Happy day!!

I don't have a picture for this post (which is pretty sad btw!) But I wanted to say that today is my 17th. wedding anniversary!!

17 years ago today at 2:00 in the afternoon I married Mike Sweeney and life has never been the same!!

Life isn't alway easy..things can be difficult but I'm so glad he's been with me every step:)

When you find a man that is willing to take you WITH your hyperactive
dog (Stacia -my Golden Retriever) AND a high maintenance young horse (Starlight -my Morgan) Then you DO NOT let them go! :):) (Sadly, my Stacia died a few years ago but Starlight is still alive and kickin' out in the barn!)

If I could play illegal music on my blog....I would play Brad Paisley -"I thought I loved you then..."

Happy Anniversary Mike!!

Update..and a cute little dog...

My main computer is down for a couple of days (hopefully not any longer than that!) I can't do as much from my laptop and I have some pictures I'm "dying" to edit! Hopefully everything will be back up and running soon but until then I want to share a special dog.....(snapshot warning!)

This is "Nestor" he is a 12yr. old "Shnoodle", his owner recently had to go to a nursing home and Nestor is in need of a new family....He is SUPER SWEET! He's fine with kids and other dogs and....he's blind and partially deaf. The dog is seriously amazing -just a doll!

I gave him his quickie haircut and he was VERY well behaved. He was also great with my 7yr. old daughter and is fine with his "foster brother". He sleeps alot but also loves to get some lovin' from people:)

If you (or anyone else) has room in their heart for this awesome little dog (or any other) please let me know and I'll get you in touch with the people that have him...

For the sheer love of photography...

I love photography. It's one of the first things I think of in the morning, it's one of the last things I think about at night. I think about it when I am driving down the road and when I *should* be helping my kids with homework. I LOVE it.

I have been wanting to become a photographer for the last several years (more than I would like to admit probably). I've had to fit small amounts of learning in between having 3 kids, taking care of my pets, and attempting to juggle my role as a wife. I've read more books than I can count, I've spent countless hours on photography boards, I've taken classes... I've worked on my post-processing...

Sometimes I spend so much time trying to figure out how to reach my goals I forget why it is a goal in the first place...

I'm preparing to become an "official" business. I'm starting to fill my portfolio, I'm working on policies, packaging, packages, splash pages, choosing my vendors, working on my website, improvong my post -processing and all of the other behind-the scenes things that the public doesnt' even know that you do..but I dont' want to get so caught up in all the extra "stuff" that I forget what I love so much about capturing an image...

I'm not even sure WHAT I love best about photography...I love coming up with an image in my head and transfering it to photo paper, I love capturing a memory, I love all of the research in learning my "craft",I love all of the camera equipment (I admit it:))...I love everything about it! I'm honestly not sure I could stop if I tried...

I also love the way I see things thru my camera. I'm more able to focus on one thing at a time (which is something I struggle with) and sometimes with my camera I'm able to see things that I might otherwise have missed...

You always hear that you are suppossed to "Stop and smell the roses" but I've been guilty of walking right past them for some time now without even noticing them in my haste to get where I was suppossed to be 5 minutes ago or to check in online and see what I missed...

This photo is NOT what I normally shoot but it has given me a great deal of joy to look at. When I first took it I was very excited because I was able to hand-hold a long lens and get a wonderfully focused shot of something so tiny... Now when I look at it I see a tiny bee that I normally wouldn't have even noticed as I run around chasing kids, horses, dogs, cats, rabbits (I have alot of pets:)) and my hubby.


This tiny, little, insignificant bee has really spoken to me in so many ways...I want to stop and notice the little things around me more, I want to take more snapshots of my kids -even if the lighting is horrible and they dont' have the "right" outfit on, I want to take a walk every day and enjoy nature (and the peace and quiet lol!), I want to be IN the moment more, I want to spend more time with my family, I want to spend more time with my horse that I've had since I was
17, I want to get the rest of my flowers planted...

I also want to spend time photographing everything I can get my hands on but I need to learn to balance everything in my life so I dont' miss the little things...

Anyway, here is my little bee...I hope everyone can find something in their own lives that helps them to remember to be IN the moment and to realize what is most important in their lives.....

Until next time:):)

Shawna