Winnipeg, Canada Trip 9.2.10 - 9.6.10

Michele and I just took a recent trip to Winnipeg, Canada where I was lucky enough to photograph a wedding. It was a great opportunity for Michele to meet the rest of my family she had not met yet. I was born in Winnipeg, Canada and a majority of my mother & father's family is from Winnipeg as well.
We flew in on Thursday September 2nd and took off on Monday the 6th, so, it was going to be a short visit. We really only had Friday & Sunday to visit family and see the city since I had to photograph a wedding all day Saturday. We managed to fit in almost everyone we wanted to see which was great.
Overall, the entire trip was beyond perfect and Michele and I would like to thank everyone who made it possible. Below is a few images from the trip along with a slide show I assembled to the images chosen for the blog post.
I've also attached a link to view a preview of documentary which will be released in the spring of 2011. This documentary is about the artist Wanda Koop who has been in a relationship with my Uncle Steve for many years now. My Uncle Steve and Wanda are a true inspiration to me on what is possible in creativity and the art world. They both create truly mind blowing art work that is beyond words and leaves you in utter awe. Her 1 minute teaser really moved me and I thought I would share.

Slide Show of Winnipeg Trip

Winnipeg, Canada, September 2010 from Joe Hamilton on Vimeo.

Wanda Koop documentary preview

KOOP the work of Wanda Koop from Site Media inc on Vimeo.

Kept driving past this spot and I knew Michele and I had to get a least one shot done here. I dig it! Very random to have the hearts up on the wall which added to the photo I thought.

Flying into Winnipeg, Canada.

Image of Michele and I at my Uncle Steve's house. His house has a lot of character and history in it which is a whole other blog post.

My cousin Stepheny posing for an image with her puppy.

Portrait of my Uncle Steve. As soon as I saw this spot in his backyard I knew I had to get a quick picture of him in this setting. I really like this image a lot.

Morning sunshine through stained glass window in my Uncle Steve's house. To view this in person is absolutely beautiful for it's size and detail.

Wanda Koop's studio which was beyond awesome. This place would be my ideal dream home / studio. Again, completely speechless...

Wanda's kitty who was just to cool. This cat had a lot of personality and I think Michele wanted to take him home.

Scoped out the church the day before the wedding to get an idea for the layout and location.

Picture of my cousin Michael and his wife Sahoko & son Keiji.

Picture of my Uncle Barry, Aunt Pearl, cousin Jennifer and her kids Connor & Liam.

My youngest cousin Zack playing on his Zamboni. For those who have no clue what a Zamboni is, look it up on Google or click on the link above. Not many kids in US would be thinking their lawn is a skating rink and they are the Zamboni operator and need to knock out the job. This was way to cool to watch and I had to capture some images of it. Just watching this brought back a lot of memories of my childhood in Canada.

Helped the kids assemble a robot out of bits and pieces and slapped one of Zack's shirts on him. Of course we had to take some pictures of that. Above image has rights to Zack Hamilton. He was really into taking pictures.

Keiji sporting a pose for me.

I think I found a new hobby for Zack. Tell me he is not into it!

I love how he is 4 years old and he is so focused on getting a image of me. Showed him how to use the trigger and really liked using that to take the pictures.

My Uncle Neil's family (Dad's brother). Carolyn & Neil made us a very good dinner the night before we took off. Our visit was way to short and we look forward to getting back up there.

My Uncle working on a project at The Forks in Winnipeg, Canada. On his 40th birthday he engraved 40 into his 40th link that runs along the Forks Market on the water.

View of the The Forks.

Cousin Stepheny & Michele.

The Forks Market.

Me, my Aunt Merle & Michele at the wedding.

Crescent Fort Rouge United Church in Winnipeg, Canada.

This is Me - "In the Raw"

Haven't posted on my blog for a few weeks now because I have been extremely busy with my work and my health. I wanted to start off September's first blog post with a raw update about me.
This past week I had a long overdue surgery to have a cyst removed from my neck which wasn't entirely that bad, it just had to be done. I also had a urgent appointment with my neurologist to update him and discuss my progress since I saw him last. Two months back I met up with a neurologist to discuss symptoms I had been experiencing on a more repeated basis.
For over 15 years I had gone undiagnosed by many doctors of having partial seizures of the brain. Until meeting my current neurologist, I had met up with numerous doctors over the years who could run plenty of tests , but, provide absolutely no answers or solutions.
It is extremely hard to really describe what I experience during my "episodes", but, the best way to describe it is déjà vu, definition, "a feeling of having already experienced the present situation".
A strong sensation of déjà vu will rush through my body from head to toe and I will instantly start dripping sweat. Within 10-30 seconds I will go from hot & sweaty to freezing & chills, leaving me in a slight haze wondering what just took place.
After extensive research on the internet I have found lots of people with similar experiences ranging from mild to severe. Some find the experience cool & interesting while others find them overwhelming & scary. I find myself right in the middle and teeter from side to side.
There is no rhyme or reason or pattern that I can really recognize to them. But, over the years I started to write them down and describe each "episode". I would describe them by where and what I was doing at the time of the episode. I also rank the episode on how intense it is. 1 to a 5, 1 being very mild and a 5 being a complete pass out. I've only experienced 3 episodes that have reached the limit of being a 5 in my entire time dealing with this, which is scary to me.
I've had my drivers licence taken away twice for telling doctors my symptoms, which I completely understand. Doctors have been more than willing to cover their behinds in the past and notify the DMV of my symptoms before I even leave their offices. But, they would always leave me with again, no answers or solutions to my problem. Sarcastically speaking, it always left me with a lot of motivation to keep searching for what was wrong with me. Mean while still experiencing episode after episode...
There were times I would go months without having a single episode, then out of nowhere it will just pop up and remind me it's still around and not going away. Sometimes I will just have one in a day and the most on average I have had is 4-5 in a single day.
This past Thursday Michele and I traveled to Winnipeg, Canada and I experienced 20+ in one day. It was beyond overwhelming and extremely emotionally draining I must say. I've always found myself to be an emotional person, but, this I had absolutely no control of. Episode after episode with absolutely no control is not fun and very awkward feeling.
The remainder of the weekend and up until today I haven't had one episode...
Funny thing is.., I have been on anti-seizure medication for the past two months and my doctor now thinks the meds are making things worse. He is now switching me to some other medication to see how it works...
This is a uphill battle for me and I need to stay on course to finding my solution.
My main reason for writing this post is for me to put what I am going through into words. These words are for me, my family & friends to help better understand what I am going through.
Special thanks to my wife Michele, my Mom & Dad and family for their support & love through this whole ongoing process. Also, special thanks to my new neurologist for just being there to listen, it is really refreshing.

For those who would like to read more information on what I am talking about please follow this link: Partial Seizures

Baby Dina's Swimming Lesson - Noonan Family Swim School

Michele and I met up with our niece Dina for her swimming lesson at the Noonan Family Swim School in 4S Ranch. Dina's Dad & Mom (Brian & Damaris) were also there along with baby Dina's Grandma Dina.
Must say it was very cool to watch baby Dina in the water with her father learning the basics of swimming. The group they were in consisted of about 6 babies accompanied by there Mom or Dad in the water with them. A few of the babies along with baby Dina had quite the personalities just being in the water. Some really liked it while others were wondering what was going on, very cute to watch.
Never to young to start your little ones off in swimming lessons, especially living in southern California. For more information on the Noonan Family Swim School check out their website.

www.noonanfamilyswimschool.com

Sparks Family Photo Shoot

Did a family photo shoot down in Mission Bay with the Sparks family the other day. The weather was great and little Jackson (2 year old) was more than ready to take some photos.
The Sparks family rented out a beach house and did family photos last year and decided it was so much fun they would do it again this year. We set up a few family portrait style poses and the rest of the images were just of the family having fun on the beach doing their thing.
I'm in the process of putting together a little slideshow with more images from the shoot to a song of their choice. As soon as I have it finished up I will post it up on the blog.
Thanks again Sparks family for thinking of me again this year, it is very appreciated.

Good times & Good food

Had a little family get together for some good times & good food with Michele's family. Must say Michele was just the little house wife this weekend with all the sewing & cooking, I just had to document all of it. I even grabbed one of her Grandma's aprons just to add the complete look for some photos. Michele made a great apple cake topped with some vanilla ice-cream. (Wouldn't mind some right about now....)
We had a belated birthday party for another family member and we went all out for him. Not a single birthday candle in the whole house so we got creative and just used a decorative candle, it got the point across...
Baby Dina of course stole the show with her new clothes and new Vans shoes from her Uncle Eddie. Baby Dina decided to take a nap on her Grandma's lap, but, knew the exact time to wake up for the cake to be served. After a little cake I had to get a few images of her with her hat on before she had to take off. Thought I would share a few images of hanging out today.
All in all had a really good weekend and looking forward to the week ahead.