happy birthday gracyn!

baby gracyn is one! i can barely believe it — it seems like not long ago that i met this family for the first time and she was just a little newborn {see gracyn at 4 weeks!} and now she’s running around and eating cupcakes! i can’t imagine a more festive celebration and i absolutely *loved* her fabulous fairy tale 1st birthday party — wow! the party was a visual delight — tissue poms hung from the ceiling, and a carpet of flowers transformed the house into a fairy garden — i was in awe of the amazing etsy-inspired decor from * the polka dot pinwheel * POM LOVE * stay awake * and more. fairy wings + tutus (and dragon costumes for the boys!) were given to all the tiny guests who were enchanted by a fairy caravan puppet show! every detail was perfection — a custom sweets bar with blue + purple toadstool cupcakes, a fairy toadstool cake, and magic pretzel wands – all homemade! bravo to mom’s who truly do it all!

the entire event was orchestrated by the incredibly creative + talented shannon green, an amazing mama who has just gone pro with her planning for little ones — woo! since she got her start planning her own children’s parties {check out kimsey’s super fun cowgirl birthday!} shannon is wonderfully in tune with mom’s and their children. want to know more about sweet pea soirees? follow her on twitter, fan her on facebook or check out her blog!

enjoy!

earlier this week children’s national medical center hosted a very fun event at united medical center to celebrate the new forthcoming pediatric emergency department — made possible in large part by an amazing $11 million grant from the DC government. the event was a wonderful opportunity to introduce the community to the nurses + staff, and everyone had a great time.

“it’s wise to be well” focused on educating parents through information on children’s health, from identifying flu symptoms and ear infections, to basic injury prevention, healthy eating + exercise practices, as well as free car seat checks! the tents were set up in the hospital parking lot, alongside the community farmers’ market, complete with balloons, awesome music, snacks, great give-a-aways, and face painting for the kids! as always, i had a great time documenting another fabulously fun event for children’s national medical center – enjoy!

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share our strength is a national organization with a clear goal – to end childhood hunger in america. share our strength works with various groups, activists, food programs, and the culinary industry on a local level to identify hungry children in need and provide them with nutritious food in their communities.

share our strength raises funds + awareness by partnering with major corporations as well as individual volunteers to support a variety of organizations across the country that make healthy food available to families with children in need. the great american bake sale is a national campaign that mobilizes everyday americans to make a difference by holding bake sales in their communities to raise money to end childhood hunger. on memorial day weekend i visited one of the great american bake sales in rockville, md – i was beyond impressed with the energy + enthusiasm of the dedicated volunteers, as well as the commitment of the share our strength team members that were present.

to learn more about share our strength visit their website, follow them on twitter, or become a fan on facebook!

for the 3rd year in a row, i was honored to photograph the national marine sanctuary foundation leadership awards dinner at the famed ronald reagan building + international trade center in DC. the event, held annually during capitol hill ocean week, honors top leaders in marine conservation and draws the most notable oceanographers, explorers and activists in the field.

master of ceremonies boyd matson of national geographic fame, once again entertained guests and introduced speakers dr. jane lubchenco, jason patlis, dan basta, jean-michel cousteau + bob talbot – all of whom reflected on issues related to the current state of our oceans, especially in light of the recent and devastating oil spill in the gulf.

this year’s award recipients were as impressive as ever - congresswoman lois capps + congresswoman ileana ros-lehtinen, co-chairs of the national marine sanctuary caucus, received the 2010 leadership award in recognition of their support of the national marine sanctuaries. julie packard, executive director of the monterey bay aquarium, was honored with this year’s lifetime achievement award for her commitment to ocean sustainability + leadership in marine conservation over the past three decades. and steve kroll, from the thunder bay national marine sanctuary, was named national volunteer of the year.

additionally, the evening celebrated the 10th anniversary of the national marine sanctuary foundation as well as the 100th anniversary of jacques-yves cousteau‘s birth – with special presentations by the cousteau family + a “red-cap” tribute to the amazing french captain, naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher of the underwater world!

for more about the leadership awards dinner, capitol hill ocean week, and the national marine sanctuary, visit their website, follow them on twitter or become a fan on facebook!

“her deepness” dr. sylvia earle.

director of NOAA’s national marine sanctuaries systems, dan basta.

national marine sanctuary foundation president, jason patlis.

jan + philippe cousteau, jr.

my first crocheted cumberbund!

leadership award recipients congresswoman lois capps + ileana ros-lehtinen.

julie packard accepting her lifetime achievement award from jason patlis.

boyd matson + dr. jane lubchenco.

jean-michel cousteau.

the amazing nominees for volunteer of the year.

signed copy of jacques-yves cousteau’s the silent world.

the 2010 children’s ball :: andrew w. mellon auditorium – washington, dc.

this weekend children’s national medical center hosted their annual signature gala at the andrew w. mellon auditorium in washington, dc. the 2010 arabian nights children’s ball delighted over 700 guests with an incredible evening of food, wine, dancing, and fundraising!

the evening’s personable host, bret baier, anchor of special report with bret baier on fox news channel, welcomed guests and introduced edwin zechman, jr - president + CEO of children’s national medical center who thanked the event’s sponsor, washington area lexus dealers. the evening’s presenters also included dr. kurt newman and joseph e. robert who again recognized the amazing $150M gift from the government of abu dhabi with a special presentation to omar al shamsi, deputy chief of mission for the sheikh zayed institute for pediatric surgical innovation.

norah o’donnell, chief washington correspondent, MSNBC, co-hosted a live (and lively!) auction with bret baier, followed by the music from the outstanding mood swings band, dancing + an after hours lounge with dj d-mac.

the children’s ball was absolutely fantastic and i’m so thrilled to continue working with the incredible team at children’s national medical center, as well as the amazing philanthropists that give to such a worthy cause.

my great friend + amazing photographer jessi ringer was also there covering the evening – you can check out her work here.

enjoy!

the skilled hands of kristian estevez prepare a cortez cigar.

i had the pleasure of encountering cortez handmade cigars at the virtual golf girl event last week in dc! based in NJ, but traveling all over for events, i first met the guys from cortez at melissa + mike’s wedding in philly last summer! i love nothing more than observing a craft, and cigar rolling is entrancing, not to mention incredibly fun to photograph! i loved chatting with kristian and i *think* i may have convinced him to take me to the warehouse next time im in the dominican republic!

enjoy!

this week i returned to the amazing dc design house to photograph the virtual golf girl dc launch party!

virtual golf girl launched earlier this year at sundance – showcasing their innovative indoor golf product combining advanced shot accuracy + HD graphics with exquisitely designed luxury rooms by lynni megginson.

fantastic product + swanky room in the dc design house + amazing team of “golf girls” = resounding success!

enjoy!

the amazing kristian estevez prepared cortez handmade cigars.

this weekend st. michael’s celebrated their annual winefest – with two days of food, wine, music and celebration throughout town. the talbot county watermen’s association had a tent featuring soft-shell clams with phenomenal cooking demonstrations and tastings all afternoon. the amazing carol bean organized the event and local artist marc castelli leant his talents to the the flyer which featured a watermen’s workboat and the slogan caught by “your personal fisherman.” i stopped by just in time to catch the fabulous barbara helish, chef + owner of bella luna restaurant, as she prepared the clams in a chipotle garlic tomato butter extravaganza – to die for! earlier in the day philip bernot, wine director at wishing well liquor, served much-raved about tempura rockfish bites – delish!

enjoy!

juri valdov, chairman, credit union miracle day, inc.

last week the atrium at children’s national medical center was a very exciting place – dozens of patients participated in an awesome event to decorate piggy banks and hang out with 2010 miss america! the lovely caressa cameron serves as a goodwill ambassador for children’s miracle network – an international non-profit serving hundreds of children’s hospitals, and the official platform for the miss america organization. the kids loved meeting her, posing for photos with her and the crown, and she even helped decorate and play games with everyone. during the program following the arts + crafts she also spoke on behalf of the organization and what it means to her to be able to work with the children.

in addition to celebrating the children, the event commemorated the absolutely amazing $923,000 raised by the 2010 credit union cherry blossom run. credit unions have sponsored the run since 2002, and contributed over $4m for children’s hospitals nationwide. on sunday april 11 over 15,000 runners took to the streets of dc, marking the 37th year of a great tradition.

enjoy!

lead partner PSCU financial services presented one of last year’s auctioned piggy banks to juri valdov.

design house :: washington, dc.

last night children’s national medical center welcomed circle of care members to the 3rd annual dc design house benefitting the foundation. the evening began with self tours of the spectacular home – designers were available to discuss their renovations and inspiration, and cocktails and delicious food were served poolside by ridgewells catering. following the reception, the program featured friends, family and doctors speaking on behalf of the child health advocacy institute.

it was truly a gorgeous evening and a superb event – enjoy!