Emma does like to help with laundry. She does like when I fold them. Emma hands me things one at a time from the laundry basket. Now I have to admit she likes to help motivate me to put things away. She will put the wash cloths or socks in her mouth and bring them to me. She is so funny. I am slow sometimes to get things put away. I used the coffee table to put things on so it was at her level. She comes to me tail a waggin' with a mouth full of wash cloths. I did get them put away too. Or she will pick up a few socks. Again it motivates me to put it away. She will carry them to the bedroom or bathroom when I aske her to do so. She saves me steps as we get more put away since she has a mouth full also.

I had to rest after the busy weekend. It was a gorgeous day to sit outside with Emma. The weather is cooler than normal but it is perfect for people with MS. Just lovely and I don't need the air conditioning on. I think Emma likes when the patio door is open. She likes to lay there when she is off duty and see what is going on. She has been so enthusiastic about our time outdoors today.

I want to mention again how wonderful she was this weekend. The convention floor could be so loud and busy. People were constantly moving in and out of the chairs around the table. There was loud music at times, moving speeches, so much noise and excitement. She was very attentive to what I needed her to do for me. All of you would have been so proud of Emma. I really appreciate the training that Judy did to help Emma handle a variety of situations. I went from a very noisey situation to a quiet wedding. She was just awesome.

We head off Friday for another Wedding and a few days of vacation. Emma will be with us. This time it is a five hour drive. We head to Wisconsin. I am not always content in a car for that many hours. I suppose I will sleep part of the way. We will take breaks for myself and Emma. I am sure it will work out just fine for her. She is such a terrific dog. Can you tell how much I love her?

I better run put the rest of my laundry away and wash a few items from our weekend.
Wishing you a good ay.

Mary and Emma

What a weekend we had. We went to the DFL state convention Friday-Sunday. We also went to a wedding Friday night. The time flew by.

I was an alternate to the convention but served as a delegate the full time. It was interesting, exciting, energizing, educational, and worthwhile. The one thing about the convention is at times it was VERY LOUD. there was music at various times. Speeches, business, demonstrations. The big race was for senate. Jack Nelsom Palmyer and Al Franken. They have demonstrations by each party to show the support they have. Cheers, parading around, even drumming at times. It got a bit loud for Emma. She looked at me as if to say "This is so loud for me". She was a trooper though and showed excellent behavior. I can't begin to explain how exciting it was for me to attend.

The one thing that confused Emma was all the clapping. When Emma hears clapping she thinks it is time to go (the end of something) and wants to stand up. During various speeches there would be clapping when the speaker or candidate said key points. Then it would be so loud that Emma couldn't hear me...thank goodness for the hand signals they teach the dogs to sit or drop (lay down). She was a trooper but gosh when we left the noise she seemed relieved.

The wedding was beautiful and Emma was well behaved. We left shortly after the music started for the dance. Emma is not so found of loud music, We sat at a table with a ten year old girl who just loved the dog. We conversed about the dog and school. She was headed for fourth grade next year so it was fun to talk with her and her mom about when I taught fourth grade. We had a wonderful time.

Saturday the convention started at nine. By 4:30 I needed a break. I had not taken a lunch break as I didn't want to miss anything. We went out to eat and then I napped. Greg woke me at 8:30 pm (that MS fatigue) I was too tired to go out to the famous parties. Mark Dayton had a fabulous unity party for the 1,200 delegates at the Rochester Civic Center. I knew I couldn't stand much (walking at all was tough that day). So we stayed in the room and I was back in bed by 10.

Greg took Emma out and they walked at least a mile. Emma liked that. She was so good in the hotel room. It had two beds so she had one to herself, she also liked looking in the full length mirror at the dog there. She was so well behaved all the time there.

When we got home we rushed to the back yard. She ran around thrilled to be home. Then in the house she also scampered around - she gets so excited to be home. It is so cute to see her antics.

Whether you are a democrat or republican I bet you would find the conventions interesting. HERE IS THE BEST PART

MY SON DAN GAVE A SPEECH as he was running to be one of the directors on the State Board for MN. IT was FANTASTIC. I cried. Many people cheered. He was so interesting, and enthusiastic. One of his main points is we have to respect the wisdom of the members who have been around and honor the past. We also have to welcome the new people as we face the future. He was very eloquent. Many people came up to me to say how wonderful his speech was. Tears kept coming from my eyes. He is so passionate about his belief in democracy and people working together. I was so proud of him.
I only wish I had a video camera to have taped it. Several people asked him to consider running for office at some time. He has many supporters through out the state

So tonight especially, I am a proud mom. Proud of my son and his accomplishements. He works hard on campaigns and in other ways for the democratic party. He created a predinct finder that it on the internet. People could type in their address and his finder would tell them where to vote. He is very skilled.

Emma is proud too I think. So tonight I am a proud Mom. Proud that besides being a hard worker in all areas of his life - he cares about politics (his brother does too) and tries to be involved. I know his brother wanted to be there but was not elected as a delegate.

So have a good day today. I am proud of Emma handling the weekend activities so well. I am proud of my son for his hard work the whole weekend and his fantastic speech.
May you find your passion and work towards your dreams

Love from Emma and Mary

I don't think I will be writing again till Sunday night.

Thanks for your prayers our friend Tim is recovering and hopes to be home in a day or two if all goes well.

Emma and I went to water exercise. We had new life guards so I had each of them meet her. I want her to be comfortable with them. This is especially true because she lays by their desk. When they go off or on shift they go there or to get the phone. She is still close enough to the pool to see and hear me.

Emma didn't snooze during class today. Therre were so many people doing laps that two were waiting in line for their turn to swim. Our use of part of the pool limits the lap lanes. It was so nosey and lots of splashing. I have noticed some swimmers tend to splash less than others. Today it was very loud. Lots to watch and I think then she really stays focused on me to see that all is well. The whirpool was also in constant use and that is not far from her and loud too. She handled it well though.

When we got home it started to storm. There has been so much hail around the metro the past three weeks. We did not get hail today but other areas did. We did get heavyy heavy rain thunder and lighting. Poor Emma had to go to the bathroom. She did not want to go out when it was really bad. Finally there was a short lull in the rain storm. She ran outside and pooped so fast it made me laugh. It was like watching the girl in fast action. Normally she takes her time if she can to smell at least a bit for the perfect spot. She seemed relieved she finally got outside.

During the rain she snuuggled up tight to me. Then we folded some laundry. I still get such a kick out of her enthusiasm to hand me laundry from the basket. I kept dropping things and she is eager to pick them up. She is so terrific.

Friday and Saturday nights Emma will enjoy hotel life. I don't know if she will like the hours of meetings at the DFL convention but we will take some breaks for sure. I just found out they want me to wear my Madia for Congress shirt Saturday so I have to remember where I put it when I washed it. OKay I don't have a huge house but I still forget where I put things. I had not planned to wear it for awhile. I have to pack tonight.

When we get to the hotel and can check in = Emma will certainly check out the bed. She will romp around the room to see it all. i set up her water in the bathroom and make sure she knows where it is. If there is a full size mirror she checks out the dog looking back at her. In short, she likes the variety I think.

We will make sure to take some breaks from the convention and Greg will be there just to drive me and will help take her out as needed. Friday night we will also be going to a wedding. What a busy weekend it will be. I hope fun though. Monday I will save to be a quiet restful day after the weekend.

I hope the weekend goes well for you. I know many (like my sister) hope for nice weather to give them time to deal with the damage from the hail in their gardens and on their house. My sister got hit bad damaging roof, siding, garage door and her lovely lovely plants. Her entire back yard is a garden they had put a lot of time and money into it this year. Okay I did not have plants in yet except roses and they did fine.

Hope you get some good weather and some time to relax. Wishing you a safe happy weekend.

Mary and Emma

Wow we had a busy day. I had a Dr appointment. Then we went to the MS Society and volunteered till 5:00. Greg picked me up and we had dinner with my family. Next stop a place for ice cream. It was fun to eat outdoors. Then we went to Wallmart. Emma got some walking in at the store.

At the MS Society Emma was very good. All of a sudden she wouldn't lay down or sit. Can you believe this someone else had to remind me - maybe she has to go outside to go potty. Oh my gosh did she ever. Here the hours passed and I just didn't realize how long it had been since she was out. Yeah they have grass there. She once again obeyed and did great after a bathroom break and some water. What a great dog.

I am so tired. Thursday we will go to water exercise. I have a few clothes to wash and then to pack for the weekend Fri -Sunday. A big nap is in order after a busy day like today.

When I go shopping Emma practices different movements with the scooter. We use back and were challenged by some narrow aisles. Emma stayed very attentive though and that makes things go smoothly. I was so proud of her.

One little boy announced loudly "why does that lady have a dog in the store. You can't do that!!:" His mother explained about the working dog. Another little boy said "I bet she would be fun to play with." Emmas tail wags away when kids go by and I bet she would think playing fetch would be fun with this young boy. He knew the rules with a working dog. More and more i found children know the rules with a working dog.

We are off to get ready for bed. Hope you have a good day Thursday.

Mary and Emma

Emma and I went out to lunch after water exercise. El Lorro is my favorite place. I bet I don't have that spelled right. It is in Crystal MN by the Target there. It was a fun treat. Being in the water for exercise was also very good for me. We came home and went outdoors. i read a bit and did a few small chores. The day has just flown by. We didn't even take a nap.

Emma is showing me again she likes to work. She really has been attentive all day. often I tell her "let's go" when we are going instead of heel or side. So we are practicing heel and side commands. Side means my right side if I remember correctly. Well she is showing me that she does no the difference. Foster families you know what the exercise M & M's means and we are also reviewing that. It means going from heel to front - sit and then to side position. We are practicing that too.

After dinner and other breaks in the day are when we practice. When I say let's go it almost always means on my right side and more accurately "side" is the cue I should use. Let's go can be more casual I think. Well in any case she is doing great and extra review on any cue means fun to her - extra attention - maybe a treat - what could make a working dog happier.

The agenda for the weekend is busy. The week seems to be rushing by. Tomorrow is Wed already. Goodness sake. Friday we go to Rochester for the DFL state convention. We will go in early, check our reservation and attend some afternoon meetings. Then hurry off to a wedding in lakeville Mn. A dear friend of mine has an adult daughter get married. I am so excited for her. She is in her late 30's and oh so happy. She has a son who is also thrilled.

Then back to Rochester. Meetings on Sat and Sunday at the convention. Greg will be there to help with the dog. I am an alternate. They will endorse the state dfl candidate for senator. it will be interesting I think. Then back home for the week.

The following week, we will leave Friday for another wedding this time in wisconsin. We have a wedding the next week too. Emma and I will not get bored.

When we are gone our kids will pop in and out or maybe stay here to watch over things if needed. I also have neighbors who are great at watching over things too. It is so great that Emma just comes with - no pet worries. Our trip to Wisconsin will be our first road trip with her. After the wedding we are headed to Door County (spelling?) as I have never been there. We will spend a few days there depending on how long Greg can miss work.
He has some important things going on at work.

Then believe it or not we will come home for another wedding. What an eventful summer.
After that it probably will be boring and we will be in town. That is okay we already are enjoying our back and front yards. We have lots of trees in the back and many types of birds. Sitting out there I feel like I am at a park.

Please pray for a friend of ours named Tim (nick name Montana) he is hospitalized due to heart problems. Gerri if you read this check your email too I will give you what details I know or call me.

Best wishes to John and to the others who have new puppies to train. Maybe you will have time to leave a comment or email me about how it is going. I am not sure the names of who else has new puppies but thank you all for your marvelous work with these precious puppies.

Have a good Wednesday.

Mary and Emma