Days of Spike

Last Saturday we were all playing in the pool. I noticed that Spike's backside looked a little odd. I laughed about it, not really taking it serious. After all, this dog of ours is indestructible. He's practically a super species.

Regardless, I called the vet and Jeremiah took him in the next day.

Tuesday we got test results back.

Cancer.

Friday we had a follow-up. X-rays to see if it had spread to lungs or lymph nodes.

Has not spread to lungs, but the lymph nodes have been effected.

At this point, surgery to remove the tumor is basically pointless. Recovery time is extensive. With surgery, we'd have maybe a year. And that's if there are no complications and no infection.

Without, we have maybe four months.

Four months. For Super Spike. My heart breaks.

You would never guess he was sick. He's so happy and bouncy. And loud. His barker has not been touched.

We have opted to celebrate all of these days that we have with Spike, however many that may be. A trip to Cost-co and Petsmart had us dropping over a hundred on anything that squeaks and every treat we could find.

We will celebrate with him, and when he can't celebrate anymore, we will celebrate for him.

We are using #daysofspike on instagram and facebook if you'd like to find us. If not, please just send happy and positive thoughts our way.

The Family That 'Staches Together...

I don't think I have ever posted about Jeremiah's kids. Actually, I know I haven't. It's a long story, and it is not my story to tell. Here is all y'all need to know:

1. Jeremiah is a good dad. In every way possible, he supports his kids.
2. Please refer back to #1. You know I don't like odd numbers.

So anyway, the kids were here for Christmas. I, however, was not. I came back just in time to spice things up before they headed back to their other home (out of state).

His kids are now 18 & 14, which shocks the shit right out of me, because I have been with Jeremiah for seven years and have known these two from when they were littles. Like, preteen. Crazy. I feel old, and I imagine Jeremiah feels super extra old. Have I mentioned that he turns the big four zero this year?

On the plus side, when he went to the gym with Hudson (that'd be the son, yo), the guy at the desk asked if they were BROTHERS. That's gotta make an older fella feel good, I'm guessing. I'm also guessing that I will be hearing about that for years...Thanks a lot, gym receptionist, thanks a lot.

There was a request for a family picture while the kids were here, and we were happy to oblige. The original theme was musicians, because Hudson plays guitar and Jeremiah plays drums and guitar and I own a guitar. Plus, I borrowed a cowbell from work and I thought we could jam like the skit on SNL of Blue Oyster Cult. The one where they need more cowbell.

That all changed when we were leaving Old Navy and I came across a pack of stick-on mustaches. His daughter was all, "What are you going to do with those?" And I told her that we were all going to be wearing one and if she was a smart girl, she'd pick her mustache out first while the picking was good. So she did. Smart girl, that Nadia.

We ended up doing both. Musicians first, mustached second. 

So here are some pictures. I am so impressed that these two were not only willing to do it, but had fun while we did it. I know that their lives while they are with us are quite different than while they are with their other family, but kudos to them for that willingness and ability to adapt to change. Because everyone should mustache it up every now and then. Although to be honest, I might be all mustached out.

My favorite part of this is Jeremiah rocking the acoustic. I don't think enough acoustics get rocked.

I love everything about this. Nadia's hair flip? Out of this world. Me fake picking my nose? Hilarious. Jeremiah giving me a look like "Get your finger out of your nose" is...well, he gives me that look a lot. And Huds is just enjoying the cowbell.

Dad and kids.

I like this because I am getting a kiss.

 And mustaches. Later we had milkshakes. It was a great day.

 These are two of the best pictures. Ever.

There are plenty of others, but these are some of my faves. Hope you and your family had a fantastic holiday.

Anyone Else Check the Color of Their Snot Each Time They Blow Their Nose? No? Just Me?

My brother came to visit again. It's so nice that we can both be adults and not punch the other one in the sternum causing almost instant death.

Oh, wait. ADAM.

I asked Jeremiah "Are you just going to let him do that to me?!" And then I thought, these are two completely passive guys. A fight could be either super interesting or one hundred percent dull. So I kicked my brother myself.

Honestly - It is nice having family come visit. I didn't even have to dip into my stash of Valium to get through the week. That? That is GROWTH, My Friends. Plus it is nice because my brother puts things into perspective for me. Having Jeremiah around me all the time makes me feel like a freak. He does not have to check the garage door nine times (in three sets) each night. He does not have a fear of other people using the same toilet. He does not worry the house will burn down constantly. In other words, he is fairly normal. While Adam does not have the exact same quirks (such a nice word to use instead of "weird ass issues"), he came from the same family and has his own special gifts (again, nice words) that he brings to the table.

Having brother around made me feel less freakish and more normalish.

Until Jeremiah started drinking more frequently (which, honestly, is still not a lot) due to his desire to "keep up" with our sober behavior (I don't know what that says about any of the people involved. What does it say when you have to be inebriated in order to understand someone else?). Apparently two of us were too much to handle. One child too many from the Z clan.

Then Adam left and the next day I got sick. I am not sure, but I am pretty sure that he is somehow responsible.

Shortly after becoming sick, I began a flare-up of my awesome disease and threatened Jeremiah that the moratorium on coughing on his toothbrush had ended because he was no longer on short term disability and therefore he was well enough to endure my horrible toothbrush experiments. At that point he suggested another I take another Valium (just kidding, people).

So now every time I blow my nose or cough crap up I check the color. Because when you have an immune system as screwed up as my immune system, a cold can turn into something much worse very quickly. And I go to the nurse daily for stethoscope checks on my lungs. So far, so good.

And I am sure that the nurse loves me.

Somewhere in the future of this blog, there may be a story about pickles. Because that was the turning point that got Jeremiah drinking like a fish.

Have a great weekend, Friends.  Any fun plans?

FtVF - Horsing Around

I make no beef about Vault Fridays. Mostly they are for me. Mostly I like to look back at these pictures. Plus I know that some of the people that I care for most might like a look back as well. In fact, some of these pictures might be new to them.

So into the vault.

For those unaware, Jeremiah's parents have a farm. A big fat farm. I LOVE it. They stock the freezer full of frozen treats, they have horses, plus lots of room to breathe. It's great. The few times that I have been able to visit, we ride the horses.

When I was younger I took lessons and I loved it. I am always telling Jeremiah that I would love a horse. And a goat. And a pig. Mostly his response is silence. Which is okay. I bet he's just thinking how much he would like those things, too.

Right?

Anyway, these pictures are from 2006 and (I think) 2007. I am not one hundred percent sure about the black and whites.

I got the brown horse. And the dog. I LOVED Sparky.

Jeremiah got Angel.

Absolute, one-hundred percent pure joy - The horses eager to get back to the barn. The home stretch. A fantastic memory. I still remember how much fun I had on this strip of land.

Different year. Same horses. And I just want to let you know that I am NOT naked. My clothes are just pastel. Blue shorts, blue tank. Not naked.

Remember how I said that Jeremiah always managed to catch some pictures of me that I really like? This is one of them. I LOVED hanging out in the barn, spending time with the horses. I especially like it when they nuzzled/nudged me for a treat. 

And that's about it. I've been trying to dig up some old pictures on the old computer, and I'm a bit overwhelmed. But loving it.

That's Gotta Be Worth at Least One Doubloon.

Who doesn't love a Goonies/Friends reference?

A conversation with a relative this weekend really got me thinking. She is replacing a gold crown (for a tooth, not the head. Bummer, I know, because I would LOVE to have a royal blood line coursing through my veins. Sadly? No.) for a tooth colored one. I was all, "You TOTALLY have to keep that gold crown!" The response was that it was only worth about five dollars. And then I explained that after the crown replacement the chauffeur (another relative) could take her to the bakery where she could get some cake.

Everyone knows that cake is good for you after you go to the dentist.

Plus, I explained, there is the added bonus of being able to buy the cake with the GOLD.

I can see it now. The cake lady (here's one of my favorite bakeries) would say "That will be five dollars and fifty-two cents".

Then there will be a pause as the gold crown is pulled out with a "Here's five, now let me find some change..."

OR -

Taking the gold into another store and pointing at the sign that says "Cash, Debit, and Credit accepted here" and asking them if they also accept gold crowns.

Because that would be hilarious and awesome all at once, right?

In my head, I picture these scenes vividly. Maybe not so much for you, Friends. But honestly? I laughed about this until I cried. And then I told Jeremiah, who was like, "You know, my dad switched out his crowns (again, for the teeth, not the head. Bummer.) and he got like fifty dollars." and I was all, "Jeremiah. You can get a shit-ton of cake for fifty dollars!"And then I laughed some more. And then I wanted some cake.

But that's just me.

Hammered

Jeremiah is currently working upstairs.

I am downstairs. Working on my lesson plans. Or blogging. Whatever.

A few seconds ago, he ran downstairs and out into the garage. He needed a hammer and a nail.

He came back in with "his" hammer.

Y'all?

It was my dad's. I found it when I cleaned out Old Red in January. Yes, it had been in my car for six years and I did not even know it.

Me: Eying hammer suspiciously Um, that hammer belongs to my dad. Gasp That's MY DAD'S HAMMER!
Me (again): I forgot about that one. I thought you were getting the one that I accidentally brought home from work. And kept.
Me (again and again): So wait. Technically I have two hammers and you have how many?
Jeremiah: huffy and indignant I have owned hammers before. 

But I am not sure he has. Because I have managed to acquire two hammers in a period of six years, completely unintentionally. And I haven't lost either of them.

p.s. I also found the top saw part of a tree saw, several steak knives, and the world's largest screwdriver in the hidden compartments of Old Red. The screwdriver I found sitting below my windshield wipers after the car was fixed in CALIFORNIA. I totally could have injured myself or someone driving home with it resting there. I did not know what to do with it, so I added it to my apparent arsenal of rusty tools/weapons/kitchen cutlery in the back of Red where it remained for the last five years. Pretty soon I am going to need a toolbox. Or an alibi, because Friends? That's a lot of scary shit to be hauling unknowingly.

p.p.s. I found a ton of other stuff in there, too, over the years. Which is weird because I remember it getting cleaned out before my dad and I traded cars. Perhaps my dad wanted me to have these things. I think I remember him purposefully leaving some of it in the car (not the tree saw or knives). Anyway, I got some pretty great things like bungee cords and a tape measure. And I use both regularly. One time I whipped out my bungee cords and someone said "You keep those in your car?" and I was all "Duh. Who doesn't keep bungee cords in their car?".  I am like a boyscout. Always prepared. And dad? FINDER'S KEEPERS. Except the tree saw. Because Jeremiah gets a scary look on his face and talks about altering it to use in the backyard. Please take that back ASAP.

Big Brother or The Price of Nuts

For those who were unaware, my brother became my first official house guest! Am I surprised? Yes. Never in a million years would have guessed it. But we had fun watching Teen Wolf and eating frozen yogurt. He stayed for a week and it flew by.

Spike thought he was in heaven. First of all, he was raised by a man and his son, so he automatically flocks to guys. He got to ignore me even more than usual, so he was psyched. Adam threw the ball for him all day, which he loved. They're besties.

Ball.All.Day.

After we picked up my brother from the airport, we sat around talking for awhile. After, I asked Jeremiah what he thought of my brother. He laughed.
Conversation 1:
J: He's nice.
E:But?
J:But nothing. He's nice. I like him.
E:But?
J:Well, it's not easy following a conversation with the two of you.
E:Baffled What do you mean?
J:You're kind of all over the place.
E:Indignant exhale at this point, but I'm not sure how it would look spelled out here. What are you talking about?
J:Okay. So what did you two discuss while we were downstairs?
E: Hawaii.
J:And?
E: Which parent we look like.
J:And?
E: Farts.
J:And?
E: Hats
J: And?
E:Beer.
J:And?
E: The animals.
J:And?
E: The price of nuts.
J:I rest my case.
E: sighs with defeat

So apparently we are a little off-task, but I thought we communicated beautifully. Adam and Jeremiah got along and discussed beer, among other things, as conversation tends to swerve all over. I have a much better idea that my conversational skills might be inherited. Along with my Polish nose.

Conversation 2:
Adam: patiently explaining to Jeremiah You see, we've got the Polish nose.
E: Nods sadly, lowers head
A: You can see right up it without me tipping back my head. Points to nose to demonstrate.
E:Well, Jeremiah has a Polish nose, too.
A & E: Brother & sister examine said nose for Polish qualities. Jeremiah gets uncomfortable.
A: Yeah, but his is different. 
E: Yeah, it's big. Like, long. Not a wide pig nose like we have.
A:That's right. His is big, but you can't see up it unless he tips his head back.  

I should mention that I'm not at all uncomfortable or disliking my nose at all. We're quite comfortable with our features. Well, I don't love my thighs but other than that, I'm good. Bodies just make for good conversation, am I right?

I should also mention (in case my brother is coming to stay with you) that he is a great house guest. He didn't make a mess and even offered to help in the kitchen. One time he did stick his butt near me while I was reading, fart, and run away, but I'm guessing he wouldn't do that to anyone else...

And he brought nuts to snack on, which is great because the price of nuts here is OUTRAGEOUS.

p.s. Anyone else hosting any guests? What do you do to make them comfortable? I warned Adam of dry itchy skin and headaches due to being in the desert. I told him to drink water. My gift to him.

The Fourth. Of July.

Yeah.

I'm waaaaaay behind on posting this. Like, two months.

My mom and I took our DSLRs outside on the fourth to play with sparklers. By adjusting the shutter speed on the camera, you can catch some cool images. Like these:

 One thing worth noting is that you have to write the letters backwards in order to get it to be correct for the camera. For example, you still start with the "L" in love, but you write it backwards. Takes some thought and some practice. I mean, for everyone else. I had it perfect the first time. I joke.

Really, I just wanted to show the cool pictures. I had fun and would love to try it again sometime. Probably not in Arizona. One spark touches the ground and the entire dried-up state will go up in flames. So I'll probably wait. Another year. Sigh.


Anyone else try fun things with their cameras? Have suggestions? Questions? Leave a comment!

Ranger Robb

We've been enjoying the Labor Day weekend here in Phoenix as it was intended. Eating crappy food and relaxing. We got the supplies on Saturday. The supplies include hot dogs, soda, chips & dip, baked beans, and ice cream. I should point out that we only get turkey dogs, chips & dip, baked beans, and special drinks twice a year. That's it. Twice. Memorial Day and Labor Day. I told Jeremiah all day yesterday that I felt wrong for getting so excited about processed meat. Seriously excited.

Apparently my stomach didn't think the food was as great as I did. I don't think a stomach that is used to fruits and veggies can handle chip dip. Or potato chips, for that matter. Anyway...

SOME people are actually working today, and I'm pretty sure my dad is one of those SOME. My parents are both retired (as are Jeremiah's) but my dad went out and got a job working at the state park. He gets to wear a uniform and everything. Khaki, of course. Park rangers wear khaki. They call him Ranger Robb, which is fun to say. Try it.

We brought my dad dinner once while I was there and he took me on a picture tour of the park. I should mention that I've gone to this park for as long as I can remember. I grew up here.  I should also mention that I got some suweet shots with my SLR, but Jeremiah pointed out that people can lift my shots right off the blog and claim them as their own...so you only get to see the okay pictures and not the great ones. Because I don't know who you are. 'Cause you don't leave comments. Just sayin'.

Anyway, here's my dad, leading the tour...

"So if you look to your right, you'll notice..."

 

"Emily Brooke, get your ASS away from the nest!"

I saw this gigantic nest. Kind of freaked me out. I'm not entirely sure if it was still being used, but seeing as how I have a horrible tendency to be allergic to all things stingy or bitey, I decided to not stick around.

"Why are you stepping on that?"

I just liked the leaves. It's actually a weed, but I got in trouble a little bit when I smooshed one.

"And if you'll look up...Emily? LOOK UP! I'm trying to show you something!"

Swan feather. So pretty. My mom has pictures of the swan's feathers actually being used in nests by birds, but when we opened the house, there was a mouse that had taken over and jumped out at my dad. He may or may not have jumped back and screamed a little. Or maybe that was me. I have pictures of it, but again...

"Take the picture FAST. I think I heard the mouse coming back for me."

The next house had BABIES in it. I took two very quick pictures and left because babies need their mom and food, and I wasn't either of those things.

Ranger Robb reporting for duty!

Lastly, here's Ranger Robb driving the green thing. Freaking lucky duck, that looks like fun. He also gets a WALKIE TALKIE. I might have stolen borrowed his walkie talkie to talkie in a phoney baloney call. And I might have gotten the walkie talkie taken away from me. Oh, and a truck. He gets to drive a big manly truck around the park. Of course, he has to clean old-fashioned, hole-in-the-ground toilets, so maybe not so lucky.

So what are YOU doing for your long weekend?
This is the part where you hit the little comment button and tell me what you're doing this weekend.

Work It.

My mom sent Atticus a Valentine's present. With a face like this, how could you resist?

She repurposed a boy's robe (that she found at a second-hand shop) into this coat/sweater for him.

It fits quite well and Atticus makes a top-notch model.

Isn't he a cutie?

He likesies. He seems to think that while wearing it he possesses super-camouflage powers and can sneak up on kitty.

What do you think? Cool idea to repurpose to old clothes, right?

p.s. Please ignore the fact that our sliding door is covered with dog slobber and paw prints. We like to consider it frosted. And ignore the fact that trim is not up on the wall and you can see the brown paint from the floor. Jeremiah got halfway done with the trim and I decided I wanted a tile floor. So he stopped. And then we got the roof estimate. So no tile floor. Yet.

Same Week, Different States

So last week, while I was snapping shots like these:

(Yes, that's the gnome again. Yes, Jeremiah was okay with carting him around on our bike ride for picture taking purposes. )


Here's what my mom was snapping in Michigan:

That's my dad. Doesn't look old, does he? We've got good genes in this family. No joke.

Anyway, in case you didn't know, they had a blizzard. Look how high the snow is! I'll freely admit that I'm way jealous.

At one point my mom thought that my dad fell through the ice while he was out on the lake. Apparently, according to dad, she worried. I told him that was probably a good response. If he had actually fallen through, indifference wouldn't be a good thing.

Isn't it funny how the grass is always greener? I know that if I was in MI, I'd be loving the snow but eventually tire of it and wish for sunny days. And here, I get excited to the point of tears when it clouds up, rains, or gets foggy.

So share. Or not. Tell me what type of weather you experienced last week. Were you involved in the Blizzard of '11? Did you see sunshine all freakin' week long, like me? Something in between?

p.s. Didn't mean to insult the padre. When I say that he doesn't look old, I mean he doesn't look his age. Because he doesn't. Sorry daddy-o.

Preachin' to the Choir

"So the next song we're going to sing is Silent Night...Okay, Sally? Sally? OMG, I hate it when this happens. She's such a drama queen."




***In reality, this little choir has been perched atop the piano at my grandma's every Christmas for my entire life. I love them, but apparently they are starting to age, as all good things do.

Analyze This

Take a look at the picture. The whole family together on a canoe trip. Mummy is obviously the photographer here.
Did you notice that my brother is the only one that received a life jacket? What the heck. So I came up with two reasons that this could be.

1) Adam was, obviously, the favorite, or
2) I was fearless and/or stubborn and wouldn't put a jacket on.

Then Jeremiah introduced reason number 3...
3)Maybe Adam was the only one they thought might try to get out of the canoe.
(Pretty dead on considering boyfriend and brother have never met.)

p.s. I know I have a fem-mullet. It is NOT my fault that my hair didn't grow in right away and that when it did it totally grew on the sides and not on the top. I was all, "business in the front, party in the back" for quite awhile.

Video - Going Home

So I was totally going to post the video but now I am not. If you saw it in the three minutes that it was posted, good for you. I just didn't want my last name on the blog and the video has my last name. So sad.


p.s.
Of all the craptastic things. I remembered to turn down the temp in my fridge at the end of the school year (turn up the temp?) but then quickly forgot about it...what with nearly cutting my finger off. So walking into my room I faced a filing cabinet of wilt-y papers and a moldy fridge filled with water. This is in addition to the cockroaches and crickets dead all over my floor. Shit Shit Shit. Welcome back.

Going Home

Here is the script that I wrote for the movie I made while at Tech camp. I might post the movie, too. But the script I can share now.


Going Home
It's been said that you can never go home again. Until this summer, I disagreed. In the most literal sense, I took yearly trips home to Michigan to visit family and friends. In a more figurative sense, it's hard to feel like a grown-up when you are sleeping in your childhood bedroom with the stars still glowing on the walls at night and knowing that your childhood treasures are tucked safely away in the basement.

And this home? It's just down the road from the lake. If you are a true West Coast Michigander, you call it "the lake" or "the big lake". To everyone else, it is Lake Michigan. A crucial part of a lake shore girl's life.

Sitting outside, breathing in the fresh air, the smell of flowers, and feeling the safety and security that comes from the surrounding trees. Knowing the lake was there if I needed it. Those were my trips home in the summer.

But this summer's trip would prove to be different. On this trip I would be packing up my bedroom of 26 years. Saying goodbye to the home in which I spent the majority of my life. I could never go back to this place. Walk through the woods. Spending evenings on the deck, watching birds, cats, and relaxing.

When I got back to Arizona, I glanced through all the pictures that I'd collected over the years.

Pictures of the lake. My lake. With my family at the lake until sundown when I was little. When I was older, it was long days and late nights at the lake. Then introducing my boyfriend to the lake. Showing him the dunes that I climbed as a child. The channel that had the warmest water. The best place to view the sunset.

It was then that I realized that while I was losing my childhood home, I could keep the memories and I would be okay. Because the lake is my guidance, my compass, my constant.

And I can always go home again. Because every time I put my feet in the sand, I am there.

I am home.

Sandbar

Yes, I have returned from Michigan. I'm still a bit traumatized over the fact that my parents are moving from my childhood home, where I lived from about five to twenty-six, to a new place.

Bah.

Yes, the new place is very nice.

So the trip will be briefly reviewed in another post, but NOT RIGHT NOW.

Right now it is time to tell you that boyfriend and I were swim swimming in the pool, like fishies yesterday. And we threw the tennis ball back and forth. I seriously love playing catch. Seriously. I'm probably part golden retriever. Anyway, Spike would get the ball for us when it went out of the pool. And he'd bring it back and drop it in the water. Set it down. Push it in with his nose. Way cool trick he's got going on.

But then, on a run to get the ball, our dear wiener did what most of us would do to get somewhere quickly - a direct line is shorter than a curved one, you take the direct line- he ran that direct line INTO the pool. Belly-flop into the deep end. He went under and popped back up (he's built like a little barrel), swam with some redirection from Jer to the steps, and hopped out. I think we were all in shock, even Atticus, who was witness to the event. "Holy shit. You went swimming." he said with his little Mexican accent.

When it was time to call it quits, I let Jeremiah pull me to the stairs. He even made boat noises "Vroom vroom..." and then he made a boat grinding into rocks sound and stopped quite suddenly. Apparently he couldn't stop in time and "we hit shore" he told me sadly.

We ran into the steps.