The Dog Days of Summer

I don't know if you are aware of this, but I have a slight obsession with dogs. I have talked about if there is a dog around me, I will spot it, and consequentially go up and play with it. I can't help it. I have no dog filter that stops me from loving them. Nick says that he would never let me go to an animal shelter by myself, because it is guaranteed that I would bring home all the dogs from there. What can I say, I have a soft spot for puppies (b.t.w. I call all dogs, no matter what age, puppies).

So, naturally when I moved into an apartment that would allowed pets, it was time for me to start looking for my own little pups to adopt. I thought it was important to rescue a dog, because there are so many animals out there looking for homes. I am a big advocate of adopting. If you are interested, go to AdoptaPet.com, and they can give you listings of all the dogs or cats available in your area. 

One day I stumbled upon a picture of a puppy named "Patches", and was smitten. He was the cutest rescue puppy I think I have ever seen.The lady brought him over for me to meet him, and I decided to keep him. (My family is rolling their eyes, because there is no shocker there.) I renamed him Hudson, and the rest is history....

{My first pic with Hudson.}

Even though he is big and awkward, he brings me joy every single day. And now that the weather is nice, nothing makes me happier than going to the Dog Park or Dog Beach with my puppers and Nick. I mean really, not only do I get to be with my dog, but I get to lurk on all the other dogs in the vicinity too??? It is doggy heaven, and I am one happy girl!

Here are a few great pictures of my Goober McGroober (a.k.a Huds... a.k.a. Hudson) doing what he does best at the park!

{Yeah. He hasn't quite mastered the whole catching the ball in the air thing yet. Notice the flying ball is no where near him.}

{Ears back+ Tail up= One happy pup!}

He has grown to love the dog park, but the Dog Beach is a different story. You see, our little Hudson is a bit of a pansy, so naturally he would be terrified of the water. When we are at the beach, he refuses to leave our blanket. 

{Did I mention his tongue is far too big for his mouth?}

My Summer has been made a thousand times better by this big goof, and I am so thankful for him!

Dear Hudson,

Even though you lick attack my face daily, shed everywhere, and step all of over me because you have no sense of personal space, I still love you. Thank you for making weird noises and grunts all the time, which make me laugh every time. Thank you for cuddling with me for a grand total of five minutes, before you ADD takes you somewhere else. Thank you for never chewing on any pairs of my shoes. But most of all thank you for being my goofy little child! 

I love you!

Your Mom

Hello, Stranger

Hey Guys! 

Remember when I used to write for a blog called All Kinds of Complicated? No? Well neither do the three people who stopped following me. (Bummer) But the good news is that your still here, and have faith in this little blog of mine, even when I go into seclusion from the blog world. But I have been stewing some things up over here for my loyal readers. I think you guys will be quite pleased!

Anyhoo remember here, where I had a pity party for myself? Well, life is better for me now! I think I owe a lot of that to the support group I have around me, and that includes all of you guys. I'm not saying life has gotten any easier, and I don't think it ever will. Life will constantly throw tons of stress and trouble your ways, and you can decide to sink or you can decide to swim. In the words of Dory from Finding Nemo, my new mantra is "Just Keep Swimming!"

{Hypothetical me, hypothetically swimming}

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Seriously. It is that simple. 

Keep your head above water. Keep your eye on the prize. And don't forget to breathe. If my best friend, who was a hard core swimmer, is reading this I am sure she is super proud of me for my swimming analogy. This is all purely hypothetical of course, because swimming is literally the hardest workout ever, and I never ever do it. But for the sake of my mantra, let's just pretend like I know what I am talking about. 

In other news, there are too many things distracting me from my blog. The biggest of which is my purchase of the iPhone (sorry Blackberry), followed by new addiction to Words with Friends and Hanging with Friends (Kmercado988 play me!!). Boyfriend isn't too stoked that my hand is permanently glued to my iPhone either, but that is a different story...

Also, all the shows I am watching on TV now just happen to be 2 hour long episodes. Excuse me The Bachelorette and So You Think You Can Dance, do you know the commitment it takes to watch two hours of each of you every week? That is four hours of productivity just thrown out the window...

But there is some good news I swear! I have some exciting things brewing (yes I realize I said stewing earlier) for the blog, including introducing you guys to a cool new band, and maybe a....giveaway....Sayyy Whaaaat???

p.s. Just because I can, here is a few more pics of my awesome little nephew!

{I love him so much.}

That's all.

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

The weekend we went to go meet baby Parker for the first time actually turned into a weekend filled of waiting. See the little one was stubborn, and late, so we didn't end up meeting him until Sunday evening. But, while we were waiting, we decided to make the most of our time together in Newport.

And when I say make the most of our time, I mean EAT. Oh, how we ate. Starting with the famous Crab Cooker on the peninsula.

{I will eat lots, thank you for your permission Crab Cooker!}

They had an amazing bright red wall outside where you wait to be seated. I love the way it turned out in photographs! I have decided to paint a wall somewhere in my future house red, because it looks so lovely in pictures!

 {Momma and Broseph}

Then, I looked up, and saw the best sign in the world...

{So true....why didn't I think of that?}

To walk off the copious amount of crab cakes and breadsticks I ate, we decided to explore the Newport Pier!

I have decided to try and bring my camera everywhere, and take pictures of things I normally wouldn't. Case in point, this great sign I passed by while walking on the pier. I normally wouldn't have even taken a second look, but I am glad I did!

Of course, being the blogger that I am, I got my tourist on and asked a stranger to take a picture of us. I also gave the family the "I know you guys think I am weird, but this will look really good on my blog. So freakin smile!" speech. I know you have given it before too....right?

Then I captured a pic of these three cool cats...look at those baller shades...

{Love and sunshine. Is there anything better?}

And why not a quick one-handed picture action with the brother? I love spontaneous and fast photos! People aren't expecting them as much, and therefore don't over-think their poses. This is actually one of my favorite pictures of the two of us now.

And what comes next? Can you say candids??????

 {Nick. In deep thought about something I'm sure.}

{The original fashion icon of the family. Sporting her wide leg jeans and flowy blouse. So chic.}

It was fun exploring, and of course eating. It turns our waiting for my little nephew gave the rest of us time to bond and catch up. I had a great time with my parents and my brother, and of course my Nicholas. Here is a postcard to prove it! 

Wear it to Work!

It has been a while since I did one of these bad boys. What are your thoughts on this feature? If you like it, I will keep it around!

Shirt: Target    Vest: Target

Stick straight. I am not sure if I have mentioned this before, but I have a bit of OCD when it comes to my hair. If I am going for the sleek and straight look, you best believe that every last inch of my hair will be straightened. There is no just waving a straightener through my hair really quick. It is meticulous, and it is precise. And it is exactly why I rarely take the time to do it!

Tank: F21   Cardigan: F21

 This is quite the opposite. I wanted a looser look, and therefore spent probably half the time I normally do with a straightener. Curling under at the bottom gives a softer look, and also adds a little volume as well. By the way, I am having a bit of bangs identity crisis going on. My bangs are not sure if they are still bangs, or joining the ranks of the rest of my hair. Honestly, I don't know either. Sometimes, all I want is for my hair to be all on length. And sometimes, I see Rashinda Jones' hair in I love You, Man (See it HERE) and I want my bangs back! What should I do?????? 

Shirt: F21   Vest: Coldwater Creek (yeah you read that correctly!)

 BREAKING NEWS: I lost my Sea Spray bottle! Like it must have gotten up and walked away from my hair products, because it is no where to be found. If you know of the whereabouts of said Sea Spray, please let me know. In the meantime, I have hijacked Nick's hair stuff, and will be holding it hostage. I got this look from B.Jones Natural Waves hair tutorial.  (or some variation, because I don't have all the tools/products she does) One thing I am grateful for is my thick hair behaves pretty well with styling, and holds most curls. 

Denim Shirt: F21   T-Shirt: F21  Glasses: Ray Ban   Ring: Tiffany's (thanks baby!)

 Nerdy Librarian/ Sleepy head? First of all, can I just say that I love my oversized denim shirt. It can be thrown over everything, and has now basically replaced all of my cardigans. Guys, you should be really proud of me for only having one top bun in the feature this week. Actually, these pictures were all from like three or four weeks of work, so I am sure that I wore a bun a few more times. Also, rest assured that I did not wear The Beatles shirt twice in one week. 

Cardigan: Nordstrom  V-Neck: Bloomingdale's   Glasses: Ray Ban

This is one of my riskier hairstyles for me. While it may look like a simple and sleek ponytail, it is so much more to me. You see I have a lot of hair, and it has become sort of a security blanket to me. For my hair to be slicked back, with none of it showing when I face forward, is kind of scary. It is tough for me not to hide behind my hair, and to face the world head on (literally). I hope one day I can be confident enough for people to just see me, and not be distracted by my hair. This is a step in the right direction.

Bragging Rights...

I know you are probably sick of me talking about my brother, his wife, and their beautiful baby boy Parker. If you are, I apologize. But Parker is seriously the light of my life, and I can't get enough of him! I suppose I should explain...

I am the baby of the family. No seriously, the whole family, cousins and all. So, growing up I was always the littlest, and was never had anyone around littler than I. Not that it bothered me that much mind you. Being the youngest does have it's perks. But, my point is that babies are a whole new world to me.

 It is so amazing to me to see the joy that this little angelface has brought to Shea and Sarah. Even more amazing is the way that he changes EVERY time I see him! He is growing and developing everyday, and I know this because I demand daily Parker pictures. (Thanks Sarah!) I am in awe of my little nephew, and how absolutely perfect he is.

I am telling you all of this if only to justify my constant bragging about the cutest little boy in the world, that will continue to take place throughout my blog I'm sure. Today's bragging point is the newborn pictures that Shea and Sarah had commissioned by Tara Sierra Photography in Orange County. See for yourself...

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I mean c'mon. How could I not brag? Tara Sierra Photography did an amazing job at capturing the happiness of this new little family. Parker is a perfect little gift, and I truly thank God for bringing safely into this world, and to us. I am so grateful for him, and thankful that he has amazing parents like Shea an Sarah. (and one pretty cool auntie too!)

I promise I will try to not make this the Parker blog! I just love him so much, and am so excited to see what God has in store for him next!

Wowed

First things first. I am completely and positively overwhelmed with happiness from the supportive messages you guys have left me. When I started a blog, I never thought anyone would read it, let alone genuinely care about my well-being. Your guys' words put a smile on my face every time I read a new comment. I seriously am awe struck at the amount of support I have around me, and that pushes me to find happiness more than anything else. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! :)

It is hard to believe that I have met so many great and amazing people through this blog of mine, but I am so glad I did! I think of each one of you as individual blessings, and I am so grateful. I think I might have a grand idea on how to thank you....stay tuned!

Back to your regular scheduled programming...

I LOVE cheesecake, but it takes quite a bit of time to make. These little mini chocolate-chip cheesecakes are the perfect solution. I think I will have to try to make them soon. 

I have decide that I want to get married here. Newland Barn is the perfect location, and exactly what I am looking for. No, I am not engaged yet. Minor detail people! 

The Phraseology Project is SUCH a cool website. You submit a word or phrase, and they turn it into print art. Seriously, I wish that all my words were turned into beautiful art!

I love me some hair tutorials. This hairdo is especially gorgeous, but very ambitious. I don't know if I can pull it off. I will try...but I doubt it will turn out as beautiful as the original.

Colossal Design is a "blog that explores the intersection of art, design, and physical craft". Need I say more? Awesome. 

Too Much.

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Overwhelmed.

That has been the common theme in my life lately. Have you ever heard the expression "when it rains, it pours"? That is me. Bad things tend to happen to me in groups, which makes them even more impossible to handle. I don't want to use this blog to complain, because I doubt you want to hear that. But, this blog is supposed to be about me right? And to pretend that my life is just rainbows and sunshine all the time just isn't realistic. If your life is rainbows and sunshine every day, I commend you, and would like to ask how in the heck you do it!

The thing no one ever tells you is that being an adult is really hard. If you haven't experienced the stresses of adulthood, count your lucky stars, because it is absolutely no fun. When things go wrong now, the responsibility falls on me to fix it. When did that happen? When did I become responsible?  And the thing is, everything keeps building up. When you think you have made progress on one problem, another load is put on your shoulders. 

I feel as if life these days has been a little too much to handle. I am always one to focus on the positive, and am naturally a pretty optimistic person, but sometimes it is tough to find the bright side of things.  This isn't the first time I have faced hardship, and I know it won't be the last either. I will get through this rough patch, but right now, at this very moment, it sucks. 

The most I can do is pray. With any problem facing my life, I turn to God to help me through it. When it may seem like everything is going wrong, God has a plan, and will not leave me stranded. Our Daily Bread spoke to me today (as it does most days) when it gave me these words:

"Underneath the restless surface
Of each trial that comes in life
Flows the Savior’s love and power—
They can calm our inner strife." —D. De Haan

God's love and power can help me overcome anything! Even if it is hard to see, when you are faced with  trials and tribulations, His love will help you through it! God has also blessed me with lots of loved ones around me, who I can lean on when times are tough. I am lucky to have people in my life, like Nick, who care enough to just hold me and tell me everything will be okay. 

But, what makes me the most sad is that I have been neglecting my blog. Writing brings me more happiness then anything else, but the stress I have been going through has prevented me from doing what I love best. I don't want to neglect this little blog of mine, or you guys anymore! I am going to get back on the horse, and keep on truckin'. (Excuse the mixed metaphors there) 

I know this has dragged on, but I wanted to let you know why I have been m.i.a.

I will be back, and better then ever! But for right now, I will cuddle with Nick, and throw myself a pity party for a little while longer....