163/365 - killing me softly (with her cuteness)

June 12, 2011

Princess Di eyes. Seriously.

158/365 - Lucy in her window seat

June 7, 2011

156/365 - Lucy loves Ben

June 5, 2011

I'm so glad they are finally getting along. :) Well, mostly, Ben is finally tolerating her constantly doting/biting/loving/licking/jumping on him.

He is her entire world.

153/365 - an evening stroll

june 2, 2011

this was a good day. :)

149/365 - the day that i met lucy (hanson)

may 29, 2011

we had a fun cookout at sylvia's when we got home today from virginia. we took the dogs and spent some time with todd's sister jennifer and her husband and the rest of the family. :) lots of fun!

137/365 - cuddle bug

May 17, 2011

136/365 - Couch decor & baby eyes

May 16, 2011

Baby girl is so precious.

135/365 - Lucy!

May 15, 2011

OK, so I am finally introducing the new member of our family! 

We actually got her last Wednesday (the 11th) but I was a little weary of letting everyone know we got a new puppy right away, so I wanted to wait a little while until after her first vet visit and such. (She's healthy, by the way.)

She's a hound/lab mix (we believe) and looks like an absolute doll baby.

...more pictures to come!

132/365 - Ben, smelling the air

May 12, 2011

Isn't he so handsome?

128/365 - time with mr. woodstock

May 8, 2011

He's so sweet. :)

117/365 - Daisy May

April 27, 2011

I've so enjoyed having this little creature here this week. :) She's been an angel!

113/365 - Jerry's spring break, day 1

April 23, 2011

Thanks to Adrienne for taking this photo since I was driving. I took a few that day, but this one is my favorite. :) So I'm using it. Thanks Adrienne! haha.

And here are some of Daisy riding in the window... so cute!

92/365 - zombie cat.

April 2, 2011

He's doing fine, by the way.

84-88/365 - shoes, balls, books & cats, OH MY

OK, I know. This is getting ridiculous. Almost every night I sit down to post my photo and get distracted. And then I'm like, I'll just post it tomorrow. Then tomorrow comes and the same thing happens. Soo, here we are, almost a week behind! So, let's see...

March 25, 2011

Friday. Went shopping. Got these awesome shoes.

March 26, 2011

Saturday. Wore my new shoes out bowling with some friends. :) These weren't my new shoes, obviously. 

And here is a funny picture of me from later that night, playing DDR after a few beers:

March 27, 2011

Story: Sunday. I believe it was Friday evening that Todd noticed Jake kind of favoring one of his legs. He wasn't limping, he just seemed to be not walking normally. I checked him out, gave him my best "exam" and he didn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort, even when I was trying to make sure his legs weren't broken. 

We kept an eye on him over the weekend, and it wasn't until Sunday that I noticed he had almost a golf ball sized lump on I guess what you could call his "inner thigh". It was very tender to him when I touched him, and he didn't want me bothering it. Naturally, I freaked out and wanted to call the vet right then, but Todd suggested that we watch him Monday and if it didn't go down or get better, we would call the vet Tuesday morning. 

Monday before I left for work, Jake had to go to the bathroom so I let him outside to go potty. When he was done, he laid on the back porch lawn chair with Mazzy Moon, sleeping. Figuring they would sleep there all day like they have many times in the past, I left for work. This was around lunch time. When I got home at 6pm, he wasn't waiting for me in the driveway like he normally is. He wouldn't come when I called him. For hours, and hours, I called him. I walked up and down the street with a flashlight, stood in the backyard calling him, looked under the shed, he never came home. This is extremely out of character for him, because he sleeps inside almost every night. I feared the worst... that he had gone off into the woods to die.

Tuesday morning (today) I got up early to see if he had come home and call the vet, but still no sign of Jake. I geared up in heavy clothes and my boots and went exploring in the woods, calling him. No luck. I didn't have to be at work until 2:30, so I was going outside calling him every so often.

I went to let Ben out one last time before leaving for work, and had resigned myself that I'd just have to hope he was home when I got off work.... so I opened the door, hoping to see him standing there like I had been all morning - and wa-la! There he was, like nothing was wrong in the world!! He strolled on into the house like, "What up, mom? Why you been crying all day?"

My animal-whisperer future-vet tech friend Crystal, after hearing all his symptoms, suggested that it was probably a cyst. They could cause great pain and he probably just wanted to be alone, to lick it or help it burst, and then he'd come home good as new. She was absolutely right.

I noticed he wasn't limping or favoring his leg, and he hopped right up the steps with no trouble. I followed him in and gingerly checked out where his lump had been... to find a massive gaping hole. ---well, it looks massive to me. It's probably more about the size of a dime or a nickel. I'll post photos. It's kind of gross but.... goes with the story!

March 28, 2011

Monday. Today I finished reading "Eat, Pray, Love", which was the first selection in this pretty rad book club I'm in. Can't wait to meet, eat, discuss it, and pick a new book! I really, really liked this book. If you're avoiding this book because of the hype or the movie, please ignore it. 

March 29, 2011

Tuesday. Today. Jake came home. Yay! And what is there really to say about this photo except.... ew?
But it looks much better now. It's been flushed & irrigated and all cleaned up. Will continue to flush it twice a day with saline solution and keep him inside until he's all better.

ALSO. I think I will start doing what I used to do and separating these posts by days, even if I am behind, instead of lumping them all together in one post. That way they can be more "organized" by subject or what have you. That way people who are searching for book recommendations won't run across busted cysts/abscesses in cats.

Hahahahah.

74-76/365

March 15, 2011

He was completely underneath this pile of clothes in the first photo, but this one was cuter. ;)

March 16, 2011

Um, totally found Todd's old school Nintendo in the shed the other day. How awesome is that?!?!

Marach 17, 2011

Yes, I wore green today. I'm tired. Also, my mouse has been acting up. I have to click on things several times before it responds to me. Ugh.

banging out a happy little note

I just wanted to say... that everything is going to be just fine.

Everything will work itself out. Life will get easier... better. We will get what we deserve, eventually.

I say this because I (want to) feel optimistic. The house is clean. I'm becoming a more organized adult. I'm learning little tips, hints, and shortcuts from the wonderful people in my life.

Work is getting better. Got a great evaluation today and I'm feeling good about it. I really needed an upper when it came to the work situation.... so yay.

I feel like I'm coming into my own. I feel like I'm learning about who this Becky person really is... or could be... or could become. Or even who she has been all along.

Well, I'm going to stop getting all existential on you and get some sleep. Tomorrow's Friday and it's been a long, busy, up-early-every-morning kind of week. And I went to the dentist. But that's okay. I love getting my teeth cleaned.

The point is... nothing is really wrong. That's something to celebrate and be thankful for. We're healthy and happy.

Ben turns three next month! 3! That's 21 in dog years!

9/365 - My Melancholy Model

Today's "photo of the day" is going to consist of a small photo-shoot with a melancholy model. And perhaps a few photo tips, as well.

How about this? 4 photos, 4 tips! Makes sense, right?

• I almost never upload a photo directly from the camera. To me, it's a bit lazy and you're selling yourself short. Every photo I post for public consumption has been pulled into Photoshop and color corrected, at the very least.

• If your photos look a bit dull, up the saturation just a little bit. I usually don't go over 9 pts, because anymore than that kind of over does the color a bit. Also, if you aren't happy with the color tone of your photos, you can mess with the color balance. Adding some red with warm up your photos, whereas adding a touch of blue will cool them down. Pretty simple! :)

• Take photos of the same subject from different angles and points of view. That one is kind of self explanatory, but it's just so easy to stand and look straight on at your subject. Make yourself uncomfortable. Get on the floor or climb on top of something if you have to. Also, it is not illegal to tilt your camera at an angle and take a shot diagonally.

• When shooting with animals, don't set a time limit. Don't get frustrated, and don't keep calling out their names to get them to look at the camera. They pick up on your frustration and it will show on their faces. If the camera becomes normal to them, they will act normal in front of it. (This is also purely my opinion and not solid facts. Haha.)

Hope you enjoyed that. ;)

PS - Ben looked sad because he wanted to go outside and we were too busy playing with his emotions in the bedroom. Poor guy. ;)