I felt like I was in an episode of ‘Storm Chasers’ the evening I went out to photograph Samantha and her three year old stallion, Signal Fire.  We were lucky enough to have just over an hour of calm weather between the storms and the lighting was magnificent.   These two have a great bond together that really came through in the photos.

A different sort of post from me this time — in honor of Veterans Day

My last post included preview photos for the family I met this past Sunday and I mentioned Gordy, the Percheron that was just retired from the Old Guard.  Based at Fort Myer in VA, the Old Guard is the Caisson platoon of the 3^rd U.S. Infantry Regiment.   The mission for the horses of the Old Guard is to escort fallen soldiers to their final resting place. In just the past few years, they also have served to help with the rehabilitation, both physically and mentally, of wounded soldiers.    

Earlier that same Sunday, I had the absolute pleasure of hearing my dad, a retired Marine Corps Colonel, speak at his church. He shared two stories of faith from his time during the Vietnam war. While we all listened intently to his every word, I had to keep telling myself to smile a little bit to hold back the tears that wanted to flood out. I am extremely proud of the service my dad has given our country and I’m extremely grateful he is with us today to tell us about it.  

My husband also served six years in the Marine Corps and fought in Desert Storm. We didn’t meet until his final year in the Corps but now that we’ve been together over 15 years, it feels like I must have known him then as well. The USMC is a part of him, just as it is for my dad, that makes him a wonderful father, spouse and friend. I am of course grateful that he came home safely from Iraq and we met and fell in love.  

 I didn’t really process how fitting it was to meet Gordy just days before Veterans Day until a couple days ago. He is truly a gentle giant with kind eyes that make you wonder all that they’ve seen. Today is the day we officially honor all military veterans that have honorably served our country. I want to specifically say thank you to my Dad, my husband… and to Gordy.

Halloween was all treats for me this year and part of the fun was meeting this fabulous pair from Cavallo Farm.  Miles is a 10 year old Warmblood cross (I think the cross part is lapdog as he is a total sweetheart). They are both simply gorgeous and Jessie and her mom couldn’t have been any sweeter. I can’t wait to get all the photos processed and here’s just a little sneak peek for them!