Happy Halloween!

Flapper Girl

You know all of that fun stuff you get to do when you feel well enough to HAVE fun? Well, that is what I am savoring every moment of right now.

Roaring '20s

I used an old dress of Mom's and other items I found around the house to make a flapper costume and DRESS UP for Halloween! Total cost of costume? $6. :)

Having FUN!

Our neighborhood had Trick or Treat on Thursday evening. It was a bit of a slow night--last year we almost ran out of goodies, but this year we have a ton left over. I was a bit disappointed about the lack of turn-out, but we did get to see some of our favorite kiddos, including Kaylee (no pic because she is  too old to stop for a pic! :)).

Princess, Flapper Girl, Caterpillar and Monarch Butterfly

We had a special visit from a new neighbor girl, along with Tegan and Wesley, who were dressed as a monarch butterfly and a caterpillar! Tegan has already decided that next year she and her new brother will be a squirrel and a nut. Ha! Good thing her mommy is creative.

Fsiherman and Elsa

Sadly, Miss PJ didn't quite hold up long enough to make it to our house, so Andrea sent us a picture of Daddy and PJ. Apparently, PJ's Elsa costume lights up and everything. I was really anticipating the full sensory experience! :(

Elphaba, Ariel and Flapper Girl

And then we had an extra-special long visit from Jennifer and Allie-Kat, er, Elphaba and Ariel. They no longer live in the neighborhood, but Jennifer has held fast and true to being a loyal and committed friend and making Allison and I a part of each other's lives. This four year old is just ALL joy. We had to take a picture in the exact same spot we did last year!

Ariel

I'm so grateful to our friends and neighbors who go out of the way to stop in and share the joy with us!

Hope you are having a FUN and SAFE Halloween!

Blessings,

Emily

Monday Dog Blog: Packing Assistance and Fall Nesting

"Helping" Us Pack

When you get this blog post, we'll be at Hopkins for an appointment with Dr. ANS. As you can see, we had some help packing from the puppies. When we were setting up the car for the ride, Tovah could be heard crying inside the house.

I'm gonna be missing these two like crazy, but they will be in very good hands at Dad and Abbie's. 

Waiting to Watch Divergent

These two seem to be in Fall nesting mode--seeking out even more cuddles than usual, especially Miss Tovah Rose.

Peek-a-Boo (G)

Gershwin is always waiting for me to snuggle with him.

Miss T Is Snug As A Bug In A Rug

Tovah Rose made herself as snug as a bug in a rug on the sofa Saturday morning.

Look-Out Point

She has also discovered a great lookout point!

Excellent View!

She can supervise the garden, the squirrels, the birds, the trees and keep us safe, all from the comfort of the back of the sofa.

My Sweet Girl

Rarely does she pose for good pics, so I snapped a few of her sweet face. 

I Can't Resist Her Sweet Face

Another Location To "Keep Watch"

This little girl is always on the look out.

Oooh!!! A Car! A Truck! A Dog! A Person!

Always bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Um, Let Me In!

Always looking for trouble.

Loveable Lug

Gershwin is, um, a bit more low-key about things. He prefers any soft surface he can find.

Co-Exisiting

Clearly, we have given up on keeping them off of the furniture.

Don't Leave Us Mommy!

We're looking forward to our trip to see Dr. ANS. I'll get a report Monday morning from my contact in the development office (who has been out sick with pneumonia so I'm definitely in suspenders about how the fundraising is going!). A trip to see Dr. ANS is always time very well spent and we know every minute of the trip will be worth it. The hardest part will be that his exam is designed to provoke symptoms, so I may be fairly crashed out upon my return. I'll update as soon as I can!

I can't wait to come back home to see their sweet little faces and snuggle!

Happy Monday!

Blessings,

Emily

Celebration of Life: Spahhhhhh

Jenny, Me, Barb, Jeannine and Andrea

So, you could say that I REALLY celebrated LIFE this year. I topped off my birthday celebrating on Sunday of last week. Mom says I have done so much celebrating this year that I won't need to celebrate my 40th. Ha!

Last year I had a  Celebration of Life party with a group of women friends. It was so much fun that I decided to have another birthday/celebration of life party--this time at my favorite spa, where I go for massages on a regular basis from amazing therapists who have helped me so much on my healing journey.

Barb, Jennifer, Me, Marjie, Jeannine and Jenny

I seemed to pick an exceptionally busy Fall weekend so many people could not make it, but those of us who did had a fantastic time!

Birthday Girl Wearing My New Necklace From My Friend Emily That Says:
Love Much, Live Well, Laugh Often
Such a Good Reminder!

I wanted to do something fun and something that was unimaginable in years past. 

Gluten-Free Goodies: Oatmeal Toffee Cookies, Brownie Bites, Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Mom and I made lots of goodies in preparation for the event!

Couldn't Resist Having This At the Party!

And she found some fun stuff at the grocery!

Cookies, Pop Chips, Nuts, Candy Corn, Mary's Gone Crackers, Veggies, Goat Chèvre and Lox Spread, Tea

We had quite the spread--

Wine and Candy Corn?

including a touch of Halloween cheer,

Pretzels, Sexy Pop, Cookies and Wine!

wine, 

Love This Tea!

and tea.

The Spa Decor

We spent the afternoon together talking, eating and getting whatever services we had chosen--facials, manicures, massages, etc. 

I wanted something different from a massage, something that wouldn't make me sick, and something that I would never treat myself to otherwise. Pedicures sound awesome, but since I need to have compression hose on when sitting up, I chose to try the Pinot Noir Body Polish with a 30 minute massage. Serious pampering for the skin!

Marjie Drinking Her Sleepytime Tea

Marjie, a two-time cancer survivor,  is a big encourager when it comes to taking care of ourselves and celebrating life. We high five to CELEBRATING LIFE!

Marjie loves to take pictures as much as I do, and I am so thankful she took all of these pics during the party so that I didn't have to think about it!

Tea Time

While I was receiving my Pinot Noir Polish and massage, someone mentioned to the group that I seemed to like to create a village and community. I am not sure who said this, but Jeannine later told me about the conversation. 

Jeannine was asked if I had always been this way and she said: "Yes, this is what Emily loves to do. She has always been like this."

Growing In Friendship

I was so moved by this comment and conversation that people had while I was not in the room. It's an interesting comment given that I titled last year's blog about my Celebration of Life Party "Creating Community".

Being Goofy!

I really, really, really love creating connections, nourishing relationships, and fostering community. I love to create community--with small groups, with neighbors, with friends, with book group--and I love to be a part of our larger community by supporting local farmers, buying from local businesses, attending local events, and supporting our local charities. It's the first thing I want to do more of when I have increased energy: connect, connect, connect, support, support, support, engage, engage, engage, love, love, love.

Hearing that others notice this in me and that it fills them up as well meant so much to me.

Meet Jenny! My AMAZING Pharmacist Who Is Now My Friend Too! She Rocks! Super Fun to Be Together in a Social Setting Finally!

Everyone really seemed to enjoy taking time out on a Sunday afternoon from 1:00 to 4:30 to pamper themselves. 

And when I went to pay, I got a seriously shocking surprise: my bill had been taken care of and I have NO idea how this was done or who did it. I suspect it might have been the spa owner, but I really have no idea. I certainly had no expectation of having others pay for my services when I scheduled the party--it was gift enough for others to give their time for the afternoon together and spend money on their services.

My first reaction to hearing the news that the bill was paid for was to protest. Thankfully, Jeannine was there to say: "Emily, accept the mitzvah." :)

Whomever gifted this to me: Thank You from the bottom of my heart.

Jenny, Me, Marjie, Barb, Andrea and Jeannine
(Jennifer Had Darted Off To Her Daughter's Soccer Game)

We had such a lovely time! What a wonderful Celebration of LIFE! 

Thank you Jenny, Jennifer, Jeannine, Marjie, Andrea and Barb for sharing in my celebration! 

Anyone ready to Spahhhh again?!

Blessings,

Emily

Still Celebrating: Concert Outing

This year my birthday was all about going OUT to celebrate: out to dinner, out to brunch, out for a spa party, out for a Fall drive...and out for a concert performance, which was last weekend. 

You could say I overdid a bit and am pretty tired out. :)

When I looked at the Fall schedule for performances, I picked the Brian Stokes Mitchell Simply Broadway show for my birthday present from Mom.

His performance was EXCEPTIONAL and filled with classic broadway songs that I grew up listening to such as If I Were A Rich Man, The Impossible Dream and Some Enchanted Evening. He ended the performance with his rendition of What a Wonderful World.

We didn't get any pics of us or of our favorite peeps--Lisa and Brianna--but we had a wonderful night listening to this talented baritone. We've loved all of the broadway talent that have come through town--Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster and now Brian Stokes Mitchell. It's a taste of Broadway, even if we can't make it to NY for a show!

Blessings,

Emily

Monday Dog Blog: Celebrating Reaching $1500

Tovah Rose and Gershwin All Decked Out In Blue

Tovah Rose and Gershwin wanted to find a way to support their mommy in her efforts to raise awareness and money for Dysautonomia.

So, they each donned a blue bow in honor of Dysautonomia Awareness Month! 

Blue Bow for Dysautonomia Awareness

I've got some pretty great kids, don't I? :)

And, some amazing family and friends who have helped me to raise $1500 in just ONE WEEK! I launched my campaign on the Friday the 10th and by Friday the 17th we had reached $1500.

Somebody Knows She's Cute

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported my campaign so far. We are 3/8 of the way there.

With the support of Tovah Rose and Gershwin, I am sure we can do this!

Please click here to make a donation.

Blessings,

Emily

Birthday Lunch With Rebekah

Me and Rebekah

I love that my birthday always falls around Columbus Day because it means I get a long weekend to celebrate. 

It means that Rebekah has a day off from work and we can finally have our traditional Thai lunch and see each other!

Basically, we seem to only be able to manage to see each other twice a year--in April for her birthday and in October for mine.

We have vowed to work on this!

For those who have been coaching me in which Thai foods to try, I tried Massaman Curry and LOVED it. 

Thank you so much for the gift of your afternoon off Miss Rebekah! What a joy to see you.

Blessings,

Emily

A Blended Birthday Brunch

Our Blended Family

On Sunday, Dad and Abbie treated our whole blended family to brunch at a place that has a wonderful view of the mountains. 

The View

It's such an amazing testament to Dad, Mom and Abbie that we are able to be together--all of us--and truly enjoy each other's company. We care about each other, we watch out for each other, and we work very hard to make the best of having an adult child with illness in the family. Since Jeannine and I grew up together, she fits right in with both of my parents and with Abbie.

When Mom redid the basement, Abbie kept telling her how happy she was for Mom for doing this for herself. In these moments, I tear up because I know how very fortunate I am that all three of my parents are able to put aside their differences in order to have the best relationship with me.

Solidarity

Abbie surprised me with an awesome birthday gift: she dyed part of her hair blue too! She is supporting both breast cancer and dysautonomia this month. Such a meaningful gift! And she rocks the look too! 

Making My Same Wish!

We celebrated my birthday again--this time with Dad and Abbie singing--with the other half of the gluten-free pumpkin cake. 

All of this good food over the weekend may explain my post-birthday gastroparesis flare which has been a major bummer this week.

Perfect Day

We decided to take advantage of the perfect weather and scenery to snap a few pics of our wonderfully blended family.

Thank you Dad and Abbie for the birthday treat! I had such a special birthday this year!

Blessings,

Emily