The Good Girl Gone Blog

10 Favorites from Costa Rica April 29, 2012

Good news! I finally went through the 633 photos from Costa Rica (although that doesn't include the ones we took on our iPhones/the iPad) and narrowed them down to just over 100. I sat down for a few hours and edited away and am very happy with the results.

The 10 photos above represent different aspects of our trip: animals, plants, landscapes, sunsets, beaches and forests. It's funny, out of the 10 above, Eric and I each took about half. Can you guess which ones are mine? The more I go through my photos, the more I can identify a certain "Alana style" that shows up in practically all of the ones I like.

Eric and I are currently putting together a more detailed trip diary, most likely in the form of a cool microsite. We had such an amazing trip, it's hard to believe it was actually all real. Stay tuned for that and look forward to regular G3B posts this week!

Special thank you to Visit Costa Rica for sponsoring our trip...we are so thankful for the opportunity to share our Costa Rica Experience on G3B.

We love Zooey December 27, 2010

Seeing Zooey this weekend was really amazing. We brought her back to my apartment and she "helped" pack. She even stood on the rug while we were trying to roll it up. She eventually figured out that she was in the way and stepped off to watch.

I smothered her with hugs and she reciprocated with cute puppy kisses. She followed me around and I gave her loads of treats.

I'm very proud of her. She's been going through some intense training and is very good at the command "go to your bed," which will come in handy when strangers come over. I'm still hoping that one day I'll be able to bring her up to Boston with me.

I have to say, the cutest part of the weekend was when Eric and I were about to leave my dad's house at 4:30 AM on Sunday. I was in the kitchen and Zooey was laying in the sun room, munching on a chewy. Eric walked in to say goodbye to her, gave her a kiss and said "I love you." It was so so sweet. Clearly he knows how special she is.

Cool Campaign: Project Reindeer December 15, 2010

Whenever I receive an email from a PR firm asking me to promote something on my blog, I typically ask myself: How will I/my readers benefit? Though I often turn down irrelevant (tall people dating sites, etc) and strictly informational requests (there's nothing to review...there's nothing to give to my readers...) I was intrigued by an email I received today and thought I'd share it with you. (Plus, by writing a post, Gap is donating $75  in my name to The Partnership for the Homeless, so I definitely couldn't turn it down.)

From the email:

Tis the season for savings! And this season Gap is making savings a bit more interesting.

Starting  today, December 15^th through Monday December 20^th eight real, live Reindeer are going to determine Gap’s in-store deals. Using GPS, the deer’s movements will be tracked and measured against a different goal each day. Every deer will have a deal. Every day will have a winner, and every Gap in America will offer that deer’s deal to the public the very next day. Head over to Project Reindeer to check out the deals and the deer!

To make things a little more interesting, you will also be able to “Tweet to boost” your favorite deer’s chances of winning.

I say, if you're going to boost a reindeer's chance of winning, go for Zoe, whose deal will bring you 40% off all women's clothing. I sort of have a soft spot for the Zoes (well, Zooeys) of the world.

Sponsored Post: The Best Gift Ever December 13, 2010

SWAGG is a free mobile app (download here) that lets you shop smarter using your mobile phone. Buy, send or swap SWAGG GIFTS and organize your old school plastic gift cards.

For every download of the app between now and Dec. 31, 2010, SWAGG will donate $1 to Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) , up to $125,000.

Clever Girls Collective and SWAGG are sending a pair of movie fans to the Sundance Film Festival! Download the SWAGG app and then visit the Ultimate SWAGG Getaway Sweepstakes site to enter to win a trip for two to the Sundance Film Festival. Entry deadline is January 3, 2011, 11:59pm, PST.

When I was younger, we adopted two adorable lab mix puppies while at the beach and brought them home to Baltimore in a laundry basket. They were sweet and funny and truly in need of a home.

Misty and Stormy became huge parts of our lives. Misty was the affectionate one, she'd paw you if you weren't petting her, lick you if you were sad and love you unconditionally. Stormy was slightly neurotic, loved chasing her frisbee and playing outside. We spent over 13 years with our dogs, watching them grow from puppies into adults. My stepmom, Donna, was definitely their "person," as she spent the most time with them.

Though their deaths hit us all hard, my stepmom was the most affected. Misty and Stormy had been her babies- she'd cared for them for practically their entire lives, taking them on walks, playing with them and caring for them when they were sick. Though we'd adopted again at that point, she still struggled to replace the void left by the death of her dogs.

When searching for the perfect Hanukkah present for my stepmom, I came across LadyBirdLand, an Etsy shop that customizes pendants with illustrations of your pets. I knew it would be the perfect gift for my stepmother- she'd be able to keep Misty and Stormy close to her heart.

I sent Allison, the artist, pictures of Misty and Stormy, along with a few descriptive words to help her create the illustration (Misty- affectionate, sweet, cuddly, warm; Stormy- energetic, frisbee, outdoors). I also chose to include one  of her suggested tag lines, "Every little dog she loves is magic."

It may sound sappy, but I'm positive that pendant was the best present I've ever given. In fact, my stepmom even said it was the most special gift she'd ever received. Sure, it doesn't bring back Misty and Stormy, but it helps keep their memory alive.

Learn more about the coolest new app that revolutionizes the whole shopping, gifting, and gift card-organizing experience and Download the SWAGG app to your iPhone or Droid. I was selected for this sponsorship by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity.

This must be love July 31, 2010

I have the hardest time saying no to this face. Zooey has pretty much taken over my life. Whether I'm dropping tons of $$ at the vet (who is so, so dreamy...he's like my McVet), waking up extra early to walk her or bringing her to work, pretty much everything I do somewhow involves Zooey.

She's been really great so far- the only problem? She has a phobia of men. This makes me particularly sad because it means she was probably abused in the past by a scary  man. Also, it means that Zooey barks and puts on her scary face whenever we're around guys. It's so weird to see her transform from a sweet, tail-wagging, bundle of adorable to a scrunchy-faced, snarling animal who tries to bite your ankles.

Even still, we're working through Zooey's issues. As my parents said, if I ever want to date again, I need to figure out a way for Zooey to feel comofortable around men. I really  hate yelling at her, so this training thing is going to be hard.

Any suggestions?

Casual Thursday: the secret spot June 10, 2010

Normally, I save my jeans for Friday, but today was an exception. After spending way too much time listening to people with mullets talk about their Harleys at the MVA (my wallet was stolen yesterday and I needed to get a new license), I headed in to work for just over an hour.

Then, I went on a special mission with another intern that involved a lot of driving! We've been tasked to plan a company event for late July and spent a good chunk of today checking out one possible location.

These photos were taken by my sister, Sophie, when I got home from work. The dog is Bailey and the boy is Thibault. I like both of them a lot.

I'm wearing:

Shirt: gift from Sophie, purchased at "the shook" in Israel
Capris: Target
Shoes: New York and Co.
Necklace: Stolen from Sophie :)
Headband: CVS (I think!)

Home slice May 03, 2010

I really love it when Andrea gives just a slice of her weekend through a few photos, so I thought I'd do the same. These photos are some of my favorites taken on a random Friday at my Dad's house.

From top: Daisy in her favorite spot, a dandelion aka allergen landmine, a look up at the trees, two leftover wineglasses, relaxing on the hammock, Bailey and Daisy playing nicely- a rarity, Peter napping on the couch, toy carnage.

Next time I'll have to show you some photos from my mom's house!

Happy birthday, baby sis April 03, 2010

via 

Today, my little sister turns 19. (No, she's not a puppy, she's a person. The photo above is of her new puppy, Marley, who slightly resembles her American cousin, Ms. Sadie Pants/Princess Sadie). I still remember her childhood birthday parties (her friends were so loud!) and her Easter bunny shaped cake.

So, here's hoping that 19 is an amazing year! As the traditional Jewish saying says, "Ad me'ah v'esrim"- may you live until 120. Or as my favorite Hebrew play on words goes, "ad me'ah k'esrim"- which roughly translates to: may you live until 100, as if you were 20.

I love you, Sophie!

Welcome to Watchland part 1: Geneva March 29, 2010

I arrived in Geneva at around 11:30 and Thibault was there in the airport waiting for me. As soon as I saw him I couldn't stop smiling. I ran over and gave him a big hug and he lifted me in the air and kissed my forehead. We  left the airport, hand in  hand, and took a little tour of Geneva. Unfortunately, the weather, which had been 70 degrees and sunny just the day before my arrival, decided to act up all weekend. It definitely put a damper on our plans and my phot0s (that was for you, Acc), but I still had an amazing time.

Here are a few pictures from Geneva:

Apparently, my need to stop and say hi to all kinds of birds isn't strange. Thibault thinks it's cute. I think he's a winner!

Swiss "puzzle piece" trees. Dad/Sophie, you know what I'm talking about.

Yup, this IS a new red coat. I'm calling it my "in between coat" because it's mid-weight. Unfortunately, it has no pockets.

Even though the weather was really yucky, I am excited to say i saw not one, but FIVE rainbows in just one day. I've always thought of rainbows as very special, so it was a great way to start the trip.

I have a ton more Geneva pictures to post, plus a bunch from Neuchatel, but you'll have to be satisfied with these for today. If you're celebrating, have a wonderful passover!

Puppy Passover March 28, 2010

Passover starts tomorrow and I am hardly ready. Have I cleaned out my cubby? No. Have I purchased any Passover food? No. Sigh. It's a good thing I ate so much delicious food in Switzerland this weekend, otherwise a week of Passover sans my mom's cooking would probably be even worse. I'll probably buy a lot of vegetables tomorrow to get me through the week. Potatoes and salad, here I come!