a good saturday

a lot of my saturdays are good because a lot of them are weddings. this one has been different - relaxing. i woke up at a good friend's house, ate some fruit, had some fun conversation, came home, went out to lunch with some friends, and am about to nap.

check out these cuties:

do you not want to grab him and kiss those smiling cheeks?

riley needed to get in on the action.

those eyes. that face. oh my.

John Mayer!!!

Valentine's Day. To me, it is an effort to ruin life. If you're not married/dating/engaged, then it can be a let-down, tending to make you feel lonely. If you are married/dating/engaged, you have this pressure to do "something" on a random day in February, maybe even trying to out-do your better half.

My solution - buy myself John Mayer tickets. It was the greatest Valentine's Day I have ever had. And, it might be the best Valentine's Day ever. Did I mention that it started with a coconut mojito at California Pizza Kitchen? That might help.

Let the show begin.

To say this guy is a good musician is destroying his talent. He is outstanding. It's almost wrong how talented he is.



We pulled out the point-and-shoot for this one. That's Aubrie (one of my roommates) on the left and Katherine (one of my greatest friends) on the right. I brought them along for the adventure.

These next 2 were my favorites from the night:


Yes, I know what you are thinking on this last picture. He did come off the stage, walk right over to me, and ask me to go out with him on Valentine's Day. I had to reject his request, however, because I will be working.

Princess Pony Party

If you have ever seen my blog before, you'll know that the above little girl frequents my blog. She is now 5 and loving it!!!

Her birthday party today started off with crafts.

She sometimes likes to pose for the camera; I wonder if she'll hate this picture when she's in high school?

The "Spiced Pear Tea Room" have pony rides available for birthday parties, and it was a HUGE hit with the girls, as you can see:

The little pony cookies were so cute -- a great party favor, although they were devoured way before they had the option of anything else.

Cheers!!!

Her little cupcake to blow out was so special.

Meet the girls who came... This is one of her best friends from her class:

This might be her best friend in the whole world:

The birthday girl herself:

Her beloved cousin:

I don't know if you can tell, but she is looking forward to next year already:

extra!! extra!! extra!!

3 special offers... for february ONLY:
(requires booking in february but does not require session actually take place in february)

1/2 off all kids/family photography sessions

-OR-

25% off wedding photography packages

-OR-

$150 for 1-hour engagement, "after the wedding," or anniversary shoots with reprint rights delivered on photo CD (maybe the best deal of all!)

* just my little way of saying "happy valentine's day!" *

Marley

Whew. What a day. I can't even begin to actually describe the emotions that have gone on in my world today - anger, excitement, frustration, joy, fear, doubt, terror, guilt. What today boiled down to is that Marley is not a fit for me - Camille. My sweet roommate(s) would argue that fact, but the final decision was made.

Today was full of knocked over vases, outlet covers ripped off the walls, blood in my car seats, curtains destroyed with bent rods, couch seats being jumped on, fighting to keep a collar on. It was a test of patience for sure. I guess you can say that I failed the test, and maybe I did. I learned a lot about myself, though, and went with the option that gave me the most peace.

I am excited that Marley will have a new home... and a home that we can visit. Where our yard is small and might not be able to be fenced in, Marley's new yard will be large and fenced in. Where our house is small and does not have a good place for a dog, Marley's new house will have a great place to stay. Where the people who live here are always doing something, Marley's new owners spend a lot of time at home and will be able to be with him a lot. I am so grateful.

It's just a good situation altogether. It is still sad, though. I hate giving up. I hate disappointing people. I actually do really love dogs, especially black labs, so it makes me sad to think that Marley will be disappointed. That's just what will have to happen, though, for my sanity and for his well-being. I wish I could explain it to Marley, sitting here next to me, but it's just impossible.

I can't wait to visit him, and I do have a pact that if something does not work out at Marley's new home, I will re-consider. I did, though, take some pictures of him for the records. Enjoy sweet Marley: