Roxanne Rustand's Blog, page 19

Debra Clopton says, "Don't You Just Love Wrinkles?!!" In dogs, that is!

Guest blogger Debra Clopton

I fell in love in 2001 with a little brown ball of wrinkles when our family decided we wanted a puppy. My sons wanted something a little different so we decided on a Chinese Sharpei—or as some call them, a Wrinkled Dog. Bogie was the cutest little thing with the greatest personality. (I featured him as a puppy in my book NEXT DOOR DADDY ) Bogie was wrinkled all over and as you can see in the photo he had a huge nose! We named him Bogie after Humphrey Bogart the famous actor with a slightly large nose J.

We soon found our little Bogie loved to climb, he was more like a cat than a dog in many ways, he hated water and batted at things with his paws like a cat would (with his paws cupped inward). We found his love of climbing after things began to disappear mysteriously from our desks. We would come home and find things missing, it took us a while to realize that our puppy, who was about a foot tall at the time could climb up onto a kitchen chair twice his height and then move up from there…as in the kitchen table or desktop. We discovered his secret when we came home from church one day and found him asleep in the middle of the kitchen table! From then on out we always had to make sure all chairs were moved away from the tables when we'd leave home. Of course that didn't stop him from climbing on the back of the couch where he would perch and watch for us to return.

Our Bogie brought much joy into our lives for the nine years we were blessed to have him with us. And as a result of his wonderful personality I know he helped enhance my ability to write fun animals into my stories.

Like the fun we had with him in our lives I find it great fun to put animals in my stories and I love allowing them to cause a little chaos in the process! Like for instance in many of my books Samantha the mischievous donkey shows up to shake things up in her own special way. Samantha is a reader favorite after appearing in my second Mule Hollow book AND BABY MAKES FIVE. I always have the best time finding ways to have her come into a Mule Hollow book to cause a little trouble and say hello to my readers…stay tuned for my next book in this series, HER HOMECOMING COWBOY where Samantha makes her next appearance.

Speaking of animals, lol in my newest book HER LONE STAR COWBOY on shelves now, I decided to go to the county fair an involve a whole host of animals in a little mischife making. Yup you guessed right if you think the cows, chickens, and rabbits cause quite a ruckus—it was a really fun part of the book for me to write…not so sure what my hero Jess thought about the trouble they caused but I kinda feel like we have differing opinions on the subject! Then again I'm not the one who got caught up in the big middle of the fiasco that Jess Holden finds himself in. I hope you'll pick up a copy of the book and see if you get a good chuckle out of the County fair incident that all of Mule Hollow is talking about.

Thank you for letting me come here and talk about my boys, my Bogie and my books–my very favorite things to talk about…God really blessed me when He put them all in my life.

Read on down for a chance to win a FREE copy of  Debra's  new book!

HER LONE STAR COWBOY

~ A Cowboy's Word ~

Love Inspired

On sale April 1

The link to harlequin is http://bit.ly/H49Rdw

With his harrowing childhood behind him, cowboy Jess Holden made some promises to himself. He'll remain a bachelor. Won't ever get involved with a certain kind of woman. But then he rescues a lovely newcomer—and two scared calves—from a flashflood in the middle of Texas Hill Country.

Not only is veterinarian's assistant Gaby Newberry a reminder of his past she's a granddaughter of a Mule Hollow Matchmaker! But as sweet, spunky Gabi tends ailing cattle on his ranch, Jess begins to discover that some promises are meant to be broken.

 

Debra Clopton, AWARD WINNING AUTHOR & SERIES–

Have you been to Mule Hollow yet?

Find Debra's books and catch the buzz at: http://debraclopton.com/http://debraclopton.com

March 2011Classic reissue THE TROUBLE WITH LACY BROWN & AND BABY MAKES FIVE

April 2011 A MOM FOR MULE HOLLOW–NOVELLA (SMALL TOWN MOM'S)

Mule Hollow Homecoming Trilogy:

HER RODEO COWBOY Sept 2011 (Book 1–Luke)

HER LONE STAR COWBOY April 2012 (Book 2–Jess)

HER HOMECOMING COWBOY August 2012 (Book 3–Colt)

May 2012 Classic reissue NO PLACE LIKE HOME & DREAM A LITTLE DREAM

DEBRA WILL BE DRAWING A NAME FROM THOSE WHO LEAVE COMMENTS HERE, AND THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF HER NEW BOOK!  BE SURE TO CHECK BACK OVER THE WEEKEND TO SEE IF YOU HAVE WON.  GOOD LUCK!

Author Katy Lee: Rescued Animals Bring Reward

by Guest Blogger Katy Lee

Before I became a writer, I worked in many jobs. Real Estate was one of them. I have to be honest though, I was not a big fan of this job. But I always felt God's call to stay with it and push on, and every now and then, He would give me little signs of affirmation that I was following His will, and I was exactly where He wanted me.

Well, one of these times happened right after a closing that had gone horribly wrong, with attorneys yelling at each other and the buyers in tears.  I said to myself this job is too stressful for me and not worth the hassle. Then to top it off, after the closing we went back to the house and my buyers opened their garage to find two kittens locked inside. This was the last straw for my buyers. They wanted me to call the attorneys and get them involved, but I picked up the kittens and took it as another sign that I was right where I was supposed to be. Not to mention my kids would be delighted to see their mom come home from work with two kittens in her hands.

So that is how Princess Kitty and Randy Travis Kitty came to live with us. And as you can see, they put up with kids rather well.

Eventually, my time as a Realtor came to an end, but when it did, God made it very clear that door was now closed and it was Him doing the closing. For my obedience to Him, I was rewarded with many blessings, but the two most precious and loving ones are our two cats that came to our home and completed our family.

 

Katy Lee writes higher purpose stories in high speed worlds. As an inspirational-romantic-suspense author, speaker, children's ministry director, and home-schooling mom, she loves to share tales of love, from the greatest love story ever told to those sweet romantic stories of falling in-love.

Her debut novel, Real Virtue is out in e-book format, and will be available in paperback this coming September. You can find it through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, starting April 9th, 2012.

She is giving away an e-copy today to one lucky commenter, so be sure to chime in with comments or a question!

She will announce the winner on Friday, so be sure to stop back and look at her final comment here, so you can see if you have won!

Jessica Nelson, and Love on the Range

Guest blogger Jessica Nelson writes..

As a child, I thought animals could understand me when I spoke to them. My mom's boyfriend (who hailed from Florida) bought a chocolate lab he called Gator when I was in third grade. Gator was supposed to be a bird dog but he acted more like a family dog.  I adored Gator, and he adored me and my sisters.

Chocolate Labradors are wonderful family pets. They're filled with enthusiasm and good-natured excitement. Gator, to the dismay of mom's boyfriend, got spoiled when we were with him. We pet him and hugged him and I told him all my secrets, believing he'd understand me.

Eventually my mom married her boyfriend and Gator became our pet. Sure, his purpose was to hunt birds but that never mattered to me. I loved sitting with him and playing my school-issued recorder. I was a moody child, sometimes excitable, many times teary, and nothing was more soothing than to go out and sit with our animals, especially Gator.

When Gator disappeared, I was heartbroken. He'd been an easy ear, a sweet companion (even if he did repeatedly knock my little sister over in his excitement). We had other animals but sometimes you have a pet that just seems different. Not necessarily more special, but one you connect with more.

In Love On The Range, my hero tames the wild Kiger horses of Oregon by talking to them (yep, like the Horse Whisperer).  Did you ever have a special pet? Did you find yourself talking to him or her?

LOVE ON THE RANGE

Jessica Nelson

Love Inspired Historical

April, 2012

Any other socialite would view being packed off to a remote

Oregon ranch as a punishment. But Gracelyn Riley knows

that this is her opportunity to become a real reporter. If she

can make her name through an interview with the elusive hero

known as Striker, then she'll never have to depend on anyone

ever again.

Rancher Trevor Cruz can't believe his secret identity is being

endangered by an overly chatty city girl. But if there's one thing

he knows, it's that Gracie's pretty little snooping nose is bound

to get her in trouble. So he'll use her determination to find

"Striker" to keep an eye on her…and stick close by her side.

Jessica Nelson, in keeping with her romantic inclinations, married two days after she graduated high school. She believes romance happens every day, and thinks the greatest, most intense romance comes from a God who woos people to himself with passionate tenderness. When Jessica is not chasing her three beautiful, wild little boys around the living room, she can be found staring into space as she plots her next story. Or she might be daydreaming about a raspberry mocha from Starbucks. Or thinking about what kind of chocolate she should have for dinner that night. She could be thinking of any number of things, really. One thing is for certain, she is blessed with a wonderful family and a lovely life.

Website: http://www.jessicanelson.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJessicaNelson

Prepared in advance…by a very special dog

Welcome to today's special blog guest, Connie Almony

Ephesians 2:10

Before I knew much about God or how He worked, I prayed He would make me a good mom. So as a believer of the doctrine, "God helps those who help themselves," I set out to make that happen. I read books on child development, studied psychology and worked as a day-care counselor. I was ready—or so I thought.

Then God threw me for a loop. He gave me a child with autism. And though some of the above training and experience I accrued helped, nothing prepared me like the unexpected events God threw in along the way.

Shortly after the above-mentioned prayer, my sister moved to Kansas. On the day she packed her last belongings in a moving truck, I asked her, "What are you going to do about your dog?" Jan looked at me with pleading in her eyes and I knew that question was mine to answer. I had to figure out what to do with the untrained, allergy-riddled dog that tore up my belongings every time I visited. Great.

So I took her in with the sole purpose of finding her a home—not mine. Within one week her beautiful fur began to fall out, her skin festered with sores and she licked uncontrollably until her skin flamed red. I took her to the vet only to be referred to a doggy dermatologist.

Really?!

Five to eight hundred dollars later (I can't remember exactly—it's all a blur now), I found out she was allergic to just about everything, and would require a special diet, regular medicine and weekly shots that I'd have to administer. All for a dog I didn't even like.

In the process of getting her well, I trained her. I know, a novel idea … at least to my sister. Turned out she was not as evil as I'd originally thought. She just needed to learn some manners, not to mention gain freedom from the constant, nagging itch that plagued her every, waking moment. And then it happened. I fell in love with her. She became my baby and eventually slept beside me at night. A wonderful friend.

Years later, I would tell people she was an angel sent from God to teach me how to be a good mom. In fact, I learned more from her than the books and child-care experience combined. There is nothing like having a living being, who looks to you as its sole means of survival, counting on you alone. Very different from the children I gave back to their parents at 5PM every day, and not seeing them at all when they were sick.

So, as I told people God gave her to me for this purpose, I'd chuckle, "I guess He's gonna give me a high-maintenance child." Then my son came. My wonderful, sweet, loving … and yes, sometimes high maintenance, son. The son who needs special training, special medicine and special diets. Just as God had prepared.

About Connie..

Connie's experience includes working as a Christian Counselor in Columbia, Maryland. Though she no longer counsels, she continues to work with wonderful people in this field. She has been married almost twenty years to a man who graciously encourages her new writing obsession, and has two beautiful children who inspire her to become all she can be.

Connie hosts the blog Living the Body of Christ created to encourage readers to use the gifts God gave them. She also writes for InfiniteCharacters.com, a group blog dedicated to guide writers in their pursuit of a dream, and readers in their pursuit of a good read.

Connie Almony
Using God's gifts

Author Susan Sleeman asks, What do cats and a free e-book have in common?

Susan Sleeman here. Seems unlikely that I could find a connection between my cozy mystery e-book Nipped in the Bud that is free on Amazon this week and our cat, but hey, I'm a writer and I can stretch.

I will admit right up front that our cat Cali owns us. We adopted her as a kitten for my youngest daughter. Cali chooses when and or if she wants to be touched or even seen. In fact, she has only willingly let three people touch her since she was a kitten. She's a tortoiseshell and they are very finicky cats. She hisses at everyone but me, my husband, and one of my daughters. We live in Florida and travel to visit our children in Oregon three or four times a year and in four years, the woman who comes to our house to feed Cali while we are gone has only seen her one time. The only way she knows Cali's alive is because the food and water disappears.

Finicky or not she's fun to have around the house as she does the unexpected. All the time. Like when I bought a decorative basket for our table. When I bought it, I didn't know what I wanted to put in it. So I set it on the table as I thought about it and as you can see by the picture, she solved that problem for me. Of course, based on experiences with shoeboxes, I should have known.  :)

So here's the connection to Nipped in the Bud. The book's main character Paige Turner is a fun, quirky character who you never know what she'll do next. She says and does the unexpected all the time. That keeps the readers on their toes, and honestly, the writer on my toes, as I never know what's coming next with Paige. Since this is a cozy mystery, I have my hands full working out the trouble Paige gets herself into.

So if you like the unexpected, you should hop over to Amazon before midnight on March 24th and you can try Nipped in the Bud for free!

SUSAN SLEEMAN is a best-selling author of inspirational romantic suspense and mystery novels. She grew up in a small Wisconsin town where she spent her summers reading Nancy Drew and developing a love of mystery and suspense books.

Today, she channels this enthusiasm into writing romantic suspense and mystery novels and hosting the popular internet website TheSuspenseZone.com.

Susan currently lives in Florida, but has had the pleasure of living in nine states. Her husband is a church music director and they have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law and an adorable grandson.

To learn more about Susan visit her at  –

website 

Twix the Cat, and writer Joanne Sher

Welcome, to guest blogger Joanne Sher!

I am definitely a cat lover. We had cats at home much of my growing-up life, with the occasional dog. But I definitely preferred the kitties.

Just a few months after I got out of college, moved into my own apartment, and started my first job as a high school English teacher, I went looking for a feline to keep me company. I looked in the paper and found a lady whose cat had just had a litter and was looking to give them to a good home.   I had one of those – so I drove out.

There were quite a few, but one uniquely colored one grabbed my attention. She was a calico female, but instead of black to go with her caramel and white, she was brown. And tiny. And super playful.

It didn't take long to come up with her name. I called her Twix (because, of course, she was the three colors of that delicious candy bar). We quickly became buddies. And more. She snuggled in bed with me, tried to sleep in my underwear drawer, cuddled up on my lap, and, of course, plopped in the very middle of every essay, quiz, or assignment I attempted to grade.

Teaching was hard for me. VERY hard. And I was 75 miles from family. So Twix became my confidante. My comfort. She was the one I came home and cried to. She would curl up and purr close to me, calming me and sometimes even licking up my tears.

I ended up leaving teaching because of the struggles (more than once, actually – but that's another story!), but Twix never left me. She went along with me through several career changes, tons of moves (including a cross-country one in the car. NOT her favorite trip, I guarantee you), plus the addition of a husband and two children (not to mention other cats!) to my household. And still she stayed.

We finally had to put her down because of throat cancer. She was 18 years old by then. It's amazing the impact an animal can have on you.  We've had others cats, both while she was with us and after she left the picture in 2009. But she'll always be special.

Joanne Sher is a Jew by birth, a Christian by rebirth, and a writer by gift. A native Southern Californian, she now lives happily in West Michigan with her husband and two school-aged children.

Her first book, still seeking a home, explores God's preparation, protection and provision through her husband's serious health issues. She is also working on a biblical fiction set during King Saul's reign and centered around the handmaiden of Saul's daughter Michal.

She is also a regular blogger, not only at her own site, but at the FaithWriters blog. She also posts monthly at Jewels of Encouragement, The Barn Door, and Internet Cafe Devotions.

Traveling Rough Roads with God's Strength,   blogging at 

Aaaah, spring in the country!

It is so gorgeous today.  Sunshine, sixty degrees, but it was foggy this morning, so I grabbed my camera on the way outside to do horse chores.

Afterwards, I found myself driving through our beautiful rural area, taking the 8.9 mile circle route on country roads that we ride sometimes.  I thought it might be fun to share some photos taken along the way.  We're in Eastern Iowa, and I imagine many of you think of Iowa being flat and covered with corn fields.  Not the case! 

Our part of the world is so lovely, with areas of deeply rolling hills, timber, meandering creeks.  Peaceful, quiet.  Back when we moved out into the country there were just farms and horse ranches out here, but now, there are lovely homes tucked up in the hills and many more horse places, too.

Here's a little one who just got up from his nap while I was taking pictures.  Look at him yawn.    Tough life, lazing away the day in the warm sun with his  buddies!

I love taking pictures of barns and the wide open spaces in the country.  Listening to public radio one day, I heard that our population of bats is seriously endangered  not only by White Nose Disease, but by the gradual attrition of our old hip-roofed barns, which offer good sheltering places for bats.  As the old wood barns crumble away and are replaced by metal structures, the bats have fewer nesting places.

As I drove on, I reminisced about all the rides we've taken on the horses along these roads, the bike rides (not so easy on gravel!), the boys' adventures on their trail bikes, and one particular ride when Andy needed a ten mile hike to complete his requirement for a hiking merit badge and the qualifications for a high adventure Boy Scout trip to the Rockies.

The rest of us were on horseback, but Andy had to hike every step of the way.  And he sure wasn't happy about it, that day!     But he did finish, and I'm sure he has wonderful memories of that trip to Rocky Mountain National Park.

What are some of your favorite outdoors memories?  Trips, camping? hikes?  The water you see here is all part of a creek that runs about a mile from our place.  It's only a foot or two deep, though it runs all year without fail, and our boys grew up fishing, wading, hiking and inner-tubing  there–a Huck Finn sort of childhood. We went as a family when the kids were young, but I still remember them taking off as  teenagers, with fishing poles tied to their bikes.  They caught and released a lot of  fish there!

Guess I should sign off for now and get to work on my next book proposal.  But it was sure nice to have a chance to enjoy such a warm, sunny day and take some photos along the way!

Ridin’ The Beach Ain’t Riding the Range! Janet Chester Bly

RIDIN’ THE BEACH AIN’T RIDIN’ THE RANGE

Janet Chester Bly

Copyright©2012

In the new novel Stuart Brannon: The Final Shot, Brannon leaves the comfort and security of his Arizona ranch to head to Oregon to find his missing U.S. Marshal friend. By orders of another friend, none other than President Theodore Roosevelt.  It’s now 1905, the 20th Century, modern times. It’s the close of the frontier times. Brannon’s in his late fifties and not used to the culture and geographical terrain of this coastal region. Neither is unhappy, cantankerous Tres Vientos, his trusty black horse.

After being cooped up in a train car on the long ride north, Tres Vientos rears up and storms through the Portland city traffic. He takes Brannon on a wild ride through the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, where he riles up tourists, stirs out fire trucks and captures the attention of the world’s fair authorities. Then he lands Brannon smack in the clutches of his old nemesis, Hawthorne H. Miller, the author of the outrageous dime novel series that feature Brannon and have caused him much consternation over the years.  That’s the beginning.

When they reach the Oregon coast, Tres Vientos balks at the unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells. Once the horse is delivered to a well-stocked and cared-for stable and barn on the hotel grounds, he doesn’t want to leave. When Brannon needs him to investigate the beach, hills and forest areas for clues of the whereabouts of Tom Wiseman, Tres Vientos refuses to cooperate. Brannon’s forced to find other means of transportation, such as a bicycle or a motor car, with humorous results. Brannon tries to recover from the slap of humiliation that he was unable to control any horse. “I guess I finally found a bronc I can’t ride. . .my own.”

Tres Vientos had been a sturdy horse for Brannon. One time Tom Wiseman had helped Brannon round up some stray cows that stampededin a thunderstorm. He rode Tres Vientos a hundred miles that day. Only a fit horse could complete such a ride. But Tres Vientos, like his owner, had aged. He needed extra care and patience.

from Stuart Brannon: The Final Shot But his troubles with his mount cause him to befriend a horse savvy orphan named Bueno and to come in contact with an old Clatsop Indian, Catcher-of-the-Sun, who entices Tres Vientos to run with the wild horses, “to join the ancient race, run with his kind,” along the beach one night. Both of these characters provide crucial twists in the story.

Brannon muses about the new-fangled invention of automobiles and their use of ‘horse power,’  and marvels once again at the beauty, the grace, the prowess of a horse. A motor car is a poor imitation.  Both horse and owner want to be back at the ranch. But Brannon’s got a duty to perform. And Tres Vientos finally finds his beach stride in the nick of time. Brannon concludes, “When he is good, he is very, very good. But when he is bad . . . .”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Janet Chester Bly has authored 30 nonfiction and fiction books, 18 she co-authored with Christy Award winning author, Stephen Bly. She and her three sons completed Stuart Brannon: The Final Shot, the novel Stephen began before he passed away June 2011.  Release date: March 2012.

Other titles by Janet include The Hidden West Series, The Carson City Chronicles, Hope Lives Here, and The Heart of a Runaway. She resides at 4200 ft. elev. on the Idaho Nez Perce Indian Reservation. Her three married sons, Russell, Michael and Aaron, live down the mountain with their families.

Thanks so much for visiting The All Creatures Great and Small blog, Janet.  To readers everywhere, don’t miss this book!  What a talented writing team Stephen and Janet were.  I will be looking forward to many more books by Janet in the future.

Ridin' The Beach Ain't Riding the Range! Janet Chester Bly

RIDIN' THE BEACH AIN'T RIDIN' THE RANGE

Janet Chester Bly

Copyright©2012

In the new novel Stuart Brannon: The Final Shot, Brannon leaves the comfort and security of his Arizona ranch to head to Oregon to find his missing U.S. Marshal friend. By orders of another friend, none other than President Theodore Roosevelt.  It's now 1905, the 20th Century, modern times. It's the close of the frontier times. Brannon's in his late fifties and not used to the culture and geographical terrain of this coastal region. Neither is unhappy, cantankerous Tres Vientos, his trusty black horse.

After being cooped up in a train car on the long ride north, Tres Vientos rears up and storms through the Portland city traffic. He takes Brannon on a wild ride through the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, where he riles up tourists, stirs out fire trucks and captures the attention of the world's fair authorities. Then he lands Brannon smack in the clutches of his old nemesis, Hawthorne H. Miller, the author of the outrageous dime novel series that feature Brannon and have caused him much consternation over the years.  That's the beginning.

When they reach the Oregon coast, Tres Vientos balks at the unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells. Once the horse is delivered to a well-stocked and cared-for stable and barn on the hotel grounds, he doesn't want to leave. When Brannon needs him to investigate the beach, hills and forest areas for clues of the whereabouts of Tom Wiseman, Tres Vientos refuses to cooperate. Brannon's forced to find other means of transportation, such as a bicycle or a motor car, with humorous results. Brannon tries to recover from the slap of humiliation that he was unable to control any horse. "I guess I finally found a bronc I can't ride. . .my own."

Tres Vientos had been a sturdy horse for Brannon. One time Tom Wiseman had helped Brannon round up some stray cows that stampededin a thunderstorm. He rode Tres Vientos a hundred miles that day. Only a fit horse could complete such a ride. But Tres Vientos, like his owner, had aged. He needed extra care and patience.

from Stuart Brannon: The Final Shot But his troubles with his mount cause him to befriend a horse savvy orphan named Bueno and to come in contact with an old Clatsop Indian, Catcher-of-the-Sun, who entices Tres Vientos to run with the wild horses, "to join the ancient race, run with his kind," along the beach one night. Both of these characters provide crucial twists in the story.

Brannon muses about the new-fangled invention of automobiles and their use of 'horse power,'  and marvels once again at the beauty, the grace, the prowess of a horse. A motor car is a poor imitation.  Both horse and owner want to be back at the ranch. But Brannon's got a duty to perform. And Tres Vientos finally finds his beach stride in the nick of time. Brannon concludes, "When he is good, he is very, very good. But when he is bad . . . ."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Janet Chester Bly has authored 30 nonfiction and fiction books, 18 she co-authored with Christy Award winning author, Stephen Bly. She and her three sons completed Stuart Brannon: The Final Shot, the novel Stephen began before he passed away June 2011.  Release date: March 2012.

Other titles by Janet include The Hidden West Series, The Carson City Chronicles, Hope Lives Here, and The Heart of a Runaway. She resides at 4200 ft. elev. on the Idaho Nez Perce Indian Reservation. Her three married sons, Russell, Michael and Aaron, live down the mountain with their families.

Thanks so much for visiting The All Creatures Great and Small blog, Janet.  To readers everywhere, don't miss this book!  What a talented writing team Stephen and Janet were.  I will be looking forward to many more books by Janet in the future.

Finally…wedding photos!

Back in January, I posted that our son Brian had married his lovely fiancee Julie.  I posted some photos on Facebook, but haven't shared them here, yet.  What an exciting weekend that was!  They chose to have their ceremony, reception and dance at a beautiful lodge set in the middle of a park, and used a wintery, outdoorsy  theme just perfect for them.  The snow frosted branches outside the windows and the decorations inside–pine cones, touches of cranberries, and literally hundreds and hundreds of candles–were so pretty.

At the right is the lodge in the afternoon, while it was being decorated.  They were so fortunate–there hadn't been any snow all winter, but the day before, we had a lovely snowfall.  These photos are mine, but I cannot wait to see the photographer's professional results!

Once darkness fell, everyone in the wedding party and lots of their friends began lighting the candles.  So romantic!

This is the head table, with a cheery fire in the fireplace as a backdrop.

And this is Julie, Brian's beautiful bride.  What a great match they are–both are outdoorsy people who love dogs, kayaking, hiking and travel.  Now, in addition to our "grandpuppy" Abby  (Brian's black lab, who was featured here on the blog a while back), we  have another grandpuppy–Julie's golden retriever Kobe.  The family all refers to Kobe as the Fabio of the Dog World, because of his flowing golden locks.  What a sweetheart he is!

During the first part of their honeymoon they went hiking and mountain biking in Utah, then they went on a trip to Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.  Back in the dark ages, when my husband and I got married, we weren't nearly that adventurous, though we did go to my favorite place in the United States, the Grand Tetons in Wyoming.  That part of the Rocky Mountains is so incredibly beautiful!

What places do you love to visit most?  Where would you love to go, if you could pack up and leave right now?  Someday I would so love to visit Ireland and England. It's fun to dream, isn't it?

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful day!

Roxanne