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the little things

It’s the little things…

by Kaylah Stroup June 22, 2017

like seeing your dog be his happiest self!

On Sunday we went to my parent’s for Father’s Day. As usual we ended up down near the pond, searching for frogs, and turtles. My dad is usually the ring leader. He walks along the edge with a net while the rest of us follow. Klaus has recently gotten to the point where we let him off leash at my parents. It used to make me super nervous because…well, my parents house is definitely exciting for a dog. There are so many smells to follow. It was my dad who’d always push me to let Klaus off leash and it’s been amazing. He’s never all that great at listening the first ten or fifteen minutes but eventually he calms down and remembers what the heck his name is. You can tell he’s having a blast. He follows us around as we walk the edge of water but never really stays still for too long. He’s always running back and forth.

Since starting these off leash adventures we’ve really been trying hard to convice Klaus to swim. He’s not interested in the deep parts of the pond. He prefers the gross swampy part. It’s whatever, I’m just happy to see him enjoying water of some sort even if he does need a hose down before leaving and then a bath once we get home.

On Sunday, the pond was much more shallow than normal. It hadn’t rained there in a while. Water levels had dropped, and the muddy pits had expanded. Basically it was Klaus heaven. He was zooming back and forth. We were trying to get him to hop in the water by throwing sticks in and yelling “get it! get it, buddy!” He was being cautious and resisting the urge to chase the sticks. Then, all of a sudden, he jumped straight in the muddiest part! He looked a little startled by how deep it was but before I knew it he was back in the mud. Not just running through it though, he plopped right down. He layed there for a second before army crawling through it into the shallow water. From there he jumped back onto land and seemed enjoy terrorizing everyone as they tried to avoid the inevitately muddy mess he’d make when he shook off. Then back to his mud pit he went. He did this three or four times.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Klaus look happier. It made my heart swell to a million times its regular size. I was so busy watching and laughing as he did this I wasn’t sure I captured any decent photos. When I got home and sorted through the shots I immediately knew that I had to write this wonderful little moment its own post. I’m melting over these photos.

I can’t wait to see if he’ll finally swim in the pond this year. Even if he doesn’t and just sticks to the mud pits, I’ll be happy because I know he’s happy!
xoxo

Just look at that massive grin!
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Its the little things…

by Kaylah Stroup June 8, 2017

sunset at the Salton Sea. May 18, 2017

I’ve mentioned a few times here on the blog how I’m basically the most sensitive person ever. I cry easy… and at essentially everything. Along with cute animals, the one thing that always gets the waterworks started is trying to explain how much I love something. For example when I start talking about how much I love my bike, and how free I feel riding – I always cry. I can’t help it. I wish I didn’t work that way, I feel like such a weenie, but whatcha gonna do? I’m easily overwhelmed with emotion.

Last year’s road trip basically as soon as we got into the car I started to cry a little. I just felt so happy to be there, so at peace. This year I managed to hold off until editing my photos. The other night I’m sitting here at my desk, going through photos from the trip, when all of a sudden my chin starts to quiver. Then I notice it’s getting a little harder to see… because I’m stinken crying over how much these trips Jeff and I take together mean. Theres no possible way for me to even begin to describe how much I love being in the desert with him. To be honest, I don’t even understand it. We’re getting dirty, sunburnt, eating like crap, and spending too much time sitting in the car but somehow it means the world to me. I’m ready to go back already!

This year we opted to sleep in the car a few of the nights in order to save a bit of money, and because it makes it so much easier to catch sunrise and sunset when you have nowhere to be. It’s not the coziest but honestly, I really really love doing it. I don’t think it would really work as well anywhere other than in the middle of nowhere.

On this particular day, after poking around some beaches along the coast in the morning we headed to the Salton Sea to catch sunset. We had visited here a few years back but once again, its one of those places that is special to me for no good reason. We were having trouble finding somewhere nice to pull over and enjoy the sunset so we ended up stopping at an abandoned building. One we had actually stopped at three years ago! This wasn’t the sunset I was planning on capturing, with beautiful reflections on the water… It was even better. It was a very ~us~ sunset. I didn’t capture any award winning photos that night but I feel like I managed to steal a little piece of that sunset to hoard away and look back on.

salton sea, abandoned building,

above photo by Jeff.

I hope we end up here again in another few years.
xoxo

Ps. In case you were wondering, I was definitely crying writing this. Please tell me I’m not the only crybaby out there.

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10 things making me smile

by Kaylah Stroup May 10, 2017

This is a little bit different than my normal ‘10 things making me smile‘ post because it’s all photos of Professor. Back at the end of February I made him his own instagram account, @fessermakesfaces, so that I wasn’t constantly posting photos of him on my regular account. I thought I’d just post them here and there, whenever I had them, but it ended up becoming something that I specifically took photos for. He’s supremely photogenic, or maybe unphotogenic and that’s what makes it so good. Either way, I have an abundance of funny photos of my little toasted marshmallow that I want to share here for you today.

so angry
licking up catnip
*derp*cat with litter on its nose, professor stingray, siamese
litter nosecat wearing a hat, siamese, cat, hat
a fancy boy
that little tongue
Ahh!fancy feet
howling at the moonfunny cat photos
Arg!

 

I just can’t get enough. Sometimes I think about the fact that I almost didn’t adopt him and it seems so ridiculous. I didn’t want another cat, especially one that I thought would have long hair. He was so fluffy as a kitten. He’s the weirdest cat I’ve ever met, constantly doing something that makes me smile. I hope that even though you’ll probably never meet him these photos, that convey his personality so well, make you smile as well.

If you’d like to see more of this wild little animal, on a daily basis, be sure to follow his instagram account.
xoxo

funny cat photosbonus hyperspeed kitty!

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It’s the little things…

by Kaylah Stroup February 8, 2017

like taking hiiiiilarious photos of your cat. 

You’re right, that totally is a “little things” post I did last year. It’s here + worth checking out if you need a smile. Professor is just the most expressive little guy out there.  I’ve met my fair share of really amazing cats but there is something special about this one. He’s a huge goofball with an out of this world personality. I feel like he’s constantly doing something cute or weird or some combination of the two. I always post the most ridiculous photos of him because…well, he’s ridiculous. Guess what! I have more ridiculous photos of him for you today courtesy of a piece of ribbon he so desperately wanted.

“fight me, bro!”

Hope you’re having a stellar week!
xoxo 


If you’re looking for more things to smile about this morning, you might find some under my “the little things” tag or over on instagram under the hashtag #fessermakesfaces.

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Klaus @ the beach!

by Kaylah Stroup November 21, 2016
world’s most handsome puppy!

These last few weeks Klaus and I have had to schedule our walks around the times that my landlord wanted to show my apartment. Klaus is an excellent dog. He never chews anything he shouldn’t. He’s never had an accident in the house. He doesn’t just randomly bark like some dogs buuuut he does bark at strangers. If someone comes over he doesn’t know, pulls in our driveway or walks in front of our house while we’re outside – that’s when he barks. Not only that but he has a REALLY frightening bark. I trust that he would never hurt me but if I didn’t know him I would definitely be scared of him. Obviously, I figured it’d probably be best to get him out of the house while it was being shown to potential renters.

Despite my best efforts, he’s never really liked the beach. Any time in the past I’ve taken him he’s just been a nervous wreck. This last showing, I just didn’t feel like walking around the neighborhood again so I loaded him up and we went to the beach to give it yet another chance. Surprisingly this time, he didn’t completely hate it! He even put his front paws in the water which is huge deal considering the fact that I think the noise of the waves coming in was what really freaked him out the most on previous visits.

We wandered to the far end of the beach, and I did my best to tie his leash up to some driftwood. It wasn’t super secure but he was happy to just lay down beside me while I fiddled with all the tiny pieces of trash I gathered for a new found on the beach arrangement. It ended up being a ton of fun! I loved sitting in the sand with him and just soaking in the sun. Warm November sunshine, time with Klaus, and making pretty things out of nothing – these are a few of my favorite things.

raninbow trash, cleveland, lake erie

It took long enough but this puppy and I might finally be beach buds! I just need to find a better way to tie him up, maybe just a way longer leash? Any ideas?
xoxo

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It’s the little things…

by Kaylah Stroup November 8, 2016

like crisp autumn days + finding all the super tiny pieces of beach glass.

I didn’t mind the winter so much as a child, it meant playing in the snow! These last few years though, the season has hit me harder and harder. It just gets dark so early! It hasn’t snowed yet and it’s not even technically winter but already I feel like it’s taking a toll on me. Each year I understand a little better why people retire to Florida. Although my choice would be Arizona…

Luckily this November has been really, really amazing. Aside from a few rainy days, there has been lots of sunshine! I’ve been trying my best to soak it all up whenever possible. This is my perfect beach weather. Late in the season so there aren’t many people. Its cool enough to wear a coat, and warm enough to not wear gloves. Plus nothing beats the crispness of late autumn! Something about leaves falling on the beach is just really beautiful.

Last week I spent a nice little chunk of my day wandering around the beach, picking up tiny pieces of beach glass, and enjoying the crunch of the leaves underneath my feet. I find searching for glass and arranging it in some sort of order so relaxing. It’s absolutely one of my favorite ways to decompress. I also, of course, love the idea of someone else finding my little arrangement after I’ve left.

gradient, cleveland, beach glass
edgewater park, cleveland

I hope we get at least a few more crisp autumn days this year!
xoxo

PS. Don’t forget to check out my tips for finding beach glass!

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10 things making me smile

by Kaylah Stroup October 19, 2016
colorful leaves.

Squid’s love of boxes.

silly photos of Klaus.

the largest leaf I’ve ever pressed.

cute little mushrooms.

 Sir, the neighborhood “catbassador”, who hangs around Mason’s Creamery like he owns the place.
He’s quite the sweetheart. See?

mason's creamery, cleveland, stray cat

watching everything in this pot grow tall.

this shirt that so perfectly describes me!

modcloth, shirt, cute, weird

  
catching Professor in a staring contest with the wall.



Also, catching him looking defensive about his love for that catnip banana.

catnip banana



What’s making you smile today?
xoxo

“10 things” was a series on TDS back in 2012. I’ve since deleted the
tag due to inactivity but seeing as stumbling upon those posts still
makes me smile I thought I was way overdue for another one. Further
installations will be nestled under “the little things” tags.
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it’s the little things…

by Kaylah Stroup August 11, 2016

like taking hiiiiilarious photos of your cat.

Since getting my Fitbit I’ve started jogging in place a lot. What I first considered “cheating” in terms of getting my daily 10,000 steps became something I do quite often. It’s a nice break from working on the computer mid-day and it certainly gets my heart pumping.

So, the other night I’m running in place in front of my window air conditioning unit because that’s the only place to do it and not instantly overheat and out of the corner of my eye I notice Professor on the bed going absolutely nuts. He’s darting around, jumping straight up in the air, and
genuinely just looking crazy. It takes a second before I realize my
phone is reflecting light onto the ceiling, and he thinks he can get it. While I jog, to keep my mind off how boring it is, I play games on my phone. Currently Dots & Co.  I immediately ran out of the room, grabbed my camera and tripod, and set up to get what turned out to be some of the funniest shots ever.  I literally spent my Saturday night laughing so hard I had tears streaming down my face as I edited these. I hope they make you smile too!
xo

And finally, Professor falling off the bed. You’re welcome!

PS. His bowtie by PETS by Carvas + if you need more photos of him in it – see here!

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It’s the little things…

by Kaylah Stroup July 21, 2016

If you’ve been hanging around these parts for a while, you may recall how a few years ago I went through a spell where I was obsessed with mushrooms! I still think they’re really interesting and I point them out to anyone who will listen when I find them but I don’t really go out of my way to look for them anymore.

Since Jeff and I have been out chasing waterfalls, we’ve obviously been spending more time outside and in our parks. The weekend before last we took a two hour drive to Honey Run Falls. It was a nice little waterfall that I can imagine would have been just breathtaking after a big rain. We shot the falls, then hiked around the park. It ended up being an incredible spot with beautiful mossy ledges, as well as lots and lots of mushrooms! I honestly don’t remember the last time I enjoyed hiking around, and sweating so much. You guys, new Kaylah with a fitbit is a changed lady!

Anyway, we were on the hike back to the car, and I was already having the best day when I spotted a curious stump a few feet away. I could see it had something on it but presumed it was sawdust. As I approached I realized that “sawdust” was actually tons, and tons of little mushrooms. In all my mushroom hunting time I had never seen anything quite like this. It was nothing short of magical!

I’ve identified these as Xeromphalina kauffmanii which commonly grows on rotting wood, and in large clusters like this. They were orange in color but I really fell in love with these photos in
black and white. I feel like it gives them even more of an other
worldly appearance. I almost feel like it looks like something you might find underwater. Way rad, right?!

orange mushrooms, tiny mushroom
Xeromphalina kauffmanii, golden trumpets

xoxo

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I'm Kaylah! Renovating a 150-year-old home in Northeast Ohio. Likely found in my garden.

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THE DAINTY SQUID
  • blog
    • all the posts!
    • stroup mansion
    • some of my favorite posts
    • plants + gardening
    • beauty, fashion + hair
    • reviews
    • window shopping
    • explore everywhere
  • about me
  • contact
  • shop