Yes you can laugh. That's the point. We all need a good laugh as the world seems to continue to spin out of control, COVID just won't go away and nobody can even remember what "normal" is anymore. 

This is just a peek behind the curtain of life in our house and what you get when despite being a professional pet photographer you a) wait until the last minute to take your own family photo b) decide you want the family cat in the picture and c) interrupt the your husband's cocktail hour to take the family Christmas card photo. I've got three words of advice for you; Hire. A. Professional. 

Oh, and if you're wondering who "The Ballards" are, that's our nickname. My last name is Allard, my husband's is Balla so our friends nicknamed us "The Ballards" and we've signed our Christmas cards that way for years. 

2021 was a year of ups and downs for us. Penny Whistle Photography had a nice rebound from the depths of 2020 and I had one of my busiest years ever photographing beloved pets around the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex as well as a number of families and high school seniors. Unfortunately, some of those pet portrait sessions were for elderly, or terminally ill pets that are no longer with us but whose families will remember them forever with the photos we made of them together. 

We lost one of our own as well, our sweet boy, Dingo. He fought valiantly against his cancer diagnosis for 9 months but we let him go in peace on June 11th at the age of fourteen. I miss his smile, the deep scruff of his neck and how he would grunt at you when he wanted something and it was your job to figure out what it was. 

The rest of our furry family are happy and healthy; Ginger's 13 years old, Gracie is 11, Rooney just turned 2 in October and Jiffy the Cat is ageless in our minds because he was an adult when we rescued him so have no idea how old he is. My husband and I are healthy and (knock wood) have not contracted COVID. A few people in our extended family did, but we're so lucky that everyone recovered, including my 78-year old mother who didn't even have to be hospitalized. We are counting our blessings for sure this year! 

From my family to yours, I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year; here's to 2022!