These are a few of my favorite things.....

I thought I'd compile a list of some of my favorite services/people who provide such services/products.

Hair Stylist: Emma @ Osgood O'Neil on Knox. Best hair cut of my life. In fact, if we move back to Houston, I might come back here just to get my hair cut. She can also help you with clip in extensions.... super fun!

Personal Trainer: Amanda Martinez. Super sweet, and super tough. She is also VERY reasonable. Works out of Fit 180 Gym on Lovers. She also teaches at Beyond Pilates.

Favorite out of the box workout: BEYOND PILATES on Lovers. Just go. You'll be glad you did.

Best Airbrush Tan: McKenzie Merrill. Owner of Custom Bronze. Apparently, Dallas agrees with me, because D Magazine just named her business as the best airbrush tan in the city. Which I've been saying for two years. DUH.

Best Skin Care Product: Natura Bisse Glyco Exfoliating Peel. My skin glowed for four days. Amazeballs.

Favorite Lotion: Kiehl's Creme de Corps. Super moisturizing, not oily, no funky scent.

Best Makeup Artist: Kristin Daniel. If Kristin isn't doing your makeup, you are not looking your best!!!!! She is also super sweet and puts up with my annoying texts constantly asking her product questions.....

Vacay, a new Rose is born, & a sudden, tragic loss

The first two weeks of July have been filled with so many different emotions- excitement, fun, happiness, sadness, and many tears. First, the good news! We left July 3 for Sophie's first vacation. My parents were kind enough to treat us to a vacation at the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort. I was so nervous about how Sophie was going to sleep at the hotel, but she did great. We had a fantastic time. Her favorite parts of the vacation were walking up and down the long hallways, the splash pad at the pool, and being able to walk back and forth between our room and my parents.  She thought it was great that she just had to walk next door and see her Grammy and her Granddad anytime she wanted. We had adjoining rooms because Sophie slept in the bathroom....  Sophie sat on top of T-Bone the Longhorn, met Hoss the Dog, who is a Newfoundland and the mascot of the resort. We also took her on a wagon ride, and she was able to meet and pet a horse named Lady.  The resort has four horses, two longhorns, ponies, and donkeys. Sophie loves animals, and when she first saw the longhorns, she squealed DOG. We spent everyday at the pool, but much to my dismay the lazy river was Sophie's least favorite activity. Floating around on an inner tube relaxing is completely lost on my 15 month old! She much preferred the splash pad and wading pool. Luckily I was able to sneak back down to the pool while she was napping and float the river on the 4th with a banana daiquiri with my sister and her friend; and my mom and I snuck out Friday for two last floats, cocktails included! Thanks to my dad and Steven for napping with Sophie! I find myself falling more and more in love with my child everyday, and seeing the sheer joy on her face everyday was just perfect. Well, we were mostly joyful, as you'll see in the picture below!

We left the resort on Saturday. Steven had to head home, but Sophie and I went to Houston with my parents, to await the arrival of my niece, Caroline. My sister in law was already 6 days late, and went into labor Saturday morning. After 34 hours, sweet Caroline Rose was born on Sunday, July 8. I've been really excited about becoming an aunt, and I really hope Sophie and Caroline grow to be good playmates, since they are only 15 months apart. My mom, Sophie, and I went to the hospital Monday morning to meet Caroline, and hug the new parents. Caroline is perfect in every way, absolutely beautiful. My sister in law looked great, and the new dad was absolutely beaming. It made me so happy, and brought back many fond memories of when we became parents. It really is the most amazing experience one can have.

And now, the tears. Steven called me Saturday evening to tell me that our wonderful dog trainer, Carla Collins with Sit Means Sit Dallas, passed away unexpectedly at the young age of 48 on Friday. Hunter boarded with her while we were gone, and was so excited to be there when I dropped him off Tuesday. Carla was much more than a dog trainer, and that's all I can say about her right now. I've been crying off and on since Saturday night; I am heartbroken for her children, and her beloved search and rescue lab, Scooby. I'm going to write more about Carla in another blog, because she is such a special lady. However, I just can't do it right now. I've cried too much the past few days, even though we were not close friends. She greatly impacted our family by training Hunter. Below, I've posted a collage of photos of Carla doing what she loved most- training dogs, search and rescue, and just being with her beloved animals. One of her friends created this photo.