K & Her Friends the Night of their First Homecoming Dance

Today's Joy: Being Invited to Take Part in Big Life Moments.
Was very blessed to be invited to shoot photos at the home of my young friend, K, just before her first Homecoming Dance. She looked so lovely with all her friends dressed to the nines and their shy dates milling around in gorgeous suits. Such a special time. It was really a joy to be able to do this for their families.


K & Her Adorable Date, B


SO cute!

Idealized, Having Fun

Couples

Today's Joy: Finding the Book You Pre-ordered Is Already In Your Mailbox, When It Isn't Even Available In Stores Yet.

Reader, as the days tick by and the first week of October draws near, I find myself suddenly going into Puppy Preparation Mode. Usually, the first week in October finds me contemplating apple picking, fall candle scents and the unpacking of my favorite plaid skirts and cozy sweaters. But this year is different.

If all goes well, a litter of adorable Wire-haired Fox Terriers will be born that week, one of them soon to be mine. So, instead of pumpkins, hayrides and tweed jackets, my mind is full of baby gates, vaccination schedules and pet insurance quotes. Though I had The World's Greatest Cocker Spaniel for 13 years, I'm thinking it's been a while since I raised a puppy and I should brush up on my puppy skills.

I've been watching Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer program on TV and I like a lot of what he has to say--common sense, simple ideas for communicating with your dog on his level. So I went to Amazon.com and viola! There was Cesar's latest book: How to Raise the Perfect Dog. The only problem: it wasn't out yet. Darn. I really needed that book. Really wanted to get my hands on all those words of wisdom.

No problem, says Amazon. Would you like to pre-order a copy? It will arrive at your home on the same day the book is available nationwide in book stores.

Heck yeah, says I! I supplied all the necessary info and then sat down to wait two long weeks.....

Fast forward to today, when I come home from work to find my very own brand-new, sparkly (well, not really sparkly) copy of Cesar's advice shoved as far back in the mailbox as the postal carrier can possibly reach. After a ten minute extraction session that involved a can opener and the Jaws of Life, I got the box out of my mailbox and darted into the house to rip open the packaging and admire my new Holy Grail of puppy training.

Ahhhhhhh. Not only is the book as good as I hoped--chalk full of specific instructions and how-to's (as well as how not-to's) but today is the 13th of September. While I am already 2 chapters in, the rest of America must wait until tomorrow to read Cesar's words of wisdom.

I know, it doesn't amount to a hill of beans and who cares anyway about who gets to read the book first. But in this moment, I feel like an insider--I've got the knowledge in my hands. I'm well on my way to being totally prepared for that darling new puppy to arrive.

Of course, there will be things I don't foresee and puppy training plateaus to overcome, even with the best of dogs. In that moment, when the puppy is chewing on my Holy Grail of puppy training or when I can't find that darn passage I'm looking for, it won't matter at all that I was reading about potty-training 8 hours before everyone else. In that moment, I will simply be wishing I had more wee-wee pads.

God bless you, Cesar Millan. And God bless all the charmingly wonderful and lovable puppies in the world. How blessed are we to have them enriching our lives!