I've thoroughly enjoyed my week with Jack & Ender. The boys got along swimmingly and we had the greatest time hanging out and enjoyed our hikes/walks. Washington is a gorgeous state and Ender and I had such a great time exploring. My much needed week of alone time is coming to a close and I'm so excited to hangout with my second family for a few days! Much more exploring to be had! Get ready for more photos of Washington and humans! I hope you are all enjoying your May!

Quality time with my pup reminds me how perfect we are for each other, our imperfections compliment each other and he has taught me so much about how to maneuver life and grow as a human being. I'm so lucky to have found such a wonderful creature.

       It has been quite sometime since I've posted anything on this blog and I'm feeling pretty guilty about it. Not to you guys, because I'm pretty sure there are 3 of you who actively check this thing (thanks homies), but to myself for various reasons I wont dig into now. But get ready for some finger puke because I've jumped into this post without any direction really. :)
       So many wonderful opportunities have slapped me in the face recently and it took a few hours in a car by myself to really understand how lucky I have been this year. Ender and I drove up to Seattle from the San Francisco Bay Area a few days ago and 45 minutes into my 13 hour long drive I couldn't stop smiling. Its funny how the second I've got some time to myself I actually start to appreciate the things in my life. I've had so many doors open for me and so many people pushing me and helping me along, so many people picking me up when I stumble, I can't even begin to explain how thankful and appreciative I am for the people who are in my life. That being said... this alone time has been a godsend. I am unbelievably thankful for all of the people in my life but there is something about being alone that is... intoxicatingly invigorating. Having time to recharge my batteries makes me truly appreciate all the people in my life, loving and supporting me. I like to embrace these fleeting moments of pure bliss, because my brain has a funny way of tearing them right from my fingertips, so as the feelings are here and spilling out of me I'd like to take a second to tell everyone in my life that I adore every single one of you and appreciate everything that you do for me. 

So this turned into a quick soppy love note from me to you... I'm not really sure how that happened... but it did. I hope you all enjoy your weekend and this photo of me making Ender cuddle me. Expect more soon.

I just realized that I missed this week previously, haha, and unfortunately I've hurt my wrist and can't even hold my dang camera. Typing this is actually a quest in itself. The week I had missed is "headshot" which is pretty self explanatory. Luckily headshot are some of my favorites to take so I've got a lot to put up. Here are some of my favorites.

There you go! A few of my favorite head shots. I have so many more, honestly. These were the easiest to find. I enjoy shooting people the most so I have hundreds to go through. I'm also discovering how badly typing hurts my stupid wrist. So Ender and I shall bid you adieu with a photo of us, expressing how we both feel about my wrist and not being able to do our normal exercise routines. Hoping you all enjoy your week... Springtime and such. 

All our love,
Hannah & Ender

Luke! Okay... this little guy... I have no words to explain how wonderful and goofy this gremlin is. He is almost a year old and is completely trained, off leash reliable and everything! He was trained at Bay Area Family K9 Training and if interested you could go there and learn what he knows! This 35 pound bulldog mix is an absolute gem. He is the sweetest, goofiest, cutest munchkin alive. He loves to play but doesn't need a ton of exercise. His favorite thing to do is cuddle. The second you start to rub his side he leans into you, full body weight. He walks perfectly on leash and has no prey drive. Seriously, a cat or squirrel could stare him in the face, taunt him to chase, and he'd just stare and lay down. He's also amazing with other dogs. He greets every dog with a happy butt sniff and wants to play, he ignores dogs that lunge at him (on and off leash) and he has also learned that some dogs have boundaries and don't want to be bothered. He is an all around awesome mutt who just wants a family/couple/or person to love him. For those of you interested or know of anyone interested please let me know! It has been quite an emotional roller coaster though, I must admit. (sad rant coming up)

The reason this process has been emotional is not because of Luke but because of the people who have expressed interest in him. I've had quite a few people who have wanted him (because WHO WOULDN'T?!) but the most recent couple interested in him decided not to take him. When they told me they were no longer interested, I was a little bummed and confused because they were absolutely in love with him. I asked what made them decide against him and they said "we have reservations about him being a pitbull." I'm utterly shocked. Sometimes I forget how deep the pitbull stigma runs. To meet a dog they absolutely love, who is completely trained, and perfect for them and for them to say no purely because he is a pitbull... I just can't believe it. This last bit was just for me. Sorry for those who read it and didn't want to, I'm just really... sad. 

Other than that last bit... If you are interested in him or know of anyone who may be, let me know! haha

A few posts back I briefly wrote about a new trade I was picking up. I didn't, however, say what that trade was. Well get ready because I'm now learning how to restore, repair, and tune pianos. What? Why? Honestly, I don't know. The opportunity presented itself to me and I said..."Why not?" I had no idea what to expect when I jumped into this new trade but in the few weeks since I've started I've learned that patience truly is key. I think the universe is trying to tell me something. All of the trades I have picked up recently requires patience. I have none of it.
I'm most impatient with myself, I expect to pick things up quickly and perfectly but apparently thats "unproductive" and "detrimental to (my) growth." Hahaha. Wonderful. So not only am I learning how to tune pianos by ear, I'm practicing patience. Its exhausting. 

This week's challenge was to do a faceless portrait. I had so many ideas in mind and was very excited for this week's challenge but busyness consumed my week and I had to shoot what was available. I am still pretty happy about how these turned out, even though I shot them pretty quickly during a lesson, but I've got to work with what I've got, right? So here is my new teacher working on a piano. I'm super excited to start mastering the art of tuning.

I've received a lot of questions about Ender's pack and I cannot believe its taken me this long to write about an item that I love so much. Groundbird gear is a small company with a passion for high quality products. Originally designed for thru-hiking, these packs are not only gorgeous and completely customizable, they are also unbelievably durable! When I started searching for a pack last summer, I couldn't find anything that was worth the cost; the packs I looked at ranged from $190 to 250$. but I was worried about them slipping around on my pups back or fitting uncomfortably around his oddly-shaped body. Having a lovely concoction of a mutt (Rhodesian Ridgeback/Staffy/Amazingness) makes finding dog gear difficult sometimes. I didn't want to spend 200$ on something that may or may not fit right. Then I found Groundbird gear. This company is almost too good to be true and has completely changed our hiking lifestyle. For 170$, I got a harness sewn to Ender's measurements, and a pack with colors of my choice! I loved it so much that I convinced my friend to get one for her mutt (Golden Retriever/Greyhound/Pure Bliss), and now these two are the cutest hiking duo around. They are constantly complimented on their packs while we are on the trail, and I always make sure to express how amazing these packs are. 

Ender is sporting the Trekking Roll Top pack in Forest Green and Dark Red Wine. Riley has on the Weekend Zipper Top Pack in the Americana color scheme. The zipper pack is really nice to get in and out of, but I personally like the look of the roll top better. One of my favorite things about these packs is how well they stay on. These two pups romped in the grass, wrestling, sprinting, and chasing one another for 30 minutes, and the packs weren't even close to coming off. They stay perfectly balanced on the dogs back--keeping the weight evenly distributed--which prevents the dogs from hurting their backs. I can't emphasize enough how much I love these products. It’s worth mentioning that Groundbird Gear didn't ask me to write anything about them, I just love this company so much that I couldn't help it. Thanks so much for reading!

All our love,
Hannah & Ender xx

Photo Challenge number FIVE. I was challenged to do a macro shot of candy. Guess who fudged the rules again?? ME. haha forever fudging rules, I guess. I did a macro shot but not of candy. I really don't have candy lying around so I pulled out my 50mm, went on a hike, and shot whatever I caught my eye. Then I found this adorable little creature...

I don't know what kind of mushroom this is but I saw him peeking through the wet dead leaves and couldn't help but stare. The cap a had this thick layer of shiny goo that looked oddly delicious and it was just tall enough to catch my attention. I spent a moment imagining myself as a tiny person running across this shelter from the rain. I'd stay there for the day, waiting for the storm to pass. This was way better than candy.