I know, that’s pretty heady concept.   The idea of saving  a life usually brings up visions of jumping in front of a speeding bus or diving into frigid waters… but it can also be as simple as making a donation to the right cause.

My cause is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  The hospital itself is in Memphis, Tennessee, but its reach is global. Determined  in its mission  to save children’s lives,  St. Jude works with hospitals and doctors around the world, gladly sharing  breakthrough research in order to help  those who cannot physically come to them for treatment.

Cancer has not been kind to my family.  It has claimed both my grandfathers, my father and my younger brother.  It tapped both my sister and me  in 2001, but we are happily eight years cancer free.  Thank God for research.  And that is why this post… to encourage all of you to fund the ongoing research to end childhood cancer .

We  first heard about St. Jude 34 years ago,  when a friend’s  six year old son was diagnosed with leukemia and was treated at St. Jude.   They knew so little then.   Todd did not win his fight, but his father was so grateful for the efforts put forth by the doctors and staff at the hospital  that he spread the word, and we have participated in raising money ever since.

Imagine a place where you receive care physically and  emotionally, and if a promising treatment is not covered by insurance, that’s ok.  St. Jude  will work to save  your child with everything they’ve got  and you will never receive that bill.  They can do this because of the kindness and generosity of those who recognize the importance of their work and donate to save children everywhere.

This year, St. Jude will hold it’s first  Give Thanks Walk on Saturday, November 21, 2009,  at Potomac Mills.   There are so many ways you can help.  You can sign up and walk, raise money yourself, form  a team, or simply make a donation.

I will be photographing the walk, and will also be my own team!  If you would like   or to donate,  or get additional information, simply go to www.givethankswalk.org

Click on Sponsor a Friend, search for  Portraitions or Katie Garlock, and donate right online.   There,  you just helped save a child’s life. Doesn’t it feel great?

When  you make a  $100 donation to my  Portraitions Team,   from October 8 through November 21,    I will send  a special thank you.  You will receive a certificate for a Family Portrait session and one 11×14 Classic Portrait ($375 value).   If you would like to give those certificates as gifts, you may make several $100 donations and I will send several certificates.   (Limit one certificate per session)

Donations must be made to the Portraitions team online between October 8 and November 21, 2009, but your certificate is good  from the day of your donation until October 1, 2010.  Or you can schedule your session right away and have your portrait in your home for the holidays.

Thanks for reading this post.  I hope it has touched your heart enough to join in the efforts to end childhood cancer.  That is truly something to be thankful for.

Thanks so much to all my wonderful clients who attended my first ever Client Appreciation Event !  We gathered last Sunday at the magnolia enclosed balcony of the historic Carlyle House in Old Town Alexandria.

Our speaker,  stylist Margaret Lilly of Lilly’s Closet was wonderful, showing us,  with help from her model, Molly,  how to go from ‘Mom jeans’ to ‘Mom Chic’ at any age.  Margaret also gave us tips on how to build a go-anywhere wardrobe with basic pieces and gave us insider info on where to shop for the best variety and best deals.  My next step is to hire her to help me go shopping in my own closet and stop wearing the same three outfits all the time!  Check out Margaret’s services at  www.lillysclosetonline.com

Melinda Lynam was also there from Monday’s Child, with her beautiful 13 year old model , Michaleen Eife,   showing off the new line of clothing for girls from size 7-14.   Be sure to stop by her store at218 N. Lee Street in Alexandria to check out the entire line or go to www.mondayschildofalexandria.com

Amy Bartlinski was also on hand to show her Arbonne line of all natural skincare  and anti aging products. All our guests received samples of these wonderful items, so we can see how well they work. You can find out more at http://amybartlinski.myarbonne.com.

Special thanks to Sarah and Heather from the Carlyle House for  hosting our event on their balcony.  They also gave information on the new  educational programs they have started for preschool aged children.  Be sure to check out their  ‘Read, See, Do’ programs at www.carlylehouse.org and sign up your children for a unique 18th century experience.  The first program is October 21, so call   703-549- 2997.

And of course, Best Buns for supplying cookies and other treats for everyone, as well as those cookie coupons tucked in your take away bags.

I hope everyone had a good time.  I have wanted to host a thank you event for some time now, and was so happy to get this opportunity.  Thanks to my sister in law, Kirsti Garlock, for taking photos so I could enjoy the program and my guests.

I am already looking forward to next year’s event.  If you have suggestions for speakers or locations, please let me know!

I grew up in Chicago and  became aware of politics when I was 7 and my grandmother, Mary Murphy McIver, was thrilled to have an Irish Catholic President.    When I met my husband in college, one  of the things we had in common was our admiration of the Kennedy family.

Almost 50 years later, here we are,  living in DC, when the last of the Kennedy brothers was laid to rest.  John was producing coverage at C-SPAN, so I went to the Capitol with my camera to join the thousands who went down to say goodbye.

The plane was late, due to weather in Boston, but everyone  waited quietly, talking, standing or sitting in the grass.  When the procession arrived, there were a few words,  a prayer, and they moved on the Arlington National

Cemetery.  Everyone walked quietly away, having said goodbye to a friend.

When the kids were younger, growing up in Lima, Ohio, it  somehow became tradition for the cousins to go bowling after holiday  dinners at Grandma  & Grandpa Garlock’s.  One of the uncles, usually Pete, would pack them up and head out to Westgate Lanes for a fun filled evening.

We recently had a wedding shower for Joseph’s fiance, Crystal, and ended the day by bowling.  OK, not me, I just took photographs, and really laughed as I watched the kids enjoy the old tradition, and the grandkids learning a new sport.  Veronica and Isaac picked up the balls and carried them to the line, then pretty much dropped the ball.

How wonderful it is to enjoy the simple moments, like laying down to wait for the ball to roll ever so slooowly toward the pins…

Savor these time this summer, and take photographs!!

SO I know lots of you are getting your children back to school…it has been two years  since our youngest finished college and back to school is not on our agenda anymore.  However, it is time for me to go back to school.  The Virginia Professional Photographers sponsor numerous educational programs during the year, and this time, I was one of them.

We held our summer seminar in Williamsburg, VA over the weekend.  The subject was Children’s Portraiture and this time I was one of the speakers.  It was great fun to tell everyone about my wonderful clients and the fun we have creating portrait albums here in  the beautiful Washington DC Metro area.

As part of the program, I photographed the fabulous Jaylen, the son of our morning speaker.  Shari  (www.sharirocks.com)  teaches modern networking…on the web.  She gave us so much information we thought our heads would explode.  She did get me to update my long neglected blog and I even tweeted on Twitter, so hopefully I will keep it up!

So as the kids go back, consider what you maight want to learn, and sign up for a class!!  If enough of you ask, maybe I could do a webinar on photographing your beautiful children when I am not there…

Let me know, and happy fall!

Do you remember watching the Jetsons (TV or movie) and thinking how you really didn’t want someone to be able to  see you when you were on the phone?

We discovered webcam when our kids got it and our new laptop had a camera. So on my  recent trip to Toronto with our daughter and children, it was really fun to be able to call GPop at home with the webcam.   We could show him our room, just by turning the computer around.  Very strange, but cool.

And yes, I still think  it is generally better not to be seen on the phone, especially first thing in the morning!!  My daughter and granddaughter, however, look great!

What an amazing day…headed for Toronto with my daughter, Angela and her children.  We stopped at Niagara Falls, on the Canadian side…it was so powerful and beautiful and very very cold!!  You could feel the power of the falls even  with so much ice on everything. The rainbow was he best.

On to the Four Seasons.

More from Toronto tomorrow.

So here we are enjoying those few days of springlike temperatures and looking forward to the cherry blossoms next month. I just found out from one of my clients, it also means a birthday…for her business, Stroller Strides. Jennifer Lungren, a certified fitness instructor, celebrates five years of helping local moms get in shape with her great mommy baby workout routines.
No more feeling like you can’t work out because what will you do with the children. You can just bring them and get them into the act.
If you need proof it works, check out how great Jennifer looked last spring, with her two daughters and brand new baby Jack in the stroller, during an early morning portrait session by the cherry blossoms. ( We had just finished and  Dad  was headed to his office  and were headed to the car.)
So happy birthday, Stroller Strides! For more information, log onto www.strollerstrides.com or contact Jennifer at jlungren@strollerstrides.net.
Meanwhile, stay warm.  Spring is coming.

Free concert, themed “We Are One”,   at the Lincoln Memorial, celebrating the Inauguration. Come and bring a few hundred thousand of your closest friends.   OK.
The concert starts at 2:30. Realizing this is also dress rehearsal for Inaugural security, I arrive at 10:00 am, camera in hand.
The Capitol is beautifully dressed, draped in red, white and blue. Thousands are already there, families and tour groups, photographing the preparations and heading slowly toward the Lincoln, at the other end of the Mall.
You know me, I wander, admiring the city and collecting images of details  that catch my eye.  Next stop, the White House, looking normal on one side and hidden by parade viewing stands on the other.
I follow the incredible flow of the crowd toward the Lincoln. Kind of  a parade of our own. The sidewalks are jammed with people, and lined with vendors offering what has been called Obamabelia.  Shirts, pins, calendars, dolls, bookmarks, posters, it’s all there. (My personal favorite, the green shirt with O’Bama and a shamrock.)

It offers a kind of window shopping while the lines move slowly, but what I notice most are the smiles. Everyone is smiling at each other. Everyone. No pushing or complaining, just a steady streaming toward the security tents, and smiles.
Inside the security area, I am amazed the sheer number of people, and the easygoing atmosphere. Crowds stream by, and hardly notice as three Marine One helicopters  circle overhead.  I can’t make out who is inside, but they seem to be taking a photograph.
I get pretty close to the front, but discover that with the Jumbotrons and on-stage cameras the view is better farther back, so back I go. We do The Wave to keep warm.

As the concert starts, lines of soldiers quietly step in and say,” this area is closed. No moving closer to the stage.”   Concert goers walk up and say, “I am just meeting my friends.”   The soldier smiles and shakes his head.
The concert is fun, with James Taylor getting a nice sing along going, with ‘Shower the People you Love with Love’  but Garth Brooks really fires things up with ‘American Pie ‘and ‘Shout.’
Tens of thousands are thronged outside the security area, jammed in trees and enjoying the show from the tv screens. They sing along and smile. The President Elect comes to the podium and crowd erupts in wild applause. As the final song begins, the crowd surges toward the metro.
The streets are still jammed, still loaded with vendors, and the crowds are still smiling.  I have a quote from Mother Teresa;
“Peace begins with a smile.”
Perhaps We Are One, after all.

Well, it seemed that  spending a little time at the National Gallery soaking up inspiration would be a great way to begin the year. I headed down early on Sunday morning, bringing Snickerdoodle (my camera, for those who haven’t met him) along for the  fun.

I was a little early for the Gallery, so I started at   the Smithsonian Castle.   The building is amazing and the gardens are beautiful, even in winter.   After I wandered through the Castle, I headed for the Mall, when I heard the marching bands.  I had stumbled onto the dress rehearsal for the inauguration parade.  It was great fun to watch and applaud. There is simply nothing like some rousing John Phillip Sousa  to start your day.

They were practicing the swearing in at the Capitol,  raising the colors and rehearsing all the moves.  Quite impressive, especially since I don’t believe I’ll be up close and personal on the 20th.

The National Gallery is always inspirational.  I’ll do another post soon, showing some classic images along with contemporary ones of my great clients…  real examples

of your family becoming personal works of art.

Meanwhile, stay warm and if you live in DC, good luck getting around  next week!