New York City Wedding Photographer | Vintage Modern Southern California Wedding Photography » Maggie Harkov is a vintage modern wedding & lifestyle photographer in New York City.

Two years ago today, I married my best friend.  How’d I ever get to be so lucky?

Happy Anniversary, Mr. H.  I love you with all that I am.

Always,

Your Maggie

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There is nothing like the sound of my Father’s laugh.  It’s all-encompassing.  Completely joyful.  And totally contagious.  My dad laughs so hard he cries and I’ll admit it – my tactic for evoking that laugh was and always will be my motivation when picking out a movie to watch together. Nope, no dramas in this lifetime, folks, because picking a funny movie provides a guarantee of hearing that laugh, and I can’t help it, Internet, laughter was and always will be my goal.

My daddy taught me to smile.  He taught me that what I think of my life is mind over matter and that I can do anything I believe I can or change the way I think I feel simply by making a choice.  My dad taught me to find it easy to smile and find the best in situations by making the choice to do so.  My dad is the kind of man that tells corny jokes, that tells his sons-in-law that he loves them, that completely radiates around his grandchildren, that loves ice cream, and is completely and utterly OBSESSED with Apple products.  Oh, yes.  OB. SESSED.  iPad?  Check.  The new iPhone 4G?  Check.  iMac?  Check.  That app you’ve never heard of that does something utterly magnificent?  Check.  My dad loves his Apple products with a capital L.O.V.E and it is awesome.   My dad is a man that loves sitting on the beach with a good book or a riding the waves boogie board style.  I remember spending countless summers on the beach building sand castles and riding the waves with my dad.  I will also never forget the way his big arms would save me from waves I thought were sure to kill me or the feeling of safety he has consistently brought to my life.  My dad is the kind of man that goes in the water when his grandkids ask him to even if it’s the middle of December.  My dad is the kind of man that you would not mess with.  Trust me.  As a teenager, I always knew when I’d gotten to the point of no return when that look came over his face stating so clearly that I was seriously about to regret the decision I’d just made, but he is also one of the kindest, most tender men I’ve ever known.  My dad is the kind of man that loves my Mother in a way I am completely in awe of.  He is the kind of man that after 46 years of marriage, still writes love notes to my Mother.  Still brings her flowers.  Still teases her with such incredible love in his eyes.  Still pulls her on the dance floor when their song comes on, and still kisses her and holds her hand in front of us.  My dad is the kind of man that made me believe good guys existed when I was in college even when I certainly wasn’t meeting any of them.  My dad is the kind of man that helps others willingly and gives much of his time to serve the poor.    My dad is the kind of man that still remembers every math formula known to man and strongly believes in making all sorts of graphs and charts when making any well-informed decision.  My dad is the kind of man that told my dates they had precious cargo when driving me around and made sure they returned me by curfew. on. time.  I think there was only one time I was ever late, and let’s just say, it never happened again.  My dad is the kind of man that yells “Yee-ha” on roller coaster rides and that played 50′s music every Saturday to make chore time more fun.  He’s the kind of man that would go out after a long day at work to pick up my favorite ice cream or a pile of funny movies when I was sick.  My dad is the kind of man that dances with his grandkids and at every event I’ve ever been to, that would play what I thought was the most obnoxious music on the planet on our way to auditions to help me relax and laugh, and that did anything in his power to make us all smile.  My dad is the kind of man that always made me feel special and that loved his daughters and family the best way he knew how.   I don’t know how else to say it.  My dad is the man that showed me what a man, husband, and father should be all about and gave me the hope that I could find someone just as wonderful and I couldn’t be more blessed for the role he has and continues to play in my life.   I love you more than you could possibly know, Dad, and I am infinitely grateful to you for the man that you are.

A very happy Father’s day to you, my sweet Daddy, I love you so very much.  And wishing all the wonderful Daddy’s of this world a very happy Father’s day as well!

This photograph was taken in 1984 at Disneyland when I was 2 years old.  It’s one of my favorite image of my Dad and I.

Every day when the bell rang for lunch, I’d run out the bright blue door of Miss Halejian’s kindergarten classroom and sit under the shade of the tall oak tree.  I’d open the brown paper bag my Mom had sent me off to school with that morning and begin to examine my lunch.  I’d pull out my triangle sliced peanut butter and honey sandwich on whole wheat and look over at my peers longingly as they ripped the plastic off of their Lunchables or dove their plastic folks into the cafeteria’s version of what might have been Sloppy Joe.  On Valentine’s day, I’d pull out a heart shaped sandwich, and, at Christmas time, bite into a sandwich that had magically been cut into the shape of a Christmas tree.  But, oh no, that wasn’t all, folks.  In addition to the homemade cookie, folded napkin, sliced apples and carrots, I’d find something else.  A note from my mother.  I was just learning to read so my mom would write just a few words or draw a picture of an eye, a heart, and the letter u to say she loved me.  I’d smile as I chewed my cookie and read my note, happy to have saved the best part of my lunch for last.

This tradition that began early in my life represents the woman my mother is – the unbelievably thoughtful soul who goes out of her way to touch the lives of others and make them feel special.  The woman, who, with each year, I become more and more enthralled with the beauty of her spirit and heart.

My mom is the kind of mom who cuts sandwiches into triangles or hearts.  The kind of mom that makes colorful welcome home signs out of butcher paper and jumps up and down when she greets you.  She’s the kind of mom that brings reindeer bells to the airport baggage claim at Christmas time and rings them like a crazy woman when she sees us heading her way.  She’s the kind of mom that stayed up late to talk to me when I was upset even after she’d had a long, hard day at work.  The kind of mom that invited me for sleepovers in their big king bed when my dad was out of town on business.  The kind of mom that has water or cold drinks waiting for us in the back seat when she picks us up, and the kind of mom who writes notes and then leaves them for us to find in our apartment after she’s left.  She’s the kind of woman that stops to smile and thank the bus driver, that helps people she doesn’t know, that listens to everyone as if nothing were more important.  She’s the kind of woman who constantly thinks of others.   She’s the kind of mom that insists on making us a meal for our airplane ride home so she can stuff a note by way of paper napkin inside, thanking us for all we did (even though she’s the one who did everything).  My mom is the kind of mom that put bright flowers and balloons in my room when I’d been rejected from the school I wanted to attend, that stops every two feet to take a picture of something beautiful, that dances with my father every time their song comes on, that left her daughters Valentine’s and chocolates in front of their bedroom door, that made my halloween costumes by hand, and attended every.single.one. of my performances.  She’s the kind of woman that seeks the best in others, that smiles when she talks, and that lives completely from her heart.  She’s the kind of woman that calls or writes before an important event or test to let you know she’s thinking of you. She’s the kind of mom that constantly laughs and smiles – that tells and shows you a hundred times over how she loves and appreciates you, and how proud she is of you.  She is the kind of mother who shares in our joys and is our greatest cheerleader.  I don’t know how else to say it, she’s the kind of mother I only hope I can be.  And today, and everyday, I feel so incredibly blessed to call this extraordinary mom, my mother.

Wishing you and all the wonderful Mother’s in this world a very Happy Mother’s Day!