Did You Know?!?! (Thanksgiving Edition)

• The pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620.
• By the fall of 1621 only half of the pilgrims, who had sailed on the Mayflower, survived. The survivors, thankful to be alive, decided to give a thanksgiving feast.
• The Pilgrim leader, Governor William Bradford, had organized the first Thanksgiving feast in the fall of 1621 and invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians also to the feast held at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
• The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days.
• Sarah Josepha Hale, the enormously influential magazine editor and author who waged a tireless campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday in the mid-19th century, was also the author of the classic nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
• President George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving Day Proclamation in the year 1789 and again in 1795.
• Abraham Lincoln issued a ‘Thanksgiving Proclamation’ on third October 1863 and officially set aside the last Thursday of November as the national day for Thanksgiving. Whereas earlier the presidents used to make an annual proclamation to specify the day when Thanksgiving was to be held.
• President Franklin D. Roosevelt restored Thursday before last of November as Thanksgiving Day in the year 1939. He did so to make the Christmas shopping season longer and thus stimulate the economy.
• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America, with a planned production total of 49 million in 2008. Just six states—Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri and Indiana—will probably produce two-thirds of the estimated 271 million birds that will be raised in the U.S. this year.
• Snoopy has appeared as a giant balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade more times than any other character in history. As the Flying Ace, Snoopy made his sixth appearance in the 2006 parade.
• The first time the Detroit Lions played football on Thanksgiving Day was in 1934, when they hosted the Chicago Bears at the University of Detroit stadium, in front of 26,000 fans. The NBC radio network broadcast the game on 94 stations across the country–the first national Thanksgiving football broadcast. Since that time, the Lions have played a game every Thanksgiving (except between 1939 and 1944); in 1956, fans watched the game on television for the first time.

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Aloha Pete!

        Pete the picture bear decided it was time to get out of this icky weather and take a trip to Hawaii!  Here he is      pictured in Chicago O’Hare with his plane getting ready to go to Los Angeles. (Don’t you just love his luggage!?!)   He didn’t quite make it to Los Angeles in enough time to catch his next flight to Honolulu.  It was okay though, he was fortunate enough to take the next flight!

      After 10 hours on an airplane Pete finally made it around 12:45am Green Bay Time 7:45pm Honolulu time.  He was exhausted…but not too exhausted to get his lei, welcoming him to Hawaii!  His lei was made with fresh tuberose and orchids.  It smelled beautiful!  After Pete checked into his hotel room for the night he was too excited to sleep, so he did a little shopping and got to experience the night life in Honolulu in Waikiki Beach and had a little midnight snack at Cheeseburgers In Paradise!  Since Pete had a long week full of exciting places to go and see, he decided to turn in for the night and couldn’t wait for the sunrise in the morning.  

Saturday, Pete was up bright and early to watch the sunrise, he did a little more shopping and some sight seeing then he was on his way to check in for his cruise around the islands.  Such a big ship for a little bear!  Sunday and Monday Pete spent his days in Maui visiting Lahaina, the Iao Valley, a plantation

 and the Maui Ocean center, where he was up close and personal with sea turtles!  Tuesday and Wednesday Pete visited the Big Island where he visited Mt. Kilauea (one of the most active volcanoes in the world!!)  He could even feel the heat given off by Kilauea by the Halema`uma`u Crater.  It felt just like an oven!!  Pete also got to see some waterfalls, and spent all day Tuesday laying on the beaches of Kona (He got a little sun burned) and swimming in the Pacific!  

After the cruise Pete took a hopper flight back to Kauai and spent the remainder of his days in Hawaii there!  He snorkeled, and toured the Na Pali Coast.  He liked the Na Pali Coast so much, he saw it twice (once on the cruise and once by a 60 foot catamaran!)  Pete also visited Spouting Horn by Poipu Beach and went on a zip line tour, where he got to see where they filmed parts of Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones!  (Pete was really excited about that!)

All in all Pete had an amazing trip, it was everything he could have imagined and more!  Even though he didn’t want to leave the beautiful islands of Hawaii, he was ready to go home.  So Pete got back on the plane after spending 10 great days in warm tropical weather and headed back to the cold Wisconsin weather he knows and loves!  

Don’t forget to check back when Pete gets back from Vegas on Monday!

Trick or Treat!

Are you and your kids going to be out Trick or Treating on Saturday?? Make sure you stop by our studio between 4-6 pm, to grab some candy and get your picture taken in your costume! Its FREE with no obligation to purchase. We will post the picture on our website Halloween night! So don’t forget to view your little goblin’s picture when you get home.

Don’t let this Halloween go by without a spooktastic portrait of your child!

School Pictures

It’s hard to believe, but it’s that time already… time for school pictures!
We have created a special website for our School Picture Division.  The website will provide you with a picture of the new background we will be using- so you can plan your outfit accordingly.  It will also give the photography dates for each school we photograph, as well as, a link to order the pictures online.  Check it out at:  http://schools.countrysidephoto.com

Don’t forget to smile!

A Few of Their Favorite Things

Randy and Steve were invited by the Seymour Community Historical Society to display a “Few of Their Favorite Things”.  It will be a photo exhibit of over 90 prints!   Randy and Steve have been taking pictures for over 30 years, so there will be a wide variety on display.

This is a public event and everyone is welcome!! It will be on display tonight, Friday July 31st from 5-9pm.  Cheese and wine will be served.

Oh, the joys of the Fair!

So, the Outagamie County Fair has rolled into town!  It brings back memories of riding rides and stuffing my face full of deep fried food!!  Well I still go for the food… you just can’t beat fair food!

We have a booth set up in the Exhibitor’s Building.  We have tons of pictures on display from children to families to high school seniors!  We also have a slide show of the seniors we have done so far this year!! If you find yourself enjoying all that the fair has to offer, make sure you check out our booth!

Something else we have coming up this week is our very first Quick Takes (Friday July 24)!  It’s a great deal… Countryside quality pictures at a discounted price!  There is no person too young or too old to have a timeless portrait created of them!  Looking for more details????  Feel free to call our studio or stop by our Fair Booth and grab a flyer!

SUMMER’S HALF OVER!

It’s hard to believe that the 4th is here and gone already.  That means it won’t be long and it’ll be “Back to School” shopping…. and being back in school! 

I’m sure you’ve been extremely busy with all that the summer time brings.  But there is still time for your senior pictures!!  With yearbook deadlines fast approaching, NOW is the time to get the picture taken. 

We offer 3 different sessions which are sure to meet everyone’s needs, and did I mention… NO SITTING FEES!  Can it get any better??  Of course it can!  Book your session in July and receive 24 FREE wallets and a FREE framed Signature Board.  Book your session in August and receive 24 FREE wallets. 

Take a sneak peak into our summer thus far….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Icky Weather!

The awesome weather today prompted me to blog this… first its cloudy and so humid you can hardly breathe, then its raining, and now its sunny!!  I know I had previously said one of the biggest questions was what to wear for your senior portraits, but another popular question is…. what if it rains???

Worst case scenario… we will reschedule the outdoor portion of your session due to rain.  However, we will try to work around the rain if at all possible!  When you arrive, if it looks like it may rain, we will do the outdoor portion right away to avoid the rain.  If it is raining when you arrive, we will do some the indoors, and if it stops, then we will go outdoors.  So, try not to stress out about the weather… let us do the worrying!

Another thing people worry about is whether it’s sunny or not.  Everyone wants it to be sunny for there pictures… but did you ever think about how squinty your eyes get when you’re outside in the sun without sunglasses?!?!?!?   Not that sunny days are a problem, but overcast days are just as good!

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer thus far… now that it’s finally here!

What not to wear

 

It is often asked, “What should I wear for my senior pictures?”  So hopefully this will help.  Please keep in mind that these are just recommendations to make the best portrait possible, but they are by no means requirements!

Hands down, we recommend solid color patterns versus busy colorful patterns.  Busy patterns will take away from the main focal point of the portrait… you’re face!  Honestly, the first thing you will see when you look at the portrait is the shirt you were wearing!

Also, we recommend to stay away from sleeveless shirts.  I know it’s summer and tank tops are in, but lets be honest… arm pits are never attractive!  

Finally…. remember to dress yourself head-to-toe.   This includes your hair style, make-up (if you choose), shirt (is it wrinkly??), pants, belt, socks, shoes, nail polish.  Two things about this tip…. if you are going to wear shoes, please make sure you have coordinating socks (i.e. dark socks with dress pants and shoes)  White gym socks will stick out like a sore thumb!  Also, if you are planning to paint your fingernails, make sure that it is fresh… you’ll be mad later on that you had chipped polish in your pictures.

If you have any questions or are still unsure about what to wear for your portraits, give us a call.  Otherwise every Wednesday through August we offer group pre-portrait consultations at 6:00pm (no appointment necessary!)

Some of the best things are FREE!

Get a show like this of you for…. FREE!!!

If you have gotten a postcard in the mail from us that is worth $50.00, you have the option of trading it in for a show like this on a DVD!  It is actually valued over $50.00, but since they are extremely popular we will let you trade the card in for the DVD rather than having a $50.00 photo credit.   Feel free to call us with any questions!!