Ah, weddings.... we've all been to them, we've been involved in them... they are all so similar, yet so different... for those of us who have been to hundreds anyway... But, my favorites are those where the love between the couple is so obvious, and so overwhelming... it just makes you feel good and believe in marriage all over again.

That was the case this past Saturday... Maria and Matt were getting married. The excitement and joy leading up to the day was contagious! Smiles all around, no stress, no nervousness... just anticipation of the day when they would join their lives together.

These are the days that I love photographing weddings... as an observer... to witness the interactions, the expressions, being aware of each moment as it is happening..   I love photos, I love taking photos,  I love the emotion a photo can tell, the way the sunlight dancing across shoulders can make a photo more intimate, how a candid laughing moment can be contagious and spark additional smiles, how stolen moments between a couple can make you feel the love, how a funny face can make you want to get to know a person, how a precious moment between a mom and daughter can choke you up, and how a photo of a groom seeing his bride in her wedding dress for the first time on their wedding day can make your eyes water, how moments during special dances can still catch me off guard after so many years of seeing them. I love the forever-ness of  photos, the ability to display and recall memories, the stories.

Imagine the day.... it's a perfect summer day... no clouds, abundant sunshine, with a gazebo set against a bay backdrop for the ceremony, and the beach providing a perfect backdrop for the portraits after... A couple looking their absolute best for the occasion, family members joining together to witness the event... and joining together as extended family because of it. A mother watching her son, and a mother watching her daughter... the bride's daughter realizing that her family has just become complete... friends seeing happiness not evident before this relationship... all this is happening as guests witness this wedding.... fleeting moments that I have the privilege of capturing for them!

Life is made up of moments..... most of which are taken for granted as we go through our day to day grind. But then there are the moments that stand out, and you wish you could "freeze" them, and enjoy them just a little bit longer. This past weekend was made up of many of these moments.

From spending time catching up with family, enjoying the beauty of Hunter Mountain in the background... to having drinks with family and friends.. to spending time with groups of people you see a few times a year, but that doesn't matter, it's like it was yesterday.. open hearts, open arms, and opening up their house to you each year at this time, an amazing 4 days of great music, and one very special segment of just under 2 hours... a yoga class. This was not just any yoga class. This was a yoga class with Michael Franti. I had no idea what to expect. I've been doing yoga for years now, and find it to be something I enjoy having in my life for various reasons. But this particular yoga class was incomparable to anything I had experienced before. First of all, Michael Franti was there... with his guitar player, and an incredible woman leading the class. As we were led through various poses, with the usual "air" of yoga, we were suddenly surrounded by our own private concert, and the most positive energy I have ever experienced in yoga. I had never been in a yoga class where dancing, and joyful jumping was a part of it. But there we were, 400 strong, all dancing and jumping, and singing along.  Michael Franti drew us all in together, creating connections between people who had never met before. It was an emotional experience to say the least. People hugging each other, some crying, overwhelmed with emotion, others laughing with joy, but, over it all was a blanket of positive energy. It was impossible not to feel it. I don't know if the words I put here even begin to describe what was felt in that room. All I know is that I didn't want it to end.

After the yoga class, we were all invited to get up close, and we were treated to a few songs... it felt like a private concert, even though there were 400 people there. But after that, Michael Franti came out into the crowd... to hug people, talk to people, take pictures, and just be "one of us". Each one of us were hesitant to leave that room, and go back out into the world. We would have to work to hold onto this mornings experience, drawing on it when needed.  The message that he gives in powerful, and always positive... in spite of what life may throw his way. The world needs more Michael Frantis in it.

Ultimate is a Limited-contact team field sport played with a flying disc (frisbee). Points are scored by passing the disc to a teammate in the opposing end zone. Other basic rules imply that players must not take steps while holding the disc (that is, a player holding the disc must maintain a pivot), and interceptions and incomplete passes are turnovers. Rain, wind, or occasionally other adversities can make for a testing match; with rapid turnovers, heightening the pressure of play. A prominent feature of the modern game is the "lay out," a horizontal dive to catch or block the disc^.]

From its beginnings in the American counterculture of the late 1960s, ultimate has resisted empowering any referee with rule enforcement, instead relying on the sportsmanship of players and invoking the "spirit of the game" to maintain fair play. Players call their own fouls and dispute a foul only when they genuinely believe it did not occur. Playing without referees is the norm for league play, but has been supplanted in club competition by the use of "observers"/"advisers" to help in disputes, and the nascent professional leagues even employ empowered referees. (Wikipedia)

That being said, I still don't think there are many things in my life that I have experienced that surprised me quite like seeing my first ultimate frisbee game. I had no idea what to expect, didn't know what it would be like, and really knew very little about the game. My younger daughter started playing in college... so, being the Mom that I am, I needed to support her in her endeavors. So, I went to the games I could get to. From the first one, I was hooked! Combining the non-stop movement and athletic endurance of soccer with the aerial passing skills of football, it is one of the most exciting games to watch, in my opinion. I am an avid "sports" person, so I wasn't surprised that I got hooked, but there is something unique about this sport. Maybe it was because it was new to me, maybe because my daughter played, or maybe, the lack of using referees in an organized sport was completely foreign to me. How refreshing to see opposing players work out their own disputes, quickly and fairly.

Over the years, I have been to many games, and have not lost my initial reaction to them. My daughter has played in many countries, on various teams, and I couldn't be any prouder!

I recently had the opportunity to watch the USA Ultimate Tournament in Virginia Beach. Aside from the normal dynamics of the sport, now there was the added challenge of sand. I don't know how many of you can successfully "run" in sand... I find it challenging enough to walk on any sand other than that close to the edge of the water. But these players ran in sand for several games in a day. Not only running, but pivoting, blocking, throwing, and chasing.... I was in awe... the way that they kept going, leaping to knock the disc out of an opponents hands, or leaping to secure it for their team... giving it all they had, despite the weather (I've seen games in rain, cold, and brutal heat)...It is obvious that this sport builds character,self reliance, leadership qualities, listening and negotiating skills, as well as good sportsmanship and lasting friendships. And, it also keeps you in great physical shape, as well as being a lot of fun!

I think that this quote sums it up best...because this is what I see when I watch an ultimate game.....perfect moments.....

"I just remember one time running for a pass and leaping up in the air and just feeling the Frisbee making it into my hand and feeling the perfect synchrony and the joy of the moment, and as I landed I said to myself, 'This is the ultimate game. This is the ultimate game.'" (Jared Kass, one of the inventors of ultimate, interviewed in 2003, speaking of the summer of 1968).