I have a love/hate relationship with hostas. When we bought our house, they were EVERYWHERE in the back yard. And they were the kind of hostas I hate.Then we moved into the house with Memphis and Merlin and those beasts disregarded every kind of fencing we put around the yard and destroyed all the plants (even ferns, even hostas). And then a few years back I found some hostas that I actually liked, and I started planting them in again.I did this mainly because our backyard is super tough to grow things in (weird soil and the sun/shade ratio changes drastically as the season wears on), and hostas are ideal for that environment. Long story short? I love the hostas I have now, and I love how the light comes through them. And they are opening up right now in our yard, and I had to snap a photo.I have a few internet shares today:+ The latest stories on Humans of New York had me sobbing at my desk today. It's so important and so well done, and I will be donating to this cause. But seriously... it's heart wrenching.+ I don't think I will ever own a cabin up north, but if I did, it would look like this.+ I've been working out a ton lately. I do not look like this. (But I wish I did!) (Wait, I mean I wish I could do those moves and look that graceful -- not her actual body shape. Which is lovely! But for me to get that skinny would require very unhealthy choices.)
So...I attended 
Look at all that color!I'm doing a very small renovation in the house that involves new flooring. I really, really wanted to use 
One of my favorite things to do for clients is to surprise them*. In a good way, of course! One way I try to do this is to send moms a postcard of their loved ones on Mother's Day. Some of my clients have worked with me for years, and it's old hat for them. But the new ones? They send me the nicest texts when they get the cards, and I love lighting up someone's mailbox with fun snail mail! It's the best.Also? I love laying down all the cards before I send them out and just taking in all that work from the last year. Pretty rewarding stuff.For your internet shares of the day:+ If you live in the Twin Cities, 
I'm not sure there's a better way to start the week. This little guy (and his amazingly big and adorable eyes) came to the studio for his birthday yesterday. We took many photos like this, and then he stripped down to his diaper and dove into his very first cake. Oh man, did we have a good time. And I never knew how much fun it would be to keep these antique cameras in my studio!For your internet shares of the day:+ 
When I was a kid, and people would ask what kind of animal I would be if I could be any animal, I always wanted to be an otter. I loved how they just seemed to swim and play all day! You never saw them being hunted or killed on the Discovery Channel, and in general, they seemed to have a pretty chill life.I have this one friend of mine who *loves* otters to pieces. She also happens to be front and center on all the Prince coverage, and as you can imagine, she has been pretty slammed with work lately. So last week, when I was at the zoo, I snapped a few otter pics for her.We all love reading everything we can about big news stories like this one (obviously, since I keep linking to more and more articles on the topic), but it's important to remember the people who are bringing us these stories and how they have deserted their families and loved ones this last week in an effort to work around the clock to bring us the latest. If you know such a journalist, make sure you thank them. I promise, their bosses probably aren't doing that (I really don't mean to sound jaded, I just know from many, many years in newsrooms that editors move onto the next big thing and rarely look back and thank staffers for a job well done).And here are a few wonderful finds around the internet to send you into the weekend with a smile on your face:+ I loved 
I wandered down to the lake today with Magda and Nyberg for an afternoon walk, but kids? It was COLD. We made it about the equivalent of maybe 4 blocks and we turned back. It was windy and wet and no fun at all. But I did snap this photo before we left. There is just something I love so much about rough water on a lake... the darkness and especially the white of the froth. It's just magical to me.Remember when I linked earlier this week to Paul Westerberg on Prince and there was that quote about how one musician's reaction to Prince was "I'm fucking embarrassed to be alive right now"? That's how I feel about this internet share of the day. These photos make me feel like an 8 year old with a disposable camera. 
Oh, what a sweetie. A dear friend of mine gave birth to this beautiful boy last week, and I stopped by to snap a photo right quick on Sunday morning. I adore this sleeping face, and I cannot wait to watch this little guy grow up and start a band with Ezra (and all his buddies).I haven't been writing much about my life recently because, well, a lot of not-so-fun family drama is going on. My mother is having some more health issues, and that takes a great toll on everyone (especially her). And since my mother-in-law left town, the sweet little angel that I gave birth to has been possessed by a whiny kid who never wants to bathe, change clothes, put on shoes, wear a jacket, take a nap, sleep through the night or have his diaper changed. This means we are wrestling with even more tantrums than usual, and frankly, I'm just sort of beat. But once he falls back into his normal routine, I'm hoping we are back to laughter and games and happiness. It is stunning how messing with a child's day-to-day routine fucks with EVERY SINGLE THING. Ok, sorry, parenthood rant is now over.Let's talk about something fun instead! Like pop culture! For your internet shares of the day, besides