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by Valynne | Feb 13, 2012 | Friends of Caretaking Couple, Travel |
I have been doing some reminiscing today, mainly of anniversaries past. Because ours is so close to Valentine’s Day, we always celebrate the two together with something extra special.
We celebrated our first year together by having dinner at the place we met (It was SoHo at the time and is now Rio Del Sol) in Evergreen, Colorado. Yup. We met at a bar, while I was bartending. Hey, ya never know. After dinner, Paul surprised me with a stay at one of the best B&B’s on planet earth, Highland Haven Creekside Inn. We walked from the restaurant to the Gardener’s Cottage in the snow that night. So romantic…
At Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy back in 2007 *Disclaimer - this is not an Anniversary pic. Paul made me take the adorable Key West pic down. Whatev, Paul!
Our second Anniversary was spent in the Florida Keys, with Key West being our target destination. Oh, the fun we had! We keep saying we are going to get back. Can’t believe it has been four years already. We stayed at the Pilot House and had dinner at Kelly’s on Valentine’s Day. Sigh.
Anniversary Number Three was spent wandering Denver, Colorado. We went to Tattered Cover (one of our all-time favorite book stores), had dinner at McCormick’s (and drinks in the Cruise Room, which is a bitchin’ Art Deco martini bar) and spent the night at Hotel Monaco. The band Dakota Blonde puts on an amazing Valentine’s Day show every year and 2009 was no exception. Miss you, Robb and Mary!
A year later we were in Cape Cod enjoying our first official sit as Caretaking Couple. We celebrated by going to dinner at our favorite local restaurant, Mezza Luna. Oh, how we miss Mezza Luna! To hear Frank crooning away while sitting at the bar, eating delicious Italian food, drinking and bantering with Rick and Sherri…another place on our “must get back for a visit” list.
After five years together, we found ourselves on a sit in Tennessee. We drove to Atlanta and enjoyed a decadent meal at Nikolai’s Roof, on the 30th floor of the Hilton. I will never forget the cheese tray that was rolled over to our table that night. That cheese tray just may be the highlight of our six months in Tennessee, truth be told. Anyway.
This year, we are in Portland, Oregon. There are at least twenty restaurants walking distance from us. Paul has made reservations somewhere local, but isn’t telling me where : ) I have to wait until tomorrow night (Valentine’s Day). All I know is that it is somewhere we have not yet been to. Fun! I will post a pic of the restaurant he chose later.
Do you have a favorite Anniversary story or destination? If so, please share. In the meantime, Happy Sixth Anniversary to Paul, aka my One and Only. Life with you just gets better and better…XOX,
V
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by Valynne | Feb 7, 2012 | Dog Walking, Friends of Caretaking Couple, Interviews, Technology |
Use Your Social Connections to Find Trusted Pet Sitters at Stayhound
A few months ago, I clicked a link to this PBS video on Portland entrepreneurs via the facebook page of Barbara Winter, author of one of my favorite books, Making a Living Without a Job. That is when I found out about Alexis. I contacted her soon after and we have had two great brainstorming sessions over coffee since then. I am excited about what she is doing for the pet sitting community and can’t wait to share this start-up with you…
1. Alexis, in a sentence or two, what is Stayhound?
Stayhound makes it easier to leave your pets with friends and other carers.
Right now we’re helping people connect to trusted pet sitters using their
existing social connections, and we’re working on ways to help you track
and share details about your travels, your pet’s extended family (vets,
walkers, and other carers), medications, feeding schedule, and other important information.
2. Who or what inspired this great start-up?
My own hassles with finding and communicating with pet sitters to care for
my dog, Jake, and cat, Toby. I found myself spending more time interviewing
people I found through online directories than actually traveling! And when
I asked my friends to pet sit for me, I was driving all over the place to
drop off Jake before going to the airport. I knew there were people –
friends, professional pet sitters, and others – who lived closer to me and
I would trust, but I didn’t know how to find that sweet spot of social
proximity and location proximity.
3. What do you think makes Stayhound stand out from other online sitting services?
Trust. I interviewed dozens of pet parents and all of them wanted a better
way to find people they would trust with their animal companions. One told
me that she wouldn’t use Yelp to find a pet sitter because she didn’t
personally know the reviewers – she wanted a word of mouth referral. By
using your existing social connections, we make it easier to find pet
sitters who come with recommendations from trusted friends.
Jake and Alexis
4. What do you believe pet parents really want from sitters/walkers like Paul and I?
No one wants to have another thing to worry about, and when I trust the
person caring for Jake when I have to travel, it’s one less thing to worry
about. That comes from knowing – and liking – my pet sitter, but also
getting email, text messages, and photos of how Jake and Toby are doing. It
makes me feel like I’m with them.
5. What’s in it for the pets?
While all pets are different and many thrive in different environments, I’m
not a huge fan of kennels for Jake. Most kennel and dog daycare owners I’ve
talked to also realize that not all dogs do well in that environment. For
dogs who are more human-identified like Jake, staying with someone else in
their home or having someone stay in my home with him is so much better.
Kennels can also be dangerous for dogs – distemper, dog flu, and other
diseases are always a risk.
On a less tangible level, I believe our pets pick up on our anxieties. When
I feel confident dropping Jake off with someone I trust, he knows that and
feels more comfortable.
6. How have you gone about getting the word out on Stayhound?
Largely through friends and other people I’ve worked with who are
interested in what we’re doing. Partnering with the Oregon Humane Society
to donate a dollar for every pet profile created has been a great way to
get press from news outlets like the Oregonian.
7. What do you love most about being an entrepreneur?
Strangely, introducing people to others who can help them! I’ve never
considered myself an extrovert, but running my own business forces me to
get out and talk to people more than I would otherwise. I love being able
to connect someone I meet to a potential customer or mentor. I recently
spent the weekend at Reed College helping college students work on their
startup ideas and pitch to a panel of investors. I loved being able to help
students the way others have helped me.
8. What can we do here in the sitting community to support Stayhound?
If you’re friends with your clients on Facebook, tell them about us! Anyone
can sign up for a Stayhound account and find out how many of their facebook
friends (and “friends in law”) are already there. There are so many people
who are involved in our pets’ lives, and we’re working on ways to keep all
of them in the loop. We’d love to hear feedback about how we can make that
communication easier for carers and their clients.
Alexis, thank you for taking the time to talk with me and share Stayhound with everyone…you are definitely onto something, here. As always, we welcome feedback and questions from all of you pet parents, sitters, and otherwise curious readers!
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by Valynne | Dec 13, 2011 | CC Contests!, Friends of Caretaking Couple, Mountain Girl Organics |
It is hard to believe this is my second season sans Mountain Girl Organics. I do miss it sometimes but am super happy that Paula is doing so well with it!
In celebration of Paula and MGO and this little blog up and running again and it being the most wonderful time of the year and all, it is Holiday Giveaway Time!
All you have to do is leave a comment on any post here on this blog between now and Friday, December 16th. If your name is drawn, you will be the lucky winner of a handful of hand selected MGO goodies (sigh).
Of course, if you don’t want to take your chances, and/or you are searching for lovely gifts for lovely people, you can always go here and order directly from the site. She has completely revamped it and it is gorgeous! OR, if you are a Colorado friend, you can look here for local shops that carry MGO.
Again, just leave a comment on *any* post on the blog (there are two years worth of posts to choose from) and your name will be entered into the drawing. Good Luck and Season’s Greetings to you all! Love,
Valynne & Paul
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by Valynne | Dec 10, 2011 | Causes We Believe In, Friends of Caretaking Couple, Music, Photography, Simple Living |
Hope you like pictures, because I am finally able to post them again and I have lots to share with you, thanks to my new hosting company, bluehost. So many friends have asked us what it is about Portland that inspired us to actually stay here and rent a place. I am not sure where to begin, so I am going to allow my pics to do most of the talking.
Indie shops are all over NE Portland. This is a pic of Wanderlust owner Vanessa with her friend and her hubster. Other favorite shops of mine include digs (if you love gnomes, you gotta check this place out) and Tumbleweed, where lots of the clothes are sewn by the owner and one of a kind. Sigh. I could go on but will save that for another post.
When you live in a cool city, you are more likely to have friends visit. Not that Nancy and Chad wouldn’t come to visit us elsewhere, but it just helps to live in a cool city. This is us at McMenamins Kennedy School, an old elementary school that now sports a hotel, pubs, movie theatre, etc. etc. It is walking distance from us. Our favorite spot is there is the Detention Room, thanks to the atmosphere and Alex, who tends the bar.
If you love live music, Portland will not disappoint. Sade played here not too long ago and it was phenomenal. Our friend Libby came out to celebrate her 50th with friends and we are so happy she included us in the festivities. This concert was at the Rose Quarter, but there are plenty of smaller venues that host outstanding acts as well…
First Thursday is huge on Alberta Street during the summer. Twenty blocks are closed to traffic and it is one big party. Here you see Myrtle singing “You can take my husband, but please don’t take my man” outside the Star E Rose Cafe. There are jam sessions going on here constantly.
My little sis came out for a quick visit last month. So happy she hung out with me for a few hours when she could have been hanging out with friends (I am a generation older, after all). This is her outside the Alleyway. I can’t vouch for it as we haven’t been in yet, but Em liked the sign. We had a yummy meal at Thai Noon, which I can definitely vouch for. Paul and I love it there.
So. The food. It is out of this world. I am not kidding. We are walking distance from deliciousness in all directions. I do love a good breakfast, and Helser’s has never let me down. Never. This pic is of their potato pancakes with creme fraiche and applesauce. Another favorite of ours is Vita Cafe. I get the huevos rancheros for breakfast and the buffalo tofu wrap for lunch.
What you see here is my favorite burrito joint, La Bonita. I grew up on Mexican food and it will always ALWAYS remain near and dear to me. I can make a pretty mean burrito (according to the Brit, anyway) but this place is SO GOOD. I know, I know, I sell Beachbody products for crying out loud. The good news is that there is plenty to do here to stay active. Between meals.
This is Aaron, manning the Townshend’s Tea booth at the Alberta Street Fair. This place has every tea you could possibly imagine. We went to a tea tasting the other day, which was super interesting. Does that make us tea nerds? Whatever. Don’t care. Latest addictions = White Rose Kambucha and Roasted Coconut Mate.
And no, I have not lost my love for latte. There are so many great coffee shops all around us. I am *trying* to limit my coffee consumption to the weekends. Caffe Vita is one of my faves on Alberta. The baristas are great. I also enjoy fuel cafe and Random Order. Oh, and I can’t wait to try Barista now that their space has been renovated (there was a fire on July 4th).
Introducing three of the lovely ladies from binks…Holly, Grace and Ally (you are lovely as well, Dan). This has become Paul’s local. I am sure it has nothing to do with the binkstenders pictured above. Yes, I am rolling my eyes over here. Seriously, though…we love this bar. Next door is another fave, Siam Society, where it is always a pleasure to see Don. He reminds me of a young Leonard Cohen. We also enjoy Bernie’s and Bar Lolo. All of the above are walking distance from our abode.
Portlander’s love their pets and we are enjoying our new canine and feline friends. Jonny C brought Charlie over for a photo session the other day. She is a nine month old Beagle/Pointer mix and very sweet. She sniffed all around, vacuumed the kitchen floor for me, ran up and down the stairs and otherwise entertained us for a good hour before conking out at Jonny’s feet.
Adorable, I know. And while we are on the subject…
Allow me to introduce Macey. I met her at the Alberta Main Street office. She is the mascot and Sara is her human. I love this pic because I swear she is smiling at me. She let me follow her around and take several photos and of course my two faves of her are in front of the trash cans and the boxes you see here. Macey prefers to keep it real.
We have even made a handful of human friends. People say it gets harder to make friends as we get older and I am doing my best to prove that theory wrong. I met Michelle and her hubster Jeremy (see below) at a bloggers meeting set up by Sara, who I met at WordCamp back in September. This pic is of Michelle and I at Livewire, which was performed and taped at the Alberta Rose Theatre that night.
Besides being world travelers (sigh) Michelle and Jeremy boast some serious culinary skills. Michelle has her own blog, Feed Your Skull. Jeremy is a developer and an all around smart and mellow guy. This is Jeremy with his delicious apple pie at our place on Thanksgiving. Thanks for all the yummy meals, you two!
Portland is the land of creatives. One of my favorite places (again, walking distance ~ dangerously so) is Collage. I took an embroidery class there and plan on taking others as well, including bookbinding and encaustic painting. Getting the nerve up for that last one. They have tons of fun stuff for sale, too, including stamps. I gave away most of my stamps when we left Cape Cod (Trish, I hope you are using those stamps!) and am rebuilding my collection, one stamp at a time.
I helped out behind the makeshift bar this past Thursday night for a Community Cycling Center fundraiser. This place and the people who keep it going are great. Tomorrow, they will be giving bicycles to over 400 youth across Portland. Watch this short video by Quin, a twelve year old who volunteers for CCC.
The sense of community here in Portland is strong all around. I took this picture at a recent Occupy rally. This woman gave me a wink afterwards. I know there are a lot of people that disagree with this movement. So be it. I find the people involved to be a huge inspiration.
Portland is about an hour and a half away from the Oregon Coast. Life was good back in Evergreen, Colorado but I never did get used to being that far from either the Pacific or the Atlantic. I need an ocean nearby. We had a couple of weeks off of our sit a few months back and spent some time in Yahats at the SeaQuest Inn en route to the Redwoods. That trip was nothing short of magical.
On our way back to Portland from the coast, I spotted this mother of all busses parked along the road. Paul turned around so that I could take a closer look. Since then, I have seen a variety of rolling homes that make my heart go pitter pat. We love living in a place that celebrates individuality.
So, there you have it. Just a few reasons why we chose Portland for our home. If you are looking for someone to take care of your own home sweet home, please let us know. We are staying local for the most part these days, but have several sitters that we know personally and are happy to recommend. Thank you for reading, and be sure to drop a line via the comment link ~ we love hearing from you! Seasons Greetings,
V&P
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by Valynne | Oct 27, 2011 | Caretaking / House and Pet Sitting, Chickens, Friends of Caretaking Couple |
Breakfast Courtesy of Rosie and Toops
Hi All! Paul is back from his cross country road trip to retrieve what is left of our belongings in the Cape Cod storage unit. Quite the drive, and of course I wanted to go, but the chickens needed me more than I needed to be traipsing across country again.
We are almost moved in to our new digs. I will post pics asap as this is all very exciting (our first real place of our own, even if it is a rental) and I do believe it is looking more and more adorable each day. We still have our CO cell phone numbers, but I am hoping to phase mine out soon. Our new Caretaking Couple phone number is (503) 208-3587.
Gotta go ~ it is Last Thursday here on Alberta Street and Rachel and I are ready to wander!
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by Valynne | Sep 26, 2011 | Friends of Caretaking Couple, Writers and Readers |
Katy, Bethany, Me, Sara, Michelle, Jeremy, Kristen, and Andrea
WordCamp PDX was a great experience for me. I met so many friendly, creative, and SMART people! Allow me to introduce a few new blogging friends, beginning at the back row, left…
Katy blogs here at the Non Consumer Advocate. Her motto is “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.” Katy will be proud to know that Paul and I have been “thrifting” all week for gently used items to fill our new old rental home with (stay tuned for pics).
Bethany and her husband are known as the two oregonians. They will be traveling the world starting in January 2012 (first stop, Peru). No, they aren’t independently wealthy ~ you will just have to read their blog to find out how they are pulling it off. So.Exciting.
And just in case we haven’t actually met, I am the shorter one in purple towards the middle. I’m not very short…just surrounded by taller women than myself at present : ) Anyway, that is me. Valynne. Or “V” for short. AKA Bloggess of Caretaking Couple.
Next we have Sara, the one who invited me to join this fantastic group. We met first thing at WordCamp PDX last weekend (great job on the SEO talk, by the way!). Sara blogs at Go Gingham, where simple living is “frugal, fancy and fun”.
Michelle and Jeremy recently got rid of most of their belongings and are embarking on a travel journey. They ventured west a few weeks ago and are loving Portland (it all sounds a bit familiar…). Check out Michelle’s blog Feed Your Skull for some serious raw gourmet greatness.
Jeremy is a developer and (to my delight) a writer as well. AND to everyone else’s delight – he is working on a recipe app for the group (in other words, Jeremy is Mr. Popular). Maybe said app will inspire me to actually put food on the table for once, instead of always relying on the Brit.
Kirsten’s claim to fame is that she rarely washes her hair. Yes, you read that correctly. But her hair looks great, you say. Exactly! To find out why hair washing is for sissies, click here. And to find out more about the good life, click here.
Andrea is a Dot Organizer for Automattic. I will have to find out what that means, exactly. More importantly to me at the moment is the fact that she blogs about her love of all things wine here. She is pregnant, which explains why her posts are fewer and farther between as of late.
But wait…there is also Monica, the taker of the picture. Monica has fifteen years experience with professional marketing, strategic planning and business development. She blogs here and is working on a new blog that I will be introducing to you all soon. Monica, it was so nice to meet you, and thank you for thinking to record this moment and send us all a copy.
And to everyone else I met at WordCamp and/or at Tabor Space (a delightful community coffee house and more), it was a true pleasure. You put the social in social media : )
V
