GATORADE, RAISINS, AND DONUTS . . .

When you're a 2nd grade soccer player, you are focused. You arrive at the game early to scope out the audience, making sure the designated parent with the bag is there. You determine where you should stand to be closest when the whistle blows at half time. And you play hard with one goal in mind -- the treats! (The tunnel at the end runs a close second, though!)

We cheered for our nephew, Troy, this weekend as he played his soccer game like a varsity player and scored two goals for his team! We were impressed to see his talent, and can't wait to watch his progress through the years. Go Troy!

A DAY AT THE BEACH . . .

Annie's pictures are anything but "typical"... She walked in Lake Michigan (even with her jeans), sat on her own personal lifeguard chair, posed in the middle of the street on her bike, and stood in the doorway of the historic blockhouse in Muskegon State Park. Because she spent all of her summers there, Annie felt right at home by the shore and in the water!

Even though the sky was a little overcast, it made her black and white pictures high-contrast and highlighted her features. One of our favorite pictures from the shoot shows the one and only sailboat on the lake in the background - perfect timing!

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN . . .

Can you tell it's soccer season?!?

Yes, once again, it was time for our annual trip to see our friends at the med station. They broke out the coffee and donuts when they saw us coming (not really). Don't worry --Nick's fine; just a "contusion."

You can see how alarmed we were--taking pictures to tell the story instead of sitting beside him in his time of need... I guess we're willing to give up the "Parent of the Year" award in order to get the shot!

NEAR MISS . . .

They waited patiently in the parking lot, assuming we were held up by traffic. We waited patiently in the same parking lot, assuming we told them the wrong time. They tried to call, but didn't have our cell phone number. We tried to call, but only had their home phone number. Finally, we decided to take another look around. When we moved around the cars on the end--we saw them!

Even after waiting so long for us, Al and his mom were extremely gracious and willing to hurry! We jumped in the car and headed for downtown as fast as we could (racing against the setting sun...) Al brought colorful clothes which made his pictures really fun and bright! We totally loved his unique belt and made sure it showed in his pictures.

FEELINGS . . .

They looked very hesitant as they surveyed the broken brick and cracked windows... We quickly reassured Dave and his family that this was one of THE coolest spots in GR! After all, artists--REAL artists--have studios throughout the two buildings (and we use the term "buildings" loosely). There must be something inspirational there, right?

Thankfully, Dave was willing to go with it, and Jerry had the time of his life shooting the backgrounds he loves. We even got inside the warehouse and found an old, red freight door to complement Dave's varsity soccer uniform. Everyone was having fun finding new locations, but when Jerry thought he should climb onto a low roof to get a "cool perspective," I had a bad feeling. Dave's dad (a counselor) quietly reminded me that, "We shouldn't always trust our feelings..."