We had a mad dash to return from Summer vacation the day before school started and we were not alone.  A ten hour trip to make it from Hyannis, MA to New Canaan, CT with a barely potty trained puppy is not my idea of fun.  I so needed a vacation that just a day into our first leg of the trip, I came down with a terrible flu like virus.  That’s a first, me sleeping for three days straight while my jet ski sat at the dock and the weather was perfect.  I guess I really needed a vacation!  Needless to say, I did not take a ton of pictures.  I was so thankful to feel better by the time we got to Nantucket.  We went to the beach everyday, which “Ellis” handled like a trooper (did I mention that we love our new puppy!) and just tried to take in as much of the island as we could in the four days that we were there.  I could easily spend an entire Summer on the Cape.  There is nothing like going to sleep at night to the sound of the ocean!  As I post this, we are back in school full tilt with homework and travel soccer practices twice a week.  I’m glad to get back to some serious work but it is great to have the opportunity to get away in the Summertime!

This is practically the only picture that I took while in New Hampshire.

Still not 100% here but at least I was vertical!

Did I mention that we went to the beach everyday?

I’ve always been obsessed with this old Sea Captains house.  He built it for his bride to be!

I still have hours of work in front of me between cleaning, packing, organizing photo gear and the work that I need to bring on vacation, (Yep-have laptop will travel).  In fact, my family is already away and I will be joining them tomorrow and therefore out of the office until the 29th or 30th of August.  Yippee!  Before shooting yesterday’s wedding I spent two and a half hours at the DMV to replace our lost jet ski registration stickers.  So I’m headed back in time to the lake house, where no one cares if your bed is made and the most important trip to town is to buy gas for the water toys.  If you are a current bride and need to reach me, please feel free to call the mobile number.  Although service can be limited at the lake, I will be checking messages and emails daily.  Enjoy the rest of Summer everybody!

My son has been wanting a dog forever,  while I think that my husband and I have never gotten over the loss of our Borzoi, “Cyrano” fifteen whole years ago.   Now that my son is old enough to start learning some responsibility we decided to take the plunge.  We’ve been looking at several different breeds for months and fell in love with a chocolate Labradoodle.  We found our amazing breeder “Riverbend Labradoodles” in Ohio.  They have been breeding champion English Style Labrador Retrievers for over 20 years,  winning awards and even have attended the Westminster Kennel Club Show 2 years in a row.  They started breeding Labradoodles in 2003 as the combination of these two great breeds produce a dog with high intelligence, a sweet disposition, willingness to please and make perfect family companions.  I had a Standard Poodle as a child and can attest to their incredible intelligence.  So we bought a second generation (75% Poodle-25% Labrador) chocolate Labradoodle and named him “Ellis”.  It was love at first sight when we picked him up at the airport.  We just had our vet check up yesterday and he’s doubled in size since he came home.  I’m working on the potty training and frankly can’t wait to get through that stage.  It seems that puppies have no real control over their bladders until 12-14 weeks old.  Needless to say, every rug has been pulled up and I am either running outside or mopping constantly.  As challenging as a new puppy is,  I feel like we have a new baby in the house and we are all smitten!  Welcome home “Ellis”!

We’ve been swimming in the River several times and it’s true that even small puppies know how to do the dog paddle!

I’ve got a lot to share about soon but I can’t show you just yet.  How’s that for being vague!  We are still renovating and it is going to be completely awesome.  I can’t wait to share those images but we still have quite a bit to do,  including transforming some antique 1900s sconce mirror backs into real working sconces again.  You’ve got to love eBay!  Since my husband works full time and I’m in the middle of wedding season, the finishing details are taking longer than expected and I have to admit that I’m tired of living in a mess.  I actually cleaned off my porch and had a few friends over to celebrate the abundance of peonies that I have this year.  They are my favorite flower and they don’t last long.  In fact I missed them completely during last years wedding season, so this year I’ve been cutting them like crazy before the rain beats them to the ground.  Amidst the chaos of work and renovation projects this picture simply makes me happy.  It feels quiet and somehow makes the mess livable.  I know that it is finite and since I’m a “get it done” kind of gal, I have to remind myself of that to find some tranquility.  I’m shooting a wedding at the venue where we got married tomorrow and I’m excited beyond belief.  I’m hugely nostalgic that way.  I guess that’s how I find myself living in this old house that I grew up in.  So for now I’ll just linger on this simple lone flower and appreciate it’s beauty.