The Ultimate Sacrifice!!

It's sessions like these that make me realise that I'm not just taking a picture, but doing SO much more by freezing these precious moments in time. Dad came home from Afghanistan just in time to see the birth of his 4th child. He wasn't due back for a few weeks after their little bundle was expected, but by the grace of God, all the stars aligned and he was granted early leave and thanks to this lil' Angel, he waited for his Daddy to arrive safely before he made his big debut into the world :) Thank you to all the military personnel who sacrifice all that you do (SO much more than we could ever imagine) for our freedom and safety. God bless you all and welcome home Officer "K"!!

365 Days of Gratefulness (Day 12)

365 Days of Gratefulness (Day 12) Today I'm Grateful for this AWESOME boot dryer that dries the soggiest of shoes in less than an hour. After today's early morning wet & soggy run, it came in extra handy :)

365 Days of Gratefulness (Day 11)

Today (and every single day) I'm Grateful for this BEAUTIFUL combination of glass and body that's a Match made in Heaven, assisting me in forever freezing these precious memories in time :)

365 Days of Gratefulness (Day 10)

Today, I'm grateful for having the willpower to refrain from pulling my hair out as I narrow down a newborn gallery to show?!? This is by far the HARDEST part of my job b/c I LOVE (and take) FAR too many pictures, but I'm SO thankful for these precious little faces I'm so honored and blessed to capture :)

365 Days of Gratefulness (Day 9)

Today I'm Grateful for this little Ray of Sunshine's sense of "style" and my ability to know which battles are worth picking :) Gotta love her socks & shoes. I'll miss these days when she no longer thinks it's cool to mismatch.

365 Days of Gratefulness (Day 8)

Today (and every single day), I'm SO grateful for our Police K9, Kopper. With a mouth full of teeth and a heart full of love, he would lay down his own life to protect my husband and any one of you. He's a loyal and a trusted companion like no other. An unfortunate event brought Kopper into our lives back in 2002. There was a group of upcoming Police K9's being shipped from Slovakia to the States in the cargo unit of an airplane. There was also a body that was packed in dry ice that was being shipped in the same compartment of the plane. Apparently, dry ice sucks the oxygen out of the air and when the airport personnel went to take the dogs off the plane, all the K9's were dead and they thought Kopper was as well. He was unconscious at the time, however, fortunately he survived that terrible tragedy (the SOLE K9 survivor) and a twist of fate brought him into our lives. The Department that initially had purchased him decided to back out because they didn't know if he'd have brain damage or if he'd now be *fit for duty*. He was then donated to a man in a wheelchair, however, he was "too much" dog with far too much energy for this man, so he brought him to the K9 training facility where my husband trains. I love it when you can see Divine intervention working right in front of your eyes............my hubby just so happened to be at K9 training with our 1st K9 when Kopper had been dropped off. After hearing the story, Rick said "this dog survived for a reason" and he then went to evaluate him. As it turns out, he was MORE than anything he could have ever dreamed to be partnered with and fortunately the man who brought him to K9 graciously donated him to Rick and the Trenton Police Department. Through the years that Rick and Kopper have worked together, he has proved time and time again, that he did indeed "survive for a reason". He was born to be a Police K9 and he has lived up to it's every name. He's turning 11 next month, yet every time my hubby starts to get dressed for work, you'd think he was a puppy as he eagerly awaits leaving for yet another shift :)


Guardians Of The Night
Author - Unknown

"Trust in me my friend for I am
your comrade. I will protect you
with my last breath When all
others have left you And the
loneliness of the night closes
in, I will be at your side.

Together we will conquer all
obstacles, And search out
those who might wish harm to
others. All I ask of you is
compassion, The caring touch
of your hands. It is for you that I
will unselfishly give my life And
spend my nights unrested.
Although our days together
May be marked by the passing
of the seasons Know that each
day at your side is my reward.

My days are measured by The
coming and going of your
footsteps. I anticipate them at
every opening of the door. You
are the voice of caring when I
am ill. The voice of authority
when I've done wrong.

Do not chastise me unduly For
I am your right arm, The sword
at your side. I attempt to do
only what you bid of me. I seek
only to please you and remain
in your favor.

Together you and I shall
experience A bond only others
like us will understand When
outsiders see us together Their
envy will be measured by their
disdain.

I will quietly listen to you And
pass no judgment, Nor will your
spoken words be repeated I will
remain ever silent, Ever vigilant,
ever loyal. And when our time
together is done And you move
on in the world Remember me
with kind thoughts and tales,
For a time we were unbeatable,
Nothing passed among us
undetected.

If we should meet again on
another street I will gladly take
up your fight, I am a Police
Working Dog and together We
are guardians of the night."

365 Days of Gratefulness (Day 7)

So, last night I *ATTEMPTED* to watch "I am Legend" (Will Smith) with my 15 year old son and OMGSH, NO wonder I have never watched it before. I lasted about 30 minutes before I was freaked out of my mind and had to shut it off. (And this was the Tv version, I can't imagine the other). So............Today I am more than Grateful for Disney and the wonderful movies they make to keep my little one happy and me grounded. LOL From now on, I think I'll stick to the old tapes and Dvd's in my entertainment center :)

365 Days of Gratefulness (Day 6)

Today I'm so Grateful for the 54 degree Sunny weather here in Michigan and the new found love I have for the City of Detroit. We spent the afternoon with great friends skating outside at CAMPUS MARTIUS in Detroit. I can't believe we've lived here all these years and I have never taken the kids there before. You'd never know we were in the heart of Detroit as we skated around next to a HUGE CHRISTmas tree and ate smores by a campfire on the street :) Being a Country Girl & having being raised up North, I've always had a distorted opinion of what Detroit is like, but after today, I have a new appreciation for this great City. Thanks for an awesome day Shannon & Lauren. We had SO much fun with you both!!

365 Days of Gratefulness (Day 5)

Today, I'm Grateful for my crazy 3 1/2 year old pup, Maverick, who no matter how COLD, no matter how EARLY, no matter how MANY times we've done this, he's always eager & excited to go for a run with me. With the exception of wiping me out one time while we were running, he's always a joy to have alongside. I sure wish I shared the same excitement he does when we venture out :)

365

365 Days of Gratefulness (Day 4)

Today (and every single day), I'm so incredibly GRATEFUL that God blessed ME with the most wonderful, loving, caring, amazing, incredible, patient, kind hearted/gentle Mother I could ever ask for!!!! Although our time here on Earth was cut FAR TOO short, I am forever grateful for the 36 years of love, compassion and guidance my Mother poured her heart and soul into sharing with my brother and I (as well as, everyone she met). She taught me so many valuable lessons about life, but most importantly, she taught me about LOVE.........the kind of love that is unconditional, forgiving and always, ALWAYS there (whether here on Earth or in Heaven above, nobody and nothing can take her love away from me and for that, I am forever grateful.). I cherish my Mother's love and HUGE heart and always say if I can be even just half the mother she was to me, I'd be one pretty amazing Mom :) Words cannot even begin to express how much I miss my Mom, but I thank God for His grace and mercy and for His promise of eternity. One glorious day, we'll all be together again. As for today, I'll cherish this photograph and the many wonderful memories of my Mother that I hold so very near and dear to my heart.

As I think of my loving Mother and look at this picture, I'm reminded of a poem I read @ her funeral and how very true it is:
“I am fooling only myself when I say my mother exists now only in the photograph
on my bulletin board or in the outline of my hand or in the armful of memories I
still hold tight. She lives on in everything I do. Her presence influenced who I
was, and her absence influences who I am. Our lives are shaped as much by those
who leave us as they are by those who stay. Loss is our legacy. Insight is our gift.
Memory is our guide.” ~unknown author

365 Days of Gratefulness (Day 3)

With a wind chill of ZERO, I'm very Grateful for my treadmill this morning :)

365 Days of Gratefulness (Day 2)

‎365 days of Gratefulness (Day 2) For those of you who know me & how much I dislike being cold, this is HUGE for me today. However, b/c of the lack of snow in Michigan (we've had NONE), today I'm grateful for God showering down a beautiful blanket of white snow this morning :) (Now, we just need a little more to make it worth venturing out to play in).

365 days of Gratefulness Challenge :)

Thanks to my dear friend Laurie, I'm going to join her in her 365 day of gratefulness challenge (with an added twist) of posting one thing I'm grateful for each day. The added twist (and challenge for me) will be to also take & post a picture of what I'm grateful for each day :) Does anyone want to join us in this year of gratefulness and being thankful for what we do have (despite any circumstances we're going through)? Although this is just a snapshot @ midnight when my eyes were barely being held open by toothpicks, the first thing I'm grateful for this year (and each & every day) is these BEAUTIFUL, HAPPY, HEALTHY, ENERGETIC, AMAZING and WONDERFUL blessings God has entrusted me to raise. Today, I'm SO incredibly grateful for these 3 beating hearts that pump SO much LOVE through my veins each and every day :) Happy New Year everyone!!