My house didn’t used to be the most terrifying on the block. Nope- before we brought Sirius home, Lily would only bark at the mailman & UPS guy. And sure, she’d growl at other people who had the audacity to move in the general vicinity of our street, but that’s normal. But now, neighborhood kids RUN past our house, because they know the second Sirius sees them, he’ll start barking like a maniac.

And of course, the running thing only exacerbates the problem (the whole “prey drive” thing), so really, it’s just best for everyone if they find an alternative route. Oh, and goodness forbid if another dog (or CAT- he hates those!) has the guts to walk by. All bets are off at that point.

And this is why we put Sirius in Doggy Day Camp whenever I have a workshop. Oy!

Yale University head shot portraits | Abby Grace Photography

As always, lessons learned/events that transpired over the past week!

  • I’ve given myself the title “the Halloween Heckler” due to my tendency to nag older kids with lame costumes. For example, a pair of middle-school-aged girls come to the door in knee socks, skirts, t-shirts, pigtails, black-framed glasses, and drawn-on freckles. “What are you supposed to be?” “I’m a nerd.” “You left your costume til the last minute, didn’t you? Well, here’s some candy, but I expect better of you next year.”
  • As if my barking dog didn’t already mark me as unlovable among neighborhood kids, that right there did it.
  • The best costume we saw? A little 6-year-old girl dressed in a fluffy white, sparkly fairy dress, wearing a tiara and whiskers, carrying a Nerf bow and arrow. “And what are you dressed as?” “I’m a fairy princess warrior! Oh, and I’m also a cat!” I don’t know anything about that little girl, except that is my hero. And she’s going to go far in life.
  • Last night Matt asked me “are you tired?” And I answered with “I don’t know what I am anymore.” Most defeated answer I could have possibly given to a simple question.
  • I LOVE New Haven, CT in the fall! I was up at Yale for a portrait session with the stunning Alicia Ann (see above), and as much as I love Virginia in the fall, I think New Haven might do autumn even better. I need to find a reason to move up to CT for the month of October.
  • I got heartburn last night! Like, really bad heartburn. We participated in our church’s annual chili cook-off, so I’m guessing that’s what caused it. Those TUMS commercials weren’t exaggerating- heartburn sucks!
  • In other news, I think I must have turned 40 yesterday.

Hermione after Hogwarts + house elf Halloween costume | Abby Grace Photography

Here are my & Lily’s costumes! I, being an adult, decided it was ok to have a last-minute costume, and settled on Hermione After Hogwarts. And then I made Lily into a house elf, because she already sorta resembles one. Do you like her authentic pillowcase tunic? I know, she looks fabulous. Sirius didn’t get a costume because he scares children, and thus doesn’t deserve to participate in Halloween.

House elf dog Halloween costume | Abby Grace Photography

PSST! My friend (and past bride!) Nicole is a fabulous stationer & designer and she just launched her website today! Go see it HERE– isn’t it lovely?! It feels like Kate Spade meets Bald Head Island!

Monday Mash-Up

November 2, 2015

  1. Shalese says:

    Ummmm no nerds I knew dress in skirts and knee socks. So glad you called them out!! hahaha

  2. Rebekah says:

    Those middle school girls definitely had some lame costumes; I’m glad you called them out on it. This was my first Halloween not working since I graduated from nursing school 4 years ago, so I had a great time seeing all the kids in their costumes. However, at one point, some girls came up to our house who were clearly (in my mind anyway) a bit too old to be trick or treating. When I closed the door, I told my husband “They were too old to be doing this. They had boobs!” HAHA! Also, Lily is adorable.

  3. Dad says:

    Sacrilege!!! Nothing is better than Virginia!!! Now you take that back!

  4. Jean says:

    In my younger days, a comment like that about their lame costumes would have gotten your windows soaped! I know that was ages ago, but it’s a fact. Love the Lily photo!

  5. Abbeigh says:

    I miss the fall so, so, so much in CT! Eastern NC is just not cutting it in the all-things-fall category. So I’ll move with you, ha!

  6. Sydni says:

    Bahaha this is the best post ever 🙂

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