Engagement Photos

A little while ago, we had our engagement photos taken by Ashley at Grey Sparrow Photography. I wanted to wait a while to share them, because they were used on our Save the Dates (and speaking of which, if you find yourself needing anything of that sort, I absolutely cannot recommend Pear Tree Greetings highly enough) and we wanted them to arrive as a surprise in the mailboxes of our families. Ashley was awesome enough to let me play with the unedited proofs that weren't included in her edits when she gave us the discs with my own editing software, as long as it is noted when shared online who edited what, so that will be noted after each photo. Without further ado:

Editing is mine.

There's a little prologue to the next few photos. Our city has three or four major emergency veterinary clinics. When I was very first working in veterinary medicine, I worked in one of them for about two years and then moved across town. I relocated to a general practice for two years and then left (on very good terms) for a variety of reasons to my third and last clinic, another general practice that directed emergencies that were beyond its scope to the first clinic that I'd worked at, the major emergency clinic.

I had kind of a schoolgirl crush on a male tech over at that clinic. I'd never met the guy, but he had this extremely deep, rumbly voice. I had to call that clinic a lot to follow up on our regular clients that we'd sent over there as emergencies who may prefer to stick with us for follow up care (suture removals, bandage changes, that kind of thing). I didn't get that guy a lot, he wasn't a receptionist, but now and then he'd answer and I'd find myself rather sketchily trying to keep him on the phone longer than necessary. "Oh, could you tell me when that dog's drain removal is recommended?" when I had the faxed report right there in my hand, just to listen to him talk. He obviously considered himself inconvenienced and hassled, but veterinary medicine is a brutal field. Between intense hours, intense physical demands, intense burn-out rates, the notion of a lunch break is a joke, and far too many situations that are heartbreaking, infuriating, or both, and I'll just be real here: this guy had a hell of a sexy voice. A tech's pleasures are relatively few. That went on for months, just on and off, I'd catch him on the phone every month or so and make excuses to keep him there, never think about it again until the next time he answered the phone.

I left that clinic, ultimately, and veterinary medicine as a whole. I had compassion burn-out, I wanted to be able to pay my rent without barely scraping by, I was exhausted by the field that I loved and needed to re-evaluate. I was single, in a decent apartment, about two months out of veterinary medicine, assessing my career plans, just generally reconsidering my entire life, when I was set up on a blind date with some guy who'd also very recently left veterinary medicine. I'd never been on a blind date before, but we'd exchanged several e-mails and this guy was ridiculously intelligent, well-spoken, funny, and charming, so I agreed to meet at Starbucks. We figured out where we lived in relation to one another (three miles apart) by what clinic we lived nearest. "I'm up by Acme Emergency Clinic, where are you?" "Oh, I know right where that is. Are you close to McClinic on McClinic Road?" "No, not quite that far down." That kind of thing. I figured if we hit it off, we could linger at Starbucks for hours, if we didn't, I could finish off my cider in short order and call it a night.

Have you figured out the obvious punchline here yet? Mr. Blind Date was Mr. Sexy Voice. It took me a minute, but lo and behold. We didn't call it a night for five or six hours. We sat at Starbucks and talked well into the night. It was the 3rd of July, and there were fireworks behind him, over his shoulder, and I kept thinking "They say when you meet the one, there are fireworks." Of course, it was the day before Independence Day, there would've been fireworks regardless, but it's true that I knew that early. Love at first sight seems silly, unrealistic, but I'd say that I knew at first sight that I would love him. I kept thinking that the fireworks had to be a sign and not hearing what he was saying, but I was having trouble hearing him anyway. In person, his voice is so deep it's hard to hear sometimes, until you get used to it.

We had a date about every two or three days for the next two and a half weeks. All very proper, gentlemanly, but we would sit out under the trees in front of my apartment for hours after a date. We'd agree on dinner and a walk around the Canal, and it just wasn't long enough. He'd drop me off and the conversation would just continue for four more hours. In his car, in the grass, on the hood of his car. After two and a half weeks, we made it exclusive, though it had been already, really.

10 months later, I was still not willing to go back to veterinary medicine no matter how desperately I missed it, and was working retail while I got my ducks in a row to start college. We were living together. I was having a terrible day at work when Eric texted me and asked if I'd like to go see Bridesmaids at a drive-in that night. Of course I did. We had a great date night, and when the movie was over - very late, after midnight - he said that he wanted to go walk the Canal. Well, I'd been up since 5am for work, I really had to pee, it was so late...but he was determined. Determined enough to drive miles out of the way to find somewhere still open that I could use the restroom, and buy me some caffeine while we were there. Alright. So we went to the Canal, and it was full of delinquent, kind of scary teenagers. I said that they were making me nervous and I wanted to leave. He was way too distraught about this for something not to be up, so we got back in the car and he said "I have a new plan!" and made me close my eyes for the drive. By now it was probably 3am. When the car stopped, he led me with my eyes still shut somewhere and let me open my eyes. We were at Starbucks - not a 24 one, so it was closed - where we first met, at the same table outside where we first met, and after a minute of very nervous hemming and hawing, he got down on one knee, pulled a box with a beautiful diamond ring out of his pocket, and said "I want to ask you to marry me."

Obviously, I said yes.

When engagement photos turned out to be part of our wedding photographer's package, we decided to go ahead with them even though we'd been engaged for a year. We went to three locations, and one of them was that same Starbucks, where we met, and where we now joke that something fateful happens every single time we go there. "Uh oh, there's Starbucks. Wonder if we'll end up buying a house if we go there this time, maybe meet a real estate agent in line. Maybe when it's time I should take a pregnancy test there."

And that, friends, is the very long story behind the next four photos.

And funnily enough, Brad Paisley's song I Thought I Loved You Then just came on Pandora. If you're familiar with the lyrics, you know why that's funny.

Editing is Ashley's.

Editing is Ashley's.

Editing is mine.

Editing is mine.

Editing is Ashley's.

Editing is mine.

Editing is mine.

Editing is mine - technically an outtake, but I loved it anyway.

Editing is Ashley's.

Editing is mine.

Editing is mine.

Editing is mine.

Editing is Ashley's, slight crop and rotate is mine.

Editing is mine.

(Gorgeous) editing is Ashley's. The wedding is 11-10-12, but we had a little bit of a mishap with the letters, so we made the best of it. I mean, it's still November 2012, right?

Amazing editing is Ashley's.

And there you have it! :) The dogs did not cooperate. Violet was aware of a budding storm that we were not (she has massive storm anxiety). It was nearly impossible to get her to have her ears up or even look, and we couldn't for anything figure out why until it started pouring rain the second after the last sunset picture was taken. Java had budding reactivity that we had yet to really accept/identify/learn to manage, and was fixated on every person or animal walking by, which is why he looks like an aggressive maniac in almost every single picture. All in all the dog situation was a complete disaster, but our engagement pictures wouldn't have been complete without them.

Aperture Adventures

When I started making friends with aperture, I needed someone who would hold really, really still. So, not the dogs. Not any of the dogs.

Who will hold still? Well, Eric will. Sometimes. When he flees, then I will.

Aperture and I have been friends for a minute now, but I have a file of future blog posts, and these have been hanging out in it for an awfully long time.

PS, some of you may be pleased to know that I've removed captcha for commenting. I hate it too.

Eric and his scraggly, wild facial hair. Sheesh.

And a bonus of Eric looking kind of like a maniac.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Since I haven't posted in a month and a half, I suppose it goes without saying that things have been busy.

Fall semester's official, final line-up: sociology, social work, psychology, and anthropology with a professor who's apparently some sort of natural birth activist - so I feel like we'll get along well!

We finally found a church home - after much ado, we're thrilled with this church, and incidentally my grandparents (and former boss!) are members there. It's been very nice getting to see my grandparents every Sunday morning. New member classes start in early October, but we go every week now.

We have a foster puppy here with us. She is a 15 week old deaf Aussie named Natalie, and she is an absolute doll. It remains to be seen how long she will be here with us, but we're in no particular hurry to rush her along. She's sweet and spunky, phenomenal with frisbee, Violet and Java both adore her and go out of their way to be gentle with her. Dogs have kept our hands full, but what's new there? Wouldn't have that any other way. Pictures of Natalie will follow, naturally.

Wedding: save the dates are out, engagement pictures are taken, little things are getting done bit by bit. Favors are assembled, things like that. 14 weeks and counting until our wedding day - it seems so real and soon. I'm thrilled. More than likely, at least one dog will accompany us on our honeymoon. Come on, what did you expect?

The rest: slowly, slowly starting to make space and rearrange the house for the time, post-wedding, that we'll expand the family. Photography. Lots of new recipes. The daycare. Family. Eric's birthday last week. 15 days until the fall semester starts. The next two weeks are the calm before the storm - maybe I'll actually do some blogging, huh?

 

Natalie's Martha Stewart sheep: forsaken for a dollar store sheepskin sheep.

 

University of Dobermans

Java went to campus with me while Eric was in his orientation for the summer semester.

Our Doberman forum has a monthly calendar contest. This month's theme was "Spring Dobes." I'd been keeping an eye out for a nice flower field for a while, to absolutely no avail.

Imagine my delight when we got to campus and I found a patch of flowers that was...eh, probably 30 feet by 40 feet. Not exactly a field, but easily shot to look like one, just a day before the submission deadline.

Imagine my delight when we got these pictures about, oh, four seconds before a torrential storm let loose and we went fleeing for a covered group of tables.

Now imagine my dismay when I got home and remembered that submissions had to be shot horizontally and yep, I shot every single one vertically.

I ended up cropping down the one that was shot from farthest away and submitting it. It was not at all my favorite. I really didn't even like it. Fail.

Once sheltered from the storm, we set up shop with several dog training books (and, of course, the camera), and I saw an opportunity to work on desensitizing Java to different textures surfaces and being off of the ground. I aspire to do therapy work and agility with him, so both are useful. He remained patiently in a chair for twenty minutes. At that point, I could tell from his shifting and fidgeting that he wasn't comfortable - though to his credit, he remained patiently in his stay - so I released him, and he laid down by my feet, calmly waiting out the storm and watching quite a number of students go by - lots of students. Old, young, male, female, bearded, black, tall, wearing hats and hoods, on bikes, you name it. Piper had qualms with tall men, bearded men, people on moving objects, and black people. Embarrassing when your dog (your black dog, no less) is racist, so I want to get Java used to every possible demographic.

 

17 week old Java, finals, Violet, Zaiden.

It's finals month, y'all.

That means that every hour is either sleeping, eating, in class, working on things that are due for school, studying, doing housework, cooking, taking care of the dogs, volunteering, or guiltily doing nothing because no one can go 24/7 without stopping for a breather, yet I never schedule breathers for myself. They just happen when I can't not anymore, which really makes it impossible to actually enjoy the rest or recreation. I hope to find a better way to deal with that habit of mine next semester.

Enough about that, how about some dog pictures?

And here are a few of my friend's sweet baby's photo shoot on Friday!