Tag: maltipoo

33.

it is hard to know where to begin. so maybe we start with a photo of the finished product?

photo evidence of what it looks like when i relinquish control and let my friends show up for me – theo, i adore you.

thirty fucking three. saying 33 out loud as my age and not just pippen’s number (felecia and i just finished rewatching the last dance docuseries a couple of weeks ago) is wild. however, after how touch and go 31 was for me, i promised myself i wouldn’t just celebrate milestone birthdays. each year is worth celebrating. each day is truly a gift. theo knows this is my mindset. that’s part of why he called me out in january. well, it is more like he called me in.

theo knows i am a planner by nature. neither of us could remember the last birthday i celebrated without looping in the appropriate parties with less than 90 days notice. so imagine theo’s surprise when it was sunday, january 15th, and he had not received an invitation to anything. february 13th was just around the corner. instead of beating me up, he asked me about each area of my life. we talked about it all – family, friends, work, wellness, love life, etc. what we realized is that each area of my life seemed off balance – so much so that with the free moments i did have, i simply did not have the capacity to plan my birthday, track rsvps and show up enthusiastically. theo got quiet and said he had something to ask me. his next words were:

“kristin. i am going to propose an idea. your natural response/gut reaction will be to say no but i urge you to ‘say yes’ anyway.” i waited to what seemed like an eternity and then he said, “i want you to let me plan and host your birthday this year.”

y’all. i was FLOORED. you know the last time someone else planned a full fledged birthday party for me was? 1999. i was turning nine and mark + felecia rented out skate depot for me and all of my little fourth grade friends. every year since then, i have taken lead on this. i’ve had some great celebrations whether i kept it local in la, turned up in vegas, went wine tasting or a boozy brunch, the thing that each year had in common was spending time with people i love. even though i nearly had a stroke at the thought of letting someone else plan my birthday, i asked myself what i would tell my clients and i knew the answer: let the people who love you show up for you – there is power in relinquishing control.

i did exactly that. the rest? well, it was magic.

my mom, misu and i showed up to one of my favorite restaurants in the bay – meso mediterranean. when i arrived, not only was our private room beautifully decorated, so many people i loved from different chapters of my life were all in one space. there was no longer a need to wonder what someone they had heard many stories about was like in the flesh because they got to soak up that energy in real time.

friendships with start dates ranging from 2008 to 2016 and the thing they all have in common? being beautiful badasses.

with each table i approached, my heart bursted all over again. the love in the room was equal parts overwhelming and intoxicating.

you know when you meet someone and they instantly feel like family? that’s how it was with these two.

realizing that people had traveled up from la and down from sf/oakland/sacramento was so heartwarming.

when your old coworkers function more like sisters

theo had arranged a slideshow. it was amazing to see photos dating back from 2007 and was truly a testament to how we’ve watched each other grow up. we looked like babies because we were! being back at scu where it all began was such a full circle moment. being able to celebrate with people i met at scu whether it be in undergrad or in grad school while in reslife was incredible.

the og scu reslife crew – i married the two on the right this past fall!

seeing old and new friends laugh, toast with my mom and entertain misu while i was with each guest was the best.

my mom and many of my friends who are like her adopted children/nieces/nephews

and just when i thought i couldn’t be more grateful, theo directed our attention to the screen below. there was video after video of loved ones who couldn’t be there to celebrate but were there in spirit. many of the messages moved me to tears. oftentimes, people don’t get their flowers while they can still smell them. i was fortunate enough to get plenty (both literally and figuratively) this past weekend.

theo and evan are also the most attractive couple in the world. don’t @ me.

evan (theo’s partner) not only helped theo host but took photos of me with each of my guests and gifted me the most thoughtful card and gorgeous bouquet with sunflowers. they are on my nightstand as we speak.

while i was hesitant to be vulnerable and relinquish control, i am so glad i did. there are not enough words in the english language to thank you, theo. just know i love you so much and appreciate you yesterday, today and always.

i’d kiss you a thousand times over if i could

the icing on the cake? the party not ending until nearly 11pm and being able to laugh like this with my grad school bestie.

therapists can have fun, too!

misu being in bottle service was a life goal. it has now been fulfilled!

misu as security
misu soaking up the club vibes

kicking off 33 has highlighted the importance of practicing what i preach, remembering to pour into people who pour into me and always being grateful.

happy birthday kristin!

it truly was a happy birthday. i am looking forward to my 33rd trip around the sun.

xoxo,

k. tap

happy birthday, misu!

i can confidently say that i am thrilled january is over. while it wasn’t a particularly terrible month, it just seemed to move at a glacial pace. february has so much for me to look forward to. not only is it my birthday month but today, my baby turns two!

misu has brought me an inordinate amount of joy. he has shown me so much about unconditional love.

i feel like in some ways, we rescued one another. when i think of how he loved on my mom last year while i was hospitalized, it can bring me to tears. to say they have a special bond would be an understatement.

misu and i are certainly fortunate to have so many people who love him so much. here are some of my favorite shots taken by/with some of his favorite people:

pool day with auntie lynnie – summer 2021
freshly groomed with auntie amanda – spring 2021
dinner with uncle pooh bear – december 2020

happy birthday to my little rascal. i just adore you.

xoxo,

k. tap

my main squeeze turns one – happy birthday, misu!

guess who is celebrating their first birthday today?!

my baby is officially a year old! while misu and i found one another in october, i truly cannot imagine my home or life without him. we found one another at just the right time. he has brought me an unreal amount of joy and reinvigorated me amidst a global pandemic. i am eternally grateful for his presence in my life.

who wouldn’t love that little face?!

if you find yourself looking for a cute tag, two tails pet company is the best! between this main squeeze one and a catchy one misu has in white and rose gold, he is covered in the event he gets separated from me. it truly gives me peace of mind.

“i’m lost – somebody call my mama.”

i couldn’t love misu (or these dog tags) more. cheers to his first trip around the sun.

xoxo,

k. tap

prosec-ho-ho-ho

i will be the first to tell you that christmas is far from my favorite holiday. even still, i do love good loungewear, especially a comfy nightgown/oversized sleep shirt. when i saw this one from asos, i couldn’t resist purchasing it.

my love for all things sparkling (both bubbles and glitter) pretty much meant that this super soft sleep shirt from asos was made for me.

i likely won’t send christmas cards through the mail until i have kids so consider this your unofficial one from misu and me. merry christmas or ho ho ho! 🧑🏾‍🎄

xoxo,

k. tap

meet mr. misu

growing up, i always had a dog. i truly believe that they make houses homes. i had promised myself that once i moved back to la after grad school, i would get a pup for my first place.

once i moved to south pasadena at the end of 2017, it was clear that i was still working through a ton of unresolved grief after the loss of my grandmother. i used a lot of 2018 to unpack that. in 2019, while i was emotionally read to get a dog, i was traveling somewhere at least two weekends a month. from mexico to coachella to chicago to spain to nyc, it was a whirlwind. 2020 seemed like it could be the year.

while the first half had some bigger events like my 30th birthday in vegas and traveling for work, the second half would be lighter. i had no idea how light until we were in the middle of this pandemic. so in may, i started my search for a dog. i had a few prerequisites. the dog needed to be smaller (since i am in an apartment), hypoallergenic, under the age of five and no major medical conditions.

you have no idea how hard it was to find a dog that checked off all of these boxes. i had told myself that if i couldn’t find what i was looking for via adoption, at the start of the new year, i would go through a breeder. everything changed just over two weeks ago.

my cousin (courtney) posted about her pastor looking to get rid of their dog. when i asked about the breed and age, she said under a year and a maltipoo. i was floored. this already checked off two of my boxes. i figured there had to be a catch. so i reached out to the pastor and within 24 hours, we had arranged for me to pick up my pup on the following tuesday. here is a shot from our first moments together after he officially became mine.

not only was he completely healthy but they wouldn’t even let me pay them because they were just happy to see him go to a home where the owner would have time for him. while his name was originally nino, that didn’t fit him to me. as soon as i saw a photo of him, i thought tiramisu was more fitting. however, that’s a mouthful so i have been calling him misu for short.

we’ve been together for just under two weeks and it is already hard to imagine my life without him. he is gentle, loving, physical touch is definitely his primary love language, he waits to be sure i am awake before making noise and has thoroughly enjoyed meeting my clients both virtually and in person.

i recently got him groomed and he almost looks like a different dog but that sweet disposition didn’t shift a bit.

i am totally in love and can’t wait to create more memories with misu.

xoxo,

k.tap