THHHEEEEE PPPAAARRTTTTYYYYYY

THEEEEE PAARRRRTTTTTYYYYYYYY

Still... MORE!!!!

More Birthday Photos!!!!

Birthday Photos!!!

October 25, 2007. Maddie is 13. Holy SH*T!!

Well, against all of my pleading, attmepts at bribery, foribiding, and even threats, Maddie turned 13 this morning. I have been telling her that if she didnt turn back time and return to being 8 years old that she would be in some serious trouble. But, in true rebelious teenage style, and she DOES have style, she flat out disobeyed my command and went right ahead into becoming a teenager. Oh well.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The photos are of the cupcakes that Jess and I made her last night and of her taking them into school this morning.

Seriously though, I am so lucky to have Maddie as a daughter. For someone turning 13, she is really unbelievable, which is hopefully what this blog thing will show everyone else. Its too hard to put how great she is into a quick sentence or meeting. People ask, "How's Maddie?" and I'll just tell them, "She's good." and then some little bit of info from her recent adventures or some smart ass remark about being scared that she is going to be a teenager soon. But honestly, it would take me a FULL DAY with that person, doing nothing but sitting on a couch and going through old photos, school papers, and explaining things like random little quotes that she writes down, showing her room and how she first painted it BRIGHT pink, then over top of that BRIGHT green, how she dyed her hair pink, used to scratch my beard while watching Spiderman, tells me about her problems after putting her to bed and reading National Geographic, bringing Bobby and Teddy over, making turkey burgers and corn, eating at Noshville, coming back to the paper with me, no more corner market, danon frusion smoothie, trips to cincinnnati, our trip to chicago together when it was 30 below the whole time, skateboarding in the MBA parking lot, tennis at the shelby park community center, what it feels like seeing her after not seeing her for a few days, what it feels like after spending days with her and then her leaving, knowing I wont see her for days, sunday mornings, taking her to school in the morning, the way her hair is parted exactly like mine, when people tell us we look alike, and.......really.......just tons of stuff. Wow. Maybe it would take more than a day to get the point across, but anyway, enough sap. Maddie's great. I love you Mad-dog.

On to the teen years.........

The Final Countdown

Four days left. We are trying to figure out, in typical last minute style, what exactly we are going to do on saturday for a birthday party. It seems like at this point it will be bowling and pizza. Other ideas that were floating around, laserquest, renting a place and throwing down techno dance party style, the belle meade country club with me djing the most ghetto rap music available, a deck party at my house..... bowling and pizza seemed to be the best fit. Jess and I are going to make our famous homemade cupcakes that everyone in Maddies class thinks we buy every year. They just dont know our cupcake skillzz yo!! So yeah. Hang on tight. Four days left.

Quick Interview with Maddie

Currently Listening - Uffie, M.I.A., Eminem (the first album only), Justice, Santogold,

Currently Eating - Ghengis Grill, Turkey Burgers and Corn, Sushi, Lucky Charms.

Currently Reading - Uglies (for school), Everything Is Illuminated (for pleasure)

AIM Interview with Maddie
D-hey
M-hi u weirdo!
D-so we are sitting next to each other but IMing
M-yeah i guess
D-were dorks
M-i know... total dorks
D-so if you could do anything for a job what would you do?
M-ummmmmmmmmmmm.......
M-i dont know
M-yet
D-well like if you had to choose tomorrow what would it be?
D-?
D-?
D-?
D-?
M-hold on a sec!!!!
M-its a hard decision
D-well Im not going to make you stick to the decision, im just curious what it would be "hypothetically" right now.
M-cause what if i say the wrong thing and its on the blog
D-haha
D-its ok
D-there is no wrong thing to say
M-cant u just take that one off the interview
D-i could
M-am i allowed to do that
D-maybe
M-as the interviewie
D-depends
M-on what?
D-on whether or not you share your ghengis grill with me tonight
M-what is that supoose to mean?
D-it means sharing is caring
M-WHAT?
M-im sooo cunfuzzled
D-its ok. ill slow down for you
D-so
D-job
M-hey!!!
D-what would it be?
M-idk
M-just write undecided
D-ok.
D-next question
D-favorite color
M-blue
D-ok, now were getting somewhere
M-not funny!
D-how has your day been so far?
M-good
M-i like the paper its kinda fun
M-sometimes
D-well, we have one more thing to shoot then its off to the grill.
D-OH!!
M-YAY!!!
M-i love the grill!!!
D-We need to make sure we are home for the office and Sunny in Philly
M-totally!!!!!
M-r u doing salty or sweet at the grill
D-salty
D-you?
M-im doing sweet
M-for now
D-nice
M-i cant wait!!
D-i get a bite.

we had to pet carrots...

we had to pet carrots in science on wednesday. it was really funny. we did it for a lab assignment about osmosis. i did it with the other maddie at school... maddie robin. i still dont know anything about osmosis.

Chillin at the paper.

Talkin on IM while I file photos from the morning.

Third Stop : Dad gets a hair cut. (no photos please)

No photos of dad getting the doo chop, so you get another photo of the cute one chillin in Mop Top.

Second Stop : Kalamatas

Food review was of Kalamatas in Green Hills, a really good greek spot. They let us keep the food we photographed too!! SWEET!

First Stop : Breakfast at Noshville

Bacon, Eggs, Toast, Coffee, normally dont eat breakfast this big, sick, ready to go back to sleep, on to our first assignment.........a food review.....ugh

Learnin the trade

A rainy thursday morning. Id probably rather sit on the couch and drink coffee all day excpet that today Maddie is coming with me to work! We have two assignments to shoot already, a chef profile and a story about a woman who works with deaf boyscouts. Both should be pretty interesting. Starting the day off with breakfast at our favorite spot in the whole world, Noshville. Its not really our favorite because of the food but just because we have been going there for our weekly "Daddy Daughter Dinners" for the last three years or so. But this will be our first breakfast there.......at least I THINK ther serve breakfast. The photo above is of the last time Maddie came to work with me. We went to Kentucky for The New York Times to cover a political picnic thing that happens every year. Maddie got right down in the middle of the press pool with a notebook and took names and caption info for me while I was up front shooting. She did a great job by the way. She also got to meet times writer Ian Urbina. Pretty cool. It was alomost 2000 degrees that day and she held up the whole time. Seriously, what 12 year old goes to a political picnic in 4000 degree heat in Kentucky on a Saturday with her dad and says,"That was pretty cool!" If it wasnt for the photo to prove it all, I may think I actually dreamt the whole thing.

my first post!

Happy Birthday Jim!!!!!!!

9 days to go until teenagerness.

Maddie came along on a quick fashion shoot a couple of days ago. The best stand in model anyone could ask for.