Love Week 4: My Family

"I believe in family, because without them it's hard to remember who I am." 

 ~ My Sister's Keeper by: Jodi Picoult

2009 at Dad's graduation from nursing school

I love my small, beautiful, faithful, strong family.

Love Week 3: I love Miss Abby and Friday Five

I love this big ball of fur named Abby.  It is amazing how much pets can enhance a person's life.  Abby was born on July 6, 2001.  We got her when she was 7 weeks old out in some po-dunk town in West Virginia.  I remember walking to the house and hearing dogs barking.  Turns out the dogs were Abby's mom, dad, aunt, and grandparents!  It was so cool getting to meet her 'birth family'.  When we got inside the house, the owner brought out all the puppies.  The first one she brought out was a buff colored pup (Abby) and she gave that puppy to me.  Dad got to hold a black one, mom held another buff colored one, and the owner had a white/buff one.  Our first dog was buff colored and we were wanting another dog similar to our old one so we had narrowed it down to the dog I was holding and the one mom was holding.  We let them run around the house and play.  The one I had been holding followed her sister around the entire time.  She was the follower, she was calm and she was a sweetheart.  Her face was a little scrunchy, her nose was speckled, and she had huge feet.  She stole our hearts.

On the long drive home she wouldn't lay in her basket.  She cried and cried and only stopped when I held her.  (Not my mom, dad was driving.)  Over the years, Abby has created different bonds with each person in our family.  Dad is not lovey dovey with her, but she knows deep down he does love her and will give her all the rub downs she wants.  Abby knows mom is the mom.  Mom will feed her when she is begging for food (which is all the time!), mom is the caretaker of the family and she is the caretaker of Abby.  Abby and I have a special bond.  It's not one I can really describe, but feel.  I guess it could be considered as a bond that sisters share.

These are the things I love about her:
-When she gets really excited, her stumpy tail will go around in circles.
-When she was a few months old, she stole one of my stuffed animals for herself.  I finally gave in and let her have it.  It is now her baby.
-At night she curls up in my lap and sleeps.
-I love it when she follows me around when I am getting ready in the morning.
-At the most random times, she will howl for no apparent reason.  It makes me laugh every.single.time.
-She is full of love.
-She is very much human.
-She allows me to take as many photos of her.  She even poses!
-Her reaction the the words 'car ride' is hilarious!  She goes crazy and absolutely loves them.
-She knows when something isn't right or normal.  For example, if someone is sick she will curl up with them and just be there for them.

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Friday Five:
1.  Study, Study, Study.  I have a test each week until spring break :( At least my teachers are allowing a one page information sheet!
2.  Watching A River Runs Through  It with dad again.  It is his favorite movie.
3.  I absolutely love the weather outside.  Yesterday it was 71 degrees!  Today it is a little bit chillier, but still nice.  Especially compared to our negative temperatures we were having earlier in the month.
4.  I really need to stop going to bed after 1AM....
5.  Did I mention study?!?

Love Week 2: I love my hobby

I love everything about photography.  I love the idea of capturing a moment in time and never allowing yourself to forget it.  I love the idea that you can share a special moment in your life with other people you care about.  For me, photography is the perfect way to express how I'm feeling at a particular time.  It has become a mood booster when I'm upset or sad.  It has become a mood enhancer when I am feeling gitty or happy.  Photography has become a love.  I am grateful that I picked up a camera one day when I was 12 and fell in love with this hobby.  And I love the fact that I share this hobby with my dad.

Photo taken by mom.  2007.  Mesa Verde, Colorado

Love Week 1: Happy Heart Day To You

Happy Valentine's Day!  I'm going to dedicate this week to all things I love.  I found this quote today and thought it summed up what today means.  We get caught up on gifts and being with 'that one', and various materialistic things that we forget to just love someone for what he or she is.