16 Years and Counting

Friday, July 17th, marked our 16th wedding anniversary.  This guy has my heart, always has.  I couldn't have chosen a better life than what he has given me.  Love you always!

The Dancers

It's dance recital time again! Congratulations to all of the dancers on another great show! 

Sunsets on the Lake

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... Sunset boat rides are my favorite! I know-- How do I know that sunRISE boat rides aren't my favorite? All I can tell you is that I lack the personal willpower and persuasive devices to hitch this early of a boat ride. Until such a time occurs, I am perfectly happy with evening outings.

Holding an excited dog (who, by the way, also loves boat rides) and maintaining upright posture on a moving vessel do not present optimal conditions for photography. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.

Taking one for the team...

To Know Him is to Love Him

To know him is to love him, and boy, do I!

Rock will be 13 years old next month. He leans a touch arthritic, but he is still a puppy at heart.

Today was warm, sunny, and beautiful. I knew he would roll in the grass, so I took my camera. I waited him out, taking pictures of the dandelions. Sure enough...

Sunset Boating

Every once in a great while, I have a good idea. We're not talking mad-scientist/genius level brain function, just... clever? Maybe even dial it down a notch from there to "neat." (You have to deduct points for someone, whose favorite hobby is photography, that totally misses the opportunity to bring her camera along for the first sunset boat ride of the season, which holds major photographic potential...)

Regardless of my carelessness, I did manage to snap a picture of my husband tending to the boats with my iPhone 5c, using my sunglasses, which have a slight pink tint, as a filter. Desperate times call for desperate measures!

Snow!!!

Traditionally, when it snows in the South, it is only enough to make a dirty snowman. This time, we received a proper dusting. From a gloomy, blizzard-like night to a clear, pristine sunrise, it has been beautiful!

A Perfect Love

This is Jazz, and this is her nap face. Some people get bed hair, but not Jazz. It's all in the lips. They freeze in whatever manner she lays on them and stick that way for a few minutes after she wakes up. It's the cutest, funniest thing you will ever see. I'm going to miss that face. 

We found out before Christmas that Jazz has advanced lymphoma. Although losing her will be one of the toughest heartbreaks I will ever face, she has enriched my life in more ways than I could have imagined.

She is my shadow, following me wherever I go. If I am sitting, she is next to me. If I am sleeping, she is spooning. If I am having French fries, she is having French fries, of course.

She runs like a greyhound--sleek, fast, and low to the ground. She has the cutest howl; she looks like a toothless, little old lady when she does it. She cries for us when we are gone (and sometimes when we are there, if we are not sitting on the couch with her). She LOVES treats, and she will dance, bounce, and hop around when she knows she is due. Although she is a great swimmer, she is not particularly fond of being wet; this includes rain.

She is pretty lazy. She has the biggest bat ears, and rather than turn her head to look at you, she merely follows you with her eyes and hones in on you with those satellites when you speak.

She requires a blanket at all times. ALL times... If not, you will get the sneeze of frustration, followed by some brief whining, and then the howl. Additionally, the blanket must not be on the floor, but on a couch, chair, or bed. She likes a good belly rub, but THE spot to rub is on her neck, under her collar. She is sweet, quiet, and tolerant, and right now, she is hogging the bed. I will suffer through it, though, because she is happy.

She is perfect, she is loved, and yes, she is rotten. I have enjoyed every second of making her that way, and I will continue to do so until our last day together. After that, I will still love her forever--my best friend. (One of them... She has a "brother," but that's another post.)