I’ve found renewed purpose in life by volunteering my time with my local animal rescue, and it is something that I’ve really invested myself into in a way that I don’t think I’ve done in anything in years and years. As I wrote in my open letter last month, volunteering helped me tremendously to work my way out of a very difficult period in my life to something more manageable, a place where I could feel and find joy again. I could not have anticipated the profound impact it has had in brightening my life and giving me something to be passionate about again.

Whether working with a local animal rescue appeals to you or not, I definitely wanted to write about my experiences volunteering and encourage readers to consider ways to volunteer within their communities for nonprofits and organizations that to do resonate them. There are often numerous ways to volunteer for an organization that make opportunities accessible for many–in rescue, it could be helping coordinate events, transporting animals, making decor for an event at home, or helping with laundry, in addition to more typical ways to volunteer.

The ADORABLE models for the ColourPop x Best Friends photoshoot are my fosters from the Liqueurs’ litter! They are going to be adoptable beginning September 16th at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ. If you’re interested in meeting one of the 11 Liqueur pups, you can make an appointment to see them in advance.

I have been fostering and volunteering on-site primarily for Almost There Rescue (ATR), which is a non-profit mom and pups rescue in Phoenix, Arizona, since July 2022. They focus on taking in orphaned puppies, pregnant and nursing moms with puppies, and are truly dedicated to their mamas and ensuring they find their forever homes. I had someone mention them to me once, and they popped up again when I looked through the Best Friends Animal Society network partners.  This is a great starting point for readers who might be interested in finding a local organization to volunteer for as they have programs across the US but an extensive number of network partners.

I know of Best Friends as a result of the long-time collaboration between ColourPop and Best Friends Animal Society, where they’ve released a product annually that donates all net profits to Best Friends, which is what the Liqueur pups have posed with (hello, beauty tie-in! this post is now beauty-related!). The Best Friends organization works with communities to provide support and/or resources with a goal of making every shelter and community no-kill by 2025. One critical component of achieving this goal is by increasing the number of fosters available in communities, especially now when so many shelters and county facilities are overflowing with pets.

When you foster, you free up a kennel space for a dog or cat, and then you can be part of that animal’s journey to adoption, which might include teaching them to trust a human or simply giving them a softer place to decompress for a bit. Many rescues provide all of the resources you need to foster (from crates to food to medical care), while you provide them a temporary home and lots of love!

My first fostering experience was a two-week stint with Bamba and Ozzie (same litter but wildly different outcomes!), and it was… a lot. It didn’t help that I ended up breaking my hand early on in that two-week period, so poor hubby had to step up and help a lot more than he anticipated. The silver lining was that while my hand was healing, I ended up doing orientation to volunteer on-site, which is kind of a big thing for me because I am a homebody by choice. I’m so thankful that the folks at ATR have been so welcoming, helpful, and passionate about what they were doing, because they created an environment that always made me comfortable about being there, asking questions, and coming back.

I enjoyed it so much that I volunteered almost every morning! Visiting with puppies early in the morning just smoothed out every harsh edge I had. They’re so young and exuberant, and they’re endlessly optimistic and happy-go-lucky. There were moments where I would sit on the floor with a lap full of puppies and just feel all the stress leave my body. They made it easy to keep my attention and focus on them, which ensured I was actively in the moment rather than worrying about something ahead or what things I needed to do that day.

In late October 2022, I managed to persuade my husband to try fostering again, and this time we took on Maleficent and Prince Philip for three weeks. It went a lot better–they were younger than our first two fosters–but we were definitely exhausted by the end of the three weeks and ready to return them I continued to volunteer on-site but when ATR put out an emergency call for bottle baby fosters right before New Year’s Eve, I signed up and took on my first bottle baby fosters, which were one-day old cleft palate puppies. Unfortunately, Lorax and Max did not make it despite all the love and care they could ask for; there were five cleft palate puppies in that litter and only one survived (and was adopted by her foster).

This is really what turned the corner on fostering for me, because I realized that working with newborn puppies called to me in a way that the “older” puppies did not. Even though my first bottle babies did not make it, I knew it was something I wanted to do again. It led to me fostering a pregnant mama, Brisket, and her eventual nine puppies, aka the Steaklets. I witnessed the birth of every single pup! I assisted! I ensured each one took their first breath, was cleaned up, and was warm. I got so lucky with Mama Brisket, because she was pulled from the county shelter and we didn’t really know anything about her behavior–she was incredibly friendly, sweet, and even potty-trained.

It was also during the fostering of the Steaklets that we ended up using a spare room as the “mutternity suite.” This made fostering so, so much easier for hubby and I, since we work from home. It allowed us to walk around the main areas without disturbing the puppies and also minimized any noise when one of us was trying to work. I spent hours watching the Steaklets, and I loved getting to be there for their milestones: eyes opening, hearing for the first time, wobbly first steps, and all the delightful newborn puppy sounds and smells. I learned so much about dog pregnancy, newborns, and puppy raising!

The Steaklets (and Mama Brisket) stayed with me until the pups were six weeks old, and then they all went to their next fosters as ATR adopts out their puppies at 10-weeks (and after they’ve been spayed/neutered). Shortly after the Steaklets, I fostered four of the Yoga Poses pups, which were five-day old bottle babies. They’re still some of the most special pups I’ve fostered–the hardest to let go for sure–and I had to let them go at eight-weeks old for fear we might fail!

In fact, I was so worried we’d fail, I ended up getting three new foster pups the day after the Yogis went to their new fosters to fill the void! They were the Fabulous Ones, named after Queer icons, who were with us for a few weeks before being adoptable. I wish I could say that I gave my poor hubby the break he very much wanted, but next thing you know, I brought home eight, six- or seven- week old cattle dog puppies, which some might know as the Bluey pups. They were absolutely chaotic!! Thankfully, I only committed to a week to help another rescue have more time to figure out long-term fosters for them. I don’t think I would have made it another week!

That leads me to my current fosters, which are the Liqueur pups (photographed in the slideshow at the beginning of the post)! (How cute are they with their Best Friends and ColourPop gear? They’re gonna be famous models now!) Despite my husband saying “never again” to a mama and her pups, we brought home Bailey and her 11 (!!) pups when they were five days old. I kept all 11 pups for six weeks, and then I’ve gradually downsized my group to five as of this past week, and hopefully, they’ll be sweet babies so I can enjoy them until their adoption date, September 16th. It is so rewarding to watch them blossom, gain confidence, and know that they’re going to find their forever homes in just a couple of weeks.

It is always sad to see them go, but it is a happier moment to know that they’ve been given a good head start to their lives and ready to become amazing dogs to their lucky families. People always ask how I don’t keep them all, but the reality is that I can’t keep them all, even if I wanted to Ultimately, I focus on being able to do more good for more dogs by being a regular foster, and that is infinitely easier when I don’t have lots of my own pets at home. Besides, Winnie has enough energy for five dogs!

I’ve fostered 40 puppies/dogs in 2023 alone, and there’s still time to foster a few more before the year is up! I hope what I’ve shared might encourage even one person to sign up for volunteer orientation or fill out a fostering application. For me, it has been incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, but I’ve also learned a lot about a topic/area I didn’t know as much about, meet and make friends (as an adult who works from home, this is a huge win), and grow so much as an individual.

The ADORABLE models for the ColourPop x Best Friends photoshoot are my fosters from the Liqueurs’ litter! They are going to be adoptable beginning September 16th at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ. If you’re interested in meeting one of the 11 Liqueur pups, you can make an appointment to see them in advance.

Amarula (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Campari (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Campari (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Campari (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Fireball (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Fireball (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Pimms (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Pimms (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Sambuca (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Amarula (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Campari (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Campari (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Campari (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Fireball (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Fireball (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Pimms (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Pimms (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Sambuca (Liqueurs) - Adoptable 9/16 at Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

I do not know where I would be without Temptalia. It gave me a job that I never imagined but found deeply fulfilling for almost 13 years, when not enough people get the opportunity to love the job that they do. It is what has made so many achievements in my life possible. I’m so proud of what I’ve done on Temptalia and how it has shaped the person I am today. I am a better person because of all of you. I am forever thankful for having the support of so many people in the community from readers to brands to my family that have made it as successful as it has been.

It is time for me to confess that for the last four years, I have struggled mentally, and this year is really the first where I’ve started to feel closer to normal. I lost a lot of my passion for Temptalia in late 2019, and when you’re entire life revolves around one thing that you love and you no longer love it… that really does a number on your mental health. It took me awhile to even realize that falling out of love with Temptalia and not having another outlet that really brought joy was the source of destruction of my mental state.

I worked 80+ hours a week on Temptalia without fail, but it often did not feel like work. I felt like I had a dream job, loved what I did, felt fulfilled by it, while it all supported my family. I’ve always been someone who tends to have only a few interests, and I’m still that way (0/10, do not recommend) despite trying to discover or cultivate other interests. The reality is that those 80+ hours a week that used to bring me joy started to bring me misery because I didn’t enjoy it any more, and it worsened as I pushed through and did everything I always did, just without the joy.

For awhile, the feeling that I would let readers down by taking a step back sustained me and kept me going enough to get it all done, and I felt like the love would be rekindled eventually, so I’d push through. It’s not like every single day for the last 17 years was the Best Day Ever, but even during times where I had more on my plate between the blog and personal life, I could get through tough weeks or months.

By early 2020, I spent most days on the verge of a nervous breakdown; I felt like I was ready to burst into tears all of the time, and I wasn’t managing my emotions well. There were other things going on in my personal life, too, that contributed to a heightened level of anxiety, and they were things that I needed to get through but couldn’t really “change” or offset. It was at this point that I started recognizing that I couldn’t live with that much anxiety, and I did reach out and start taking anti-anxiety medication, which was a massive help to manage that anxiety and get “through” the rest of the year. It gave me clarity at just how far I had let my mental health get away from me.

Then, Magellan passed away, which has been the most devastating thing that has ever happened to me (which does make me pretty fortunate, all things considered). It was my first real, intimate loss and experience with grief. I actually felt like I had so much closure that I was sad about his passing but I had no regrets; Mellan was just such a huge part of our lives that his lack of presence was still something that took a long time to process and work through. Do you know how inconvenient it is to be someone who tests eye makeup but tears up 10 times during the day?!

When Winnie entered our lives a few months after, he helped me center my attention and brought out feelings of joy again. He was a new hobby, allowing me to pour energy into him as I trained him, watched him grow up, and bonded with him. He was NOT an easy puppy to raise (turns out, Mellan was basically a perfect puppy and Winnie was more like 7/10 difficulty-level puppy), but he is the most affectionate and cuddly dog I’ve ever been around, so he always made it (and still makes it) worth it

In early 2022, with Winnie being able-bodied and youthful, I begged my husband to let me try fostering puppies for a local rescue. I’ve always wanted to foster, but so many dogs always tried to attack Mellan (even though he was dog-friendly!) that I did not feel comfortable doing so. My husband relented, and I had my first pair of foster puppies and promptly broke my hand within 24 hours of having them–of course, I didn’t realize it was broken until a few weeks after I did so. Obviously, this meant no fostering, so I started volunteering on-site at the rescue for the next several months. I’d go almost every morning for an hour or two. My heart felt lighter, my mood was higher, and I realized just how much I was missing from the last couple of years.

Between having limited mobility in my left hand (and my right hand was already in a state of chronic pain from overuse) and realizing what fulfillment felt like again, I decided to make some changes on Temptalia that would help minimize the stress on my hands as well as reduce some of the time spent on getting things done on the blog. These were changes like bullet-style lists (which readers actually loved) rather than trying to write the same sentence over and over again in slightly different ways, allowing me to enter dupes as I could rather than pushing beyond my pain thresholds, and reducing the number of images I took and had to edit.

It was also in this period of time that I recognized that I had been in some stage of burnout, just in general, for years and so I knew that I had to allow myself to make bigger changes, even if it would upset some readers, in an effort to try to move forward without breaking myself down in the process. Those changes have helped tremendously, as I used to be in a constant state of pain and soreness with my hand and now only have that after a particularly long photographing/editing session. One day of pain in a week instead of all seven days with little to no reprieve was well worth making changes!

As you might expect from someone capable of living in a perpetual state of burnout for four years, it is difficult to make changes, and I have always found it difficult to do them on the sly. I find I have to say it loudly so I actually hold myself accountable to those changes, which is why I will be officially transitioning away from working on Temptalia full-time to part-time over the next few months. I need to make it official so I’ll actually do it, which will give me time and space to figure out what that looks and feels like. After going at full-speed for almost 17 years, it will be an adjustment to navigate what easing off actually means.

You might not see any immediate changes as I have about six weeks of content already written but likely by Temptalia’s 17th birthday (October 2023), changes will be felt. I’m currently going to see how many posts per day makes more sense and how I want to approach the mix of brands/products I review. I’m hoping to have more time to just play with some of the makeup I have. That being said, if there are particular aspects of the site that you would be loathe to lose, I’d love to hear it as we consider archiving certain aspects of the site that we feel are non-essential and/or underutilized to help button things up and streamline parts of the site overall. This is not the end, it’s just me turning the page to the next chapter

I’m hopeful that I can rekindle my love for what I do here while giving myself more time to embrace and seek out the paths that currently bring me joy. Those paths include volunteering more, continuing to foster, and spending more time with my family. Fostering and volunteering with my local rescue has felt like it has saved me from the gaping chasms that felt like they were going to swallow me whole, and it has made it clear that in life, acts of service for others brings me the greatest sense of joy and fulfillment. It wasn’t a love for makeup but a love for helping readers love their purchases more that fulfilled me for so many years in the past. Now, I am going to embrace what has given me a sense of purpose in life and see where that path takes me.

Finally, I am incredibly privileged to have a partner in life, my husband Shaun, who has been a pillar of support for over two decades, and is truly everything that I could have ever asked for in partner. Without him, I would not have even had a chance of getting through the last few years (especially because no one else would put up with, nor appreciate, my grim humor). It is also thanks to his genius that we have built successful sites outside of Temptalia over the last decade (I help to manage those), which have given me the luxury of choosing a different path forward. He is the best, and I love him to the end of the universe!

Thank you for letting me share what’s been weighing on me these last few years as I finally feel like I’m in the right place to be vulnerable, share that vulnerability, and move forward in a meaningful way. I’m looking forward to make these changes and opening myself up to what is ahead!

Love & Lipgloss, Christine

I’m excited to introduce something that I’ve been working on with the Temptalia team to bring this concept to life! We just launched Adoptle, which is a quick game where you have six guesses to figure out the name of that day’s adoptable pet. Each day, at 9PM PT/midnight ET, a new, adoptable pet will be featured and you can play again to see if you can guess their name in six guesses or less. You can head over to play Adoptle here or keep reading to learn more about it.

If you’ve played Wordle, or any of its many variations, it should look somewhat familiar. Adoptle features a flexible grid, so the answers range from four to eight letters, and we’ve made it so you can guess shorter words than the answer’s length, if desired. So if you want to use ADIEU as your starting word, you still can, even if the answer is longer than five letters!

How to play

You have six guesses to figure out the correct answer, which will the name of the adoptable dog or cat of the day. The name could be a regular word, say Biscuit, or it could more commonly used as a name, like Martin. When you get a letter in the correct position, it will highlight with teal. When you get a letter that is in the answer, but not in the correct position, it will highlight olive. Any letters that are not in the answer will go gray. There is also a dark mode available for those who prefer that display setting.

Example of adoptable pet (not today’s answer!)

Whether you get it wrong or right, after you’ve made your six guesses, you’ll see the day’s adoptable pet. Noodle, above, was one of our test doggos that we used during development, but you can view his adoption page!

We’re currently highlighting animals from shelters around the United States, nearer to major cities (like Phoenix, Los Angeles, etc.). In my dream world, we’ll be able to later fill an archive of Adoptles that have been adopted. We are also looking to work with specific shelters and rescues that are doing particularly good work in the space and to highlight animals that are special needs, seniors, or have just been waiting for their fur-ever home for a very long time.

Try Hard Guides is hubby’s third gaming website (the other two were acquired), and it’s something that I’ve been working on part-time as well, which has been new and exciting for me to be part of the start of the journey (Temptalia  is a well-oiled machine at this point, it’s old hat!). It’s also been interesting working more closely with Shaun, my husband, on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes we joke that we’ve been together a lot longer than 17 years since we have been in each other’s pockets for almost 15 of those years (living together, working from home, working together, etc.).

I’ve always loved word puzzles and games–I used to burn through logic puzzle grids, word searches, and unscrambling games (I miss you Yahoo! Word Racer). Hubby and I even met playing a game of unscrambling words and sentences in a chat room over 20 years ago. Even now, I enjoy games that don’t require a lot of commitment or time, where you don’t have to grind through levels or spend 20 hours to beat the game.  I hope you’ll indulge me when I do some cross-promotion from time to time as this has been a fun and creative outlet for me.

You’ve probably heard of Wordle by now, and you’ve probably come across at least one variation on it as well… and hubby and I have been pondering about some sort of easy-to-play, guessing-style game, which we have now launched! We call it Concludle.

It’s a blend of trivia, guessing, and quickplay; each day, you’ll have up to six clues to guess the day’s answer. For example, the category for today’s answer is Food, and the first clue is “the name of this food item is 12 letters in length and one word.” You can enter a guess or get the next clue, and hopefully, you can figure out the day’s answer by the sixth clue! We hope you find it fun and different enough from the fun and popular Wordle to come back daily to see if you can keep up a winning streak.

And why yes, yes, I go around the house sing-songing “concludle your noodle but don’t ask your poodle!”

Play Concludle!

Concludle: Come concludle your noodle!

Concludle: Come concludle your noodle!

Celebration

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic ($18.00 for 0.34 oz.) is a soft, medium bronze with moderate warm undertones and a pearly sheen. It had opaque pigmentation with little product to get there with a quick dry down that blended out fairly readily, but it only blended to a point; I could get diffused edges as an eyeshadow, but it was harder to really sheer out without the shimmer separating out more noticeably and giving the appearance of “dirt” instead of pearl.

As a lip product, it applied evenly and for as metallic as it looked, it didn’t emphasize my lip texture and still felt a little flexible, but it wasn’t the most comfortable product to wear–definitely in the vein of a matte, liquid lipstick. It stayed on well for nine hours as an eyeshadow and cream blush and five hours as a lip product (though it was a little drying over time).

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Danessa Myricks Celebration Colorfix Metallic

Mellan was born on Christmas Eve, and if there was one birthday I got excited to celebrate, it was always his. It is hard to imagine a Christmas Eve that’ll go by in the future where it doesn’t end up being a day we reminisce about one of the greatest doggos to ever live. It’s almost a year since we lost him (January 12th, 2022 will mark one year, officially), and sometimes it’s heartbreaking to see just how easily life goes on without him. How could a dog so near and dear to my heart, so integral to my daily life, be gone and life just keeps going?

I don’t think there’s been a day where he hasn’t crossed my mind since we had to say goodbye. Some days are harder than others, sometimes I’ll go a week or two without tearing up (only remembering fondly), and other times, it feels like every thought of him causes at least a couple of tears to creep from my eyes. He was my first adult dog; the first dog that I was responsible for fully, from his daily care and needs to financially, and he saw me through dating, getting married, buying our first home, moving out of state, and so many moments of growing up and entering into adulthood.

He lives on in our hearts, and today, we’ll share our favorite memories of him, cry a little, and celebrate the 13 years we had with him. I had custom ornaments made for the year to mark Mellan’s passing and Winston’s first Christmas. Mellan is sitting in a bowl of spaghetti, because we used to call him by the nicknames “pasta” and “spaghetti” often enough that he came when we used them, and he has his signature bow-tie, spot on his year, and a crooked halo because he had a bit of a rebellious streak in him from time to time

We’ll hug Winston a little tighter today, and we’ll make sure that Winston has the best first Christmas a young pup could ask for, because I know Mellan would have wanted nothing less for his lil’ bro. Sending you all love and virtual hugs during the holiday season!

A photo collage of Mellan from past Christmases

Custom ornaments for Winnie and Mellan for Christmas

A photo collage of Mellan from past Christmases

Custom ornaments for Winnie and Mellan for Christmas

Happy Sunday! I just wanted to say another thank you so much to everyone who has been so supportive of my Sydney Grace collaboration. As my personal way to celebrate, I’ve gone back to vivid hair color as an ode to the colors of the collaboration (hair done by Lauren Krech, I paid in full my service, but she does great work if you are in the Phoenix area).

Thank you for reading Temptalia, whether you’re new or long-time, because without your readership, the collaboration would never have even been possible! Thank you to the readers who have encouraged me to collaborate over the years. Thank you to the readers who have left comments or liked my color story/color combo posts and made me think, “hmm, maybe I could do something people would like!”

I appreciate everyone’s support, whether that comes in the form of a comment, a simple like on a post, or an actual purchase. It all goes a long, long way to making Temptalia possible!

Some reflection ahead! 10 years ago, I collaborated with MAC Cosmetics and launched a single eyeshadow (Jealousy Wakes) on June 21st. It wasn’t planned as such, but it is incredible that it ended up being nearly 10 years to the day since–so I ended up revisiting that process and what I did to support that launch. It really IS the Temptalia way because even 10 years ago, I shared an in-depth look at the process and provided dupes/comparisons. I find the process part of the journey fascinating — I wish more collaborators would touch on the hardest parts, the easiest parts, what they loved or how a shade changed over time.

Temptalia will celebrate its 15th anniversary this October, so it is extremely special to be able to be here and have created these palettes based on what readers felt was missing from existing releases, what kind of colors/color stories seemed to get the most likes/feedback over the years, and what kind of colors I’ve always loved but never felt like there were enough of.

We are ecstatic over how it is gone–we were so hoping that the amount stocked wouldn’t result in a quick sellout. We wanted people to have time to purchase. I’m so lucky to work with Sydney Grace on this project because they’ve let me have so much control over every aspect of the collection; from the color stories to the textures to the names to the artwork to how to market. They let me execute my vision without compromise. They align with my desire to do better by readers/customers–that meant not making it ultra limited edition, being transparent and upfront about the collection and process, and getting the product right.

I also want to say a very, very special THANK YOU to the Temptalia Discord for their encouragement, support, and constructive feedback. They were the ones that gave me that extra nudge to reach out to Sydney Grace to begin with. They helped me through some of the harder moments during the process, and I always felt supported but that they would always provide real, honest feedback/commentary. I am fortunate to have such intelligent, logical, and reasonable readers across the board.

THANK YOU!!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

I hope you’ll join me in giving a warm welcome to the newest member of the Temptalia family: Winston Wiggleston! He arrived to his fur-ever home last Tuesday, and we’ve been enjoying the warmth and life he brings to our home while also adjusting to having a puppy in our lives again. It’s been 13 years since we did puppy-raising, and Winston is definitely keeping us on our toes!

He’s an exuberant puppy that pretty much has three modes: eat, sleep, and play. He is most DEFINITELY food-motivated as one might expect a lab to be! He tends to play for an hour or so, then takes a nap for an hour… rinse and repeat. He is also a lover of all fabric things… like curtains, clothes, towels, blankets, and floormats. We can tell he’s a happy-go-lucky, goofy pup that is curious and loves to explore. We picked him from his flight nanny on Tuesday afternoon, and he was joyful, not at all scared, timid, or (seemingly) stressed from his journey to meet us. He was like new! new! new! must stay awake! for all the new!

He enjoys a good sit. That’s his default position, and sometimes, he’ll randomly sit down after he’s scrambled somewhere and tilt his head at us. My favorite thing he does is when he is tired, he takes himself to bed and curls up to go to sleep. If he loves beds, he has come to the right home! He is a sweet boy, albeit incredibly mouthy (mouth first for all the things), that fills our home with love and laughter in a way that only a dog does.

I did not know how I would feel about getting another dog after Mellan passed; he was my first adult dog, and he was really the first dog that I ever felt bonded to (and felt bonded to me). My paternal grandmother was so heartbroken after losing my dad’s childhood lab that she never, ever got another dog. My parents lasted a month before they went from zero to three (my mom was like, “don’t get three like me!”). I had some friends and extended family members who also ended up getting another dog within a few months of losing their furry family members in the past.

Immediately after Mellan passed, I felt like I would, without question, do it again. The sadness of losing him was nothing compared to the sheer amount of joy and love he gave me for the 13 years he lived. Though I am not particularly impulsive, I can be impatient when I’ve made a decision about something. I’ve done research on and off about responsible breeding and breeders for several years, what to look for and the like, and with impressive pedigrees, pups are often reserved well in advance of being born. I decided that it would be perfect to put down a deposit sooner rather than later, knowing that if I really wasn’t ready, I could always back out, which we obviously did not! This would ensured we had ample time to research and choose the right pup–no pressure, no stress, no emotional choices.

Ultimately, it really helped me work through my grief and focus on moving forward knowing that Winston was in the wings. It gave me the sense that we will have that feeling back in the home someday. I will say good morning and boop a nose again. Mellan’s legend has grown every day since he has passed, and we miss him in ways that are difficult to express, but he was always the dog that would play and try to make you laugh when you were sad. I know he would have wanted us to find a way to laugh and smile again!

We bought Mellan from, what we know now as, a backyard breeder, so I knew I wanted to do my research and know more about the parents, their health, and the health of grandparents and great grandparents on any future puppy. Labradors have two builds; there’s the blockier, show-style (often referred to as “English”) and the leaner, field-style (often referred to as “American”). Field labs are working labs who are often more responsive to training, focus on their handler, and can be higher energy. We were lucky to find a litter that was due to go home about three months after Mellan’s passing, which seemed like a–potentially–reasonable length of time to work through some of our grief for Mellan.

It was an extraordinary experience to watch Winston and his siblings from birth to eight weeks (when labrador puppies typically go home). There were only three boys, and we were third male pick, so we tried hard not fall in love (we joked that we were getting the “leftover” puppy, in the best way, and frankly, we picked Mellan because he had a block spot on his ear, so we could track him… and he turned out to be an amazing boy). That being said, I was so drawn to Winston from the day he was born; he was Mr. Blue, and try as I might, every time I saw him in photos or videos, he pulled at my heart strings. The three boys were all lovely pups, and no doubt, we would have fallen in love with any of them, but we ended up with our “first” pick!

Mellan was a puppy before we all had great cameras on our phones, so I’ll be taking even MORE photos and videos of this boy as he grows up than I did of Mellan for sure. You can find him on Instagram, @winstonwiggleston, which is 50% for my mom so she can easily find all his photos and videos.

Thank you to everyone who has given me advice, reached out, and offered words of comfort after we said goodbye to Mellan. Being able to share so many memories of Mellan over the last few months has helped me so much in my grief, and I am so fortunate to have such understanding readers who have given me that space to do so.

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!

Welcome home, Winston!