Pay it Forward

Pay it Forward. Not only a semi-decent 2000 drama/feel good movie starring Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt, and Kevin Spacey, but also a quite interesting concept, and the theme of this post.

In summation, this concept can best be described as, "You can't pay anyone back for what has happened to you, so you try to find someone you can pay forward." - Anonymous. There is even a dedicated day to do this (April 24th), yet I was unable to help with this specific thing on that specific day.

I feel very blessed in my life right now. Great family, friends, boyfriend, puppy, job, social life so it is only fair to pass my blessings on to someone else. Oh, and I also get to check #85 off my list, because I'm helping to fulfill someone else's goal or dream. Let's get started, shall we. Meet my friend Dayton.

Her and I went to the same college, were very active in our (rival) sororities, and have an affinity for shopping, competitive anything, accessories, Junior League, and wearing wedges, despite our height. We weren't besties (or friends for that matter) in college, and even go off to an interesting start....

I was the captain of my kickball team and our dear friend recruited her to play. All he said was, "She's really athletic, really competitive, and kind of a bitch so I think you guys will hit it off."
I knew who she was. She was in charge of her sorority's recruitment the year I was in charge of all of sorority recruitment. Even though it had been 3 years, I wondered if she'd remember me and how I fined the crap out of them for having too many balloons and a ridiculous ice sculpture during one of their parties. So I was a bit nervous. Then came the moment I dreaded, our kickball meet-n-greet party. She walked up to me and in her best mean girls voice said, "Didn't you used to be blonde?" We were best friends by the end of happy hour.

When I still lived in Tampa, we would walk Bayshore discussing how cool it would be to open our own boutique some day. Be our own boss. Get to try on awesome clothes. Make wearing bows both acceptable and fashionable for older women, as we aged gracefully in the sun and fun of South Tampa. Then I moved. And she took up sketching. Who knew she could draw? It turns out, she could do more than just draw.

By this point, you're probably wondering what this has to do with my list, and if I'm being paid to ramble on and on about this Dayton girl....so let me break it down for ya.

She turned her sketches into something real. Something tangible. Something beautiful. It took a lot of hard work, time, energy, and money but the finished product is quite extraordinary.

Me, Day, and Loren on a Derby Pub Crawl <3

I was lucky enough to be  a passenger on the Dayton K journey. She shared some of her first sketches, logo ideas, fabric samples. And of course, I ate that shit up. Especially the part when she told me she was naming a dress with a giant bow on it after me (in conjunction with my other bestie, Loren...it's only fitting we're paired up together). Her vision is amazing, and so incredibly marketable - you want young, yet classy, but fun and vibrant...oh, I have just the dress for you!

Dayton has drained her savings account to do something she loves and has always wanted to do. She has busted her ass to save, save, save.  Not many people have as much courage, willpower, faith, or determination to do something as amazing as chase a dream. Oh, but Day does.

I want to help Dayton realize her dream of owning a successful dress line. I mean sure, I want all of the dresses, but I also want YOU to want all of the dresses and for YOU to share them with your friends. And I want your friends to want all the dresses and share them with their friends...and so on and so forth. So here I am, making a little blog post. Next, I'll be pinning these dresses like a crazy person. Then tweeting. Perhaps even Instagram if I'm feeling frisky. After that, maybe a tattoo. Talk about branding, huh?

Without further ado, I am pleased to introduce you to Dayton K. Look around. Add to cart. Checkout. Enjoy. Share  Pay it Forward.

And, because I'm feeling extra generous/excited/proud of my girl, if you buy the Lizzy-Loren dress any time before the clock strikes 2014, send me a picture (via any means of social media - I have them all) and your address, and you will receive a special surprise in the mail from little old me. Yay!

Now get out there and get some Dayton K!

Until next time,

L

And his name shall be....

For the last (roughly) 6 months, I've had puppy fever. It intensified when we had to put my childhood pup and best Yorkie ever down on Mother's Day. But I knew it was impossible to bring a puppy into this world when I had so much happening in June & early July....moving into a new place, birthday celebrations, and the West Coast trip.

Be patient.

Eventually you can get one.

July 7th...the day after you get back from Seattle.

Hurry up. Need to cross #76 off my list.

Is it July yet? How about now? Now? Now? Now?

So I waited. I had the end in sight. PuppySearchandRescue2013 commenced while on our trip. Any free time was equally distributed between scouring Petfinder.com and playing Candy Crush. We had every intention of waking up early Sunday morning and heading first to Fulton County Animal Shelter, with 2 other stops if need be, in order to find the perfect little rescue pup.

As it turns out, we didn't need to go on an excruciating journey to find our perfect puppy. 

Our flight just touched down at Hartsfield-Jackson, the bf flipped on his cell phone, and without my knowledge searched for puppies on Craigslist. It was the first link he clicked on. After ooing and ahhing over this listing for a solid 15 minutes while we rolled up to our gate, I sent an email. We got our bags, headed to Marta, and made our way back to the city. His phone bleeped...got a text from a random Atlanta number. He handed me his phone (dangerous move when puppies are on the brain) and he went to pick up the car. Upon his return 5 minutes later, I informed him we'd be making a pitstop immediately in Peachtree City to pick up our dog....in an hour. All that stood between me and that fluffy pup was a trip to the ATM and an hour drive to Middle of Nowhere, Georgia. 

I instantly fell in love with this little 3lb ball of fluff. He's so sweet, so cuddly, so loving, and sooooooooooo freaking cute. Granted, he's 10 weeks old and needs to work on teething and potty training, but still...he's perfect.

Naming the little guy was tough. I had a strong desire to name him Preston the Pom Pom, or some sort of Italian food...but the bf kept insisting on Freddie. After Braves baseball player Freddie Freeman, his man-crush.

The unofficial naming ceremony happened this morning. I walked into the kitchen where my boys were eating, and said "I think we should call him Freddie". Obviously he agreed. Preston was too pretentious. Alfredo would make me hungry. And since I made the impulsive decision to get this dog, I figured it was only fair to let the bf win this one. 

World, meet Freddie Helmer-Loreti. Isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen? I've totally turned into one of those annoying people who constantly take pictures of their child pet. Feel free to follow me and Freddie on Instagram...lizzyh345.

Until next time,

L & F