First Week with Piper Pup

Alright, bloggers. You're just going to have to put up with adorable puppy posts from this blogger until I can get all my jewelry photographs and materials organized and ready for posting. Piper's first week was pretty momentous. Not only has she met everyone in both Dirk's and my families, she's also house training, crate training, and eating dry dog food. And did I mention that she's pretty much the cutest thing in the whole wide world besides puppy Sipsey?
We went in for Piper's first vet visit today and she did great. She didn't squeal or cry when she got her shots, and she weighed in at a whopping 8.1 pounds. If she was a baby, she'd pretty much be 95 percentile. The vet pretty much told me she was going to be a monster dog.
She was obviously not scarred by her first veterinary experience. She fell asleep on the exam table while we waited for her fecal matter results (Yuck!)
I found her sleeping in the laundry pile the other day. Then I ran some errands and came back and Sipsey had eaten a pair of my underwear. Disgusting.
Devouring dinner.
After her first bath she was shivering so badly we wrapped her in towels and she just laid there, warming up. I have to look at these pictures to remind myself that this is why I've been up at 6:00 a.m. every single morning for a week.

Cute Overload and a Holiday Hangover

Well, the holidays are over and that's a little sad. It was quite possibly the best Christmas yet, but probably because it was so different from years past. This was my second EVER Christmas away from the farm in Iowa (the first one was when I was like, five, so it doesn't really count,) and it was my first Christmas spent with Dirk and my brother-in-law Chris, and Taylor's very first Christmas! We had Christmas Eve with his family, and then four days of Christmas with mine, which I feel is a fair compromise :-) Piper LOVED Taylor, probably because Sipsey really doesn't want anything to do with her (we're hoping that she'll warm up to her new little sister eventually.)
On Saturday we took Taylor to Wald Park in Vestavia, which is the coolest playground in the city (in my humble opinion.) I won't share photos of my parents riding double on the special needs swing, because the image has been implanted in my brain and haunts my dreams at night. Note: no one over the age of 8 should ride double on the swing set. It should be a law. Doesn't Taylor look just like a Baby Gap ad in this photo?
I love watching the Amyses interact with each other. There is so much love in their family, and this shot captures the warmth and fun they exude when you're around them.
Who's more afraid of the slide?
Sipsey has gotten better about letting Piper touch her, and this photo is one of the first times Sips let the puppy cuddle up next to her (they've since spent most of their naps snuggling.) Last night Sipsey "accidentally" trampled Piper and the puppy started screaming like she'd been shot with a bb gun. Sipsey went nuts and was maniacally sniffing Piper from head to toe to make sure she was okay. It was the first maternal instinct we've seen her exhibit and it was hopefully a display we'll see more of in the future.

Puppy Update!

I had the chance to check in on puppy this morning and she's gotten so big in the past week! She's roaming around, sniffing, her eyes are open, she's alert, and she's gobbling puppy food like crazy! I can't wait to bring her home next week!

I took some video of all of the pups playing together....Dirk's going to work on getting them set to music for me to post!

Earrings!

I got supplies this weekend, and diligently went to work. It's so rewarding creating something with your hands! And fun, too! I always loved putting together Legos as a child (especially the ships and castles that came with instructions.) Earrings are kind of like that. So here are the options I gave to all my female family members. I've been making around six to nine pairs a day since I started on Saturday.

Right now I'm working on a secret Christmas project in conjunction with Aunt Jane. I'll tell you all about it after Christmas!

Puppy Names!

All of your suggestions are great, blogger buddies! We've decided on a great name with origins that compliment Sipsey's. Sipsey was named after, a.) a designated Wilderness area in Alabama, and b.) a character from one of my favorite books (Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.) New puppy will be named after a.) a designated Wilderness area (this one is in California!), and b.) a song by the band Phish (one of my favorites!)

So there are your clues! We'll officially unveil her name when we bring her home next week!

introducing....

As-yet-unnamed, 3-week-old female puppy! We're now accepting name recommendations! She'll be coming home Christmas Eve!

gettin' lucky in kentucky

So I just realized that I've failed to mention the fact that I'm still traveling for my primary income these days. This is the reason I have not been diligent about posting, not finals, babies, or anything else. I'll write more about the past three trips I've taken later, but for now, let me just state for the record that in my next life, I want to go to school at Berea. Seriously. I love it here.

Hmmm, other news in Libba-Land. Well, if all goes well, Dirk and I will be visiting a litter of 3-week-old Golden Retriever puppies this afternoon! We've tossed the idea of getting another pup around for a long while, and it finally seems as if the time is right. Primarily because Sipsey has become SO co-dependent on me since I've been working from home. She is constantly at my side, and if I leave the house to run errands without her, I come home and she has maniacally licked her paws until hot spots appear! I think it's time she had a sibling/playmate/puppy to entertain, teach, and take care of. AND, since I am home a lot now, I'll be able to spend lots of time training the new pup. There is only one female left in the litter, though, so cross your fingers that it's still available by the time we get there this afternoon!

I've also decided to take up a new hobby. I realized recently that if I can become a professional picture-taker with no education and experience, what else might I do "just because"? So I've decided to start making jewelry. I've been itching to work with a 3D medium and do something with my hands besides holding a camera and clicking a shutter. AND, this means that I'll never lack for gift ideas for all those lovely females in my life. So check back occasionally and see how I'm progressing. Just like when I started photography, it's going to take some time and a lot of practice.

Well, I better zip the suitcases and get ready to head to the Lexington Airport for my flights back to Birmingham. Just wanted to check in with everyone!

Ruffner Wednesday

I've found that if for nothing else, having an exercise routine has helped organize my off-time. Or, at least, it gives me something to say when anyone asks "What did you do today?" Sipsey and I have been spending Wednesday mornings on the Five Mile Trail at Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve, which is just a few minutes from my house. A lot of my creative inspiration is sought in nature, and it also gives me a chance to reflect on other areas of my life that need undivided attention.

This morning I was thinking a lot about my identity. No, I'm not going through an existential crisis, but I do think a lot about HOW I have perceived my identity up to this point.
1.) Through my relationships with others: being a daughter/friend/girlfriend/colleague/granddaughter, etc., and
2.) Through my career: being a traveling photojournalist. I've always had a hard time hearing people refer to me as a "Photographer." I feel much the same as Ellen Cherry Charles from Tom Robbins's book "Skinny Legs and All": "All artists feel like impostors, except maybe the ones who really are." Plus, there's the fear that if my hobby becomes my career, will it lose all it's fun? No, I don't like calling myself a photographer. But anyway, I digress.

Now that I have no definable career, and for most of the day I'm separated from my relationships with others, I have been finding new ways to define myself. I'm pondering inventive ways to introduce myself: "Howdy! My name is Libba. I am a drinker of wine, a lover of nature, an advocate for peace, a steward of the environment, a devourer of edamame, a watcher of trashy television shows, a reader of books, an admirer of art in all it's forms, and a taker of pictures." I think I'm onto something here, and that I may have stumbled upon my essential self, a better way of defining who I TRULY am, more so than being Dirk's Girlfriend, Aimee's Friend, Lee's Colleague, Jack's Granddaughter, the Brocks Babysitter, etc., etc., etc.

So now I'm interested to know how all my blogger buds would define themselves if they put everything else on pause (jobs, husbands, kids.) Every time I'm feeling as if I have no purpose, I am going to read this entry. It's okay not to wake up and have a purpose every day. It's alright to just be. To spend all afternoon reading a book or playing Guitar Hero until I can't see straight. To eat an entire bowl of edamame by myself whilst watching reruns of "Gossip Girl." What I enjoy and how I spend my free time IS who I am, more so than what I do to pay the bills.

Blogger Babe Bash

First off, cheers to Meghann for both hosting the shindig, as well as giving full tours of her beautiful home. It was great to finally meet everyone's adorable children! There are many ways in which the Internet makes my life a lot easier, but one of the most fulfilling has been reconnecting with all of you via the blogosphere. To those who missed the party, I'm sure there will be more opportunities in 2009, and until then, keep blogging!

Now for some pictures (what would one of my blog entries be without them, right?)
Who's going to volunteer to get this photo to the advance?! Let me know and I'll email you a full-resolution copy!

chillin' on the farm

For some reason, I can't nap in Iowa. I feel like I'm wasting time if I spend even an hour of it napping. So while everyone else "reads" under the covers, I've been riding bikes or walking around the farm. The Grove has so many childhood memories, and Sipsey enjoys her time there as much as I do.

ROADTRIP!

Unlike my sister and brother-in-law, we decided to take our time getting to Iowa for Thanksgiving. We set our sights on St. Louis, halfway between the farm and Birmingham, and we put our trust in Granddaddy's Garmin Nuvi to get us there. There were some scary times (for me, being the control freak) because the GPS took us a way that we've never gone before, up almost to Memphis, and then over the Mississippi to Arkansas and then up to Missouri, but we made it to our hotel in 7h45m, hakuna matata, right?
Sipsey stayed in her first hotel room on this trip. Remember what it was like as a kid to stay in a hotel room? You have to open every drawer, and jump from bed to bed a few times? Well, Sipsey had to sniff every inch and jump from bed to bed a few times. We had a room at the very end of the hall on the first floor, with a sliding glass door that opened onto a grassy area. Sweetness.
Through my research of pet friendly areas in St. Louis, I came upon a 96-acre sculpture park (www.laumeier.com), that happened to be just 5 minutes from our hotel. Nature paths wind through the property, which is dotted with interesting sculptures. There are also grassy areas with enormous structures. I took this photo on a 20 second selftimer. I know, I'm superwoman.
No trip to St. Louis would be complete without a visit to the arch. I've seen it countless times, but never gotten to go to the top. The view was worth the $10 it cost to ride the little eggs up there.
We stopped in Cedar Rapids on our way through and visited with one of my nearest and dearest for an hour. I guess an hour's better than nothing, though. Kate's been a kindred spirit friend since she was my assistant manager at the Storm Lake Buckle, and though we lost touch of each other for awhile and lived our separate lives, I'm so thankful that she's back in mine. Her creative energy and poetic perspective are just two of the reasons why I'm glad she's on my team.

A little off the subject, but I seriously don't know how people traveled before GPS units. It saved our lives so many times, and all said and done, the route it took us saved us 2 hours in the car, and when you've been in the car for 15 hours, 2 extra ones seem like a lot. In St. Louis we decided we wanted Chinese food for dinner. So we hit "Food", then "Chinese", and it shows all of the restaurants in the area, you click on the one you want and hit "Go!" and it takes you there! That's also how I found my wine (I told you it was a lifesaver :-) It especially comes in handy when you enter your final destination because it gives you an ETA. So we could call Mama and say, "We'll be there at 7:16 p.m." So many thanks to Granddaddy, needless to say!

Let's Hear it for the Boys!

Last weekend I had a few different photo shoots with some adorable families. This was my first foray into portraiture with my new camera equipment, and I was more than a little bit nervous. Then I started editing, and got a huge ego boost. I got some really good photos of these handsome young men, and I learned a new trick. Saying "Poop" or "Pooter" will make any boy under the age of 8 bust up laughing.
Couldn't this one be a Gap ad or something?

This was before he climbed too high and requested a ladder to help with his descent.


Of course this little guy had to have an instrument in his photo. Luckily, I think the mandolin blended in quite nicely with his outfit.

I call it, "Sipsey Without a Pearl Earring"

The resemblance is uncanny, don't you think?

Sewanee vs. Southern

Ugh! So I've been sick since Sunday afternoon with some sort of bug. But I'm wearing a bra AND contacts today, if that tells you anything about my energy level.

Saturday was an exciting day. Sewanee played at Birmingham Southern college! Southern has not had a home game for something like 64 years, and has only had a football team for a couple. Saturday was their homecoming and the dedication of the new field.

Granddaddy and I both went to the University of the South (Yea, Sewanee's Right, and Sarah is a junior at BSU, so we made an afternoon of it. We started at a brunch hosted by Sewanee alums, which was delicious. No Sewanee event would be complete without an open bar, right? Aunt Jane enjoyed the Bloody Marys, as you can tell.
Granddaddy was not the oldest person there, and was pretty pumped about it. There were two other alumni from the 40's, Mr. Seibels and Mr. Corey.
Mama's best friend from childhood was also there, looking lovely, as usual.
I was reunited with my college mentor, employer, and favorite professor, Phoebe Pearigen. She was my dance teacher all through college, and put me to work teaching tap and ballet to grade school students. She also inspired me to choreograph tap routines for the student-run dance organization, and her motivation continues into my adulthood. She's encouraged me to find a tap studio in Birmingham, and I fully intend to do it!
There's nothing like the feeling of being on any campus in the fall during a game day. I was impressed by Southern's tailgate, and we got to munch on some Cheetos and down a Natty Light before kick-off.


I guess Granddaddy had a feeling that the Sewanee TIgers wouldn't be bringing their A-game to Alabama, so he brought his little radio to listen to the LSU Tigers play the Tide in Baton Rouge (Roll Tide Roll!) It was especially fun when Southern announced it's homecoming court and the band began to sing their alma mater. Granddaddy was giving an entire play by play to our bleacher section, and I'm pretty sure everyone on the field could hear him.

A New Leaf

It was pointed out to me recently (by a friend who's artistic opinion I hold in the highest regard) that too often my photographs are based on color and composition. That to really develop as a photographer, I should pick monthly themes and try to stick to them, and I realized that this could really allow me to seek out the photographs instead of the photographs just finding me. So in my free time (and we all know I have a bit of it,) I'm going to try it out. When I'm not taking photographs for freelance, obviously. Today was Day 1 of black & white week (I just can't commit to a month with no color, babysteps!) I've also decided to stick with one lens and really learn to rock it. So it's going to be my 50mm f/1.8, and I'm excited to discover it's versatility, and to challenge myself to shoot without a zoom. Here are today's results: P.S. Click on the photos to view them larger and really witness what this lens' depth of field can do!

Exercising My Rights

I've been really excited about this election. Not only because I feel that it's the single most important presidential election of my lifetime thus far, but also because it's my first going to an actual poll and casting my ballot (I've been absentee voting in Iowa since I turned 18.)
Our polling place is just a couple of blocks down our street, so we planned on voting real quick before Dirk had to go to work. Then we looked down the street and realized we should just walk....the line was outrageous. We talked to one woman who got there at 6:30 in the morning and still had to wait in line 1 1/2 hours before she could vote once the doors opened.
We were grateful we brought our books.
This is the man I stood in line for :-)
So after 2 1/2 hours, the vote was cast, and then it was just an excruciating day of waiting for the results. Over margaritas and queso with friends, we watched him take Pennsylvania, then Ohio, and I just kept thinking, "We're safe if he gets Florida. We're safe if he gets Florida." And he got Florida. The rest is history, I suppose, and I'm so proud that I was part of it. I will never forget the months leading up to and the day that America elected it's first African American president!