{A} is for Awesome

I got the opportunity to visit my Best Friend from College over the weekend. We just don't get to see each other often enough. In fact, I haven't seen her since my wedding in April! This is unacceptable. We caught up over the weekend, while I captured as many moments on film that I could of this adorable mama and baby. This is just a fraction of the photos I took of her, this little ham and her baby raccoon, Bandit.

Florida Adventures: Tarpon Springs

Tarpon Springs is a place Jason and I have been wanting to visit since he moved to Florida, and we finally went on Sunday.  The thunderstorms chased us inside for a bit but didn't run us off.

We parked in the first lot we saw, which was $5 for parking all day, and it was adjacent to The Sponge Factory, which was probably the largest store in the area.

The Sponge Factory Entrance has a cute photo opportunity. Tarpon Springs, FL.

We couldn't resist visiting the Tarpon Springs Dive shop: Narcosis.  A 2-story shop that has a little bit of everything, including reversible camo wetsuits.

Narcosis Scuba, Tarpon Springs, FL. Their front yard is full of Large Conch Shells.

Sponges, sponges, SPONGES!  Tarpon Springs is well known for its Greek Culture and Sponge Divers, since the mid 1800s. 

The Sponge Factory has more than just sponges - they have collections of all sorts of undersea and oceanic related items.

The Sponge Factory. Tarpon Springs, FL.

Interested in going out on an boat excursion? There are tons of different ones, just walk along the street, and you'll see 10 different ones in a row.

As a Floridian, I've seen my share of tourist shops and kitsch.  There's a bit of kitsch overload, but Jason and I have trained eyes to spot the unique items.  They were somewhat rare here.

All along the street are docks, restaurants and shops.  Some boats are still used to harvest sponges on a regular basis.

Sponge Boat bagging up their harvest. Tarpon Springs, FL

We bought t-shirts in one store (which I can't remember the name) and they gave us free wool sponges for each t-shirt we purchased.  This is when I learned the difference between the sponges. Wool is the best for bath time, and the most durable of all.  It's the kind you can buy at a drugstore.  Finger sponges are the least durable, very brittle.  Grass/vase sponges are the prettiest - in my opinion.  There are more varieties, but these are the most common in the area.  They sell loofahs too, but those aren't really sponges - they are plants!  I've grown them myself.

Sponges: top to bottom 1. Grass or Vase Sponge  2. Wool Sponge  3. Finger Sponge

I'm pretty sure we passed 10-12 bakeries.  There wasn't one that I didn't want to stop and sample, but I resisted the temptation.

We did make a few purchases...

We stopped and decided to eat, after looking at 3 menus at 3 different locations.  The octopus lured us in here at Hella's Greek Restaurant.  I was set on having Lamb, and Jason was ready for Octopus.

Partially eaten Cold Platter at Hella's Restaurant, Tarpon Springs, FL

We ended up having both - shared a Cold plate that showcased pickled octopus and shrimp, tsatziki sauce, garlic potato mash, feta cheese and kalamata olives.  I'll admit, I tried the octopus and didn't spit it out, it was ok except for the one slimy area of it.  I imagined back to cleaning squid while we were fishing. YUCK.

Jason had the Lamb shank over spaghetti, which was falling off the bone and so flavorful, but not overwhelming.

I had to try the Gyro (Yee-row) but had to take off the tomato.  For some reason, I love tomatoes in salad, but not on sandwiches.  The pita and meat were probably the best I've ever tasted in a gyro.

Their bakery was nothing to sneeze at either, and reminded me of one you'd find in NYC.

We both left Hella's with 3 to-go boxes, full bellies, and big smiles.

Hella's Bakery, Tarpon Springs, FL

We decided to visit the Tarpon Springs Aquarium, which was operated by teenage volunteers.  The giant Alligator Snapping Turtle greeted us at the entrance.

We arrived near the end of feeding time, while the shark, tarpon, snook and cobia were all hassling the diver.

They also have a small collection of large snakes - some were "rescued" - former pets that escaped and ended up here.

The live coral tank was beautiful, and I snapped a lot of photos of this clown fish while he was fluttering through the anemone.

Last stop was the high point of my visit.  Petting and Feeding Stingrays!  Jason had to drag me away.

All in all, we enjoyed our visit to Tarpon Springs, and we agreed to take his kids when they are down from Kentucky.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

The winner of the Senior Photo Session Giveaway is...

Morgan Meadows!



Her Mom, Tammy, entered her for the giveaway- Tammy and I went to High School together - what a small world we live in.

Congratulations Tammy and Morgan! I'll be contacting you very soon to set up a date and time
for your photo session. Yay!

<3 Kerri

Fergie

If you've ever been to my house, you've been greeted by this bouncy ball of ears and fur.  She was a huge part of my life for 15 years, and Thursday, August 25 2011, we had to say goodbye. 

She had stopped eating, and barely drank any water.  She had a hard time getting around, and lost a ton of weight.  10lbs according to the vet.  I took her in on Wednesday, while they ran some bloodwork we discussed teeth cleaning, arthritis.  When the bloodwork came back, the doc layed it all out for me.  He said, if it was my dog, I'd spend the day hugging her neck, and bring her back tomorrow for euthanasia.  Although I knew she wasn't in good shape, it hit me so hard, I could barely breathe.

We came home, and I tried my best to spoil her.  She wanted to nap, so she got to snooze with me on our big bean bag.  I stayed home with her all day, helping her go outside, trying to make her last day easy.  She got her favorite treat - potato chips.  Ahh, the life of a dog.

The next morning was tough.  Jason and I took Fergie at 8am, and I could tell she didn't have the life in her that she used to. Maybe she knew.  All I wanted to do was end her pain.

The outpour of prayers, kind words, and some anecdotes have showered me with the support of my family and friends.  And those of you who knew her, knew that she was my sweet girl, my baby, my little bear, my Fergie.  I'll see you again someday, sweet baby girl. I love you.

In my parent's garden

Poster dog for Accolade Chem-Dry

August 25 at 7am

Basket of flowers from Jessie, Morlyn and Abby - referencing her zipper eating! :)

Card made by Mia Ernst

In my parent's back yard - she was maybe 2 or 3 years old.

In front of Lake Mirror Tower, Fergie and my first place together.

By Tim O'Brien

2009, when Fergie and Jason first met.

The "queen" didn't really like the new Kitten, Sparrow.

Photo Editing - Before and After

Contrary to popular belief, photography is more than point and shoot.

90% of the time, a professional photographer should be able to compose & expose at the exact settings necessary to produce the killer shot. But that 10% (or more) is the part that will drive us CRAZY. Thus, the editing process (or post-production) is an equally important step in the photography session. Good photos can come Straight out of Camera (SOOC) - but killer, amazing photos have spent some time in post-production.

The sheer amount of options - levels, curves - plus the infinite amount of subtle pixel modification - healing, covering up - make for some long hours in the editing room. So, don't discount the hours spent in front of a computer, or how far better your final photos are, even if you never saw the originals. (We don't really like showing those off.)

This is a pretty good example of what can happen in that 10% - shadows where I didn't want them, tan lines, and what happened to the life in her eyes? 30 minutes to 1 hour later, I got a decent photo. Spent a little more time, and there's the killer image.

Photo Session Giveaway - Senior Photo Session

The end of summer is coming, and school is starting, cooler weather is (hopefully) on its way.  Time to get senior portraits made!  What will you want to mark the memory of your senior year, more than some killer photos of you?  These aren't your parent's senior pictures.  They focus on you- your personality, you interests/hobbies, extra curricular activities, or any fun ideas you might come up with.  All will be professional quality pictures you and your family will want to show off.

The Session Includes:
2 hour session - up to 5 wardrobe changes - on location in Lakeland or surrounding areas - Session includes 200+ photos taken, 12-18 hours of post-production editing, and 30-40 final images.
Included: CD of web-resolution, copyrighted images.  Prints may be purchased for an additional charge.

A $250 Value!


To enter:
- You must be (or be a parent/grandparent of ) a High School student entering your senior year.
- You must FOLLOW the blog
- You must leave a comment on the blog, stating why you'd like some FREE senior photos made, and your e-mail address.
- You must live within Polk County.

The winner will be chosen in 2 weeks (August 27, 2011) through Random.org, and announced on this blog and on the facebook page.