I always looked forward to June when my Uncle Mike would fly in from California to compete in the CDA Ironman. For years my cousins and aunts and uncles and I would wake up early to cheer and volunteer at Ironman in downtown CDA.  My uncle hasn’t done the Ironman for a few years, however (he’s moved on to better things, like the Badwater Ultramarathon), so naturally I was excited when I heard that my Uncle Pat, his brother, was planning on competing for the first time.

I had the pleasure of spending all day yesterday chasing around my Uncle Pat as he completed the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run. Due to the largest crowd ever at Ironman CDA (see photo below–just a small chunk of the spectators!), I wasn’t able to get a photo of the spectacular start of the swim (imagine a couple thousand people going into the water at once). However, I still managed to get quite a few photos of our Ironman during the bike and run.

My aunt and uncle and I intently watched the swimmers coming out of the water, hoping to spot my uncle. Despite this, we all somehow missed him. We finally turned to the “Ironman Live” feature on the Ironman website and discovered that he had emerged from the water awhile back. Phew! I snapped a photo a few different times when I thought I saw someone who looked like my uncle. Looking at the photo below, the man in the wetsuit with blue and orange  looks a bit like him, but it’s hard to tell–distinguishing people in wetsuits and swim caps is difficult!

These are swimmers on their way to the bike transition zone:

My uncle on his first lap of the bike course:

Talking with his good friend, Mic, on the bike.

Finally finished with the bike and about to head toward the run transition zone:

And a little over a mile into the run:

Unfortunately I wasn’t there for the finish, but he finished in just barely over 15 hours! Awesome job, Uncle Pat! You are an Ironman!

Hello blog readers! I apologize for my long absence. My posts will be much more frequent from now on…promise. So come visit again soon!

My latest shoot was Miss E’s 9 month session. I’ve been photographing E since she was just a week old, and my has she grown! She’s an absolute sweetheart with the hugest grin. During her session she showed off her newest skills: crawling and standing!  Her older sister, Miss A, is such a ham–she worked the camera with her ballet moves, running speed, reading skills, and beautiful smile.  Mom and dad–thanks for a great session! You two did such a wonderful job making sure the girls were neat and happy. I think you’ll agree that the result is absolutely gorgeous photos of your family.

(Because I’m so behind on blogging) Miss E at her 4 month session back in the winter:

And from recently:

Miss A:

A much older and more mobile Miss E:

Miss A reading:

And my favorite photo from the day:

There are plenty more photos on the way. I have a feeling you’ll love them. (;

~Virginia

Ari is the baby on my blog header.  She’s the absolute sweetest.  I’ve been lucky enough to watch her grow from a tiny infant to a bubbly 18-month-old.  My heart just melts every time she calls me by name and runs over to give me a hug.

I snapped a few quick photos of her the other day:

She loves blueberries.

She decided walking around (or attempting to walk around) in my shoes was really fun:

She loves her “Elmo” sippy cup:

I loved her pants: “Life is Good.”  A great motto.

Love you, Ari.  {She then repeats: “Love ya.”  So sweet.}

~Virginia

I apologize for being really behind in updating my blog!  I just have to share some more photos from Byron’s session.  We found some spectacular lighting and Byron was a pro at sitting back and letting me snap away.

Pretty handsome fella, see for yourself:

Lauren’s senior photo shoot got rained out so we decided to wait until the next day.  Lucky that we did, because the weather was absolutely perfect!  We spent the afternoon walking around Manito and then we drove downtown in search of an alleyway Lauren had in mind.

My job was easy because Lauren is a natural at posing!  Her darling mother came along as well and was a huge help.  I love when moms come along and help make sure that outfits, hair, and posing is perfect.  I also enjoyed talking to her mom about how she used to be a Young Life leader and went to the same YL camp that Lauren and I went to last year: Malibu Club in Canada.

Her eyes are stunning and her jewelry compliments them so well!

Like I said, a natural at posing.

She’s gorgeous.

Thanks so much for a fun afternoon, you two!!

~Virginia

My favorite photo from tonight’s senior session with runner extraordinaire, Byron:

I’m finally back in town after a 9 day trip to the East Coast.   I flew with my dad and sister to Newark, NJ, where we found humidity and traffic.  A short 1.5 hour drive later, we were standing in the driveway of my Grandmother’s new house.  During our short stay in New Jersey, we visited numerous beaches, ran along the boardwalk, stared in awe at the gorgeous beach houses along the ocean, went out for ice-cream, and true to the Whalen nature, read a lot and played games (Mexican Dominoes is our family favorite).  We also met up with my Aunt, three of my cousins, and their families.

Taken from the plane on the way to Newark:

I also got to meet the youngest member of our family for the very first time, Miss Lorelei (as a huge Gilmore Girls fan, I absolutely love her name):

She was a bit shy at first, but by the end of the day we were best of friends.  She loves tickles, bouncing, and giving hugs.

To New York City we went!  We stayed in the upper west side, close to a family friend who showed us around.  We visited NYU, Greenwich Village, Columbia U, ran around Central Park, and much more.  An important to-do item that we checked off the list: eat a New York bagel.  All of our lives my sister and I have heard from my parents that there is no bagel in Spokane that could ever compare to a New York one.  Well, mom and dad, you were right.  Those NY bagels are pretty darn good.

My sister is absolutely smitten with the city and has declared that she wants to move there some day.  Personally, while I loved visiting, I could not imagine myself living in the middle of such a big city.

View from the reservoir in Central Park that I ran around:

The castle overlooking Turtle Pond:

From New York, we headed over to my Aunt and Uncle’s house near Hartford, CT.  We were greeted by two engergetic dogs and a delicious dinner.   My Aunt spoiled me with a huge fruit salad filled with some of my most favorite fruits: strawberries, raspberries, grapes, and watermelon.  I could live off of fruit, and I love that fresh fruit is abundant during the summertime!  We had a bonfire in the backyard and had a chance to relax for a little while before heading to Massachusetts the next morning.  However, before we left, my Aunt and cousin took us to a nearby running trail.  I had to keep up my cross-country training during the trip, and this trail was the perfect place to run.  We had breakfast at a nearby bakery called LaSalle’s.

After quick showers, we drove off in search of Cambridge, MA.  We found Harvard, bookstores, and a delicious ice-cream shop.  We couldn’t stay for long and I was disappointed when we had to leave.  I would have stayed all day to explore if I could have!

We got helplessly lost trying to find our way out of Cambridge, but the long, stressful drive was worth it when we arrived at Plum Island, MA.  We stayed in a beach house with our MA family and friends.

Doesn’t this photo look unreal?!

There was an incredible sandbar:

I took home a bag full of seashells:

My uncle is an amazing cook.  We were treated to fantastic meals!  We had fresh lobster for dinner:

Divine sunset:

At the Plum Island beach house we filled our days with playing at the ocean, walking along the beach, playing gin rummy, reading on the hammock, canoeing, and making trips to a cute little convenience store.

After leaving Plum Island, we stopped again in CT before finally driving back to the Newark airport for a redeye flight.  Nine days of exhaustive travel meant that home sweet home never sounded so good!

I hope everyone else’s summers have been filled with adventure, sunshine, and smiles.

Until next time,

Virginia

To start off, can I say again how much I love newborns?!  There’s nothing better than having “work” be cuddling a newborn.   Last week I delivered prints to a new mom.  As she gazed in awe over the photos of her daughter, she exclaimed, “I can’t believe how much she’s changed!  I forgot how tiny her feet were.  Look at her cheeks!”  That’s precisely the reason why I love to photograph newborns.  The first few sleep-less weeks of their lives go by extremely quickly and they change so incredibly much.  Parents are very appreciative that I am able to capture their newness that disappears in the blink of an eye.

Which brings me to the fact that I got to spend my morning with sweet 6 day-old Ana.  The previous newborns I have photographed have all been unusually tiny, so imagine my surprise when I saw this over 9-lb bundle of joy!  She was wide-eyed most of the time and enjoyed looking at the world around her.  I loved watching Ana with her older sister, K, who clearly adores her newest sibling.

We finally tired her out.  Few babies can resist the lure of a snuggly, warm beanbag.

I love catching smiles:

Thanks “K” Family!  It was so wonderful to spending the morning with you.  And special thanks to my assistant, Megan! (:

P.S.  I will be out of town until August 1st, so I am not ignoring you if I don’t have a quick responce to an email or inquiry.

It was a pleasure to photograph Mary Grayce again this evening.  Not only is Mary Grayce a fabulous model, but her little sister who came along also showed off her modeling (and acting) skills.

Mary Grayce brought lots of colorful outfits to wear.  I LOVE color.  I especially love photographing color.  We went all over downtown and found lots of color to compliment her outfits–from fun walls to the red wagon.

Thanks for choosing me to take your senior photos, MG!  I will try to get your gallery up soon.

-Virginia

Aren’t her eyes just stunning?

She’s so gorgeous!

As much as I love my color, sometimes I love black + white even better.

“All seasons are beautiful for the person who carries happiness within.”

{Horace Friess}