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!

Remy's First Snowstorm

Remy was born in January but never went outside at the breeder's house. So her first trips outside were once she came home with us at the beginning of April.

The ground was bare and grassy when she was introduced to going to the bathroom outside.

But then our fickle April weather kicked into high gear and we had the first of many spring snowstorms. So Remy was able to be introduced to the snow this spring!

I think it was a blessing that she got to be exposed to the snow as a puppy. All the books talk about the socialization period and how it's good for the puppies to be exposed to different people, dogs, sounds and experiences during the 10-16 week period. This allowed her to play in the snow and see what it's like now, instead of waiting until this fall to see it for the first time.

The verdict? She loves the snow.

April 2013 - in Instagram Photos

April can be summed up by the following words:

Remy
Volatile Weather
We picked up our little poodle puppy Remy at the beginning of April.
Then, the rest of the month was filled with photos of her, usually sleeping since that is the only time I can get a photo without it being just a blurry streak of black.
We started the month with bare ground and a hint of spring in the air.
Then it snowed. And melted.
Then it snowed again.
And again.
Clearly, I'm excited for summer since two of my photos this month were of sunblock.
And sunshine - I know I'm not the only Minnesotan that is just CRAVING a good dose of sunshine. 
Matt and I also went to see the Gabriel Iglesias "Stand Up Revolution" comedy show at a local casino in April. I think he is absolutely hilarious and am so grateful we were able to go to the show with both of our families. A great memory!
Let's hope May's instagram recap has no snow photos in it, and that there are photos of open lakes and maybe a fish or two!
Happy May!

Adjusting to Puppy Parenthood

Happy first day of May!

It has been 4 weeks and 1 day since we brought Remy home.

In some ways, it feels like we just got her and in others, it feels like she's been here forever.

The first week or two were a serious adjustment for us. Mostly for me.

I love my sleep, and since we don't have any kids yet and I work from home, my sleep schedule has been deliciously padded and extensive for years. At the risk of sounding lazy, I've slept 9+ hours per night almost every night for a long time. But once Remy came, there were lots of middle of the night trips outside for her to go to the bathroom, and lots of early mornings because she decided she wanted to PLAY at 530am.

Lately though [knocking on wood as I type this], she's slept through the night soundly, and I take her out as Matt leaves for his 5am workouts. Then it's back into the crate and we usually sleep until 7am or later.

I feel like I have a new baby who just learned to sleep through the night! Yay, Remy!!

She's also becoming more independent and can entertain herself more than in the beginning. It's hard to get work done when you have a puppy on your lap who wants to play. But we've gotten into a routine lately, and she's more content to chew on a toy or sit next to me on her blanket instead of needing attention RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.

Plus, I am more comfortable putting her into her crate when I need to shower or do other things where I can't supervise her, and I've gotten better at ignoring her whining and barking. After one morning where I lost it and hollered my head off, I've managed to maintain my cool since.

She's still partial to me, but is really loving on Matt lately. I think it's because I'm home with her most days, so she is used to me the most. She gets really excited when Matt comes home from work though, so that's been fun to watch.

She has added lots of laughs and spunk to our lives these last four weeks and we are glad she has made us the Radniecki family of three!