tildy's kitchen clubhouse

i'm keeping a close watch on tildy until her minor indoor peeing problem is fully resolved. she doesn't mind her crate, but i mind missing out on time with her. so i'm setting up "success stations" in our house: places where tildy can be restful and feel safe while i get some work done.

my favorite so far is her bed in the kitchen island. she LOVES it, and i love having the company while i'm typing away on my laptop. by the end of the first day, tildy's kitchen clubhouse was THE place to be...

craft beer cellar is boston strong

you might love craft beer cellar for their extensive (magnificent, ever changing, cutting edge) selection, or their sunny, knowledgeable staff, or the constant tastings of their delicious offerings, or their perfectly curated wine collection, or the great gear from the breweries (i personally love the nightshift v-neck and have worn mine threadbare), or because they greet you warmly even if you're just using the shop as a passthrough from the parking lot. (which i did for months before buying anything. what was i waiting for??)

but on top of it all, these people are GOOD. i mean, REALLY GOOD and caring and generous and open and ready to take a lot of time helping you pick out just the right brew (even if you are ridiculously driven by the labels and not the contents. yeah, they even have patience for that.) 

yesterday when i walked through the shop on my way to the parking lot, i was met with a team of bright blue and yellow t-shirts that read BOSTON STRONG. i got a little misty. there were hugs for kate and suzanne the owners, who are also my friends at this point. we decided to seize the moment and the photo opp.

well done craft beer celler. well done! i'll see you tomorrow for more oracle pinotage on my pass through from the parking lot...

oscar turns one!

i'm an auntie in countless different ways to many kiddos and dogs. celebrating the big (and little!) moments of life with them, watching them grow and flourish, well, it's my greatest privilege.

happy first birthday, sweet oscar! you're handsome and charming, and you wear the cutest shoes!...

and then there were three

meet matilda. she's twenty pounds of raw potential. by age five she'd endured more trauma and abandonment than any of us should ever have to. she's sweet and hopeful, and hugo and i have made it our personal mission to teach her trust.

in the first twenty-four hours of being home tildy upgraded from napping on the floor to sleeping under the covers with me, offered her belly for rubs (a sign that's she's relaxing), and eased up on the leash enough that there was slack when we walk together. she also learned her new name within a few hours of hearing it! (she's quite sharp, this tiny pup.)

welcome home, sweet tildy. you are safe now. you are deeply loved. you are forever home...

turn the dial

turn the impatience dial way down. 

BE  P R E S E N T. 

time is on your side.

(promise)

lovebirds

alyssa and eli are one of those couples that can't stop smiling, are always touching, and are obviously deeply in love. our engagement session was delightful in every way despite the snow and ice and cold (notice they are not wearing their coats). at one point, those two adorable lovebirds just started slow dancing. it was beautiful, and i was there to capture it. (lucky me.)

congratulations to alyssa and eli! and as always, HURRAY FOR LOVE!...

houseguest

rufus is sweet and gentle and good. he's also just a year old (read: puppy energy!), so hugo was all tail wags and wrestling and trying to keep up. hugo and rufus formed their own pack quickly, and walked shoulder to shoulder when they were on leash. when they are off-leash rufus followed hugo around, unless there was a new pup to greet and sniff. but rufus rushed right back to his alpha.

i miss having two dogs with me. duckie and hugo were the best of friends despite their height, weight, breed, age, and personality differences. (i'll have to do a follow up post about hugo and duck. those two were a study in opposites.) hugo is a different guy when he's got canine company. gleeful, youthful, blissfully tired from all that play. i'm grateful that friends think of our home as a peaceful place for their pups if they need leave town a for a few days. hugo loves it, and i do, too...

love critique #2: eye smiles

there are few things that i like photographing more than a woman comfortable in her own smile. mikki's is what i call an eye smile. eye smiles are especially powerful to me, because they suggest a happiness reaching much deeper than what is happening in the moment.

i'm glad that one of the people mikki shared her laugh with is included in an unobtrusive way (bottom left corner), but i like to think that all of you can tell that she was in good company.

this image was captured with the big camera, my canon T3i, and edited in lightroom-- though very gently. most of what i wanted in the image came straight out of the camera.

i've come back to this image several times since making it saturday afternoon. mikki's face, the light, the colors all draw me in. does this bright face draw you in, too?...

hug your monday

 

instead of going into monday with a curmudgeonly groan, i decided to greet it with a giant hug. here is what happened:

• i gleefully (no exaggeration) moved through four hours of necessary paperwork. enormous sense of accomplishment. enormous ACTUAL accomplishment
• helped a photography client troubleshoot a social media problem and was rewarded with a fantastic linkedin review for photography and more.
• decided to revisit my jewelry designer self. made and wore a gorgeous necklace i made this morning between delicious coffee and twitter visits.
• sailed through five hours at "the office" troubleshooting big MATH related problems in software that i set up. (software setup is a first in my career. MATH? my right brain was in SHOCK!)
• had a great hair day.
• made a joke at my favorite regular sandwich shop earning me (in their opinion) a FREE dinner.
• found a meter spot in harvard square. (never happens.)
• hit the church of anthropologie on the way to my "real" dinner. was alone in the sale room. (also never happens.) found TWO pair of perfect dungarees and a darling skirt on super sale. all three fit.
• didn't have to wait even two minutes for a cozy booth at one of my favorite restaurants on a friend date with one of my favorite people.
• when asked what i wanted to drink requested "a delicious glass of cabernet" and can say with great certainty that i got one!
• was reminded that friend date nights are not only romantic and wonderful, but also evolutionary, rich, and deeply fulfilling. 

okay, tuesday. we've got this...

puzzle night

we divvied up parts of the picture and began gathering our pieces. i was on big cat and little cat (leopards. so many spots to connect. total nightmare.)

anna started the ritual of toasting and drinking each time one of us connected pieces. this happened with greater frequency as our organizational skills and puzzel prowess snapped into action. things got just rowdy enough that i felt a little like a college kid again.

we worked together for hours, and something about the shared effort did good for my head, my heart, and my soul. trusting, learning, and building together, even in cardboard and paper, is BEAUTIFUL...