Puppy and Photo Madness, With a Touch of Materalism

So our puppy guest Fred went home safely on Monday night, although there were a few times he came close to not being able to do so (if you catch my drift). Poor guy is a very smart dog, but his owner hasn't really made the time to train him yet! It must be like when parents watch other people's kids - makes you appreciate how good yours are! ;)

New Puppy?

Well...getting there. Chris and I decided it's time Jacopo had a brother, for a number of reasons.

1. We love dogs.
2. Italian Greyhounds typically do much better with at least one other dog around, just because they're such a social/pack breed.
3. We've been talking to other IG owners at the dog park, who ALL recommend getting another one.
4. Peace of mind - if he has someone to play with, he'll leave us alone more. :) And I won't worry so much when I have to leave him home alone during the day.
5. We love dogs.

At first we thought we'd have to wait due to finances, but then we discovered the Italian Greyhound Club of America, which runs an extensive rescue program in pretty much every state. And all they really charge is about $250, to cover expenses while they were fostering the rescued dog! So not only would we be able to afford it, but we'd be giving a much-needed home to a grateful pup. So now we've gone through the application process with our local IGCA rep, and she came and inspected our place on Saturday, so we're now approved! Woo!

Now is the wait-and-see part, because they only have a few IGs right now in the area, and none of them are really what we're looking for. We could adopt from any of the other states, but we'd have to actually drive or fly out there to get him, because they won't ever ship a dog. One of the coolest parts is they'll post all their available IGs on Pet Finder (at least the ones that weren't immediately taken by a waiting approved family, like us), a website devoted to adoptions. That way you can see photos, and read all the details on how they came up for adoption, what their temperament is, how trained they are, etc.

At any rate, we're very excited, and can't wait to find just the right guy to be Jacopo's new brother!

March Photo Madness

Speaking of Jacopo, been taking more photos lately, all of which you can see on my Flickr here, but I wanted to share some highlights:
I just love the light on that last one - he usually doesn't curl up all by himself, but maybe he's finally getting more independent...ha!

Family Sunday

So we (and by "we" I mean my dad, my brothers, Roseann, Jacopo and I - in one car!) headed down to Karl and Donna's house in San Diego on Sunday to hang out with the family, especially because my auntie Elissa was in town for the "Women in Aviation" conference. (Chris stayed at home with Fred.) We had a great time! My cousin Sarah and her boyfriend Jim came over, Donna's mom, brother and sister-in-law came over too, the weather was gorgeous (if a bit cold for our part of the world) and the dogs got to play together. Plus we got BBQ...yum! Here's some highlights from the day:

The gorgeous weather
Roseann and Sarah cracking each other up
Sarah and Jacopo having a moment
And this photo reminds me of the funny of the day that day - Elissa was like "Take my picture kissing the camera, like you did!" And I said "I did that in the mirror!" And she got this surprised look on her face and said "Really?" And mom and I just craaaacked up. Definitely indicative of the pre-Myspace generational divide - the self-portrait-in-mirror has become a mainstay for my generation. ;)Mom and Jacopo cuddling (jeez, who doesn't he cuddle with??) - the wind got really cold! Like below 50! :)All in all a very nice day. :)

Materialism Alert

Just had to share some new things I've added to my hoard lately (have I mentioned I love to shop? Maybe once or twice?), to get in the mood for spring...or whatever excuse works for you.

First, I finally bought a new swimsuit. I don't go swimming that often, but I purposely ruined my old one last season in the mud baths at Glen Ivy because it was already three years old at that point. So with the weather warming up like it has been around here, I figured it was high time I finally got a new one. And being that I'm no longer 18 and would really prefer to cover my slowly-but-surely-expanding backside (no pun intended), I decided to go for a classic retro look. Thanks to Ms. Vintage herself, Katie, I was able to find this awesome one from Esther Williams Swimwear - yes, THE Esther Williams of Hollywood golden age fame. :)
But in red, of course. Super cute, huh? I might actually have to find an excuse to wear it somewhere besides a jacuzzi! :) It's not the cheapest suit out there, but it's also not nearly the most expensive - and it has a tummy shaper built in!

Another product I'm now in love with is Smashbox's O-Glow. It's a new cheek color that comes out clear, but starts adjusting to your skin tone once you put it on, to give you a really natural blush color. I had read about this stuff in In Style and thought it was a load of you-know-what. But then I got a free sample at Sephora last week, and I have to report that it really does what it says! I loved it so much I also got their lip gloss that does the same thing.

Also have to give special mention to Bumble & Bumble's "dry shampoo". Another product out there that's making women's (and men's) lives easier. It's like a hairspray that sprays powder to absorb that day-after excess oil at your roots. Awesomeness - 'nuff said.

We'll, I'm spent. Hope you guys are all doing well!

~T
Quote of the moment: "A picture is the expression of an impression." ~Ernst Haas