Ugh. I hate how forgetful I can be. I misplaced some Twins Tickets. I also can't find a note I wrote. I blame it on my MS? Old age? Emma, help me remember? I have had the tickets for like 6 weeks. I have looked everywhere. I just misplaced the note today. Gosh this bugs me. My mother use to pray to St. Anthony. You could call her and she would pray and sure enough they would turn up. I have prayed but no tickets. I have looked for two days. I thought I put them in a logical place where I keep such things.

A storm is due. Emma is acting so weird. The worst of the storm appears to be north of us with damaging winds. Rain is expected here in less than an hour. It went from being overly windy to deadly still. It is eerie. Emma was just out for about 10 minutes with my husband to play. Now she wants to go outside again though we got out toys to play indoors. She is not happy about the thunder.

We were home all day today. The morning the weather was great so boy did we have fun in the yard. Playing with Emma - cleaning up poop. Guess which was more fun. ideally I like to keep up with yard clean up but it has been so hot. I use a pooper scooper but I get so dizzy and the heat of the sun makes it worse. So I have put it off. Ugh. Usually I like to do it at least weekly so it is not so bad. Oh well I got it done and played with Emma.

I got my purse to check once again for those darn tickets. Emma immediately went to the front door. She was smart enough to thing that we were going somewhere.

NOW please note - my son gave me tickets to the Ordway for the Sound of Music in November. I put them where I thought I had put the twins tickets. The good thing is that I told both Greg and Dan where I put them so I wouldn't forget!! I also wrote myself a note on the calendar.

Email me if you have tips on remembering things. At the Heuga event they did some limited cognition test and it did show I have trouble remembering things. It is common for people with MS to have trouble getting things into short term and then long term memory. I can blame MS I guess.

Well I thought of one more place to look. This is so weird.
Have a good day. Hope you don't forget anything important.

Mary and Emma

Emma helped babysit today. Yes Rosa and Sophia spent the day with us. We played outside, and inside. We also went to Target. My son Dan took us to Target and was here to help. Greg is still not feeling good. I had lots of fun with the girls. I am tired but the good kind of tired. It was such a nice day to spend with them. They are both so much fun.

Sophia has to be the most thoughtful and appreciative girl in the world. She is so helpful and delightful to talk to. At target we found some clothes for her and she was so gracious and appreciative. She never begs for things at the store either. She is just so darn wonderful. I love her so much. I played with her, read to her, and just enjoyed being with her.

Emma seemed to like having us all outdoors (huray for a less humid day) she ran and ran around the yard. She did her puppy scoot (Judy knows what I mean). She liked watching Rosa in the playpen by me. I also held Rosa and sat with her in the grass. Inside Rosa moved almost constantly now that she can crawl. She is very interested in Emma. When Emma has had enough she moves a bit further out of the way of Rosa but not too far away. She watches what is going on.

Emma went outdoorw with me after they went home and played. I gave her lots of attention during the day too so she wouldn't be too jealous of Rosa. She just needs reassurance now and then it seems. She is still my baby.

We will cuddle up together tonight. I am headed to bed early. She loves that. She hogs a good part of the bed till my husband comes in. Then she has to settle at my feet or in her own bed. She is such a good girl. Tonight I was kind of clumsy cleaning the kitchen. She was so good to pick things up for me. She is so eager to help.

Emma really likes when Sophia is here to play in the yard. Sophia ventures out to our swing set that has some steps on it and like a play fort on the top. The "roof" is the branches from a weeping willow. Sometimes Emma goes all the way up with her. Otherwise she romps around below. We just had so much fun both inside and outside. I think Emma liked the "outside" the best.

Emma snuck in a nap but I did not so I best get to bed early. We saw our neighbor Lucy and she met the girls. She told Sophia about when Mikey (her name for my son her step dad) played under the trees and on the playground. She told us "Grandma Mary use to say it has to be built strong because I want to see my Grandchildren play on it". Well indeed it has stood up over time. It has beem well used. It was so awesome to have weather that was not so hot so I could enjoy it. Rosa and I of course stayed in the shade.

What a great day this was. I can rest extra tomorrow if I need it. Emma needs some play time with me so I will do that before bed.

When I say I didn't nap - believe me I did lots of sitting. Sometimes playing with the girls, sometimes watching them, sometimes letting Danny be in charge of watching Rosa especially. It was great having him around.

Hope you have a good week.
Mary and Emma

Nurse Emma helped my husband Greg today. i left her home while I went to a movie. I am with her so much that I thought this would be a good time for her to stay home. Also, the theater we went to was new to me and I was concerned about how crowded it might be for her to be at our feetl Greg said she was a good companion and also helped pick things up and get the phone for him.

I saw the movie "Becoming Jane" and liked it. I went with several friends. Yes, there would have been room for Emma. She was happy to see me when I got home and managed fine without me. My friends said "Seems like someone is missing when we don't have Emma".

Greg is miserable but on an antibiotic so should feel better soon. Since I am still not driving mostly due to the dizziness but also some vision issues - I am hoping to reach one of my children to see if they would bring me to get a few groceries tomorrow. My dizziness is better but I still have trouble with it. I had problems with it at the movie theater and at home today.

It was hot and very humid today. Tonight we are hoping for rain. On hot days like this Emma doesn't even want to be outdoors long. I hope tomorrow is cooler. I think we will be home.

Emma and I practiced the steps today again. She did great. She is such a great dog.
Yeah I hear thunder. Emma and I have some laundry to do before we retire for the night.
Hope all is well with you.

Mary and Emma

Today it was hot so we did not play outside as much as usual. Thank goodness for air conditioning. We are currently practicing steps with Emma. Again Human error. At home we have a split level. So to go outside the front door or to the basement to the walk out door (fenced yard) or garage - it means going steps.

I have let Emma run ahead of me. I dress her on the landing by the front door. This has worked so well at home. We have a problem Houston = when I am out in public and we do stairs to go down together. Guess who wants to run ahead? So many times we don't use stairs that this creeps up on me. Sometimes (like at the Ordway) we do have to use stairs or at least a small number of stairs.

Mary has to remember that if I want her to do stairs with me - I better have her do it at home with me. Are you instructors shaking your heads? She of course knows how to handle them more slowly and is handling the review very well. Now I have to remember to have her walk with me - slowly.

Greg is not feeling well today. Emma and I are trying to be supportive. Greg doesn't get sick much but when he does it hits him hard. He goes to the doctor tomorrow.

Not much else to say tonight. Hope you have a good weekend.
Mary and Emma

Collapsed Bridge - Yesterday when we went to Greg;s work at the St. Lawrence-Neuman Center at the U of M - - we drove by where the road is blocked now due to the bridge collapse. I could not see the bridge itself (structute) but I could see the road and the absence of road. Like a road and then the bridge fell. So from my viewpoint it was like a road suspended in space. It was the road we all had driven many times to get to Greg's work. It was so sad and upsetting to see. They still are diving trying to find the missing victims last I heard. How sad.

On the bright side today we went to water exercise. I was so tired it took a lot of determination to get out of bed. I don't know why I have felt exhausted all day. I was able to meet my friend and go to lunch with her also. We chatted for a long time also. Emma was so good during both activities. She was happy to come home and run around the yard. Then of course we snuggled together and took a nap. Emma never minds a good nap.

My son came over for dinner. For my birthday, he purchased tickets to the play Sound of Music coming to the Ordway in Dec. Yeah Emma we are going to the theater. I was so pleased with his very very generous gift. It was fun to have Dan for dinner also though he was headed to the movies with a friend.

This was a day I got nothing done. I didn't make my bed, do dishes, or do laundry. Nothing. I hate when I am so tired. I prefer to use my energy to see my friends and need the water exercise. I know both are good things. I also got Emma outside. But darn it I get frustrated when I get so little done most the time. I wish I had more energy and stamina. Ugh. Though with MS I am fortunate that I get out of the house and am doing as well as I am. I don't take that for granted.

Emma and I have a lunch date tomorrow with another friend. I am so fortunate to have two really close friends and my MS friends at swimming (we socialize together also) . My friends have more time to see me in the summer months than during the school year. I am so fortunate to have them in my life. They make life easier to deal with. We laugh, visit, support one another - they are rich blessings in my life. Now since I can't drive, they also are more than willing to drive me - isn't that nice of them.

My scooter is still at Helping Paws but I hope within the next week or two my husband and son can arrange to pick it up. Hopefully my dizziness will improve and I can go out on the scooter to walk Emma. I still am battling the vertigo. I will not be taking more steroids though because of the amount I already have taken...also my diabetes has really acted up. I need to get that settled down if we can. Greg is good to take Emma for a walk and/or play with her outdoors each day. She is doing fine.

This has been such a hot dry summer. Very hard on people with MS. I don't think I have been outdoors as much as most summers. The humidity and heat just make me feel like I am melting. It also has a tendancy to make MS symptoms worse. We sure need rain. I think Emma would play outside longer with me when it gets cooler.

Lately at bedtime Emma really cuddles in with me/us. i go to bed first typically and she snuggles close. Then when Greg comes (since the hotel) she wants to be in the middle or closer at the foot of the bed. She has been wanting to lay with her head on my hip or legs. It is so cute. Thanks to air conditioning it is not too hot most nights. I feel her breathing next to me and it is soothing. She is sure a wonderful companion.

I am off to bed with my cuddly doggy.
Sleep good.

Mary and Emma