Tuesdays with Iris

Almost every Tuesday, Iris gets out of the house. Most of the time, she goes to Lake Ella for a nice, brisk walk. And then to Black Dog Cafe for a water.

Iris is the one on the right.

A couple of times, I've tagged along. And this time, Tyler joined us. But, unforturnately, Falcor did not. It's a sad story of sibling rivalry and a bad memory of a fully-clothed swim in the lake.

This is Tyler and Jessica. And Iris on the left.

Iris belongs to Jessica's sister, but spends most of her days with her parents while her sister works. And on Tuesdays, she gets to go out. Jessica invited us to join she and her mom at the lake for a lap and a visit and I loved it. I haven't seen her mom in a while and, well, any day I get to spend some time with Jessica, is a good day.

Sweet Jessica. That's what I call her. She is absolutely, positively the sweetest, nicest, kindest, most compassionate person I know. She loves her family, her friends, her school, her community, and her environment with all that she has. It's awesome.

Tyler and Jessica met and became friends during their freshman year in high school and started dating during their senior year. I asked Tyler recently what his most favorite thing about his relationship with her (almost THREE years) is.

He squirmed and grinned as boy does when his mom asks him about his feelings. It was so cute.

"She's my best friend. She makes me laugh. I can tell her anything and everything. She lets me be me."

AWESOME!!