A Celebration
A huge thank you goes out to everyone who supported us by walking with, and donating to, our Step Up for Down Syndrome team! The support really means a lot to me!
The walk as a whole raised over $450,000…which is just awesome!! All that money stays here in the Kansas City area and will benefit the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City! It is an awesome local organization whose mission is to provide support and resources for individuals with Down syndrome and their families. DSG also seeks to provide the entire community with information and education to broaden awareness and foster positive attitudes regarding people with Down syndrome.
The morning started out a bit chilly, but when you’re talking about late October at 8 o’clock in the morning…we were actually pretty lucky. As the sun rose, the warmth level also rose. Although a somewhat chilly breeze did kick up, there was not a drop of rain, sleet or snow at Arrowhead stadium.
Bellies were filled full with everything from Brats and Hamburgers, to Krispy Kreme, Smallcakes, Smoothies, Kettle Corm and Ice Cream! Bouncers and slides were conquered. Jugglers and clowns entertained.
Over 8,000 walkers lined up for a one mile stroll around Arrowhead Stadium. Considering the sheer number of walkers, everyone kept a pretty good pace, laughing and smiling the entire time.
With the walk being the same day as my birthday, I was blessed with some extra goodies and treats! A huge thanks to Dad and Mom for a delicious birthday cake! Starbucks goodies from Becky, Grace and Tracy…me thinks they know the way to my heart! And an awesome new tray (just for Rice Krispy treats) from the Winchel family…yeah they know me too well! Thank you all for making my birthday and the walk a day to remember!!
It was definitely a celebration of life, love, family, friends and even turning another year older!
Thanks to my Dad, I actually made it into a bunch of photos! 
Step Up is Quickly Approaching
There are less than two weeks before the annual Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk on October 29th! We are over half way to our fundraising goal, but could still use your help!
All the donations we receive will stay in the Kansas City area, and benefit the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City! This is an awesome local organization whose mission is to provide support and resources for individuals with Down syndrome and their families. DSG also seeks to provide the entire community with information and education to broaden awareness and foster positive attitudes regarding people with Down syndrome.
Use this link to donate to the Photography by Brandi team! Every penny counts!
Join Our Team!
The date for the annual Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk is Saturday, October 29th!
Last year was such a great experience and it was the second time we had our very own team…the Photography by Brandi team! We had 24 team members and raised $2,030. I was completely thrilled!
This year, will you help me beat that?!? To do this, I need all of your help and support! Join the Photography by Brandi team and walk with us. It’s an amazing day, and definitely worthwhile!
It’s the perfect event for kids, babies and adults of every age! Not only is the walk the easiest, low key stroll you’ve ever taken, but the food and activities beforehand are awesome!
- TONS of food: including hot dogs, Italian sausage, kettle corn, ice cream and popsicles and even coffee for crazy peeps like me!
- Games for all the kids (big and small): Jumps and slide moon bouncers, rock climbing wall, carnival rides and games, horseback rides.
- Entertainment: roaming clowns and magicians (this past year there were even a couple of entertainers on stilts!) and stage performances including music and dancing.
- Chiefs football players signing autographs and cheering everyone on at the start line! KC Wolf giving hugs and posing for party pics.
- Thousands of friends (old and new) supporting each other!
…AND, best of all, lots of money is raised to support all the amazing things the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City does for the community!
We will be setting up a hang out tent and bringing fun games, yummy snacks, and making a day of it. This is something you won’t want to miss! Mark your calendars!
Or, even better, join my team today!! Here is the link to the official Step Up website. Look for the Photography by Brandi team, and click the Walk for Photography by Brandi link. You must sign up by Friday at 6 pm to ensure your t-shirt will be printed with our Photography by Brandi team name.
Just in case you need some motivation to participate, here is the link to last year’s event! We had a blast!
Fun in the Rain!
I can’t really say it was a beautiful day, but it definitely could have been much worse! The day started off with a pretty heavy downpour, which came to a stop just long enough for us to get everything set up. About the time our first attendees arrived, a fine mist had started back up…it wasn’t horrible, just strong enough to give everything a nice wet coat of moisture.
Luckily, I had planned for the potential of rain. We had a great, leak proof tent from Country Club Tents to keep everyone dry…well, as long as you stayed under the tent.
Many of the kids ventured out into the yard to play on the inflatables. (Thanks to The Party Patch for providing the inflatables, tables & chairs, grill and popcorn machine.)
The slide was actually a great hit; the added water feature made sliding very fast and fun! But, I did hear many comments about wet booties after going down the slide.
My favorite kid question of the day came from Ava. She walked right up to me and as serious as could be, she said, “Brandi, why is the bouncer wet?” I looked at her and I said the only thing I could think of, “Because it’s raining.” She gave me a stare and then seemed to accept my answer and walked away.
Our Griller Man, Todd, was manning the grill, cooking up burgers, dogs and brats! The popcorn, cookies and awesome rice krispies were a huge hit!
All of our kiddos walked away with fun filled goodie bags, including new PhotobyB shirts! (Thanks to Classic Awards for helping us create the perfect shirt and turning them around so quickly!)
Devin, our favorite magician, was back with new tricks for the kids, and unbelievable tricks for the adults. Every time we see Devin, he pulls out something new, that seriously just makes my head hurt trying to figure out how in the world he pulled that off! Thanks, Devin, for a fantastic afternoon of entertainment!!
The sun tried really hard to poke it’s head out and after awhile it succeeded…we had a nice dry spell…just long enough for us to enjoy the end of the picnic. Then, as we were picking everything up, the torrential downpour began again. All to remind me that the fine mist, and minimal winds we had, could have been SO much worse!
All in all, I had a blast! There is nothing better than seeing huge smiles on my favorite kiddos’ faces…whether they’re enjoying a very blue Ring Pop, or the juiciness of a burger…it’s all worth it! A huge thanks goes out to everyone who made it, rain or shine!
And an even bigger thank you to all our awesome helpers…Lori, Tracy, Todd and Faith…we could not have done it without you!!
Celebrate and Walk With Me
The date for the annual Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk is Saturday, October 29th!
Did you know? This also happens to be my birthday! As if you needed a better reason to join our team…supporting our clients with Down syndrome and celebrating my birthday, it’s a two for one!!
Last year was such a great experience and it was the second time we had our very own team…the Photography by Brandi team! We had 24 team members and raised $2,030. I was completely thrilled!
This year, will you help me beat that?!? To do this, I need all of your help and support! Join the Photography by Brandi team and walk with us. It’s an amazing day, and definitely worthwhile!
It’s the perfect event for kids, babies and adults of every age! Not only is the walk the easiest, low key stroll you’ve ever taken, but the food and activities beforehand are awesome!
- TONS of food: including hot dogs, Italian sausage, kettle corn, ice cream and popsicles and even coffee for crazy peeps like me!
- Games for all the kids (big and small): Jumps and slide moon bouncers, rock climbing wall, carnival rides and games, horseback rides.
- Entertainment: roaming clowns and magicians (this past year there were even a couple of entertainers on stilts!) and stage performances including music and dancing.
- Chiefs football players signing autographs and cheering everyone on at the start line! KC Wolf giving hugs and posing for party pics.
- Thousands of friends (old and new) supporting each other!
…AND, best of all, lots of money is raised to support all the amazing things the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City does for the community!
We will be setting up a hang out tent and bringing fun games, yummy snacks, and making a day of it. This is something you won’t want to miss! Mark your calendars!
Or, even better, join my team today!! Here is the link to the official Step Up website. Look for the Photography by Brandi team, and click the Walk for Photography by Brandi link.
Just in case you need some motivation to participate, here is the link to last year’s event! We had a blast!
And the Winner Is
Another year, another awesome Helping Paws Favorite Four-Legged Kiddo contest! It’s always fun reading everyone’s comments and watching the votes accumulate. This year included some intense sibling rivalry!
Our only two kitties established leads pretty early on, and successfully held on till the end!
And the WINNER is…Bella!! Congratulations Bella!! You are our 2011 Helping Paws Favorite Four-Legged Kiddo!!
Bella will be receiving an 8×8 Designer Canvas Wrap Portrait!
Last, but not least, is the reason why we hold our Helping Paws event and it’s the reason why we asked you all to vote! To benefit Wayside Waifs, a no kill shelter very close to our hearts!
We have counted all the votes and they have exceeded our goal of 250! We look forward to making a donation of $250 to Wayside Waifs!! Thanks again to everyone who participated and voted!
Last Chance to Vote!
Thursday, July 14th at 10:59 PM is your last chance to vote for your favorite Helping Paws Kiddo! It’s been a tight race, and could come down to a single vote! Don’t miss your chance to help decide the winner!
- Visit our Photography by Brandi Facebook page.
- You must be a fan (click “Like”) of the PhotobyB page.
- Click on the Helping Paws Album to see each of the four-legged kiddos who participated in our Helping Paws event.
- Vote for your favorite! Votes can be made by clicking “Like” of the image you want to vote for.
The kiddo/image that receives the most votes will be our winner! They will receive a complimentary 8×8 Canvas Wrap Designer Portrait of that winning image.
Your vote also helps raise funds for Wayside Waifs. We will also be donating $1 per vote entered for the winning image (maximum of $250) to Wayside Waifs.
Just a few hours left…don’t delay!
Revealing…
…the Helping Paws Highlights Slide Show…featuring thirty-four furry, four-legged stars!!
Thanks to everyone who participated in our fourth annual Helping Paws event! The purpose of the event was to collect donations and gifts for Wayside Waifs, a no kill shelter committed to helping homeless animals find a permanent place to call home.
Again, this was another year where I was blown away by all the donations that we received. Delivering them to Wayside Waifs was an unbelievable experience. They were so very thankful and appreciative!
Follow this link to the Helping Paws Pet Portrait slide show, and check out all our stars who helped in the cause!
AND…don’t forget to vote in our Helping Paws Favorite Four-Legged Kiddos Facebook contest!! Voting ends at 11 pm on Thursday, July 14th.
Helping Paws Contest
Help us take our Helping Paws event to the next level! Just by voting in our Helping Paws Favorite Four-Legged Kiddos Facebook contest, you can help benefit Wayside Waifs!
- Visit our Photography by Brandi Facebook page.
- You must be a fan (click “Like”) of the PhotobyB page.
- Click on the Helping Paws Album to see each of the four-legged kiddos who participated in our Helping Paws event.
- Vote for your favorite! Votes can be made by clicking “Like” of the image you want to vote for.
The kiddo/image that receives the most votes will be our winner! They will receive a complimentary 8×8 Canvas Wrap Designer Portrait of that winning image.
We will also be donating $1 per vote entered for the winning image (maximum of $250) to Wayside Waifs.
Voting ends at 11 pm on Thursday, July 14th.
Good luck to all of our participants!
Helping Paws Sneak Peek Time!
Just a few weeks ago, we hosted our fourth annual Helping Paws event. It was a chance for our four legged kiddos to sparkle, shine and steal the limelight…and did they ever!!
Thirty-four four-legged cuties graced our studio with their adorable faces, expressions, tongues and big personalities!! We had only two kitties this year, but they were beautiful kitties with plenty of spunk! We had a four pound Papillion and a ninety pound Golden Retriever. We had all black dogs and all white dogs. We had fun, crazy hair cuties, and sleek, smooth coat cuties. We had well trained show dogs and energy filled, never stopping dogs. All in all, it was an amazing day with amazing cuties!!
To me it doesn’t matter what “type” they are, they’re all ADORABLE!!
