Last week I had the wonderful honor of being the photographer for an event that is very important to me, The American Parkinson Disease Association 14th annual auction, luncheon and fashion Show. It was a beautiful event at the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel to raise funds for research and patient services in the St. Louis Metro area. Ken Ehrhardt, KMOV-TV meterologist acted as master of ceremonies as local radio and TV personalities walked the runway.

Over one million people in the United States suffer from Parkinson's Disease. It is a chronic neurological disorder due to the lack of the chemical dopamine in the brain. Common symptoms of the disease are tremors, rigidity and bradykinesia (slow movement). Funds raised at this annual event will be used to fund research to slow the progression of this dreadful disease and find a cure!

My dad has suffered from Parkinson's for over 34 years now. Many people believe this is a disease that only effects the elderly, but there are more and more cases in younger adults all the time. He has struggled through the slow progression of this disease as my mom has stayed by his side as his caregiver.

If you know anyone with Parkinson's you understand how important it is to continue to raise funds to enhance the quality of life for Parkinson's Disease patients and for ongoing Parkinson's disease research. For more information on the St. Louis Chapter of American Parkinson Disease Association you can visit their website at http://www.stlapda.org/.

Brook Dubman and Family

Dr. Joel & Monica Perlmutter

Carlos Leon

Elliot Davis KTVI-Fox 2

Mary Ann Carson, Ed Goodman, Dana Daniels KEZK 102.5

Peyton & Matt LaMartina

Florida or Bust

Recently my son Cody and I made a trip to Seton Hall University in New Jersey for his college orientation. From there the plan was to leave at 7:00 pm and arrive in Fort Walton Beach, Florida by 11:00 pm for dance nationals.

Well... there were storms in New Jersey which caused flight delays. Of course since we were making a connection in Atlanta that meant we would miss our connecting flight.

Plan B - We changed flights to arrive earlier in Atlanta and rent a car to drive the rest of the way to Florida. However...the crew on that flight had flown too many hours so the flight was delayed until 1:00 am while they waited for a fresh crew. Unfortunately we could not switch back to our original flight because it had now been filled.

Plan C - Hang out at the Newark airport until 1:00 am, take the flight to Atlanta, arrive at 5:00 am and take a connecting flight to Florida at 7:00 am. In the meantime, husband Bob is leaving St. Louis at 6:30 am and will beat us to Florida!

So...after a long wait at the airport we finally took off for Atlanta. A couple of gate changes and a nap on the chairs later and we were off for Florida at last!

Or so we thought...After only 20 minutes in the air the flight attendant quickly came through and told us to fasten our seatbelts. As we landed, I woke Cody and said -

"I don't think we are in Florida!"

Turns out our plane had mechanical problems and had to make an emergency landing at a very small airport in Columbus Georgia without another plane or passengers from any other planes in sight.

Plan C...They determined our plane was not safe and they could not get another plane to take us to Florida. So... they brought in a bus. After a two hour wait in Columbus and a four hour bus ride with little or no air conditioning we finally arrived in Florida that evening!

The good thing is we were safe and sound, our luggage made it even with all the confusion, and Bob was there to greet us. We had a wonderful time the rest of the week!

Wow, what a trip!

Passing time at the airport

Columbus, Georgia

Notice there are no other planes in sight!

We gather to hear our fate.Our bus to Florida - the bus driver is reading Mapquest as we board

Well, my baby graduated from high school last Sunday. Cody looked so handsome in his white tux and bow tie. I actually held myself together pretty well and only got emotional one time. The odd thing is I got emotional when the Marines entered with the flag - not sure why that got me to crying!

The ceremony was on the football field and the day was beautiful! There were however, a lot of sunburns. Dad especially got a bad burn on the top of his head - ouch!

I think I'll be fine now until we actually drop Cody off at Seton Hall in New Jersey this fall and I have to leave him there - it's so far away! For now I'm just going to enjoy the summer and try not to think about it too much. Here are a few shots from the day.

He does look handsome in that tux!

Cody & his girlfriend Tay on the bus ride from the parking lot

Mom & Dad - before Dad's head got burned too bad.

Congratulations to all the CBC High School Graduates!!!

Bryan & Jessica's Wedding

Bryan & Jessica are such a sweet and wonderful couple! They had planned an outside wedding, but Missouri weather being as it is... The wedding last Saturday was moved inside. Despite the pouring rain and being surrounded by hundreds of Anime characters when we entered the Embassy Suites for pictures, they smiled and remained calm! The wedding was beautiful, the decorations perfect and the cake was amazing!

Thanks so much Bryan & Jessica for letting me share in your special day!

My Enchanted Garden set was so much fun this weekend! Here's one of my favorites - baby rolls are so cute!!!

New videos

Last week I had the chance to attend a great photography convention in Phoenix, Arizona. Besides enjoying some beautiful and warm weather, I learned so much! One of the most fun is a great new way to do videos of my photoshoots. Check out this video I did of my granddaughters.

White Squirrels

Ollney is a small town in Southern Illinois known for their unique white squirrels. They run free in the city park where the town has built them special homes in the trees. I spent an afternoon last week walking through this beautiful little park taking pictures of these unique white and fast moving grey squirrels. Here's one of my favorites.