Birthday Dogs!

This past weekend we celebrated Mela & Ikaika's 8th birthday! Somehow 8 seems so much older than 7 and then I started thinking how next year they would be 9 and got so sad... maybe the hormones contributed, but I sure do love those oafs and I hate seeing them get older.

We took them for a long walk in the morning on the Sunday Streets in the Mission. During the summer San Francisco closes streets in one neighborhood on a Sunday for people to explore and play. Last weekend it was our neighborhood, the Mission, so we "explored" and people watched. There were bikes and roller skates to rent and lots of kids and dogs running around. We had fun, but at least 3 of us needed a nap after our walk...

They also got a new chewy toy that squeaks (Ikaika's favorite) and has black fabric for Mela to unravel (her favorite) which they also play tug with.

All in all it was a wonderful day and they spent it playing and sleeping (not that far off from what they do every day actually). Here is a pic of the happy birthday dogs snoozing after all of the excitement:

Life is precious...

There are a few things that have happened lately that have made me more conscious of what I have and more aware of how fragile life can be. This has been on my mind for a couple of months. Then since this past weekend it has been weighing even heavier.

Most of the time I take my health for granted. Sure, after I have a cold I appreciate feeling good for a little while. I am talking about the big stuff – the fact that my heart pumps blood and my lungs work correctly and my immune system fights off the “bad stuff” on a regular basis. Lately, I have had some interesting health problems that have reminded me how vulnerable my body really is. The finger smashing, the food poisoning, more dysplasia... all of it together has just shaken me up a little bit.

But this past weekend drove it all home. A friend of ours passed away. I just got home from her funeral. Her name was Rachael and she was in a car accident. It was raining really hard here and they lost control of the car and hit a tree. She was not a close friend of mine, but she was a close friend of a lot of our close friends. She went to high school with Ray - he has known her since he was 14 and she also dated one of our good friends (Steven – he did the cord at our wedding). My memories of her are so full of life: camping and drinking mimosas in the morning and laughing around the fire. I keep thinking I should reach out to her because my heart knows that something sad happened and then my mind reminds me that she is not here to reach out to. And my heart breaks for her boyfriend that was driving the car who has also been friends with Ray for years. They were in the process of moving in together and planning to spend their lives together. He had only minor injuries and now has to face life after losing someone so precious to him. He is not doing so well, as you would expect. If he crosses your mind, pray for him.

I am so grateful for everyone that I have in my life. I love you guys.

Just a thought about keeping in touch...

It is widely known how awful I am about keeping in touch. It might be my extreme introversion or my tendency to pack more into my day than I can usually accomplish. Or maybe it is just a skill I never learned and need to practice. Regardless, it breaks my heart to be so disconnected from the people I love the most. If we were close, I could stop by and catch up while helping you around the house or playing with your kid(s). All of the mundane interactions add up to knowing each other and what is going on with each others lives. From afar, every visit is more of an event and less of a true picture of our daily lives. Boo hoo. I want the boring, everyday, monotony. So, first I will share some of mine and hope others join in...