One Tough Summer

    This summer was an eventful one in good ways and bad. We sold our house in the spring and the buyer changed their mind. Then we sold it again, got down to two weeks before the moving date and found out the date would have to be moved back two more weeks. The whole process was very stressful and exhausting but we finally got moved.
    We were already outside of Charlotte but we wanted to move a little further out and downsize. It has been a tough adjustment but we like it. We don't have to climb stairs all day long since we are on one level with only a bonus room upstairs. The toughest adjustment for me was loosing the yard and privacy. We had half an acre before and all woods behind us. Now we have a fenced in yard but a much smaller one and zero trees out back. We have plans for the yard so I'm excited to see what we can do to make it pretty.
    The hardest part of the summer was losing our precious cat, Biscuit. On the very day we were supposed to move (if it had not been delayed by two weeks), she disappeared. We did not keep a litter box in the house because we had no place for one. No laundry room or utility room, etc. So she came in and out throughout the day and slept in the garage at night. Every night at bedtime I checked on her and gave her food. It was nothing unusual to not see her - but when I didn't that night I knew in my gut something wasn't right.
    We put out posters, flyers, posted online, etc. but heard nothing. Up until we moved I found myself constantly looking for her and listening for her bell. Just when I accepted she was gone, a lady in a neighborhood beside ours contacted me and said she may have seen her. So I went through the heartache again of searching and calling and praying for her return with no luck.
    I have had several pets that passed away before and it is always so hard. But this one was so gut-wrenching for me, not only because I loved her, but because I didn't know what happened to her. Biscuit was a very guarded cat and she stayed close to home. I never saw her leave our side of the cul-de-sac we lived in. Not knowing if she was dead or alive - always wondering if she was out in the woods somewhere alone - it has been difficult to wipe those thoughts from my mind and move on.
    People keep asking if I will get another cat, but I don't plan to any time soon. I miss her so much still, but at least we have our dog, Jessie. She gives us that special love that only a pet can give. Jessie and Biscuit had a love/hate relationship, but I know Jessie misses her sister, too.

Spring Family Portraits

    I have really been a slacker so far in 2017. I can't believe I have gone this long without posting. We have been planning a move since January and I guess that has been consuming my time. We decided to downsize so we could be on one level, have less to care for and less to pay for.
    It has been a long and frustrating process, but we finally have our house sold and we are buying a home a little further out from Charlotte. It's not completely one level - there is a bonus room over the garage, which will become the "man cave." I have had very mixed emotions about moving because we have been in our home 15 years and I love the neighborhood and our neighbors. But we are ready for a lighter load to bear in a lot of ways, and I think a change will be good.
    Before the moving craziness began, I had the pleasure of taking spring pics of my one of my favorite families and longtime friends. I have photographed my good friend Crystal's family many times and I have enjoyed watching them grow up in my photos. I'm happy that she has trusted me so many times with capturing her family.