A really nice visit

I just returned from visiting my sister & nephews. It had been way too long since we had gotten together! I've been thinking about going to see them for awhile, but hadn't actually taken the steps to follow through on it. This year I decided to make a point of going. Dave was so nice and helped make the trip easier by giving it to me as a Christmas present.

Our visit together was great. We did a lot of talking and shared a lot of laughs. I'm so glad I went.

The boys are getting really big. I'm impressed & proud of what nice kids they are. My sister sure loves them a ton and I can see why! They're smart and funny....very entertaining & thoughtful.

I can't wait until our next visit!

I finally updated my petsitting website

Here's a link to my new webpage.

I've updated it to match my business cards.
It still needs some tweaking, but it's a start.

Peace of Mind Pet Sitting

Something too important not to share...

I was listening to some Christian music on YouTube and happened to click on one of Casting Crown's links. It captured my interest and definitely made an impression on me. I hope that if you choose to listen/watch this video, it affects you the same way it did me.

This message is so simple, but SO important.

Click here to view the video: Sharing Jesus

Around the house October 2008

Here are a couple of pictures of Benelli (the stretching blonde with the hippie hairdo), Maggie (always ready to play), Ellie (with short little legs that are so cute...I can hardly stand it!) & Jo Kitty (taking refuge from the rain on Ty's wheel). Freckles isn't in this slideshow (again) because she still has the habit if disappearing when the camera comes out. The only thing she hates more than cameras is a thunderstorm....no come to think of it, she dislikes cameras even more than storms! I'll get sneaky and get a picture of her for the furry kid installment.

The little Corgi shown is my new foster Ellie. I'll put a page up about her soon.

Photography Workshop

Earlier this month I attended a photography workshop in Grand Rapids. It was offered by Jen Kroll, John Pottenger and Holly Henderson .

It was so much fun!

These three Pros provided models for us to photograph. For starters, we got the chance to shoot a maternity session indoors with studio and natural (available) light. Then we went to the JW Marriott and tried our hand at photographing some model Bride & Grooms. The room layout and lighting was a challenge, so we were able to try problem-solving.

Lunch was provided and was really good. It gave us a break and a chance to visit with each other.

The afternoon led us to some really cool outdoor settings. Even though we were shooting the same subjects, it was fun seeing how each photographer's different perspective changed the final product.

The whole time we were shooting, the three pros offered hints, tips & instructions. They were very encouraging & easy to work with. Afterwards, I felt much more comfortable photographing posed shots. I enjoyed the rest of the group that attended too. Everyone was great. It was interesting to hear everyone's stories about how photography fit into their lives.

Attending this workshop helped build my confidence and added to my enthusiasm for this hobby of mine. I didn't want the day to end! The only bad part is that now I want a new camera!

Thanks, Jen, Holly & John!

Here are some of the photos I took at the workshop:

My Short-Time Foster, Dillon

This is Dillon. He was such a big, cute, huggable sweetie!
He was a foster that was transferred to me and was only at my house for about a week. Dillion was a gentle giant. He was definitely a lover not a fighter! Unfortunately, he was a little too much of a lover and he wanted to "mount" every other dog he came in contact with. It was a little too much for my three dogs so after only a week, I decided to transfer him to another gal in our rescue. Problem was that my dogs wouldn't stand up for themselves and put him in his place. As a result they spent most of their time running away from him. It was a non-stop busy place around here that week!

Dillon found a home a couple of days after he went to his new foster. He was adopted by a lady that had another St. Bernard. I'm so happy that he found a good home. He was a lovely guy....he really was. Just don't ask my dogs their opinion of him.

A new angel in heaven

This past weekend marked a terrible tragedy. We lost my 16 year old nephew Nick in an automobile accident. My sister-in-law Jan & her husband, Bill lost their only son. Tiffany, Katie & Rylie all lost their brother and my kids lost a cousin that was more like a sibling than "just" a cousin.

Lord, please hold this precious family in your hands and bring them comfort in this time when comfort seems so impossible. Please bring them closer together and give them the strength needed to get through these difficult times.

It hurts so much to witness the pain that this kind of loss brings. I only wish that I could do something to ease their sorrow. But, as many before me have sadly found out, only time & God can heal this kind of wound. I wish his death was only a rumor...I wish this was just a bad dream. But, I'm afraid it's not. We all have to figure out how to deal with it.

Oh, to have a magic wand to help them forget all this bad and only feel the good. Oh, to fill their hearts with sunshine instead of this darkness & gloom. Time, oh time, please work your magic quickly.

In memory of William Nicholas Smith

My Old Hobby - New Again

I took two photography classes at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts this past summer. I really enjoyed them.

Years ago I spent a lot of time delving into the world of photography and I even had dreams of someday turning it into my career. But as time went on, I got a "real" job, got married and started a family. Slowly, without even noticing I slipped away from my photography dreams. Instead I turned into a "snapshot" mom.

Two summers ago I took some wedding pictures for a friend...I was scared to death, but SOOO excited at the same time. It was the beginning of a rekindled love affair with the camera and lens!

Things in this digital world have changed a lot since my old film days. Although I think it's for the better in most aspects. The one thing I struggle with now is trusting the authenticity of any photo I see published. Photoshop is a wickedly cool tool that seems to go right along with digital photography. Does anyone work on "getting it right, right out of the camera" anymore?

Brandy the Beagle

Well, I have another foster dog. She is a 5 year old Beagle named Brandy. She is a doll! It's really nice to care for a dog that is past all that "puppy stuff". She doesn't chew anything that isn't hers and isn't a constant barker. She's not destructive and is one of the first fosters that my dog, Freckles is comfortable around. That makes me VERY happy!

We've had a few hairy moments when she get's a whiff of a rabbit and takes off as fast as she can. Those darn collars with the plastic clasp just "pop" open with a good hard jerk. I've seen it happen three times now! I finally got smart and put a buckle collar on her. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this works better. I'm so afraid that I'll lose her one of these days while we're on our walks. Everytime it happens, I'm a wreck until I get her back on the leash. I really hope we're past that now.

I have a feeling she'll be with us for awhile. So far, no one has put in an application for her. It sure is funny how people have trouble seeing the benefit of adopting adult dogs. I think that I'm the lucky one...if someone is going to be spending time with us, it might as well be a good girl like Brandy.

FUNNY CATS....Check out this video

Yes, it's all about cats, but I'll bet that even some of you "non-cat" people will find yourself smiling too!

This is Benelli. He's a 3 1/2 year old Spinone Italiano that I adopted this past New Year's weekend.

I had been wanting a Spinone for quite a while. I didn't know if I'd ever really have one of my own when almost magically, I found out about this guy needing a home. Not only was he at a rescue and up for adoption, he was only about an hour away...right here in Michigan! When I was chosen as his new mom, I was thrilled. Life around our house has never been the same!

Benelli's beginning was pretty rough. He was a sick, skinny boy when he first came to live with us. I think the stress of being moved around wore him down. He got kennel cough and it quickly turned into pneumonia. It took about a month to get him back to good health, but all that work was well worth it.

Spinone personalities are unique. They are funny, loving and gentle. I call him our "pacer" because he's always on the go. His favorite things are going for a walk or a car ride. If he sees me grab a leash, his tail starts wagging and doesn't stop 'til we're back home. I love taking both he & Freckles for a walk. It's a great workout for all three of us. Freckles is the consistent one. She just trots along and Benelli spends his time trying to make sure he's in front of her. As a result, he keeps wanting to speed up. With those long legs of his, it's all I can do to keep up with them- while not getting their leashes tangled at the same time! I'm sure we're quite the sight.

I love his clownish personality & looks. I'm thankful every day that he's part of my family (even though he IS the messiest drinker in the world and a sock eater)!

My 4 legged family as of last fall

This is one of the few recent pictures I have of Freckles....
My dog Freckles HATES cameras. I really think it's the flash that she's afraid of but the sight of any camera makes her "run for the hills"!

I had to trick her to get this picture. I set up the camera amongst some bags of groceries that I was carrying into the house and used my remote to actually take the picture.

JoKitty on the other hand is a real ham! She will pose nicely whenever she thinks she's going to get to model. I have a ton of pictures of that girl.

Bear, The Anatolian Shepherd

Bear was a BIG boy, but his size didn't reflect his personality. He was the most calm, gentle dog I've fostered so far. He was a year old, but he must have shed his "puppiness" early. My dog, Benelli loved Bear. He really missed him when he went to his new home.

Bear (who is now named Parker) was adopted by a super nice lady & her 7 year old son. They were the perfect new family for him. Bear didn't like being left alone and his new mom worked very hard to help him feel safe when she left for work. This is a huge testament to the caring, patient person she is! I couldn't have gotten luckier finding a new family for him.

Angel, my first foster dog

Angel was a super sweet 1 year old black Lab. What a smart dog she was! She could retrieve a toy better than any dog I've EVER seen! She was adopted by a family with hopes of training her to be a future Therapy Dog...how exciting! Her new family renamed her Marley. Isn't that a cool name? I love it!

Being my first foster, I cried many tears when I handed her over to her new family. Letting her go was difficult, but the excitement that her new family had, convinced me it was the right thing to do.

Dave (my fiance') didn't think I'd really be able to adopt out a foster. He thought I'd end up keeping every one I took in. I knew I had to follow through with this first adoption or I'd never be able to be a foster mom. Mission accomplished!

My Poodle Fosters

Here are two of my foster dogs. They were Standard Poodle brothers.

Buddy (the white one) was adopted by a cool couple that re-named him "Buddy Moonshadow". Eiffel (the redhead) was adopted by a sweet family who re-named him "Oliver". There was a ton of interest in these guys. I was thrilled that they both went to wonderful homes.

These guys were super nice dogs. My son liked them so much, he wanted to trade my dog, Benelli for Eiffel!

I never thought I would've considered owning a poodle, but these guys changed my mind. A Standard Poodle is cool because they have a big dog personality-with the non-shedding characteristics that poodles are known for. I really, really like the non-shedding part!

The Amazing Skidboot...a story about a dog & his owner

This takes a few minutes to watch the whole thing but I promise you....it's well worth it!