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November 22, 2016 by Terran 2 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving | Take a moment to acknowledge the good

I love Thanksgiving! Few things make me happier than cooking a big dinner to be enjoyed by family and friends. I remember in 2005, I cooked my first Thanksgiving for the whole family. I read cooking tips from everyone from Martha to Emeril and decided to try brining the bird the night before. I mean, hey, it’s just Thanksgiving… go ahead, experiment! You have absolutely no idea what you’re doing, anyway! Thankfully, it was such a big hit, the parents and grandparents agreed that Thanksgiving was now mine for the long haul… and I was good with that.

Every Thanksgiving, I like to reflect back on the year a bit and remind myself that I have so much to be thankful for!

Westway Studio - Skye Valley Ranch

First, I have an amazing family. Greg is always there by my side, supporting me in every way he can. And he brings me food. Good man. Roxy reminds me to get out and play, hike, and chase lizards like they were dreams. And my mom! My mom is the best there is! She worked her butt off to raise me and give me every opportunity available. And now, she does everything from reminding me to step away and take a walk to helping with Roxy when I have appointments that cut into puppy-dinnertime to bringing me Starbucks to running errands when I just don’t have enough time. In other words, she keeps me sane and I am so, so grateful. Then there’s my family back home who text me every day and remind me that we’re not really all that far away. There’s the ranch family who we see on the weekends and get to eat ridiculously sinfully delicious food with. Fried dough stuffed with cookie dough and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, anyone? And my niece, Katie Jo, who brings me so much happiness every time she’s with us… and who gives me an excuse to eat s’mores for breakfast (good s’morning!), lunch (let’s eat s’munch!), and dinner (good s’mevening!).

Westway Studio - senior dog white face in flowers

Next, my clients. Without them this business wouldn’t be, well, a business! From design clients to pet portrait clients, every one of you make the world go ’round. You allow me to live this amazing dream and for that I am forever grateful. I love getting to be a part of your lives and making an positive impact.

Westway Studio Nixon and Lola - country dogs with bandana red truck

And I can’t forget about business partners and supporters! My friend-turned-partner, Allison, and I have some big stuff in the works that we both dreamed about but probably couldn’t have made happen on our own… that’s all coming in 2017. Pittsburgh-pet-photographer-extraordinaire Nicole, who is helping bring my dream of teaching a pet photography workshop to life in 2017… and in Breckenridge, CO, of all places! And of course Loree and Tess, who shout my name from the rooftops, are my trusty booth neighbors at events, and who are two of the best people around.

Westway Studio - boxers - backlit - trees - forest - sunset

Finally, this year in particular, I’m so grateful for the most amazing business branding and marketing coach, Nichole, who is pushing me to answer the hard questions, giving me mountains of homework to do, and is cheering me on as I hit some major milestones and get ready to take Westway Studio to a whole new level in 2017. She reminds me to celebrate my big wins — even if she has to make me! I am one who typically just says “yay!” and moves along toward the next milestone. There’s something to be said for getting to wear a fancy new pair of shoes :) out around town and know that they’re something really, really special.

Westway Studio - Girl and horse - sunset - trees - kiss

What are you thankful for this year?

I want to know! Leave a comment below! :)

Filed Under: field notes

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Greg says

    November 27, 2016 at 1:28 pm

    I am thankful for you Terran! You are so talented! Love you!

    Reply
  2. Maria Diehl says

    December 2, 2016 at 3:30 pm

    I am thankful that my path crossed the path of the Bayer family and that I’ve lived vicariously through all you think and do in a world that I would not have otherwise known. I’ve always loved animals and your stories make me laugh, cry. smile and enjoy your adventures to the fullest. I am definitely thankful for you.

    Reply

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Home » Happy Thanksgiving | Take a moment to acknowledge the good

Follow our wild, wild Westway adventures as we travel the U.S. in our Airstream

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Based in San Diego, CA
Traveling the U.S. in 2022
(858) 848-9378
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I want you to close your eyes for a moment. Well, I want you to close your eyes for a moment. Well, maybe don't close them because then you'll stop reading. So, let's just *imagine.* OK, here we go... Imagine you're at the beach with your four-legged best friend just as the sun is coming up over the horizon. A warm summer breeze carries the scent of the salty ocean through the air, the sand is soft between your toes, and things couldn't be more perfect. And then your dog poops. 💩 I mean, that's always a good thing but when you're in this moment, a beach stroll with a bag of poo in your hands isn't exactly the dream. Thankfully, the dooloop exists so you can keep your hands free and keep the moment perfect. ​​​​​​​​
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I've been a fan of @dooloopdogs for years now and am so thrilled to have them as one of our trip sponsors! If you don't have one, you seriously need one. Seriously!
Want to know more about how we are traveling, wher Want to know more about how we are traveling, where we're going, or what it's like living in a small space with your significant other and pup? Where do we stay? Do we have hot showers? What are some of our best memories so far? If you're curious, ask below and your question may be featured in an upcoming post!
SWOOOOON! This gorgeous Florida evening with Jaspe SWOOOOON! This gorgeous Florida evening with Jasper and his mom was absolute magic!!! The sunlight sparkled over the grassy sand dunes alongside the warm Atlantic Ocean as it slowly sunk down into the western sky. Jasper was happy as a little clam as he was rewarded with treats, snuggles, and playtime for being the goodest boy!​​​​​​​​
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A big, huge thank you to @wellnesspetfood for joining us as a trip sponsor of our Great American Road Trip!
Welcome to the wild, wild Westway family, Sibbie!​​​​​​​​
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Named for the American Revolutionary War heroine, Sybil Ludington, we felt like the Airstream who was going to take us on our Great American Road Trip needed to have a very American name. Sybil Ludington and her horse, Star (can you guess the truck's name?), completed a midnight ride farther than Paul Revere's to announce to her father's fellow militia men that the British were coming. She was even thanked by George Washington!​​​​​​​​
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Sibbie is a 30-foot Airstream. She has a full size sofa, dinette with two bench seats, a surprisingly large shower and bathroom, and a great kitchen with a propane stove, oven, and three-in-one microwave + oven + air fryer. She also has an insane number of windows and skylights that make the entire space feel light and bright! 😍 Greg, Roxy, and I fit very well and feel like it's just the right amount of space for the three of us!​​​​​​​​
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Who else out there has an Airstream? Do you love yours? We certainly love ours!​​​​​​​​
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St. Augustine, FL​​​​​​​​
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@airstream_inc #westwaypets #westwaystudio #roadtrip #greatamericanroadtrip #wildwildwestway #airstream #airstreamadventure #airstreamliving #airstreamlife #airstreamlifestyle #nomadphotographer #travelphotographer #travelingdogphotographer
A big, huge, monstrous THANK YOU to my very first A big, huge, monstrous THANK YOU to my very first models of our trip: Julie, Louie, Bella, and Brooklyn! These four totally rocked their photo shoot for our three trip sponsors: @wellnesspetfood, @dooloopdogs, and @petplaysf! ​​​​​​
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Julie and Louie are both incredible photographers so it was extra fun to work with them! I know them from San Diego but when I found out they were in Fort Myers — just 2.5 short hours south of where we were picking up the Airstream — I knew we had to go see them and do a photo shoot!​​​​​​​​
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Isabella and Brooklyn are two of the cutest dogs you'll ever meet. I was warned that Brooklyn would take a minute to warm up, which she did, but once she realized we were there to shower her with attention, we became BFFs.​​​​​​​​
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Thank you, again, Julie & Louie! You guys rock and we had a blast with you!
We are nearly one month in to our big adventure! I We are nearly one month in to our big adventure! It's hard to even believe it! We have seen new places, visited old friends, and photographed a bunch of puppers already! ​​​​​​​​
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The journey began in San Diego, CA and took us to Tampa, FL for about a week. We headed down to Fort Myers and then up to St. Augustine before leaving the sunshine state. After that, we spent a night on a beautiful pecan farm just outside Savannah, GA before making our way to Charleston, Wilmington, and Charlotte (where we spent a few glorious hours floating in Lake Norman). Today, we are headed to a friend's place just outside Asheville!​​​​​​​​
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I promise to introduce you to our new Airstream in some upcoming posts. I will just say here that she is beautiful and everything we hoped she would be!​​​​​​​​
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We'll be in the northeast in a few short weeks & I absolutely can't wait!!!
Nothing says Airstream + Florida quite as much as Nothing says Airstream + Florida quite as much as a pink flamingo... so it's only fitting that we photograph the @petplaysf pink flamingo float toy as we kick off our big six-month road trip adventure in the Sunshine State! Am I right or am I right???​​​​​​​​
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We couldn't be more thrilled that P.L.A.Y. has decided to join us on our journey as a trip sponsor. We are going to have soooo much fun playing with and photographing their amazing products all around the US this year! Thank you, P.L.A.Y.!​​​​​​​​
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Who else's dogs love P.L.A.Y. toys??? 🙋‍♀️
Do you ever find a product that makes you question Do you ever find a product that makes you question how you ever lived without it? For me, that was @dooloopdogs! It's a brilliantly simple leash accessory that holds your pooch's poo bag so you don't have to. We've been using them for years and they're truly something special!​​​​​​​​
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When we began to plan our big road trip, I knew I'd be taking a few dooloops along with me (different leashes call for different dooloops, duh!) and I dreamed of having the company come along as an official trip sponsor. Well, it happened!!! We'll be sharing the dooloop love all around the US, photographing dogs with dooloops, and showing others how a simple tool can improve their daily walks with their pups! Thank you, dooloop! We're so excited to have you along for the journey!
I have some incredibly special clients, let me tel I have some incredibly special clients, let me tell you. They're clients I love working with and who consistently put their trust in me to create photos for their advertising & marketing campaigns around the globe. When I told Wellness Pet about our big adventure, the response was swift and definitive: "count us in!" I'm so, so, so thrilled to have them as a trip sponsor for our journey and to create images for them all along the way. We have used their products for years — Sojos, WHIMZEES, and their WellBites treats — so this partnership couldn't feel more perfect and authentic! Thank you, Wellness!
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