Doggie Fun

On my way up to visit my Mom we stopped at Dutch's house to have a play date and visit

Dutch used to be a little nuts-o but in his "old age" (he's 2) he's really calmed down and is an awesome dog who still loves chasing balls.

He and Strider had a fun time wrestling

And tearing around the yard at breakneck speed.

They eventually settled down for a rest.

Then it was home and some playtime with Uncle Jon.

Jon loves getting Strider very excited so he gets jumped on :)

Vermont is such an awesome place and I'm psyched to be up here for a few days of focused work and also relaxation.

Moving!

So I am writing from our new (rented) house in Windsor, CT. Most everything is unpacked and we are settling in and getting adjusted. It is so nice to be closer to our jobs (10 minutes instead of a 45 minute commute).

We are also psyched to be near a school where we can walk Strider off leash and let him enjoy swimming and fetching in a tributary of the Connecticut river. He is so psyched to be back on off leash walks - he was prancing during our first morning walk as if to say - I've missed this - thank goodness it's back!

Strider was a big help as we were packing the truck

He thought it would be MOST helpful if he lay RIGHT in front of the door.

Cardinal rule of moving: there is ALWAYS more stuff than you think there is.

I think I'll drive.

My boys headed out in the truck. I followed in our packed TO THE GILLS car....I could almost see out both side mirrors and was using them to watch for cops hoping I wouldn't get pulled over ;) Luckily it was a (relatively) short drive.

Our cousins Will and Sarah came to help us unpack (THANK YOU!!) and they brought their pooches Grit and Cole to help. Strider loves his coozan doggies and hope they will come visit again soon!

We are renting a ranch house that has some "character" - it's actually quite cute and cozy. This cracks me up though - all over the house there are lightswitch plates so now whenever I leave a room I say "Outen the lights" - Jeff is HIGHLY amused :)

With my Type A personality it absolutely KILLED me to go to bed with our office looking like this but have no fear - I got up early this morning and with Jeff working this afternoon our office is now pristine and up and running (with Strider's bed in the corner of course!). And yes those are butterflies on the wall. As I said - this house has character and A LOT of potential.

Tomorrow I head to VT for a few days of R & R with my Mom and Brother.

Good night - OUTEN THE LIGHT :)

Amanda

Am I that difficult to please?

So I just got home from wedding dress shopping in Boston with my friends Sarah and Emily and although I've tried on about 40 dresses (between this visit and the two stores I went to in Vermont) I still haven't found THE ONE. I've liked a few, but not really that many.

Overall I've found that most wedding dresses weigh about 10 lbs. and require that people come to you. Will that work?

Heck no - I'll be kicking up my heels and dancing till dawn - I need a dress that fits the bill!!

Since Priscilla of Boston was booked we tried on dresses at L'Elite and also went by Vera Wang to browse

A few I've tried on since my odyssey begun.....

Pretty and lightweight but a little too Grecian princess for a garden wedding in Vermont (Reem Acra)


Too heavy.....(Watters)


Summery and cute but not quite it (Watters)


My dear Mother asked me to lean over and "say hi to Grandma" in this dress. When I did she nixed it and pretty much all other v necks :)


Off subject but I LOVE this hairstyle from a Judd Waddell campaign


This Judd Waddell dress was very pretty but since I'm wearing my family veil which is primarily lace we thought that maybe they would compete with each other?
Next stop.....Kleinfeld's - the grand daddy of dress stores. They carry over 60 designers and I've heard you don't get to look around - you tell them what you want and they bring it to you. Luckily I'm getting better at being able to succinctly describe what it is (I think!) I'm looking for.

On another subject - it is the 2nd to last night in our old apartment. I took a car load of things over today and will take another over tomorrow morning. You never realize how much stuff you have until you have to move each and every last bit of it - fun stuff :)

Nighty night!

759 pages later......

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is done.

Great book.....now what do I do?? (pack for our move on Friday, file, clean, GO TO BED!!)

I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed that she breaks her promise and writes another one :)

Rilian the amazing

Rilian is a very well trained and attentive border collie.

Similar to Dutch- Rilian has an incredible passion for fetching.

And he almost never misses!

Dan & Alana

This past weekend Justin and Mary had me along to help photograph Alana and Dan's wedding.

CHECK OUT THEIR SLIDESHOW

Alana & Dan were married on a picture perfect day at The Florence Griswold House in Old Lyme, CT. It was such a pleasure photographing their wedding - they are such a wonderful couple ! Their families were a pleasure to work with and Dan's wee little niece and nephew were a hoot!

Randomly one of the guests at the wedding was a girl I went to elementary school with - I had a fun time catching up with her between photographs on the dance floor!

Thank you both for allowing me to be there to document the day.

The flower girl makes sure her manicure is just so :)

Alana and Dan hung long ribbons from a tree at the ceremony site - it was a beautiful subtle details made better because the wind was gently blowing during the afternoon!

Peek a Boo!

Coming down the aisle

Beautiful tie in with the ribbons and the bridesmaids dresses

Happiness!

YUM - crushed fresh strawberry and mint mojitos....Jeff and I are definitely stealing this idea for our wedding :)

And now for the first time.....

Feed me!

At first she was shy and watching everyone but Alana and Dan convinced her by the end of the night to get up and get down :)

Beautiful detail leading down to the river

Enjoy the slideshow!

A Fun Visit

On the way to my college roommate's wedding I stopped at my friend Virginia's house for a visit. They just moved into a new house a few weeks ago so are still getting settled in, but the kids are thrilled with the new space and were eager to show me their rooms and their swing set.

Dean was really into the finger painting :) He only went through three outfits while I was there so it was a good day!!

Is there anything cuter than little girls in dress up clothes jumping on the bed? I don't think so.

A snuggle at the end of our visit

You guys are FUN - hope to see you again soon. xo

When real life interferes

So I got home last night from my college roommate's wedding on Friday and shooting a wedding with Justin & Mary yesterday at the beautiful Florence Griswold Museum and this was waiting for me......

This week we are moving to Windsor, CT so the question is - how can I resist the book and instead choose to pack?? Next week I'll be on vacation but I don't think my Brother will take too kindly to me telling him to buzz off so I can read H.P :)

The big question is - do I have the self control to read a chapter at a time and then be productive in between.....I'm not so sure :)

Will post some photos from the last few days soon (exactly how soon depends on whether I delve into Potter or not)

Puppy Cuteness Explosion!!

Last week Strider and I drove up to Hinsdale, NH to visit Lisa Borst at Rosemont Labradors where we got Strider last June. The puppies are six weeks old - the pinnacle of cuteness and fuzz. Apparently we were exhausting because most of the time they just collapsed on the grass in an depleted heap.

Lisa's dogs are fabulous and mellow. They are always up for an adventure but aren't super hyper like some labs can be - perfect for all occasions :)

While I snapped away Strider was re-united with his Mom, Grandmother, 2 sisters, and Brother - SO CUTE :)

You shoe is super tasty lady - I think I'll just hang out here.

Chips - the pick of the litter!

Wanna play some baseball?

You guys are exhausting - I'm checking out of here (sleeping on their backs is a sign of a Rosemont lab!)

Tonight I'm headed to a PUG meeting in Danbury, crashing on Mary & Justin's couch (THANK YOU) and then tomorrow I head down outside of NYC to be a bridesmaid in my college roommate's wedding - very exciting. This is my first time being a bridesmaid and the first of three weddings in the next few weeks....hopefully I'll come away with inspiration and lots of good ideas for our wedding planning. Not sure about the Internet status at the hotel (i.e. do I have to pay $15 a day or something ridiculous) so I may not post until the end of the weekend.

Preble Family

Over July 4th I got to photograph the Preble family at the home of Addison's (the baby) great grandparents. It was pretty neat to see how happy everyone was about this new addition :)

I love this image of Dad with tiny little Addison. He looks very proud of his little girl.

Hope to see you again soon!

Fun with the Pooch

So I decided to try and document Strider's leaps into the lake. We still haven't gotten him to go off the dock (which is a few inches above the surface of the water...we think this confuses him) but he now launches himself wholeheartedly off the rock next to the dock.

A little bit of a false start :)

Also this weekend we had a bunch of friends up which was a lot of fun. The weather was just perfect and we had a great time catching up and doing lots of grilling....yum.

On Saturday Jeff and I hosted a raft race at the lake.

RAFT RULES:
Can be any size, any shape or height
Can be manned by any number of crew
Can be made of any material that floats
Absolutely cannot be a boat
Means of propulsion: paddles, oars, boards, kicking
All manner of flags, signs, decorations, costumes, relaxation equipment, etc. are highly encouraged

Here is the group photo after the race. As you can see our theme was pirates. We found some great guns, eyepatches, periscopes, and swords at the dollar store and Kmart. These items were supplemented by things left over from Giles' pirate themed bachelor party from last summer (like the pineapple on the mast). My headband appropraitely reads "YARRRRRR"

By the time the photo was taken we had taken it off but during the race Strider sported a "Kracken" t-shirt. He didn't seem to mind wearing it around and it didn't affect his ability to intimidate our competitors during the race :) We had no idea how to spell Kracken but it is a reference to the ship in the recent Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

YARRRRRRR!!!!

1 Year from Today.......

(yes I am that dork who utilizes the countdown widget on my IGoogle) :)

I haven't blogged too much about our wedding but when Jeff and I woke up this morning we realized that one year from today we will become Mr. & Mrs. - wow. It's pretty amazing to think that this time next year we'll be getting all dolled up, everything will be in place, and we'll just be waiting to make it official.

When we got engaged in mid-March it seemed like ages until we really had to start thinking about things. Luckily the inner planner in us (ok in me!) took over and we quickly got all the local vendors secured.

But then we sort of ran out of steam as we focused on looking for a place to live and Orchard Cove.

I guess this means it's time to get back in the driver's seat!!

A trip down memory lane from the first spring we were dating five years ago....

I have no doubt that this next year will fly by, and I absolutely can't wait for 7/12/08!

Baby David comes to visit

First of all a HUGE thank you to Justin Marantz for helping me figure out how to make my blog wider and my pictures bigger - isn't it pretty?! Justin and his soon to be wife Mary are always willing to help whenever a question arises and their generosity inspires everyone to pay it forward. THANK YOU!!

This weekend Jeff's cousins were in town with their adorable six month old baby named after Jeff's Father David. The two Davids hang out....

When he was happy he was REALLY happy :) I love how his eyes just sparkle with mischief :)

And adorable chubby baby fingers

Thankfully Strider was very very gentle and slow moving around David and just seemed to want to sniff him.....what the heck is this thing?

It's an awe inspiring world out there....

It may be time for snack and a nap.

I couldn't resist putting this shot in - I will not elaborate on what was happening at this moment down below in the diaper ;)

The activity for the weekend was helping David to learn how to sit up. He did it pretty well by the time he left but would occasionally lean casually over to one side and you'd have to catch him - he wasn't too fazed by it though :)

I love my Mom!

Ok guys this isn't fun anymore (who could resist this little squished up face)

Help Dad and Mom....I need a snuggle.

All better with Grandma

And a happy family shot to round it out.

It was great meeting you guys - hope to see you next summer :)

(and thanks again Justin for helping me make my blog photos bigger. Next stop - the header!)

Vacation!!

Jeff's parents have been in town visiting from California so we've been hanging out in the land of no Internet (a beautiful thing every once in awhile). Strider has turned into a full fledged water dog these past few months embracing his Labrador roots and we would be so proud if only he'd learn to launch himself off the dock without whining and barking (the only time he does either) when we try to encourage him to do so.

We actually got him onto the float when Jeff was putting it in the water (it took a little while)....

Oh um I thought you were going to carry me back....

Yeah I don't so much want to jump off this thing - can you please come get me....

Oh alright if that's my only option.

That was pretty tiring - I think I'll just use you as a raft of sorts if that's ok. Thanks, Dad.

My next adventure is sailing with Dad. Look at me Ma - no paws!

I was born to cruise.

Mom - now we're back home and it's just a bit hot out for my taste. Although I am lying in front of the fan on full blast and you are feeding me ice cubes can you do something about the temperature? Yeah that would be great....thanks.

Nighty night from Strider land!

Sisters

These girls were awesome to photograph. Their Mom's Birthday is coming up and they wanted to do something special so they got in their car, coordinated their outfits, and took a mini road trip down memory lane. Hope you enjoy the results!

Away

I'll be away through Sunday for a long weekend and will respond to all emails and messages when I get back.

Amanda

3 Sisters

When I got to the house the middle sister wasn't so sure she was into this whole having your photo taken thing. But we brought her down to the dock, sat her on Dad's lap, and she perked up immediately!

Group shots got boring so we decided to look for gnomes in the woods

Bunny ears are apparently timeless :)

The oldest sister has so much spunk and is so mature for her age

This whole being awake for the photo session thing is way overrated

I finally won over the middle sister and she showed me her extra special wink

Keep looking for gnomes and fairies girls!

Mom & Baby

I think there are about four photos of my Brother and me with my Mom from our childhood – she was always behind the lens! When I saw this little lady having a ball with her Mom I had to grab my camera. Mom confirmed that she too is always the one taking the photos so hopefully she'll enjoy these ones of her and her beautiful daughter!

Luke the Magnificent

Meet Luke the angelic. Luke is one of Strider's mostest companions. On Saturday we both attended a session on obedience in the morning and hunting in the afternoon. Neither Jeff nor I hunt but we were curious to see how Strider would react.....he was afraid of the birds. Luke on the other hand did very well - flushing the birds out and retrieving them when commanded.

There were a few other dogs there - both labradors and springer spaniels, and it was absolutely incredible to watch these animals that are bred for hunting. They do their job with such intensity and are just pleased as punch to be working in the field. It really shows you what a dog is capable of with the correct training. On whistle the dog would sit looking at the trainer and with hand signals the trainer would direct them left, right, or back depending on where the bird fell. It really was breathtaking to watch their instincts and nose take over.

This is Luke.

Luke would periodically jump up on his hind legs while continuing to move forward - hoping to keep on the scent.

This is tiring!!

Look MA - no hands!

Aren't you proud of me, Mom?

Luke didn't swallow the evidence right away....

Seeing their dog take to hunting naturally made Carolyn and Steve PROUD parents :)

Rowan

Rowan was only four days old when I visited but he was awake almost the whole time (a new development in his world). He is such a beautiful newborn and so mellow – the perfect little man. Mom and Dad are doing great and seem very at ease with his wobbly little body. Thanks for letting me come play and I can’t wait to watch him grow! xo