Friends, co-workers, clients and all around wonderful people Jen and Steve took their vows yesterday with around 400 friends and family members as witnesses. Drew and I had a great time meeting everyone in attendance and soaking up the energy and warmth of the day. It was a gorgeous 70 some degrees, providing a perfect backdrop for the stunning Jen to walk down the aisle where Steve anxiously waited.

The party went well into the night with Steve’s Dad’s band playing the night away, an amazing group of dancers ripping up the floor, vocal stylings of both Steve’s Grandfather and his sister Michele who sang an incredible rendition of Alicia Key’s If I Ain’t Got You. The entire day was filled with special moments like Steve sending the best man in to the bride’s dressing quarters for a champagne toast before the ceremony to thoughtful mementos of loved ones who attended the day in spirit.

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I think my family is pretty special. I’m not sure that we’re particularly unique in that we’re closely knit, share songs over camps fires and participate in family reunions, one of which is called GABYCO, (which stands for Great American Backyard Camp Out) but I know I’m lucky to have them!

I was home in Pennsylvania with my parents at the house I was raised in. I was home visiting my grand parents in the house they raised my father and his two sisters. I was home sleeping on my Aunt’s couch in the only house I’ve ever known her to live in - where she taught my brother to make pancakes and let me do my laundry during college. I was home in Jamison PA with my mothers enormous extended family during the memorial for Uncle Pete in the house my mothers cousins had all been raised in with views of other Knowles family homes just across the lawn.

And it was a beautiful moment when my Grandfather held his great grand child, my brother’s son, Kyle Christian for the first time. I was lucky to be at home with my family for this amazing occasion and capture these images that I hope convey the beauty of generations.

I met up with Michelle and Tom when I was back east and I’m just now getting a chance to start editing. This was one of the first few frames we shot together and I think its worthy of sharing. It’s totally indicative of all the awesome moments they created for me to capture.

It does not however hint at how hilarious taking pictures of these two was…. I think I might have a handful of outtake photos to share! We all laughed and had a great time. They were so sweet together and its clear how much they love being together. I would want nothing less for my friend of over a decade and it makes me so happy to see you two tying the knot next summer! Congrats Mishie I love you!

Well the DNC is running full force here in Denver. In fact I guess its just about over. When I got home on Sunday we spent some time on the Banjo Billy Bus touring the madness. Naturally I brought my camera along for the ride to document the insanity.

This first sign that things were definitely a little bit different than normal was this guy.

He was riding a bike on the far side of Denver where few DNC events were occurring wearing a bunny suit. When asked where he was going he responded “To the Freedom Dance Off!!” then smiled for his photo to be taken.

Moving closer to the madness the traffic became heavier and I got my first glimpse of the fully decked out officers ready for an all out attack on the city.

I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that our soldiers in Iraq don’t have this much armor.

The streets were swarming with protesters on pretty much every block.

And then there was this group.

They could be seen all over the city wearing orange and black bandanas around their necks. Initially it wasn’t clear exactly what they were united against or for, until later in the day when they were responsible for screwing up traffic all across the city as they “took back the streets”. I have more images of their confrontation with the police which I’ll post at another time alongside some sort of rant.

Even the kids were out sharing their feelings about the DNC. A whole mess of them were protesting abortion in front of the Colorado Convention Center. They were seriously around the age of 13. I guess 13 year olds have beliefs too…

On every corner someone was selling something. I even saw Barack Obama bottled water!

And then there is the next image. You have to click if you want to see it, but please note that it is likely a disturbing image for most people.

Click here for the pro-life agenda’s shock tactics

The city has been inundated with billboard trucks driving the streets carrying these images and Pro-Life messages. I’m Pro-Choice all the way and while I find the image to be pretty brutal (it’s a dead baby if you didn’t look) it in no way sways my personal opinion. In fact I was pretty stoked when one of these trucks miscalculated the distance between its billboard and the Banjo Billy Bus metal roof and managed to cut a giant line through the middle of the sign.

More images of the madness soon….

Between the lush green canopy overhanging every road here in Doylestown, to the vast array of critters taking residence at my parents home I’ve been exposed to a pretty hefty representation of the animal kingdom during my travels. For a city girl it was all quite fascinating. My parents have 4 dogs and 3 cats and their yard is a delightful suburban oasis complete with a pond, a willow tree and some type of outdoor fireplace I have no proper name for. The dogs are sweet and cuddly bundles of energy always anxious for attention. The cats are a mix of stoic independence and mewing snuggle machines. The array of animals both satiated and exacerbated my desire to see my own dog Ozzy.

I was most enchanted by the much smaller creatures I found living in the yard. Some Cicada shells were left on the tree in the front yard. I’m both fascinated and horrified by these insects, just as I was in my childhood. Another treat was seeing about a dozen cocoons in the tree next to the front door. I’d never had know they were there if I hadn’t seen their motion out of the corner of my eye. Upon further inspection I noticed that the camouflaged homes had little heads poking out of them and they appeared to be munching away on the surrounding evergreen sprigs. It was so intriguing that I had to take some photos after which I was compelled to document the vast array of wild beings I came across in PA. And now i post them here for you!

The Jack Attack!

Ms. Sophie - elegant but cuddly!

Sammy has gorgeous eyes which will pierce your soul, cause she’s kind of creepy and antisocial.

Dudley is the biggest golden retriever I’ve ever seen but it doesn’t discourage him from climbing into laps!

Abbey is the oldest of my parents goldens and rightfully so she acts a little bit entitled by demanding belly rub from everyone she meets. I think she’s laughing at me…

The Queen!

Cody is my mom’s beautiful pure bred man who likes to “swim” in their 3 foot wide 16 inch deep pond…

Izzy is a fulltime outdoorsman and I think my father is about the only one who gets to ever pick him up.

Kona is actually my brothers dog, he’s new and freaking adorable.

This is Pearl, also my brothers dog. She will be the ring bearer in his upcoming wedding!!!

A couple of other wild animals… we make our parents so proud!

A wild animal mug my brother picked especially for my coffee the other night

Above and below, my tree dwelling friends!

So it’s not a critter at all, but I love food in the Philadelphia area. Pizza is somehow different there and scicilian is my very favorite.

I had a wonderful time in South Boston this weekend at Paul & Sue’s wedding. Their family and guests were gracious and kind. The ceremony was held in a gorgeous church and graced by a beautiful rainbow at the conclusion. And everyone in attendance knew how to party! Here are a handful of shots I saw during my backups.

Oh! Somehow I forgot to mention the guest appearance by Jackson 5!!!

They had people tearing up the dance floor as you can see from these 2 photos!

Paul also had everyone on their feet….

Rock and Roll!

If you take a good look at this photo you’ll notice that I couldn’t help myself during Meatloaf’s “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” and I did some floor surfing for this shot. The bride and one of the usher’s were reciting every word into the microphone completely unaware of my snake like actions. IT seemed only one person caught on in the top left corner of this shot

Check out their slideshow here for more photos!

I’m currently traveling the east coast for little bit of business and a pilgrimage home to see my family and friends in Bucks County Pennsylvania. Before leaving town I had a myriad of weddings, theater shoots and loose ends to tie up so I’ve been MIA from the blog for a while. I had a wedding on Saturday that I’ll post photos of soon, but here are a few shots from New Hope PA where I had dinner on the water front with my parents this evening!

I’ve had the distinct pleasure of meeting some adorable kids lately and the added bonus is that we got to do a photo session too! Meet 2 more sweethearts. A young man who has captivating eyes and a caring nature exhibited by his interactions with his younger sister - who initially was a little shy in front of the camera. Take a look at the great time we had swinging, climbing, running and playing with their favorite toys!

Caught up with this little charmer recently. Quite the Casanova and well on his way to a modeling career if you ask me!

More to come….

I’ve gushed about this great couple before. Now its time to share some photos!

I love these two very genuine moments when Gavin’s parents hugged Corrie after the blessing, welcoming her into their family.

I love the way this couple looks at one another!! They ooooze love when they’re together.

And the beautiful Corrie, looking stunning!

Click here to see a slideshow of more images!