The Rainbow Bridge.

We have these friends, Ron & Cindy.





They live down the street. We get together
often and have some really terrific times.
Many times Ron will say to us, when the
night comes to an end,..."Hey, next time
we get together maybe we can have more fun."
And we usually do.

These two seem to always surprise us with
the kindest gestures and with the loss of our
boy Hobie, I must say, their thoughtfulness
will be forever cherished right along with their
friendship.

Last night, while on a walk with their boy
Reggy,



they popped by with a framed image and
memorial poem about The Rainbow Bridge.
I clutched it too my chest and began to cry.
I would need more time before I could read it.
Ron & Cindy, your kindness touches us deeply.
Thank you.

Also, I want to thank my newest forever friend,
Heather Lombardo. She is the head of NILMDTS
here in Minnesota. We've done a lot together and
she is a very special lady. Thank you for taking
the time to recognize our loss. The flowers look
so alive and gorgeous. I've set them next to our
framed memorial.

Lastly, we received a bouquet from Anderson Lakes,
our veterinarian, yesterday as well. Thank you for
your kind words. I know you will miss performing
all the enemas! You are all top notch, we appreciate
everything you do for us and our precious, furry
family members!

The outpouring of concern and love from all over
the world has left me speechless.

Gary and I are both coping and doing well.

My darkest day.

Hobie stopped breathing around 11:30 yesterday.
I asked that they keep him on the vent until
Gary and I could get there to say our goodbyes.
It's just like everyone says...it's so peaceful.
We laid our hands on him and the Dr. ran the
injection in to his line and we, together, felt
his last breath. We are devastated. Our hearts
are so very heavy.

Hobie decided to go on his terms. I expected nothing less.
Rather than having to endure the trip over to MVRS
and forcing us make the decision between yet another
major surgery or putting him to sleep~he spared
us the anguish and went on his own. Bless him.

Words cannot express how I am feeling.
I do know that every morning, I will ask God
to allow me to find the pure joy in knowing that
he is in heaven with no pain and eating whatever
he damn well pleases!

I miss his face, I feel is soul. He is happy.
We will never forget him, of course but I will
be struggling to find peace in the weeks to come

As my tears hit the keyboard, I am reminded by
both Boo and Katie (Hobie's litter-mate sister)
that they would like to have breakfast, NOW.
Life goes on.

Thanks for all your prayers!
I'll pray for you too 'cuz I know that Hobie touched
so many other lives outside our own.

I'm photographing triplets today for their
Senior Portraits and the busy work will do me good.


Peace.

Hobie

Gary and I got up at 5 this morning
(normal for him...not me) and discovered
that Hobie, having been at the vet all
day yesterday and on pain meds, was
laying on his side, under my desk, pretty
unresponsive and super shallow breathing.

I called MVRS, the Dr.s come in at 9.
Knowing that Anderson Lakes doesn't open
until 7, I grabbed an old beach towel and
set him in the front seat of my car
(he never moved or made a sound), and
drove to the emergency vet here in Eden Prairie.
I am so lucky to have such talent so close
to me...these are all spectacular people!

It's dark, I pull up to a very large, well
lit clinic. I see that I am the only one
there and I walk around, get Hobie out, walk
to the door and hit the buzzer.
I'm then greeted and I begin to sob.
"This is Hobie, and he is very sick.", I said.
"He has a very thick file at Anderson Lakes and
is a fan favorite at MVRS as well."

We went into another room..no waiting, and
they had me fill out some simple paperwork.
Not having my cheaters along and having tear-filled
eyes while resting my arm on Hobie, this was
a nasty task.

Right now they are warming him up, giving him
some oxygen and ran an IV for some dextrose
(his sugar was super low and his temp was 10
degrees too low...signs of being septic-a sign
that he may have a perforated bowel).
I'll know more in a little while.

MVRS Dr.s get in at 9am and I'm certain that
we will be moving him later this morning.

Confessions of a Weekend Warior.

Alright, here goes.
I had a Friday wedding this past week
which, for me, was out of the ordinary.
That left me with Saturday night off. So,
Gary and I decided that we should use the
free room at the Sheraton (494 & 100) that
I won at a NACE event last summer (it was
about to expire) and get in a little fun time.

Checked in around 3. I had NO idea that the
room that awaited us was A.) On the "club level"
and B.) A HUGE suite! I remember telling Gary
as we walked down the the hallway, "wouldn't it
be so cool if our room was the double door at the
end?" AND IT WAS!!! So unexpected!

I mean, the certificate read, "romantic, whirpool
suite for 2 and breakfast" Sure, whatever, right?
Well, we never actually filled the giant hot tub
in the bedroom, why? I don't know, just didn't.
But we did venture out and hit every spot within
walking distanced (you must know that this hotel
is a few miles from our home and we never go
there or to the restaurants/bars that are located
in that area). We decided that if we stopped in
everywhere and had a bump and looked at menus, we'd
surely find a fab dinner location.



We selected La Fougasse at the Sofitel. AMAZING!
Why have we never gone there before?
We will definitely hit that spot again. We sat
outside and had the best dinner.




We asked Ron & Cindy to pop out and see us
so they joined us for a cocktail on the patio.



Later, after Ron & Cindy left, Gary and I
walked over to the Dairy Queen and got Blizzards!
I got the Girl Scout Mint cookie one. My brother
was right, it was pretty darn good!

Say, I don't want to forget to give a shout out to
Anthony. He's the Bartender at Chez Collette in the
Sofitel. He took pretty good care of us while we
were out on tour.



Napped a lot yesterday and finished up my images
to present to Danielle for Urban Ventures.

Today, the 5th annual Miracle Open golf event.
Toted as "a mature event for immature adults."
I'll be covering it today and then several
high school seniors this week capped off by
the wedding of Kristin & Carlos this Saturday.

Another week, bound to go quickly!

Bud Light Lime

My new favorite light beer!

Boo awaiting his x-ray...

Mr. & Mrs. Winter!

Not a lot of time today but I did spot
this image as I was downloading.
This it the Best Man, Ryne and the Maid
of Honor, Michelle tossing all of the
dollar dance money up in the air.
1 shot, my 50mm 1.4 on my 10D...not bad.



Had a blast, great folks and a fabulous
venue. Thanks to Eddy Enright for coming
along and shooting with me!

I'll post more images in the next few days.

Fun Anime cake !

Molly's bouquet!

What happened to Thursday?

Beats me!
My mom said to me yesterday, "maybe you should
slow down." Hmmm...this from a woman who just
got home from a month in the hospital after
2 surgeries and is transitioning from a walker
to a cane. OUCH!

I did feel a little "spinny" yesterday, first
downtown to the Colin Powell Youth Leadership
Center then out to Edina, then back down to
the HUB on 4th & E. Lake St. but rest assured,
I go the job done last night for Urban Ventures!
The kids were awesome! Skateboarding, eating,
texting, goofin' around, praying...it was all good!
Urban Ventures is doing great work, what a
wonderful ministry! Here's a few of the kids...










Slept in this morning. All of a sudden it got
dark, then the thunder, then the pouring rain.
I couldn't resist the opportunity to lay there
with the cats and cuddle. It's still thundering
and it sounds amazing. I just need it to clear
up at 2 pm for my wedding at Nicollet Island!

Eddy Enright is joining me again today. He shot
with me back at the end of May. Sadly, that seems
like yesterday yet August is just around the corner!

Dear Dean & Lois, "thank you" just doesn't seem to
say enough. There should be a better way to put into
words our gratitude. Oh, wait...there IS!
GOD BLESS YOU! Congratulations on 25 years together!
We love you more than you know and we thank you for
your generosity. Your gift was such a wonderful
surprise and we are truly grateful for your
incredible thoughtfulness! We love you!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Urban Ventures

I got such an early start today that I never
sat down to post a blog. When I finally sat down
to the computer and realized that, the
sensation was much like going out without ear-
rings or forgetting to put your watch on or
something. ANYway, this is what I got up early
for today....I met two young men (high school
sophomores) at their place of employment in
downtown Minneapolis. I photographed them
doing their jobs and with some of the traders
and then I asked if it would be okay if I took
them down to the street for some fun, urban
street shots...here goes...thanks to the firm
and to "A" & "M" for allowing me the opportunity.







Handsome, hardworking, sweet, young men.
They will go sooo far! They work to supplement
their high school tuition. Smart.

I'll be heading back downtown soon to cover
a couple of other events looking for more
photo ops for the design team that is working with
Urban Ventures. This has been such a fun assignment!

Oh, and this week I have a Friday wedding back
down at the Nicollet Island Inn. Then Gary and I have
a night planned at the Sheraton on Saturday.
A little outing...for fun. Just the 2 of us!
No reason...just a night out.

Hey, Mark Brooke. Nice to hear from you!!

Mom's breakin' out today!

Finally, after nearly a month of back
and tummy surgery coupled with rehab,
my mom is finally coming home today.
WOW! I popped out to see her one last
time last night and pack up some of her
stuff. Anne will be doing the picking
up today around noon and I will meet
them back at her condo after.

She's ready, she looks great, sounds
great, she's eating, p**ping and all
that good stuff they make sure you can
do before they let you go.

I, for one, will not miss the smell.
What is it about nursing homes and
rehab facilities? Why do they smell like
medical tape? My gosh, even HOME DEPOT and
the weight rooms in most gyms smell better!
No matter, Mom's breakin' out today!

I wanted to post a few shots of my sister's
newest family member all the way from Missouri,
meet "Bear", a 3 month old cockapoo!




Okay, this is a tough one for me.
I have been long awaiting my involvement with
the RNC, as many of you know.
Last night I received an excel spreadsheet
on the assignments. Seems one of the photographers
that I have worked with at Starkey took it upon
himself to assign most everything to him and his
buddies so rather than take the "bone" that had
been tossed my way (which is exactly what I
envisioned happening), I am takin' my "she-woman
man haters club" down the road (for those of
you "spanky" fans!!)!
I know, I know, it's petty but I just didn't
want to whore myself out for them and besides,
I think the Lord has other plans for me that week! :)
I'll just watch from afar. Bummer.
On to bigger and better!
Maybe Dean and Lois can talk to McCain and
see what I can do for him directly. Or I'll put
a call into T.Paw myself!
Okay, I'm over it....move on!

I am off this week (salon) and trying to get to
the bottom of some of my piles.

Quick note....

I'm off meet Mike (brother) in our mom's
room at St. Gertrude's and take her, via
wheelchair, to Park Nicollet (within the
same structure) where we will meet with her
stomach surgeon who will let us know what's
next for her. We are all under the impression
that she will go home today. Stay tuned
as I may update on my 'twitter' at the right.
I will also, of course, update here on my
blog later today as well.

Prayers for a homecoming today! :)

Side note....today marks the 25th anniversary
(if you will) of my dad's death. miss you, dad.

Lake Nokomis MKT 2008!

Another successful event for the
Miracles of Mitch Foundation!
The rain held off until much later
in the day and I couldn't have been
more proud of this organization for
banding together a TON of volunteers
(Thanks to Cargill!) so that every last
detail was perfect!

This was just the 2nd year for the Nokomis
location and already it had doubled in entrants!
Pretty amazing considering that this is a
fundraising event!

Thanks to Tony Schiller for tirelessly
molding a wonderfully successful event!

The Chanhassen event is on Saturday
August 16th! See ya there!

MiracleKids Triathlon 2008~Nokomis

Today is the 2nd annual MiracleKids Triathlon
at the Nokomis location. YAY!
Last year was GORGEOUS! A wonderful way to
start at a new location. I hope there are
a ton of new kids racing this year.
Here' some shots from last year..






The Chanhassen (original)location is holding
it's Triathlon on Saturday, August 16th.
Last year it was cold and rainy. Not good.
But the kids came out anyway and completed
the course like true, dedicated athletes!
Champions, each and every one!
Here's some shots from last year in Chan.





I'd better get a move on.
Race starts at noon!
(Chanhassen start time is 8am!)
C'mon out to either or BOTH, I'm the
one in the crazy orange hat!

Urban Ventures shoot

This morning I will be heading to
Minneapolis to shoot some images for
Urban Venture's upcoming print media
needs. I'll be hitting the Colin Powell
Center, the Hub and Cristo Rey.
I'm pretty pumped about this assignment.
(Thanks Jacquie)! I'll post some
images tomorrow.
Here's some from last year...






Then, later today, I will be back at
the Airport Hilton welcoming a cancer
family for their free weekend compliments
of the Miracle of Mitch Foundation,
the Airport Hilton, The Mall of America
and supporters too many to mention!

Okay...to my surprise, which is actually
the Baker's surprise. They caved in and
got a puppy. He was flown in yesterday
and they piled in the car and drove to
the airport to pick him up around 11am.
I made sure that they stopped here on
their way so I could meet him.
His is so darling. A designer, cockapoo.
Funny, cuz when I was a kid, a cockapoo
was really just a mutt but now folks are
breeding the craziest things. AND getting
TOP DOLLAR!!
He's buff in color and has the sweetest eyes.
I have no photos yet, sorry and he has no
name as of yet that I'm aware of.
But who am I to judge? Took me two weeks to
come up with "BOO"! ;D

I visited with Jane at the House of Fun & Fur
last night for a few hours. I delivered some
cards that she'd ordered and we just hung
out in her yard and had a nice cold beer!

I'm soooo not worthy!

I have not locked my keys in my car
for a couple of dozen years I think.
Last night, I was on my way home from
visiting my mom at the rehab center
(another night of Big Brother..I think
I shouldn't go at night anymore or dare
I say I might get hooked....NOT!)anyway,
I digress.....
So, as I walk to my car, I decide a nice
glass of wine is in my future so I drive
to the Cheers Liquor store in Bloomington.
I whip in, I whip out....WHAT?? Where
are my keys!? NOT in my hand. NOT in the
liquor store. NOT on the ground outside
my car and as far as I can see with their
flashlight, NOT in my car! MAN!
NOW what? I call Gary, "hey, hon, will you
grab my valet key in the garage and bring
it to me?" In the 20 minutes it took for
him to get there (couldn't locate the key)
I thought..hmmm...should I go in and get
a bottle opener? 'Spose they might have
a glass I could borrow? Then I thought,
"no, I'm a big girl and I can wait." 'Cuz,
drinking out of the bottle in a brown bag
outside a liquor store next to the closed dry
cleaners and abandoned Mr. Movies would
look mighty sad and desperate for a Wednesday
night, right?!

Okay, we drive home and leave my car there
because I am certain that I know where the
valet key is. Nope. Not there. I call Kip~
(Eden Prairie Firefighter!) He will save me,
he knows all the appropriate people that can
help me. "Sorry, your car is in Bloomington,
Eden Prairie won't help you." So I go to the
next guy on my list, Donny. He's a Bloomington
Police officer, he can tell me who can help me.
Nope. "Bloomington doesn't do lock-outs anymore."
WHAT!!!??? Are you kidding me!?
I resorted to calling "Chief's" towing in
Bloomington and Bob came to my rescue.
$60 bucks and a nano second later, I was in!
Drove home and finally had that long awaited
glass of wine. Wheeeew.
Moral? Um, yea. Never, NEVER have all the keys
you own for your vehicle IN the vehicle.
And the sick thing is that Bob told me that the
whole keys locked in the car thing...comes in
THREES!! I'll keep you posted.


I have a surprise for tomorrow.

Sol y Luna

It's been said that you rarely get
the opportunity to see both the
sun and the moon in the sky
at the same time.
Last night, as I pulled out of the
St. Gertrude's parking lot (after enduring
watching Big Brother with my mom in
her bed!), I noticed that the GORgeous sun
set was joined by the nearly FULL, rising moon.
That was both cool and beautiful in that
the skies were clear. Wished I'd have had
a fish eye lens along.

My visit with mom was another great one.
She's eating better, looks fabulous and
sounds more like herself from way back
before any of the pain started. I'm so
very proud of her. She's working hard at
both her physical and occupational therapy.
She says that everyday someone remarks on
her youth and ability. Nice to know that
I have those genes! : )

I feel all I have left to do with her,now, is
convince her that now is the perfect
time to ditch the cigs and all that goes
with them. She seems ready, yet i sense
her reluctance. I think that secretly,
she is looking forward to getting out so
she can A.) get back to some action at
Mystic Lake Casino and B.) smoke. I'm going
to ask for everyone's help in the smoking
department. I would love to start a prayer
chain that she realize how silly starting
back up would be and how much it would,
indeed, effect her recovery not to mention
her overall health etc. etc....
I am not one of those ex-smokers
that is trying to save the human race but if
I could impress upon my mother the importance
of sticking around a little longer....well,
is that so wrong? So, thanks in advance for your
prayers!

I wanted to post a couple of images of my
newest niece, Reese and her brother, Owen.
I shot these last week when i was over there
helping out with some questions that kiki had
regarding her new CS3 program.










Um, yea...Owen got the eyelashes. Boys.
Reese's are coming in (finally), but I fear
at the expense of her HAIR!!! ; ) Love her!

Hey Jill T., Sooooooo great to hear from you!
Thank you for the lovely compliment. Let's
get together before summer is gone!
Jill is taking me up on my model offer from
yesterday.....anyone else!?? Just comment
or shoot me an e-mail! C'mon, what are you
waiting for? The price of gas to go down?? :\