LV/UT PART 2

D A Y  3 // 

This day we signed up to volunteer at Dog Town. The "town" was divided into several houses: puppies, middle aged dogs, old timers, small breeds, and dogs with special needs. We were only allowed to pick two houses to work in, so we chose puppies and small breeds. Our day consisted of cleaning out rooms; cleaning up poop, refilling food and water, washing blankets and setting out new toys. Then we got to take the puppies for walks along the trail. We each walked 4 puppies and they loved it! After the walks we got to have some one on one time with two of the puppies - to help them develop social and interaction skills. Needless to say, it was the best.

Once we broke for lunch we got to move onto the small breeds house. We had the opportunity to take Katelyn, a jack russel chihuahua, on her very first "outing". Of course we said yes! She had an issue with her digestive system which required her being held upright for 30 minutes after she ate, and issues with her femur which gave her the cutest little walk. She loved hanging out in our cottage and it was the perfect ending to our wonderful trip!

D A Y  4 //

We hated saying goodbye, but the beautiful drive made it worth it! I can't even explain how beautiful it was and am sad that the pictures do it no justice. We drove out of Utah, through Arizona and then back through Las Vegas. We hit a portion of snow, but the view was always great. I will always remember this trip and if you are even the least bit interested in visiting, you should do it! I promise you won't be disappointed. We're already planning our next trip back!

Thanks so much for letting me share my little adventure with you! 

xo. melisa

footnote: if you'd like to see more photos, you can always follow me on instagram! (@pienthesky)

LV/UT Part 1

D A Y  1 // 

Our great adventure started off on Thursday when my Stepmom, Adrienne and I all flew in to Las Vegas. I had never been there before so it was so much fun exploring and seeing the strip! In case you're not up on the news, there was also a shooting on the strip earlier that morning. You can get more info on it here, but basically it happened across the way from where we were staying so we couldn't get to our hotel. After about 3 hours of driving around, stopping to eat and killing time, we finally got to check in! We stayed at the Bellagio and had a perfect view! I was mesmerized. We got to do a little shopping before going to see Cirque Du Soleil, O! It was absolutely fantastic! This night was so great I can't even put it into words!

D A Y 2 // 

This day started bright and early as we had to drive close to 4 hours to get to the Best Friend's site in Utah. We checked in and went to our orientation. Our first session of volunteering started about an hour after we got there. We chose to volunteer in the Cat World first! We visited the "Benson House" which had cats with a variation of needs. Some were completely healthy while some were deaf, blind, had survived poisoning, being hit a car, and a variation of other physical disabilities. We got to play with them, brush them and even take them for walks! Putting a cat on a leash is just about the cutest thing ever. Due to one of the physical illnesses mentioned above, Adrienne had to use a stroller to walk one of the kitties. She absolutely loved the fresh air and looked oh so cute in her stroller!! 
The organization offers "sleepovers" as a way for the animals to get used to living in a home and being around people so that when they do get adopted, it's not a difficult transition. We chose Misty to be the cat that we took home for a sleepover. We all fell in love, as she was just the sweetest cat ever! Doesn't she look like an Alpaca?? hehe! This day was perfect.

I'll share more on day 3 & 4 tomorrow! So excited to show you all of these photos and share what an awesome experience this was. For more info on Best Friends, you can visit their site here!

xo. melisa

footnote: if you'd like to see more photos, you can always follow me on instagram! (@pienthesky)

a little vacation

photo via / edited by me

I'm going on a trip! Before I explain where I'm going, I should preface this by saying, this place actually exists and no, I'm not making this up.

Tomorrow morning I'll be boarding a plane to Las Vegas! I've never been there, so that in itself is exciting news. I'll be meeting my stepmom and sister early in the morning, where we'll be staying at the Bellagio and going to see Circue du Soleil. I can't put into words my level excitement, so I'm not even going to try. Moving on.

The following morning we will begin our drive to Kanab. Where is Kanab? It's a sweet place in Utah, which currently houses Heaven. So here we go. I'm going to be spending two days at Best Friends. Upon our arrival, we will tour Dogtown, Cat World, Horse Haven, Parrot Garden, Piggy Paradise, and Bunny House. Yes, this is real. We'll spend the next few days volunteering and spending our days playing, cleaning, grooming and running around with animals. I understand that my love for animals can be a bit much at times, but seriously, this should make anyone happy! We get to stay in a cabin on site and at the end of each day, bring an animal of our choosing home, to have a "sleepover" with us. I am giddy with excitement!!

Of course, there will be entirely too many photos to share and lots of stories to tell. I will do my best to keep in touch while I'm there, but if not I'll be back soon and you can always follow me via instagram (@pienthesky)! Have a lovely weekend friends!

xo. melsa

iPhone Wallpaper Download

download yours here

download yours here

It's been awhile since I shared a download, so I thought I'd change things up a bit and offer an iphone wallpaper! I love sprucing up my wallpaper from time to time; makes me feel like I got a whole new phone! I hope you enjoy these! They're made specifically for the iphone 5, but you can get a variation of sizes via the links above. Enjoy!

SHE IS

                                                                   

To be free from Melisa Holguin on Vimeo.

I'm learning the difficulties of not merely surviving, but thriving in this world

And that becoming anything worth becoming, must take every ounce of your being

You must desire the dream with your whole heart, because you see

You stand not alone with your dreams, for there are few who do not have at least one

But it's those who grasp them with dear life that meet their reality

The true dreamer knows to wait while the weak at heart will soon give up

Forge ahead and do not be afraid for the winds will beat you down, but you, 

The relentless, will carry on.

Be not afraid of failure and know the minute you want to give up is not what matters most

It's the minute after that determines your destiny.


xo. melisa

WE WENT ON A DATE

The Mr and I rarely celebrate holidays on the actual day. This Valentine's Day was no exception, so we celebrated today! It was a perfect day. It started with breakfast with the most delicious french toast! Then we grabbed some coffee and chai at our favorite cafe. We walked around the Japanese garden at the Ft Worth botanical garden - it was beautiful. Then we did a little shopping and bought each other our gifts! After grabbing some chocolate from Dude, Sweet, we went to the movies and headed home. It was seriously wonderful. Sometimes I forget how lucky I am, but today I was reminded of it. I hope you each had so much fun with your loved one!

xo melisa

A DOSE OF PINSPIRATION

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 

"Don't worry about things that don't worry about you"

Today I am inspired by the beautiful world around me, by the ups and the downs, the twirls and the whirls. By the beginnings, the middles and the ends. By the unknown and the perfectly known. By the unexpected, but even more by the expected, because it's in the normal that we find a beauty that only belongs to us.

xo. melisa

sweet tragedy

You may have noticed that I've been gone. It's been a week now. To put it plainly, a very sweet friend of mine past away this past week. She was my sister's best friend, a mentor to me when I was teenager, and beautiful light in a rather dim world. Although these past years we weren't as nearly as close, I have felt this loss in such a heavy way. I'm very sensitive and I tend to take on the hurts of those around me. Seeing my sister hurt has caused the pain to be so much greater. It's been difficult, but it's a healing process. I wrote this with my sister in mind and I thought I'd share it here. If you're dealing with the loss of a loved one, know that you are not alone and you are so very strong.

S W E E T   T R A G E D Y

. . . . .

in moments of weakness, indeed we are strong

though the tide may roll in 

the waves will not engulf us

we are far too aware to be deceived by their lies

the truth is simple, so plain to see

that though this life be beautiful

our tomorrows be ever more

it is there we will find out eternal peace

so here's to letting go and believing in ourselves

to holding fast to memory

and learning how to live again

in love memory of sweet Julie