Ice Cream Social

I turned 29 on Cinco de Emma this past year. To celebrate my “first annual 29th birthday” as Jackson and I have jokingly called it, we invited lots of friends and family over to build themselves an ice cream sundae. I ordered some fun little pink ice cream cups online, found matching spoons at a local party store, and gathered toppings and bases. Most importantly, I rush ordered a used banana split dog costume off of eBay (the seller was very supportive of its purpose and helped me get it in time for the party).

For the ice cream, we offered Blue Bell chocolate and vanilla (if it ain’t broke…) and a Trader Joe’s vanilla soy that was truly impressive for our dairy-free and vegan folks. Then, I made several custard-style ice creams: lemon mascarpone, dulce de leche, and birthday cake! Each had recommended sundae pairings, obviously.

• For the lemon mascarpone, I had a gluten-free lemon poppy seed coffee cake crumble and lemon lavender sauce to top.

• For the birthday cake, we had rainbow sprinkles, brownie pieces, and hot fudge.

• For the dulce de leche, I added a caramel sauce and chocolate sprinkles.

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We had a blast and it was a great way to see some folks and have people drop in on a Sunday afternoon without taking up the whole day or having to feed 30+ people a full meal. Would you ever host an ice cream social?

xo,

em

Potato Turns Two

Potato is my doggo. He’s more than that, though.

I feel like everyone who has a dog that they love dearly knows what I’m talking about. Tato is also a blanket, a doorbell, a teddy bear, and a vacuum. Tato is a good friend. And today, he turns two-years-old.

Living with Potato reminds me of some of the better aspects that life has to offer. He is relentlessly hopeful. He is always eager to exercise and be outdoors. He is content to eat the same thing every day. He prefers to snuggle but also knows when to take alone time. He is fascinated by the smallest things.

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Before we had Potato, I would read Mary Oliver’s poetry on dogs and wonder how someone could have such profound realizations—let alone find the words for them—from watching a dog?

Now I get it. I GET IT. I have learned so much from Potato’s way of being in the world and from my way of responding to him. I’ve learned about unconditional love and how hard I am on myself for things that are inevitably flawed and human. I have grown confident in knowing another being’s needs: I know what each little bark or squeak means, when he’s hungry or needs to go out, what he wants before he tells me. While there are many, many differences between pets and children, raising Potato has given me new courage for my hope to someday become a parent.

To celebrate a dog’s birthday is very much not about the dog. DUH. It is about recognizing what he brings to our little family and expressing our appreciation and noting our growth. I mean, are we going to make him a cake? DUH. But unlikely he’ll remember yesterday was any different. Which is exactly why I love him so, so much.

Now, I’ll leave us with a *small* selection of some of my favorite Po-tographs.

xo

em

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GOTCHA DAY

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TATER TOT

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PO AND FRIENDS