hello, are you still there? I'm back!

{our lovely photographer samantha kelly. check her out!}

well, hello.

it has been quite awhile, wouldn't you say?

so, so, so much has happened while i've been away.

big things and little things.

since my last post, here are the "top 10" since then.

1. i'm retired! i decided after much thought that it was time

to move on from the wonderful world of ballet.

it was the best chapter of my life. i will always be a ballerina at heart.

2. we made a quick move and lived in utah for a few months 

this summer while lovebird enjoyed a wonderful internship.

3. i chopped my hair. 

it's new, a change and something i have always wanted to do.

{not having to put my hair in a bun every day anymore, gave me the green light!}

4. baby stice will be joining us january 2014.

we couldn't be more excited.

5. this summer i did a bit of "local" traveling;

portland, island park, hawaii and west yellowstone.

it was a fun summer.

6. this summer, we lived with my parents.

it was a complete joy- family is one of my most important gems in life. 

7. we are back in california preparing for baby and lovebird's graduation.

california feels like home to me. we are oh-so-happy here.

8. mowgli turned one this month!

{happy birthday to our favorite pup}

we are kind of in shock that we have already had him for a whole year.

time needs to s l o w down.

9. our favorite things from summer:

fly fishing, frozen yogurt, camping in kauia, pickles,

hanging with old/best friends, salt lake restaurants, finding out about baby stice,

home cooked meals and the beauty of utah.

10. lovebird and i celebrated our 3rd year anniversary this summer.

time flies when you are in love-

and boy, am i in love. 

it's so good to be back.

i'll be here to stay for awhile.

happy holiday weekend.

xoxo

shadow.

me and my shadow.

{literally, though.}

mowgli has been thriving for attention lately,

which boggles my mind, because i feel that sometimes i give him too much attention.

i'm that much in love with him.

in fact, sometimes often i don't get chores/errands done,

because i turn the corner and look behind me, to find him

following my every footstep.

those puppy eyes lure me in- i can't refuse his offer to cuddle or play.

so i play.

we go on outings, walks and to the dog park-

all while my house continues to collect dust.

however, i'm beginning to not mind-

because i'd rather have a little shadow for a best friend,

then a house with dirty bathrooms and dusty shelves.

cheers to mowgli, shadows and companionship.

xoxo

long winter's nap

the holidays are for lounging, resting and relaxing right?

that's what mowgli seems to think.

but, we don't mind one bit, because our exhausted school brains

and sore ballet muscles are accepting every ounce of rest they can get. 

mowgli met so many people at lovebird's family's christmas party-

it took the energy right out of him.

he managed to crash right in front of the christmas tree, 

not minding the big red bow we tied on him.

he was in for a long winter's nap.

it's a tuff life, when you are the center of attention-

having everyone awing over your cuteness,

petting you at every chance and playing with you endlessly.

he is certinaly spoiled.

i'm not sure lovebird and i can give him nearly as much love, 

 as all of his adoring fans, friends and family are giving him, 

when we go back home.

a few things are for certain:

we love mowgli, christmastime and long winter naps. 

oh, and mowgli has decided this is his favorite time of year too-

he can't seem to get enough of the snow.

in between his naps, he joyfully pounces in the snow.

it's like pulling teeth to get him to come back inside. 

obviously, we are all completely satisfied with how this christmas break is going.

hope you enjoy your last day of 2012!

see you in the new year!

xoxo

all you need is love.

merry christmas from us to you.

{and from mowgli too, of course.}

picture of the week.

this picture sums up this week perfectly:
-there's always time for puppy snuggles, now matter how busy one might be.
-my hair managed to master one hairstyle this week: the effortless and messy topknot.
-no makeup besides a bold lip color is an easy go to look. {this lipstick in "so chaud"}
-wearing glasses is mandatory when you have to stare at text books all day long.
-the puppy mom in me wants to cry, because mowgli is growing up too fast.
-scarfs make everything better, including your outfit.
-our dog is camera shy. proof above, as well as in every other photo we take of him.

i'm hoping you've all had a lovely week.
thank goodness the weekend is here, right?
i plan on rehearsing, studying and preparing for our guests to arrive next week.
i'm certain your plans are far more exciting than mine... so, please share.
cheers to it being friday.
also, cheers to all the cups of eggnog that have gotten me through the week. 

xoxo

hello from mowgli.

a small post today, written by mowglie:

things i love: 

ice cubes, exploring, puppy treats, socks and my red spiky ball.

i could play fetch all day long. 

things i hate: 

the vacuum cleaner, getting my nails clipped and taking a bath.  

{you should hear me scream when i'm in the bath tub. literally, scream.}

you still don't believe me? here is proof we shiba's have a scream. 

things that scare me: 

paper grocery bags, the blender and tin foil. 

{my owners even put a puppy treat on a grocery bag, and i wouldn't go near it.}

things i can't live without:

my leash, snuggles from my owners and my puppy chow, of course.

things i have yet to figure out:

why i get in trouble for peeing on the carpet, 

{i've only done it a few times- cut me some slack!}

what it means when my owners say "heel",

and what the crazy-loud machine in my kitchen is doing. 

{why is it growling at me? i sit an wonder the whole time.}

i'm a happy pup,

wishing you happy friday.

a puppy-fox obsession.

i'm sure you've all come to notice my overwhelming love for my puppy.

are you sick of him (or me) yet? 

i do promise to tone down on the pictures and posts-

but, hello! a puppy is only a puppy for so long. 

(or should i say so short?)

but, the fashion industry isn't helping my obsession for my puppy either.

i am seeing things decked out in foxes everywhere.

{sweaters, tops, skirts, decor and the list goes on.}

thank goodness my puppy looks like a fox-

because, i now spend my days drooling over all of these items.

let me give you an example (or five):

anthropologie has me drooling over all of these items. 

from clothes to home decor- consider me in heaven.

unfortunately for me, my drooling doesn't stop there.

take a look....

asos: here and here

old navy: here 

modcloth: here. 

nordrstom: here.

aubin & wills: here, here and here.

am i in trouble or what?

obviously, one thing is for certain:

i adore this fashion trend of wearing animals on your sweaters. 

{particularly, a fox.} 

on top of it all- thank goodness my puppy looks identical to a fox;

because this at least justifies my deep obsession.

are you obsessing over the craze of wearing an animal on your sweater?

yes or no? i'm curious to hear your take on this fashion trend.

one month.

dear: one month...

-it's takes one month to form a habit- and only three days to break one. 

-just over a month from now, i'll finally be able to chitchat with a missionary.

{aka: brother and best friend}

-over 800 million users visit youtube each month.

 {no, i'm not making that up; fact found here.}

-one month from now i'll be on stage gearing up for the nutcracker performances.

-i paint my nails at least three times each month. {i'm not embarrassed by it either.}

-there are just over 43,829 minutes in one month. 

-i knew i was smitten and in love with lovebird just after a month of dating.

-one month ago we became a family of three....

mowgli has given us a month of complete bliss;

full of puppy kisses, loves, and an extra dose of patience. 

it will be one month i will always remember.

cheers to all good things that happen in one month.

can you name any?

xoxo

eat your greens and drink them too.

happy friday.

we decided to start our morning off right;

meaning, with a big glass of fruits and veggies.

{we are back onto our juice kick. yay!}

it turns out- our mother's were right all along;

"eat your greens."

the weekend is here already.

we're hoping for rainy days to give us every excuse

 to stay indoors and cozy up side by side.

unfortunately, work steals lovebird away from me tonight-

but, thank goodness i have mowgli eagerly wanting to take his place. 

this little pup of ours demands play time and adventures. always

then again, i'd use any excuse to play with him too. 

i'm hoping you have a happy, healthy and fun weekend in store.

eat your greens and take your vitamins.

'tis the season to get sick, right?

that means it's time to boost our immune systems-

 ready, set.... juice!

{p.s. want the recipe for the juice above? it's from this lovely and famous blog.}

little list of happiness.

my little list of 'happy's' this week: 

1. sundays spent on the couch, accomplishing nothing but cuddling.
2. dark chocolate has my sweet tooth wrapped around it's little finger right now.
3. the feeling of coming home to a puppy; nothing is better than being greeted by an abundance of puppy kisses when you walk in the door after a long night of rehearsal.
4. mornings that allow me to simply think, reflect and ponder. i crave that silence to start my day off.
5. an unexpected, yet just-what-i needed phone call from 'brother joel'. brothers are one of life's greatest blessings.

go on, what are you waiting for?

tell me what's on your "happy list" this week.

p.s. one last one: i'm happy monday is over.

xoxo

there's someone i'd like you to meet.

hello world.

today is a big day; or rather today has a big announcement. 

we've {finally} settled on a name for our little pup.

drum roll please.... world, meet:

mowgli.

mowgli stice, that is.

{current nickname: mowgs}

we are well aware that it took us almost three weeks to name him,

but, better late than never, right?

i'm not exactly sure how mowgli came about-

yes, the name mowgli comes from the little boy in "the jungle book"-

but, he wasn't necessarily named after him for any particular reason.

we simply liked the name. 

i can't begin to tell you how many names we came up with for our little guy.

name, after name, after name;

none of which instantly fit his puppy cuteness, yet regal aura.

until, "mowgli" suddenly seemed to be the perfect fit. 

so, there you have it.

as much as we hated the ongoing search for the perfect name,

we couldn't be more in love with his name- well, mostly just him in general. 

happy monday!

cheers to a new week, puppy kisses and a successful weekend. 

xoxo