Eric & Kristin

Their Wedding Day

September 26, 2009

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I met Eric and Kristin through my friend Mara. They've been such a wonderful couple to work with, and I couldn't feel more fortunate that they found me! Their wedding day was absolutely lovely, and filled with emotional and happy moments. Kristin made sure that every last detail of the day was planned for, which made for an even more beautiful day!

The happy couple opted to meet before the ceremony to take photos together, this way there wouldn't be a rushed feeling between the ceremony and reception. Eric and his beautiful bride to be shared a wonderful moment together by the fountain in Adam's Park in Wheaton, IL.

Their beautiful candlelit ceremony at First Baptist Church in Wheaton resulted in many shared tears in the congregation, as Kristin surprised Eric by singing him a song that she wrote for him.

Their reception was held at Cress Creek Country Club in Naperville, IL. Their celebration was the perfect ending to a beautiful day.

Congratulations to you both again! May your future together be filled with endless photographs of beautiful moments shared :)

~amy

Sometimes the News Can Be Exciting...
September 17 & 18, 2009
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When escaped convict, Robert Maday, got away from two guards, we helicopter folks immediately got a phone call for news footage yesterday. We spent several hours hovering over Arlington Heights with no sign of the fugitive.

Today we received word, in the middle of our morning show, that he had been spotted hijacking a car in Hoffman Estates. We again did quite a bit of hovering over THIS scene.

As exciting as chases can seem, there are a lot of times when you are forced to wait for more information and direction to come your way. This is the bulk of my job with the news helicopter, and can oftentimes challenge one's patience. THANKFULLY, the waiting came to an end when we heard of a bank robbery in Bloomingdale, less than a mile from my home. We spent much time hovering over this area searching along with the FBI, U.S. Marshall, and several teamed up police forces from surrounding areas. We were listening to as many scanner frequencies as possible, and roaming around based on tips we had heard over the air.

We got a tip that he had been in St. Charles, and headed out that direction. No Mayday. Shortly thereafter, the stations agreed that this could go on for hours with no sight of the fugitive. They sent us on our way. We had been flying about 6 hours at that point. Less than a half an hour on the ground later, we were dispatched back up to the air in order to get footage of the freshly captured idiot. He caused a car crash in West Chicago at the intersection of James and Rt. 59.

Almost 12 hours of total flight time later, as well as several vocal cameo appearances on NBC, Fox, and several online live feeds by yours truly, we were all relieved for many reasons (especially being on the ground again for at least a while).

Here's the story on James Mayday, along with a copy of his affidavit (available on Fox Chicago's website). Feel free to watch the video footage, which I shot, on either NBC 5 Chicago or Fox Chicago. OH! And if you're wondering about the camera shaking - the gyroscopes in my camera have been faulty for some time now. It truly wasn't a reflection on my competence as a camera operator, I assure you.

Do Your Part!
Cruisin' for Courtney
Metro Chicago Start! Heart Walk
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There are only a handful of days left to make your donations for the Metro Chicago Start! Heart Walk for 2009. The walk will take place on Saturday, September 26th. This year, I have made a donation from my personal earnings from shooting weddings towards the Cruisin' For Courtney team. Several friends and family members of Courtney Ksepka put this team together in her memory, as heart disease took her life suddenly about a year ago. They will be participating in this walk in the Downers Grove area. As a side note, this event is taking place on what would have been Courtney's 27th birthday.

Please consider volunteering for this event, or by making a donation to hep fund the American Heart Association's mission to prevent and create awareness about this disease!

I also want to take this time to remind you of four other great causes that I am supporting again this year:

The Prevent Cancer Foundation

Children International

The American Foundation For Suicide Prevention

and

The Shannon Sperando Cancer Fund