Photography... Portraits: Kristina

As you may or may not know, I dabble in photography.  It's always been an interest of mine, and when I got a Canon Rebel T3i for Christmas several years ago, I took the opportunity to practice by snapping pictures of my friends.

I'm so inconsistent with it, but I probably pick up my camera every three months.

Last week, my friend and coworker, Kristina and I set off early in the AM for Santa Monica beach and the streets of Venice.  Kristina is a little firecracker, not just because of her fiery red hair, but because her personality is electric and her energy, contagious.  And you can always count on her for a good unicorn meme or slow loris gif!  She's simply the best and we had a blast frolicking through the westside.

Welcome... Kona Rinehart!

Wow, it's been a long time since my last post.  Never again. 

There are a couple of reasons why I've been MIA, but my main reason is I've been spending time with a little pup named Kona.  My husband and I adopted an eight week old german shepherd / rottweiler mix on January 21 from WAGS Pet Adoption in Westminster, CA.  

The decision to adopt a dog was a little impulsive.  It started with stalking puppy/dog Instagram feeds, tagging each other in Corgi butt photos ...

... and then one rainy day in LA, we visited several shelters.  There was no going back, we were going to adopt a dog immediately.  We didn't find Kona that day, but on January 18 we mapped out our adoption route and WAGS was last on the list.  We played with Kona for 45 minutes and filled out an application on Sunday, and picked him up on Wednesday!

This picture was taken the first day we met him and the same day we put in our application.

STATS
NEWLYWED COUPLE SEEKING: 1-3 years old, small-medium, housebroken
FOUND: 8 weeks old, estimated to weigh 60-80 pounds, pees everywhere
GIVEN NAME: Chimichanga
NEW NAME (you're welcome): Kona
WEIGHT ON 1/21: 14 pounds
WEIGHT ON 3/2: 26 pounds
HASHTAG: #konatheshepweiler

Now for the good stuff...

Then, it hit us... what in the world did we sign up for?  We weren't prepared for a PUPPY!

4am potty times?

It's been quite the experience and a huge adjustment, but in no time at all we became those people who post too many photos of their "kid".  We are all consumed and we love it.  We're learning, loving lots, enjoying every moment, and he's still alive, so that's good!

So if you're about to embark on your own adventure with your furbaby, here are the recommendations for what to purchase at least to get you started.

NECESSITIES

Collar + Leash

Stainless Steel Bowls + Food, of course

Crate (if you choose to crate train)

Urine Destroyer (we've already gone through the whole bottle - LOVE this stuff!)

For treats, we were told cut baby carrots and/or ice cubes.

TOYS

Nyla Teething Toys

Kona loves his alligator, but completely destroyed him three weeks later

Spiky Gorilla, whose squeaker is super loud but does wonders for his teeth

EXTRAS

Portable Play Pen - this was awesome when we visited our parents because he has a waterproof floor so if he had an accident it wouldn't ruin any carpet or flooring

Tell Bell - training the pup to ring the bell to go outside to pee.

Portable Bowl - awesome for hikes and zips up really nicely

Earthbath Shampoo + Conditioner - All natural and smells amazing!!  The spray conditioner is also wonderful to avoid overbathing but to keep the coat moistureized.

Nail Clippers - let's be real, his claws are just as painful as his bite

Zuke's Mini Naturals Training Treats - Kona goes NUTS for these and they're low calorie so we use them often for training