anything but ordinary

The perfect little model

2 weeks till I bring Jasper home! The breeder sent me a new photo of Jaspser, saying that he was on his back whining while she was trying to take pictures of the other puppies. YAY! A natural-born shutterbug buddy! How PERFECT is that for me? At least we know he doesn't mind the camera... Check him out:

 

Countdown to Jasper!

It's official... I'll be bringing Jasper home in just over 2 weeks!!! (woo-hoo!) I'm so incredibly excited, but also amazingly nervous. I'm still getting the house ready for him (cleaning and puppy-proofing). And thankful that I've had this much time to prepare everything.

I've bought most of the supplies I'll need to start out with, and still have to purchase a few more essentials. I'm on my 4th book about how to successfully raise/take care of a dog. I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be. (Wish me luck, as I KNOW I'll be learning most of what I need as "on the job training").

New Things on the Horizon...

I've got lots of new things in the works for the Suitcase Studio. Here is a little teaser for now:

Nice to meet you, Mr. Jasper

This morning I had the pleasure of finally meeting my puppy. I was sooooo excited, and a complete bundle of nerves (silly, I know). I took the trip alone, and it was actually quite nice to do it on my own. The drive down to the breeder's ranch was wonderful... the trip took a little over an hour and was quite peaceful. (sidenote: I LOVE living here in SoCal, and don't ever plan to move. I LOVE that I can be driving with the ocean on one side of me and hills on the other, and then 15 minutes later I'm deep in the hills and feel like I'm in the countryside!)

My puppy is from AP Ranch, and I don't think I could have found a better breeder. Not knowing what to expect, but hoping for the best, I was still pleasantly surprised. The breeder, Pauline, is a very knowledgeable woman, who got into dog breeding for the joy of it (her ranch is primarily for horses). I was greeted by Pauline and 2 of her dogs, who were amazingly friendly. I followed her around the side of her house to an area of lawn, and she brought a comforter out so I could sit and visit with Jasper (since the puppies aren't allowed on the grass yet). First, she brought all 3 puppies in the litter out, just so I could see them all. The puppies mom (along with another female doxie) came out to join us. And the other 2 dogs were still near, also. It was really nice to see how amazingly calm all of the dogs were. The mother dog didn't seem to have any problem with other dogs being close to her litter, and she came and went, leaving me alone with her pups. After a while, Pauline took the other dogs away so that I could spend time with Jasper alone. And I fell in love. 

He was a curious little puppy, wandering around on the comforter and checking me out, too. But he was so amazingly docile when I picked him up. He just totally relaxed in my arms...his heart rate didn't increase or anything. He checked me out, gave me some puppy kisses, and then started to fall asleep as I held him for a while. WOW! 

I spent about an hour there, just playing with him and the other dogs, and chatting with Pauline a bit. Everything she told me made me feel like I had made the right choice in choosing her as the breeder to go to. For instance, she said that the whole family handles the dogs as much as possible, so they are used to human contact and being held, including being held on their backs (usually pups tend to struggle here a bit). Being around all the other dogs, they are being socialized that way, as well. They are used to sleeping in their crate at night, and she has started potty training them (which they are taking to wonderfully). The mom dog has started sleeping separate from the puppies at night (sleeping with Pauline), and yet the puppies seem to all be sleeping through the night quite well without her there. She handles the dogs paws a lot, and has even started cutting their toenails, so they are used to their paws being handled. I noticed while I was there that the pups are learning to have a "soft mouth" when they bite. Awesome, awesome, awesome! I couldn't be more happy. 

I brought my point-and-shoot camera and got a LOT of pictures while I was there. It was good practice for Jasper, who needs to learn QUICKLY that the camera will be pointed at him quite often.  ; )  In any case, here are a few favorite shots from this morning. 

Jasper and his siblings (Jasper is the one in the middle):

Jasper and his Mom, Jazmine: 

He completely fell asleep as Pauline held him: 

written in the stars...

I don't set much stock in daily horoscopes. They're entertaining to read, of course, but not to be taken seriously. But ever now and again, I'll come across some that just seem to resonate with me. And, while I still don't see it as a "sign" or premonition of things to come, I like to think about it and use it as a sort of mantra for the day; my daily thought or something to reflect on.

I've been getting my daily horoscope sent to me on Twitter, and so far, I'm really liking what I see. For the last week or so, they've "spoken" to me a bit. Yesterday's was stating something along the lines of "while I know my destination, I am frustrated because I have to figure out how to get there; the simple act of knowing isn't enough. It will be difficult, but I've got to try and find balance as I figure this out." (I have to paraphrase this, as I can't seem to find yesterday's actual word-for-word reading.)

And here is today's "twitter-scope":

Friday, June 5, 2009: No matter how determined you are now to walk your talk, distractions at work can pull you off your carefully considered course. Every fork in the road is exciting because each path that leads in an unknown direction touches your soul and calls your name. Nevertheless, it's crucial for you to keep reminding yourself that you are on a mission. You won't reach your desired destination if you explore every good idea on the way. 

And here is how that is relevant in my life...

I really, really, REALLY want for my photography business to blossom and become my life's work, so to speak. I want it to be my sole source of income; I want for it to become my career. I am working on it pretty steadily... I've been getting more paying gigs, widening my client circle, and when it's slow, I use my friends and family to practice on and build up my portfolio further. I feel that I am constantly stretching and growing... both as an artist and as a businesswoman. And yet, I am never fully satisfied. Maybe that's for the best... it keeps me reaching even further; trying to figure out the next step. But for right now, it's a bit overwhelming.

I pretty much feel like I am working two full-time jobs at the moment. Since I am not yet making enough money from my photography in order to support me, I continue to work my day-job as a legal secretary. So, I work there every weekday till 5, then come home and start editing photos from my most recent session, often working on them each night till about 11 pm, when I get ready for bed for the night, just to start it all over again the next day. Then, if lucky, I have a session set for each weekend, and sometimes I take a day off of my day-job to accomodate a shoot during the weekday, as well. And, as I said before, if I don't have a paying client for the week, I'll still try to do something on my own, just to get in the practice. So, I feel like I am ALWAYS working. I am tired.

It's been a struggle lately... my day-job is becoming more overwhelming, full of changes and more responsibilities added. I'm stressed and frazzled by the time I leave there, and yet, I've got hours of work ahead of me still. I hate just sitting there at my desk all day, with the full knowledge that I belong somewhere else. KNOWING what else it is that I should be doing with my time, and not yet able to dedicate myself to my photography full-time. I know that I'm heading in the right direction. I KNOW that I am doing what I can to build and grow my business. But I am not a patient person. This process is sorely trying my patience, and testing me in the worst way possible.

There are times I feel totally lazy, and the thought of doing more is so overwhelming that I find myself doing nothing at all. I should market myself more, update my website, get new materials printed, etc. But then I realize that I am simply being too hard on myself, and that I am already doing plenty. I know what I want and am heading in the right direction (albeit slowly). The point is that I am doing it.

I know that I'll get there, even though it might be slower than I might like. I am finding my way as I go along, figuring out my signature style. I know that this is where I belong; I feel myself come alive as I edit my photos...they speak to me, and I find pieces of myself within them.

It's only a matter of time. And, though difficult, I am learning to be patient.

happy (one month) birthday!!!

 

SO, my puppy is officially one month old today! (technically speaking, he's 4 weeks and 3 days old, but since he was born on May 5th, I celebrate his monthaversary today).

Hooray!

And I am totally excited, because I get to finally visit Jasper and see him in person (puppy) on Sunday!!!  I'm heading down to the breeder's home on Sunday morning to get acquanited with my little guy. It won't be a long visit.. he IS still a puppy, after all, and tuckers out quite easily. But it will be nice to see him and get the chance to bond just a bit. And, of course, I hope to come back with LOTS of new pictures of him!!!

Jasper Update

One more pic to share... saw this one posted up on the breeder's site today. I'm assuming this one is of him at about 3.5 weeks old. Isn't he simply adorable??? I can't wait to finally meet him, and then to bring him home!!!