Jen Madigan Photography

Goal #8 Complete!

Some of you may remember my list of 101 in 1001, where I made a list of 101 things I'd like to accomplish in 1001 days. As I just had my birthday yesterday, I sat down to take a look at the list and see how much I've gotten done so far. A few of the items I no longer have an interest in doing, but I was happy that I could cross two more things off my list. The first was #6 - "Have a fabulous 30th birthday" and although we kept it pretty simple (dinner with family and friends + a trip to the casino the night before and lunch at my favorite place the next day), I had a great time. Here's a couple photos I took while Chester (who belongs to the family I nanny for) stayed with us for a week. I think Einstein liked having a friend around!

Oh, and believe it or not - my 1 year anniversary of starting Jen Madigan Photography is coming up so expect a new special to be announced on the blog very soon!!

Morgan, Keegan, and Logan

On Saturday afternoon I met up with one of my oldest friends. Jen and I have known each other for about 25 years (when I thought about that I honestly could barely believe it!!), bonding back in the day over our shared name (and birthday) in Daisy Girl Scouts, and remaining friends through high school and beyond. Now I can hardly believe she's a mom to three beautiful kids!! Seeing Jen with her adorable family makes me feel so proud of my best friend. Her kids are as sweet as they are gorgeous (I know I'm jealous of those big blue eyes!!), and Jen, along with her husband Kyle, has done an absolutely fantastic job raising them. I look forward to seeing Morgan, Keegan, and Logan continue to grow and change through the years...and now, onto the sneak peek!

Anyone who either has kids, or has photographed kids (all under age 5!) knows how hard it was to get this shot! Jen did a great job of getting their attention while I snapped the photo.

Morgan just turned 5 in April, and LOVES posing for the camera (she made my job pretty easy!).

Keegan was more of a challenge, but once he warmed up we got some cute photos.

And finally, the baby of the family - Logan. I just melt over those huge blue eyes!

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

Josh and I recently returned from our vacation, and this year we traveled to San Francisco for four days. The weather took some getting used to, as the high was about 65 for the duration of our stay (minus our trip to Napa and Sonoma where the temperatures climbed to the upper 70's), but we packed appropriate clothing so we didn't mind the break from Iowa's heat and humidity. We took a lot of random touristy type photos, but I did want to share a few that I thought were worthy of the blog.

Some highlights of the trip were Alcatraz (so interesting!!), shopping on Union Street, dinner at various fabulous restaurants (The Tipsy Pig, The Slanted Door, and Murray Circle), The Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, Sausalito, Cavallo Point (an absolutely amazing hotel), riding a cable car, and various wineries in Napa and Sonoma.

Wandering through Alcatraz, I think this photo shows just how lonely that place feels...