NY. Kujo was accepted at this and several other schools. Academically his hard work has paid off and he’s been offered a nice scholarship that will help to offset his tuition. Unfortunately at  Division 3 schools there is no hope of any athletic scholarship but the awesome words by the coach all but assured him of a starting inside linebacker position providing he continues to work as hard as he has throughout his football career. This should be no problem for Kujo as his love for football and his intelligence should afford him the opportunity to play and to start. Kujo and I really enjoyed the campus and the meeting with the coaches. It was great to hear the discussion he had with the head coach who praised his play, his leadership and his hard work. I smiled big inside and know Nancy and I have done our job well with him. We were sad mom had to work as it would have been nice to have had her along for the visit. I love spending time with Kujo. It has been difficult to believe how fast the years have flown by. He’s 17 now and in several months he’ll be leaving for college. I look back at the years and wonder where they have gone. I have few regrets but hindsight is 20/20.

Sunday I met with a bride who flew in from Houston, TX. She brought her mother and we had a fantastic conversation regarding her 2011 wedding photography needs. I hope to hear back from them within the month and book another wedding for 2011.

Nancy’s Dad isn’t doing well. His left leg has developed an infection and the conversation has turned to what to do. No doubt he will have to return to the hospital and more than likely face another amputation. Paul worked hard his entire life and this is just no way for someone to spend what should be one of the happiest times of your life.  Alzheimer’s, diabetes, gangrene and amputation.

The photo below is of the The Robert R. McComsey Career Development Center at the Allen Steinheim Museum. The minute I saw this building on the tour I knew I needed to take a photo of it.

As always, thanks so much for reading. Keep coming back.

Christopher

By Christopher | Posted in Fun Stuff, Misc., Personal, Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Kristina & Jason: The Engagement Session

February 26, 2010 – 9:56 AM

Kristina and Jason met in April 2007. Jason was living in Binghamton, NY and was planning a weekend return home to Utica, NY. Kristina had just returned home to Utica from Pittsburgh. Unbeknownst to each of them the brother/sister matchmaking pair of Roseanne and Dickie were hard at work behind the scenes.  The couple had not previously met and had decided to head out for a night on the town with friends. As the evening progressed the couple was introduced to each other and the seeds of their love had been planted.

As the night came to an end the couple made plans to see each other the following night. They got together and immediately fell in love. As Sunday arrived, Jason needed to return to Binghamton and Kristina realized she was sad to see him go. She was pleasantly surprised when she received a call from Jason inviting her to visit him the following weekend. That weekend spent together was the first of many.

As their relationship grew the couple realized their love for each other also grew. They returned to their respective homes, she in Buffalo and he in Binghamton. Many miles were added to car odometers as the couple spent each weekend driving across the state to see each other. Weekends were brief but they enjoyed every minute of their time together. Kristina said she wasn’t sure when it was they knew their relationship had grown to another level but it had become obvious to both they could not imagine their lives without each other.

Jason moved to Buffalo in May 2008. This move allowed the couple to spend more time together. Kristina said, “We made new friends together, explored new places together and most importantly we realized we wanted to experience a lot more together.”

On Monday November 9, 2009, Jason called Kristina and suggested she stop at a local store to pick up eggs and breadcrumbs. Kristina thought this to be a little strange as she required neither of these ingredients for the dinner they planned that evening. Being a good sport, Kristina went along with the request. Jason needed a few additional minutes to sprint to the florist thirty seconds before they closed so he could purchase a bouquet of beautiful red roses. When Kristina walked into the house she found Jason smiling at her. Her eyes locked on the roses and after some heartfelt words he asked her to marry him. A shocked Kristina said “Yes.”

As I said in the preview post of this couple, “I love this bridge.” When people in the twin cities say “I’ll meet you at the bridge” we always referred to this bridge.

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Monday Musings

February 22, 2010 – 12:42 PM

Monday, Monday, Monday. Some people refer to Monday in a negative way. We say things like, “I have the Monday morning blues.” I’m not the biggest fan of Monday but I don’t hate them either. For me, Monday is the start of many things, the least of which is a new week. One of my favorite movies, “Office Space” has a great quote about Monday. The main character Peter Gibbons returns to work in his cubicle on Monday and states, “I think I have a case of the Monday’s.”

This past week had many highlights. When I look back at these highlights I smile. I smile because I made them happen. Monday, like any other day can be a sad day. I choose, not without some occasional difficulty, to make every day the best day t can be. I work hard everyday to achieve the highest level of success I can achieve. I remind myself “I made these successes happen. I developed and grew the relationships which allowed me to experience the success I’ve achieved.” I learn something about myself every week and continue to practice daily mindfulness meditation which helps me to successfully maintain a centered approach to life. Every once in a while my life veers either to the left or right, but my meditation practice helps me get it back on track.

The biggest highlight I experienced was a meeting with a great couple and and awesome wedding planner. Forget Me Knot Details wedding planner in Buffalo, NY featured one of my recent engagement sessions on their blog. This was hugely important for me and one of the most exciting things to happen in several weeks. Thanks for the shout out Liane. Lunch with friends and dinner with my wife rounded out a great week and as always the weekend raced by much too quickly.

I completed a brief photo shoot for the Ramada Inn located in Amherst, NY. The photo listed below is one of the photos from that shoot. What a great venue and an awesome representative. Thanks Alison for the shout outs and for your continued support. My wife accompanied me on this shoot and as always was helpful in more ways than she will ever know. Thanks for the company Nanc.

I look forward to this week and another exciting week.

As always, thank you for reading and keep coming back.

By Christopher | Posted in Fun Stuff, Misc., Personal, Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Sara and EJ: A Preview of the Engagement session. Part II

February 10, 2010 – 2:26 PM

I met with Sara and EJ Sunday morning to complete what has become affectionately known by me as “Part II” of the couple’s engagement session. If you recall the couple’s first or originally scheduled engagement session began with rain and was eventually rained out after just 30-minutes of shooting. I still can’t believe it…rain in January in Buffalo, NY. Oh well, that’s Buffalo. We’re known for the crazy weather we often have. As the morning wore on and the time to meet the couple rapidly approached, my excitement and anticipation also grew. My excitement was two-fold. I really enjoy spending time with this couple and look forward to their wedding. Secondly, the sun started to show its face. This is rare in Buffalo in the winter. I won’t belabor that but anyone who reads my posts on a regular basis knows my love of and for the sun.

We spent  quite a bit of time at the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY. The architecture is just amazing. I love the columns and stairs leading up to the entrance that over looks Hoyt lake. This is one of my favorite places to go in Buffalo and spend time. It’s quiet and relaxing and allows me to find a place to sit with a book and a cup of coffee and be introspective. I was excited when the couple agreed to complete their engagement shoot at this location.

I don’t know what there is to say about this one. For me it is the emotion captured through a good black and white photo that allows the couple to demonstrate the love they have for each other.

Thanks again for reading everyone and keep coming back.
Christopher

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Monday Musings

February 8, 2010 – 10:26 AM

This past week was mostly a blur. I recall Monday and I recall Friday. I don’t recall much that took place in between. I was happy to see Friday come to an end. I have one of those headaches that circumvented my entire head and you knew wasn’t going to leave anytime soon. I swore if I heard another conversation which included more than two people talking my head was going to explode.

Saturday I had lunch with a friend who I’ve not seen since 1998. Sean and I went separate ways when we both left the same employer several years ago. Sean’s trip took him to Houston, TX and my family and employment kept me here. We went for coffee and lunch and had a great time discussing the interesting paths our lives have taken over the last decade. Sean also developed a name for a self-help group consisting of people who talk too much. He named the group “Yuck, Yuck.” I guess this was in response the fact we occupied a table at a Tim Horton’s for a little over 4-hours. Is that a long time?

Last week also saw me book a couple of a additional weddings. One of those was another 2010 and one a 2011 wedding. The week also saw me get back together with Sara and her fiance EJ to complete the couple’s engagement session which had been rained out a couple of Sunday’s earlier. I’m still editing those photos and we’ll have a preview posted later this week with a full post the next week.

Oh, and how can I forget the Superbowl with one of my favorite bands, The Who playing the half-time show. There was no worry of a “wardrobe malfunction” during this halftime show. The guys looked old, but then again they should; they’re in their sixties. I don’t care what anyone said, they still rocked. Pete Townshend was sporting the “windmill” as he jammed through the band’s set. It would have been great to see Roger whipping the microphone around as he did back in the day, and Pete smashing his guitar on stage, I think that was something the “older” fans would have loved to see.

The New Orleans Saints won the 44th Superbowl. I’m OK with that decision as I had not strong desire to root for either of the teams. I’m happy for the Saints, their fans and especially for the city of New Orleans, a city that continues to struggle five-years post Katrina. Congratulations to the Saints. It ought to be one helluva Mardi Gras celebration this year. Unfortunately the commercials were all yawns. There were, in my humble opinion two winners. They were the Snickers commercial and the casual Friday commercial.

I spent the early afternoon with Sara and EJ. We completed “Part II” of the couple’s engagement session as we were rained out of the first. We were blessed yet again with nice weather. Temperatures warmed slightly and almost broke the thirty-degree mark. I was happy to see the sun show its face. I’ve said before seeing the sun does something special for me. It recharges my batteries and just generally puts a smile on my face. This smile is immediate. I mean as soon as I see the sun…I’m smiling. A preview post will be coming later in the week.

I’m sure there were some other things which took place during the week but as I’ve said before I really don’t have much recollection of the middle of the week other than to look at it and guess where it went. I discussed this during a post last week. Today begins the second week of February, the second week! Lent will be upon us. Easter, Spring, longer days and warmer temperatures will not be far behind.

Thanks again everyone for reading.

Christopher

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