Doggy Adoption Day!

A year ago today, Sam and I went to an adoption event thrown by our favorite Dachshund rescue (Dachshund Rescue of Los Angeles). As we walked out the door to head to the event, I stopped and turned to Sam and told him "We are just going to look. We are NOT getting a dog today." Fast forward to about 4 minutes into the event and this happens. 

Needless to say, we came home with two dogs that day. 

They had been called Ariel and Olaf since their rescue from the shelter but those names just weren't "them". The day we got them also happened to be the day "The X-Files" returned to television after almost 15 years off the air. We knew it was a sign to name them Scully and Mulder. 

They have been such a wonderful addition to our lives. There's nothing quite like coming home every day to a wagging tail. Sure, sometimes they pee in the house when it's raining (they are dachshunds after all), or I catch them with one of my slippers in their mouths, but I wouldn't want it any other way. Happy Adoption Day my loves!

New Year... New Last Name!

It's 2015!

So much has happened this year! Now, I'm not the type that subscribes to the idea that a new year has to mean "new beginnings" or a "new you". I think new beginnings can happen whenever you want them to! But... it is still nice to reflect on all that has happened over the lat 365 days.

The year started with my fiancé (now husband) moving in the first of the year. He joined me and my roommate Stefana for a very "Three's Company"-esque living situation. It was a good way for all of us to save a little money (splitting bill three ways is a lot better than splitting them two ways). And it was a good way to make sure Sam and I could stand living with each other. Haha.

Also in January I noticed my dog acting funny. He had been putting on a lot of weight quickly and just seemed lethargic. I took him to the vet and they didn't seem to be too concerned. Then, one morning a couple weeks later I went to give him his usual "bye bye treat" that I give to him when I go to work and it was like he couldn't see the treat right in front of his face, he just sniffed around for it. Something was definitely wrong. I took him back into the vet and they confirmed what I had suspected. He was blind. Not just a little blind, completely blind. Basically overnight. The research that I did all pointed to SARDS (Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration). Beamer fell right into most of the categories of the classic SARDS cases. We took him to a specialist and they told me there was really nothing I can do. The truth is that I took him going blind a lot harder than he did. He's a resilient little guy and it really didn't' seem to affect him too much. After noticing a few other changes in his behavior we decided to also get him tested for Cushing's Disease which shares a lot of the same characteristics of SARDS. Turns out, he also has Cushing's Disease which is an increase in cortisone due to a benign tumor in the pituitary gland and has to be on lifelong medication to combat it. Along with the medication, he has to have constant testing and monitoring of his levels to make sure he is being properly medicated so, that has been a struggle but it has become our "normal".

I turned another (undisclosed) year old and had a little shin-dig to celebrate, complete with a DIY photobooth of course. 

 I also spent the weekend at the Riot LA comedy festival with some girl friends for my birthday. 

In February my mom and I had our first ever girls trip and we went up to Seattle for a cousins wedding. It was such a fun weekend. 

In March Sam and I relived our youth and saw The Used along with Taking Back Sunday at the Palladium. 

 I also found my wedding dress :)

In April we celebrated Sams birthday by spending a weekend in a cabin in Idyllwild (where we also took our engagement photos). 

We also spent another year at Stagecoach (and his mom and her best friend joined us!)

I attended the wedding of one of my oldest friends, Andy. 

 Watched my little cousin graduate high school and helped her move into her college dorm!

My mom and I had another mother daughter trip, this time to Denver for my aunts wedding!

Had a wonderful bachelorette party. 

Attended yet another wedding (thats four if you're keeping track) for our friends Ashley and Andrew. 

My wonderful Mother in Law threw me the most perfect bridal shower. 

Followed by an equally perfect shower thrown by my best friend and maid of honor Danica. 

And in the midst of wedding planning, Danica and I also planned our 10 year high school reunion. I know what you're thinking, we aren't nearly old enough to have graduated high school ten years ago, and you would be right ;) (Or so I'd like to think.)

And then... the event of the year (at least for me)... I got married!

And then I finished the year by celebrating the holidays with the ones I care about most. 

All in all it was a wonderful year, full of crazy highs and some lows but I feel that it's the lows that really make you appreciate the highs. Looking forward to a new year with a new last name and a husband! :)

Up Against the Wall

It's no secret. 

I love gallery walls. 

I love the idea of having a collection of all your favorite things all in one place. 

And, as OCD and detail oriented as I am, I actually prefer the mismatched frames and the random placement vs. the all the same frame, all the same size all in perfect placement.

In my room I more-so have a collection of colors that I love. As you can see with my use of embroidery hoops and fabric. I guess I'm kind of scared to commit to anything in my bedroom because I tend to change the decor often. 

(Beamer usually approves though. Haha)

I tend to gather little things I like from place to place. A few months back I ordered two custom canvas prints from Easy Canvas Prints of my dogs. Unfortunately they arrived after I lost my little Lexie but it made the print that much more special. I was so in love with them that I just threw them up on the wall haphazardly on just some random nails I had hanging and this was the result.

 As you can see the spacing is off and things are crooked and I kept telling myself I'd get around to it but never did, until last night, I finally did!

Looking back I really should have taken photos during the process but, like a kid, I was just so excited to get everything up on the wall that I, of course didn't.

Using a similar technique as was used here I chose all of my favorite pieces and traced them onto newspaper. (Side note: I wouldn't recommend newspaper because it's messy, it was just what I had so it worked.) Cut out the traced newspaper. Marked where the nails should be placed. Figured out how I wanted everything by taping it up on the wall. SO much easier than hanging and then deciding you don't like it. The three pieces that I really wanted as the focal pieces were my OSHEAGA poster and my two prints of my dogs. So they were the first to be placed. The OSHEAGA poster was placed in the middle of the wall and then I worked from the inside out to figure out the placement of everything else. Once I was happy, in went the nails and up went the prints! And voila!

I couldn't be happier with the results! I literally sat on the couch just staring at the wall for like 20 minutes after we finished because I loved it so much. And I love the incorporation of my two angels, my Lexie and my grandma. My big fear now is finding more artwork that I like! Haha. I guess that's why there are so many walls in a house!

(1. Avocado painting by my friend Heather Kent. // 2. Dachshund silhouette that I bought at the OC fair. I believe Leslie Stone was the artist. // 3. Mirror in a gold frame that I picked up from Goodwill for $5.99 (I actually bought two of them but only ended up using one). Originally it was meant to be hung vertically but we took the hook off and replaced it so that it could be hung horizontally. // 4. "S", not actually sure where I bought it but I'm sure from Marshall's or something like that. // 5. "Love Is What It's All About" print from Home Goods. // 6. Canvas print of Beamer from Easy Canvas Prints. // 7. A hand painted nature scene painted by my grandmother that I found while putting things together for her memorial. She was an incredible artist with a very special gift. // 8. Sprinkles cupcakes. My roommate is obsessed with Sprinkles cupcakes. Her friend painted this for her for her birthday one year. // 9. "The Long and Short of it" dachshund print, I believe from Target. // 10. My Lexie canvas print from Easy Canvas Prints. 11. My limited edition (only 400 printed) Osheaga poster, numbered and signed by artist Pat Hamou.)

I'm SO happy with the way it turned out. It makes the room feel warmer and more put together. I also really like how it does a great job camouflaging my thermostat. It even looks almost like it's part of the collage!

Next time maybe I'll actually remember to document what I'm doing because that would definitely make for a better blog post! Haha.