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As some of you know, our dear Office Mascot Balboa passed away last week.  He was 12 years old, and outlived his brother and littermate, Ponce, by only 11 months.  Balboa was the official greeter for order sessions, and had lived a long and joyful life.  He always enjoyed meeting new people and made friends with them fast, especially if they threw the ball for him.  He had such a fluffy coat, and would shed like you wouldn't believe, but once that brush came out, he would lay down nicely and enjoy a thorough brushing and massage.  

Balboa was very inquisitive of his surroundings.  He would venture and explore so as not to leave a morsel of food, or just to learn what the world had to offer.  His curiosity earned him the name Balboa for his explorer-type personality, and he proudly lived up to that.  From living in a small 1 bedroom apartment, to 10 acres on the North shore of Lake Superior, to the heat of Las Vegas, he adjusted well and as long as Ponce and I were by his side, it didn't matter where we were.  A true explorer he was!

When it came to photography, in typical golden retriever fashion, he obliged me when I posed him with new props, or to test out a new lens.  He was my first and original model, along with his brother Ponce, and never once huffed or turned away from the camera.  One of the most memorable photos I have of him is when he and Ponce were only 6 weeks old and we were up in Northern Minnesota at a cabin celebrating New Year's Eve 1997.  This was the first picture of the 2 of them sitting nicely for the camera.

Balboa was a typical golden in many ways, playful, full of energy, and a lover of tennis balls.  It wasn't until about a year ago did he venture into playing with toys, but even then, he would always return to his first love.  I learned early on which brand of tennis balls would be the most hardy and withstand his hours of chewing them, (Penn, in case you were wondering!)   He would take the ball with him to eat, to go to the bathroom, in the car, and even to bed.  Such a simple joy it was for him, but a powerful lesson for me to learn.  The joy is in the simplicity of life.

There were hundreds of photos taken of Ponce and Balboa over the past 12 years, but none mean more to me than just this simple snapshot taken a couple of weeks ago.  Balboa, you are dearly missed and I can only be thankful for the 12 years of joy and unconditional love you brought to my life.  I know you are reunited with Ponce and are ecstatically playing together once again.  I love you my dear boy!

As many of you know, I'm dedicated and devoted to the issue of fighting heart disease and stroke.  For me it was a very natural decision to join this cause because my father is a cardiologist and I've watched him dedicate himself, his career and his life to fighting this battle.  Following in his footsteps, I was inspired earlier this year to contact Lacy Ekert, Heart Walk Director, and Kristi Wong, Heart Ball Director, from the local chapter of the American Heart Association.  Lacy, Kristi and I had a face to face meeting and discussed options and ways that Shalimar Studios could help in the fight against heart disease, as well as how the studio could raise money.  

One such avenue we helped in, was photographing the 2010 Annual Heart Ball Fundraiser.  That was held at the Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas in April, and not only did we photograph the event, we also donated a portrait package to the silent auction.  The lucky winner of our package was Jennifer Martinez of which I will be photographing her and her family, later next month.

Another way of devoting my time and energy to the American Heart Association is through the annual Heart Walk.  I am a past Heart Walk participant and this year I formed Team Shalimar Studios.  To date, we are the top grossing community team in the Las Vegas area, and so Lacy, the Heart Walk Director, asked me to speak about my fundraising success at the kick-off party held at the M Resort.  I was not only nervous, but proud to be asked to speak as I think my little contribution can be a catalyst for others to get involved and make a difference.  This year's Heart Walk will be on Saturday, October 16th and I am eagerly looking forward to not only reaching my team goal, but exceeding it, all the while crossing the Heart Walk finish line side by side with friends, clients and family who can support this cause.  Please click here for a direct link to the Shalimar Studios donation page and make your pledge today.  Or join our team and help raise funds of your own.  We are looking for team members to participate in the walk, as well as raise funds, and the participant with the most donations, will receive a complimentary portrait session from Shalimar Studios.

Here's me nervously speaking to the crowd at the party.  I even started to tear up when I talked about my father and his devotion to this field.

And here I am with Lacy and Kristi.  Ladies, I'm so proud to stand next to you in this crucial fight to save lives.