Sorry I have been MIA lately. Most of you know that Brian has been deployed for the last six months. He finally made it home Friday. Because of a family emergency he had to fly into Kansas City and I flew out to meet him. We are home now and would appreciate your prayers for Brian's dad - Jim Higgins.
We are leaving tomorrow for a trip to Grayton Beach with friends. I am looking forward to the vacation. Our whole group is running in the Seaside 5K/Half Marathon Sunday morning so that should be fun!
I have lots going on behind the scenes - working on albums, photo sessions, and publications coming up in some of my favorite magazines so stay tuned. Brian has a couple of weeks off work so I am going to be hanging out with him for a while and taking it easy. I may post something during those two weeks, but I will be back up and running like normal again about mid-March.
:) Jill
3 people commented on this post
Lisa: Hey Jill, Glad to hear Brian is home, enjoy the run, and I hope his Dad is feeling better soon.... (02/26/09, 07:33)
Kelly: I´m glad that you´re spending quality time together, but I´ll be happy again to see your fabulous pictures and hear about your adventures! :) (02/25/09, 04:32)
Amanda Suanne: Hey Jill! That looks like a lot of fun! I would love to see you while your down! We have local photography lunch next Tuesday if you want to join. Not sure if you will be here that long but anyways, would love to hook up!
Amanda :] (02/25/09, 03:00)
It's Valentine's Day and my husband is not here with me because he is on a six month deployment, but I am having a great weekend. I got to hear my favorite columnist (Star Parker) speak last night - and my awesome husband will be home next week!
Star Parker is the founder and president of CURE, the Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education, a non-profit think tank tha that provides a national voice of reason on issues of race and poverty in the media, inner city neighborhoods, and public policy.
Star was a speaker at the 1st Annual Black History - Lincoln Day Celebration hosted by the VSU College Republicans, Lowndes County Republican Party, and Precinct #32.
Of course I couldn't resist taking my camera and getting a few shots.
The room was decorated festively with not only a red, white, and blue theme - but with stars.
After enjoying a southern dinner, everyone was treated to brownies, handmade star-shaped chocolates, and cupcakes - with stars too of course!
I thought I was Star's biggest fan in Valdosta, but apparently she has LOTS of fans because everyone was lining up to meet her and have their picture taken with her.
A large crowd came to see Star Parker - there wasn't an empty seat in the room.
Carlos Hundley introduced Star...
Star has an amazing life story. Coming from a past that involved crime and drug abuse, she rose from being an unemployed single mother on welfare to the successful advocate for conservative issues that she is today.
She opposes the welfare system and asserts that stable families and self-governance are the best way to end poverty.
From her website...
As a social policy consultant, Star Parker gives regular testimony before the United States Congress, and is a national expert on major television and radio shows across the country. Currently, Star is a regular commentator on CNN, CNBC, CBN, FOX News, and the United Kingdom's BBC. She has debated Jesse Jackson on BET; fought for school choice on Larry King Live; defended welfare reform on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and spoke at the 1996 Republican National Convention.
Star Parker’s personal transformation from welfare fraud to conservative crusader has been chronicled by ABC’s 20/20; Rush Limbaugh; Readers Digest; Dr. James Dobson; The 700 Club; Dr. George Grant; the Washington Times; Christianity Today; Charisma, and World Magazine. Articles and quotes by Star have appeared in major publications including the Washington Post and the New York Times.
It was a pleasure having Star Parker in Valdosta. If you missed her, be sure to check out her website or book!
5 people commented on this post
Lauren Kinsey: Those cupcakes look yummy! Great post jill! (02/18/09, 03:37)
Jim Bowie: Star Parker is a "STAR" and so are the people of Valdosta, GA that invited her to participate in this historical event. This is truely historical event and one that the LCRP and Republican Precinct 32 can be proud. I regret not being there. (02/17/09, 04:56)
Lydia: Jill, I totally agree with you about Star Parker. I enjoy reading her articles in the paper. I´ve saved many of them to share with others. She´s right on the money with her beliefs. She´s an amazing and beautiful woman! Thank you for sharing these pictures! (02/16/09, 05:31)
Jill Higgins: Thank you Carlos - and thank you again for getting Star to Valdosta! :) (02/15/09, 06:40)
Carlos Hundley: Jill,
The pictures you took at the 1st Annual Black History/Lincoln Day Celebration were literally PERFECT. You are a very talented photographer. God bless you because you did a wonderful job photographing each of us, particularly our guest speaker Star Parker. Keep up the good work Jill.
Carlos Hundley
Chairman, 1st Annual Black History/Lincoln Day Celebration
(02/15/09, 05:01)
After I photographed the Powell family the other day, I headed over to see the Deutsch family.
We started by getting a few shots of Preston - and let me tell you - he is quite the charmer.
See what I mean...
This is Preston hanging out in his room...just chillin' on the bed.
Preston has a big sister who is pretty and has a great, creative spirit.
Preston might be little, but he is 100% boy. He has places to go and things to do and didn't really want to hang on his belly like we wanted him too. :)
I think the photo below is so funny...
Once he got turned over everything was all good.
I just love Preston's expressions.
Next we went outside for some fresh air and a change of scenery. As you can tell by Sydney's bare feet, it was a warm day for January.
Doesn't Sydney look just like her mom?
Kristen and Preston
Little Mr. Expression...
This one makes me laugh every time I see it.
The next photo is also funny, so I had to include it. It shows how things often go. Preston was starting to cry and Syndey was climbing on her mom. Typical motherhood! :)
But a few minutes later - we got a couple of shots.
So cute...
Before I Left we went back inside so I could get a few photos of Sydney playing with her things.
She even took her barbies for a swim.
I had a great time meeting two awesome families in one day.
Thanks Kristen - I hope to see you all again soon. :)
Jason T: I just wanna eat them up! (02/11/09, 02:06)
jill Higgins: Thank you - and yes - Preston was FULL of expression. Lisa - are you FREEZING up there?? (02/06/09, 06:16)
Lisa: Once again... Great Pictures!!! Love the one with the feet! Both kids are adorable but you´re right, Preston is a wealth of expressions! Too cute. (02/05/09, 08:20)
Dara: Cute, cute children. Absolutely love those 3 shots in the green chairs. (02/05/09, 08:20)
Because I love a good challenge, I recently started a new Nike+ Challenge. In case you are not familiar with it, it is a fun way to log your runs and interact with other runners online.
All you need is an ipod nano and a Nike sport kit. If you have Nike+ shoes, you just put the chip in the sole of your shoe. No worries if you don't run with Nike+ shoes - you can use any running shoes that you have and just slip your chip in a shoe adapter or a shoe pouch.
Once you have those items, you just plug the reciever in the bottom of your ipod - and take off. You can set a goal by choosing distance or speed. While you are running, the ipod lets you know from time to time how far along you are and what your current pace is. It's really cool and motivational.
When you plug your ipod in your computer to charge, it automatically sends your run data to nike.com. You can also set up challenges on Nike.com and invite your friends to join you.
I set up a challenge this week to see who can run the most distance over the next 30 days. It is called "Bring on the Beer" challenge - only because I think it is funny. The person who wins the challenge gets a $20 gift card from freebeer.com. The gift card is really just a certificate that can be used on any food or beverage item of your choice at a restaurant near you.
I can even post this cool widget online so everyone can keep up with our stats here:
If you would like to join us, just send me an email and I will add you to our group. It doesn't matter if you are a runner or a walker. It's all in good fun!
4 people commented on this post
Jill Higgins: Julie - ha - I think I could definitely win for most clicks. Facebook alone would take care of that! lol (02/03/09, 05:31)
Jill Higgins: Courtney - it is fun - you should join us! (02/03/09, 05:31)
Courtney Hitchcock: I have one of those things but I´ve never used it.. sounds cool.. I guess I should pull it out of the box and try it out!! (02/03/09, 05:30)
Julie: Do they have one that measures the number of clicks on your mouse? Like maybe a Microsoft Challenge? Just kidding, that sounds like fun and a really good way to stay accountable. (02/02/09, 04:42)
Last week I drove over to Thomasville to photograph the Powell family. This was a really hard blog post to make because there was so much cuteness going on that I had a difficult time narrowing down the images for my blog! As soon as I met the girls I immediately thought of:
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice,
And all that's nice;
That's what little girls are made of.
While Tammy was getting Daisy dressed, I met Sally and chatted with her while she danced around with her whimsical dolls. She even went for a little spin in her awesome pink car.
Then it was time to meet Sally's new baby sister...Daisy! As you can see, Sally is a great big sister.
Daisy and Sally have beautiful rooms that are full of great light - and all things white and pink and fluffy! I loved it!
Daisy was so pretty and sweet...
I think when Daisy gets older she will love seeing the images below - they clearly show how much her parents adore her.
Big sister Sally even has a little bed in Daisy's room so she can help keep watch over her. Isn't that sweet?
I'm so glad that Ron was able to come home for a few photos. We were able to get a few shots of the whole family before he headed back to work.
I think this one is my favorite...
Or this one...
I also love this one of Tammy and the girls...
Okay...well obviously I loved a LOT or I wouldn't have had so much trouble choosing images for my blog. :)
While Tammy went to change Daisy I spend a little time with the big sister in her room. I love her luxurious girly bed that is perfect for a fun princess like Sally.
Sally is full of personality - I could have photographed her for hours.
I can't remember exactly what song Sally was playing - but when she plays - she doesn't hold back! Great job Sally!
We got these images of Daisy in the same dress that Sally was photographed in when she was a baby.
What could be sweeter than these...
Daisy in her beautiful bassinet...
Sweet dreams...
Be sure to watch the webshow and see more images on Pictage:
Tammy and Ron - you have a beautiful family - I am so glad I had the opportunity to meet you and photograph your family. I hope to see you again soon!
Amy Clifton: These are beautiful! What a sweet family, and amazing home + light. (02/06/09, 03:24)
Valerie: These are soooo precious! They´re going to treasure them all, no doubt, because they capture the magic of this little family so well! GREAT work I´m so inspired now! (02/02/09, 01:09)
LucyB: Fluffy, soft as a cloud, baby wonderland. These photos are beautiful and will be a lifelong treasure for Mom and Dad. (02/02/09, 08:06)
