Last Tuesday night was our monthly Pictage User Group (PUG) meeting, which is held in the conference room upstairs from my studio. Charlotte photographer Critsey Rowe was our guest speaker. Critsey is a partner of Indigo Photography and has recently launched her own boutique style company. She has been published in many local and national magazines and had her first international magazine feature in the current issue of UK’s “You and Your Wedding”. She photographed Carolina Panther Thomas Davis’ wedding that will be featured on the WE channel show Platinum Weddings and published soon on the cover of a local magazine. Critsey talked about how she stepped up marketing her business and meeting with event planners outside NC. She founded The Next Set, a group of photographers networking to high end vendors. She photographed celebrity planner David Tutera in his NYC apartment last month. Critsey and Thomas Geist from Germany just recently got married. It was great having them up for the PUG and dinner afterwards.
So, my birthday was the day after the PUG, last Wednesday. I had thought that Mexican would be a good choice for dinner – because it is my favorite. Then, I had the most embarrassing birthday experience ever in a restaurant. They came to the table singing with a red sombrero that they plopped on my head and started sticking a spoon of whipped cream in my face. Thinking it would make the guy stop, I finally let him put the spoon in my mouth – only to end up with whipped cream up my nose. What was I thinking!!! Please God, don’t let any cell phone photos show up on the internet!
I had arranged a lunch at 12 Bones with Critsey, Thomas and a few other friends from the DWF forum, which is how we all met. Much to my surprise, Critsey, Corey Cagle and Honour Hiers had arranged for a lot of other photographers and vendors to come. 12 Bones always has a long line and so as I walked up – 1/2 the line started singing! They went all out decorating and even got an awesome cake made with Reese’s cups.
Karen from Brown’s Floral Design 
I got a ton of birthday wishes on Facebook, my new internet obsession, and an awesome email from my friends Gene Higa and Ann Hamilton from San Francisco with a hilarious series of photos. Bogie was asleep so he is partying in photo form.
THANK YOU SO MUCH to all my friends for making me feel so special!