Caryn's random thoughts: April 2007

Festival International de Louisiane

Festival International de Louisiane was held this weekend in downtown Lafayette.

Festival International is one of my favorite events of the year to go to. I have been every year (that I have lived in Louisiana) since the festival began. I love it because it's so culturally diverse, family friendly, and the focus is on the music (and good food!). On Saturday, we saw The Imagination Movers, Son de Madera from Mexico, and the Chris Hare quartet. Saturday evening we saw Eddie Bo, Group Fantasma, and Beausoleil with Michael Doucet. Sunday we saw Frigg- a fiddle group from Finland, Solas from Ireland, and The Lovell Sisters, my personal favorite-

It was a great festival weekend and there were ample photo opps everywhere you turned. Naturally, I had to get some time behind the camera, so I am posting a few of my favorites from the weekend.

Drums for sale in the street market:

A street performer:

I have another group of shots that I'll post tomorrow... check back later! To see all my shots from the festival (good, bad, and not so great), you can go to the following link: http://caryn.myphotoalbum.com/albums.php.

Day and Becky Haaland

I was blessed and honored to do a wedding shoot with my sister Tammy this weekend for Becky Ardoin and Day Haaland.

It was a lovely wedding, beautifully done by a judge who goes to East Bayou.

They did this interesting salt ceremony at the end and the judge explained how important salt was in biblical times and it signified two families coming together under one covenant marriage.

They had this great barn on the side of the home where the wedding was being held, so we had to get some shots out by it.

The wedding was intimate and very well planned. They didn't leave out a single detail.

"...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things..."

~Phil. 4:8

Introducing...

Maggie Claire King!

7 pounds, 4 ounces

Birthday: Saturday, April 14, 2007

I was so honored to do a photo shoot of baby Maggie at the hospital for Mika and Phillip. The proud parents were so elated with their little bundle of joy, and you can see by the pictures how in love they already are with Maggie.

I've never seen Mika look more beautiful than when she was kissing on her little love...

Gotta love those little baby toes!

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

before you were born I set you apart;

I appointed you a profit to the nations."

~Jeremiah 1:5

Butler Greenwood

James and I decided to get away for a couple days, so we took a trip to St. Francisville and stayed at Butler Greenwood Bed and Breakfast. When we got there, well... to be honest, there is NOTHING to do. You can tour different antibellum homes if you like that, but that wasn't on my top ten list if you know what I mean. So we decided to drive to their 'historic district' where we had been told were many stores, cafes, and little cute nooks to hang out. There were a couple of stores, but that's it. So we went back to our bed and breakfast and I was determined to figure out a way to leave early. I had already teared up at the thought of leaving my baby for the first time, and so it was no problem for me to pack it all up and go home.

Then I realized why people like it here.

There's nothing to do ON PURPOSE. I am so used to go-go-going, that I didn't know how to slow down and just enjoy James' company alone. So I determined to enjoy the fact that we weren't doing anything.

This is our little cabin... the Dovecoat. It is a three story windmill that is nestled inside the trees. It had a nicely decorated bedroom and the cutest kitchen decorated in sunflowers. Very bright and happy!