Family Picture 2012: We are Family

I got all my sisters with me...and my parents...and Justin..and the dogs, we'll you get the idea.

Every other year my family and I get together to take our family picture. Two years ago instead of taking a family picture we decided to take a picture from our wedding and use that on our card. Simple and easy.

Because our last holiday card featured a picture from our wedding, this was the first family picture we have gotten together for in the last four years. I had almost forgotten how much planning goes into it until I was tasked with putting it together.

The first thing we needed was a photographer.  Because the Beltrano/Briones Family includes three dogs, it was quite challenging to find a place that photographs pets. Photo studios located in malls had strict time windows and rules, so that was out of the question. It was on to finding a freelance photographer who can shoot on-site.

I recently discovered that Jim, one of my co-workers, does photography.  When I checked out his website, I knew he was the right person for the job because of the quality and variety of his work. Plus, he was available that weekend, giving us enough time to get the photo holiday cards made for Christmas.

Because Jim shoots on-location, I had to find a site for us to shoot at. Jim's website features many of the D.C. monuments, so I figured he would know the best places to shoot around those particular areas. I decided that the U.S. Capitol building would be the perfect backdrop to our family photos because it probably wouldn't be as crowded with tourists and it offers some architectural detail, as opposed to the Washington Monument.

On a cold Sunday morning, after we waited a bit for my parents to find the location, we were ready to begin! Here are some shots from the our photo shoot!

Derby is squinting in this one, but it's a good shot right in front of the Capitol building...

We even took some individual shots. Here's Jill LOLing...

Judy giving us, "Who's hungry, who's hungry..."

 

Here's a picture of me giving you wind-blown hair realness. I just wish I had a flag in the background. 'Murrica.

The dogs got into the solo action as well...

What are my parents looking at? Probably JJ...

 Now they're looking and smiling, yay!

The "Tres Marias" cheesin' it up...

And a Brioni close-up! 

 Having a seat in front of the Capitol. Louie's not impressed...ha!

 And here's the Brioni family portrait. This is the pic we would send out if we did holiday cards... :)

We were able to get a lot of great shots that day which made it difficult to choose one for our Christmas card. If you want to see which one we decided on you'll have to check your mailbox. :)

All photos property of Jim Knapp Photography

Kentucky Derby 2012: "I'll Have Another" Edition

This past weekend was the Kentucky Derby so Justin and I (along with four of our friends) make the nine hour drive to watch the "greatest two minutes in sports." We left Thursday afternoon and as soon as we got to Louisville we headed straight for Mr. G's. Mr. G's is a hole-in-wall bar near Justin's parents' house, complete with cheap beers (a 32 oz beer for under $4? say whaat?) and darts. This will be a lovely picture filled blog for those who like that sort of thing. :) 

I'm not one for darts, but I surely enjoyed the buzz I was getting from my huge blue moon!

Meter & KG raiding the jukebox. We must have heard Gotye's "Somebody I Used to Know" like four times followed by silence. It was time to take matters into our own hands, lol...

After, leaving the bar we got some White Castle (of course!). None of our friends had ever had it before and Justin is always one to share the indigestion joys of White Castle with those who have never had it before. Here is a pic of us punishing a crave case.

Friday morning we made a stop to Lynn's Paradise Cafe. I think it's a must-see for anyone from out-of-town. The food is great and the decor is eclectic.  How could you not support anyone that's beaten Bobby Flay on his show Throwdown? hehehe...

After that, we headed to Buffalo Trace to check out the distillery. First, we went to the tasting room where Freddie gave us the 411 on the Buffalo Trace products. We got to try out their " moonshine" called White Dog Mash, Eagle Rare, and Buffalo Trace.  My favorite was the Bourbon Cream. I bought myself a bottle and can't wait to use it in my next coffee beverage! Since we got there a little late and they were no longer giving tours, we were lucky to have one of the site managers offer to give us our own private tour. How cool was that? He showed us where they bottled the bourbon, stored the bourbon and where you could pick your own barrel and create your own batch!

That evening we went to the Kroger to pick up provisions for the next day, and we actually saw them making the rose garland for the winner of the Derby!

On the day of the Kentucky Derby we woke up bright and early for the long day ahead. The girls prepared some tasty beverages (a fresca drink and pink pantydroppers derbys) and we loaded up the coolers full of beer.


Although we had a valet parking pass that came with our box seats, we opted to go tailgating in this cute elderly couple's lawn. Virgil and Augusta (aka: Gussy) were the cutest and they were kind enough to let use use their bathroom quite frequently.

After a few hours it was time for us to go in, but not without a group shot in our Derby Day finest.

As we were waiting to enter Churchill Downs, I saw a bunch of B-list quasi-celebrities enter through security. I saw David Birkhead (Anna Nicole Smith's baby daddy), David Arquette, Christian Siriano (from Project Runway), and Joker Philips (the coach of the University of Kentucky basketball team. And of course when I got in, I spotted wee man so I had to take a picture with him!

Wee(man) and me!

The Star Spangled Banner was sung by none other than the Queen of of Hip Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige. In addition, one of the judges from the Voice, Blake Shelton was there too! Haha, it's my friend, TB, but if you look at the pictures, he kind of looks like him, right? At the end of Derby, Justin spotted Doron Lamb (UK Basketball player) and shook his hand.

Doron tried to "holla" at my girl Meter...it's actually a funny story, you should ask her about it ;)


Unfortunately, our friend TB mistook him for Reggie Bush.

There was a chance of rain/thunderstorms, but we couldn't have asked for a better day. The sun was shining and boy was it hot! Justin and I spent most of our day in the box while our friends got to experience all the sights and sounds of Derby--including the infield!

Here are the ladies in red:

Justin trying to beat the heat:

TB trying to figure out his bets:

Because you know you have to come correct!

His research proved successful as he and two of my other friends were big winners in selecting "I'll Have Another" to win the Kentucky Derby!

An amazing shot that Joos took of the actual race!

Overall, I would have to say that this was one of my favorite Derby trips. The weather was perfect, the people I was with were great, and how can you beat having box seats with a great view?


How about you? Did you watch the Derby on TV or were you at the Virginia Gold Cup? Don't get Justin started on the Gold Cup to which he refers to it as the "Poor Man's Derby," LOL! Personally, I don't have any vendettas against it, I just think it shouldn't be the same day as the Kentucky Derby (which makes it seem kind of artificial), but that's a whole other blog post altogether. ;)


Is going to the Kentucky Derby on your bucket list? If so, we're taking applications for next year :)