Visiting: Diane and Michael

 Road Trip!

We (and I do mean WE) took a little trip before Memorial Day Weekend to see our wonderful family, Diane and Michael.

47 Years As Lovebirds

The last time we saw these two lovebirds was last summer when they came to visit us.

Azaleas In Their Backyard

The previous summer we travelled to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary.

Cozy Living Room

Because I can now climb stairs (!!!! I've been practicing for over a year and can now do more than one flight a day !!!!) we were able to stay with Michael and Diane in their beautiful, warm, cozy, peaceful home. 

A Happy Tovah Rose

Gershwin Found A Friend In Diane! 

Even both of the puppies settled right in!

Michael even bought toys for the puppies, which they rudely ignored, but have decided to enjoy now that we are home.

We headed out of town on Wednesday around lunch time, had some time to catch up with Diane and Michael and get settled in before my nap, and then we had a wonderful meal together.

I loved this wine!

Dinner is Served

Salad, zucchini and salmon on the grill (a la Michael), quinoa dish and homemade thousand island dressing = YUM! 

Diane makes sure all of the food meets our dietary restrictions. She's a true hostess.

Death By Chocolate, Butter Pecan, Rainbow Sprinkle's, Hot Fudge!

We topped off dinner with a dessert of ice cream we had brought from a place Diane and Michael love, hot fudge made from Diane's mother's recipe (AMAZING!), and rainbow sprinkles (Michael is a man after my own heart). 

I was so excited about ice cream, hot fudge and sprinkles I took a photo. Ha! 

After 17 years of no ice cream, I'm now able to enjoy it in small amounts.

More Azaleas In Their Beautiful Yard

After a three hour dinner sitting up at the table (!!!) we chatted late into the night. 

The following day, we went out for lunch at an amazing Thai restaurant, took a drive through the beautiful countryside around Stroudsburg, stopped back at the house for some more ice cream, and then hit the road to head home.

I am so grateful we were able to make the trip to see Diane and Michael this year, to continue to grow closer to them, to share our journeys, and to have now been able to see them THREE years in a row! 

So many years have passed without seeing those I love that I just want to pack it all in. Somehow, I have to pace myself.

It's easy to look back over the past three years of visiting with Diane and Michael and see the dramatic changes that have occurred for me in that time period. At their anniversary party, I struggled with symptoms constantly, took a tremendous amount of medications to get through the event and visiting, and crashed big time afterwards. 

Last year, I crashed afterwards but still enjoyed the visit very much. Still, Diane and Michael came to our home to visit.

This year, I made the trip with relative ease. We traveled and visited (enjoying that long dinner) all on the same day. Yes, I slept in the car. Yes, I napped when we got there. We went out to lunch the following day and made the trip home. Again, yes, I slept in the car.

If I may say so myself, it's a big hairy deal. And I'm so happy about it.

Thank you so very much for your gracious hosting of all FOUR of us, Diane and Michael. We love and adore you so much and cherish our time with you. You're the kindest, smartest, funniest kind of people--the very best kind. :)

Blessings,

Emily