Tonight after work I took Magda to the dog park to burn off some of this crazy energy she has. Thank God for dog parks! She had a blast, and is now curled up asleep (hooray!). So many butts to sniff and so much running to do. And let's not forget the "romantic gestures" from the whippet. Who can blame him though? She is pretty dang cute.

This is an image from a few weeks ago when we took Merlin for ice cream for his birthday. He loves ice cream -- clearly, we're related. And you should have seen the delight on his face upon discovering the cone itself was edible (and then swallowing the whole thing in one bite). It was adorable.Anyway, I'm posting this photo of him a) because I didn't get home from work tonight until after 8:30 and I'm way too beat to take a fresh shot (sorry) and b) because we've got some news on Merlin here. Turns out his liver numbers from his annual physical came back pretty high. In fact, the doctors now aren't even sure his hip problems are from arthritis, but they might be from muscle loss due to liver issues. We're taking him in next week for a half day of testing to check for things like cushings disease, hepatitis or cancer, but at this point it's pretty early. And on top of all that, his eye is swollen back up, and the poor guy just doesn't even look like himself.And yeah, this brings back a lot of reminders of Memphis.The good news in all of this? (If you could call it that) is that our vet, who is the best vet in the history of vets, continues to blow me away with her caring and her responsiveness. She called me on Monday to go over his tests and check in on his eye, and then said I could email her if I had any questions. Tonight around 9 I emailed her with a few questions about his swollen eye and some other symptoms we're seeing and within 20 minutes I had a long, detailed response from her. Now THAT is service.So if you need a vet for your critters, I highly suggest Heather Stadtherr at Grand Avenue Vet in St. Paul. That woman continues to blow me away with her caring about my crazy dogs.Oh, and also? That is totally lipstick all over Merlin's nose in that image. I love kissin' that big snout.

I really wasn't going to post another photo of this cutie today... but look at how she established this little perch for herself on top of our blanket basket! Sigh. It's a good thing she's this cute because holy cow, she can be a terror. Like when she wakes us up at 4:30 am by jumping on our heads with her claws and teeth bared, wanting to PLAY PLAY PLAY. We are so exhausted that I imagine this is what new parents feel like. They probably get even less sleep, but I bet their kids aren't this bitey and scratchy (yet).And in other Important News of the Day, today was a big one. Today I gave my notice at the Star Tribune (and vita.mn). My last day will be June 21 (or around there). Before you get all curious, nothing bad happened. I helped to launch vita.mn six and a half years ago, and it has been my design baby -- especially after I got to redesign it in 2011. I have learned so, so much from this job, and I have had the pleasure of working with so many amazingly talented people. This was an incredibly hard decision for me, and I am not taking it lightly. After all, I've been working in newsrooms since I was 16. So this is going to be strange for me, to say the least.Part of the reason I made this decision is that I'm ready to keep learning and exploring and pushing myself further, and I think I'm ready to try my hand at photography full time. I'm just now entering my busy season, and I've had some amazing opportunities lately that I've had to turn down due to too many obligations. I really want to open up my schedule a bit so that if more of these chances come up, I can jump at them. So I'll cut back one of my jobs and now stick to two of them (I will still teach at the U in the fall).This, of course, means that I will have more time for shooting and more opportunities for client work. So if you've been thinking of booking a shoot with me, this would be a fantastic time. Also, I'll take this moment to remind everyone that for each referral I get from you, you get $25 off your next session. So spread the word!

Check out this lovely lady! I had a shoot today with the wonderful Alexandra, and I was so glad that the weather held and we had the chance to catch up. Sure, sure, sure it was fun to take her photo as well because, well, she's pretty easy to photograph, let's be honest, but also I like this woman a lot. She is very calming and she always leaves me thinking about my life and my choices after our shoots. Very zen like.I also picked up a shift at the Star Tribune today... which was not exactly zen like, but was extremely productive.And best of all? Soon I'll be able to share fresh bathroom photos with you -- the floor is almost done! The tub is being put in this week! And in SEVEN DAYS (or so), I may have a working shower. I might throw a party.

I took a break this afternoon from housework (and work work) to get a few snaps of the dogs. I am trying to spend a few minutes every day with Magda in the studio getting her used to the flash. Since she hasn't learned the "stay" command yet, this is difficult to say the least. We'll get there though! Jamie was helping me out, and I love in this photo how WONDERFUL Merlin is being (because he's a superstar), and then there's that spazz in the background with the flying ears. Too funny.Overall, things are working out just fine with Ms. Magda and Merlin. They seem to know their boundaries and there has been no violence, just a showing of teeth, which is fine.I didn't really get into Merlin's health in yesterday's post, but he's having some pain in his hips that has moved beyond preventative treatment. The medicine that our vet suggested would be best for him is an injection that he gets twice a week for a month, then it lessons to once a month. Soooooo, I had to learn how to do that yesterday. I'm sure it will be fine, but wow, talk about being a caregiver. In the last few years I've cooked meals, distributed multiple pills in weekly containers and now learning how to give shots weekly. And you know what? These critters are totally worth it. (Also, Merlin doesn't appear to mind at all, thank God).

A day of many firsts! Miss Magda had her first vet appointment, her first dog party and her first bath (with us, anyway). And all of that was pretty exhausting. And on top of all that, I got my Internet back... at 8 pm. Stunningly, it was not the wiring in our house as Century Link suspected (ahem). But let's focus on the good stuff.One of the best parts of having a puppy around is seeing the discovery as she learns and has new experiences. I've heard parents say the same thing about kids, and it makes you see the delight in such small things, like butterflies and tennis balls.I did take photos of her in the bathtub today, but the sweet thing wouldn't make eye contact, and I wanted to comfort her instead of document her, so I didn't get the best shots of it. That's why you get this image of Telekinesis from last night instead. Plus? We've had a ton of canines around here lately -- about time I got back to the music. You an see the full set over here. Enjoy!

How handsome is this guy? This is Prince, and I got to photograph him this afternoon in the studio. But the best part? Other than how he sat on my lap several times during the session? (And I bet he weighs in at about 100 lbs.) That would be when I let him outside to play with Magda and he WORE THAT GIRL OUT. And? Merlin even jumped in to play, throwing his paws down and such. It's so wonderful to see the pep returning in my 10-year-old guy.Oh, and then after that it was just another normal day where you have a cat come into the studio and dress it up in six different costumes posing around props for photos. Yeah, my life is surreal. But seriously? That cat (whose name is Putin!!) was so easy and mellow and well behaved that it took less than an hour. AMAZING.And then! Then I took a three hour nap and woke up and thought it was tomorrow. Hahahaha! But learning that it was, in fact, still Friday, we decided to head down to First Avenue and catch Telekenesis, who I love and adore. So overall? Today was fantastic. This summer is looking to bring great things, I tell you.* Update! I still don't have internet, in case you're keeping score. And thank you Dunn Bros. for keeping your wifi up and running after hours so that I may blog from my car.