Remy and the Tennis Ball

Remy has a deep love for the tennis ball. It's amazing that her little mouth can even hold the ball, but don't underestimate the strength or sharpness of little poodle puppy canine teeth. Perfect for holding on to the side of the tennis ball while running across the yard in a dead sprint. The warmer weather means more play time outside, which Remy adores. Spring is here! She continues to light up our lives with her silly antics and high energy. She's growing up and getting bigger and smarter right in front of our eyes.
We love you, Remy girl.

Campus Book Rentals - [sponsored post]

In 8 days, my brother-in-law will graduate from high school.

I will sit in the stands and watch the class of 2013 cross the graduation line.

Almost exactly 9 years ago, it was me and my classmates, the class of 2004, walking across that line. About to embark on the next phase of our journey - headed out into the future.

For many of us, that next phase was college. And the same will be true for my brother-in-law as he heads to college in the Twin Cities. Big adventures are ahead!

I remember my first year in college like it was yesterday. I was excited, nervous, and open to adventure.

I was also in awe of how expensive college costs.

After my first trip to the bookstore, before classes began in the fall of freshman year, I walked out in a stunned stupor after paying many hundreds of dollars on new and used textbooks.

Then 3 months later, I tried to sell them back at the end of the semester, and made less than 1/10th of what I paid, or in some cases, having the books obsolete and not available to be resold.

Ugh.

Every student shared my frustration.

Now, there is another option. A much better option. Renting your books!

I was contacted by CampusBookRentals.com - a textbook rental company that helps college students save tons of money by renting their textbooks instead of buying them. They wanted me to write a post about them, and because I've had personal experience with the steep cost of book purchases, I believe in their mission and I agreed.

CampusBookRentals isn't like the rest of the book-rental companies out there though. They offer something new. They offer their RentBack program.

Many students have bought books already, or they end up with books they own, and can't sell back. You can try to sell them to other students through many different companies, but if you're like me, when I tried to sell my college text books, I had a stack that wouldn't/didn't sell, and I ended up donating them to the Goodwill. They probably ended up in the recycle bin somewhere.

CampusBookRentals' RentBack program is a new, revolutionary way to get money back from books you have bought. And you don't have to do any work in the process.

This info graphic tells how it works. [Click to view larger.]
Basically, you send your books to CampusBookRentals and let them rent them out to other students. As they are rented, you get paid. It's that simple! Because the books can be rented multiple times, you can make more money than you would if you sold them outright back to the bookstore or to another buyer.

I find the concept of RentBack amazing, and I wish I hadn't given my books to Goodwill so I could try it out!

CampusBookRentals helps students save money on their books, which change each semester. I bought college textbooks EIGHT different times. The amount of money I spent in that bookstore still stings.

Take a look at CampusBookRentals if you are in school, or know someone going to college, and help them save some money. Plus, CampusBookRentals offers incentives for spreading the word. If you refer people to them, you get cash. Bonuses for saving money?! Win-win!

The cost of college is higher than it has ever been. If money can be saved anywhere, it helps lessen the blow a little bit.

[CampusBookRentals reached out to ask me to write about them, but the opinions I have expressed here are my own.]

Melissa + Andy + Baby | Baby Announcement Photography | Brainerd, MN

Melissa and Andy are expecting their first child and are beyond thrilled, so I jumped at the chance to work with them when they contacted me about photographing some images for their baby announcements. Melissa is a teacher so the blackboard and hand written due date were the perfect touches for an intimate and beautiful way to announce their pregnancy to family and friends. 
Baby - your parents can't wait to meet you! You are so loved already!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary, Kate + Mark! | Hastings, MN Wedding Photography

Today, Kate and Mark celebrate their 1st wedding anniversary!

On a hot and breezy day in May, Kate and Mark promised each other forever at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton Church in Hastings, MN. They followed their ceremony with a fun and lively reception at the Hastings Country Inn. You can read see their wedding blog post here.

Kate + Mark - I hope that your first year of marriage has been amazing beyond your wildest dreams. Here's to many more anniversaries to come!

How to be Ignored by a Golden Retriever

It seems like at least half of our street owns dogs.

One house has a old golden retriever named Boris who wanders up and down the street, greeting the neighbors and searching for tennis balls and belly scratches.

Matt and I first met Boris last fall while we were outside raking our leaves. He came over to say Hi and to try to coax a few scratches from us.

Last week, while I was outside with Remy enjoying some rare spring weather, Boris came over to say Hello again. 

Remy panicked a little at first and then decided she wanted to PLAY. 

Boris had other things in mind, like sniffing around the yard, marking his territory, and trying to be petted. He didn't want much to do with a yapping little black thing that was trying to bite his tail and chase him around the yard.

I'm pretty sure he thought she was annoying.

I'm impressed by how brave Remy got after the initial panic attack. No matter how hard she tried to engage Boris though, he wasn't interested and just went about his business.

Maybe someday they will be friends, but not today.

Later, Matt and I decided to have a little fun in our driveway and draw some pictures with chalk. We had Remy outside so she could explore and the next time I noticed, she had snuck off with a piece of chalk.

See her little yellow mustache?

We also introduced Remy to the tennis ball. 
We weren't sure she'd like it because it's almost as big as her head and we weren't sure she'd be able to bite it. 
Don't underestimate the power, strength or sharpness of little baby canine teeth! She sinks those teeth into the ball and carries it around the yard with her as she runs her heart out! Then, I asked the neighbor girl to come over and take our first family photo. It's a little blurry, but I love it.

Our family of three!

Field Machine - The Kickstarter Launch

Last year, my sister's husband, Tony, started dreaming of a luxury line of USA-made, sports-inspired clothing and accessories.

After many months of brainstorming and countless late nights of research and hard work, his idea has come to reality.

Field Machine is here.

Officially launched on Kickstarter as of last night, Field Machine is now LIVE in it's 30 day campaign. 

Tony has designed a refined apparel and accessory line, inspired by an athletic lifestyle. Field Machine has t-shirts, sweatshirts, belts, hats and the feature - a weekender bag unlike anything else on the market.

I was able to collaborate with Tony on a promo shoot earlier this spring, and capture some of the photos to bring Field Machine to life. To say I'm thrilled with the results and honored to be a part of this project is a huge understatement. This brand that Tony has created is big, and it has momentum. It's going places!

If you're not familiar with Kickstarter and how it works, head over and check it out. 

Tony has created a campaign to reach his goal of required funds in order to get the 2013 Summer Collection for Field Machine off the ground and into full production. He has created different tiers for people to pledge and support his campaign. You essentially back his goal by buying/funding his project at the level of your choice. If Tony reaches his campaign goal by the end of 30 days, he will begin mass production on his products, and you will receive your Field Machine gear once they are finished.

If his goal isn't met, you aren't charged anything, and no merchandise is transferred.

I believe in this company.

I believe in Tony, and I believe in the products he is creating and the mission behind Field Machine. This is a company worth supporting, and products worth investing in.

If you are moved by Field Machine, or if you are interested in the products, give Tony and Field Machine your support.

If you have avenues to help spread the message about Field Machine and it's Kickstarter campaign, I would be so grateful if you would use them to spread the word. 

Tony has 29 days to make this happen.

Welcome to Field Machine.

Remy's First Haircut and Bath time AKA How to turn your Poodle into a Drowned Rat

Because Remy is a poodle, she will require regular grooming throughout her lifetime to deal with her curly fur. As part of the socialization period, we decided to introduce her to the process of grooming as a puppy so she'll be tolerant of it as she grows up.

She went in looking like a furry little teddy bear and came out looking like a little baby poodle!

They trimmed up her fur all over her body, as well as around her eyes. They brushed all of her curls out to prevent it from matting, and clipped her nails and trimmed her furry ears. They also trimmed up the hair that was growing out in between the pads on her paws, which was causing her to slip and slide all over our wood floors. She would run for a toy and wipe out every time!

Truth be told, I think she looks cuter as the fuzzy teddy bear, but she sure is cute both ways. She's a hyper, spunky little tomboy who loves to eat pine cones and sticks though, so the pink bow seemed out of place. I waited until Matt came home to see it before I took it out.

It took a couple days and then her hair was all curled up again. Three weeks later, she's back to being a fuzzy bear again!

Matt's allergies haven't been too bad unless he lets her lick him. He's had some bouts with hives on his hands and neck if he lets her lick too much. 

The vet told us we could give her weekly baths to decrease the dander in hopes of warding off some of the allergies, so we decided to give it a try last week.

We filled the tub, put her in and started sudsing and rinsing. 

Do you know what a poodle looks like wet? 

It's a tie between a drowned black rat and a little fragile old man. 

I couldn't control myself, I was dying with laughter. 

She was shaking from adrenaline and maybe because she was cold, and I couldn't stop giggling. Poor Remy!

We've given her two baths now, and both were succesful. We even used the blow dryer to dry her off, per instruction from the groomer. She was pathetically tolerant and went straight to sleep after the whole ordeal was over. 

Let's hope we can train her to like swimming in the lake this summer! Then other people can enjoy the sight of wet Remy too!

P.S. - Does anyone have any tricks for getting rid of doggie eye boogers? The vet said a warm wet washcloth, which works alright with some coaxing. Remy's eyes water a lot and so it seems like she always has a goopy face. I think it's kind of gross so I'm pretty vigilant in trying to keep it clean.

Not sure if there are any miracle cures/fixes for that? I'd love to hear if you have any tricks!