lindsay powell photography

Powells. Unplugged.

We just returned from a week up north in Door County, Wisconsin.  We started off the summer with a trip to Disney World and maximized our fun all summer, so it was really nice to end it with a tranquil place with no schedules.  We rented a little beach cottage along with my parents and spent the week swimming, reading, doing crafts, visiting light houses, playing at the park, and walking around in the small town shops.  I wish I could say *I* was totally unplugged all week, as that was my intention, but I did have some work to do.  It was somewhat comical to see me sitting in the parking lot of a grocery store trying to email a client on a laptop where there was internet.  It's a different world up there.  We fell in love with the area as soon as we saw it and I miss it already.  I can see us ending up there some day with a sail boat.. a girl can dream. ;)

 
Mom snapped this family photo of us:

Will post more photos soon.

Valerie starts first grade in a couple of days and I will be back on a more consistent schedule for the rest of the year.  The fall books very quickly once school starts rolling, so if you're interested in a session before the leaves are gone, contact me soon!

Lake Geneva

Saturday's are generally family day in this house.  I purposefully leave one day of my weekend totally open so that we can get out and do something.  I don't answer the phone, I don't edit or work, and I try to really be present with my kiddos.  Last weekend we decided we were going to head north into Wisconsin to go blueberry picking.  I went with the girls last year in Indiana with my mom and we had a great time, but we thought we'd explore a new place.  Turns out they decided not to open that day and we couldn't let two hours in the car go to waste, so on to plan B.  We were pretty close to Madison, and had never been, so we walked around the city, went to the children's museum, and had a really great dinner!  The children's museum is small but pretty well done, and at $40 for all five of us, it was a perfect way to spend three hours.  We walked a block or so over to the Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co. and had a seriously tasty meal.  They have several beers brewed on site (as well as some yummy root beer ;) ) and lots to choose from.  All of our meals were fabulous.. so I thought I'd mention them incase you're looking for a fun day trip!  Derrick had tandoori chicken, and I had a gourmet grilled cheese with tomato and basil. 

On the way home we stopped at Lake Geneva to walk around for a little bit.  We've always wanted to go there but haven't made the time.  My parents actually had their honeymoon there!  If you haven't gone, you should.  It was only about 45 minutes from home, and the town is quaint and cute.  There's little boutique's, ice cream parlors, and of course beachy souvenir shops.  We walked around by the water to show the kids the boats, window shopped, and got ice cream.  Pretty much a perfect Saturday!!

 

Photos taken by the water at Lake Geneva.  I wish I had put them in cute dresses or something, but we had *planned* on getting down and dirty at a blueberry farm. :)

*I am in no way being asked to say any of this.. we just had a great family day and I thought I'd share for those looking for new stuff to do!

We're back from the Land of Mouse!

We're back from our wonderful week in Disney World!  We had an absolute blast with the kids!  Last time we went, Madeline was a few months old and spent the week in the Moby wrap so she's not really even in many photos.  This year I had my heart set for months on an updated photo of the girls in front of the castle that I could frame for their playroom.  We always eat breakfast in the Magic Kingdom early in the morning so that we can walk in before the rope drops, which allows you to get some pretty uninterrupted scenes in front of the castle.  This is what I got:

OH joy.  I wish I could say I was thinking, "well, this is the moment we are at right now.  Some day I will love these."  I tell my clients this all the time.  However I think I said something like, "This is the ONE thing I ask for at this park.  We can do whatever rides, etc. anyone wants all week but I just want ONE photo in front of the dang castle!!!"  Lovely right?  Not my finest moment.  I was so frustrated.  People were starting to come in (obviously above) and I lost my chance.  Maddie wouldn't leave Derrick's side for one second and just wanted to go eat breakfast, I don't blame her.  She's turning 2 next week.  Of course this is how our photos look.  To be honest, now I absolutely love them.  Ellie is a bit out of focus because she stepped back, Maddie is crabbin, and there's people in there (my pet peeve!) but it's real, it's our vacation, and it shows exactly what it was like that week.  ;)

Will post more soon but for now I must crank out a bunch of orders!  Hope everyone is enjoying this summer so far!  We left 90's and humid and came home to 90's and humid and tornado warnings.  Lovely! :)

getting away | lake county il photographer

We hit that point last week that we were done.  Done with snow, slush, trying to chase my toddler around the house and force her arms into a puffy winter jacket while she was laying on the ground like a limp noodle.. done with being inside.  Living in Chicago, there is winter six months out of the year it seems and it gets really old by the end of February!!  So we totally suprised the kids and drove up to Sheboygan to stay at the Blue Harbor Resort.  They had no idea what we were doing or why we were staying at a hotel on the lake during a *total blizzard*.. until we walked down to the water park.  Surprise!!  So fun. :)

The resort itself is nicely done.  Very tasteful, it's on Lake Michigan and the town around it seems charming for a weekend getaway.  It was literally snowing 9" with high winds as we arrived so I didn't snap a photo of the outside, but it reminds me of the Yacht Club or something at Disney World.  We stayed on the fourth/top floor and had cathedral ceilings which really made the room feel large, I definitely recommend requesting that!   Military friends (and fire fighters,etc. I believe!) - they have a $99 deal going on.  Includes room and the waterpark!

I snapped a few photos from the edges and then ran my camera back to the room, but here's a glimpse:

 

wish I were.. | north shore illinois photographer

back on vacation in sunny Florida.  These are a few snapshots from our vacation this past September.  We were excited to go to Sea World with complimentary tickets under the Hero's Salute deal.  All military can  choose free tickets for their families, once a year, to Sea World, Busch Gardens, or Sesame Place!