Monday, August 31, 2009 Posted in My Life
My German mother always envisioned owning a dachshund. She imaged having an adoring lap dog that would snuggle morning, noon, and night, AND hunt badgers on the side. Quite the contrary to independent, 2 year old
Sandy. So we were off on a mission. Combing every shelter and dachshund rescue on this side of the Mississippi.
We sped down to the South County Animal Shelter upon hearing of a doxie up for adoption. We briskly checked in and made a bee line to the cage containing our new addition. We made it. Finally. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as excited to see us as we were to see her. Two piercing amber eyes appeared from the shadow, followed by perfect sharp, white fangs, and a warning growl. Immediately I thought of sweet, innocent Sandy, and how this was NOT a perfect match for her. Or us. With silent agreement we slipped out the side gate, as to not offend anyone, and never looked back. We drove away with disappointment and heavy hearts, animal shelters have that effect on you.
A week later, we received a call from the San Diego Dachshund Rescue. They had a dog that was a perfect match for our needs. Without hesitation my mom accepted the offer and we planned to pick her up at the monthly dachshund meet-up. Yes, there is an extensive waiting list and application process for dachshunds. They are that popular. 
We pulled into the parking lot at Harry Griffen Park with eager eyes, scanning the 25+ dachshunds running in circles. We were introduced to the most rambunctious one of all, Rosie. There she was, with a patriotic flag bandanna and unmatched confidence. We knew we had our hands full as we attempted to bring her home.
In the first few weeks of living with us she managed to remove a patch of hair from Sandy (who is 3 times her weight!) and eat a hole (the size of Texas!) in the couch. A new couch. Let’s just say Rosie was less than welcome at this point.
It took months of unconditional love to coax out the softer side of this former street dog. She had been adopted twice before and was on her 3rd strike. Today, she is about 75% sweetheart and 25% thug. No, seriously. I wouldn’t mess with her in a dark alley. Although at times she is selective about which lap she will snuggle in, Rosie is the lap dog my mother always wanted. Like most dogs, she needs attention primarily when you are busy. She now uses those amber eyes to convince you that she should be warming your lap, and not the laptop. Rosie always wins.
We later found out that she was the dog from the shelter that we so cautiously avoided. It’s funny how things work out. The old cliché is true, you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover! I can’t imagine my life with out her.
~Nicole
Sunday, August 23, 2009 Posted in My Life
Sunday, August 16, 2009 Posted in My Life
These past few weeks have been a whirlwind…to say the least. My company had another round of layoffs and we lost 25% of our staff. For me, work has always been the most enjoyable when I am surrounded by great people. It has been really difficult to lose part of the family and adjust to working with a much smaller staff. To add to the fun, someone plowed into the back of my car on the 805 while on my way to work! If I had to pick any time to not pay attention while driving, the freeway would NOT be it. Needless to say, I am physically/emotionally dented, and I miss my colleagues AND mi coche. I know I just need to pick up my head and shine on through the storm…but some days it’s tough. Things could be much worse on my end, so I am extremely thankful to still have a job AND be able to walk away from an accident. I am indeed blessed.
Ok, I’m done venting.
On a much brighter note, there is an Ansel Adams exhibit at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego! Arthur and I cruised out there last weekend and it was such a treat! Ansel Adams had an uncanny ability of seeing and capturing light, and his black and white landscape photography is some of the best, even today. Although I doubt it was his goal, Ansel was one of the first photographers to successfully brand himself, having name and image recognition. You should definitely check out the exhibit if you have time, plus, Balboa Park is always beautiful.
I love the portrait of Ansel, it makes me believe he was content.
Thanks for stopping by!
~Nicole
Wednesday, August 5, 2009 Posted in My Life
As I cruised home with the windows down and the refreshingly cool summer air tousling my hair, I realized how insanely lucky I am. I feel so blessed to have spent ALL day with the continually inspiring Jasmine Star, and 20 other talented photographers. I’m so glad I managed to weasel my way into her 3rd workshop, cleverly titled The Workshop. It was a full day of branding, shooting, and Q&A. My brain is still trying to process all the valuable information and techniques…yesterday would have been a good day to be a sponge! For real.
Here is Jasmine gettin’ her teacher on…..
Hair and make-up by the uber talented Vivian Tran of All Made Up Team. Not only is she really good at what she does, she is such a sweet person. I wish I could take her home and look this stunning everyday…
Melinda workin’ it…
Vern’s turn…
Love, love, love….
The group, what what! I can’t wait to see what everyone is able to achieve! I wish you all the best!!
Vivian, thank you for making the models look hot as heck. It was so great to meet you!!
Vern and Melinda, thanks for rockin’ the photo shoot! Does it hurt to be that good looking?!
JD and Millie, thank you for spending your day with us! You made everyone feel so welcome and taken care of.
Jasmine, thanks for sharing a piece of your heart. Yesterday was epic! Words can’t sum up what an honor it was to attend your workshop, so I will sing it too….You the, you the best…you the, you the best…
Thank you!
~Nicole
by Nicole
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