2015 in Review

2015. I can't say that I'm sad to see you go. Most of 2015 was spent learning to live life without Ian, without what could have been, what should have been. There were many nights of crying myself to sleep. Many nights I questioned why God could allow this to happen. Many nights I wanted to curl up next to Eric and never get out of bed.

But there were also many nights of good times. Many nights of laughing with Eric until our stomachs hurt. Many nights of staying up a little too late to finish a bottle of wine. Many nights with friends and family filled with love.

I thoroughly enjoyed finding pictures for this blog post, because it showed me just how blessed my year was. Those blessings can get lost pretty easily, so I'm glad I was able to remind myself of them as the year comes to a close. 

Here's a few of my favorite moments from 2015!

Eric and I took a little mini-vacation to the Smoky Mountains this summer to celebrate two years of marriage. We stayed in a quaint little cabin with a killer view. We ate way too much food and watched the sunrise from the hot tub. We enjoyed shooting sporting clays, visiting the aquarium, and tasting lots of wine and moonshine. We even saw a bear- a little too close of an encounter for me!- while we hiked to a waterfall. It was the perfect getaway!

Ian's tombstone finally came in and was set at his gravesite. I loved how it turned out. Every time I visit him, I touch his little hand and foot prints and am reminded of the life I was able to carry for 17 weeks. Life is truly precious, cherish each moment.

We also welcomed a new member into our family-Cassie! She's our fetch-loving, rope-pulling, treat-stealing, non-stop puppy, and we couldn't love her more. 

In September I made the decision to leave Integrated Therapy Services and accepted a position as the Speech-Language Pathologist at Palestine Grade School. It wasn't an easy decision, but I'm so happy with it. I love my new school, my co-workers, and my students and am excited to see them grow as we head into the new year.

This year saw me kill my first deer! It was an unreal experience that I can't wait to do again. Nothing beats knowing that you actually put meat on the table for your family. 

After getting my DSLR camera, I took the plunge into starting a little photography business. To say that this business has exceeded my expectations is an understatement. I love taking pictures. Finding the best light, getting the right angle, placing people in just the right pose- it's a combination that results in pretty awesome pictures. I still have tons to learn, and plan to continue to learn and grow as I take more and more pictures. I can't wait to see where 2016 takes "Schackmann Photography". Be on the lookout for new branding and a big surprise hopefully this summer!

This last picture probably sums up the hardest, yet best times of 2015. I was lucky enough to watch Kendra and Kaci become moms, and Ashley add one more to her beautiful family. I won't lie and say it was easy watching them continue on with their pregnancies and bring home a baby. It was hard, really hard. There was lots of tears, lots of jealousy, lots of questioning "why them and not me?". But there have been even more smiles, even more laughs, and even more blessings watching these babies grow up. When we all get together, the first thing I want to do is hold one of them. I love their baby smell, their big eyes, all the potential inside of them. And I remind them every time I hold them that Ian is watching over them. I can't wait to continue to watch Desmond, August, and Orie grow up. I know it won't always be easy, but it will be worth it. 

I'm looking forward to 2015 coming to an end tonight. Not because of what the year was, but because of what 2016 has the potential to become. 2015 has been a year of transition in many ways. I hope that 2016 brings much more love, much more happiness, much more laughing, and hopefully even another baby to add to our family. (Prayers appreciated that that last one comes true!) Have a Happy New Years Eve and an even more blessed 2016.

The Happenings of Bailey and Cassie

Life's rough when you're a dog, can't you tell?

As I'm sure many of you have noticed, the dogs have slowly been creeping their way further and further into the house. It doesn't help when someone in the house let's Bailey do this:

If you know Cassie, you know that if someone is getting attention, she wants some too. So one day while Eric was letting Bailey sit on his lap, this happened.

She just wanted some kisses! She didn't stay up there long, and was soon laying right next to the recliner sleeping like a baby, I mean puppy. 

Speaking of puppies, look at how big Cassie is!! I can't believe she's six months old. She weighs the same as Bailey and stands and sits taller than her. It won't be long before she will be substantially bigger than Bailey. 

And one last picture for you- the cone of shame! Cassie got spayed yesterday and she wouldn't stop licking her stitches, which resulted in this. Which also resulted in Cassie completely ignoring me, including sitting turned away from me with her head held down, as well as running into walls, door frames, and getting stuck in the mud. I finally gave in and took it off of her. She hasn't done too bad with not licking the stitches, and since I'm home from school I can keep an eye on her and get her to stop if she starts licking. I'm looking forward to when those stitches come out!

Hope you enjoyed this puppy update!

THE Camera

This camera. I've only been wanting one for about 3 years, but the price of committing to a camera, lens(es), editing software, tripod (trust me, this list could go on forever) has been holding me back. Until one day Eric told me he wanted a four wheeler. This is perfect, I thought. I'll let him get the four wheeler if he lets me buy my camera. This plan will never work, but it's worth a shot. The next thing out of Eric's mouth was that I could get my camera! To say I was excited was an understatement. 

I stalked my emails for the shipping confirmation, then impatiently waited for my gear to arrive. In the meantime, I googled everything I could think of on how to operate a DSLR camera on manual mode. I printed out cheat sheets, shortcuts, and helpful tips  When the UPS man finally knocked on our door, I'm sure he heard me let out a little squeal as I went to open it. 

Isn't she a beauty?

I immediately strapped a lens on and went outside to start taking pictures. I frantically searched through my binder of papers all neatly organized by topic to figure out what settings I needed to get the perfect picture. After much trial and error (including some all white and all black pictures) I finally began getting some great shots- at least in my mind!

I ran back in to try out the photo editing software on my favorite pictures. Just using basic controls on the software, I was able to edit my pictures to ones I am proud of. I can't wait to see what my pictures can look like once I really learn how to use the software!

Here's a few of my favorites from my photo shoot with Bailey and Cassie: 

Our big girl!

The ball of energy. 















Rare moment of relaxation.















And one last one of a scenic shot. I just figured out how to get rid of power lines, so I might try to redo this one to take out the power lines. But I loved how the sky turned out!





















With any new thing comes practice. So if you'd allow me to practice on your kids, your family, your pet bird, I would be grateful :) Just hit me up!

Meet Cassie!

Yesterday, Eric and I added four more paws to our family-Cassie! She is a Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix, and is currently a 4.1 pound fluff ball. She and Bailey were born only two days (and one year) apart- how cool!

Here we are with our newest fur baby!

Cassie was so excited to meet Bailey. She ran up to Bailey, ready to play. Bailey, on the other hand, was a little apprehensive about this black fur ball that kept wanting to smell her. Bailey actually ran away from Cassie as Cassie approached her! Bailey was very curious about her, following her and smelling her when Cassie wasn't looking. The minute Cassie turned around, though, Bailey was gone. Bailey has warmed up to Cassie and is beginning to try to play with her. Cassie is still a little too small to chase and keep up with Bailey, but it won't be long before they are running around the yard together having fun. 

Me with my two fur babies!

Cassie had an exhausting day. She got her first shots, taken away from her family, and brought into a new home all in one day. She fought to stay awake, but finally gave in, right next to her monkey. 

Eric and I are both excited that given Cassie's mix of breeds, she should be a very smart dog. We've already got her fetching a ball!

After a long afternoon of playing, you're bound to get hungry. And tired. And when those two mix, you get a puppy who thinks eating is so hard she has to sit down. 

  
Stay tuned for more exciting adventures with Cassie- and Bailey!