Here are all of the fathers in all of the weddings…

…and all of the family sessions we’ve photo’d since Father ’s Day 2009

MAN OH MAN I’m a BIG fan of these. Makes me smile.

As I was making this collage I was in a pile of tears… man oh man… thank you to all of the fathers who are just… uhm… good dads. Big hugs to all of you.

Happy Father’s Day!

LOVE!

~bobbi+mike +

When I was a kid… my family referred to me as “the rainbow kid” and to this day… G-ma still calls me that… especially when she comes to our house and see everything so brightly decorated. Why was I called that? I love love LOVED all things rainbows… I colored rainbows EVERYWHERE, I saturated my bedroom in rainbows, my Christmas ornaments usually had rainbows,  many of my clothes were rainbow themed, and I (OF COURSE) loved rainbow bright. Yes yes yes… I absolutely was THE RAINBOW KID!

A few years ago I saw a rainbow striped cake photo somewhere in web 2.0 and this rainbow kid has been DYING to try one.

My birthday seemed like the PERFECT excuse to do nothing & feel zero guilt in a major cooking project… furthermore… it’s not healthy train appropriate… not even a little bit. SO… my birthday seemed like the absolute best day to try this.

Now, I’ve never made a layer cake… let alone a SIX layer cake… so, it was quite the undertaking. I did a lot of reading/researching in perfect layer cake making/frosting.

Yesterday morning, I woke up bright and early and headed to the grocery store.   I spent a couple of hours shopping feeling SO grown up and domesticated buying these ooh la la cake-making accessories.  By ooh la la I mean… a $9 spatula, $10 cake stand and 2 round cake pans for $13. OH YES… FANNNNCY!

Here’s the beginning of my cake-making project No, they’re not each flavored differently…  Yes, that’s food color.  Doesn’t it look like I should be dipping Easter eggs in those???

I had two round cake pans… so the layers were made in 3 baking shifts.

Layer one

It’s REALLY starting to come together now.

Ryan and Andrea (our good friends) showed up right before I frosted the amazingness when Andrea exclaimed… “BOBBI! YOU MATCH YOUR CAKE!!!” She insisted that Ryan take a photo (as Mike was out grilling the BBQ chicken). I handed off my camera… took a look at the LCD and yes yes yes… she was absolutely right! I DO look like my cake!!!!

twenty nine candles…

Mom was over and she watched the cake making process… Needless to say we were just WIGGLIN’ with excitement to see what the cake looked like when I cut into it.  I cut a HUGE piece so that we could get the full effect

THE CAKE CUTTING MOMENT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!!! AHHHHH!!!!! IT’S PERRRRRFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom and Andrea were just as thrilled Ryan is clearly in awe. Addison was more concerned with what it tasted like.

HEALTHY TRAIN FAIL!!!!!!! Oh well… it was my birthday… and it was perfect.

Oh, and as for its taste…. YUMTOWN, USA!!!!! I even made HOME MADE buttercream icing which was perfectly applied with my brand new aforementioned $9 spatula. See… TOLD YOU I WAS DOMESTICATED

As for all of you who sent me birthday wishes… ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! You sure do know how to make a girl feel loved!  I wish that I had time to respond to each and every single one of you.  So, thanks friends BIG time!

LOVE TO YOU ALL!!!!

~bobbi

PS. Mike’s THIRTIETH birthday is in August… I’m 100000% open for suggestions… anyone have any amazing ideas? PLEASE????

That second one melts my little heart. I love him. A lot.

Lindsey, thanks for taking these. They’re perfecto! Mad props… especially being that you’re usually a Nikon girl

Love,

~bobbi

PS. Awesome events/sessions to blog in the coming weeks… stay tuned

…all of the mothers in all of the weddings that we’ve photo’d since Mother’s Day 2009

I love that collage. Just do. Don’t you?

Happy Mother’s Day!

LOVE!

~bobbi+mike +

As you may or may not know… I’ve had a personal trainer for about the last year and a half.  Her name is Kristen. Through the training process, she’s become one of my greatest friends.

Kristen is genuinely who I owe about 90% of my success on the healthy train to. She’s been an incredible motivator and has NO shame in uhm…. telling me how it’s gonna be. AKA… when it’s training time… she goes 0 to betty in about 10 seconds

Well… early this year… I had to quit the personal training (the gym’s program changed…) and when I realized that our time together was ending… I was REALLY upset. I cried. Yeah, OVER THE TOP! The interesting thing was that I was not really upset about losing the motivator, though I was going to miss it… I was more upset about not seeing Kristen twice a week… you know… my friend!

She’s been one of the very few constants in my life in recent years.  When I’d be doing push ups… we’d talk… a lot.  My dramas, her dramas, weddings, aspirations, boys, sex, life stories, hilarious memories, etc. There really is not a topic too taboo for us. I mean… nada. She’s my Indianapolis Corrie (AKA my Grigh) Yeah, that’s a big deal. HUGE DEAL!  Now, instead of training me… I go and spin with her once or twice a week. So, LUCKILY… I still get my Kristen time in. WHEW! RELIEF!!!!

At the beginning of the year she started training for a half Ironman. You’re probably wondering… WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! Lucky for you, I’m a plethora of knowledge who’s about to tell you It’s a triathlon. BUT NOT JUST ANY TRIATHLON… a RIDICULOUS triathlon. RIDIC! Swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles then it ENDS with 13.1 mile RUN! ARE YOU FLIPPING KIDDING ME?! RIDIC!!!!!!

Kristen and I are very alike in that our expectations of ourselves is very high. We both put too much pressure on ourselves. While our goals are very different, we relate to each other very well.  Watching her train for this triathlon has been intense. She’s trained hard. VERY hard. Sacrificed more than she ever realized to accomplish this goal… learned so much about her strengths, limits, priorities, relationships and needs.

Here’s an excerpt from her blog: “The journey has pushed me beyond where I thought I could go, and taught me more about myself, than any other experience.”

About a month ago Kristen decided last minute to run the local Carmel Triathlon. It’s literally 1/5th the distance of the one that’s happening tomorrow. Small fries I tell ya.  As we were sitting on the spin bikes, she casually mentioned it. WELLLLLL… I had the weekend off… and damnit… I was going to BE there! My turn to show support.  I surprised her First I watched the swim… but couldn’t find her. So, I headed out to the bike trail. I stood there with my 70-200 waited, watched and cheered for random people. Well, she turned the corner and I got SOOOO excited that I almost forgot to shoot until the VERY last minute. Here  was my only photo OOOPS! This was her expression when she saw me. My red hair is kinda hard to miss.  The photo on the right is her at the finish line. That guy was randomly in front of her… and for no reason she ran her little booty off to beat him… just for fun. When she saw this photo she said, “I WON! I BEAT HIM”  I sat there and watched over 100 people complete this triathlon. NOT ONE of them was smiling like she was.

HEEEEERE WE ARE!!!!!

Well, tomorrow is said triathlon.  She’s in North Carolina RIGHT now with her family preparing.  So, before she did this thing…  I wanted to put this little entry up to tell her how much she means to me… how much I appreciate her friendship and love the person she is.

Kristen, you’ve been so much more than just a trainer to me. I know I couldn’t have accomplished so much growth… both physically and mentally… without you. Thank you for sharing yourself with me and giving me a place to freely share myself with you. I’m BEYOND proud of you. You inspire me to be a better person. Really. Thank you.

So… ROCK THE SHIZ OUT OF THIS IRONMAN!!!! I’d SO be there if I weren’t shooting a wedding… withOUT a doubt!!!!

Love you friend.

~betty

“Turns out not where but who you’re with that really matters.” -Dave Matthews

Mike and I haven’t had a pro photo taken of us since our wedding day. Yes yes yes, we’re like the mechanic whose car is always broken down. So, when I looked on the back of the camera and saw the HOTNESS that is my husband I about peed my pants. Okay, that last part is a lie… but I did get really excited!

Mike looks SO damn cute in this photo. I’m loving his longer hair, tan, style, etc. Time for me to up my game! Once I lose 10 more lbs, I’m buying new jeans But until then… pay no attention to my saggy butt

Oh, and speaking of not having any photos of us… we’re working on that. Planning on doing something right before the healthy train finale… giving me some MAJOR motivation to finish this weight off! BOOOOYAH!!!!

Bobby, thank you SOOO much for offering to take our photo, Seriously, thank you   I’ve already sent the file to the printer… it will soon be on my desk. I’m a big big BIG fan of it!

~bobbi

PS. SO weird spelling my name with a “y” Even weirder calling someone “Bobby”!  I’ve never photographed someone with my name. Sure.. Bob’s… but NEVER a Bobby! Oh, and don’t you worry… you’ll be seeing their session here sooooooon

Annie and I met a few years ago when I first photo’d her. I knew RIGHT away we’d be friends. She was freshly married then, in medical school… and without a cooking blog. 

Now, she’s in her residency, has an ADORABLE son named Andrew, has a RIDICULOUSLY successful cooking blog (you guys would die if you knew how many hits she got a day… I’ll put it to you this way… SHE WINS!), and now Annie lives in YUMTOWN, USA!!!!!

When I was in KC, I randomly sent her a text… “I want to photo you in your kitchen… doing your thing!” And so… THAT is exactly what we did.

You see, a couple of times a year I like to photograph my girlfriends… all by myself… just because For me, it’s relaxing, ridiculously inspiring, and  REALLY fun. This is going to sound cheesy… but whatever… it’s MY blog and I can do what I want! After Annie’s session, I was on a serious life high for two days.  For some reason, this session was a bit different than other sessions I’ve shot by myself. It’s just SUCH a great feeling to go out with a camera, zero expectations, talk about life, giggle like school girls, get to know each other on a deeper level… oh and take beautiful photos. I LOVE seeing my friends through my lens. As a matter of fact, that night I made a list of all of the women in my life that I’d like to photograph…. so, this session was the start of a personal little project, just for me. Yeah yeah yeah, okay… cheesefest over… back to regularly scheduled “AYKM’s”

THENNNNN… I started having all of these crazy ideas… I saw this field on my way out to her house… so when we were done she made a quick outfit change… and we loaded up my FJ cruiser and headed out PS Annie… do you still have my yellow flowered barrette? I can’t find it anywhere?!

That Coca Cola thing she’s sitting on… that usually sits on top of my cabinets… WACKY BOBBI STRIKES AGAIN!!!!!

Every professional needs a good head shot…. that’s EXACTLY what that photo is on the right. The PERFECT head shot… if I do say so myself I’m telling you… head shots are a WHOLE lot easier said than done. There’s a real art form to it. Don’t ask my why! It’s just tough.  Oh, and the cookies on the left… yeah, those were a gift to me. YEAHHH… healthy train fail. But… THEY ARE SO FLIPPING GOOOOOOOD!!!!!! I’m kind of a chocolate chip cookie addict… and she knows it.

Oh yes… she’s reading a cook book… in an apron… in an abandoned field… oh yes… just another day.

I’m sorry you’re so damn cute! PS. Because we were talking so much… the light left us… and left us way too quickly! Note to self… FOCUS BOBBI! Thank you fast glass and High ISO capabilities

SOOOOO… Maybe this one isn’t necessarily cooking blog appropriate… but AYKM with her GORGEOUSNESS?! This one is absolutely my favorite… hands down… NO contest… my favorite!

……………………………

Annie | genuine & ambitious.

Wife | 5  years.

Mom | 1 year, 10 months.

Daughter | 27 years.

Doctor | officially, 1 year.

My friend | 3 years.

Cook | Annie’s Eat’s.

……………………………

love bobbi.

Now, I don’t mean to brag… but when it comes to my mom… I’m kind of the shizzz when it comes to gifting.  She’s SO easy to buy for… and I absolutely love doing nice things for her. When I was a kid… I was artsy. Shocking, right?  Every time it was gift giving time I’d ask her, “what do you want me to get you?” Her response was ALWAYS, “Make me something, I love it when you do!” And to the drawing board I’d go… I’d spend days crafting the perfect gift.  Now, once I turned into a teenager… I sort of became too cool to make stuff… I don’t think I’ve given my mom an artsy gift since I was 12…

Fast forward to 6 weeks ago… it donned on me… My mom is going to be FIFTY… as in… FIVE ZERO… as in… I better give her THE most amazing gift ever… as in… her birthday is in TWO WEEKS… OH EM GEEEE WHAT AM I GOING TO DO???!?! How the hell did I forget about the importance of this??!? HER BIRTHDAY IS IN TWO WEEEEEEKS!!!!!  Now, as I’ve mentioned one million times… our world was in absolute chaos leading up to Vegas, but that’s NO excuse…. I just couldn’t believe that I’d almost let this slip past.

So, I did what any good daughter who had a mom turning 50 would do… I asked my Twitter/Facebook friends

You guys REALLY came through. I had tons of great ideas… mostly involving spas/massages/pampering… you know… a spa day with me. Now, that’s just not our scene. I mean, I could be wrong… but that just didn’t feel like us. Know what I’m sayin’? Maybe I’ll whip something like that up for 51.

Back on topic…

MARCIA TUMMINARO TO THE RESCUUUUE!!!!!  She responded on Facebook with, “I’d say go with something that’s going to make her FEEL younger. Like,  giving her a handmade gift like the kind you used to make when you were a kid. Sentimental stuff never fails!” She was SO right!!!!! As SOON as I saw that I KNEW that I was about to get my craft on! Then another Facebook friend (Kim Browning) chimed in, “How about getting a blank journal and writing your top 50 memories of times spent together?”

HMMM… the wheels started spinning… what if I asked all of the people she’s closest to to write something… anything they wanted… could be as long or as short as they’d like… and with each writing they’d send a single photo… and I’d lay it all out into an album. HMMMMM…. I LIKE THIS IDEA!!!!!

I told Mike my big idea.

“Bobbi, we’re leaving for Vegas in 9 days, how are you going to get this done in time?! You’re always biting off more than you can chew!”

My usual response, “It’ll be easy… I’ll get it done in no time… don’t worry about it…. it’ll be special… I PROMISE!”

“ARGH!” he responded… knowing full well that I’m incapable of doing anything that isn’t ridiculously over the top… ESPECIALLY for a 50th birthday… and ESPECIALLY with the time line I forced myself into.

I started sending emails…. making phone calls… begging asking her family and friends to contribute… and contribute quickly I gave them a 2 day deadline. WHEWWW to that!

G-ma, Aunt Karen and Aunt Kay went to work… next thing you know I have a box of my mom’s entire life in pictures. WOW! I was NOT expecting this!!!!! I sorted them… chronologically… Mike started scanning….

Then the stories rolled in. Wow guys. THE STORIES… I LOOOOOOVED reading what people had to say about my mom. This was my absolute favorite part.

I then spent the next 2 days putting together and perfecting every aspect of this album. If you’re a Twitter friend… you knew how hard I worked on it.

I’m TELLING you… this book was the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. This was NOT something I was anticipating happening… I just thought it’d be a cool thing for her… I didn’t realize what it would do for me and our mom/daughter relationship.

Sometimes, as daughters/sons… it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture and to see our parents as more than just “my Mom.” We only think about how our parents are effecting us RIGHT now… or we’re guilty of focusing on the negatives in our past. But to see how other people view my mom… you know… as KIM… was something that I’d never been able to do. Hearing everyone’s stories and memories filled me with pride. She loves her family and would do anything for them, and has. She makes people around her happy.

On that note… EVERY single one of you out there need to jump into a project like this for the most important people in your life.  To watch my mom and I grow up on these pages… to read the amazing stories… to help our relationship/friendship heal and grow… it really is priceless.   Please guys, it’s important… do it. K?

SOOOOO… the album NOT gonna lie… IT’S FLIPPING AMAAAAAZINNNNNG!!!   What makes it amazing, you ask?

1. The photos were the shiz
2. The layout is simple/consistent… putting the entire focus on the images/text
3. It’s a Renaissance  album

A quick side note: Renaissance has THE best customer service I’ve EVER experienced with ANY company I’ve done business with.

I was on a ridiculous time line (because I waited so long to make this album) that didn’t allow for ANY wiggle room. As a result of that, Renaissance was overnighting the album to KC… where we all were to celebrate her birthday. Everything seemed like it was A-OK!

THEN, as I was tracking its every move online, I noticed that FedEx routed it through the wrong hub or something (weird, right?!). The SECOND I noticed this I called Renaissance in a panic. Ken and Tasha were ON it! They were on the phone with the people of FedEx for over an hour ON A FRIDAY NIGHT trying to get them to straighten out the mess to make sure that this album was going to get to me on time… and it did!!!!

I’m leaving out a lot of specifics of this story as to not make this blog entry longer than it already is… but MARK MY WORDS…  in my OH SO humble opinion, Renaissance is THEEEEE most amazing album company in existence   I genuinely can’t think of any other photography vendor who would have gone above and beyond like they did. I’m still totally blown away by them.

Please know that I’m not one to praise a company for any kind of kickbacks (have you ever heard me talk about ANY photog vendor here?). I just think good customer service is a big deal… and I want you all to know of their amazingness

OOOOKAY… enough words… I’ll get on with the images!!!

I had the cover done in red silk. For YEARS my mom was known for her BRIGHT red lipstick… As a matter of fact, when I close my eyes and picture my mom, that’s exactly how I see her.

Three cutouts.  The first, my mom, 1964. The second, mom with her sisters, mom, and me in 1985. The third, mom and me, 2009.

The book was in chronological order. Here’s the first page. I think that these photos were taken before my Mom was born. On the right, that’s what G-ma wrote.

Mom and her sisters.

Mom joined the Air Force in 1978… where she met my dad in 1979.

For this blog entry, I mostly focused on the images of me and my mom, friends of mine & people who’ve influenced my life… but I assure you that there were PLENTY of other photos with her friends and family  in there, too.

This is one of my favorite layouts. 1. pregnant 2. in labor (21 hours, WHEW!) 3. fresh Bobbi 4. at home, as a mom.

I looked just like my daddy.

One of my favorite photos of the entire book. When I was 4, I had an imaginary friend (don’t make fun of me… most only children have one!). My imaginary friend fit in my hand and would ride on my tricycle handle bars. I named my friend after my favorite person. Her name was Karen. That photo… that’s me and Aunt Karen… and you can just TELL how smitten I was with her.

Aunt Karen’s (Mom’s  younger sister and a HUGE influence on me) writeup was my favorite… those two are best best best friends.  Karen’s included lots and lots of memories and inside jokes.

I often get questions about my dad, as I don’t talk about him much… well, there he is. He now lives in Washington state with his three kids. My mom, with the help of Aunt Karen, Aunt Kay, G-ma, Papa and mom’s best friend Judy all helped raise me. I wouldn’t be who I am today if you took just one of those people out of the equation.

Oh, and for those who know me really well…  see in the far right photo? In that Smurf stroller? IT’S BABYBLUE!!!!!

That photo of us in red… that’s the only family photo of my mom and I. It was taken right after the divorce.  My mom and dad were living in Alaska when they decided things weren’t working.  Mom moved from Alaska back to KC, with a four year old in tow.  Can you imagine that? I can’t. Man oh man… you’re such a strong woman. I now have that photo framed on my desk.

QUICK TANGENT: Mom and Dads of the world… GET YOUR FAMILY PHOTO TAKEN!!!! I’ve always known of their importance… but after working on this project… I can’t stress  it enough! Even if WalMart is what you can afford, DO IT! Also, it doesn’t matter if you think you’re chubby/not attractive… these photos aren’t for you… they’re for your kids… and they think you’re beautiful.

That guy there… he’s been the only male constant in my upbringing. He’s my Papa. I lived with my G-ma and Papa off and on my entire life.  He passed in 2002. Sucks, big time.

My mom on Halloween… this is SOOOO her! I think we were both witches that year. It was an easy costume! Wear black clothes, add a pointy had and you’re good to go!  That photo on the left? That’s Mindy and me. She lived across the street from my G-ma. Her mom, Judy, is my mom’s best friend. See that long ratty hair? I’ve had REALLY long hair my entire life.  It was kind of my identity. Then I turned 21 and wanted to be a grown up and cut it all off… I’m weird.

I’m the kind of person who always has a best friend. I moved a LOT LOT LOT growing up… so it was just easier for me to attach myself to one person. I met Corrie in the 7th grade, where I started at that school halfway through the year. I was very unusual, quirky, wore ugly clothes, had that long nasty hair, was strangely confident and overly dramatic. No one liked me… which was usually the case. Corrie, however, she found me interesting. She invited me to her house to spend the night. We’ve been best friends ever since. She’s my Grigh. I know that she loves me regardless of my successes/failures and would see me no differently if I chose to be a garbage man. I’m her Grigh… and I tell the best stories Afterall… if I were a garbage man, you KNOW I’d have some great stories!

I was a Sparkette at Indiana State We got to perform the halftime show at the Colts/Bengals game in 1999. Mom and Aunt Karen cheered me on… where they somehow were able to sneak on to the sidelines.  Here we are in the parking lot after the game. Mom was so proud.

Then I joined the Army National Guard. That photo of me hugging my mom… that’s the day I graduated basic training. She, along with my Aunt Karen drove to North Carolina to watch me graduate. Top 3 most amazing moments of my life.

And then… I got married. Also in the top 3 most amazing moments of my life.

Here’s the last layout of the album… where I wrote my story. The photo on the left… Lauren took that last summer. The photo on the right, I took that 3 years ago.  There I am… allll grown up.  There’s mom…. alllll grown up. I love this page. Big time.

If you’re interested in reading what I wrote… here’s an excerpt…

Mom, I love you.

I couldn’t have asked for a more fun person to be my Mom.  When you’re around, I can’t help but have fun.  You shimmy, dance, sinnnnnng loudly, make that goofy face you make, you’re just so weird and I love it!

I remember very vividly being 3 years old and hiding in your bed under the covers and you would lie on top “AHHHH!!! SO COMFORTABLE!!! WAAAIT!!! WHAT’S THIS LUMP UNDER MY BED… AND WHY IS IT GIGGLING?!”  I’d laugh hysterically, “MOM IT’S ME SILLY!”

I also remember wanting to be just like you.  I’ll never forget being 4 years old; you came to pick me up from daycare in Alaska with all of your long hair cut off… I was so upset, “MOM! NOW WE DON’T LOOK ALIKE!”

By the time I was 8 we were moved in with G-ma. I had a countdown to Fridays. After all, Friday was “our night” which usually consisted of egg rolls from the local Chinese restaurant or if I was REALLY lucky, I got to eat canned hot tamales, YUM!  Then we’d usually go the $1.50 movie theater, only after going to WalMart to sneakily stuff candy in your purse.

I remember waking up, at 9 years old, with my chest hurting… “Ohhh Bobbi, you’re going to be just like your Momma with big boobs…” “But Mom, all of the kids at school are calling me Boobie!” You said, and I’ll never forget, “Bobbi Michelle, if you laugh at yourself first, no one has anything left to say.” I’ve since lived my life that way.

At 11 years old, you found the “shoe shirt,” needless to say, my “wanting to be just like you” stage wore off. I’m convinced you only wore it so much because I hated it! Do you still have that ugly thing?! I bet you do just to potentially antagonize me!

You bought me a computer when I was 12. In 1993, that was a HUGE deal! Computers weren’t the norm then like they are today. Though we never had much money, I never did without. You did what you had to do to make it happen.  That computer is still, to this day, the best gift I’ve ever received.

While in college, I came down with a pretty serious case of strep throat. Within 2 hours of calling you, from my DEATHBED  (don’t mind the dramatics), you were right by my side, taking me to the doctor and patting my forehead. There is no one in this entire world that I can count on more than I can count on you. You’d drop everything if you knew I needed you.

Now, I’m 28. Though we don’t have the same haircut like we did when I was 4, I am, in many ways… just like my Momba. Like you, I make no apologies for being exactly who I am and have built an incredible business with that mentality.  Furthermore, I have your loud laugh, large chest and today I bought my first pair of clicking shoes.  But, don’t get your hopes up, big hair and red lipstick are not in any foreseeable future!

Mom, you’re one of my best friends. I love laughing with you. I love who you are. I love seeing you as Kim.  You’re confident, silly, hilarious, trustworthy, loving and determined.

I’m proud to have you as my Mom.

I love you, big time.

Bobbi Michelle.

PS. You’re pretty!

Now, it’s time to give it to her. Don’t be mad that I’m posting a photo of a stupid bow… I was proud of the creation.

She was SO excited to open it… she was “wigglin’”!

These next three photos were taken within 1 minute of each other. She went from being surprised…

to crying…

to thankful…

G-ma with her 3 girls… Kim, Karen and Kay.

Each person was able to read out loud what they wrote. On the left, that’s Aunt Kay… the youngest.

On the right, G-ma… with Johnny. Johnny was sitting on G-mas front porch when we drove home from Papa’s funeral in 2002.  None of us thought anything of him sitting out there… we just thought he was a stray dog. The next morning Mike said… “Sharon, that dog is still on the front porch, and he has icicles hanging from his beard.” Grandma brought him in the house and fried him an egg. The rest is history. Oh, and the name Johnny… Papa was OBSESSED with John Deere tractors… need I say more?

I love how much he cares for her. I’m a lucky girl.

My turn. PS. BOY OH BOY I have some DEEEEEP dimples!

I made my first home made cake. But… did it with help Mom’s favorite… German Chocolate Cake. When I hear that…. BLEHHHHH!!!!!! Coconut… BLEHHHHHHH!!!!!! Needless to say, as  I was looking up recipes… I had NO idea what to look for.  So, I sent a text to a high school friend who’s now a chef in Chicago… she helped me through the entire process. It was a pretty hard core cake! I mean… we’re talking… I ROASTED THE COCONUT!!!!! Yeah, HARD CORE!!!!! So, thanks Allison!

The night of her party… Mike set up a photo booth She LOVED it!!!! Here I am testing the light

One more test shot

ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!?? Melt my heart into one ZILLLLLLION pieces!!!!!

I wouldn’t be half the person I am today without these two ladies. That’s the famous Aunt Karen on the left.

FIIIIIINALLY!!!!! OUR FIRST FAMILY PICTURE SINCE 1985!!!!!!!!!!

That’s Linda… she’s their adopted “SEEEEEESTER” PS. Mike’s fun

Judy, Mindy’s mom. I spent every weekend at her house for mannnnny years. We decided to wear matching outfits SPEAKING of that green jacket… I SWEAR to you I have more clothes than that… it just seems that every time there’s a camera present it’s what I’m wearing. Though, I will admit… I do feel pretty when I’m wearing it

GRIGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Three generations… THIS IS MY FAAAAAVORITE!!!!! I’m so glad we took this photo. This was my only request

If you read this entire entry… MAD props to you. Thank you for caring.

To everyone who contributed your time and love to the album… I can’t thank you enough.  Thank you for making my mom happy. Thank you for showing me the side of her I could never see. Thank you for being a part of our lives.

Mike, thank you for all that you do for us. I love you SO incredibly much. I’m lucky to have you in my world. Oh yes, I am.

Mom, HIP HIP HAPPIDY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!. Hope it was perfect. I love you.

LOVE!

~bobbi

1. I still can’t believe so many of you stuck around for that. Thanks, BIG BIG BIGGGGGG time!!!!!!!
2. I lost my voice, excuse the squeaking. Go figure… Bobbi talking too much?!
3. I’m holding a phone because we were originally going to try and call her but couldn’t get signal (AT&T rocks…). Dale to the rescue to take a video with his 5D mark II. Without his help we wouldn’t have been able to do any of this, so thanks for being amazing Dale… You REALLY are the best.
4. I’m kind of a show stealer, sorry Mikey!
5. For those who knew about my brush catastrophe… RIGHT after this presentation, I was able to find one! (hadn’t brushed my hair in THREE days… BLEH! Thanks TSA!)
6. To anyone in Vegas who wanted to see our presentation and missed it, we’ll be speaking again today and tomorrow at the mpixpro booth at 12:30. BE THERE OR BE SQUARE! Oh, yes… square sucks so, I’ll see you then
7. I’ll write a proper, more fitting 50th birthday blog entry for my mom once I get to Kansas City for her birthday celebration!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMBA!!!!!!!!! You are the most beautiful 50 year old woman I know, without a question. Love you.

That’s all for now, more later!

LOVE!

~bobbi

]]> http://www.bobbiandmike.com/blog/index.php/happy-50th-birthday-momba/feed/ 26 http://www.bobbiandmike.com/blog/index.php/las-vegas/ http://www.bobbiandmike.com/blog/index.php/las-vegas/#comments Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:40:29 +0000 bobbi http://www.bobbiandmike.com/blog/?p=8156  

It's that tiiiiiime again The annual International photography convention, also known as WPPI… YEAHHHHH!!!!!  For you non photographers out there it's where we network with other photogs, check out the latest and greatest products, learn new tricks, share old tricks, and well… party  

This year, we're actually going to be speaking… at a booth TALK ABOUT NERVOUS! Well, more me than Mike… he's calm as a cucumber! goooo figuuuure. Anyway, if you want to hear what we have to say or just say hello, we'll be speaking at 12:30 at the mpixpro booth (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday). It'd be great if you guys could come so that we're not the losers with empty seats. K, thanks! 

BTW, the title of our speaking topic? "Why fake it?!" Clever, huh?

 

Also, to our Internet friends… if you see us and recognize us don't hesitate to say hello and throw high fives! My hair makes us easy to find. Pointing and whispering is not allowed. K? k.  Glad we got that worked out

OH!!!! For those who've seen the mpixpro double spread ad in Digital Photo Pro, Rangefinder or Professional Photographers… HOW FLIPPING COOL IS THAT?! NEVER in a ZILLION years did I think that we could go up to a Barnes and Noble newsstand and find our picture in a magazine… let ALONE on the first page! AYKM?!  Anyone who wants to see it who's not a subscriber to the aforementioned magazines… go to any major book store and find the Digital Photo Pro… and flip the cover open… THERE WE ARE! YEAHHHHHH!!!! More about this when we get back…

~bobbi + mike +