Tonight Tim and I are going to see David Gray and Ray LaMontagne at Meadowbrook.  Even though I have seen both before, I am super excited because I know how awesome they are live individually, so imagine both in the same venue at the same time!  Considering it's 4:33pm, I really should be getting in the shower and getting ready.  I have been a little distracted though watching this very cool and free :) live broadcast of a wedding workshop by Jasmine Star and creativeLIVE.    Just to put me behind a little bit more, I decided that I needed to put together a blog post.  I am very guilty of squeezing in as many things as I possibly can in a short amount of time.  Yes this sometimes backfires, but very often Tim is in complete shock that I manage to get done what I do, so I am going to stick with it for now.  AND, I have been on roll (sorta) with blogging, I have been really trying to make sure I blog at least a couple of times a week. This past weekend my sister Lauri and her fiance ( & my friend first :)  Ryan came over to go for a bike ride and brought along their new puppy Izze.  Half chiuaua, half pomeranian, she is super tiny and super cute.  I of course had to grab my camera and do an impromptu little session.  Man is she fast!  It is not very easy to get a puppy to stay still long enough to frame a good shot, let alone get them in focus.  We managed to get a few that I think show her supermodel-ness.

P.S. Please excuse if my spelling or grammar isn't perfect, I'm rushing a bit :)

When Tim asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday this year, my response was "I know I'm a total dork, but I'd really like to take the dogs to that dog park where they can go swimming".  We always mean to go, but everyday life kept getting in the way.  What better way to celebrate my birthday than some time away with my man and my two canine babies?!  Sitting home tonight, I remembered that I hadn't taken the photos of my CF card yet.  Here's a couple of them.  It's late and I've been up way too long.  Maybe I'll add more tomorrow.

My siblings and I, along with our significant others and many dog children, went to my moms for Easter this year.  Some might call it a crazy house with six dogs running around, but I wouldn't have it any other way!  After dinner we took the dogs for a walk and I grabbed this great shot of my favorite brother and my new niece, Miss Maggie Mae.

Caro, MI  Easter Sunday 2010     //    5D Mark II /Nifty 50 / ISO 320 / 1/3200

Ohh, and I just figured out how to make rounded corners in Lightroom, whatta you think?

We have had Murphy now for 8 months and it's hard to imagine he was ever not a part of our family.  He is definitely a perfect fit.  Here's some recent pictures of him and Lucy in front of our house.  We are working on teaching Murphy to stay in the front yard off his leash like Lucy does and he is actually doing quite well.  That is, as long as his buddy, Muffin, our five year old neighbor doesn't ride by on her bike, cause he loves to run with her down the sidewalk!  Or as long as his collie buddies, Mac and Sisco, don't step out of their house, because that sends him running down the block to see them.  Okay...he needs some work, but he's doing great considering! All right enough jiber-jaber (Did I just type that?, Is that even a word?  You get the idea, right?)

Seriously?!?!  Look at the look on Lucy's face!  Love, love, love this picture!  Love it too much!

Tim calls Murphs our cartoon dog in this photo.  He could be in a Pixar film!

When I was 24 years old, I broke up with my boyfriend whom I was living with and with no where else to go, moved back home for awhile.  It was a hard transition for me, leaving my own home.  Changing my day to day life so much, not having my own space, breaking up with a boyfriend, I felt a little lost.  My parents welcomed me back and didn't seem to mind at all that I was there, but it was still hard.  Rudy became my buddy during that time.  He started sleeping in bed with me every night, something he had never done with anyone before.  It was like he knew I needed to be comforted and... it worked.   Obviously I eventually got over it, but Rudy would still sleep with me.  Then I moved out again, my parents got a divorce, my mom moved 2 hours away, and I didn't see Rudy as much.  Luckily for me, he had been there exactly when I needed him.  Just like he was for me, he has been there for my mom when she has needed him.  He was by her side through divorce and moving.  Rudy was with her when she fell in love again, and then by her side when her fiance became sick and eventually passed away.  Nothing can make all of that okay, but I know that having Rudy around gave my mom a sense of comfort. Tim and I eventually got our own dogs and we would take them to go see Rudy and his new sister Rosie.  Even at 16 years old, he would get excited and run with them some.  He was patient and tolerant of their "puppy-ness".  He actually seemed to enjoy having them around making him feel younger again.

My mom's birthday was July 21 and we took the dogs to her house to have dinner.  While I was there I took some pics of Rudy, but on the way home I thought to myself that I needed to make a special trip to get some good shots of him because he was getting older and I wouldn't have much time.  Unfortunately I didn't make it back in time.  One week ago today, Rudy passed away.  His passing was mostly calm and peaceful, I am so thankful for that.  But it was still so sad.   Rudy was my buddy, he was the last "family dog" my family will ever have.  He was loved and cherished.   He will be greatly missed.

I never had my official photo shoot with Rudy, but here are some photos I have taken of him over the years.

yes, that is real dog, not a stuffed animal  ...and yes, he really is that cute!