Eastern State Penitentiary Photo Shoot!

Yesterday I had a photo shoot at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA.  I had never been there before and so I didn't know what to expect!  The have ghost tours during the day and at night.  I can't imagine that place at night because it was super scary during the day!  The photographer that I went with had been there before and was trying to creep me out the whole ride there which was an almost 3 hour drive.

A little history about the Penitentiary, it was operational from 1829 until 1971. Notorious criminals such as bank robber Willie Sutton and Al Capone were held inside its unique wagon wheel design. Known as being the most expensive building built in the U.S. at the time, the Eastern State Penitentiary became a prototype in design to 300 prisons.
This system, used by the Quakers, was designed to force the inmates sent there to look inside themselves and find God. In reality, the system which placed inmates in complete solitude, drove many a sane man to madness.

Prisoners at Eastern State had a toilet, table, bunk and Bible in their cells, in which they were locked all but one hour a day. When the prisoners did leave their cells, a black hood would be placed over their head so they could not see any other prisoners as they were guided through the halls of the prison. Interaction and any form of communication between inmates was forbidden.
Inmates lived a life in mundane solitude and would only get a glimpse of sunlight, known as "The Eye of God" which came through a slit in the prison ceiling. In desperate need of human interaction, prisoners would tap on pipes or whisper through vents to each other.

If caught, the penalty was brutal.  

The Water Bath
The inmates who broke the rules risked being dunked in a bath of ice-cold water then hung from a wall for the night. During the winter months, when this punishment was most popular, the water on the inmates's skin would form into a layer of ice before morning.

Iron Gag
The most deadly punishment was known as the Iron Gag and specifically designed for those inmates who refused to obey the no communication policies. An iron collar was clamped onto the tongue of the inmate, and then chained to his wrists which were strapped high behind their back. Any movement resulted in a tearing of the tongue and severe bleeding. Many inmates who suffered this torture died from loss of blood before their torment ended. 

The Hole
Dug under Block #14, the hole was nothing but a pit in the ground where incorrigible inmates would stay locked, sometimes for weeks. There was no light, little air, and those thrown into its tortuous grip would receive water and a slice of bread, if they got to it before the rats and roaches.

While there I sometimes felt like there was someone right behind me....or feeling like there was someone touching me...and there wasn't.  A couple of times I thought I saw someone run past in a hallway or in a prison cell, but no one was there!

Here are some of the pictures:
         Click on any of them to enlarge them.

 

Adam (photographer) and I

Some of the pictures are photo shopped to give it that "antique" look!

Hope you like them! I had a great time even if it was spooky!!!!  Tonight is Trick or Treat here in our neighborhood!  I may even dress up!

Don't Forget!

Wordless Wednesday is tomorrow!  Grab a favorite photo and join in the fun!  I will have a linky so we can all enjoy each other's photos!!

I am very excited about tomorrow!  I have a modeling shoot at the Eastern State Penitentiary!   It looks very scary and how appropriate for Halloween!  I'll be sure to share some of the pictures with you on Thursday!!

Moisturize Moisturize!

Had I known when I was in my 20's the importance of moisturizer, I would have taken a bath in it every night! I never even thought about it then because I was "young". I did a promotion a couple of months ago for some facial moisturizers at Costco and I remember a young girl (20's) coming up to me asking what I was demoing....when I showed her the age defying moisturizer she said, "oh I don't need that...I don't have any wrinkles"....I explained to her the importance of starting young and continuing on because having healthy skin in your 20's leads to healthy skin in your 30's and 40's.

My facial routine consists of only 2 products and have given me some really great results. I can't say whether or not my "young" looking face comes from using these or good genes! My Mom is 63 and looks no where near her age:



I shower at night and when I wash my face, I use water only! Then when I get out of the shower I use the towel and wipe off any remaining make-up. I don't wear alot of make-up and if its a day that I do, then I use a make-up remover cloth.

After my face is dry I use L'Oreal Revitalift Double Lifting Cream. Its a 2 in one and it works great! I couldn't find a coupon for this particular product but L'Oreal has some other great Coupons and samples that you might be interested in!!



This unique dual-action treatment instantly retightens skin and effectively fights the look of wrinkles. Advanced RevitaLift Double Lifting is the first double-action treatment that combines two exclusive complementary formulas in one application an ultra-concentrated lifting gel and a powerful anti-wrinkle cream for intense lifting action.

Then I use Garnier Nutritoniste Ultra-Lift Pro Deep Wrinkle Night Cream:



Visibly plump deep wrinkles, hydrate & intensely firm your skin while you sleep with this night cream. Click here for a $2.00 coupon!

And that's it!! Another Beauty Tip is to make sure you don't forget to moisturize your NECK!! I can't emphasize that enough! Alot of people don't do their neck and it is very important!

I'd like to think that I have great looking skin but not sure if its the lotions I use or the fact that I laid under a Sun Lamp when I was in 9th grade and had 2nd degree burns on my face...then I popped all the blisters and my whole face peeled! Talk about exfoliating!

This was from a recent photo shoot...unretouched!

Why I'm never going to grow old...

When I turned 40 it was a huge eye opener for me. I couldn't believe where all the years have gone. I thought to myself that I have a life too even though I'm a Mom and a Wife and yet I wanted to do something for myself.  

I truly believe that "Age Is Just a Number." Age is but a notch on the tree of life. We are all on a spiritual path. We choose lovers, friends and family to mirror our soul's development. Partners of different ages can accelerate this growth. Therefore even though I am 49ish, I don't look at it as being 49ish, as "Age… Is a matter of feeling, not of years." I'm not interested in age. People who tell me their age are silly. You're as old as you feel. Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty -they merely move it from their faces into their hearts. You can't turn back the clock. But you can wind it up again. Live your life and forget your age. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up wrinkles the soul. Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. Don't go through life, grow through life and in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the

life in your years..... and I actually look and feel better now then I did when I was in my 20's.  

In my spare time, I take ballet lessons, which I love, and have been doing for 9 years now. I am also a licensed Cosmetologist and have my Real Estate license. I have worked as a Promotional Model in the past which was very interesting!  I take really good care of myself and my husband and I walk 3 miles everyday...at least we try to!! I love to cook! Cooking for boys is not an easy task! I think I live at the grocery store!

I am truly blessed with my family and I'm so proud to have 4 sons and such a loving husband. I feel beautiful inside and would like to show the world how beautiful I am on the outside! Stay with me on my journey through life when the kids are growing up and moving out and yet your not sure where the time has gone!

Joe

 Joe is my loving life partner and hubby for 29 years but we've been together for a total of 35 years! He is so caring, supportive, forgiving and most of all my best friend. He is my rock and I wouldn't have life without him. He loves me as much as I love him! We like the same things and enjoy every moment together!

Venti

Venti is 26 yrs old. He is 6'4" and is HUGE! He eats and eats and eats! He is super smart and graduated from Penn State majoring in Civil Engineering. He is now working for the Government. He is married to Mocha and they have our first Grandchild, Espresso!  He is very sensitive and worries alot!....definitely fits the role of first born.

Venti and Mocha

Grande

 Grande is 25 yrs old. He graduated from college with a degree in Criminal Justice. He is the only one that looks like me! He is the most loving of the boys. He has a girlfriend Latte and they've been together for 4 years. He is the life of our family and our home would be boring without him. He only weighed 5 lbs when he was born and is still tiny!

Tall

Tall is 22 yrs old.  He graduated from college with a degree in Management Information Systems. He is our quietest child. He loves to sleep alot! Grande and him are best friends. He is very caring! He loves to eat and make fun of people!

Short

Short is 15 yrs old. He is in 10th grade at a Catholic High School. He plays basketball and loves video games and the computer. He is super smart and has almost the same personality as Venti....who he idolizes! He is loving and worries about everything. Our house wouldn't be the same without Short! He came along 8 yrs after Tall.....we thought by waiting a couple of years that we would get a girl...but along came Short and we are so thankful!!

Our 2 handsome MALE cats!!

Ozzie - European Lilac Burmese

Woody

Rescued orange tabby

  and the only other Girl in the Family!  Maya!!