Just For Me

I used to be so much better about sharing my random about the town photos on this blog. I kind of got away from that (and really taking random about the town photos) once my little side business picked up.

On Saturday morning, I waited down by the lake shore for my photos subjects to show up and decided to take those moments to capture a few shots just for me.

And these little toes showed up and I started taking pictures for other people.

More to come from this shoot. Oh how I loved this shoot!

Happy Unofficial Birthday Taylor

When Mike and I originally talked about getting a dog a year ago, we thought it was something we'd have to put off until we had a few things in place, things like a bigger house, less hectic work schedules and a few less cats. A dog just didn't seem to fit in the mix.

But then we saw this photo:

Photo courtesy of Project Rescue

And we knew we had to see if this dog might be able to fit into our lives. A year later, this dog, our dog Taylor, is a part of our lives, a big part. I hesitate to say he runs our lives, although some days it does feel like that.

We fostered Taylor for a week and then we adopted him. Mike and I knew there was no way we could give him back and hope he'd find a better family. We felt like we were his family already. However for that week we fostered him, Mike and I had several conversations about how we thought having a dog would change our lives.

There was no doubt having a dog would be an added expense. Having a dog would mean we'd need to come home on time from work on a more regular basis. We also knew it would make traveling a little more complicated. Looking back now I kind of have to laugh because there were so many other things that never crossed our minds. Having a dog has enriched our lives in ways we didn't foresee.

Taylor has improved my and Mike's relationship. Mike and I have to communicate in ways we didn't have to before getting our dog. We constantly talk and compromise on who will walk him, who can head home from work on time and what he should and shouldn't be fed. We haven't always agreed on things, and there may have been a few times that we argued over whose turn it was to take him out. But we always talked about it, and as a result we've learned a lot of the fundamentals of the general give and take of a healthy relationship.

Taylor has introduced us to many of our neighbors. Before getting Taylor, I always saw dog owners talking to one another on my street and suspected there was some secret dog club. There totally is a secret dog club. And I'm now a part of it. It's an automatic conversation starter when your dog walks up to another and starts sniffing its butt. I have started conversations with many a person because of this very thing. A few weeks ago Mike and I attended a concert with a couple who lives down the street from us. This couple has a dog named Rose who is quite fond of Taylor and vice versa. Suffice it to say, we probably would have never met this couple had our dogs not loved playing together so much.

Taylor has also gotten Mike and I to be a lot more active. His energy level varies from high in the summer to warp speed in the winter. He's kept us on our toes from the day we got him. I don't think he's ever had less than three walks a day and most days its four. I now rise every week day between 6:20 and 6:40 a.m. just to make sure he gets in a good hour's worth of playtime in the morning. Mike and Taylor also run now pretty regularly after work, something Mike didn't do before getting Taylor. In the summer months, Mike, Taylor and I go down to the doggie beach frequently. Lake Michigan's shoreline is one of Taylor's most favorite places in the whole wide world. On warm days, Mike and I actually get in the water and play with Taylor. Not once did we go to the beach before getting our dog.

As a result of getting Taylor, Mike and I also have gotten involved with some really great rescue organizations. I take photos of the new dogs that are taken in by Project Rescue on a semi-regular basis. We also have both donated money and attend fundraisers benefiting local animal rescue organizations. We figure it's the least we can do after Project Rescue took a look at our heartworm-positive, mangy dog and thought he deserved a second chance at life.

Mike and I often times say we lucked out because we somehow got the best dog. We could have wound up with a lot of different dogs, but this dog, our dog Taylor has made all the difference. It has been a great year with Taylor. Sure we've had to change our lives in a lot of ways (I still don't enjoy getting up at 7 a.m. on the weekends), but everything we have gotten back from inviting Taylor into our home has been so worth it. He's a great companion. He makes us smile. He makes us laugh. Some people may just think he's a dog, but he's more than that to us. He is a member of our family. And a darn cute one at that.

Gone to the Dogs

I absolutely love when I get to photograph parts of the city I've never been to before. And that's exactly what happened with this photo shoot. I hopped on the El after work and headed over to Logan Square, an eclectic little neighborhood northwest of downtown. It's totally charming and full of great boulevards and funky, colorful artwork, like the blue wall below.
I met Julie through Project Rescue, the amazing not-for-profit that saved my dog. Julie is a board member with Project Rescue and was in charge of a wildly successful art show they had a few months ago. I donated a photo shoot and one of my prints to the art show. (And walked away from it with a new print of my own.) Julie was unfortunately outbid at the art show on my photo shoot package, but she contacted me a few weeks later and scheduled this shoot anyway for her family, most of which was in town from overseas. And I knew any family photo shoot we did would not be complete without the canine family members as well.

This shoot definitely was about the family but of course, from time to time, the dogs totally stole the show.

After walking around Logan Square, we went back to their house for a few more pics and some playtime for the pups.

 Well playtime for two out of the three.

Thank you Julie for introducing me to your lovely family and awesome dogs. Thank you also for all the amazing things you do helping give dogs a second chance on life with Project Rescue.

Boom!

Up until Thursday, I had no idea what this weekend's plans held for Mike and I. We were debating whether or not to go back to Michigan, but in the end decided given work schedules and the crazy holiday traffic, it would be a better idea to postpone Michigan for another weekend. Instead we stayed here, and let the weekend's plans kind of fall into place. And they did quite nicely if I do say so myself.

I started my weekend by getting drinks with my coworkers at a great outdoor cafe downtown. Mike and I met up with friends on Saturday night to catch a movie (and drinks) with friends. On Sunday, we ventured out to the suburbs with a different set of friends to watch an Abba cover band at an outdoor amphitheater on an absolutely gorgeous night. Mike, Taylor and I also spent a significant amount of time playing on the lake shore. It seemed like the weekend couldn't get any better. But then Mike and I made a delicious all American meal today and took a walk tonight to our local park with the pup. We stayed for a bit and caught the fireworks below.

I set out with a to do list at the start of the weekend that contained all the things I planned to do since we were staying home. I didn't get almost any of them done. But I have to say, our weekend turned out being so much better than anything I could have planned in the first place.

Mobile

I just dowloaded a mobile version of Blogger. I am hoping this might help me post to this here old blog a little more often. It has clearly been neglected as of late. So here goes. Mobile blogging... Photos included!