Rest Peacefully, Mr. Bear

Mr. Ted E. Bear, my family's beloved shih tzu, whom we inherited from my grandmother, hasn't been doing too well. On Saturday the decision was made that it was time, as he was no longer eating and couldn't do much on his own anymore. (We thought we could wait him out but it was just too painful, for everone.) Later that day, at the vet's, he went peacefully. I'm sure he and Hershey and grandma are busy catching up and snuggling.

He lived a long full life and we're so happy he made it through one more Christmas with us. He would have been fourteen in March.

You were a crazy pup, Mr. Bear, with your "talking", acting like a cat and love of being held like a baby, but that meant you fit in with the family perfectly and we'll miss you so, so much.

Here's my tribute to Teddy, the best way I know how - in photos.

And to explain Ted's style of talking, this video Mr. Same Same and I made last year:

Rest peacefully, Mr. Bear.

xo

Grandma's Ring

My aunt sent this amber ring to me a few years ago, after she realized that she really didn't wear it much and thought I would like it. Turns out she was so right. I wear it all the time! I tend to wear just one statement ring and this fits the bill perfectly.

Never mind the fact that it was my grandmother's (mom's mom), she bought it in Iceland when they were living there in the early 1960s. Taking a peek in my jewelry box, it seems that more and more of my favorites are from family members, either gifts or much loved pieces that have been handed down. I guess that ties in with why I majored in history - the past is very much alive, present and relevant to me!

What's your favorite piece of jewelry? Any heirlooms?

xo

By the Pool

{The latest installment of my Memories series}

I have soooo many fond memories of pool days from my childhood. We were fortunate in that we'd moved into a gated townhome community that was originally designed for retirees, so there was something like six pools and at least one stayed heated all year long.

We spent countless hours in the pool and spa, year round, sometimes even in the rain. My dad has always had a bad back so he would swim laps for his workouts. Lars grew up so fearless and used to the water that as a toddler he would jump in before checking to see if someone was there to catch him! (Luckily he had this amazing 1920s-style swimsuit that had a built-in floatie...I gotta find a photo of it!)

We would warm up after swims like this - under our towels, soaking up the heat of the concrete. So peaceful. The pools were the only things I really missed about our house when we moved after I finished sixth grade.

Hooray for growing up in southern California!

xo

Adoptables Round I of 2011

Hooray, the first round of adoptables for the year! And they are a ridiculously cute bunch, I must say. Sarah and I headed over there last weekend and spent a lovely afternoon playing/working with some great dogs. (For those of you new to the blog, I volunteer regularly at the Seal Beach Animal Care Center, a no-kill, all-volunteer shelter, taking pictures of their dogs up for adoption.)

Pictured above is Kaya, a super sweet lab mix. What is it about roly poly puppies that they just steal your heart right out from under you?

Beware the head tilt! You can't say no!

Click here for more information on bringing her home.

Then we have Bernie, a standard poodle (?) mix that is super playful and great with other dogs - just look at that smile!

Click here for more info on adopting Bernie.

Next up is Fritz, a Lhasa Apso mix who had been brought to the shelter that day along with two others by a volunteer. He's named after one of our local weathermen (the whole trio was - the others are Dallas and Garth). :) Such a sweetie pie, he just needs a bit of a trim!

Click here for more information on sweet Fritzie.

Then we got to hang out with Heidi, a mellow and happy German Shepherd mix.

All the smarts of a shepherd but in a smaller package - love!

Click here for more info on bringing Heidi home.

Next up is Lucky, a cocker spaniel who came from a not-so-great home, but was nothing but relaxed and sweet with Sarah and I. He just didn't want to leave the bench! :)

Click here for more information on adopting Lucky.

We spent some time with Phoebe, a sweet and cuddly chihuahua. A little shy, but nothing some TLC won't cure!

Click here for more details on adopting Phoebe.

And then there was Prancer, a boxer mix puppy who has the coolest brindle coat I've ever seen and already knows how to sit and stay! Someone did an awful chop job on his ears, but he doesn't seem to let it affect him.

Click here for more info on Prancer.

Skip the cattle dog absolutely charmed me with those gold eyes. And check out that pretty coat! He just needs some fat put back on his bones. He's another one who loves leaning against you - be still my heart!

Click here for more info on Skip.

Next up is Spirit, another female German Shepherd mix. She was super shy, but I get the feeling she'll be fiercely loyal to whomever takes her home. And that coat is as soft as it looks. :)

Click here for the full details on Spirit.

And then there was Victor, a super cute chihuahua (maybe he qualifies for teacup status?). I didn't get too many shots because by then it was nearing sunset and he was too cold to stay out for too long. But luckily he was more than happy to snuggle with Sarah!

Click here for info on how to bring Victor home!

So hopefully you guys know of someone looking for a new family member and will recommend they go to SBACC! As Sarah's t-shirt says, "Rescued is my favorite breed." Amen, sistah.

xo

Good To Know

I may have mentioned that I've been reading up on business/SEO/website design/marketing stuff like crazy and neglecting my favorite blogs - major suck! But at least what I'm devouring is useful and interesting. In case it might be of use to you, fellow business owners (and blog lovers), here's a sampling of what I've been saving in Feedly lately:

Business-Y Things:

How To Create A Website Reflective of You, from the master of personality-based marketing (and one of my photography heroes), Jasmine Star. I can tell you right now this is sooooooo hard.

The Design*Sponge Biz Ladies series is awesome, and I found their post on Using Web Analytics especially helpful for breaking down a complicated topic.

I know I link to Elsie's blog all the time, but that girl is always up to something amazing and I love that she shared her 5 Tips for Prolific Living. Number 3 really struck a chord with me, because it's exactly how I feel but also something I occasionally need to remind myself about!

Jessica over at Hey Girl, Nice Shot has done a great series on SEO For Photographers, and I really loved the guest post she shared, 20 Instantly Done SEO Tips for Photographers.

Also, because this may be the hardest part of putting together a website, 16 questions to help you write a douche-free bio. I may be a little partial because the title is so awesome. :)

Fun Things:

I made Ree's Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce a few weeks ago, and I've been jonesing for it ever since. So ridiculously easy to make - if I can do it, anyone can!

You may have heard about Yahoo shutting down Delicious (eventually), and if you use it like I do you'll want to check out How to Export Your Delicious Bookmarks and Import Them Into Your Favorite Browser.

I absolutely love Coury over at Fancy Treehouse, and this recent outfit had me jonesing for (yet another) red bag. Try not to hate her, even though she's gorgeous, blonde, smart, sweet and always perfectly styled. :)

Also, did you watch the Golden Globes last night? It's a tough choice, but I think my favorite dress of the night was Anne Hathaway. I almost always love her bold choices and this chic backless standout was amazing and so different from all the other blah that we saw:

(Source.)

Although I gotta hand it for Eva Longoria for working some serious classic glamour. (Source.)

We made our predictions beforehand and Mr. Same Same was the clear winner (surprise, surprise). I'm just happy Colin Firth and Chris Colfer won!

xo

P.S. Have to share a sneak peek of our weekend adventure - can you guess where I took him?