Today is a bit rainy, so I’m finally getting a chance to post a few of my fave images from our Florida vacation so far.  I won’t bore you with too much commentary, though.  Enjoy, and please leave some comments below!

Carson’s first plane ride went surprisingly well.  We strapped in his carseat, gave him some books, and toward the end he watched a couple of his favorite shows.  Not too shabby!

This is the spot out our backdoor where we set up camp each day.

One of the nicest things about the cottage is having this shady backyard that overlooks the beach.

If you already know me, then you know that I am not athletic at all.  I did, however, give ye ol’ kayak a whirl.  Turned out pretty well, actually!

We dropped by the aquarium in Clearwater.

One of my dearest friends Bill Manley now lives in Hudson, FL with his wife and son.  In a nice twist of fate, Bill had a house concert at a friend’s house (thanks, Jackie!) already planned for the Friday after we arrived. I brought my gear to the concert so that I could grab some sweet shots of Bill performing.  I’m really happy with the images, but I’m most happy that Bill is still pursuing his passion for music.  You rock, brother!  I’m glad we got to jam on a few tunes!

While mama lays out on the beach catching up on her pop culture news via People magazine, Carson and I chill inside watching movies.  Here’s how Carson looks when he’s watching The Land Before Time.

There’s a Dinosaur World in Florida that’s owned by the same company that has one in Elizabethtown, KY. 

After Dinosaur World, we cruised on up to Downtown Disney to visit the T-Rex Cafe.  Carson got a new friend at Build-A-Dino.  He named him T.

Katie, Carson and T.

While in Florida, we got to give the Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo a spin.  It’s been voted the best zoo for children by Parent magazine for several consecutive years.  We’re Louisville Zoo members, so we got in free under a reciprocal agreement.  I love going to zoos, and I’m a big fan of free.

This zoo lets visitors feed their giraffes.  Awesome experience for Carson.

Carson getting to pet the rays.

What a cool moment.

And finally, some beachy shots of Katie, Carson, Bert and Ernie.

A fitting ending to this series…

Thanks for stopping by, y’all!  I probably won’t be posting any more vacation pics while here.  Too much relaxing I want to get in before we come back home.  Please do say hi, though!  I love hearing from you all! Byeeeee!  -shaun

I’ve known Jim now for almost 10 years.  I was a server at Chili’s while he was managing there, and we always seemed to click pretty well.  Jim’s intriguing. Whether discussing wine, macs, cars, weight-training, horses, vacation spots, photography or real estate, he always seems to be able to speak confidently, if not eloquently, on any topic imaginable.  I’m a big ol’ geek and love learning from others, so I could sit and chat with him for days about all of his life experiences.  Awesome guy.

We’ve stayed in touch, and I’ve been able to get to know his wife Myra, who is equally as cool.  I run into them from time to time while frequenting Bronte Bistro (the cafe at Joseph-Beth) where Jim is the general manager.  Love that place.

I’m really happy that they thought of me when it came time for a family session and some senior portraits of their daughter Ashton.  I still can’t believe how big Emily is, too!  Seems like yesterday that she was born.  To Tori—Wish you could have been here! Congrats on the engagement!

HUGE thanks to Mrs. Abercrombie for letting us come out to Pin Oak Stud farm in Versailles.  It’s honest-to-God breathtaking out there.  Mrs. Abercrombie—Jim and Myra always speak so highly of you.  I’m glad we met.  You’re a delight to be around. Stay in touch!

Here are some of my faves from the family session:

Once we wrapped up the family portraits, Ashton and I ran around the farm a bit shooting and then drove into downtown Lexington for the remainder of the senior portrait session.  It was really nice meeting you, Ashton!  You’ve got a bright future ahead of you!

Here are a few of my favorite images of Ashton.  Be sure to click on the slideshow to see the whole collection!  Bye, y’all! 

And here’s the slideshow.  Enjoy, and please everybody, hook up with me on Facebook and Twitter.  I love staying in touch! Bye!

I love this couple.  When it comes time for me to blog about their wedding next spring, I’m going to really enjoy telling you all the whole story about how I met Amanda and Brian, and how we nearly missed out on each other.  I’m soooo glad we didn’t! 

Sorry to be so short on here today, but Katie, Carson and I are chillaxing on the beach in Florida.  Just thought you all might wanna see these images sooner than later!  Peace out!   -shaun