Horse and Jockey

I once read somewhere that The Horse and Jockey, in South Pasadena, is a little piece of England in America. I enjoyed my first evening here on the night of August 1st. Our good friends Lea and Emma had a gathering of mates to celebrate them becoming the new owners. They have been frequenting the English Pub for five years now and are very excited about their new venture.

Horse and Jockey

Lea is ready to pour you a pint!

Emma and her mum Elaine!

It was a gathering of friends and regulars and there were many tales to be told. I had the pleasure of being told some of these tales and now I'm going to share them with you.

Meet Greg (a pilot from Maylaysia) and Ted (a local)! These two gentleman met here tonight at the pub . Greg was in town visiting his mom and was driving through the parking lot yesterday and spotted Ted and his fantastic cowboy boots. This inspired Ted to run out that day and buy a pair of boots himself. Yes, really! They then ran into each other at the pub the following night and I was there to document it. So here is Greg and Ted and their boots!

Greg!

Ted!

Wendi and I! Cheers matey!

This is Craig and Dickey with Lea at the end of the night. Craig and Dickey were a surprise! They had just coached my kids at the Eckerd College Soccer Camp a few weeks ago and here they were at the pub.

Another great story. This is Molly! She is 98! Yes, 98! And a spitfire. She pulled me over and told me that she never drinks and she had just enjoyed a glass of bubbly (giggle) and that she may need a hand or two to walk her out later. She was beautiful and such a delight!

At the end of the night, I was able to pull Lea and Emma together for a snap. They're so adorable and such great people, this place is going to Rock!

Meet Jenna

This weekend Jenna, Sarah and I went into downtown St. Pete to photograph the girls as a surprise to their parents. I'm so lucky to have photographed these two sisters, they are both simply beautiful! Jenna is also a ballerina and has amazing posture! She goes back to FSU as a sophomore next month and Sarah begins her sophomore year in high school! Despite the heat and humidity, which was at a peak on Sunday, they were such great sports and I even found a few new locations for great portraits in the city. We all had a great time! Thanks so much girls.

(I only have a model release for Jenna since this is a surprise for the parents. I hope to post some really great shots I have of Sarah soon too!)

Aimee, Toby and Olivia

While in Atlanta, we did a family photo session for some friends of ours. They live in a beautiful three-story home just outside of the Buckhead District. Olivia is a fireball of a three, almost four year old, with a big personality. I really enjoyed following her around to capture all her great expressions! Looking forward to seeing you all again real soon!

Our Atlanta Adventure

I'm still reeling from this past weekend. We attended an amazing photography business workshop at the PPA headquarters in Atlanta. It was two jam packed days of valuable information to help us get this business off to the right start. I'm so excited and we met so many wonderful and talented photographers. We drove up with the family and dropped the kids off in Gainesville with Uncle Joey and Aunt Heather then proceeded to Atlanta for a weekend alone. On the way we stopped in Macon,GA for lunch. We enjoy seeing new places. It was a cute town, much of what I expected really. We ate at the Market City Cafe and had the most pleasant server that we've had in a very long time named Paige. Ask for her if you ever stop in!

It's been a long time since either of us had been in Atlanta, it's really a pretty city. We had a chance to see some friends while in town. We did a family photo session on Friday night with Tobey and Amiee Russell. There daughter is a fireball and cute as a button! (Pictures coming soon!) My favorite rocker guy friend of ours, Chris took us to an amazing Italian restaurant called Il Localino in the Highlands Area of Atlanta. It was perfect, gaudy, loud, good wine and people. My family history is Italian and I love this! The closer together and louder the better. One big happy family. To make it even better, at 9p they turn on the disco ball and pump up the disco music. That's right! We saw our friend Jeff and finally met his lovely wife!
So we really packed in a lot in three days! Whew! We arrived home early Monday afternoon and I thought I would be taking a day off to rest my brain... lol. NOT! I was too excited and got on the computer and started executing all the things we'd learned! So many exciting things on the way!

Meet Paige

Here's the cafe. Great Bobie sandwich, you know the one... Turkey, stuffing and cranberry relish, YUM!

Woo Hoo, we've arrived!

Introducing Il Localino! We had a wonderful bottle of wine, Sebastiani Pinot Noir 2006. I can still taste the caramel and raisins.

Meet Chris!

My other half and partner in Tanya Sharkey Photography!

Meet Margo!

Joel and Kristy recently welcomed this little bundle of joy into their family. Meet Margo. A little ball of energy who loves to chase and bat around her mechanical pencils. Seriously, it was her favorite toy! I haven't had a little one like this around since my boys where being bottle fed. That's my three boy kitties! That was 10 years ago. It was such a pleasure to hang out with Margo for a spell and bask in all the new kitty curiosity!

Worm

Meet Worm! She's a little Pug that loves her people, and the camera. She certainly gave me a workout! Here are more furry tails from the Tuxes and Tails event with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay!

Where are you going?

My husband and I went to see Dave Matthews last night at the Ford Amphitheater. We've been big fans of his for many years. Being there reminded me of my son. He's 7 now, but when he was two, I got so incredibly mad at him one day and yelled at him worse then I ever had previously. I had horrible mom guilt after that and documented my feelings on a page in our family scrapbook. This was the picture I used on that page, over four years ago, with the words from Dave Matthews song "Where are you going". I always wonder what he'll be when he grows up. He changes so quickly now, his interests, yet he loves so many things. Which one of those, or maybe something entirely unforeseen , will he choose for his career? I wonder!



Where are you going?
With your long face
Pulling down
Don't hide away
Like an ocean
That you can't see but you can smell
And the sound of the waves crash down

I am no Superman
I have no reasons for you
I am no hero
Oh, that's for sure
But I do know one thing
Is where you are is where I belong
I do know where you go
Is where I want to be

Where are you going?
Where do you go?

Are you looking for answers
To questions under the stars?
Well, if along the way
You are grown weary
You can rest with me until
A brighter day and you're okay

I am no Superman
I have no answers for you
I am no hero
Oh, that's for sure
But I do know one thing
Is where you are is where I belong
I do know where you go
Is where I want to be

Where are you going?
Where do you go?

Where do you go?
Where are you going?

Where do you go?

I am no Superman
I have no answers for you
I am no hero
Oh, that's for sure
But I do know one thing
Is here you are is where I belong
I do know where you go
Is where I want to be

Where are you going?
Where do you go?
Tell me, where are you going?
Where?
Well, let's go

Leah Elise... is here!

Good friends of my husband and I, The Richasons, delivered their 3rd baby girl on June 27th. I was so excited to go over and capture her on day #10 of her life! She is the spitting image of both her sisters and yes, her daddy too! What fun it's going to be in the years to come for me to take pictures of such adorable girls. I look forward to every second of it!

I couldn't wait to get the pictures on my computer and get into editing. I've had so much fun today adjusting and tweaking these little boogers. These are my favorites of sooo many proofs.

4th of July

My mom and niece have been in town for over a week now. We took them to Disney for four days and then just relaxed by our pool on the other days, when the weather held up that is. Florida weather is play it by ear. With that being said, the Sun Goddess was shining down on us yesterday for the 4th. It was a beautiful day, a day that represents the reason people from all over travel here every year. We took it easy by the pool, grilled hot dogs and drank wine and lemonade. We got out the sparklers, while the sun was saying 'good night'. I hope you all had a great 4th of July and continue to have a wonderful weekend.