How to End a Year

Kate, Ang, Jess, Gershwin, Me, Jeannine

My holiday season turned out to be a good one. I'm still recovering from it! 

Of our 'group of eight girls' who came together as friends in junior high, five of us were able to get together over winter break. Angela, Jessica and I have known one another since fourth grade, and met Jeannine and Kate in junior high. Debby, Jill and Jamie rounded out our group of eight.

When we are together we are still filled with laughter, loud voices, honesty and a deep caring and love for one another. To think some of us have been friends for 28 years is quite remarkable. 

Zoey, Tovah Rose and Kate

Kate and Jess proposed that we have the husbands and children pop in for a short meet and greet before we settled into girl time. Unfortunately, Kate's husband and kids were unable to make it, but we got to see everyone else. Is the universe against me getting to meet Kate's kids? :(

Steve, Jess, Kira, Zoey

Zoey and Tovah Rose

My 'babies' were also popular during the meet and greet. 

Kira and Gershwin

Bill and Ang

And Angela and Bill introduced us to their 12 week old baby girl, Elsa.

Kate and Elsa

She was quite a hit. And very calm about being passed from person to person!

Jess and Elsa

Jess Works her Mommy Magic

Bill worked so hard to keep her awake on the way over, only for her to fall asleep in Jess's arms.

Dad Arrives to Toast Our Friendship

Dad said he really missed seeing all of my friends and asked if he could come over for a few minutes to see everyone. We toasted our years of friendship and togetherness with champagne that he brought over.

Kate and Me

Kate and Jess are all about the puppies and babies. 

Kate, Tovah, Gershwin, Me

So, they were both a big help with drying the puppies off every time they came inside from the rain.

Jess and Tovah

Or playing with them.

Jeannine

Within our group, some folks are more in touch with each other than others, but we manage to keep tabs on one another. Kate and Jess live in the same city and see each other regularly. Jeannine and I live four houses down. And Angela remains one of my closest friends in the whole world, despite living in California. 

After everyone left, I was a bit of a sentimental mess--missing the closeness of a group of girls who used to gather together for every occasion and the comfort of being with girls I grew up with. 

Yes, I have a lot of wonderful friends, but I've never again had an entire group of girls like this one. Of course, it meant we had a lot of teenage drama as well, but thankfully, I think we've grown out of that.

Kate, Ang, Jess, Me, Jeannine

It's moments like this that make still being a townie extra special. I'm grateful for a welcoming home with comfy chairs and big windows where we can be together to share both joys and sorrows. I'm grateful that this home in which I grew up is still a place in which my friends feel welcome enough to help themselves to cups of tea, glasses of water, and plenty of snacks.  Most of all, I'm grateful that so many of us could be together at the same time and still love to be together so very much.

Blessings,

Emily

Monday Dog Blog: Staying Warm

Zoe and  Asher

On New Year's Eve, I received this photo from Asher's foster mom, Jean. It is of her Wheaten, Zoe, (who recently passed away) and Asher, who she said used to keep each other warm. I love this photo so much, and as Jean said, it reminds me of a happier time in Asher's life.

That was a LONG Walk, Mom!

We know it's rather cold in most parts of the country, so we here at the GREATs hope you are keeping warm. Tovah Rose and Gershwin bundled up in their sweaters to go for a walk downtown visiting the ice sculptures!

Our Asher

We've gone to visit Asher the past two Sundays so that I could spend a little time with him. He's very happy to see us, doing his best to be stoic and perky. But he's really not doing very well. We'll know more after our vet visit this week on Thursday. I've been in a gradual state of grieving as I think about how we will know when it is 'time' to say goodbye.

Welcome 2014

The puppies haven't made any New Year's resolutions, and as you can see from the photo above taken around midnight on New Year's Eve, they are pretty chillaxed about the whole new year thing. :)

Stay Warm and Happy New Year

from

The GREATs!

Blessings,

Emily

Best Friends

What would this year have been without my best friend's constant support, wisdom, guidance, compassion, empathy, sense of humor and patience? 

We are in touch almost daily and share almost everything.

And while we live only four houses apart, we actually don't see each other all of the time, or have a lot of photo opportunities. 

We celebrated Jeannine's birthday a little later (in June instead of May) because I had an abdominal migraine on her birthday. But we celebrated with her favorite foods including seafood and pineapple. :)

Jeannine's joy for life and her grace in the midst of challenges are a constant reminder to me of her amazing spirit.

Blessings,

Emily

Monday Dog Blog: A Rainy Day

Peacefully Co-Existing for a Photo-Op

Tovah Rose and Gershwin settled in next to each other on the sofa for a brief moment today. No wrestling, no fighting over space--just nicely coexisting in close proximity to one another. This may be my new favorite picture of the two of them.

A View of The World

We're having a lot of rainy weather, which Tovah Rose finds to be very depressing because she cannot go outside and play in the yard all day long. After incessantly ringing the bell and realizing we weren't' going to let her go outside again, we looked over to find her at her perch on the sofa. 

It's So Sad to be Trapped Inside on a Rainy Day!

From her perch, this little girl has a great view of everything that is going on in 'her yard'.

Would Someone Please Come Over Here To Sit With Me?

Gershwin jumped up on the sofa as well, but appeared more interested in his 'humans' and the possibility of a lap to snuggle up to.

G thinks he is a people

Gershwin loves to settle in just like a 'little people', as we say. And as soon as I head for my recliner, he has his paws up on the foot rest before I am even sitting down. 

My Cuties

After a long visit back home with us, Asher is back at Dad and Abbie's where he seems content and relaxed. While here, he was very anxious. whining and pacing a lot, and tweaking his shoulder the wrong way when trying to keep tabs on everything. I savored the evening cuddle time with him and miss my special 'Asher time' when he is not here.

Happy Monday!

Blessings,

Emily

Going to Arts Festival!

Our Arts Festival

Each year, I eagerly anticipate one particular week in the summer when lots of townies come back for our arts festival. It's an event that is part of the fabric of my life and one I've attended since I was a little girl. Growing up, I enjoyed selling my own crafts during children's day, attending the performances and visiting the art booths. Many of my very favorite pieces of jewelry and art are from this festival, as well as many fond memories of time with my mom and time with my friends.

Kate and Me

Early on, after I first got sick, we did try to go for a short while to the festival, but it was so difficult that I have not tried again until this year.

I typically use all of my energy to visit with friends who are in town, but miss out on the joy of the festival itself, which is something that I've missed deeply and makes me very sad.

This year, the combination of my new level of functioning, the Rolls, and a perfectly cool cloudy day on the least busy day of the festival (Thursday), Mom and I were able to take in a about half of the booths. 

I was sitting upright in my Rolls, looking at art for FOUR HOURS! I honestly don't know how I pulled it off, but I was able to completely enjoy the experience without struggling through it. 

Kate, Tovah and Gershwin

I purchased two pieces of artwork for my bedroom (one of dragonflies and one of moths, of course), one piece for my new bathroom, and a fun pair of earrings, and a small ring. Mom also surprised me with a pair of earrings because she didn't think I would be well enough to go. I was also able to get a baby gift for one of my best friends who no longer lives in the area. I went a little crazy!

Engaging with the artists, running into people we knew, seeing so much creativity, being a part of an event that I have so deeply missed made me feel so alive. Being able to choose artwork for myself felt incredible. I now have new pieces of jewelry and art that reflect the 'me' now.

Kira, Zoey and Tovah

That same week, I also saw Kate for a girls only visit with just the two of us, which is something we haven't done in a very long time and is always something I look forward to because Kate is such an authentic, tell-it-like-it-is person. She's good for me. :)

I also saw Jess and her two girls, Kira and Zoey. I met Zoey when she was a toddler and hadn't met Kira yet! As you can tell, the girls were crazy for the dogs. 

Tovah and Zoey

After my four hours at the festival, it took me two days of time in bed to begin to recover, which is a pretty big price. Since going to the festival was unimaginable even a year ago, I'll take those precious four hours surrounded by art and creativity, time with Mom, and wonderful memories hanging on my walls.

Blessings,

Emily

New Christmas Traditions with Dad and Abbie

Abbie Has the House Decorated Beautifully

We celebrated Christmas tonight at Dad and Abbie's. And it just might be one of my favorite Christmas celebrations ever.

Dad, Me, Jeannine

I grew up celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah. After my parents divorced, we never really came up with new traditions for Christmas. Many years I've been too sick to go to Christmas with all of the family at Dad and Abbie's, and in general it's a little overwhelming for me physically.

So, we decided to try something a little different. Dad and Abbie had Jeannine and I over for a steak dinner. Afterwards we exchanged meaningful gifts that everyone was excited about. (I'm most excited about another year of audible membership, a Golden State Warriors sweatshirt and some new 'tunes.)

Dad, Me, Abbie

Just being able to go over to Dad and Abbie's for an evening, share a meal together, and celebrate the holiday made this year so special. What made it extra special was how much we all laughed and enjoyed being together.

A new Christmas tradition has been born, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Blessings,

Emily

More Iowa Visitors: Mary, Ross and Jan

Ross, Me, Mom and Mary

I realize I'm down to the wire here when it comes to recapping the joys of 2013. But I know I'll be disappointed in myself if I don't post about the people and places of this special year. I just might finish posting before your holiday card arrives in the mail. :)

We had travel this year (!) and lots of out of town visitors, including more Iowa family. 

Mary and Gershwin

Shortly after we returned from our big trip to see the Jewish side of the family, a couple of members of my Dad's big Catholic family arrived at our doorstep. My cousin-by-marriage, Mary; her son, Ross; and Mary's sister Jan stayed for almost three days. 

Jan and Tovah

My cousin Craig (Mary's husband) wasn't able to make the trip. As I've mentioned about all of my visitors that I haven't seen in so many years, it's fun to reconnect in new ways. 

Craig is the oldest of the 40 cousins, so he and Mary are cousins that I did not know well growing up. And, their son Ross was only about seven when I was last in Iowa!

Tovah and Jan: Jan Spoiled the Puppies!

Mary has been faithful and loyal in her reading of my blog, her emails of support, and her prayers for me. So, it was special to finally be together in person.

Ross and Me

We ate lots of good food, picked on Ross lots, heard lots of stories from Mary, enjoyed meeting her wonderful sister, and they all took in the 4th of July fireworks and other fun town events while I rested in between visiting.

Thanks for bringing Iowa to us, Mary, Jan and Ross!

Blessings,

Emily