anything but official...

what if it were you hanging up on this wall...

Ever heard that McDonald's jingle about their Fillet-O-Fish?  It is quite catchy and fun.  Before I had ever heard the jingle, I happened to call Linder and she answered the phone by singing the song.  It was funny and I didn't know what was happening.  Well, that was about a year ago and now McDonald's is having a sale on their Fillets again.  Every time we see the commercial Linder will beg me for one.  Well, the other night I passed a McDonald's and picked a couple up.  Never seen her happier.  Give me back that Fillet-O-Fish, give me that fish...

A nose bending good time!

working late with my princess...

This past couple months has been absolutely crazy at work.  With structure changes, lots of work to be done, and prepping for meetings with our global CEO, days have been long and nights very late.  Well, yesterday the meetings ended but the work continues.  Last week I had a long list of things to do and taking photos at our store was on the list.  I didn't get a chance to get to the store until right before they closed. Luckily I have the best wife in the world who was kind enough to trek across Manhattan to meet me and model as a customer.  Really, all that yapping was just me leading up to the chance for me to tell Linder that she is the best.  Without a woman like her at home, it would be MUCH harder to deal with all the stresses of work and life.  She is always there for me, always ready to talk or listen, and always willing to just sit with me and snuggle.  Thanks Linder for being the greatest in the world! I love you more than anything in the entire universe.

Proof that she was there, ready to support and love me.

where'd it go...

Warning- if you don't like talking about or reading things about natural and normal bodily functions, please just skip this post.

So you ever have one of those things in your nose that just won't go away?  You know, its like a boogie that sticks to the side and you can't get rid of it.  You go and blow your nose, but nothing shows.  You can feel it but can't get rid of it.  So the next step is to blow air out your nose with a bit of strength but not nose blowing strength. Then, out of the blue it releases and goes flying.  The next part is the scariest when you try to find it but don't know where it landed.  Scary.  Never happened to you?  Than you must be superhuman.

That happened to me the other day.  I looked and I looked but I couldn't find my gold.  Thankfully Linder tracked it down before anyone else could notice and then point and laugh at me. Hmmm...maybe I shouldn't post this it is kind of embarrassing, but hey thats life.  Be honest, it has happened to you, you just don't want to admit it.

There's that little bugger (read- booger)

two for tuesday...

Sometimes it feels good to just give in and get some pizza.  Why stop at one though?  If you want a pizza just right you need to order it to your liking.  Linder and I threw down some magic and both scored tasty little treats.  Can you guess which is hers?

Oh that reminds me.  I love Papa John's Pizza, the crust is so soft and nice, the cheese so stringy and cheesy, and the toppings so fresh and juicy.  The only thing Papa lacks is maybe some stuff crust, remember that it was so good, or maybe a triple decker of toppings and sauce and cheese, or maybe a more portable version like THIS place that just opened up in NYC.

things that caught my fancy on the internet...

Over the weekend I had the chance to see a couple things on the internet that made me happy, so I thought I would share.

• This is an absolutely killer video, it is kind of long but you really should watch the whole thing.  The airport is the best.  Really makes me want to go out and do a NYC version.

• This is a really cool website of a photographer, it really sucked me in and I ended up looking at every photo and video on the site.  Best viewed in full screen... http://www.peterschafrick.com/

• Lastly, thanks to slickdeals, we found a really good sale on baby stuff and ended up buying a new stroller.  If you are in need of some baby stuff on sale check out the clearance section at Albee Baby. Now we are truly committed to this whole baby thing.

the shamrockiest sunday since the potato famine...

While walking home last night, Linder and I noticed a number of police barricades lining Ft. Washington.  Wondering what was up we read a posting that announced a fantastic party otherwise know as Coogan's Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K.  Sounded like a good time and pretty close to home, but really no reason to go.  About 45 minutes later my buddy Jake called and said that his running club would be running in the race and they needed a photographer, looks like we would have a reason after all!  :)

After waking up at the ripe hour of 7:45am Linder and I made our way to the race, two blocks away.  It was quite a spectacle, a band playing every couple blocks- salsa, blues, and Irish music playing loud for all to hear.  With floods of runners everywhere, it is fun to capture the moment and photograph these people in the zone. Another reason why I liked this race was because when I carry my camera, I own the place and get to go wherever I want to shoot, including the tops of police trucks and on the course at the starting line...best spots for a good view. :)  Now, please enjoy some of the highlights...

The infamous New York Runners Club

My favorite runner of all time

Me on top of the truck taking the first photo of this post

The starting gun.  786 took off first and finished first.

So fast.

The fastest lady in the world...that raced today.

This guy ran the entire race backwards...actually the last 5 steps, but still cool.

The Irish spirit.

This is my favorite.  These guys played and walked the entire race and still did it in less than an hour!

just another day in the nyc...

This is just another reason why I love the city so much, oh the diverse culture. A clip from Linder and my subway ride today.

the date that will live in infamy...

So just about two years ago Linder and I went on the best date EVER!  We just up and took off for DC to partake of the beauty of the Cherry Blossoms.  Turns out after George Washington cut down the cherry tree, he had to go back and plant a million more in DC.  Now every year they blossom for the world to see and enjoy.  Linder and I were not yet married and I had the bright idea to treat her to a really fun weekend date.  The only problem was we didn't have a car, a place to stay, or really any other comforts of home.  We just had two backpacks and list of things to see and do.  We had an absolute killer time, enjoyed ourselves, enjoyed national kite day, and were blessed to not have to sleep on the streets.  After showing up, we realized there was a marathon that a bunch of our NYC friends were running in, so we crashed with them (thanks guys).  The saddest part about this date was the fact that it took me two years to finally post some photos.  Well, without further adieu, here is proof of the best date ever...

Took the bus out and thanks to Linder's negotiating skills, we scored front row seats.

Checking the map upon arrival.

Linder's graceful jump for joy.

The first blossoms we saw, Linder had to get up close and personal.

Jumping off the tree for the picture perfect pose.  Turns out it is illegal to climb on the trees.  Woops.

Landing and cracking her chin on her knee, woops.

What I like to call the beached whale.

Me making the jump.

Crammed in the big tooth.  This was probably illegal too.

Taking a nap in front of the national museum.

National kite day.  Quite a spectacle.

She slipped.  This is right before the "graceful" landing on her back.

Oh the symmetry.

More kites.

N*Sync.

The needle.

Reflections of a patriot.

So in love.

Pondering all that has happened in this place.

Yeah, that lady is totally checking out my butt.

Linder's creepy spider claw fingers.

Honest Abe.

The new monument.

The speeding needle.

We were not prepared to stop.

Arlington.

The View of The Mall from Arlington.

Pondering the countless sacrifices.

Our special little bench at the top of Arlington.

Breaking the law...again.

She so fine.

The blossoms.

Our favorite tourist. We followed her for a good half hour watching her use this same form to take a TON of photos. Priceless.

Blossoms straight out of the trunk.

Modeling some more.

About as cheesy as it gets...we loved every minute of it.

Smiles all around.

Huge air, straight off the steps to her death.

Theme of the trip, jump for the sky and smile on the way.

Oh the memories.  This was one of our only true dates.

My only memory of the first time I went to DC, the Post Office.  Now we cemented it as one of my fondest memories of this trip.

Moral of the story is that even if you don't have everything planned out to a T, you may have to sacrifice some comforts of home and risk your safety, but in the end you will thoroughly enjoy yourself and collect books full of memories.  Stop planning things to death and just go have fun.