Ty meets Aunt Brook!

Charlie and Brook came for a vacation and it was the 1st chance they
have had to see Ty.... Brook fell in love immediately and they formed
quite a friendship in minutes...

down the hall

Felicia and Michael

I had the distinct honor of 2nd shooting with the incomparable Phillip Lloyd
this past Saturday as Felicia and Mike celebrated their wedding day!
Felicia was a beautiful bride and the ceremony was a memorable time
for the couples' families!

A debt we can NOT repay....

I recently finished "5 Years to Freedom" - Colonel Nick Rowe's memories
of his 5 years as prisoner of war in Vietnam! It was INCREDIBLE! It was
my companion for months as I would read at lunches and whenever I
could squeeze in some time. I was quickly taken back over 40 years
and relived this war through the eyes and spirit of a young Special Forces
soldier taken captive in 1962... I found myself mad, sad and a myriad of
other emotions as I read how this incredibly brave man fought with every
fiber of his spirit to survive and hold fast to his convictions! I literally
cheered and had tears runs down my face the day I read of his escape
and reunion with his fellow soldiers! I have no idea how he - or any of
our brave young guys survive such horror... I asked my son once as he
finished Ranger school how he lasted - he replied he had learned to
"live without limits"....

On this Memorial Day, I am humbled and thankful for all the brave souls
that fought and died for our freedoms....

I'm thinking....

...this would be a pretty nice place to be - soon!

Pass-A-Grille Beach

One of the most beautiful areas ANYWHERE is Pass-A-Grille on the southern
tip of Gluf Blvd in St. Petersburg... the end of the road... I grew playing here
and there are many tales of fishing and smuggling that play a big part of the
history of this area. It is a MUST see! This shot is from the top of the famed
Hurricane Restaurant... We will be headed there again on the 30th to capture
the story of Marcela and Chris' wedding!!!

Soon to be 3!

2 of the "Super People" in my life are Jerry and Mandi - shown here
last November at a wedding we were shooting! You can not meet
better peeps anywhere! They recently found out that they will become
parents in September!!! They have spoiled their beloved dogs and
cats for years - now they will have a "Little Mac"....

Marissa & Pete

One of the gorgeous young couples from last year....

Crystal River Leap!

From a wedding at the beautiful Plantation Inn in Crystal River....
Working with Jerry McGaghey of Rockstar Sexy Wedding Photography fame..

Tough Day

It started over a week ago... The periods of long lost stares and no words...
Last night we had our last call and that's always a heart stopper - at that
point we were both feeling abut as empty as a parent can feel... Sleep was
so elusive, Linda was up since 3 - at 5:30 we were staring at the clock
knowing it was 4:30 where he was and it was time to go - again!
Our son is a soldier - one that has been through the most intense training
in the world and he travels with other "Chosen Soldiers".... It still scares
a Mom and a Dad to the depths of our souls... We are extremely proud of
our son and all that he has achieved and accomplished, but when he has
to go "do what he does" Linda and I remained gripped by an intense fear
that comes along with being a parent.... I simply will not draw a breath
until he returns without his face on my mind...
If you see a Mom or a Dad next week that has a son or daughter in the war,
go up and give them a hug - they will appreciate it...
I've ALWAYS been in awe of the incredible mutual love I have shared with
my son and in these times I am thankful to have such a powerful love in
my life...

Hurry home son......

Happy Birthday Sweet Ava!

The year has flown by!!!

I have a high school friend that I have lunch with every few months
and he always turns the conversation to his grandchildren - a glow
comes across his face as he tells me tales of the little people that
stole his heart! A year ago today I came to understand that perpetual
smile and just how much a baby could melt you.... Ava has grown into
a beautiful little girl and we are just beginning!!! I do not have the words
to describe just how much she means to me... so I will just continue
smiling!!! Thank you Charlie and Brook for this most precious of gifts!

Pap-Paw loves you Ava!

Tatiana & Peter

It was a beautiful day at a gorgeous resort - The Sandpearl
on Clearwater Beach, for these 2 wonderful people to celebrate
the start of their new life together! We had flaming sword dancers,
Russian toasts and broken glass! AWESOME! I was working with the
infamous Jerry McGaghey and we both learned new words and saw
sights we had not seen before! We had a great time!

Shout-out to Ian Prosser at Botanica for the incredible flowers and
arrangement - they are truly in a league of their own!

Let the Fun Begin!

We met in an abandoned trailer park - 2 brides, 1 groom and 10
wedding photographers.... We had a ball!!!! We always learn new
set-ups for shots, lighting challenges and props - all great practice
at our craft for our next couples! Ashly, Aymee and Paul were all
incredible models!

More Ty!

We went to visit Courtney, Doug and Ty at their new apartment on Saturday!
Of course, Ty got ALL the attention! He just gets cuter and cuter! We had to
pry Linda/Nana away to get her to come home!
Oh yeah, they have an AWESOME place!

Ty loves the booger eater!!!!!

Don't EVER let your wife have your Camera!

I was watching Tv with my little buddy Ty and Linda STOLE my
camera! These are dangerous times we live in :-))

My cup runneth over...

WOW again! I feel like I've been on a roller coaster the last 2 weeks....
I'm not complaining, maybe a little tired - but totally stoked over all
that has gone on! We went to visit Charlie, Brook and Ava - I never
have the words to describe just how much they meant to me and how
my spirit soars just thinking of them - constant reminders of the
monstrous blessings in my life... We shot Sumer & Rick's eSession
the weekend before we left - went to Tennessee Wed thru Sunday -
INCREDIBLE seminar the next Wednesday in Orlando, Marcela and
Chris' eSession Thursday evening on Pass-A-Grille and Ty stayed
over Friday night and all day Saturday!
Here's a shot of Ava from out trip to Casa de Moores in Tennessee...
More, LOTS more to follow!

My Little Buddy!

Ty Marley Fox - our latest edition to the family had his
1 month check-up a couple weeks ago and is up to 11
lbs 3 ozs! He is packing in the groceries and growing
like a weed! We visited my little buddy on Sunday and
grabbed a few pictures....

Beach Shoot Part II

and this is what he was looking at...... on his motorcycle!

Beach Shoot

Gandy Lagoon

We sure live in beautiful area!

Good Morning!

A Happy Valentines Day

It was a Happy Valentines Day at our house on Feb 14th!
Linda got a new purse that she had wanted for a long time
A N D we became Ty's 1st babysitters! Courtney and Doug
went out with Doug's family and Pap-Paw and Nana got to
baby sit!!!

Happy Valentine's Day

The following came in an email this morning... I thought it
would be just the right day to pass it on to my 4 girls!
Happy Valentine's Day to Linda, Courtney, Brook and Ava!


WHAT'S LOVE?

Love is...
What makes a weak man brave
And a king step off his throne
Good times, bad times
Easy times, tough times
It comes in an instant
And lasts three days after forever
That's what love is.


- Mike -

Our beautiful Ava!

Courtney and Ty have consumed so much of our time and energy
lately, but we did not want anyone to miss keeping up with our
beautiful Ava! Ava is now just over 9 months old and is DROP DEAD
GORGEOUS! (No! I am not prejudice - check her out yourself!) She
has outgrown her original car seat and - here she is - celebrating
her new comfy seat and riding forward! Time truly flys! She is growing
SO fast it almost scares us - Linda and I gather around my computer
to smile and laugh every time Brook updates us with new pictures - we
cherish EVERY image we get! We hope to go see her next month for a
few days!

She is available to SQUEEZE!!!!!

Ty dude!

Here is a little artsy rendition of Ty on the changing
table at his 1st visit to Nana and Pap-Paw's house..
He was hamming it up as usual... He is 2 weeks old!!!

Single Strobe Shootout!

WOW!!! What a blast! The phenomenal Jerry McGaghey of RockStar Sexy Wedding Photography put on a night time Single Strobe Shootout and had 1 of his many happy couples volunteer to come model for a half dozen of the Tampa Bay area's most talented and sought after photographers - Jerry was kind enough to invite me too... It was awesome to watch, listen and learn from all the experience that were shooting that night - I was trying to absorb as much as I could and attempted to get off a few shots too. EVERY ONE of these artists freely shared their experience and techniques and it was like hitting the LOTTO for me!!! AND - EVERY ONE of these incredible folks was just as nice as they were talented! Thank you to Linda and Chris, the extremely beautiful couple - you both are amazing! Thanks to Lauren, Carrie, Linda, Phillip and new daddy (soon) - Mark Moberg!! Thanks, as always, to the-Jer for another part of my continuing education - you are remarkably creative!! AND a huge thanks to the glue that keeps the whole thing together - Mandi!!!

Scott & Missy!

2 weeks ago we shot the eSession for Missy & Scott - what an
AWESOME couple! Scott is the son of my dear friends, Mike and
Cathy Cline! Scott and I have become friends the last few years
and Missy "fits him like a glove"! Equally intelligent and beautiful,
Missy is a great partner for Scott! I am absolutely STOKED to
photograph their wedding in Bradenton on June 13th!!!

This eSession was shot with the incredible Steve Moores - a real artist!

Ty Comes Home!

My little buddy came home today - on Super Bowl Sunday! Linda and
I went to greet the new parents and Ty - all were happy to be home!
Courtney is adapting well to her new role and Doug has jumped in
and to take care if his new little guy! One AWESOME family!

Ty Marley In The House!

8 lbs 12 oz!
20-1/2"
GORGEOUS!
Smiled right away!
Runs a 4.4 40!
Benches 450 12x!!!
Leaps tall buildings in a single bound!!!!!
Ty Marley Fox was born at 9:45PM last night!
Courtney and Doug made a BEAUTIFUL baby!!!
All are well!

PapPaw can't wipe the smile off his face......

1 more day!!!

Our new grandson Ty is taking his time popping into the world...
Courtney is doing well and the Doctor says TODAY is the day,
no matter what! Mom is ready, Dad is ready, BFF is ready, Grandparents
are ready and the Law Firm is ready and we are all cheering for
Courtney and Ty today!

At home, his little monkey pillow waits in his new bed.....

BIG DAY!!!!!!!

TY IS COMING TODAY!!!!!!!

Courtney - my baby - is at the hospital as I write this - getting
ready to give birth to her baby boy Ty Marley Fox!!!! The blue
hue before sunrise will give way to an exciting day!

A new day for our country!

Yesterday, in grand style, we inaugurated the 44th President of the
United States! It was amazing to see the emotion around the world
for this event! For most Americans, our new President represents
HOPE!!! Hope for change! I - among many - believe that President
Obama will be a positive influence toward getting our country back
on track! It was a GREAT day for all Americans!

GATOR NATION!!!!

Tim Tebow led the Florida Gators to another National Championship last
night with an incredible display of will in the 4th quarter! The Gators beat
the Oklahoma Sooners 24 - 14 and it was a nervous night for all Gator fans!
It turns out that Tebow was incensed at halftime and was screaming at the
players and telling the coaches to put the ball in "fifteen's hands" and he
would win this thing! HE DID! It was a great team victory as the defense
held back OU twice at the goal line.

My voice will recover but it will be a while before you can wipe the smiles
off the entire Gator Nation!

AIN'T IT GREAT - TO BE - A FLORIDA GATOR!!!!











































"Start with the grass stains. He left the field wearing the most splendid of
grass stains, long swaths of green stretching over his shoulders, across his
chest, down his back, the badge of a linebacker. Now check out the number.
He is No. 15, but his jersey was tugged and twisted so much, sometimes it
looked as if he were No. 11, sometimes 17, the wrinkles of a lineman.
Finish with the face. Thick cheeks decorated in eye black, framed by a crew
cut, above a tight expression that sweated with intensity, a face of a fighter.
This is Tim Tebow. For a couple of wonderfully antique hours Thursday, this
is the perfect player who made us forget college football's imperfect system.
After Florida's messy 24-14 victory over Oklahoma ... I'm still not sure I can
name the nation's best team. But I'm absolutely positive of its biggest star,
that being the Gators quarterback who looks like a Four Horseman, acts like
Seven Blocks of Granite and talks like Knute Rockne."
- Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times

Happy New Year!

We saw the big ball drop, kissed and we were asleep by 12:02!!!
We are such PARTY ANIMALS! We will not tell you all that went
on before midnight...... LOL... We went for a late breakfast on
this 1st day of 2009 to Cracker Barrel and Linda wanted to go
to the Harley shop as she had a gift certificate that was burning
a hole in her pocket! Ha - we were the only ones there! I got
out and got this shot of my new ride...

Happy New Year All!

Merry Christmas!

I want to wish everyone that visits here a Merry Christmas and I hope
that 2009 will be the best year EVER for all of us! I wish each of you
the very best in health, happiness and prosperity!

We were so fortunate to have all our family together this year and to
be able to celebrate Ava's 1st Christmas was a MAJOR LEAGUE treat!
God bless us - one and all....

JM

Christmas Eve Gift!

The Bayshore Patriots

I LOVE these people!!!


The "Bayshore Patriots" were formed in Tampa, Florida from an outpouring of support for our country following the tragic events of 9/11/01.

On Friday afternoons following 9/11/01, patriotic Americans joined together at Bay to Bay and Bayshore Boulevards to wave their flags in support of our country.

The group was named the "Bayshore Patriots" by local media as their Friday afternoon efforts were well received by the community as they drove home from work.

As the City of Tampa developed plans for the one-year anniversary of 9/11/01, an event was created which expanded upon the "Bayshore Patriot" concept, and invited and registered tens of thousands of Americans to join the Bayshore Patriots on Bayshore Boulevard with their flags in a solemn event … "Flags Along the Bayshore: Tampa Remembers 9/11". It was one of the largest remembrance events in the country on 9/11/02.

Tens of thousands of Americans have now joined the Bayshore Patriot legacy here in Tampa. What began as a small group has expanded to include thousands, and continues with Bayshore Patriots on Bayshore each and every Friday afternoon, waving their flags in support of our country, our constitution and all those who serve and protect.

MISSION STATEMENT

Bayshore Patriots, Inc., is an advocacy organization whose sole purpose is to support the United States of America and promote patriotism in our community. And through its actions, events and programs, encourage support of our constitution and our country, its freedoms, its laws and those who uphold them.

The Bayshore Patriots, Inc. is not aligned with any political, religious or social advocacy group and will maintain its independence and identity in all its efforts.

WOW!!!!!

I'm not lost.....

A strange thing happened after my last post on the morning of
December 4th .... I went to my "day job" of the last 15-1/2 years
was told I was no longer needed by the company... It's happening
in BIG numbers all over these days, but that fact does not soften
the blow... It's a very strange feeling!
The INCREDIBLE response by customers, friends, family and even
competitors was overwhelming! Calls, emails abound with well
wishes and job suggestions. THANK YOU to ALL that encouraged
me and I truly appreciate you!

My experience has taught me MANY times that in sales and in life,
when you are turned back, your immediate thought should be NEXT!
So, I know that the sun rises every morning - I have gone and watched
the marvelous show our Creator puts on daily - I captured the image
below last year after another spectacular sunrise at the St. Petersburg
Yacht Club last year....

I'll wait for my next "SUNRISE" - knowing it is coming!

A real heart-felt thanks - again - to all of the phenomenal people in my life!


JM

Ava @ 7 months!!!!

We get new pictures every week and an occasional web cam
visit - we are always amazed at how fast she is growing and
how many new things she is doing! Ava is our 7 month old
granddaughter - she, Brook and Charlie will be here for Christmas
on the 17th to the 26th - WE CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!
Check out her 3 teeth!!!

Wall Postcard

Dancin the night away!

Kristen and Jamie's wedding reception at the incredible Tampa Yacht Club....

These 2 thoroughly enjoyed the party!!!

Kristen

The lovely Kristen from a wedding I shot on November 15th. Kristen
and Jamie were an absolutely gorgeous couple! It was a honor to be
part of their special day!!


Kristen was so proud of her green shoes....


It was great to work with Mark Moberg!
Very creative and a bundle of energy!

LOTS to be thankful for!!!!

Thanksgiving should be everyday!!!

We probably would be better off spending each day being
thankful for all the blessings in our lives! I KNOW I have been
far more fortunate than I deserve and remain overwhelmed at
the wonderful people that are in my life....

Obie came home for Thanksgiving!

Linda had turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, broccoli
casserole, cranberry sauce and the list goes on - just an
INCREDIBLE feast and an awesome afternoon! Courtney and
Doug came over to enjoy the day, pig out and watch some
football - it just doesn't get any better!

Charlie, Brook and Ava went to Louisville to spent the holiday
with the fabulous Cliftons! Brook's parents have been another
addition to the list to be thankful for!

Ty Pics!

Friday we continued the Thanksgiving treats! We went with Courtney
and Doug for a 4D ultrasound to see Ty - our grandson that will making
his appearance in late January!!! It was truly amazing as we watched
Ty go through his exercises on the monitor in front of us! Doug's
children, Riley and Gage came along and had their camera and cell
phones popping, taking pictures of their little brother to be!

Ty Marley on the way!!!

Sunday, November 9 was a celebration for Doug and Courtney and the
coming BIG event! Ty Marley Fox will be the new addition to the Moores
gang in January! Courtney and Doug's friends threw them an AWESOME
party as we all celebrated their joy!
Linda and I will be grandparents again!!!!!!!!!!!!

Future Gator Cheerleader!

My Buddy Wayne!

Linda is in Arkansas this morning to be with her family as they
prepare to bury her brother Wayne. He died Sunday morning
after complications from a heart surgery - the details are a
blur and rather insignificant, the bottom line is that this world
has lost 1 INCREDIBLE human...
I loved Wayne!
I often told people that he was my hero - that he had mastered
"happy"!!! He fiercely loved his family and anything to do with a
motor and tires! My last memories of Wayne come from a trip
where we hauled the Harley to Arkansas and Wayne was like a
kid as we unloaded the bike and prepared to ride the mountains!
I can still see him in front of us on his GoldWing - I sensed that
he was as much a part of the road as the center line - he rode
with the ease that only comes with riding a motorcycle for over
40 years.
We rode on...
He smiled...
He was happy!!!!

I'm good to go with that memory - I love you Wayne - I'll miss
you and your sister has a HUGE hole in her heart - that will be
filled with memories of your smile.....

Ride on, my friend.....

Wanda - thank you for sharing your awesome dude with us!