elyse.

i worked at a doggie boutique my last couple of years of college and still get to help out from time to time. i basically got to play with dogs all the time and help people that loved their pets. i learned a lot about pet care while working there and i also met a lot of wonderful people. one day i answered the phone and spoke to a woman named elyse who was very stressed out about finding a dogsitter she could trust - so i offered myself up for the job. her doggie is named bea and she is a beautiful bernese mountain dog (see above). before dogsitting for the first time - i went over to elyse's lincoln park town home to get a walk through of bea's routine. the town home was UNREAL. 3 levels with a rooftop deck, decked out in unbelievable modern design, walls covered in beautiful art, an in-home movie theatre and so many more amazing features.

i fell in love with bea immediately. she is so hyper and affectionate - we totally have a special connection. she squeals whenever i come near her and she lays next to me like a person when we sleep. elyse is a riot - she is so high energy, eccentric and has the funniest commentary even when i know she doesn't mean to. she is also the most generous person i have ever met. she really takes care of the people that take care of her, her fam and her dog. she pays me WAY too much and always gets me gifts for special occasions like graduation and christmas. even though i have barely spent any time with elyse in person we got to be close via email. she has opened up to me about the struggles with her divorce, bea drama, worries about her daughters and having to move out of her house into a condo. when i studied abroad in '06 she wrote me more emails than my parents did! i know SO much about her and her pooch. and i love it. she's sort of like having a rich, eccentric aunt.

when she was getting ready to move she offered to give me a ton of furniture and art that she didn't want to move into the condo. all for free. i was flabbergasted. i knew she was generous but this was ridiculous. she gave away her baby grand piano which the bfs roommate took. gave me 1 leather love seat, 1 couch, 4 chairs, a headboard for my bed, an ottoman, an onion vase, 2 end tables, a lamp, a giant mirror, a flat screen tv, an exercise bike, 4 prints and 5 paintings. i only had to pay for movers. ridiculous. she furnished my apartment! i recently had the opportunity to watch bea a couple of times in the new condo. the condo is absolutely gorgeous. it's in a great location in the gold coast in a beautiful old building. it has huge cathedral ceilings, dark wood floors, a fire place and a view. it is so beautiful. i hope i can watch bea again soon!

i'm so unbelievably lucky to have elyse and bea in my life. i have so many great memories and amazing treasures all because i was the one to pick up the phone at work one day. i'm so lucky!