this summer has literally flown by… with gorgeous weddings and portrait shoots and even some precious vacation time snuck in there, I can’t believe it is already August.  I just returned from a glorious week of fun with the family at a house in Pender Harbour.  not just any house, but a huge house, set on a cliff on the ocean with stunning views and spectacular sunsets.  we rented it with a few other families and together we all enjoyed long days of coffee on the deck, day trips to the beach, kayaking in the afternoon, huge feasts for dinner and then evenings spent leisurely watching the amazing meteor showers in the night sky.  it was a week to remember, for sure.  I wish I could share all of the beautiful photos from our week, but this one in particular caught my eye when I was uploading last night.

we were coming back from the beach on our way to the rope swing, which was about 5 mins. from the house.  I’m having a blast driving my friend’s convertible (I know, poor me!) and my daughter Maddi and her friend Asha are in the back seat complaining because they are in their bathing suits and the wind is too cold.  we quickly pull over and thrown them a few towels and a sweater from the trunk to put an end to the whining.  the rest of the drive, I keep looking at Maddi in the rear view mirror to make sure she’s okay.  she has this old brown sweater pulled up tight and her hair is blowing like a banshee all over the place and I can’t help but notice how unbelievably beautiful she is.  first thing I did when we stopped at the rope swing was take her photo to capture the moment.

and then it was gone.

I hope you’re enjoying your summer as much as I am.

last Saturday, I had the pleasure of photographing 180 little girls (and one boy!), ages 2 through 7 dancing their hearts out on stage at Capilano University Performance Arts Theatre.  my good friend and client, Alix Dunham of Pink Petal Ballet has been dancing her whole life and teaching kids to love dance for the past 17 years.  to see her work her magic with these adorable kids at Pink Petal Ballet’s year end performance is a joy to be shared…

the combination of all of those sweet faces in their adorable costumes made me take waaaaaaayyy too many photos!  as a result, I couldn’t resist creating a very special slideshow from a bunch of my favourites.

simply click on this link below and get ready to smile (don’t forget to turn up your speakers!)…..

Pink Petal Ballet Slideshow

enjoy!

Lori

when I was a kid, I loved a good road trip.  getting in the car and driving, the road in front of you and no particular place to be… now that I HAVE a kid, I love a road trip even more!  what a great way to get away and have fun and explore.  my daughter and I took off for 10 days over Spring Break and flew into San Francisco.  what a gorgeous city!  so much to see and do… our plan was to spend a few days doing the tourist thing and then rent a car and drive south on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway and see where it took us.  but first, San Fran!

between shopping and sightseeing and sleeping and eating, we rode the cable cars and even visited Alcatraz.  we soaked up the feel of the city on the streets of San Francisco.  although I have to say, Haight Ashbury was quite a trip… in more ways than one!

stopping to stock up on tunes for the road trip portion was also a must… and what do you know?  we just happened to find a great music store in the neighbourhood.

stay tuned for the second, and more scenic part of the trip!  so many photos, way too many to choose from…