J took this picture last night while playing around with the new camera. I’m not sure why (as the dog is completely out of focus), but I instantly fell in love with it.

The image, straight out of the camera:

After some post-processing on Photoshop:

Since purchasing the Canon EOS Rebel T1i, I have been completely overwhelmed by the plethora of photography resources available on the web. There always seems to be more to read, more to experiment with, and more to be learned.

Not to mention, photography is one expensive hobby!

What are your favorite photography resources on the web?

Second mystery of the day:

How did the puppy’s favorite toy end up in the bathtub?

I thought J put it there as a joke (we had just given the dog a bath) but he swears he didn’t.

Comang is a little guy – it is very improbable that he voluntarily placed the elephant into the bathtub.

My guess is that while “killing” the elephant (aka growling and shaking the poor little thing back and forth like a wild dog on Ritalin), the toy flew into the bathtub.

Or maybe the little guy decided that his favorite toy deserves a bath too.

Every time I come home, my dog thinks it’s amazing. He can’t believe that I’ve accomplished this again. I walk in the door. The joy of it almost kills him. “She’s back again! It’s her! It’s her!”

Love ya, buddy.

Sometimes the worst thing you can do for a person suffering from depression is to leave him or her alone.

I am well aware of this fact. However, as a natural introvert I shy away from company and gravitate toward the comforts of solitude. Where I can be alone with my thoughts of despair and disarray.

So it is fortunate timing that I am no longer alone 24×7.

Wait, not fortunate, but gracious.

God must’ve known this would come up. You can never get anything past Him, I tell ya.

Well before our coming forth with my depression, our pastor’s family asked two favors of us, both of which can only help me on my way to recovery.

The first was to ask me to come help babysit their 4-month-old son a couple of days a week.

Picture taken two days ago. Yep, he’s at that stage where
he wants to put everything and anything into his mouth.

Isn’t he the cutest little thing? I still remember seeing him at the hospital right after he was born and marveling at how tiny he was (he was a preemie). Now, he is at normal height and weight, reacting to stimuli and gurgling and crying just like the rest of ‘em.

I start babysitting next week. I think that getting out of the house on a semi-regular basis will definitely help establish a routine and a peace of mind. In addition, having someone be entirely reliant on me can only help reset my priorities.

The second favor involves someone I’ve written about before…

Yes, Comang the shih-tzu is back! And this time, for good. With the baby and a new apartment in a high-rise building, our pastor and his wife decided that it would be best for the dog to go to another family.

Forcing myself to walk Comang twice a day, clean up after him, and play with him does keep my mind away from its usual gloom and doom. Plus, it is a proven fact that dog owners are generally happier and healthier people. 

Both J and I love, love dogs. However, we have decided to wait to get a dog because we feel that it wouldn’t be fair to the animal as we are at work most of the day.

In the meantime, we show our appreciation and love for dogs via dog-sitting for friends and family.

Tomorrow, a friend (our pastor’s wife) will be giving birth via c-section. Since she will be in the hospital for at least a week recovering from the surgery and they will both be undoubtedly busy with the new baby, we volunteered to watch their shih tzu for a few weeks.

We’ve had him for 3 days now, and I can’t help but be attached already.

When I sit with my legs straight in front of me and place him on my legs, he goes into a trance-mode:

I love how small dogs lie on the ground with their hind legs spread out behind them:

Our pastor and his wife warned us that he can be very bad sometimes, but he’s been an angel so far. Or maybe it’s because J and I are so used to bad dogs that “normal” dogs seem very good in comparison.

I’ll be very sad to say good-bye when he leaves in two weeks. I can’t wait until we have more time in our lives to be able to get our own dog(s)!