It’s been long enough.  I need to write another one of these what I’m loving posts, not because it’s been a long time, but because I have a few really cool things I’m loving lately.  Enjoy!

The Power of Half – I picked this book up based on the cover (yes, I judge books by their covers), and I’m SO GLAD that I did.  It tells the story of a family who decides to sell their house and donate half the money to a good cause.  It’s an easy read, super inspirational and has definitely inspired some awesome changes in the way Jenny & I not only interact with our kids, but how we choose to give back.  More info on that will be announced soon enough (although if you check out our “fun links” tab at the top, you’ll get an idea of where we’re headed).

I love Sheye Rosemeyer.  Her photography is beautiful.  She’s STRONGER than most of us will ever be (just read through her blog and you’ll know what I’m talking about).  Well, her post the other day, Giving-ness {The Me I Want To Be}, got me thinking. Just read this quote:

“I aspire to live with giving.”

Ok, now go read the rest of the post.  Then, think about all the wonderful things that you have to give to your friends, to your family, to random strangers.  Give freely, give passionately.  We CAN all make a difference.  I know that I’m going to strive to give even more than I already do.  Giving unselfishly all that I possibly can makes me feel good, and that’s what life is all about right?

I want to end with an image from a session I’m working on.  I won’t go into much detail other than:

1. He’s in the military.

2. He’s being deployed in a couple of months.

3. This image is everything I love about photography.  She absolutely LOVES her husband.  When people open up and connect to each other, it’s just beautiful.

You would think my What I’m Loving: February 14 post would be about my amazing wife due to the fact that it’s Valentine’s Day, but I tell her how much I love her and show her my appreciation every single day.  So, to sound super cheesy, every day is Valentine’s Day around here.  Today’s What I’m Loving is in honor of the Solars adopting our first family dog last night (that full story will come at a later time).  Today’s What I’m Loving post is all about doggies!

First up is one of my favorite dog blogs in the whole world. Phetched is an amazing place full of anything cute that you can possibly think of for your dog.  Want your dog to dress like a rock star? Phetched has you covered.  They help spread the word on awesome new companies donating treats to shelters, foster homes and rescue organizations.  Plus they post all the time, so I’m constantly finding cool dog products.  So, what are you waiting for? Go add Phetched to your RSS reader now.

Have you ever wondered what your dog was thinking and doing when you weren’t around? Well, with Puppy Tweets, you now can!  It’s a little device you attach to your dog’s collar, and it randomly generates one of 500 different tweets based on the puppies activity.  I think it’s a rather splendid idea!  Although, Banana will not be getting one.

Finally, check out Dog is Good for some sweet dog apparel.  My personal favorite is the Know Dog, Know Joy, Know Love T.  I want to order one for my lovely wife.

Ok, ok, here are a few pics of our sweet little Banana Abby. She’s a 2 year old Basset Hound, and she’s just PERFECT for us.  I’m sure you’re asking how did we come up with such a silly name.  Well, Ava decided she wanted to name our dog Banana before we even had adopted one, and the Abby part stuck because that was her name for the first 2 years of her life.  The name stuck, it’s cute, and we love it.  Some other nicknames so far: Bananarama, Banana Pancake (thanks Emily), and Max likes to call her Banana Abby Solar.  Of course we adopted her from Wayside Waifs, because it’s the best animal shelter around.  Again, I’ll write the whole story in another post (I got some super cute shots of the kids with her today), and I can’t wait to share.  For now, enjoy a few shots of Banana’s first day as a Solar.

I love how her nose is in the snow and her long, floppy ears are laying on the snow

Today’s what I’m loving is mainly music videos, because, I watch a lot of music videos, and besides my family and photography, nothing matters as much to me as music.

Hands down, this is my favorite music video of all time.  I don’t know any of these people, but I tear up every single time I watch it.  It’s just so simple, and sweet and full of love.  And you know how much I love love.

Bright Eyes – First Day of My Life

Here are a few music videos I discovered on the elliptical machine this past week:

Thao & the Get Down Stay Down – Cool Yourself

Fitz & the Tantrums – L.O.V.

Rosi Golan – Think of Me

Jenny & I like to think that we are doing the best we possibly can to help protect the environment.  I know there is a lot of work to be done and it takes time.  Well, I came across this awesome blog post called, Getting Married the Green Way, and I thought I’d pass it along to my readers.  There are some solid tips in there.

I have absolutely no idea where I saw this poster, but I love it!

I tweeted about this blog post last week some time, and have read it a few times since then.  There are lots of great points made so I wanted to share this on our blog.  Scott Bourne writes for a badass blog called, Photofocus.  He wrote an article called, “And You Call Yourself a Professional?” I felt the need to share with everyone because, quite frankly, there are some wonderful topics covered and not only should photographers read it, but brides should, too. It has caused quite a fuss, but it’s a great read with some very valid points.

I’ve never met Carl Zoch, but I really want to.  We’ve had some communications over the past few months and I can’t wait to meet him.  Anyway, I’m digging his new project he just started, Carl Was Here. Check it out if you get a few moments.  And, the dude just has an awesome zest for life.

If you have been following along these past few weeks with my “What I’m Loving” posts, you’ll notice that I have included a book in every one.  Well, a lot of times the books I read are recommendations from friends.  Sarah Rhoads recommends some great ones, as does my dear, dear vagabond friend Kristy Behrs.  But, sometimes (very rarely) I stumble on a great book all on my own.  This was the case a couple of weeks ago when I was at Barnes & Noble and found this gem: How to Save Your Own Life: 15 Lessons on Finding Hope in Unexpected Places.  The book is such an inspiring read, chock full of simple life lessons that we all know already, but sometimes need a little reminder, just a little something to keep them in our minds.  This book will help make the world a better place.

Speaking of Sarah Rhoads, she and her husband Chris took a trip to Thailand last year.  Their images are beautiful.  She put together a wonderful album from their trip.  You should check it out.

That’s it for this week.  I hope everyone is getting the most out of life they possibly can!

Ok, so Random Posts of Inspiration has been changed to What I’m Loving.

Jessica Gonacha Swift’s blog – This Hugs Will Lift You Up illustration is just one of the many beautiful, and very inspiring objects you’ll find on her blog.

Improv Everywhere’s No Pants Subway ride video keeps cracking me up…over and over and over and over. It makes me wish that we had a subway here for me to participate in our very own no pants subway ride.

Jeff & Erin made the most amazing Save the Date video I’ve ever seen.

I love to read. I love business books. I love books that make me think.  I love books on God.  I go through phases where I’ll read some novels (always picked by the cover).  I’ve read a LOT of books in my lifetime.  Well, Donald Miller’s “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years” is a life changer.  I’m not going to get into much detail here (I want anyone and everyone to read it), just know that it’s got me thinking about how I live my life, and the memories that I’m creating with my children and for our clients.  Seriously, it’s a LIFE CHANGER. Please stop reading whatever book you are reading and start this one.

I love that I walked upstairs to find this the other morning. Jenny was doing her Wii Fit yoga and Max, Ava & Lia all got their own little steps and were doing yoga along with mommy.  This will probably never happen again

And last, but certainly not least, I wrote an article for the Wayside Waifs blog about 10 tips on photographing your dog.  I tried to keep it super simple and stay away from technical aspects of photography like shutter speed, apertures, etc.  So check it out!