CHASEing CANCER AWAY fundraiser. Time to Celebrate your Family with new family portraits!

Have you been putting off getting your new family portrait created? We’ve got a solution for you! AND you get to help a great cause!  I talk with so many people that tell me their family portrait above their fireplace doesn’t even include their youngest child (that is now 8 years old!!), that their portrait hanging on their wall is when their children were babies and young kids, and now they’re in high school! Parents tell me they need to lose a few pounds first! PLEASE, celebrate your family NOW, don’t wait until you lose 10 lbs or until you become less busy!  Do it now! Let’s CELEBRATE your family on Sunday, November 22!

Who are we raising funds for? This remarkable 7th grader, Chase Wheatley. On September 2nd, Chase Wheatley’s parents took their son to the doctor because he was feeling lethargic and was very pale. The doctor took blood samples, and recognized the white blood cell count was extremely high. His doctor immediately notified John Hopkins Hospital that his patient was being sent over for further testing. The doctor told Mark and Kathy that they needed to take their 12 year old son to the emergency room at Hopkins. Chase was admitted to ICU so they could stabilize his condition. With further testing they diagnosed Chase with leukemia.  After multiple blood transfusions, Chase received his first chemo treatment on September 4th. The journey to a full recovery will be a three year process for the Wheatley family.

(Photo courtesy of Kathy Wheatley)

 

WHAT: 20 minute Family Portrait Sessions

WHY: Fundraiser for CHASEing Cancer Away and because you need to update your family portrait. 🙂

WHEN: Sunday, November 22, 2015, 12-5pm

WHO: You and your beautiful family

WHERE: Pam Long Photography Portrait Studio, 8202 Main Street, Ellicott City, MD 21043

HOW: Contact our studio to reserve your time, 410.988.5563, session fee is due to reserve your spot.

You will receive Tips and Suggestions for clothing and preparation ideas.

On the day of your session, we’ll have a great time photographing you and your family. Immediately after your photo shoot, you will make your portrait selections. Your images will be shown on the big screen, easy for viewing. Payment for order is due at that time.

Goodie bags for all participants, including a $50 certificate to be applied towards a future portrait session!

COST: Session fee is only $75!  $50 of that will be donated to Chase Wheatley’s family.  Portrait Packages start at $199.  Prints start at $79.  You can even choose the collection with a 16×24 framed portrait or your family and several smaller prints for only $1099!!!  Beautiful, custom holiday cards are available as well! 🙂

And YES!! You will receive your order before the holidays! So, this is a great way to give beautiful, meaningful custom gifts to family and friends. These are the gifts that are treasured and passed down for generations to enjoy. Holiday cards?? YES!! 🙂

PARKING is provided by Ooh La Lal!! Sweet, close, private parking!

This is a chance to get a small taste of our Custom Portrait Experience and help with a great cause.

(Photo courtesy of Kathy Wheatley)

Kathy and Mark Wheatley are the parents of 4 children….Taylor age 15, Samantha age 14, Olivia age 13 and of course Chase age 12. The only thing that Mark and Kathy have asked for from their friends and family members are our prayers. We know that they are going to need a lot more help than that to get them through this very trying time in their life.

A portion of the medical treatments and medication will be covered by their insurance, but the Wheatley’s will incur a significant amount of medical expenses.  Parking, transportation to and from the hospital and meals while he goes in and out for chemotherapy treatments will continue until he is in remission. In addition to medical, travel and parking expenses, in order to assure a healthy environment at home between hospital stays, they will need to make some changes within their home to accommodate Chase’s weakened immune system.

Many family and friends have asked, “what can I do, how can I help”.   We have established this page as a way to help to give some financial relief to Mark and Kathy as they focus on a long road towards Chase’s successful recovery.

Please continue to pray and thank you for your donation. 

Everything you’ve read in blue is directly from Chase’s gofundme page. If you aren’t in need of new family portraits, but would still like to help, please visit his page, you can link to it here. 🙂 Thank you.

We hope to have a packed schedule on Sunday, we hope you will consider joining us!

We will also be accepting purses for next year’s Power of the Purse event!  Be sure to clean out your closet and make room for the holidays, drop your gently used handbags off at the studio on the 22nd and receive a $25 gift certificate to apply to a future portrait session!

#HoCoEvents

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visitors – thank you for taking the time to read and view this blogpost about this incredible young man and his family .  If you are ever in need of photography services, I’d love the chance to talk with you.  Here’s a little more info about us….. Whether you choose to be photographed in our studio, on location or along the quaint streets of our own beautiful historic town, you will truly enjoy your experience with Pam Long Photography. Clients enjoy a variety of portraiture, from maternity and babies, to children and families, high school seniors, pets, business headshots and special events. Whatever occasion life blesses you with, we will help you capture and document those moments to cherish for generations to come. To receive information about what we offer and how we can meet your needs, please contact us at 410.988.5563 or email us at pam@pamlongphotography.com to set up a complimentary consultation. We look forward to transforming your memories into your favorite works of art!

Celebrating the wonderful Tersiguel family!

If you have been to Tersiguel’s French Country Restaurant, then you know how amazing their fabulous cuisine is! In fact, they are celebrating their 40th anniversary of being in business this Saturday! I am thrilled and honored to be photographing this auspicious, sold out, event. We are all so excited about this major milestone and their outstanding accomplishment in Historic Ellicott City.

The founders of Tersiguel’s, Fernand and Odette Tersiguel, are amazing people and I’ve enjoyed getting to know them.  They are an incredible example of the benefits of hard work and determination. They came to the United States in 1963.  In 1980, they opened Chez Fernand on Main Street.  Sadly, the successful Chez Fernand burned to the ground in the fire of 1984.   Fernand and Odette persevered and  re-opened Chez Fernand in downtown Baltimore.   Fortunately for us, they wanted to return to their beloved Ellicott City and Tersiguel’s opened it’s doors, in it’s current location, in October of 1990.

Chef Michel is a 1984 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York. After his time in New York, he worked in Baltimore, with his family, he also worked in France and in California (with Michael Chiarello) and later served as Chef de Cuisine at Left Bank in Larskpur.  In 1997, he returned to Ellicott City to take over as Executive Chef and owner of Tersiguel’s.

In addition to valuing and serving magnificent food, they also value family and preserving family history. I had the honor of photographing three generations of Tersiguel’s: Fernand and Odette, their son, Michel and his incredible wife, Angie, and their two beautiful boys; Lucas and Landon. What an fun morning portrait session we had, it was such a glorious day! I was fortunate enough to have Lauren Ward assist me on this sunny day with this very special family. We were inspired by an family photograph of Fernand and Odette taken on their wedding day, in 1963. (They just celebrated 52 years of marriage!) Congratulations! So, we, too, took a family portrait, and used Tersiguel’s as the backdrop. We also created portraits of this beautiful family inside Tersiguel’s, in the Brit dining room. The Brit is short for the Brittany Room. This refers to the region that Fernand and Odette are from. The dishes in this room are called Quimper. That is also the name of the city in which they are made.  Angie shared with me that Quimpler is one of the coolest places she’s been (perhaps that could be the location of your next family portrait session…..I travel 😉 ).  Be sure to view their story and history via their lovely portraits, as they are displayed throughout their restaurant.

Tersiguel’s French Country Restaurant is located at 8293 Main Street, Ellicott City, MD.  Be sure to visit and dine in this delicious  restaurant, voted Best French Restaurant in Howard County, Maryland.  This is definitely a restaurant that your meal time will become a wonderful dining experience and you’ll leave with delightful memories. Tersiguel’s has been the perfect setting for countless birthday celebrations, weddings, anniversaries, graduation festivities, business functions…..imagine if THOSE walls could talk, what an extraordinary story they would tell.

To Fernand, Odette, Michel, Angie, Lucas and Landon, thank you for allowing me the privilege of spending time with you, to get to know you better, and to document more of your family history, what a great honor. I enjoyed my time with you and look forward to enjoying many more great moments together!

To the entire staff, past and present, of Tersiguel’s, thank you for continuing to strive for the best.  You really help provide memorable moments for your dining guests, thank you.

I hope you enjoy these family portraits that we created together.

Until next time, au revoir and bon appetit!

  

  

I was so happy to deliver Angie and Michel’s 40″ gallery wrapped canvas of her beautiful family!  I, of course, was happy when Landon also approved it! 😉

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visitors – thank you for taking the time to read and view this blogpost about this amazing family.  If you are ever in need of photography services, I’d love the chance to talk with you.  Here’s a little more info about us….. Whether you choose to be photographed in our studio, on location or along the quaint streets of our own beautiful historic town, you will truly enjoy your experience with Pam Long Photography. Clients enjoy a variety of portraiture, from maternity and babies, to children and families, high school seniors, pets, business headshots and special events. Whatever occasion life blesses you with, we will help you capture and document those moments to cherish for generations to come. To receive information about what we offer and how we can meet your needs, please contact us at 410.988.5563 or email us at pam@pamlongphotography.com to set up a complimentary consultation. We look forward to transforming your memories into your favorite works of art!

Viking Fest 2015 – Mt Hebron celebrates their 50th Anniversary!

Hello, friends!  Special treat for you! I asked my friend, Michelle Wildman, to be my guest blogger today. Michelle has worked behind the scenes for the Mt Hebron Viking Fest for months, and I knew she’d have a wonderful perspective.  I hope you enjoy…..

Mt. Hebron High School was turning 50 and Lisa Scarbath had an idea!

As President of the Viking Backers Booster Club, Lisa wanted to create a special event to thank the Mt. Hebron community, while simultaneously generating funds for the many sports, groups, and clubs that the Viking Backers support within the school.

And voila – Viking Fest was born!

Enlisting the help of three of her “Event Planning” friends who happened to have children enrolled at MTH, Lisa met with Lee Draminski, Paula Shane, and Michelle Wildman to brainstorm about the exciting party details.

Lisa knew that Misspent Youth, Maryland’s top party rock band, would be a huge draw for the community, and Michelle knew that Outback Steakhouse would provide a delicious dinner, so they were quickly brought on board.  St. John’s Parish  Day School provided our exceptionally beautiful venue.

The ladies implemented a Holiday Viking Fest party to ask (beg/plead/bribe!) other MTH parents to join their committee, and to “adopt” many basket themes that would help to promote the Silent Auction.

Planning a fundraising event for 400 people is not unlike planning a wedding…but it’s a wedding where everything gets donated, and the bride and groom offer gifts to their guests instead of the other way around! Luckily, the team was up for the challenge.

They met with Mt. Hebron High School’s Principal Scott Ruehl, who couldn’t have been more supportive. MTH alum Bob Lucido of The Bob Lucido Team graciously agreed to be Viking Fest’s Presenting Sponsor. Lisa Mazzuca, Rodan+Fields Independent Consultant and Adam Stull of State Farm Ins. were also very generous in their Sponsorships!

MTH parent Donna Detweiler, owner of Pro-Outsource, donated her time to create our promotional materials, which were printed by Sponsor Vince Sharps and his fabulous team at Sir Speedy BWI. And we were ALL overjoyed when the amazingly talented, creative, and personable Pam Long, of Pam Long Photography agreed to photograph this event!  Andy Guerin, whose parents own Schuler School of Fine Arts,  whipped up our Viking Fest mural with lightning speed was very generous with his time and talent!  Many other Sponsors and Donors offered discounts and fabulous auction items, and we were overwhelmingly grateful – I wish I had room here to name each and every one of them.

Of course, the event was not without its challenges (SNOW? Really?). Trying to schedule meetings when the majority of the committee was available was like herding cats in a tornado. Full-time jobs, trips, kids’ sporting events and family emergencies added a touch of…excitement?!…to our implementation.

The most fascinating challenge revolved around the day (Friday) and the venue, both thoughtfully chosen. How could we get 350 children OUT of the school and 400+ adults INTO the school in a mere 3 hours? Not to mention the tables, centerpieces, auction items, decorations, Shutterbooth, and bars that needed to be set up?!

This is where we have to offer a HUGE shout-out to St. John’s Parish Day School.

As luck would have it, Michelle has a daughter enrolled in that school as well, and had worked on their Galas for the last 8 years, so she knew a few shortcuts. But nothing could have been achieved as easily without the flexibility and cooperation of Head of School Tiffany Nichols and the rest of the marvelous staff at SJPDS.

As one of our treasured Sponsors, they relocated dismissal and classes, loaned us items, and were an absolute pleasure to work with. They even allowed us access to the building early, so we could unload and start blowing up 1200 balloons!

Yes, I said one thousand, two hundred balloons, the majority of which were blown up using air as opposed to helium. (Luckily we were able to borrow air pumps so we could save our own “hot air” for the event!) 😀 The marvelous Jill Alli, also a MTH parent, spearheaded this effort and created beautiful towers and sculptures to add panache and color to the venue. Our children of all ages were enlisted to help, along with Hebron’s National Honor Society volunteers and numerous spouses and parents.

The excitement and energy during Viking Fest was palpable, and the guests enjoyed catching up with old friends, making new ones, and celebrating our 50th Anniversary!

One of the most popular offerings was our signature “Viketini” Martini, created by the Four Seasons’ own Aaron Joseph. His passion for mixology has earned him numerous awards, as well as a spot on WBAL-TV this morning! (It may have also contributed to the lowered inhibitions of guests who donned Viking Helmets and balloon sculptures as headgear by night’s end.) 🙂

County Executive Allan Kittleman was our VIP guest, who arrived with a proclamation for the school, and stayed long enough to help us put away tables and chairs at the end. Howard County is blessed to have such a resourceful and helpful man in office.

The event ended at 10pm, when Viking Fest-ers were prompted to continue the party at The Cellar at Chef Paolino Cafe,  where Lisa Passalacqua and her accommodating staff pampered and spoiled us, then donated a portion of their sales back to the school!

Viking Fest would not have been nearly as successful without the wonderful community of friends, volunteers, and supporters that surround Mt. Hebron High School. We may have asked a lot of you, but because of YOUR generosity we are able to give more than $25,000 back to the school and its children. And that’s quite an Anniversary gift.

Cheers to kicking off the next 50 years with a bang!

Thank you, Michelle, for writing the wonderful blogpost.  You and the entire committee were so focused, resourceful, energetic and very well organized to pull off such a successful event for Mt Hebron High School.  Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us as you wrote this post.  To the committee members, all of the volunteers, the sponsors, the businesses that donated service and products for your auction, St John’s Parish Day School, Shutterbooth, Outback Steakhouse, THANK YOU!  Truly a community effort that resulted in a fun evening and a phenomenal fundraiser!  Personally, for me, it was fantastic watching everyone have a great time together, definitely fun to document this outstanding event.  I was elated to see parents of some of my high school seniors that I’ve photographed in the past, it was like seeing family again! It was also a pleasure to meet many other Mt Hebron alumni! I hope I have the chance to see you all again! 🙂

I hope you enjoy the images!

        

  

Outback Steakhouse provided an incredibly delicious meal.

Shutterbooth added to the fun with their state of the art Photo Booth!

Many awesome volunteers helped make the Viking Fest a success.

55 local businesses came together and offered prizes for Silent Auction winners! A HUGE thank you to each one of them!

 

     

 

These guys were great sports, watching UofMD play their first game of March Madness on an iPhone!

  

How convenient that Mt Hebron’s school colors are the same as the Pittsburgh Steelers!  Coincidence, Michelle? 😉

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visitors – thank you for taking the time to read and view this blogpost about this awaesome high school senior.  If you are ever in need of photography services, I’d love the chance to talk with you.  Here’s a little more info about us….. Whether you choose to be photographed in our studio, on location or along the quaint streets of our own beautiful historic town, you will truly enjoy your experience with Pam Long Photography. Clients enjoy a variety of portraiture, from maternity and babies, to children and families, high school seniors, pets, business headshots and special events. Whatever occasion life blesses you with, we will help you capture and document those moments to cherish for generations to come. To receive information about what we offer and how we can meet your needs, please contact us at 410.988.5563 or email us at pam@pamlongphotography.com to set up a complimentary consultation. We look forward to transforming your memories into your favorite works of art!

Brooke’s “Frozen” themed birthday party {Howard County event photographer}

I recently had the pleasure of hanging out with a tremendous family, a joyous birthday girl and their friends while photographing Brooke’s birthday party.  I love documenting events and this one was SO MUCH FUN! 😀

Once Brooke chose to have a “Frozen” themed birthday party, her mom, Michelle, put her creative juices into overdrive to deliver an amazing birthday experience for her 9 year old!  From the decorative details, to the activities, to the food and the wonderful assistants helping keep the flow moving, the day was nothing short of a huge success.

When you take the time to enjoy this video, you’ll be witness to the infectious laughter, joy and pure happiness that shines from this beautiful birthday girl.  You’ll notice some of the details that Michelle came up with, you’ll notice Brooke’s older sisters and their friends assisting throughout the party, and you’ll see many of the fun activities that Brooke’s friends were able to have fun doing.  Whether they were playing parachute games, catch the snowball, ‘sledding’ down the hill, having their nails painted, eating while watching Frozen, creating beautiful picture frames, thinking of different activities that Olaf would like to do in the warmer months, enjoying the yummy birthday cake, or singing and dancing, these girls really had a great time celebrating with Brooke!

You know it’s a successful party, when you overhear one of the partiers (2 hours after being there), “What?? Only 5 minutes left?? But we JUST got here!”

Enjoy the video:

They were still preparing for the party, Brooke’s checking out the bubble machine.

A few of the details that added extra ‘oompth’ to this party, Michelle had several ice sculptures that she made.

I love how the Frozen characters became more visible once the ice started melting.  Michelle is a party, decorative genius!

Here are a few more details:

In case you were asking yourself, “Self, what would Olaf do during the warm months?”

Of course, he’d chill on a raft in the pool. 🙂

Here’s a few more activities that Olaf was able to enjoy with the girls:

Seriously, how beautiful??? ❤

But first….

As I was packing up after the party, we decided to have a quick, impromptu photo shoot with the wonderful assistants 🙂 and with Brooke’s family.  I enjoyed chatting and laughing with them all day, such fun and amazing young ladies!

    

Well done, Michelle and Eric! 🙂  Thank you for having me in your beautiful home and allowing me to share in this wonderful celebration. xo

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whether you choose to be photographed in our studio, on location or along the quaint streets of our own beautiful historic town, you will truly enjoy your experience with Pam Long Photography. Clients enjoy a variety of portraiture, from maternity and babies, to children and families, high school seniors, pets, business headshots and special events. Whatever occasion life blesses you with, we will help you capture and document those moments to cherish for generations to come. To receive information about what we offer and how we can meet your needs, please contact us at 410.988.5563 to set up a complimentary consultation. We look forward to transforming your memories into your favorite works of art!