Last week my husband and I returned from a wonderful vacation on Lake Tahoe. I spent summers there as a girl and always called it “my sweetie lake.” Now every other year, we rent a house with my sister, Terry (we call her T1 and my husband T2), and her family, who bring a boat up from Los Angeles, along with their golden retriever, Molly, Ella’s sister!

The house in Homewood we rented.

The first morning was rather eventful. I took my morning coffee out by the shore with the three dogs (let’s not forget Lulu). All of a sudden, Ella started growling at something behind me. I turned around to see a BEAR about 50 yards away! I scooped up Lulu in my arms and grabbed Ella by the collar. But Molly thought Ella was growling at me, and those two started fighting! I started screaming, “Help!!!” The bear must have thought, “That lady is nuts,” and “I do not need a dog fight!” because he lumbered away. But, wow!!!!

The rest of the trip was much more relaxing! Molly and Ella spent their days in the water, with Lulu racing up and down the shore crying for them. Occasionally Lulu would venture into the water, too.

Molly, Ella, and Lulu soaking up the Tahoe sun!

As for the humans, we spent our days tubing behind the boat, rafting down the Truckee River, paddle boarding, biking, and having barbecues. We also cruised around the lake in the boat, visiting Sand Harbor, where the water is Caribbean blue, and Emerald Bay, where one of Lake Tahoe’s oldest mansions, Vikingsholm, looks over the lake.

On the left, my sweetie and I enjoy the lake. In the upper right, the gang rafting on the Truckee River, and on the lower right, tubing behind the boat!

We also took the boat to various restaurants on the water: Sunnyside for their famous fried zucchini; Chambers Landing (the oldest structure on the lake) for their wicked “Chamber’s Punch”; and then to my old stomping ground, Garwoods, where I worked as a sweet li’l waitress in the summers of 1989 and ’90!

On the left, my sister and me. On the right, the hub and my brother-in-law Richard. We were dining at Jake's on the Lake on our last night.

It was such a wonderful vacation! Truly, Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful alpine lakes on the West Coast! Terry and I are fully refreshed and ready to dive into fall back here at Ped HQ. But we’ll dream of our next retreat to my sweetie lake!

Life is good when I'm floating on Lake Tahoe with Lulu!

At Ped, we are so fortunate! Our lives are full of good friends, wonderful family, sweet pets, and work we truly enjoy! Because we are so lucky, we think it’s important to give back! Helping organizations that make the world a better place is the least we can do.

Here are some of the worthy causes we believe in and regularly support:

The American Cancer Society: Terry and I, like most people, have had our lives personally touched by cancer. We believe in supporting the ACS’s search to find a cure and improve treatments.

The American Red Cross: Whenever  and wherever disaster happens, the Red Cross is always on the spot to provide medical care to those in need. But it also does good work in so many other areas every day.

Berkeley East Bay Humane Society: Our wonderful local humane society promotes treating animals with love, dignity, and respect. Due to a tragic fire in May 2010, the BEBHS’s shelter is currently closed, and the organization urgently needs funds to rebuild.

Clinton Bush Haiti Fund: Headed by former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, the CBHF is helping earthquake-devastated Haiti recover and rebuild.

Hopalong & Second Chance Animal Rescue: This fantastic no-kill shelter in Northern California is on a mission to end euthanasia through its rescue, spay/neuter, and educational programs.

Sea Turtle Restoration Project: Dedicated to rescuing endangered sea turtles around the world, this organization is currently working hard to help turtles in the Gulf of Mexico affected by the BP oil catastrophe.

UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine: Not only is UC Davis’ vet school doing cutting-edge research in many areas, its doctors also saved Ped’s Chief Canine Officer Lulu’s life when she injured her back! We are forever grateful!

Vitamin Angels: Founded by our good friend, Howard Schiffer, Vitamin Angels is working to ensure children everywhere receive essential nutrients for growth and health.

We are glad these organizations are out there making the world a brighter place! We may have beautiful soles at Ped, but these organizations are fueled by people with beautiful souls!

(Just a quick P.S.: Ped’s current “sweet treat,” Fiorentini + Baker’s Eden Boot, is especially tasty! Just click “be sweet to your feet” at the top of any Ped page to get to the discount code that will make this beautiful boot yours for a cool 20% off!)

The other day I was chatting with a Ped customer on the phone, and she was curious about my background. So I thought I’d write a little about myself and how Ped came to be.

I grew up in California, not far from Ped HQ. At an early age, I developed a passion for art and fashion, and my father, a savvy entrepreneur, gave me an appreciation for business. I majored in fine art at UC Berkeley and then studied merchandising at the San Francisco Fashion Institute. I went off to New York for a year, where I worked  for clothing designer J. Morgan Puett (and met lifelong friend Kimmy). In 1993  I moved to Seattle, Wa. and opened my own store, Ardour, a clothing boutique that specialized in up-and-coming independent designers.

Here I am at Ardour in 1993 with my dad—truly my mentor and business inspiration—and my step-mom, Angela, who also has taught me so many things! (Check out my '90s do!)

It offered an ideal way for me to combine all my interests! Ardour quickly gained a huge following, which encouraged me to open Ped as a companion shoe store across the street in 1998. Ardour and Ped became Seattle destinations for fashion-conscious women and were featured in Lucky Magazine, InStyle, and Harper’s Bazaar, among other places. Ped became so  popular that I eventually moved it into the Ardour space.

On the left, a holiday party at Ped in 2002, and on the right, Ella as a puppy atop Ped's jewelry display case, also in 2002.

In 2001, I launched www.pedshoes.com, with the help of a tech-guru. We watched as the Internet took off, carrying Ped right along with it. Because I wanted Ped to reach as many people as possible, I decided to pour our energy into the expanding online market, and in 2006, I closed the Seattle store, relocated to California, and went totally cyber!

As Ped fans know, I continue to take great pride in offering lesser-known independent designers, who emphasize hands-on craftsmanship and a commitment to social and environmental responsibility. I love discovering unusual and beautifully made things to add to Ped. Everything Ped carries is something I truly believe in and would wear myself—and, trust me, I am a stickler for detail!

But life isn’t all about work! I also enjoy great food (have I mentioned what an amazing chef my husband is?), good wine, traveling,

The hub and I having fun on a ski trip to Switzerland. (That's the Matterhorn behind us!)

gardening,

We're currently in the process of landscaping our backyard. It's coming along!

spending time with family and friends, and taking walks with Ella, our golden retriever, and Lulu, our mini dachshund.

Chief Canine Officer Lulu thinks I should step away from the desk and take her for a walk!

I also believe in giving back, so every year I donate a portion of Ped’s sales to non-profit animal welfare organizations, the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, and Vitamin Angels.

There you have it—me in a nutshell!

Ped fans, I am sad to report our beloved Lulu, Ped’s Chief Canine Officer, had to have emergency back surgery this past weekend. Fortunately, she’s had the best possible veterinary care and was operated on by an extraordinarily skilled surgeon at U.C. Davis (to whom we are so, so grateful). Happily, a full recovery is expected, albeit after two months of crate confinement (poor Princess Lulu Parmesan). Lulu will, however, still approve the emails and run the show around here at Ped from her crate!

Lulu in her usual command post.

Ped’s Chief Canine Officer and her adoring human minions, Dayna and Terry.