Tell Me a Story- November

Happy Holidays! Wow that seems so crazy to say... The last couple months of this year have seemed to just fly by. In July, I was lucky enough to find a home for my one year old Weimaraner who I had been fostering for almost a year. July passed and August was gone in a blink. Then September came and Carli was officially off with her new family. To hear about Carli's story and her new home you can read my other post here.

The best part about Carli's new home, is that it is someone I know and through this experience, I have gotten to know even better. Through daily Carli update texts and monthly dinners, I still feel like a huge part of Carli's life and I'm loving it.

Last week I was invited for dinner to catch up and to see Carli. Before dinner, we took a little time and took Carli to her favorite trail for a beautiful walk. I got to capture some cute pictures of the sweet girl as we spent a little time together. I'm so grateful she is in such an amazing home now and even more grateful that I can still spend some time with her.

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Happy Thanksgiving

In a season of Thankfulness, I find myself being thankful for a lot this year. Like many of us, I'm thankful for the roof of my head, a family who loves me, a job that I'm happy with, and so much more. I can't help feel a little more thankful this season for one thing in particular, the new home Carli is in. Carli, the one year old Weimaraner who I fostered for a year, found a new home this summer with the most perfect family. You can read the details here.

While Carli has been out of my home and care for the last two months, she has been anything but removed from my life- I couldn't be more thankful for that. Carli's new home has been everything I could have ever hoped for for her. She is surrounded by two people who not only love her, but have changed their life to make hers better. Carli is not a dog in her new home, she is a member of the family. She goes to work with dad and runs the trails with mom. She's reminded that her cat-brothers are friends and we don't chase our friends, shares the bed with mom and dad . . . and even is given her own pillow some nights. The sweet girl is living the life she has always deserved and I'm so thankful I was able to find it for her.

I tell them weekly, which doesn't always seem like enough, but I'm so thankful for people like Carli's new parents who love and understand this sweet girl. Who give her everything she deserves and rearrange their schedules to make sure she is happy and taken care of.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

One of my favorite things to get from Carli's new mom, Carli photos :) 

Tell Me a Story- September

September means the beginning of fall and that is by far my favorite time of the year. For the last two years, a local family has planted a huge sunflower field in remembrance of their daughter who they lost to childhood brain cancer. The field has grown in size each year and continues to lighten our community in such a beautiful way. I always try to make an effort and get out to the field at least once and take some photos of the flowers. They bloomed a little earlier this year than they did last year and have just been breathtaking from the moment they bloomed.

This is one of my favorite photos of the bunch. Love the center of sunflowers so much!

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Tell Me a Story- August

Wow! How time has flown once again. Crazy to think summer is over and fall is approaching. The end of this month had been a really exciting one!! Our family grew by a little member on the 22nd of this month! My aunt (and best friend) welcomed her beautiful daughter in to the world. I was lucky to get some photos :)

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An Open Letter to the Dog I Failed

Dear Carli,

The moment I met you, I knew there was something special about you. When most people look at you Carli, they see Weimaraner . . . crazy, uncontrollable, stubborn . . . I saw something else in you. I could tell when you looked at me with your sad beautiful eyes that you just wanted to love someone with your whole heart and have someone love you equally back.

Your start to life little girl was everything but fair. Someone had left you and let you wander around the unknown downtown covered in fleas, ear mites, and hungry. If it hadn't of been for a big hearted neighbor, life may have only gotten tougher for you. You were lucky enough to be taken to a new and clean home where you were taken care of. You lived in your new home just two short months before you became mine. The big hearted neighbor saw what I saw in you on a different level. He saw your sweetness and loving spirit, but he also saw "Weimaraner" and that weighed more than your other beautiful qualities. Lucky for me, that meant you got to be welcomed in to my home.

Carli, there wasn't a day that we didn't share together where I didn't love you with my whole entire heart. I'll be honest with you Carli, the moment you were welcomed in to my home, I had no intention of having you become "my dog." I wanted to find you the perfect home. I had criteria that had to be met and I wasn't going to shy away from those just because we may have had a difficult day or so.
My Carli's New Home Checklist

• Has to be someone I know 
• Has to be someone willing to feed you quality food
• You have to be the only dog
• Someone who is established and won't ship you off to yet another home
• Someone who will keep me updated on your life
• Someone who will be active with you and keep you active

I knew my checklist for you was a very select and very limited number of people I knew in my life, but I was convinced when it was right, the perfect person would emerge. 

327 days later, I found someone who not only meets all of my criteria, but someone who really fell in love with you. Almost ten months of you being apart of my life, I didn't think it was possible to find another perfect home for you. I didn't think I would find someone who would love you and see you for everything that you are and understood how to communicate with you. 327 days later Carli, I found you the perfect home. 

My Carls, the moment I let you meet your new family, my greatest fear was that you would feel like your mom; someone who took care of you, loved you, shared my life with you, just abandoned you and left you yet again with someone new to get to know. Three different homes in a one year time span can make you feel that way I am sure. But guess what Carls, my fear that I thought you'd feel like that went out the window when I dropped you off for your trial week. The second you walked in that door to the most perfect life, I knew you wouldn't ever look back on life before. 

I couldn't of asked for a better new home for you Carli. I can't even tell you how blessed we both are that there are people like your new parents in this world. You will be given everything you need and a million more things that I would of never been able to give to you. You have only been in their life for short period of time, yet it feels like you've been a member of their family forever. 

My favorite time of the day is getting the recap text of your day. I get to hear about all the fun you are having, all the places you get to explore, all the people you get to meet, and so much more. I love hearing that you love watermelon or that you have spooked yourself of the driveway, so your new mom drives you down the driveway in the car just to take you for a walk. I love hearing you have a crush on your new dad and love to make him proud by listening and showing him all you can do. I even love to hear about your new found friendship with the kitties :) 

Originally Carli, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry that I couldn't be what you needed. That I couldn't understand exactly what you needed and didn't have the time to dedicate to giving it to you. Sorry that you had to split your attention with another dog and were forced to wear yourself out most days. But as I am finishing this letter to you my sweet girl, I realized I don't have to be sorry because it led me to find you the most perfect home to be in. That feeling right there makes me feel like I did something right for you.  

So thank you Carli for letting me fail you, for forcing me to reach out and find you your happy ending. If you hadn't of let me fail Carli, I would of never gotten to make you as happy as you are now and more importantly, I would of never known what I truly wasn't giving to you. Thank you Carli for being you, for letting your heart love someone else as much as you have loved me and for letting someone else love you with their whole heart. I could not have asked for you to do anything more. 

You'll always be my Carls, Carls Barkely, Houdini, Little Shit, Sweet Pea. But most importantly, you'll always have a spot in my heart as my little girl. I love you Carli and will love you for the rest of your life. Never doubt that. But I send you off on your new adventure knowing you'll never go a day without everything you deserve and more. 

July 2016- My all time favorite photo of Carli 

Tell Me a Story- May

The sun is out and the weather is finally getting warmer. This last week has been such beautiful weather that I regret having to work all the time. I was really lucky today and got a chance to get out and spend some time with my girls while getting some pictures in. The lighting today was beautiful so I took full advantage and tried to get some great close up's in.

One of my favorite things about the weather getting nicer is that Lu loves to just lay outside. She would spend all day outside if she was allowed. Catching her in the moments of her "deep thoughts" are some of my favorite to get.

The lighting was so beautiful I had to get a couple of landscape photos in as well!

Keep the blog circle going by visiting: LUPJi Photography |Northern Virginia Photographer

Tell Me A Story- April

March was a blur, I barely remember the month starting and before I knew it, it was April and I once again had neglected my photos and camera. Easter Sunday (March 27th) was the first time I had picked up my camera the whole month.

Easter in our house is always a big family day...I can imagine it is like that for most people... We have a pretty standard group of about thirteen of us. Everyone comes over to my parents house for an early dinner and it is always a nice time.

Easter in Ohio was a beautiful day. It was almost 60 degrees that day and the perfect weather to be outside. What I love about it being beautiful outside is that it means inside the house there is always beautiful lighting that is perfect for taking photos!

I took full advantage of waiting for family to arrive and grabbed my camera and started taking photos of some flowers I had been given.

The weather was too beautiful not to go outside and take some photos with the girls :) I'm getting really into working with shadows and hope there are more days this summer I can keep practicing. 

Help keep the blog circle going by visiting:  LUPJi Photography |North Virginia Photographer

Tell Me a Story- February

It is hard for me to believe that I haven't picked up my camera since November. Actually, it is kind of painful to say that... Between work and life, I have found zero time to just get outside. I often find that after the New Year and the holidays, we all tend to get a little of the "winter blues" and getting out of that funk is sometimes a little more difficult than we would like.

Ohio's winter has been everything but a winter this year. We have experienced amazing temperatures, like 50's since January! As of February 20th, we have had maybe 2 snow "storms" and today, it was sixty degrees. After watching the world enjoy the beautiful weather all morning long, I got off of work and decided that today, I would get out of my "winter blues" and be outside with my two dogs who have been begging for some attention. It also gave me a beautiful excuse to get my camera out and do something that always makes me feel better.  

Carli has officially been apart of mine and Lu's life for six months now. Some days, she really pushes my buttons and I wonder how I am ever going to be able to handle two dogs. However, she makes up for it every day when she subtly thanks me for giving her a home when she cuddles up next to me. I feared that Lumen was going to hate Carli and have that "annoying little sister" she didn't ask for, for the rest of her life, but they have come a long way and seeing them playing with each other reassured me that they do actually like each other. 

Every now and again I find a photo that I have taken that I can't decide how I like the edit. Sometimes the color version is better and sometimes the black and white is better. But every now and again, there is a photo that I think looks great in both. I may be a little biased because I'm in love with the subject and think she is beautiful, but I couldn't decide which version I liked better. 

Poor Carli is the definition of the "second child" I often forget that I don't have nearly as many photos of her as I do Lu. I try and make sure I get a couple of her every time, but Carli isn't as use to just ignoring me and my camera when I try to take photos of her. Lu has been "trained" to the camera after dealing with it for the last two years! I do always call it a success when I get one decent photo of Carli each time I pull out my camera. She definitely makes me work for every shot I get of her. Part of her charm!

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