ON AN ANNOUNCEMENT

I want to be clear about something: I didn't pick her.

She picked me.

She was whining to be picked up, reaching her little paws up the sides of the large pen she was in, with about 10 other dogs. It was a Saturday afternoon in Hollywood, and my first day volunteering with this new group. She was carrying on so much, her little eyebrows furrowed together, that I finally reached down and scooped her into arms. She instantly settled, staying there the rest of the event, lounging in one arm while I used the other to pet the other dogs, hand out papers.

I knew who she was. I had gone through the photos on their facebook page the two weeks leading up to this day. These are the things I do in my spare time, totally normal. I knew she needed a new foster, hers were en route to India, which is kind of far for weekly adoption events in LA. I had shown her to the friend I was staying with, flipping my laptop around, look at this little one. He would roll his eyes when he spotted me going through the dogs again, but within minutes he was next to me, eventually on petfinder, exclaiming over boston terriers and french bulldogs. He came to visit me that fateful Saturday afternoon, making the drive east from Beverly Hills, after I sent her picture to him. He stood face to face with her, sunglasses still on, arms crossed, a quick nod to me before heading over to the puppies.

When it was time to leave, she was still in my arms, and the two girls turned to me. "She has nowhere to go tonight, you know." I knew. "Just take her for the night, we'll figure something out for tomorrow." Permission came though my phone, and we drove back west, where he greeted us with an eye roll and a smile. "I knew you'd bring her home."

She ripped down the seven-foot curtain rod. She tore off blinds. She ran out the door after me, making my heart jump out through my throat. Troublemaker. She listened to me, with my face pressed into her fur, as I contemplated just what the fuck I was doing. She danced with me in the kitchen, front paws waving wildly. She hurled her body vertically, as I turned away from the pen each week at the adoption events. One of the last ones, tears welled up in my eyes as I literally forced my legs to keep going toward the car. She met him through skype, his smile wide, but brushing it off, ready to have his eyes locked on me again. I told her about him, I told her about Henry, I told her about New York, we shared dinners, had long morning walks around the reservoir. We drove across Beverly Blvd endlessly, she sat in my lap as I cruised or sat in traffic.

We spent another month in Los Angeles, moving from Beverly Hills to Silver Lake, before flying across the country back to New Jersey, then New York City. Henry wasn't having it. Oh no, sir, no way. That's my mommy! He made it clear with his bark, his attitude, and his biting attempts. His big brown eyes looked up at me, asking me how I had brought her home, who was this dog? She slept in my lap, peed everywhere, ignored him. He got better about it. A miracle. They touched noses, connected. My little terrified man crept a little bit further out of his shell, being pulled by this firecracker new sister of his.

I'm not sure when it happened, to be honest. For weeks, I protested. No, really, I was only fostering her, the dogs didn't get along. And I meant it, too. No one believes me, but we had quiet talks, she and I, and I'd explain it to her. I meant it. But then... I don't know. Maybe it's our history. Maybe it was the things that happened in the time from LA to now. Maybe it was the way she woke me up with this giant smile, a tail swoosh like you've never seen. But one day I realized she was mine. And today we went ahead and made that official.

Lady, Layla, LaLa, LayLay, my little bug. You're home now, sweet girl. You're home now.

ON Birthday Celebrating (& a Giveaway winner!)

This birthday was delicious. I wore my favorite new dress and my tiara, because birthdays are for tiara wearing. I celebrated all day with people I love, and met up with my twin for some twin-birthdaying at night. We went to Peacefood and Anfora to celebrate, and I recommend both if you're ever celebrating in the city. And after years (years!) of not seeing each other on my birthday, I got to end the day with my most favorite fella. He may or may not have made me a mix cd, and that, as we all know, is true love.

Over the weekend, I spent time with my family, and furry babies. Note the photo of Henry & I sharing a moment, and then please note Layla's reaction to that ;) We hang a Birthday windmill in my family's kitchen - no idea why, but we always have. My sister demanded one when she moved out, and she just hung it for her cat's first birthday yesterday. Yes, her cat. You may also note that a case of water is included in the gift pile, for that is the best gift ever for the rising temperatures of new york city. Additional gifts included beans and allergy medicine, and I could not make that up if I tried. After eight years of getting silverware as a birthday present, beans and allergy meds are like solid gold.

A giant THANK YOU to everyone who donated to Dollars For Doggies!

We raised $1087!!!

And the winner of the giveaway is.. Annie W! Congratulations girl!

You all truly made my birthday the best one yet, and I can't thank you enough.

Dogs Without Borders & Second Chance Rescue NYC will be getting the donations asap :)

xoxo

ON Mornings With Lady & Afternoons With Henry

Lady is soft and gentle, like the morning. She rises slowly, the way the sun pours into the world, eases into the day, takes her time coming into focus. She can linger in bed for hours, wants to be held, and snuggle, moves delicately, walks with a dainty attitude, and is so very much a girl.

Henry is a burst of energy, like an inviting afternoon. He is tugging, moving toward something, running, playing, chasing down whatever catches his eye. He finds every possible patch of mud and jumps in it. He wants to explore, have his own space, while checking that I'm nearby, testing limits, and is so very much a boy.

My furry babies still can't be in the same room yet. Well, they can, but it's tough times. But I have faith that it will happen soon. A mother always knows. Until then, it's time with each of them, and loving them for their own unique ways. My morning girl, and my afternoon boy, and my heart bursting with love.

ON Counting Them {Four}

Patience,

Henry Elliot,

Lady Laylee LaLa,

waking up to flowers that have bloomed,

being outside without a jacket,

dancing,

the sound of a whirling fan,

singing,

stretching,

waiting,

not waiting,

instagram,

my momma,

pushing through it,

root beer,

asking scary questions,

asking total strangers scary questions,

the kindness of others,

meditation,

catching the train just as it's arriving,

mexican food,

the way you look at me when i talk,

the way you look at me when i surprise you,

really just the way you look at me,

psalm 59:16,

Broadway shows,

palm trees,

Demi Lovato,

fresh air pouring into the room,

ceiling fans (& the longing for a ceiling fan),

brainstorming,

bravery,

kissing,

short skirts & being young enough to wear them,

lace,

a stack of new books to dive into,

central park,

listening,

brussel sprouts,

avocados,

painting,

Love.

i am grateful for you.

previously: 3 / 2 / 1

ON When Aunt Amy Came To Visit (a guest post by Lady)

Hola Internets, Ladybug here.

Mama is finally letting me do a guest blog. 

Henry has done a lot & I saw another pup do one, too. So my turn!

I shall tell you of when Auntie Amy came to visit me last weekend. 

Oh & mom, too. But mostly me.

This is me & Aunt Amy & Mama & me. Also, me.

I am giving you a strong profile angle in this shot.

As a future professional model, I made this choice

and was definitely not distracted by something shiny or a squirrel.

They went to get Mexican food and no one invited me.

I'm a freaking Chihuahua, for peta's sake.

No one invited me here either. Auntie Amy said they needed a delicious treat.

And I was all, "Hello, I am right here. Delicious Treat is my company."

Mommy says chocolate is bad for doggies. I say stop spreading slanderous lies.

(jklol it is bad for doggies)

Then they went to see my cousin, Dana. She is their cousin, too.

'twas her birthday celebration. Question: when is mine? Do I get a party?

Auntie Amy is very nice and I approved her visit.

She is comfortable to sleep on and she let me kiss her nose a lot.

I do enjoy that very much. She let me sneeze on her, too.

I say you can always judge a person by their willingness to be sneezed on.

So okay Auntie Amy, you can come back soon. But don't bring the Cats.

I heard about them. I heard they are cats and not dogs. Unacceptable.

Yours in Pawsomeness,

Ladybugz

ON This Afternoon

Hi internet :) Pardon the blogging delay whilst my sister is in town. (Isn't whilst such a good word?! One of my favs.) When I come back, I promise to regale you of tales of how we met Lauren Graham last night. LAUREN GRAHAM. Oh I know. I know.

See ya on the flip side, xo.

ON Those Funny Furry Friends

sometimes HennyBear & I facetime. my face in the upper left pic says it all.

& sometimes LaLa 'helps' me with work. by sleeping on me while I write.

oh those little lovebugs! I adore them both so much.

ON Getting To Know You, Getting To Know All About You (OR; Hello!)

Recently, I've noticed a lot of brand new followers that have come my way due to the incredible giveaway (that you totally should enter before Friday) I'm a part of. To you newbies, I say hello! Hola! Holler! Yes, that's right, holler with an e and an r.

Figure it's only right to catch you up to speed since you're new round these parts. So here's some info about me I think you may want to know:

First and foremost, I have the world's cutest dogs. What's that? YOU have the world's cutest dog(s)?! Okay, it's totally a tie and SEND ME PICTURES! J/k about the tie, not j/k about the pictures. Please & thank you.

Henry Elliot Raleigh Alexander is my munchkin man, my little bear, my tiny baby, my HensElliot, my first born. To say I'm obsessed with him is an understatement. Hen came to me through a rescue group and was originally born in a puppy mill. Due to the mill, he is fearful, anxious and distrusting. But his momma is on the case and he's doing a whole lot better now than he was when we became mother and child back in 2010.

Ladybugs is my boo, my bug, my LaLa, my LaLaLopolis, my baby girl. She is my foster dog with Dogs Without Borders and we fell in love in Los Angeles this past January. She came back to NYC with me and we are looking forward to getting back to LA very soon.

Speaking of, I live in three different states. Try that on for size. I divide my time between NYC, LA, and the grand state of NJ. No, you may not mock it. Yes, we all may mock snooki. No, I have never watched Jersey Shore (swear). Yes, I can pack for a long trip in under a half hour. Yes, I love traveling.

I'm an actress by profession. There's a good chance that I've toured through your city or at least several that you've heard of. I do musical theatre, voice over, commercials and am planning to take over ABCFamily shows any day now. The day I'm on Pretty Little Liars is the day I pass out in excitement.

When I'm not acting, singing, writing music, or doing voiceovers.. I'm a social media strategist, blogger for an interior design brand, and I run my own doggy nannying service in NYC. So mostly I am running from one thing to the next, laughing about how ridiculous it is, and enjoying the chaos.

I'm obsessed with design. Interior, graphic, typography, clothing, textiles, you name it and I love it. I want to learn printmaking something wicked.

I'm on a mission to get every single shelter and abandoned dog into a loving and forever home. To this end, I post dogs non-stop on my Facebook feed, work with an extensive amount of rescue groups, educate friends (and strangers) on the importance of spaying, neutering, and adopting dogs as opposed to buying from a breeder or (god forbid) a puppy store. If you ever want to add a dog into your life, email me and I'll help you find your perfect rescue pup.

 

I'm vegan. Except when it comes to pancakes because I cannot resist the cake that pans. I have a problem.

I'm a meditator, practice the Paradox Process, and have seen my entire life change from these two things (and a strong conviction to change). I'm also a trained life coach and odds are, I want to life coach you or talk to you about meditation or the Process.

I have a firm life rule: always buy yourself flowers. Even if other people are! This is symbolic of knowing how to treat yourself kindly, put yourself un-selfishly first, appreciate the little things, and choose to do what makes you happy. Kind of hard to explain but try it.

If I wasn't an actress, I'd be an interior designer and yes, I would like to design your home and organize your closet, please.

I believe in living my very best life. Firmly. Not in an Oprah type of way, but in a Kerry type of way. I feel the only limits we have are the ones we create for ourselves and that we can overcome anything by identifying it and working like hell to change it.

I turn my cell phone off a lot. Like, a lot. At least twice a day but usually more at night. Or it's on silent.

I'm currently having a little love affair with the show Hart of Dixie, but my all time favorite is Gilmore Girls. Both are/were filmed on the same set which just makes it all even more spectacular.

I keep a tiara next to my bed and wear it when I'm cleaning, writing, or just need to remind myself of my own greatness. I highly suggest this along with the flowers.

Happy to have you here, feel free to email me or leave me a comment and I'll write you back :)