He's Growing Up

Those of you who know Herbie will know what a big deal this is. His checkered past means dogs terrify him.To be in the same room with another one, much less TWO of them, feels miraculous. He is very proud of himself for being so gracious to our weekend visitors, Lucy and Lucy. 

Also, here's a lovely new color blog, The Color Issue, that I look forward to using for inspiration in our NEW HOUSE (omg). We will officially be home owners in 12 days! Wild.

And these boots are perfect and gorgeous.

xo,

Lauren

Chosen Day

John's family always celebrates the day he came to them from Korea. Chosen Day. Hearing his mom talk about it will get you right in the heart. It's incredibly sweet. And this year, I'm very happy to be celebrating too. 

If I hadn't been a musician, I wouldn't have met John. If I hadn't gone to Converse, I wouldn't have gone to the Performing Arts Institute, which is (indirectly!) how we met. Same for him - conducting took him to Yale which took him to me. It took many years and states and schools and plans to get us together, even though we grew up only three hours apart. Funny how that works.

Alladin's for lunch - where they puff up a toasted pita and fill it with greens.

Tokyobay watch for John - obviously made for him. I've been wanting to buy it for months.

The dogs love John a little bit extra today, too.

Herbie hugs John.

the sweetest

Lucy and Mahler 4

 superhero get-up

Yay Herbie

So this is mostly for our Moms. And probably Maggie. The rest of you might find it boring, unless you are particularly entertained by crazy dogs, or John Concklin's struggles with a digital camera.

Herbie is the dog who insists on holding my hand every day. He licks everyone incessantly, and he always puts a paw on my leg or his head in my lap if I cry. But like I've said before, Herbie wants to rid the world of other dogs. As a rescue who was kept in a closet and never socialized, his fear of dogs sometimes brings aggression. Needless to say, "playing" with another dog was out of the question.

And, okay, I'll admit that the tug-of-war pictured a few weeks ago was prompted by me. But believe it or not, Herbie and Lucy now play. Like, playing with one toy -- together. It's a canine miracle.

Day Off = French Press + Doggies

The dogs love when one of us stays home.

When Herbie wants a kiss...

...Herbie gets a kiss,

 steals one from Lucy when I'm not looking, 

and probably takes another from me.

Meanwhile, Lucy updates her blog.

Back to work tomorrow...

xoxo,

       Lauren

Puppy Love

Things are slushy today because it's actually above freezing, in January(!),

and some of the snow is melting.

Even more things to be happy about:

Double the canine love. We're keeping John's dog Lucy for two months, which is great for Herbie, a rescue who was traumatized early on by being locked in a storage closet. He is terrified of dogs (and sadly, willing to be aggressive), but Lucy's super patient and laid back towards him. She sees what I see -- that he's amazingly affectionate -- even in comparison to other dogs!

Herbie doesn't understand the concept of playing with dogs, but he's been showing some interest.
Last night marked their first official Tug-o-War. Yay Herb!

See what I mean?