Good deeds make the heart whole...

On Wednesday last week, there was a Doberman on the loose! I like Dobermans, but this one was extremely aggressive. I took Lily out to go potty and heard what sounded like a dog attack! Vicious barking & growling. Not the sound a dog makes when they are warning a stranger or protecting their yard, or just being a dog! But vicious attacking sounds. I look into the middle of the street and there is the Doberman, wearing a shirt so obviously a pet, trying to attack the teenage neighbor boys {although they may be in their early 20's & not teenagers at all} through their gate! The boys were in their yard and the dog was loose, and it was trying to attack them in THEIR yard. Yeah, that is how aggressive this dog was! I will say that I believe the teenage neighbor boys {whom I later screamed at with a fury I've never felt in my life....that need to save a child fury} were egging the dog on....as they sat safely behind their gate, laughing. Before I know it, a teenage girl on her way home from school with her iPod on, walks by! Before I can warn her, I hear her screaming a scream I've never heard before in m life. SHEER TERROR...the dog was trying ATTACK HER! I've never ever seen a dog on the attack. I've never ever heard the sound of a person on the other end, truly terrified for their life. And I still swear, said neighbors were STILL egging the dog on as this poor girl screamed a terror loud enough to hear for blocks...as she ran to save her life! Hence my reason at screaming at them with a fury that I have never ever felt from a depth inside me I did not know I had...and my nick name used to be Scrappy...so I have never been a gentle person if push came to shove. What came out of that part of me, surprised even me!

Enter mom mode! Every.single.ounce of thought of my safety...GONE! Mom mode is when you will risk your life without thought to help another person....in this instance a poor innocent teenage girl about to be ravaged by a dog that stands taller than her when on it's hind legs! So I did what anyone would do and what any mom would do! Ran down the street screaming a scream that has never ever left my mouth/throat or heart before, and chased that dog away as much as I could...as said neighbor boys sit behind their safety gate {I think there were 6 of them} doing what I believe to be...laughing as I...a WOMAN is trying to save her! Yep...they'll be WONDERFUL citizens to our world...won't they!!!!!!!!!!!!! The dog did back off a bit, went back to said neighbor boys gate actually and is trying to attack them again. I ran her to my gate, threw Lily in the house because she's now barking at the girl through the gate {like a normal dog does at gates, not like attack the girl}! I KNEW Lily would not hurt her of course. But at this point this poor girl is on the verge of breaking and she sees a pit at the gate...barking. I ran Lily into the house as quick as I could and brought this poor, shaking, scared to death girl into the safety of my gate.

Phew...it's not until then, that she was safe, that everything set it and I was able to soak up what had just happened. I get goose bumps and tears in my eyes writing this! By this point now, adrenaline & mom mode are gone and I start shaking like a leaf! Wow..that was something I'd never experienced before and pretty freaking scary. So I drove her home. She is THE.SWEETEST.GIRL! What a great experience for Haylee to get to meet this wonderful teenager and see that she is sweet, well spoken and grateful! She was so cute when I dropped her off at home. She kept saying she felt like she should do something to repay me! Thanking me again and again. At this point I'm ready to lock my door, take her home and adopt her! Lol! Seriously, I was getting all teary in the truck with her. Told her it was my pleasure, it's what anyone would and SHOULD do, unlike said NEIGHBORS that I would like to teach a lesson to! But I think their lesson will learned through their SELFISH lives! Anywho...I gave her a hug, regretting having to drop her off and we say goodbye!

Go home, nasty dog is still there! And now 3 more teenage girls are walking {2 of which used to go to Haylee's school}...this time to the school! Track kids! I don't even want to chance the dog trying to attack them, which by the way is STILL trying to attack neighbor boys through the gate! So I asked them if I could drive them to the school. On my way home, warn several other teenagers on their way home to NOT walk that section of the block!

Phew...that was long! So fast forward to Friday morning! Haylee's home sick so I woke up at 9am...teehee! Walk into the kitchen to find something that made me tear up and want to drive to the first girls house and DEMAND that I get to adopt her and to hug and shake her mother/father/person who raised her, hand and tell them what a good job they did!

This is what she left me in my mailbox {I did an extra blur over her name to keep her privacy}...





Can I have her...PLEASE!!!! Bless her sweet little heart and darned if I don't want to adopt her more. I just wish I could have seen her when she left the note and flowers so I could have hugged her one last time! Lol! It was so refreshing to see a person, a teen even more, show gratitude and to be so grateful for someone caring about them! I wish there were more teens, and people like her! I miss her! And when I think about the boys...I get MAD! I get a heat in my chest and want to go over and smack them around! In the confusion and heat of the moment, I cannot be 100% that they egged the dog on and laughed while everything went down...but I'm about 99% sure! I was so focused on HER but I have them in the back of my mind the entire time and I just KNOW they egged that dog on. I SWEAR I heard them laughing, then saying... "go get her...go get her" then I heard the screaming and that's when I realized that said dog was now going after her! Then I SWEAR I heard them LAUGHING at the same time I heard her screaming terror. At that second I lost it! Rage filled me like never before. My screaming at them and a furry rage but shrill tone of sheer terror myself, that I get goose bumps when I remember how I felt and sounded, while I gargled tears that were threatening to break!

So....that is my story of the sweet girl, the vicious dog, the SHAMEFUL BOYS and a mom who was only being a MOM! I never would have thought twice about helping. It wasn't a choice, it was instint, a reaction to another person terrified and in danger! And even if those boys really didn't egg on that dog {99% sure tho}, they still did NOT do one thing to help that girl! And what COWARDS to sit there and watch a woman risk her safety & life! They make me SICK, even for only just that! And I would not have been upset had I never heard a word from her because one, I didn't help her for that reason! And two, she was so grateful that day, so I already knew that she really, in her heart, was grateful. But she went that extra step and it made my day, week, month!

If you got this far, thanks! I hope to never go through that again or have anyone else go through what the poor girl did. I know thousands will...but that is my hope!

Give til your heart can't give anymore...then give more! It makes the heart whole!

Miniature golf fun...

Last weekend we were invited to a birthday party for a little girl Haylee goes to school with! This was Avyree's first time playing miniature golf and only Haylee's second time. The girls had SO much fun. Haylee started off golfing with us to ease into it, then went ahead on the course with her friend Michelle. She had so much fun she didn't want to stop playing! She even had a little boy there that liked her & was following her around. He wasn't with the party, but finally worked up the nerve to ask Haylee how old she was. Hearing her tell it was just too cute. But also that eye opener that "THAT" age is fast approaching!

Just a warning...there will be a LOT of images today & I left out MANY more! :) I'm also using my new Rounded Blog it Boards from MCP & I LOVE LOVE LOVE them even more than the square ones! Way to go Jodi! :)

Just hanging out before the fun starts! Nugget hanging out with the older girls...




This kid cannot keep her pants up...


Haylee with Michelle in the top right photo, below that is Dymond & her sister and below that one is the birthday girl, Heather in the middle...


Silly bands are all the rage right now....


Fun Halloween decoration...


Nugget was very clingy this day. I walked across the water to get these shots and as you can see in the top right photo, she was not happy. A second later she realizes I'm not that far and gets excited, bottom right photo. Then finds her way across the bridge to me...


Pretty flowers! I love the colors...


These two are possibly my fav shots of the day! The colors and tonal range are so pretty...

Yay purple...

The girls getting ready to putt putt! Michelle hung out with us. Isn't she so cute & dressed so sharp...


At this point, as I was taking the shot on the left, security comes up to me and tells me I cannot take any pictures without people in them. That I'm not allowed to take pictures of the surroundings. So I stuck Haylee in the shot next but kept my original and all the others I'd already taken. Needless to say, I didn't follow the rules. Ssshhhh...don't tell Haylee...


To see Nugget miniature golf is an experience! A VERY fun one! She's such a cheater too. Look at her kicking the ball in! Later she'd hit the ball once or twice, pick it up, then just put it directly in the hole...


Haylee's turn. In the left shot, you can just see the ball going off course. It's an experience to watch Haylee play too...a dangerous one! Ha...


Michelle's turn, rockin that outfit! She is one of the.sweetest girls I've ever met too! Just like her mom...


To be a kid again...

Possibly one of my other FAVS from the day! You just can't beat a shallow DOF...

Then we headed back for some yummy cake & ice cream...


There is a funny story behind this picture. See the yellow heart Haylee drew on her hand? Well a friend gave her "markers" at school. But what Haylee didn't know is they were permanent marker. She did this days ago and it's still on her hand. But what's funny is that she fell asleep on her hand and has a huge yellow mark on her cheek next to her mouth! HAHA...


Gotta get my detail shots in of course...


The castle! It was a very dreary day and it even rained on us for about 10 minutes. But this castle is soo cool looking I couldn't resist even in the icky weather...


Baby crack on the loooooooooose....


In the top shot she was first trying to block my ball. Then decided it would be more fun to be a bridge. She was VERY excited when I actually made it through her legs. Glad I didn't hit her in the head with the ball! Lol! Bottom shot is well...just true Nugget in all her glory...


I couldn't get enough of all the pretty flowers. I love the tones in the background...


If I did sessions, I would SO want to do a couple or E-session here. So many little hidden places and bridges...


Some of the scenery and the shots I wasn't supposed to take but glad I did...


Avyree was VERY upset at first when the caste "stole" her ball, hence the look on her face in the right shot. But once I showed here where it comes out below, I couldn't pull her away from this hole...


Baby crack is ADDICTIVE! Sorry ya'all, I just can't help myself...



Taken a break by the water and watching the fish & tad poles swim around. Gotta love that messy face and crazy hair. It only adds to her cuteness...


I LOVE completely OOF {out of focus} shots and find myself taking more and more! They aren't for everyone but they make me happy....


Hole 18! As you can see she is trying to hit the ball up the hill in the left shot but it keeps rolling down. After two tries she grabs the ball, walks up the ramp and like a smart kid, throws it in! You make a mama proud Nugget...


And what better way to end a party than with balloons!


Thanks for looking and I hope you enjoyed watching the girls play miniature golf. We can't wait to go back if the rain would ever let up!

I hope everyone is doing well! :)

The Pink Mango ROCKS!

Haylee had a really rough week at school. Long story short, she went from the BEST teacher in the school and happy as she's ever been, to being switched to a new class, new teacher which also includes 5th grades, three weeks into school! We've been on an emotional roller coaster all week...myself included. If you are on Facebook, than you either already know all about it, or can read about it if you wish!

So I figured I'd treat Haylee {and Nugget of course} to some ice cream and some park fun! Haylee's been telling me about The Pink Mango for a while now. Her BFF Katie {who got to stay in the class, which wasn't easy for either girl} has been telling her about it! So we actually happened to be in the parking lot for an entirely different reason, looked over and there it was! I cannot believe we've never eaten there. It is no joke, THE.BEST soft serve I have EVER had! I cannot wait to go back and looks like I might be puttin on a bit of weight here in the near future!

I love the way they have it decorated. I could have a field day shooting details inside! And would have, but the owner seemed a bit put off I was talking pictures inside. Boy what I'd give to be hired to shoot their ad work! Sigh...I want to be an on location product photographer for business' when I grow up! So here are just a couple detail shots...



I love the inside. So many little details to be shot! Nugget waiting as patiently as she can. We were all very excited for the many many topping options. And as you'll see, we got a little carried away...


I wish I could have taken pictures while we were serving. But that would've been a disaster! Left is mine baby! And yes, I ate every last drop. Top right is Haylee's and bottom right in Nuggets...


Now comes the part to weigh it! Wish I had a picture of the total...lol! $13 later and YUMMY time starts...


My mouth was drooling while taking these. MINE...all...MINE! That's a big bite! Cookies & Cream soft serve, Coconut {MY FAV}, crushed Twix, Chocolate Chips AND a brownie to top it off! Oh yeah, that's how I roll...


Nuggets after she's mashed it around a bit and Haylee's below. Don't even ask me what they put in their cups. I lost count after 10... {just kidding...maybe 9} lol...


I think I helped make up for this week, a little! She looks happy to me...


Nugget, as cute and silly as ever...


She was really into it...


There are also some nice flowers to look at while you pig out with no shame...


This is why we were actually in the parking lot. I was meeting my beautiful cousin, Shannon, to pick up some slicky hair smoothing stuff she bought me! She's a hair dresser and has the hook.up on prices. Whoot whoot! So my butt may be bigger, but my hair won't be frizzy. And check out that HOT purse sitting on the ground. That's my AWESOME Jo Tote camera bag! :)



Once we finished piggin out we headed to the park to run out the sugar high! I love going at this time of day and need to do so more often. We usually go when the sun is high and harsh. But today we were there about 4pm, so it was perfect and nice light!

PSA for all parents reading. If your child is obsessed with the swings like mine are, do not put them in jeans that have huge buttons on their tushes, or this is what your pictures will look like too...


When I say my kids are obsessed with the swings, I'm not exaggerating. If there aren't a lot of other kids at the park and they have the swings all to themselves, they will stay on them almost the entire time. Which happened this day, as you will see...


When the buttons hurt the tushy, flip over and swing on your belly...


I was sitting/laying on the ground in front her of shooting as she came close. It was SO much fun and I love these shots! Soooo Nugget...


I've never understood how she can space out off in the distance, then one second later have a goofy expression. She's a nut...


Sigh...I must explain this photo. Normally I wouldn't keep a shot like this. But it tells so much. The story of my life as a parent of 2 kids. Nugget was on this swing, the second she runs to get a drink, Haylee swipes it! I'm now telling Haylee that she cannot steal her sisters swing, hence the look on her face. But what's really funny is...Nugget. She is MAD and on her way to wallop her sister for taking her swing. This is truly....my Life as it Happens...


But boy do I love these girls! Even when Avyree gives me THAT look...


This is one of my FAVS. Nothing like a wide angle lens up close...


Now I'm laying on my back trying to get a different angle and I love it...


A quick cute pose...


Nugget happened to be sitting on the bench at the exact moment the clouds parted and let in a little spot light on her through the break in the trees. I love the light here...


I.don't.know but I love it...


This one makes my mommy/photographer heart sing. The edit in addition to the shot being totally OOF {out of focus} gives the feel of sadness and loneliness of a child! It moves me...


Same shot, but in focus with a different edit. Cute but I like the other one much more...

Last shot of the day! I love non face shots and this is so Avyree...dirty shirt and on the move...


Thanks for stoppin by! I hope everyone is doing well! :)