Monday Motivation

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Friday Roundup

Happy Sunday! The Friday Roundup is a little late, oops. We didn't haven't exactly have internet these last few days, but Jason and I are having a lovely time shooting in Malawi. I hope you're enjoying your weekend, wherever you are. Here are some fun links from around the web…

For more info on the organizations Jason and I are currently shooting for, check out the websites for Partners in Health and Construction for Change. We be posting more on this project on the blog in the coming weeks too!

Where Seattle neighborhood names came from incase you were wondering why you lived on Capitol Hill or in Leshi, etc.

Kids reading to cats- really, this is a serious thing. And also incredibly cute.

New music for spring

Reminisce about Gap Dream and other smells from growing up a girl in the 90's

Interesting example of how much makeup can change a face. 

Champagne cocktails, perfect for a spring brunch. 

Supposedly the best oatmeal cookies, I might need to test this out...

Classic Nikes on sale

Spring Color

A to Z of Dance

Zara Baby Clothes

So in case you didn't hear, Seattle finally got a Zara! It opened in Westlake Center in February and is officially my new favorite place to buy Mylo baby clothes. As you've seen, he's a big boy and has grown out of most of his clothes that are in the first year range so I've been trying to replenish his dresser with some larger sizes, he has very chunky and adorable little legs so finding pants and PJ's that are comfy is a challenge. Zara's little sweats might be my favorite thing. Here are a few pics of baby clothes from their lookbook:

Cat Cafe!

Tokyo was one of my favorite parts of tour last month, not only is it a city that I love, my sister, Stephanie, was able to pop over from Korea to hang out with me for the week. She referred to it as "take your sibling to work week". Stephanie has been teaching in Korea for the past few years, she hadn't been to a Macklemore & Ryan Lewis show or met any of our "tour family" as we call them. I love that she got a chance to experience a bit of our unique life.

One of the best things Stephanie and I did in Tokyo was checking out a cat cafe. Really, a cafe with cats, I'm not making it up! In Tokyo, where many people are living in cramped quarters and working long hours, owning a pet isn't an option. As a result, cafes, where you can pay by the hour to relax in a living room-esque setting, sipping on a coffee and petting a cat, have become quite popular.

Our hotel concierge recommended Hapineko Cafe in Shabuya, explaining to us that "neko" means cat in Japanese. The cafe is located just a couple of blocks from the busy Shabuya Crossing in a sunlight filled third floor space overlooking the busy street below. Walking in I felt like I was coming into a spa, the vibe was totally relaxed and after washing and sanitizing our hands, we were offered slippers and ushered in to find a cozy spot to sip our hot beverages and enjoy the cats. I had green tea, Stephanie had a latte, which she said was made wonderfully.

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical before going to Hapineko, I wondered if the cats could genuinely be happy being bothered by strangers all day. My concerns were quickly put to rest, before we were allowed into the same room as the cats, we had to read a 5 page pamphlet that included appropriate cat handling, discouraged people who were sick from entering, and instructed us not to pet any cats wearing pink collars as they were injured or ill and needed to be left to rest. After all of that, and seeing how calm and happy the cats were in their very clean cafe environment, I felt like they were in good hands. They had high perches where you weren't supposed to bother them, lots of other cats to play with and even had a little door into another room where they were left alone.

After being away from my cat for the month, spending an hour at Happineko was a great way to get a cat fix. I'm pretty sure I'd be a regular if I was living pet-less in Toyko. I definitely recommend it if you find yourself in Tokyo. 

Spring is Here!

We have had some lovely weather in Seattle these past few days, and more in the forecast! It's wonderful to be able to spend more time outside, Mylo is much happier when he can be outdoors for part of the day and we all need to soak up some vitamin D! As you can see Mylo and Rafa are developing a cute little relationship, mostly that Mylo loves his kitty and Rafa tolerates him. Love that cat.

Back to Africa...

Jason and I are on our way to Malawi for the week. We left on Monday and don't get there until Wednesday, there never really are good direct ways to get from Seattle to Africa. This is our annual trip to do photography for Construction for Change, this year they are teaming up with Partners in Health to build a medical clinic that will service a large rural area.

See other posts I've written about our work with Construction for Change here. 

Photo: Zimbabwe, 2008, when we rode elephants on Jason's birthday. I feel like I look the same, but Jason looks so young here! 

Monday Motivation

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