Our Poppo...

I cannot express to any of you, my feelings of deep and utter sorrow today. My Poppo past on Sunday, and it has been a heck of a week since. I LOVE the memories I have of him, whether its at my Parents house on Christmas Eve, or him bustin' chops with my Dad on Thanksgiving. I Miss him so much. I'm just so glad he was able to spend some time with Molly, and he painted her some beautiful little gifts. The things that I found out about him this week, I just wish I knew them earlier. I have so very many questions to ask him, and as the tears run down my face right now I feel the deep regret that I will never be able to. He was so honorable and gave so much to so many. I never knew. I thank God that I came from the family that he created, and I will do all that I can to try to be as stong and honorable and giving and fun and happy as I remember Poppo to always be. All I wish is that I make him and Gamma proud. If I am ever a quarter of the man he was I will consider myself lucky. I can't type any more right noe but below I have pasted a poem by my niece Taylor, who I am so proud of, for having the strength to read this at the Funeral. She is very strong. I have also pasted a short biography of Poppo as he is definatly a HERO, HERO, HERO!!!!!!!!!! He is my HERO.


Pop Pop with the Doggies Poem
By: Great Granddaughter Taylor

The firemen in your heart said it was time to retire,
The canvas you painted on said you were done,
The birds in the bird houses sang one last song,
We all hoped they were wrong.
Then, you made it to the eighteenth hole,
To give it one more roll.
We don't think of you as losing a friend,
We think of you as gaining memories.
For you saw us grow up from the beginning to now
You remembered a lot, somehow.
You wanted to get to every game,
And just see us dribble down the court.
We remember when you gave us laugher
Or just rang to say hello
We remember when you held us tight.
Always remembering to say goodnight.
No one, but us have the memories you shared
We'll never forget them
We'll never forget you.
Thank-you and good-night!!

KENNETH A. THOMPSON, 90, of Port Monmouth, MIDDLETOWN, passed away Sunday morning, April 15, peacefully at home, surrounded by his family.

Kenneth was born in Brooklyn, the son of the late William and Jessie Ackerman Thompson. He moved to East Orange as a child and lived there until moving to Port Monmouth 57 years ago. He was a quality control supervisor at Shaw Insulator, Irvington, for 25 years then at Indiana General, Keasby, for 25 years. He retired in 1981. He then became the part-time custodian at the Middletown Elks for 15 years. He was a 54-year member of Port Monmouth Fire Company and a 55-year member of Port Monmouth First Aid Squad. He was the past president and captain of both companies. He was also a first aid instructor for many years and a liaison between the first aid squad and the Boy Scouts for 25 years. He was also a 23-year member of Middletown Elks Lodge 2179. He was drafted by the Newark Bears baseball team, but due to family obligations he had to turn the position down. After retiring, he spent his spare time working in his garden and painting birdhouses. If you came to visit, you could not leave without a birdhouse or one of his famous tomatoes.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Jane Cumiskey Thompson; and their five daughters, Carol Luft of Conroe, Texas, Arliene Zaborney of Port Monmouth, Barbara Startari of Woodstown, Denise Arcara of Middletown, and Elizabeth Thompson of Woodstown. Kenneth is also survived by two sisters, Violet Sohlgren of Florida, and Margie Connover of North Carolina; 16 grandchildren; and 24 and a half great-grandchildren.


Every Christmas my Dad would get all of us the same sweater to wear. Here is this past Christmas Eve photo with our bright red Sweaters. I happen to also be wearing mine today.

A Thank You

This is something my Mom wrote to thank all of you for the heartfelt consideration you gave to Poppo.

It was quite a week and I want to take this time to thank everyone for there prayers, cards , flowers, food and friendship. My father was a great man and anyone who attended his wake or funeral could not help but be aware of that. There he was lying there in full Firemen dress Blues, adorned with all his medals of valor. The funeral home was always packed with people who knew and loved him. His passing was sad but, at 90 it was inevitable he had a great life, it was just unfortunate that he had to suffer so badly the last six weeks of his life.He was always giving and helping others. His funeral was a funeral fit for a King. His Coffin was carried to it's final resting place inside the Port Monmouth First Aide Ambulance which he was a member of for 55 years and served as Captain as well as President. His flowers were carried by the Port Monmouth Fire Trucks which he had been a member of for 56 years and served as Captain and President as well. His funeral procession was long, one could not see the end of the cars lined up,. if you were caught at a light as the funeral procession drove by, you would have thought wow, this person was very important and he was. First we drove past the Middletown Elks club of which he was a member for more then 25 years, from there the procession drove past his house in Port Monmouth where me and my five sisters grew up. Everyone knew our house as it was the only house on the block with a red fire hydrant in the middle of lawn and of course his beautifully painted birdhouses and wood butterfly's and flowers that he painted himself .If you came to my Dads house for a visit you could not leave without him giving you one of his famous birdhouses.Next we drove up to the Port Monmouth Fire House, as the ambulance carrying his body reached the fire house you could here the whistles blow for him, talk about a lump in the throat. Then as the car that I drove in got closer I could see in the front of the fire house, there on the driveway in front of the fire trucks was a chair holding my fathers fire coat and hat and in front of the chair was his fire boots and next to them were two firemen in full dress uniform saluting my Dad as his coffin drove by. As you can imagine that was a total breakdown, for I could no longer hold back the tears. Now we travel further down the road and we approach the Port Monmouth First Aide where once again the whistles blow for my Dad and again as we get closer I can see in front of the first aide a chair bearing my fathers first aide coat and hat and his boots in front of chair .I have still not yet stopped crying from seeing this at the firehouse, so my tears are now running down even more.But how proud I am at this time, of my father and what a great send off he had. He always said he loved a parade and this time he was Grand Marshall of his own parade.
Thank You one and all for all your thoughts and prayers of this wonderful, giving, thoughtful,fun, husband ,father, Grandfather, Great-grandfather, friend and neighbor, he will be missed by all but never forgotten.
Thank You
Denise (Thompson ) Arcara

Allison & Mike March 10, 2006

So obviously Allison didn't wear Manolos. She broke her leg at her batchlorette party, so she had to wear a cast on her leg. Soooo funny! she was a real trooper though, we got some great images. Check out the shoe shot below that Josh our second photographer took.

What a week!!!

So last week was some week. We went to NYC with Lovina's brother Sal and his wife Kiran, to have dinner at "Casa La Femme" a moroccan/Egyptian restaurant on 1st and 59th, right un der the 59th st. bridge. It was amazing! Hukkas, Harissa, and Bellydancers. After that, and even before we did a whole lotta shopping. Then on the weekend we went to a wedding on Lovina's side of the family so Molly got to wear her very first lengha. I thought she looked like a cute little gypsy baby!

Here is Lovina and Kiran at Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa


Here I am at the only place I could afford after paying for Lovina's visit to the Red Door Spa


Here is Molly Relaxing in her lengha


I LOVE when Lovina wears her Indian clothes!


And See Molly's hair CAN be normal!


P.S.
Can everyone please keep my Grandfather in their prayers. He has been in the hospital, and is not doing as well as we would like. Also say a prayer for Lovina's Grandfather as he now is in the hospital as well. We cannot express how much it would mean to us.
Lovina and John and Molly.

Our Baby....Einstein

So again, Molly was working all night long on a masterpiece for all of her adoring fans! Shall we call her baby Einstein?

NEW WEBSITE!!!

Well its been five years, and finally we have a brand spankin' new website. All shiny and sparkly!!! Check it out and tell us what you think. We've added a FAQ page and have an album sample page. as well as all new images and stuff.

The Contraversey that is Molly's Hair!

Each day with Molly we awake to a beauty that no words can describe. With each new sunrise, our lovely daughter brings to us a sculpture that took hours and hours through the entire night to create. No... its not in her diaper. Its on her HEAD!!! Its like some kind of modern art masterpiece. We don't know how she does it but each day starts with the debacle of trying to detangle what Molly has so lovingly created for us.









Oh and this one I was laughing soooo hard I thought I was going to throw up or have a stroke or something!!!

I can't even take it anymore!!!

Molly Mackenzie has us under her power!!!!

Olivia Marie Devaney!!!

So my cousin Elissa and her husband Charles had a beutiful little baby girl on February 22. She is so tiny and what a pretty little face. Mom did great and I think Charles did o.k. too. Although really what did he have to do with the hard part man.

Tell All Your "Soon To Be Engaged" Friends about our Live Proposal Shoot!!!

Here's the story. I got a phone call from the "proposer" proposing that I inconspicuously be at a certain place, at a given time to capture the moment as he asks his girl to be his wife. The surprise is forever recorded, and the photo shoot that follows is filled with more emotion than we can even capture on the actual wedding day. The look on the bride-to-be's face is absolutely priceless! (I wish I had thought of this when I proposed to Lovina). Afterwards we can make a Beautiful hardcover signing book of the images, for your guests to view and enjoy on the day of your wedding! And when they ask "So, How'd you do it?" you can say, " oh its all right here"!!! And the Signing book is of course one that you will keep forever and ever....

Cool Dude Dylan!

Hey Everyone!
check out our new nephew Dylan! or as I'll be calling him 'Baby Dill'
John, Molly and I went to meet him for the first time today and here are some pics we took of everyone.
Congratulations Sal, Kiran and Priya!
Dylan you are too cute for this zip code!!

TO SEE DYLAN'S SLIDESHOW, CLICK HERE.

Calling all Military Families...

If you are a family with an actively deployed member of the military, who is serving our country overseas, we would like to photograph you for your loved ones. We would like to do a family portrait in our Red Bank, NJ studio, FREE OF CHARGE. We will then put all of the images online for them to view any time, from anywhere! Please contact us to schedule an appointment. It will be our pleasure to do something for those who do so much for us!

A few New Albums From The Versailles Ballroom in Toms River, NJ and The Pier House in Long Branch, NJ!!!

Here are a few really fun couples whose albums we just finished. Both were nice warm beachy weddings, so, we can all be a little nostalgic about the warm weather!!!
ENJOY!!!
John

So this one is Bonnie and Jim at The Versailles in Toms River, NJ


TO SEE THIS ALBUM, CLICK HERE.

And This one is Loren and Anthony at Mcloone's Pier House in Long Branch, NJ


TO SEE THIS ALBUM, CLICK HERE.

Leia LaRue is Here!!!!

SOOOO a little ways back on the blog we introduced you to Sara and Brian, who had their maternity shots done with us. We had also shot their wedding last year at the English Manor in Ocean, NJ. Well Chick Pea has made HER appearence!!!! Leia LaRue is finally here. Now Molly has a little buddy right next door.

Here is Molly with Leia before she was allowed to come outside to play!!!








My wife looks soooo beautiful with little babies, We sould have another!!! LOL


Here is Leia coming home!

Oh By Gosh By Molly!!!!

I don't even know what to say...