American Legacy Academy: Summer Gala 2008, fundraiser & auction

The marketing director for American Legacy Academy stumbled upon my website and said she. "was very impressed with my work." ALA is a private school and they needed a photographer to cover their annual fundraising gala and for current marketing material. Roger Anthony a very successful motivational speaker was the main speaker. Jon Schmidt was the evening's entertainment. Both were very great, very nice and incredibly talented!

Other guests on the VIP list included Marvin Pain and his wife, Tom Holmoe and his wife, Zane Gray and his wife, Vance Law and his wife.
We had an amazing gourmet meal!! Wow the chicken would rival any, that I have ever had! The evening was filled with talk of the children, the gospel and a very exciting auction. I was more than honored to donate my time for the future of our community and education.

Vance Law eyeing an authentic, signed and framed Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson photograph. I heard among the bidders that it was actually shot at the Salt Palace.

Roger Anthony was a Gold Medal winner at the Australian Academy of Boxing Speed Ball Championship and currently a motivational speaker. Seen here practicing with the speed ball, for the visual demonstration he includes in his speech.

Here to support this great cause was Vance Law a former Major League Baseball All-Star and Tom Holmoe a former San Francisco 49er and 3 time Superbowl Champion. Vance is currently the BYU baseball head coach and Tom is the BYU athletic director.

Jon Schmidt is a new age classical pianist.

Karen Bohrer co-founder of American Legacy Academy.

It was very impressive to watch Jon's body language as he connected to the baby grand piano. It was as if his body moved to the exact sound and rhythm of each note. I had never heard him live and he was absolutely amazing. Great job Jon!

Now that's one very eager bidder!

Lots of laughs during a bidding War :)

If that's not the look of Victory.....it was.

Jeremy Elliot (a.k.a. Sam) from the movie Charly, with a very excited fan.

Steve + Karissa

I really wanted to see the wall's on both sides of me, but still have Steve & Karissa as the focal point.

I love the way the texture from the wall turned out. Also I'm very happy to see Steve's eye's and face really well, even with his hat on. Normally I'd say hat's like this are bad for engagements but his worked out and it really suits his personality too! Photo of the day^

Tall grass is a must this time of the year. It's everywhere and I LOVE it :) Karissa's mom came with us on this shoot and she was standing to my left when I asked Steve to go for the hiney! It was so funny. We all laughed for a couple of minutes after she gave him the Hand's Off Mister response. I love how the personalities come out with just a silly idea like that. If you are a prude, this is especially for you ;)

In loving memory of Don Morehouse

Great guy, Great businessman and most importantly a Great family man.

Don, you will be missed by many! We are all very sad that you have left this life early, but happy to know that you are home with our Heavenly Father!My thoughts and prayer's are with his wonderful family, I Love you guy's!

The following is the official report from KSL. By Whit Johnson.

Family mourns loss of man who drowned in triathlon
July 27th, 2008 @ 5:30pm
By Whit Johnson
Family and friends tonight are mourning the loss of well-known businessman and community volunteer Don Morehouse, who drowned Saturday while competing in a triathlon.
Morehouse was President and CEO of Slaymaker Group, which owns all the TGI Friday's and Winger's Restaurants in Utah and Idaho. Those who knew Morehouse say he was dedicated to his work, but more importantly, he was a dedicated family man and friend.

Morehouse leaves behind a wife, four children, seven grandchildren and countless friends. Family members say he was a busy man but always managed to go above and beyond for those he loved.
His wife, Fairy Morehouse, said, "If Don was in the room and you didn't get a smile and a hug, there would be something wrong."
By age 60, Morehouse accomplished success by all definitions of the word. Living in Provo, Don was a CEO and an athlete, he traveled, and he helped build a large, loving family. "I mean, there was nothing negative about him," Fairy said.
Today, his wife, along with friends and family, shared stories about Don's life. He was the perfect husband, the perfect grandfather and the perfect father and a perfect friend," Fairy said.
Morehouse died Saturday while competing in the Spudman Triathlon in Burley, Idaho. During the swimming portion of the race, witnesses say they heard Don call for help just before he disappeared under the water. Rescue crews were unable to revive him. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
"He'd buy his books, and he'd read his books, and he'd do the training plan. And he was ready to finish and complete another project, another dream," his wife said.
Don's family says he was healthy, in remarkable shape and recently competed in a number of marathons. Why Don went underwater is still unknown, but he was able to touch the hearts of many before he passed.
"My grandson said, ‘He was going to come watch my game Tuesday.' I said I'll be at your game on Tuesday. We're just going to fill his shoes."
Nearly 2,000 people participated in the Spudman. Besides the swimming event, the competitors bike 40 kilometers and run 10 kilometers. A spokesman said this is the first fatality that has occurred in the Spudman's 22-year history. "We've had some people that have needed to be pulled out of the water or hang on to the side of a boat," he said, "but we've never had anything like this before," he said.
E-mail: wjohnson@ksl.com

Spicing up the office, Stage 1

So amongst all of the shoots, editing and lack of sleep (this is normal) I....We have finally begun to paint and spice up the office. Dev you are the bomb honey! I have been putting it off for ummmmmm several years! Kind like the website, there's never enough time for it all :(

On the walls I have a NEW coat of paint called "Trench Coat." It is a warm beige tone. Also the very stylish furniture has been painted a NEW color; black instead of the old brown. We really loved the stained red that was on the walls but it was time!

Next up is carpet, base and the so very important NEW frames and enlargements. I will add pix when my o.c.d. wears off :)

Finally I have a NEW website!

Okay so I finally have my NEW website and it only took me 2 months to decide on one and another month get it where it's at right now, I think they call that OCD! There's still allot to do but hey I'm only one crazy person you know, see: (Nightowlphotoholic). But I will say that it's much closer to my style than the antiquated one. The old site served it's purpose and I'm happy that I've moved on. So my guess is I'll be ready for another new one in a year or less, we'll see :)

Tell me what you think, I'm excited to hear feed back.