I don’t know if I can listen to In the Summertime by Mungo Jerry & not smile. It seems like a fun, feel good, summer song to me & makes me think about how much I really do enjoy the summertime. For me, summer is about enjoying the long days, maybe finding yourself by the water or taking a walk along a beach, catching fireflies, having a picnic, relaxing, & just having as much fun as you possibly can…& I can definitely get on board with that!

Here are some photos we’ve taken this summer that, I think, give you a glimpse of just that…

We had a lovely weekend & were super excited to use our brand new, fancy pants, Canon 5D MarkII camera! We enjoyed a lovely dinner out with friends on Friday at Melange (&, bonus, it was Restaurant Week in Ann Arbor), took a trip out to Eastern Market in Detroit on Saturday & then watched the World Cup U.S. vs. Ghana game & ended the day with a nice cookout with friends.

Here are several more photos we took over the weekend with our fancy new camera – it’s so awesome!

This is our friend, Stephanie, kissing a beautiful, adoptable Pit Bull (I got a smooch at the “Kiss a Bull” booth too!) at our 5th Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) Walk & Wag event at County Farm Park we attended yesterday as “Team Squirrel Lovers” – it was the 31st Annual Walk & Wag! Although it was a little drizzly early that morning, the rain stayed away for the most part & it turned out to be a beautiful day. As a team, we raised a total of $610 this year, which is our best ever & I’m proud to say that each year we participate in this event we raise more money for the HSHV.

Walk & Wag is such a fun event & full of fun activities – like the Kiss a Bull booth I mentioned above, Pet Massages, Vendor Booths, Bobbing for Weenies, Agility Course, etc. & it’s all for such a great cause! See more photos of our Walk & Wag adventures here.

Pictured above is Bella – our friends, Stephanie & Ken, adopted Bella from the HSHV right after our first Walk & Wag 5 years ago & Bella & Melody are best buds! Here’s to another successful & fun Walk & Wag & many more to come – Melody & Bella approve this message!

We’d like to wish you a happy Cinco de Mayo! Many Cinco de Mayo celebrations include food, music, & dancing – all of which I like – so eat, drink, dance, & be merry!

I like to think of these as Melody’s tastefully done, glamour shots; no hairspray required!

We stopped at Jenny’s Market in Dexter, MI & then went on a lovely hike at Pinckney Wilderness Area last weekend & here are some photos…

We enjoyed a lovely picnic at Gallup Park this afternoon with friends (thanks for organizing this, Stef & Ken!), great food, and a nice breeze despite the warm weather. Kids & adults alike enjoyed the popsicles too!

Here are some photos of our sweet puppy, Melody, in the morning. She likes to be tucked in each night & is all cozy on her pillow wrapped up in her blanket here…

Val and I just got new phones (iPhones to be specific) and have been as my friend Xoch says a bit of iPhoniacs lately (Xoch swears she coined that term). We downloaded a fun app called ShakeIt Photo which emulates a polaroid camera. If anything it is a saving grace to the poor camera quality of phones. Here’s a few pics from my phone:

We couldn’t have a blog & not introduce you to our adorable, sweet, intelligent, all around fantastic dog, Melody (a.k.a. Princess Puppy Pants). We adopted her from the Town Lake Animal Center in Austin, TX in September 2001 & have been blessed to have her in our lives ever since. I can’t say enough good things about Melody, so feel free to comment on her fantabulousity yourself here, if you wish! Ain’t she cute?!?