Claire Bear: Hide-and-Seek!

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When I was a kid, hanging out with Jill & Laura was the absolute coolest. They lived just blocks from my house, were only a couple of years older than me, and.... the fun part? Their phone number was only one-digit different than mine! (Surely, I will never forget it! Ha ha!)

We spent countless hours singing, dancing, building 'haunted houses' for the whole neighborhood to tour through, and of course.... burying time capsules in the backyard. :)

Now that we're all grown up, all three of us are married. And Laura has this darling little girl (with another babe on the way!) And Jill and her husband are expecting their first child around the same time. Incredible.

Bright and early Halloween morning, while the girls were in town visiting, we got together for photos in their parents' backyard.

Peek-a-Boo!

1,2,3.... You can't find me!

"Ready or not, here I come!"

Donna, Jill and Laura's mom, was our music coach, choreographer, and knew how to throw great b-day parties and tell the best ghost stories!

Gate to the "Secret Garden" perhaps?


You girls are just incredible. It's always great to see you!

Emir is on a Roll!

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Emir has been busy putting the camera I bought him for an early (super early!) birthday present to good use. He shot my cousin's wedding in Miami with it. He took it to the polls to document Tuesday's election. On Halloween, he even took it downtown and shot images of party goers in their costumes!

Today, he took it with him to the office and shot this image of fellow designer, Ryan. Great job sweet thing!

"The Boom" + Abby= Married!

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He was the kid who ran around the house in He-Mann underoos. He could melt your heart with a single glance of those big brown eyes, and always did his best to keep the peace amidst two older sisters and a kid brother. And with a nickname like 'Boomer,' how could you not love the guy? :)

Yesterday, he (my brother) married his heart.... in the form of Abby. Although his birth certificate says 'Anton,' everyone knows him as 'Tony'... a name that I think fully embodies the enormous heart he's made of.

As his oldest sister, I was proud, and honored, to capture he and Abby's special day. These are some of my favorite shots so far... ;)

Anyone and everyone who knows Tony, could recognize his laugh in an instant. He laughs with his gut, with his heart.... with his big ol' 'Boomer' soul!

It was so fun to photograph the excitement of a wedding day where my own family was part of the action! Here's my mom making sure Tony's jacket is just right. :)

Abby's dress was out-of-this-world beautiful. The embroidery on the bodice was an intricate work of art!

Here she is, about to surprise Tony with her wedding day charm!

The day was filled with a cast of all kinds of characters. These two lovebirds are my amazingly fantastic parents. I love and appreciate them more than they will ever know... and regularly thank my lucky stars that I was graced to be born to such incredible people. I love you!

(ps: people always ask if I take formals.... and of course, the answer is yes! Here's proof. ;)

Abby assembled a good looking team for her ring-bearer and flower girl.... Miss Trinity and my lil' cousin Austin. They hit it off quite well!

I couldn't resist another shot of Austin....

Abby did an amazing job with all the wedding details. Fall weddings naturally lend themselves to a warm and vibrant color palette, which Abby orchestrated with perfection. This immaculate bouquet was drool worthy to say the least!

Here's Emir 2nd shooting with his new camera. He is lovin' it! :) (Does he make it look good, or what?)

What follows is a collection of some of my cute cousins who made an appearance yesterday.

*Note to family: I apologize in advance that I couldn't possibly post them all... so you guys will just have to log in and check em' all out to get the full scoop when they're ready for viewing!

This is my aunt Theresa with her granddaughter Alaina. (Theresa is the genius with needle and thread who made my beautiful wedding dress 2 years ago when Emir and I got married.)

Meet AJ. He's my cousin Jaime's youngest babe. Those blue eyes are the sweetest thing!

The weather was a dream come true... after all the rain we've had.... Tony and Abby's wedding day was heaven on earth!

Tony and his friends define the word 'loyalty.' I've always been impressed with the extent of their friendship and the way they respect and take care of each other. They are friends and 'brothers' in every sense of the word.

I love this photo!


Congratulations and much love to you both!

No...... Thank YOU! :)

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Shortly before Emir and I headed south to Miami, I was invited to visit the Lincoln East High School yearbook class to help the yearbook photographers with some challenges they were facing.

Natasha did a fantastic job of arranging everything, and I had a TON of fun demystifying the art/science of photography. Thanks for being such a great group! I hope I was able to help you guys tackle your photographic challenges! :)

Here's the sweet TQ card I found waiting for me when Emir and I got back from our trip. :)

They sent ME the thank you card, but really.... it was my pleasure. I am honored to have been invited to help! Thank YOU ladies!

Fun in the Sun!

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After my cousin's wedding, we spent 2 days playing in Miami. We spent day one (Sunday) bike riding through the city. We rented bikes in South Beach, and rode to downtown's Bayfront Park where we took a trapeze class (video coming soon!).

The cool thing about the bike rentals is, we planned the whole thing from my phone's Internet connection and Google text. It was a last minute idea that turned out to be a highlight of our trip (next to the trapeze class, of course.... :) Yay mobile Internet!

Trapeze class was the coolest thing! I'm preparing to get the video posted... stay tuned!

While walking around, it was common for the camera lenses to fog up from the humidity. I've had this happen to me a few times here at home, but it was a regular occurrence in Miami. Crazy!

Before heading to the beach on day two (Monday), we stopped for what we thought would be a cheap breakfast....

...until we ordered strawberry daiquiris ($20 a pop!). Holy cow!

It looks like I have a green leaf mustache in this photo.... a good reminder to always keep an eye on the background so silliness like this doesn't happen! (unless you want it to!)

Then, it was time to hit the water. We bought a special water-proof casing for our purse-cam so we could take it into the waves with us. So fun!

How awesome are those clouds? Miami has such an interesting weather pattern, it rains nearly every day.... even if only for 20 minutes or less. The sky is always dramatic! (Thank goodness for Weight Watchers! Ha ha!)

More food.... (this was a strong theme of our trip.... ;)

Party time at Mango's!

Jason + Jeannette : Emir's Cam

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Emir and I just got back from my cousin Jeannette's wedding in Miami. It was the first time in YEARS that I went to a wedding without a camera in my hand... Ha ha ha! So, to mark the occasion, I set Emir up with a camera of his own (early b-day present) and officially put him in charge of photography. Here are some of my favorite shots that he took....

Ok, ok..... so I know I gave the camera to Emir.... but I grabbed it to snag these two shots of my adorable cousins at the rehearsal dinner. Aren't they gorgeous?

Now... back to Emir. :) He was quick to remind me that the camera is indeed.... his. :)

My cousin Mickey's beautiful wife Michelle. I had the honor of attending their wedding in Puerto Rico when I was just 11. They are the proud parents of 3 of the most beautiful little boys you've ever seen.....

These are 2 of them....

Everything was beautiful!

The reception was held in the Havana Club. Amazing!

Officially off duty, I happily enjoyed some champagne... :) (Can you even recognize me without the camera in front of my face? Ha ha!)

On the 55th floor of the Wachovia building downtown, we were treated to spectacular views like this!

One of the (many) neat details of the reception, includes a cigar artist who was hand-rolling cigars per request. You can imagine the excitement..... Havana cigars!?

3 of the 5 gang-o-cousins. I am so proud to call them family! :)

We love you all!!!! (Great job on the photos love!!!)