Friday Was Our Anniversary!

Friday was our 9th anniversary and we spent the weekend enjoying each others company. On the big day itself we went to a yard sale at the UU church down the street. They had a ton of really great things and I found a couple of really nice old cookbooks and a great book called Leaves Of Gold. I thought it was Walt Whitman because I had it confused with Leaves Of Grass. It's actually a beautiful multi-denomination inspiration book. I also managed to find a couple of sales books and a waffle maker. The people working the sale were so friendly I'm thinking about checking out the services there later this month.
After that we went and took pictures in the nearby park. I had fun trying to wrangle the geese so he could get a good shot and one of them started to follow me. They were loud and cranky about being slow chased by me. I'd left my long lens at home so most of my shots didn't come out the best. I got a lot of duck butts and the like. I'll post some as soon as I finish going through them. By the time we got to the rose garden the light was harsh and it was getting hot so we're going back next weekend.
On Saturday we went to the reptile show and it was packed. There must have been a thousand people there. I didn't get many pics, but I got a stack of business cards that is 2 inches high. I got to see what my Jane will look like when she's full grown and I can't wait! I also got to get several different reptiles and bugs. Sadly my darling husband stopped me from getting a bunny. It was so cute and soft, but he's right that we have enough animals. I did incite several children to pet it and hopefully one of them saved it. I met some great reptile rescuers http://www.sonorandesertreptiles.com. They will definitely be my first call if I run into anything I can't handle. Give them some love if you can so we can get their name out there.
Sunday we stayed home and watched World War Z. It was a good movie, but didn't have as much action as I'd thought it would. The story was engaging though and I can't wait to read the book. It's a scary yet thoughtful movie and was a great way to end our weekend. It was a ton of fun, but now it's time to get back to work!
I hope you all had a great weekend too!

Saturday Was A Learning Experience... And A Ton Of Fun!

Last Saturday I went to Petsmart to take photos for shelters there. I thought there would be 3 shelters and it would be a great way to spend a few hours. Turned out there were 6 shelters and it was a great way to spend the day.
I arrived way early, I got there at 8:00 am and the only one there was the volunteer who cleans the kennels and gets thing ready for the cats. The first shelter on my list was a combo of Wskr and Tucson2Tails, a couple of cat rescues.  She was great though and in short order a few more volunteers came. I stayed out of the way and got some great patience practice for a couple of hours while they set up. Then it was fairly smooth sailing with the volunteers helping to coral the cats.
Now I know to come later in the day, it all worked out great in the end and I got some great shots that I hope they can use!

He had so much energy! I got this shot while they were tiring him out for his photo shoot.

A bit shy, but really liked her ears scratched.

My favorite of the day. He was the most mellow cat and super sweet!

The second shelter that was kind enough to let me bother them was In The Arms Of Angels. They have some really friendly dogs and cats that need good homes. They were super helpful and a lot of fun to work with. They were great!

Very calm for a puppy

Had to watch this one, it wanted kisses!

He wanted loving so bad!

Third up was Smiling Dog Rescue. They had all sizes and were very friendly. Their dogs were well behaved and friendly. It was fun to shoot them! I love how expressive they were!

He was a handsome fellow!

Such soulful eyes!

He would be a loyal companion!

The fourth was Saving At Risk Animals. It's a cat rescue and had some of the cutest kittens. I really enjoyed talking to the volunteers and trying to herd cats with them.

She was a winker and a cuddlier. 

She wanted her treats.

 A little wiggler. Tons of energy!

The final two were grouped together like the first two and they seem to help each other. They are Save A Chihuahua and ASAP Rescue. They both rescue small dogs and it was quite pleasant to work with their volunteers to get the animals photos taken. 

A real sweetie!

I love her ears!

He's like a little teddy bear!

All in all it was a great Saturday and I'm going to do it once a month or so. The people were friendly and I got the satisfaction of a good days work. I learned a lot doing it, (definitely need to eat first) and it was a lot of fun. I really loved taking these photos and I hope they help!

That was GREAT!!!!

I Hate The Waiting!

"I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because I'm tired of auto-correct making me into a dirty mouth and my cat can't read!


Some time soon I'll know if any of the short stories I've sent out have been accepted and the waiting is driving me nuts! I keep seeing all these contests I could submit them to, but I can't until I know if they've been chosen or not. I can't write new stories for the contests because my proof reader is riding me for a chapter a week from my novel or else. I will admit that he was very patient while I was writing the shorts so I owe it to him. I'm just going arrrrg!
I know I'd have more writing time if I wasn't out taking so many photos and making a pest of myself at the local shelters. I could try not sleeping, but that would only free up about 5 hrs a day and them I'd really go insane.
On the plus side my photography is really taking off! I got some great shots of wonderful animals at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona on Friday, Thank you Sara! I'm going to become a full volunteer so I can take pics anytime and the husband is doing it with me!

Sweet dog smile!

She wants a good home!

He's a real looker!

Look at that grin!

Toothless and lovable!

The sweetest dog I've ever met!

I wanted to take her home so badly!

I'm lined up to take pics for a few more shelters at Petsmart on Saturday! I have a gallery that likes my animal shots and wants 6 by the middle of next month! And to top it all off crazy me I put an ad up on Craigslist to get people to pay me to do what I love!
I also made a strap for my ukulele finally to top things off. You'd think I would be too busy to stress about my story submissions, but it's always in the back of my mind and it rams to the fore when I send a chapter off.
I hope all of you are doing great. Sorry I suck at keeping up on the blogs, I will find a balance and hopefully soon!

Things Are Changing In My Life

Life is moving so fast I can hardly believe it! This year has been one of the busiest and most exciting I've ever had and that's saying a lot since last year I opened and then closed my own salon, started my etsy store, and became a full time writer.
Right now I'm at a crossroads and I actually know which way to go. I've opened a store on Fine Art America and I'm letting my etsy shop peter out on its own. Etsy hasn't made me any income and it has been a bit of a drain. For what I've spent there in the past year I could have paid for 3 years on FFA so it's a good decision for me. Plus FFA has fun contests to enter. Right now I've only got a few photos up, but as soon as I get time my paintings will be going up there too. I'll still be able to sell the originals, but now people on a budget can get a print and I can take them to shows and not have to worry about remembering to take them down when they sell! I can even sell my jewelry on there if I want.
I'm still a full time writer (my head would explode if I didn't write), but now I write later in the day so I can get some shots in first. My whole direction in life has changed and I couldn't be happier. My writing has gone back to being fun again and I'm no longer stressing about getting the rejections. Plus the waiting for the rejections sucks and I'm still waiting for the round that should be here soon.
I have my camera to help me pass the time and life is good.
Here's a few pet shots I've taken, let me know what you think.