Photo Blogging Challenge (May 2023): Tell a story!

It’s story time!

I’m sure most of you know where I am going with my post. It’s kind of hard not to tell a story with somebody as part of it. Especially with how she has become such a huge part of my life. As I write this post, she is spread out on the floor in front of me, sleeping after a full and fun day.

This month is part of the sandwich that includes her birth month (April) and gotcha month (July). So it’s a perfect time to tackle certain things.

This story is of her journey as much as mine with her. Her growth and her joy of living. And being treated not as a piece of property, but as my best friend as a member of a family. She’s not just something to throw aside (and I hate that some people do this with dogs), but one who has grown so much and become so important to me.

So this was a journey in May. A story of love, happiness, experiences, and adventure. Come along with this story … and to get more and more info and stories about Harper!

Anyway, onward. Here’s my five for the month. I look forward to seeing yours.

1-2. Love

Unconditional love is something I was told about when it came to dogs. And even more with golden retrievers. For the first several months, I was wondering what I missed. Did I get a broken one somehow? It took time, but I started to realize what it all meant. But Harper shows that love to many people (you can ask people who have met her and been around her). She has some favorites for sure.

But the way she is with me .. follows me around etc. She’s also crazy about her “Gram” (my mother) and to watch the two of them together is a story all in its own.

This part of the Harper story is amazing and it keeps growing and growing. I couldn’t have ever said I would feel like this about a dog — but I am so happy I do.

3. Happiness

Like most goldens, Harper likes to smile a lot. She has a lot of dog friends. She has a lot of human friends. But let me tell how this whole thing really absorbs into our story — she is a source of happiness in many ways. When I walk with her, she often carries a stuffie. It’s a remarkably cute thing. And when she does this, I always tend to look at other people. Either those driving by, or others walking etc. And 9 out of 10 times, people smile. That shows how her joy of life and such makes others around her happy.

The happiness is also sometimes when I find ways to take goofy photos of her. She’s not always the easiest to get into a photo position without her looking down or away. Or, I have to be really fast with it. But there are times when I think she realizes I really want to take a certain photo and she settles into the image, letting me take the one I want. (this was taken with the Hipstamatic X app, hence the look).

4. Experiences

I’ve used this before, but I’m going to always repeat this. If Harper is with me for 5 years or 15 (I hope at least this), she’s going to experience life. That could be travel or baseball games or hockey games or being able to go into different stores etc. It could be just hanging out back with me, or meeting new friends or trying foods that are OK for her. It might be a trip to the ice cream shop, or a pet store, or to see friends.

Harper is not just a dog, she’s my family. So if I am going somewhere, I try and involve her. A lot of times, she will just lay and watch everything and take it in.

This experience was earlier this month when I was at the Jersey Shore. This pet spot has dog ice cream and they set it up so you can have your dog sit at a table and eat it. What fun this was! An experience I hope she gets again!

5. Adventure

This kind of goes hand in hand with the experiences. Because without experiences, there’s likely no adventure. I love taking Harper with me to explore the outdoors, or see new things. I am not sure what she thinks or how she looks at things, but I know I want her to at least be on adventures with me. So many people have complimented me about her and for that I am proud. She’s an amazing dog and companion and I have a hard time not taking her with me — so most of the time, I do my best to make sure she can come with me on an amazing adventure.

There’s my five and let’s see what you came up with! If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for April. Make sure you drop your link there.

OK, so it’s time to keep on moving! I know this month can be crazy, so … June’s theme is … Where will you go? Five photos and some words… can you weave a story? We’ll look forward to it! Remember to come back on (hopefully) July 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: May 2023 results

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