Almost the end of a GREAT year... a little about me and my family!

So I am currently in Sarasota, FL... came down to spend some time with my parents who live here and had the chance today to see my two nieces, Jamie and Jenna So... OF COURSE I ran out the day before and bought the kids some clothes just to get a few great shots. So here are my kiddos, Dylan, 9 and Christina, 7 with their cousins. They are getting big SO FAST and I just cannot stand it. Below you will see an image from today... This has been such a wonderful and exciting year in SO MANY ways.
I got to take some amazing trips this year and spend lots of time out there in different places with my family.... Brazil, Washington DC, Mexico, Nashville, Florida ... I LOVE to travel. We are considering a trip in 2010 to Greece ... I really hope it works out. I hear Greece is amazing and I have never been there... so that would be awesome. Anyone with any tips.... I'd LOVE to hear them!
The studio got really crazy with the Xmas rush but it was so much fun going to people's homes to photograph their families. Some of them with as many as 20 family members. I LOVE photographing in peoples homes.... it's personal and ads a touch to an image that I could never offer in a studio setting.... it does present challenges too but I love that... keeps things different.
I will be coming home in a few days but heading out a few days later to Nashville again, where I will be for a week. Imaging USA should be a great time and learning experience. I will also be taking my CPP exam there :-)
January also happens to be my birth month... I'll be 35. Scary.... 35... doesn't round down to 30 anymore.... it rounds up to.... ____ well..... moving on to bigger and better things.....!
Thank you to all for your love, friendship and business. It has been the BEST YEAR EVER and I know that 2010 will be even better!
I also want to take a moment to thank all the girls at the studio... without them, Studio M would not be what it is!
Happy New Year Soon! YAHOO!!!!!

EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION!!!

As many of you already know, I worked for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition this summer in Erie! Working for the show was such an honor and was a blast! The show I worked on airs TOMORROW, Dec 13th, 2009 @ 8pm on ABC and is a 2 hour special! It's going to be so much fun to watch since I was there and know the story. Here is an image someone gave me of myself, my assistant Michele and Ty Pennington. Ty is a hoot, a fun person and is no different in real life then he is on TV. Can't wait to watch! Tune in if you get a chance! I haven't been able to share anything about the show since it had not aired yet and that was tough! Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

CONTEST WINNERS & RESULTS

Words cannot express how elated we all were at the Studio with the results of the Oh Bebe Mio contest! We really wanted to contribute to St Jude's this year and had set a goal to raise $5000 ... the results however were even better!

We are ecstatic to announce that together we have raised $6357 for St Jude's Childrens Hospital in TN. Many babies, children and families will benefit from our efforts.

THANK YOU so much for your time and your generosity. All these babies are beautiful and we had a fantastic time photographing, editing and preparing for this event. Although the fundraiser took weeks of preparation and many hours of hard work between designing, advertising, website building and then the event itself we feel it was WELL worth our time and efforts.

God Bless all of you! Enjoy your families this holiday season and feel great in knowing you helped the lives of children who really needed it.

Sincerely,
Maria, Megan, Renee, Susan, Danielle & Janet

BABY WINNERS

Elisabeth

Dominic

Last day to Vote!!!!

Hello everyone!!! Thank you for making this contest such a success!!! Today is the LAST day to vote!!! Voting ends at Midnight!! Wanted to give everyone a quick update on the current winners!!!

Boys
1) Tommy M
2) Dominic D
3) Aaden K
4) Joshua L
5) Conner S

Girls
1) Malana W
2) Elisabeth T
3) Lia V
4) Amelianna T
5) Jordyn H

Thank you for supporting St. Judes!!!

Monday Update!

Hello Everyone! Wanted to give a quick update on the Oh Bebe Mio Contest!

The current winners are:

Boys
1) Dominic D.
2) Aaden K.
3) Tommy M.
4) Joshua L.
5) Conner S.

Girls
1) Malana W.
2) Elisabeth T.
3) Lia V.
4) Amelianna T.
5) Jordyn H.

The votes are really close!!! Remember voting ends tomorrow at midnight!!! Thanks for voting and supporting St. Jude's!!!

On Yahoo this morning

Here is a story that I came accross on YAHOO this morning... it is so sad to think that there are children out there suffering this much... let alone the families. THANK YOU to all who have been donating to this WONDERFUL cause!!!

Thanks and Giving campaign Meet Alejandro

Contest Update - SAT 10pm

The contest is going GREAT!!!! It's so wonderful to see votes coming in from ALL OVER the country!!! Here are the current winners.... it is INCREDIBLE how close these babies scores are! Both the boys and the girls! Happy Voting everyone! THANK YOU for your generosity! We are SO EXCITED to send a check to St Judes Childrens Hospital! It feels WONDERFUL to help such a great organization!

Girls...

1) Elisabeth

2) Malana

3) Lia

4) Charlie

5) Amelianna

Boys...

1) Joshua L

2)Aaden K

3) Dominic D

4) Conner S

5) Tommy M

Hey Everyone!!!

A quick update on the contest!!!

Girls
1) Elisabeth T
2) Lia V
3) Charley M
4) Jordyn H.
5) Amelianna T

Boys
1) Conner S
2) Aaden K
3) Dominic D
4) Joshua L
5) Tommy M

Have a great weekend! Remember to tell your friends about the contest and help us raise money for St. Jude's!!!

Friday Update!!!

Hope everyone had a GREAT Thanksgiving!!! Thank you for voting and raising money for St. Jude's!!!

Our Current Winners are:

Girls
1) Elisabeth T.
2) Lia V.
3) Charley M.
4) Amelianna T.
5) Malana W.

Boys
1) Aaden K.
2) Conner S.
3) Dominic D.
4) Tommy M.
5) Jace C.


More updates to come!!!

UPDATE!!!!!!!! (and Thank you!)

The support for this has been overwealming! I am so excited every few hours when I see more votes! Here are the current winning babies! The votes are SO CLOSE! Hope you guys all had a GREAT day and pleanty to eat :) Happy Thanksgiving again!
Maria

KEEP VOTING! E-MAIL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY FOR SUPPORT! MORE UPDATES TOMORROW!

GIRLS:
1) Elisabeth S
2)Lia V
3) Amelianna T
4) Malana W
5) Charlie M

BOYS:
1) Aadan K
2) Conner S
3) Dominic D
4) Tommy M
5) Jace C

A PERSONAL NOTE & MORE

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

I want to start by saying that this year has been such an amazing whirlwind. I have SO MUCH to be thankful for... Many of you know that I am not a natural born American, although I have been a citizen for a few years now... I was born and raised in Brazil. Thanksgiving does not exist there of course and I never really knew what a pilgrim was until much later than most :-) BUT none the less, it is my FAVORITE holiday ever! It trumps birthdays, Easter and even Christmas. I LOVE the idea of family, food and existing together... something that these days is so hard to come across. Its non-commercial, there is no stress of gifts... it's just a day to exist, eat and love each other. SO.... I am now in Florida now... flew down this morning and I am staying at my little sisters house. She has an adorable house in Sarasota, FL and her and her husband are having us for a few days. My children are having an awesome time between their aunt and uncle and my parents who also live down here now. They are currently in SPOILED zone. :-)

So what am I most thankful for? Well, I have so much I am thankful for ... I could not possibly list everything, so I think this year, I will share what I am MOST thankful for other than my children and their health. This year, I am more than anything, most thankful for my husband. Now... considering my husband is not much of an internet person unless he is searching for something... he will probably not read this blog posting unless someone says to him, "Hey! Did you read what Maria wrote about you?" I am not writing this for him to read, rather I am writing this just to share. Like all couples that have been married for more than 5 minutes, my husband Sean and I have had our moments. It has been 13 wonderful years but it has not always been a bed of roses. The stress of daily life and children can at times be overwelming and I know that you are now, at this very moment nodding your head in agreement.....right? BUT, here is why I am most thankful for my husband this year. My husband has, this year more than ever, become my best friend, my psycologist, my rock. He is always so quick to help me at the drop of a hat, he makes me THE BEST iced non-fat lattes in the morning (he has is down to a science) and he is always concerned about me. He often shows up at the studio with lunch for me (even though I never ask) but most of all, he is so kind and loving towards me. Every morning when I am leaving the house, he tells me how beautiful I look (I trained him REALLY well!!!) and coming home he always eager to hear about my day. I LOVE to share with him about my babies, my families and seniors etc... I often go on and on about what I did and images I created. Some people may think that this is just my "job" BUT it's not. My camera is like an organ to me. I need it for survival. It is who I am, not just what I do. I love to create... and there are certain images that move me so much. We talk about them... we share ... and it's awesome. So this year, I am most thankful for my husband. He provides me with a huge source of strength and confidence. I could not do what I do without him... he is an honorable man, a great husband and an amazing father.

This past week as many of you know... I spent 3 days photographing babies for our baby contest... I was SO MUCH FUN and exausting too!!! They were all so cute! ALL the proceeds from the votes will be going to St Judes Childrens Hospital for children with Cancer. Now, I don't know about you guys BUT Canvcer has taken SO MANY loved ones from me, both young and old. I have lost many friends to this awful disease and it angers me. So... I came with the idea to do this contest to help St Judes. I love how St Judes helps ALL children, including those that cannot pay for their care. NO CHILD, NO FAMILY should have to go through this .... let alone have to worry about money! So PLEASE.... vote on your favorite baby and donate money to a GREAT cause! It's only a dollar a vote.... so vote as many times as you can afford. We are NOT keeping any of this money at all.... and we are super excited to see the results of the contest. So far, it's doing AMAZING. Both baby winners (one boy and one girl) will get $500 gift certificates and a $100 savings bond too! Here are the current numbers....

Wednesday night at 8:55pm.....

GIRLS:
1) Elisabeth
2) Lia (Elisabeth and Lia are SUPER CLOSE!!!)
3) Amelianna

BOYS:
1) Aaden
2) Dominic
3) Dante D
(ALL three very close as well!)

Contest Update!!!

THANK YOU to everyone who is voting!!! The contest is going great so far!!!

Our current winners are:

Girls
1) Elisabeth T.
2) Lia V.
3) Amelianna T.

Boys
1) Dominic D.
2) Joshua L.
3) Jace C.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Contest Update!!!

Wow! The contest is really close!!!!

The current winners are:

Girls
1) Elisabeth T.
2) Lia V.
3) Amelianna T.

Boys
1) Dominic D.
2) Jace C.
3) Dante D.

Thank you to everyone who is voting and helping St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital!!!

The Contest Has Begun!!!

Our Oh Bebe Mio contest is off to an AWESOME start! Thank you to everyone who has voted so far!!! Remember voting ends Midnight, December 1st!

Our current winners are:



Help those who are less fortunate this Thanksgiving season! All money raised will be donated to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital! Voting only costs $1 and it is a fun way to help those in need!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Oh Bebe Mio!

As many of you already know, the past three days we have been working with babies! We started shooting for our Oh Bebe Mio Contest on Thursday and finished today.... SO MUCH FUN! These babies were BEAUTIFUL! As you know, this is our big fundraiser this year! Images go up for voting on Tuesday at 7pm! Please vote for your favorite baby as many times as you wish.... it is $1 a vote and ALL money goes to St Judes Childrens Hospital! There will be two baby winners.... a boy and a girl.... each baby will recieve a $500 gift certificate to the studio and a $100 savings bond...and last but not least... THANK YOU to all who came out the last three days! Of all people, I KNOW how crazy life is and how time is precious.... so thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with your cutie and for helping out in a GREAT cause. We should all be extremely grateful for our healthy children and willing to help those who are not as fortunate.
Here is a little preview! These are only a handful of images there are SO MANY more! I just wanted to give a sneak preview and we quickly picked some random images! I am going home now to enjoy MY babies.... and even though they are no longer "babies" - they will be my babies forever. Grin :-)
Maria

Senior Tryouts ... more!

Here are some more images from our senior tryouts! It's going to be SO HARD to pick! Thanks to all the 2011 that came! We will be contacting you soon!

2011 Senior Model Tryouts!

Today we held the first day of senior model tryouts! It was a lot of fun! Here are a few of the 2011 seniors who entered for try-outs! More to come...

Elena & Gary

Beautiful wedding on a somewhat cold October day! Had a GREAT time at this wedding on Saturday! Have fun on your honeymoon Elena and Gary! See you soon!

Our trip to Cancun, MEXICO

Just came back from Mexico a few days ago! The weather was fantastic and we had a GREAT time! Here is the view from our room during the day!

Here is an image of Dylan (my son) and my husband Sean .... BEAUTIFUL day!

Here is the view I saw when I woke up in the morning.... looking out the window alone put a HUGE smile on my face!
The arrival in Cancun was not as pleasant as my view. Delta airlines REALLY needs to rethink their bagage people/ machinery and the REALLY REALLY need to rethink their customer service. After 5 days and 1,000 phone calls from me they finally did give me a new piece of luggage...... I dealt with the issue by placing a LOT of phone calls and drinking many margaritas, mimosas and of course Mexican Water... CORONA! lol

Swimming with the dolphins was AMAZING. I hardly ever see my husband laugh this hard..... here he was being pushed by two dolphins..... they swim up behind you and push you by your feet...amazing!
Christinas was in LOVE..... wanted to bring "silver" home with her..... and put it WHERE I said?
It really is a LOT of fun..... here they are pulling me.
Kisses are always nice too :-) We all had a GREAT time.
Here is Dylan and Christina before dinner one night. The weather was warm and the view was fantastic no matter where you were at the resort. GORGEOUS.
OK. This falls under the category of I LOVE MY SON. I am deathly scared of this kind of stuff but guess what... I went with Dylan and I did not break his hand.....although I did sqeeze it VERY hard! He told me it was "ok" and he was right. My little baby boy is becoming such a BEAUTIFUL kind hearted little man.... he is so wonderful :-)
Anyone who knows me know s I LOVE Forrest Gump. The moview is awesome! Here we are at the Bubba Gump Shrimp company. I bought a Tshirt :-)
Gotta love days ike this!
Took a day trip .... drove around in this awesome little thing and went snorkling. This was probably my favorite day of all. Just the four of us, the ocean and a gorgeous day. We all got VERY tanned too!

Snorkling was AMAZING. There are so many different and wonderful creatures in the world. Seeing this in real life is such an opportunity and a gift. Life does not get any better than this. I cherished every minute with my family and every beer that came my way throughout the day :-)
On the boat...
Underwater with a cheap little water camera :-)
At the water park....
Christina with her non alcoholic strawberry daquiri :-)
Thought I'd share. It's been an amazing year at the studio filled with awesome moments. We have SO MUCH in store for the end of the year AND we are remodeling the entrance of the studio... it's going to be BEAUTIFUL!!!

Have a great day everyone and STAY WARM :-)

Maria

Alyssa & Rob

Alyssa & Rob, I had such a WONDERFUL time at you wedding. You are blessed with your love but also graced with such a wonderful family to support you. Thank you for letting me be the one to capture one of the most important days of your life! I am honored!

Can't wait to see you two again! Have a GREAT time on your honeymoon!

Maria

It's been crazy around here!

PLEASE forgive us for falling off the face of the earth! Things at the studio have been wonderfully & insanelly busy! We are still shooting at least 8 or so seniors a week, our newborn and bebe collection babies are steadily coming in and it has made for a wonderful few weeks around here! I actually got an e-mail from a client (and good friend :-) telling me that our BLOG has been "dead" for too long..... so sorry! Sometimes it's hard to keep up with everything! So......below you will see some of the reecent bellies and babies I have photographed... we will update some seniors soon too! The girls and I just came back from Chicago from an AWESOME photographic convention where we met some other amazing photographers and saw the newest products and things out there.... so.... brace yourself! There is a LOT of new things coming in 2010! We are updating so much around here that it makes even my head spin! Yesterday Megan talked to me for like 20 min and NOTHING registered..... haha.... it was actually funny. (Although I am not sure she appreciated repeating everything to me!) STAY TUNNED to the clipper magazine, our fall newsletter that is coming oh so soon and also for our ad in the expectant mothers guide. Lots of GREAT offers coming up! Anyhow, ALL is wonderful in our neck of the woods. It's always fun around here.... the babies, the cute little kiddos and their siblings and the seniors that we shoot are awesome.... love those.... they're like mini modeling sessions! Its been a VERY EXCITING year! Well....gotta go! Got a BEAUTIFUL Wedding to go to today! Smiles to all and have a GREAT weekend!!!
Maria

ELIZABETH

Meet my niece, ELIZABETH. Elizabeth is a 2010 Senior soon to graduate from Altoona High School. I had the pleasure of shooting her this weekend... it's hard to believe that back in 1996 she was my ever so adorable flower girl. Time really does fly by... photographing Elizabeth was a lot of fun ... I am so excited for her and I cannot WAIT to see what the future brings!
Love you Liz!
Aunt Maria

Maddux & Levi

Meet these adorable newborn baby boys! They are identical twins! It's going to be a LOT of fun to watch these two grow!
Meet Maddux and Levi

Christina & Malkin

Meet MY baby girl Christina (who just turned 7!) and our puppy Malkin! Today I was able to find the time in my crazy schedule to photograph them together!
People always say to me... "Wow Maria, how WONDERFUL that you have this gift and talent ... you must capture beautiful images of your children!" - I ALWAYS want to laugh histerically when I hear this..... OK YES, I have stunning images of both my son and daughter but let me just tell you.... It is NEVER easy. This adorable angelic looking little girl was anything but! Every year I look forward to and yet dread this day and If I do not schedule it in... it never happens! Anyhow.... here is Christina and Malkin! Check out the show below too!

Melissa & John tie the knot!

Lauren & Russ tie the knot!

Beautiful wedding! Congrats to Lauren & Russ!

Peyton turns ONE!

Its always hard to believe when one of our babies turn one! We started photographing Peyton when she was still in her momies belly.... then we got her newborn, four month, 8 month and now 1 year. It's been amazing to watch her grow. Here are some of Peyton's 1st year images! Congrats Kristen and Jude, you guys are raising a beautiful angel!
Maria

Baby CARSON

Meet Baby Carson. This peanut was a hoot to photograph. Carson is blessed with two super nice and beautiful parents that were not only fun to work with but had a lot patience and were willing to work hard for their memories... and believe me when I tell you, they have WONDERFUL memories from Carson's newborn session. In fact, prom night (16 years or so from now) may be PAINFUL for Carson if his mom & dad bring out these stories! Here is an image Baby Carson gave us that he probably won't want to share years down the road but that I know will be a topic of conversation of years to come!!! Thanks Carson for your cooperation last week, you gave us all a GREAT laugh! You are a beautiful baby boy!



Now here is his show.... Looking forward to seeing you again soon Carson!

Katrina & Shawn tie the knot!

Gorgeous wedding, beautiful hot day... congrats! Can't wait to see you guys again! Have a GREAT time on your honeymoon!

Cocoa & Mia

Our Dog Gone Days of summer went GREAT! We had the cutest pups EVER! Check out Cocoa and Mia.....
Our July 12th date is sold out.... we did add a date on August 23rd... appts go VERY fast! Please call if interested!

Ashley & Chad tie the knot!

Ashley and Chad got married Saturday.... It could not have been more perfect. The sun was out, the sky was blue and everyone had a GREAT time! Congratulations! Looking forward to seeing you guys again soon! Have a GREAT time on your honeymoon!

MALKIN

Meet Malkin.... yep that's his name for sure. My son Dylan came up with that name since he is a huge Pens fan.... it's also very appropriate since we just won :)

Our family is growing....

On a personal note our family has grown and NO I am not pregnant :-)

Yesterday, after almost two weeks of waiting... our GREAT DANE puppy came from Texas. He arrived in Pittsburgh in his little crate and is SO adorable! Our kids had NO IDEA and thought we were going to the airport to pick up a friend. I had already named this pup MALIK but after my son saw him yesterday he said we should name him MALKIN, especially since the Pens just won! Anyhow, we will discuss his final name today but here is our Studio M mascot.... his name will have an "M" non the less. Meet our new GREAT DANE puppy which we will not be able to pick up and carry around much longer. He is full of love and energy! I have personally wanted a great dae for a long time and I love them.... the are the most gentle dogs ever. The breeder I purchased him from is AWESOME and could not have been more wonderful to work with! Our pup should grow quickly... and weigh between 170-180lbs when he is full grown!!! I have included some snapshots I took of my children with him but will take some really great portraits of him and post them soon :-)
Below is my breeders info if you have any interest....
CONNIE QUEEN
903-476-0341
903-267-1128
www.freewebs.com/texasdanes

Jennifer & Andrew tie the knot

On Saturday, June 13th I was lucky enough to witness and share in the joy of Jennifer & Andrews event... what a beautiful wedding. We cannot wait to share the rest of these with the two of you! Have a GREAT time on your honey moon! See you soon! Maria

BRIA

Meet Baby Bria. This adorable little girl angel paid us a visit this week. . . we can't wait to see her again! :-)

Tiara - 2010 Senior

Meet Tiara. This senior came in a few days ago and it was an amazing session! Check out Tiara.

Serena - a recent fairy

Meet Serena, one of our recent "Fairy Days" fairy! This beautiful little 3 year old was gorgeous and listened so well! She made a beautiful fairy! See you soon serena!

Aimee's Quince anos

We had the honor to attend and photograph Aimee's Quince Anos celebration Saturday, June 6th... it was a BEAUTIFUL ceremony followed by a very festive reception. Looking forward to seeing you again soon Aimee!

Kristen

Love shooting seniors! This PTHS senior was awesome, fun and beautiful! I just LOVE when senior season begins! YAHOO!!! See ya soon Kristen!

Kaitlyn

Senior season has officially begun. We have had so much fun this last week with seniors. Meet Kaitlyn...this senior was a lot of fun....

Erica & Matt

Meet Erica & Matt.... they got married yesterday on a BEAUTIFUL April day. Looking forward to seeing these two after their honeymoon and sharing the rest! Congrats!

Rachel

Meet Rachel. I have known this doll for about 2 years now... It is so wonderful to get to see Rachel grow... she is such a beautiful girl. Today I had the pleasure & honor to get to be the one to photograph Rachel for her First Holy Communion. Congratulations Rachel ... and God bless you. Maria

BABY REAGAN

Meet Baby Reagan and her parents. This 7 day old baby girl was so well behaved during her session! Looking forward to seeing you again Reagan!

Malana

Meet Malana . . . this cutie was such a pleasure! Can't wait to show her family the rest of these!

Coming Soon!

Can't wait to meet this little peanut thatis on the way. Stay tunned! I LOVE maternity sessions.... they are a beautiful way to capture the beginning of your family...

No Bones SOLD OUT!

Our "No Bones About it" event sold out! We had a TON of pups in here the last two days! It was a LOT of fun! Check out this show with some of the gorgeous pups we had! We are still working on finishing them... these are just a few....

Eliza Madison

Meet Baby Eliza. Eliza is a beautiful smily baby that I got to photograph yesterday! She is such a doll! See for yourself!

Baby DELANEY

Meet Baby DELANEY. I had the pleasure of spending this morning with this GOEGEOUS baby girl. At only 10 days old she is already a heart breaker! Check her out...

Pamper Your Pets!

We are at it again.... but this time IT'S BETTER!!! Studio M is working with Just Dogs Gourmet to bring your Pooch the VERY BEST! Specialty treats and beautiful portraits for your furry friend... and yes they are worth it.... they are part of your family!
To see bigger info on this click HERE

Brooks

Meet Brooks. This PTHS 2010 senior is an amazing Hockey player. See for yourself!

Katarina

Meet Katarina. This 2010 senior model was not only a ton of fun to hang out with but she is also EXTREMELY talented! How? Well, check it out for yourself! Amazing stuff. Thanks Katarina! See ya next week!

Rayna

Meet Rayna. This Trinity 2010 senior is one of our models and we spent some time getting to know her and did an awesome session. Check it out! Thanks Rayna for all your time today.... we loved every minute of it!

Baby Hayden

A few weeks ago I posted maternity images of Heather & Jason, and now here is baby Hayden! It is so wonderful to capture beginings to such WONDERFUL events and people. Thank you for letting me do just that!

Great Trip

We got home a few days ago! It was such a GREAT trip that it was hard to get to the BLOG. We spent a lot of time on the beach and other beautiful places in Rio. The weather was awesome, just perfect! On the last day I took the kids to see the Crist . . . awesome! Check it out!

Lots of fun...

I have no idea where the time went but I have had a lot of good times the last two weeks. I hear that the weather in Pittsburgh is brutal now and am scared to tell you all how nice it is here... take a look! Here are the kiddos and my mom and I riding what they call a "banana" on the beach! We had such a GREAT time!

Digging through the past....

Being that all of my family lives in Brazil, and being that I am now here visiting, I have had opportunities to visit with loved ones and relive some of the past.... and learn about some "past" that I wasn't even around for, being that I was not born until MANY years later. It is amazing to learn where you came from, what your family was like decades before you became part of the picture and just to learn about their lives..... My mom and I were digging yesterday through many photo albums and bags of images of our family... and that is when I ran accross this and almost fell of my chair! This is my maternal grandma, Jeannette Rosa Brand, at the age of 7...which was probably 1930.... there were a TON of BEAUTIFUL professional images of her... apparently my great grandmother LOVED to have her photographed.... there are AWESOME images, but I think this one is my favorite... Here is the original, the version I doctored up and then LAST... is my grandmother TODAY. I drove out to her place today to visit her and hug her and had a great time.... years go by so quickly.... of course I could not resist an image of us together... today was an awesome day... today I got to CELEBRATE LIFE!

Lots of love everyones way...

Maria

Happy New Year!!!

Today is January 5, 2009 -- Happy New Year to all!!! I always BLOG about the Studio and my clients but today, I will share about me and my family and what's going on in my life. Today and for the next few weeks, I am not working... I am spending time with my family! For those of you that don't know, I am from Brazil.... born and raised... and I just arrived here a few days ago to visit my family.... It is so much fun to be "home" again... to let my children experience my culture and to spend time with my loved ones.... it's awesome! Below is the beginning of my trip...

My daughter Christina and I being silly at the airport waiting for our flight to Atlanta...

My husband Sean and 8 year old Dylan...

We arrived in Rio de Janeiro... just off the plane... EXAUSTED!

No time to unpack... straight to the pool at my parents apartment complex.... these children can only speak Portuguese... Christina speaks English and yet they played for hours with hand gestures and laughter while I rested up on a chair with a magazine. That is one killer trip! All of these children are as light in skin color as Christina.... the only difference is they are living in Rio's summer.... and Christina just arrived!!! Amazing huh? Despite Christina's fair complex, she tans extremely well...... so do I!

Here are the kids and VOVO (grandma in Portuguese)

Christina and my father who she calls "Grampinha" (a mixture of Portuguese and English...)

It's always fun to be silly together & I try to always capture them being just that!This is my aunt "Puppe" and I - she is not only my aunt but also my God mother.... very dear to me.... I have wonderful memories from my childhood with my aunt and uncle... unfortunately my uncle passed many years ago.... cancer took him young.... he lives in my heart forever.Everyday together is a privaledge and we really try to make the most of it. My father has been recovering from some pretty crazy health issues and we are just so happy he is doing better and that we are spending time with him and mom.Here is the little princess... she watches us drink wine and now drinks her soda out of this glass. In this case, she is drinking "guarana" a Brazilian soda that is made from a fruit that grows in the amazon.... it's really GREAT! That's it for now.... will share soon! Stay tunned!

As much as I LOVE Pittsburgh... I don't miss it right now! The weather here is GREAT and I am surrounded by warm weather and warm people.... I am cherishing every second! I am however excited about 2009.... we have so many awesome things planned for the studio! Cannot wait!

Smiles,

Maria