Last month I was in Tennessee (North Carolina a bit as well)…for some fun, a workshop and to visit friends…and the last bit of the trip involved visiting with friends. Although the whole trip was wonderful, I must way that the time with friends was AWESOME…we met this family when we lived out there (we’ve been in Washington for over 16 years now) and they have remained dear and close friends, who we visit often and occasionally travel with. It’s funny because when we met, our kids were little…preschool and now, I’m photographing their preschool aged grandchildren…it just isn’t possible, is it? Well, I guess time happens and passes, whether we like it or not…we don’t have a choice, so I will just enjoy it and appreciate the times with those we care about! These two little cuties are Alex, who is 4 and Carly, who is 2…and let me tell you, they are BUSY kids…but wait, 2 and 4 year olds are busy…right, right! They kept me on my toes, literally and at first they really weren’t sure about me and/or the camera, but by the end of our visit, they had warmed up and I must say that one night, I was the only who who got a hug and kiss from Carly before she went to bed…that’s the best acceptance ever!! I photographed them a few times, over two days and the first was at Sewanee University in Tennessee. What a beautiful campus…although we didn’t see a lot of it, what I saw was wonderful and oh, I’d love to return some day to see more of this beautiful location…and it’s amazing buildings. We had a bright sunny day, so we had to find some good shade and at that we did…the kids were on the go and happy to be moving and not in a car… It was a tad chilly, but that certainly didn’t slow them down a bit, as you can see. Their mom, Michelle, is our friends oldest daughter and one thing that stands out in my mind is when our daughter (four years younger) and her would get together, they’d have their own radio talk shows and it was so much fun to listen to…the stories, the songs and the imagination…I can see that in her children!!
Aren’t these two adorable…such great smiles and beautiful bright eyes…full of life
I love these photos of Alex and his mom…such a special relationship!!
LOVE, this…the smiles, grins and expressions…this is them…full of life, with mom holding on time while they are little!
A reward at Cracker Barrel (oh, how I love that place!), for lunch…Alex was determined to try and beat this game…it’s certainly challenging!
The next day we were in the yard and Alex had to show me his sword that went with his Halloween costume….you can see, he was having fun!!
Carly absolutely LOVES swinging…as you can see, she’s quite comfortable…it was a time she was still and content being in one spot!! LOL
Isn’t she a beauty…look at those eyes, she’s going to have the boys calling when she gets older!!
Alex loved racing cars with his Papa (and my husband)…you can see he’s pretty adept at this and knows what he’s doing…he was sure concentrating!
Beautiful Michelle…we had to grab a few photos of mom, alone, since this is probably a rare thing…alone when you have two little ones…it’s time you cherish and appreciate!
Getting Carly roped in for this photo was a challenge…she wanted nothing to do with being still on this beautiful morning…but we managed to get this before she darted off!
Our little pink spider…loved the tights and shoes with the skirt…too cute!
I must say that we sort of got in “trouble” before this shot! We had a security guard yell at us as we approached the “tree” made of oak barrels…which were on the grounds of the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee…it’s funny as we didn’t even see him until he shouted that we were to “step back!” You would have thought that we were in a high security area of a government building…it was just oak barrels! Thankfully, he seemed to back off as we moved a bit away and we were able to grab this photo!
Oh, I LOVE this shot…Carly had a bit of a melt down (she was exhausted!)…and so her papa took her ahead of the rest of us to head back to the car. I couldn’t resist “lurking” behind with the camera (surprise!!)…and capturing this very sweet moment!
Both Alex and Carly were excited to model their Halloween costumes, so we stepped outside to capture these..which were going to be put to use the very next day!
Michelle, it was great to see you and the kids and I enjoyed capturing some special memories/photos for you and the kids. I will look forward to the next time we visit and seeing how they’ve grown…enjoy them as they grow way too fast!!
Dancing the night away…..
It is with great joy and great sadness that I’m typing this post, about our beloved dog, Aussie, who we lost 3 weeks ago. If you have had a pet for any length of time, you know how they become a family member and part of your lives and are a companion and friend, no matter what! Our sweet Aussie was with us for almost 16 years and yes, I know that is a very long time, but selfishly, it wasn’t long enough and we wanted more time, more memories and more wags and licks from her. It had been about 2 1/2 years since Aussie first had some sort of problem, whether it was a seizure or stroke and we feared our time with her was coming to an end. I well remember the day after that episode when I took her to the vet and cried the whole way there and back and not knowing just how long we’d have, it was scary! But, she amazed us and bounced back and seemed to be back to normal most of the time. Sure, there were some times she had a problem or two, but mostly she was her old self, full of life and enthusiasm for whatever she encountered each day.
It was 16 years ago this coming October when our family took a trip to visit my parents at their cabin on Hayden Lake…we had moved from Tennessee the summer before and had lost our other dog of 13 years before the move and the kids were continually asking when could we get another dog! The day we “found” Aussie, my husband and dad were golfing and my mom and I took the kids into town and stopped by the humane society “just to look” and guess what a litter of pups had come in an hour before! We drove to the golf course so the kids could ask their dad if it was okay to get a puppy, saying we’d found the perfect one! Well, my dad instantly said, “YEP and I’ll pay for it!” My dad LOVED dogs and with his answer we had no choice, but to get the puppy…and it was truly love at first sight! She was the runt of the litter and just under 3 pounds…oh, I can see that sweet face and smell that puppy breath as I think of it! The rest is history…and in the years with her, we created so many memories and have some wonderful photos of her.
Aussie was a GREAT dog…and I know, I’m biased, but if you ask a lot of our friends, neighbors and even some strangers, they’d agree with me! Aussie was very well behaved (other than the begging at meals, which I full take the blame for since I would feed her my last bite from a meal) and loved people, though she would bark and some occasional solicitors who she didn’t like (which I tend to think there was a reason why…I think she knew they didn’t need to be around!) and made so many friends from people just walking by our home. When we first got Aussie, we put in the electric fence in the yard and trained her to stay in the yard. It wasn’t a couple of years before that was cut with landscaping and yet, to the day she passed away, she still stayed in the yard (well, maybe with the occasional wandering to say hello to a neighbor on either side!). People would walk by with dogs and she’d go to the end of the driveway and stand right there and just watch or a cat would wander through the yard, she’d run after it until the property line and then stop…and when people would walk by and we were outside, they’d comment how friendly and well behaved she was. There was a couple who the past couple of years walked by nearly ever day ( with their dog) and would always stop and give her a treat after making her sit or shake, or rollover (which was harder for her the past year)….they were so good to her! Aussie would literally go to the end of driveway and check the curbing EVERY time she’d go out to see if she missed them…which she would find a treat, if she wasn’t out when they would leave a treat for her. She never forgot and if she saw them a couple of blocks down the street, she’d stand and wait for them, almost at attention! Oh, and I can’t forget to share the story of the UPS driver. When we first got Aussie, the UPS driver would come and bring her a treat with a package and then she began to recognize the connection and whenever she saw the truck, she stood on the end of the driveway, waiting for the treat! The driver was awesome…he stopped every day and gave her a treat and said he would even stop at the store to by more, if he knew he would be in our neighborhood! After a few years, the driver was given a new route, but came by to say “goodbye” to Aussie and told us that if we ever needed to find a new home for her, to call him, that he’d take her in a heartbeat! Obviously, that never happened, but the funny part, we had to “train” all the new UPS drivers to be sure to bring treats, otherwise, she’d be sniffing their pockets all the way to and from the door if they didn’t bring something! Fed Ex drivers never fell into the same category and some wouldn’t even deliver because she was “scary!” Yeah, right! Oh well, their loss in getting to meet a great and friendly dog!
Playing with the kids, chasing balls or frisbees, swimming, playing tug of war or lounging in the sunshine were Aussie’s favorite activities and I’m so thankful that most of her life she was able to do that and she truly loved each day. I think the routine is one of the things I miss the most…seeing her sweet face each morning and getting the wags and licks when I’d say good morning…or the hug and kiss I gave her each night just before I’d crawl into bed. Of course, there were days when she wanted to go in and out ALL the time you know I’d give anything for that to return to our lives!! Oh, I miss her so much and I know it’s been just a few weeks and that the sadness of missing her will get easier to bear all the time, but I sure miss her!
The kisses were often, wet and slimy….and Jayden never tired of them (nor did I!).
