Livin' the Dream - a Flashes of Hope story

I have had the pleasure to meet and get to know a brave little five year old, Justin Miller, who has neuroblastoma and is fighting it like a superhero! I have photographed his family, twice, through two different programs....first a year ago at Denver Children's Hospital through Flashes of Hope, and now this winter through a local Breckenridge Program, Domus Pacis. Flashes of Hope is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing powerful, uplifting portraits of children fighting cancer and other life threatening illnesses. They have 30 branches around the country and rely on volunteer professional photographers.

Justin has certainly captured my heart, and I figure I was meant to join his support team. There is a benefit for him in Denver on Sunday April 26th, and this Channel 9 News story from yesterday gives the details. (click on the video link in the top right corner)





The fundraiser is this Sunday from 2 to 9 pm at Clement Park and is being organized as a senior project for Michael Spitzlberger of Bear Creek High School - another Coloradan who has met Justin and couldn't HELP but join his support team!

Justin is such a beautiful little spirit - you can see it just lookinig in his eyes! He tells his mom that he's "Livin' the dream." Learning to ski this year, meeting some of his favorite Avalanche players - his photo is even on the home page of the Colorado Avalanche website! If you click on the Children's Hospital link you'll see more of him!

He has spent several weeks in New York City this spring getting experimental cancer treatments and one of my favorite stories is that he had a night that he couldn't be near his family because his body was "radioactive"....so Justin had to stay in his own "isolation room" and his mom was next door, checking on him regularly. Here's what she said about it:

Justin LOVED the isolation room!!!! He spent most of the night jumping from bed to bed and listening to music and watching TV. Anytime I went to check on him, he told me to shut the door because he is in isolation!!! WOW!!!!

You can read all about Justin on his CaringBridge website or check out this SLIDESHOW of his family in Breckenridge!

2009 Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis - Mark your calendars!

This year's Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis will be held on July 11th, 2009 starting at Summit Cove Elementary School in Dillon. Registration starts at 8am and the walk starts at 9am. Kids and dogs are welcome!

We still need more walkers on the Beaton Photography Team....you can sign up by clicking the link, or you can start your own team HERE!

We have two friends, both children, who suffer from Cystic Fibrosis, and this is one of the causes that means the most to me each year.

Megan, age 9, is a local student who skiis and bikes and shares this big radiant smile daily, and she also spends hours each day taking medication and doing treatments to control her Cystic Fibrosis (CF).




The other is Owen Mueller, age 3, of Los Angeles. His grandma, Barb, is one of my great photo buddies, and she managed to walk with us in Dillon last summer, even though she lives in Illinois! It was so great to have her as part of this big day and helping us all to fight this terrible disease!




So please join us and walk with us, tell your friends, come out on July 11th and cheer us on, or donate to any of the teams that are walking! Here are a few that I know of:

Summit Cove Elementary Team led by Heather Johnston & Bobby Marony

Beaton Photography Team

The Radical Radek Team

The Zany Z Team headed by Karen Zaitz

Charneskie Team

Fulkerson Team

Heather & Andrew's Wedding at Sapphire Point!

Heather & Andrew were married high atop Swan Mountain at Sapphire Point on March 21st and it was a beautiful day....some sun and some overcast skies to make the portraits turn out better!

The full slideshow here....

and photos of the Day Before on the Mountain here....

The reception was held at the Silverthorne Pavilion and it was a beautiful intimate event that I really enjoyed being a part of.

Keystone Mountain Day Before Heather & Andrew's Wedding!

Heather & Andrew were married last month, and the day before the wedding, they had everyone meet on the mountain at Keystone and either Ski or Snowboard....it was a wonderful fun day for all involved (including the photographer!)

View the whole slideshow here!

View the wedding day highlights here!

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Keystone Wedding Publication ONLINE!

Keystone Resort hosts hundreds of weddings every year in this beautiful mountain resort. Located just 5 miles from Dillon, Colorado (15 miles from Breckenridge) and 70 miles west of Denver, it's a perfect mountain wedding setting!

The 2009 Keystone Wedding publication is online now! Check out Beaton Photography's Ad on page 17!

Some of the possible Keystone venues include:

Ski Tip Lodge
A beautiful intimate historic cabin that can hold 75 guests in the winter and 125 guests in the summer.






Keystone Back Ranch
A summer location only....with ceremony outside and reception under tents. Kate & Kevin were married here in 2007 and it is one of my favorite locations! But you need to plan enough time for the wagon rides there to the location!






Timber Ridge
Timber Ridge is right next to the AlpenGlow Stube at the top of North Peak....so it is a full two gondola rides from the base of Keystone Mountain. They recommend 45 minutes to make it to the top....I recommend long underwear & when they ask if you want a blanket you say...Yes, Two please! It's one thing to ride a gondola during the day in your ski clothes, but a completely different story at night in your dress up clothes! But it's a FUN event & well worth it!




And a few Keystone Venues that I have never had the pleasure to photograph:

Keystone Ranch

Keystone Summit House
This is a gondola ride from River Run Plaza and the center of activities on mountain during a typical ski day. When we were skiing there last week, they said they had a 4pm wedding at the Summit House.....I know the views are fantastic!



Alpenglow Stube
I've had lunch at this beautiful restaurant on the mountain during a day on the slopes, where they have you take off your ski boots and slip into luxurious slippers and enjoy a 5 course lunch right in the middle of the ski day. So if that's an ordinary day, I can imagine the weddings are out of this world!

And maybe I would offer a discount to a bride & groom that could let me experience this!