Enjoy Cassie, another amazing & talented senior at Broadneck…

Getting a little gangsta….

Laura, Anna & Kate’s mom, is my neighbor of over 6 years.  And she has given me the privilege for the last 3 years of taking her girls’ Christmas photos.  For the past two years we’ve gone to the Annapolis Mall, but it’s just gotten too crowded & too familiar lately.  So this year, Laura got the girls Christmas dresses earlier & we went to Downtown Annapolis for some fun.  What was really neat to see was how Laura would explain spots of significance to her daughters as we passed them.  Laura & her husband got married in Annapolis & lived downtown for several years before moving to the ‘burbs & having kids.  So Annapolis has special meaning for her & she wanted to convey that to her sweet darlings.  See if you can recognize a few places we ventured…

I’d have to say it was a challenging day.  The heat, the busy downtown area, and the fact that I didn’t want it to look like Wes & Jenn were a couple.  Um, no, they are brother & sister, not a couple…ewww, gross!  They were so patient with me moving them and changing my mind over and over again.  I think we got some pretty good shots & from what I’ve heard, their parents are thrilled!  Here’s Wes & Jenn….

Just had to share this last one of Jenn & her boyfriend!  Thanks for tagging along, Grant!

Well, it’s official people.  My dad is engaged!  You heard that right, MY DAD IS ENGAGED!  Aren’t you as excited as I am?  After about a year of dating Sharon, driving back and forth to Pennsylvania, they’ve decided to declare their love for one another & get hitched!  They’ll be getting married this May.  So you’ll be seeing me in a dress at some point, but not now!

I took Dad & Sharon to one of my favorite shooting places – downtown Annapolis.  It’s pretty much one of the only places that you can walk freely without being engulfed in the large snow banks that are still covering our state!  And it’s so colorful & so rich in character.  I just love it!  Here are the rest of my favorites….

I love that my daughters have cousins that live so close and that are so close in age to them.  My cousins, however, are spread between different states and we’re all a wide range of ages.  This past week though, my cousins Laurel & Madison came to visit us from the great state of Minnesota and we had so much fun getting to know their grown-up selves!  My Emma fell in love with her “big girl” cousins!  Each morning she would arise early and bug me to call them and see what they were doing!  She even went so far as to write them a real letter after they left – complete with her name and many Ariel stickers!

We got to spend a few hours with them one morning in Downtown Annapolis to have some photos, fun, and lunch at Buddy’s.  Here’s a little sneak peak…

Mark & Jill are getting married in August in their home state, but wanted some engagement photos of where they live & play now.  So we headed to trusty ol’ Downtown Annapolis.  It’s the first super deliciously warm weekend in a bit, so everyone and their dog was out too.  After we found parking spots – which is a big deal in Annapolis – we headed down some side streets for more privacy and pizzazz.  If you’ve every been down these streets you’ll know what I mean.  The houses are literally dozens of different bright and glorious colors. Not to mention the city has so much character.  Then we headed over to Jonas Green Park and got some sweet shots in the evening sun.

Enjoy your preview Mark & Jill!  I can’t wait to finish the rest…

Okay, let me first preface this blog post by saying these are not Bethany’s online dating profile pictures…puh-leez!  She doesn’t need any of that.  However, if she meets her dream man due in some part to my post, she’ll be obligated to hire me as her photographer for every future life event.

I forced Bethany to let me take her out (after we got killa haircuts!) and get some photos for her upcoming missions trip to China.  I don’t know much about what her trip is about, except is about spreading Jesus and teaching English…what more is there?  She’ll be starting a blog soon and I’ll be sure to update you on that.

What I DO know is that Bethany is probably one of my most difficult photography subject.  Just kidding!  It was a little challenging though because Bethany has this weird trait:  She can’t NOT smile!  She just can’t do it.  If you try to get anything but a smile, she doesn’t look like Bethany.  So, in order to get a “natural” smile, I had to just be super funny and make her laugh a lot.  And to punish me, Bethany made me get my picture taken at the end…but we’ll save those photos for later.

So Bethany, my dear, I had a blast with you yesterday.  I enjoyed every minute of every little silly story I shared to make you giggle.  Our entire family will really miss you and everything we share…Settlers, Rock Band, LOST, Heavy Weights, WH?AT, and so much more!

Enough already before I cry….here’s Bethany!

Then…. we’ll be heading to Downtown Annapolis for Bethany’s photo session.  She’ll be leaving us here in Maryland for a whole YEAR to minister to the wonderful people of China.  Check back soon for some previews of her new do!  Oh, and I just have to say it, even though she’ll kill me…she’s single, and great, and ready to mingle!  But I have to approve of you first!

A lot of you faithful readers have already met my newest niece, Delaney.  If you haven’t, though, click here to read her story…she’s quite a girl!  Delaney, or “Maeby” as her daddy calls her, made her first visit to our house last week for May Day.  After spending a rousing, and almost rainy, afternoon looking at the May Day Baskets in downtown Annapolis, Maeby came over for her newborn session.  She did fabulously, especially for being out most of the day and in a new place.  Since Maeby’s a little over the 2-week newborn period, it took a little work for her mommy and me to get her sleepy.  I mean, hey, she’s been couped up for 9 months – of course she wants to be up and playing!  Enjoy Bert & Laura‘s newest little addition…

So call me (410.507.5417), e-mail me (mandysroka@gmail.com), Facebook me, or send me a message telepathically!  I can’t wait to capture your life!