The Herndon Herald: May 2010

Photo Alert: updates on the photography blog

I'm going to start only previewing my more serious photography with a couple highlighted shots on my personal blog and instead post the full preview on The Herndon Portfolio. Then I'll alert the readers to go check out the full photo preview at www.theherndonportfolio.blogspot.com.

Check out the full preview of today's maternity shoot with the Heather and Josh Perry.

Visiting our New York Family

After Papa's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday (post coming soon...it was a beautiful service), Mom, Anna and I headed up to New York to spend some time with family before Anna's departure for Israel on a Birthright trip. Here are some highlights from our visit...

Friday night Joann hosted a BBQ and everyone was there.

The cousins are all getting so big! They're really growing up.

Eddie or Maddy taking a picture with my camera...us being silly sisters as usual.

Then on Saturday night we headed into the city for a show called Girls Night Out.

It was so much fun. It was like watching Karaoke with a plot complete with Broadway singers and improvised interactions with the audience...LOVED IT!

This guy had a sign that read, "Free Hugs from a Puerto Rican".

She took him up on one...HILARIOUS!

We grabbed dinner at a little pub right in Times Square, which was great because there was no wait and we were right near the theater and they made one heck of a Cobb salad, which almost all of us had.

Girls Night Out (let the show begin)

After the show...Mom was even given a boa.

After the show we walked through Times Square back to the Penn Station just in time to catch our train back to Long Island.

The next morning we met two of Mom's old friends FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL...who'd she'd found through Facebook and we enjoyed brunch together at the Lynnbrook Diner.

Then we stopped back at Mary's house and looked at old pictures from as far back as elementary school. The highlight though was the PROM PICTURES!

Check out the beanie from Mom's Catholic School days.

Then it was back to Barbara's for the weekly Sunday night Italian family dinner...on a sidenote, isn't Barbara and Janice's new house beautiful...Anna and I skipped out on dinner to catch up with our other side of the family (the Sacks side that is).

We enjoyed a delicious dinner with Grandma, who has just moved back to New York, Aunt Marlene, Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Jay. Anna got to hear a preview of some things to look forward to in Israel and we all did some catching up on life and discussed how we can't wait for my cousin Marissa's wedding in a couple weeks.

Then it was back to Barbara's for desserts from the family's Italian bakery and a good nights sleep before Anna's early rendez-vous with her Birthright group at JFK.

Bon Voyage Anna...

Anna at JFK getting ready to embark on her trip to Israel, also her first out of the country (other than the islands that is). I am SO excited for her and can't wait to see pictures and hear all about her adventures when she returns next week. LOVE YOU!

Then Mom and I made the drive home to Virginia.

It was a wonderful visit and we get to go back in just a few weeks for Marissa's wedding. I can't wait...I love seeing all of our family up in New York. It is one of my favorite places in the whole wide world! Hopefully we'll be seeing a lot of each other if some of them make it down for a visit this summer and then we have Taylor's sweet sixteen to look forward to in September.

Our new backyard and a BBQ

This past weekend we had a chance to enjoy our new backyard with some new friends.

Adam and his dad recently built our backyard deck. We got rid of an old, very ugly shed as well as an old, very large tree that dropped a TON of gumballs throughout the fall and winter.

The Apples of Gold Gals

Good times were had all around talking, laughing, playing and of couse eating.

Sadly I missed getting a shot of Adam as grill master...but believe me, he is! We enjoyed delicious hamburgers, turkeyburgers, hotdogs complete with yummy sides like pasta salad, potato salad and even keylime pie, a trifle and a vanilla cake with fresh whipped cream.

It was quite the smorgoubourg!

Tampa Missions Team Meeting

This July we are taking our first waves team of leaders and students on a missions trip. Our team is headed to Tampa, Florida with World Changers to do some building projects. This past Saturday, the team got together to begin preparing for that trip. We reflected on the idea of missions and what scripture reveals about it, we prayed together for the trip and the lives we hope to impact and we began working together on projects around the Shed.

One group of students finished painting a classroom blue.

While another group of students organized the waves storage room.

Then there was some cleaning and more organizing and finally more painting...we painted a classroom completely green to act as the drama team's green screen when filming videos for the ministry. It's VERY green!

It was a great day working with our missions team and we are all looking forward to the trip and the chance to serve in Tampa this summer.

Adam's Graduation from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary

Graduation arrived Saturday morning and all the Herndons were ready to celebrate Adam's big accomplishment, completing his Masters in Divinity. We headed over to the Gordon College campus for the ceremony.