Whew! It's been a busy week and haven't had any time to post any updates. There is still much to do but I thought I would end the week with a list ...

ScoutDog Studios: To Do ... In Progress ... Done List

+ Launched the beginnings of the ScoutDogStudios.com redesign (see the illustration above). Only had time to change the main page and want to live with it for a bit before diving in and redoing the entire site.

+ Updated the play section of the website with the latest edition of the Dogmatic Table of Scoutdog and Friends as well some new desktop wallpapers.

+ Got two more commission paintings as well as completed one of Magic ... our newfie pal from Pet Empawrium.

+ And speaking of Pet Empawrium ... we celebrated Yappy Hour ScoutDog Studios Art Show at the store on Tuesday at the store with appetizers and drinks. It went pretty well. Also ScoutDog products are now available in a number of metro Denver stores. Stop by and say hello to all of the great ScoutDog supporters.

+ Launched and posted information about holiday greeting cards on the website. There are also some special holiday gift packages now available as well as general greeting cards.

+ 2004 calendars are available as well in two styles ... DogWisdom and A Dog for All Seasons.

Whew, again! That's it for this week. In celebration of the productive, fun week ... I am going to go get a margarita with my little sister and then out on a date with my husband Matt ... and then he is going to indulge my crazy tastes by going to the Rock's new movie. (You have to do it sometimes ... a little eye and brain candy.) (But if you haven't yet ... make sure you go see Lost in Translation or American Splendor ... both are great movies.)

Have a great weekend ... treat yourself to a margartia or a chai latte.

So today's question is ... do you know what happened two years ago today? (My husband knew but that is because I tend to celebrate every important date every month ... this humors as well as annoys him.) Well it might not have special significance for you but for me it was one of the best days of my life.

On Sept. 22, 2001, Matt and I got engaged and I was completely surprised. It was one of the most magical days. We were on the Big Island of Hawaii on vacation and decided to spend a day hiking in Volcanos National Park. We did some exploring and ended up hiking down to the crater of the volcano and started walking across the vast lava field. It was like being on another planet. We were the only people out there and it just seemed like there will miles and miles of black lava with a path marked by piles of lava rock.

We walked for a few minutes across the crater and then Matt decided we should take one of our classic self portraits. Matt set down the backpack and kneeled down to get out the camera ... or so I thought. Then he grabbed my hand and I turned and looked at him and he was on one knee with a little box in his hand. Before he could even finish the proposal and question ... I started yelling "Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes." I still get butterflies. But we did get the self portrait (see photo above) and we carved our initials in a shelter (with many other explorers) on the hike back out of the crater.

And to celebrate our engagement we first had to stop by the bookstore and get me some cheesy wedding magazines and then we ordered our traditional celebration pizza and ate in on our bed in our hotel. It was the best day.

So happy Second Engage-versary Matt. Thank you so much for asking me on that day and if you asked again today you would get the same response and more .... YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!. I am so happy and thankful that I get to spend my life with my best friend and my soul mate. I love you Spanky.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PEANUT!!!

Today is my little sister's birthday. (See her photo above.) She is an amazing woman who is full of passion for helping people and changing the world. She always puts the needs of her friends and family first ... but should take some advice from the ScoutDog philosophy ... don't share that rawhide bone today ... it's all yours baby. It's your day so be a little selfish and do something just for you.

So today Peanut ...
do what makes you happy.
Happy Birthday.
Love, Jellybean.

So my husband just surprised me with the details on how we are going to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary on Oct. 11. We are going to spend two nights in a secluded cabin in the mountains away from the computers, phones and the girls (ScoutDog and IzzyCat). See the photo above and check out the website here.

We spent our honeymoon on Molokai in a cottage on the beach ... though Bailey, Colorado, is far from Hawaii ... this cabin and getaway will serve the same purpose. I am so excited to enjoy just hanging with my husband on the porch, sketching, reading, playing cards and looking at the mountain view.

Matt is just the best ... I think I will keep him. (I love you Spanky.)

The best advice that I can give on this busy Monday morning
... and is something that I forget way to easily these days
... and is the basis for the ScoutDog philosophy

... is to remember to just have fun

... that's it
.... not very deep or philosophical
... but it works for Scout the Dog and that's good enough for me.

Happy Friday! And it feels like a beautiful fall morning (I actually put on my fuzzy grey sweater this morning and made some hot coco) with predictions of bright blue skies and 75 today. I will have to get out and do some scootering ... maybe ...

because as the saying goes ... when it rains, it pours. I have a very busy day and weekend planned so that I can get all of my projects done but I'm not complaining. I wouldn't want it any other way. When you start to generate interest in your work you kind of just have to jump on and enjoy the ride.

Just some quick highlights from the To Do list ...
1. Start working on designs for three new website projects that I got yesterday.
2. Finish up the greeting card orders for 4 local stores that I have to deliver next week.
3. Plan out and sketch out paintings for 2 local stores and for my Yappy Hour Art Opening event at PetEmpawrium Pet Store next week.
4. Sketch out the mural for Camp Bow Wow doggie daycare.
5. Start working on a redesign for ScoutDogStudios.com and add the "In the Doghouse" section. I now have 59 dog breeds and 6 cats and want to share them with all of you.
6. Design the a print display ad.
7. Write and e-mail out the ScoutDog Studios E-newsletter.
8. Plan the event and design invitations for the ScoutDog Studios Holiday Open House.

Whew. Though it is overwhelming, making a list always helps. Just remember to take one step at a time and just jump in and get busy. And of course have fun.

Before getting to work on organizing my To Do list, today's list is inspired by a posting by Michelle, another crazy dog lady like me.

"Yummy (and Weird) Smells that Make Me Happy" List
1. Bacon (even though I am vegetarian)
2. The ocean breeze and flowers on our honeymoon in Molaki
3. Cooking portabella mushrooms (my husband will disagree ... he calls them Stinky Mushrooms)
4. Hot Dogs and stale beer ... weird I know but it reminds me of going to CU football games as a kid with my dad.

... more yummy smells to come but I have to get my To Do list organized first.

Inspiration of the Day: "A fool is a man who never tried an experiment in his life." - Darwin

Well it's been a few days since I have had a chance to sit down and collect my thoughts. The week has been full of meetings with stores and prep work. But it has definitely been worth it. After a meeting today with Camp Bow Wow it looks like I will be painting murals and selling my ScoutDog paintings in their doggy daycares. 9so keep your fingers crossed that it all works out.) Also I am very excited because one of my favorite stores in Denver is going to sell some of my work ... Decade. So now I have to get busy and get these orders ready and plot out my mural. (If anyone out there has any tips or advice on painting wall murals, such as supplies and cost, please let me know.)

Weather update: Although it hasn't happened down in Denver yet there it is snowing in the Colorado mountains. Though I love summer ... I also love the change of seasons and snow. I guess my husband's dreams of moving back to Southern California are on hold again until I get spring fever in March and can't wait to get away from the snow. I think it has to do with my short attention span and need for constant change. So my list for today is about snow and what is great about winter in Colorado.

"The Why I Love Snow" List
1. Football season (Go Broncos! Go Buffs!) ... watching a game on a snowy Sunday afternoon. And having pancakes for Sunday breakfast while watching ESPN.
2. Playing with Scout the Dog and Matt the Husband in the snow. (Izzy the Cat is much happier watching us and staying cozy at her post in the window.)
3. Enjoying a steaming cup of hot coco after a morning of downhill skiing ... and then being lazy and only skiing an hour more and stopping early for margaritas and happy hour.
4. " ... city sidewalks ... busy sidewalks ... dressed in holiday style ... "

... that's all for now. I'm sure that I will be adding more soon.

An image of an in-progress painting entitled "Doggy Chaos"

Well we finally have our internet back up and running again after an outage for the last 8 hours. Imagine that, a life with no internet, no e-mail for 8 hours and I felt so lost. A little sad, too. ;) On the bright side it did mean that I had some uninterupted time to work on a new painting (picture above). But now I will return to some online stuff and work on the redesign for the ScoutDog Studios website for Fall/Winter. It should be ready by the end of the week.

And just a little inspiration on this Sunday afternoon:
"If you are a painter you will paint. You will paint for the rest of your life because you must." -- Diego Rivera

How it all began. A 2002 Doodle of the ScoutDog

Storytelling and recalling past events plays a large role in many family traditions. My family is no different. My mom, sister and I seem to use the (annoying) storytelling technique of starting every story with a question ... "Do you remember what we were doing ... yesterday at this time? ... last week at this time? ... 3 months, 2 days and 6 hours ago at this time?" This is often followed by "Wow that was only a week ago? It seems like just yesterday. Boy time does fly." I'm sure that many use this same technique.

Well I'm not sure why I started thinking about this but I guess it is partly due to the news programs talking about the upcoming 2 year anniversary of Sept. 11; my upcoming 1st wedding anniversary on Oct. 11; realizing that 3 months from today i will be turning 30; and then thinking about what I was doing 1 year ago and looking at how my life has changed. I guess I am obsessed with time. So that is the theme of my lists for today. It is a good exercise to look at where you have been and where you are going.

"What were you doing yesterday? List
1. Scootering to Starbucks to enjoy a Chai Latte and have the ScoutDog Studios morning meeting to plan the goals for the day.
2. Painting dogs and coming up with a new idea for a painting (pictures will be coming soon. I am working on it today.)
3. Making and enjoying dinner and a margarita with my husband, and then enjoying an evening walk in the park with Matt and ScoutDog.
4. Brainstorming and creating new products inspired by ScoutDog ... including picture frames.
5. Taking a morning jog with Matt and practing yoga.

"What were you doing 1 Year Ago?" List
1. Planning my wedding at Chautauqua in Boulder on Oct. 11, 2002.
2. Going to business school full time to work on getting my MBA.
3. Working to build my freelance website design and development business.
4. Doodling in my sketchbook the first pictures of ScoutDog (see image above).

"What were you doing 2 Years Ago?" List
1. Living in Oakland, CA with my boyfriend (now my husband).
2. Working at ANG Newspapers as the Online Director for The Oakland Tribune and Insidebayarea.com. This entailed getting up at
3. Planning a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. We planned to leave on Sept. 12, 2001.

(That is one of the vivid memories I have. I remember that Matt and I had both taken Sept. 11 off to pack and get ready to leave for Hawaii on Sept. 12. I remember coming home from a morning jog and turning on the tv and seeing the smoking towers. As all of you felt it was just shocking and unbelieveable. I remember feeling upset because we would have to delay our trip. And then feeling EXTREMELY GUILTY AND SELFISH for feeling this way and feeling like a terrible person for being upset about a stupid trip to Hawaii when all of these people had just died. I really think that the events that took place on Sept. 11 and the aftermath are what made me rethink what I was doing with my life. I decided life was too short and chaotic to not follow your dreams. I think this is what really pushed me to eventually quit my job and follow my passion.

We did get to go to Hawaii and left exactly one week later. We flew on a mostly empty plane to Hawaii. It was very surreal. And then on Sept. 22 in the crater of a volcano at Volcano National Park, Matt proposed. It was the happiest and greatest moment of my life. With all of these life changing events that happened in September 2001, it really made me realize what was important. Sometimes it is easy to get wrapped up and stressed about the little things so I think it is important to really think about what there is to be thankful for in your life.)

And finally the list of what is now playing in the studio. Check out these groups and enjoy rockin'.
- Brassy "Gettin Wise"
- Broken Social Scene "You Forgot It In People"
- Pretty Girls Make Graves "The New Romance"
- The Tyde "Once"
- My Morning Jacket "It Still Moves"
- The Sounds "Living in America"

Have a great day and remember to live your dreams. It's never to late.

I just love my scooter. Also known around ScoutDog Studios as "Orange Jello" (don't ask. no reason. just being silly.) It is like being 16 again and having the freedom to just cruise around. I guess I really didn't realize how great it is to have the freedom to just take off and drive around. I know I wasn't really stuck at home ... i have a bike, a bus pass, but it isn't the same feeling. So today I took a quick break from work and made a trip to the grocery store from some diet cokes and dog food. It was quite a challenge though to fit everything on the scooter for the ride home but I made it work. (but we probably won't be opening those cokes for a few hours.)

So along this same theme ... today's list is about guilty pleasures. (So well maybe I do have some issues about guilt. See posting on Aug. 31) But also trying to live and believe one of the ScoutDog Philosophies ... No Guilt. No Regrets. So the more I write these down ... the more I will believe and live the philosophy of the ScoutDog.

Guilty Pleasures (but without the guilt and no regrets)
1. Cruising .... Making laps around the park on the scooter.
2. Big Brother 4 ... I am absolutely obsessed with this show. I really don't feel this way about any of the other reality shows .... I think I am just amazed that these people can be trapped in a house with strangers and nothing to do. I would go insane without anything to do for that long.
3. Soap Operas ... You can probably ask me anything about characters and storylines on Days of Our Lives over the past 25 years and I probably know the answer. I started watching during my preschool years over baloney and cheese sandwiches with my mom.
4. Peanut M&Ms ... 'nough said.
5. Rio Grande Margaritas ... if you have tried them you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't and are ever in the Denver area just give me a call and I will join you.
6. Starbucks Chai Lattes ... I could drink 5 a day.
7. Blogs ... Surfing around and reading the blogs of all of my online friends.

That's all for now. But there will be more to come.

Just some quick notes, thoughts and recommendations to get this day started ...

What's New ... some new dogs have been added to the ScoutDog Family ... as well as some other friends.

In the Works ... soon ScoutDogStudios.com will be up and running with online order as well as a list of stores where you can buy ScoutDog stuff ... a new ScoutDog and Friends poster with all of the dog and cat breeds available ... a line of ScoutDog Christmas cards that will be available through special order so you can get the breed of your choice


Movie recommendation ... American Splendor is a movie you should to check out. If you liked Ghost World and ever face doubt and fear that you can follow your dreams, then watching the life of Harvey Pekar should definitely make you feel pretty damn good about your life.

Book recommendation ... I just finished reading "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand for the first time. If you are struggling with the fear and doubt of following your dreams and living your passion, I recommend that you pick up this book and read it again.

Now playing in the studio ... Dressy Bessy with just some good, fun pop rock. And they started their tour in Denver on Friday night with a fun show. Make sure you check them out if they come to a town near you. And if you want to hear some other great music from a cool independent radio station you can tune your web browser to KEXP from Seattle and stream the morning show with John in the Morning. Definitely a favorite of ScoutDog Studios.

"Live your Dreams! Follow your Heart! No Fear." List
The following is my working list of my dreams and goals both big and small. Somedays you can get so overwhelmed by all of the work that you have to get done that you forget your dreams, so I find it refreshing to write these down and update every so often.
1. I am an artist. Believe it. Say it. Live it.
2. Open "The Angry Squirrel Boutique" (inspired by Scout the Dog of course) where I can sell my work as well as other artists. It will include my working studio and be a place for people to come and explore and display their creativity.
3. Go skydiving with my husband. (shhh, don't tell my dad. ;) )
4. Illustrate children's books and a graphic novel.
5. Write and illustrate a cookbook.
6. Take a class in printmaking.
7. Make my own handmade books and paper.
8. License ScoutDog products.
9. Remember to be grateful for being able to live my passion, and for finding my soulmate and telling him that I love him everyday.