December 27th, 2010
New Year’s Week
Hello Friends,
- Princess Nellie had quite the Christmas! She received dozens of cards and letters from fans as far away as Cambodia, as well as treats and toys from friends and admirers from Chicago, San Diego, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Alabama, Virginia, Utah, New York, Washington State, and points beyond.
She especially loved the salmon treats that came all the way from Kenai, Alaska (thank you Cindy!) and the squeaky toys from Laura in Alabama, Linda’s Mom in Boston, and Aunt Karen and Uncle Jim in Ohio.
Nellie also received notes and letters from her canine admirers, including, KJ, Dirk, Cody, Dingo, Cinco, Poudre, the Dayton Pack, Loki, Frisbee, Luna, Cora (AKA Pizza Piglet,) Kijik, CoCo, and Nellie’s feline (!) fan, Miss Tabitha Twitchett of Keene, New Hampshire. Quite the fan club!
I especially want to thank the students of Linda Dewey’s class from Eaglecrest High School in Centennial, Colorado, who sent Nellie and me such beautiful cards and good wishes. Thank you Aaron, Alexa, Connor, Sarah, (woof woof!) Cesar, Michale, Matthew, Nicole, Monique, Makayla, and all the students in the class for writing to us. You’re a great bunch of young people!
Here are a few excerpts from their letters:
Dear Princess Nellie,
May your Christmas be filled with sweet moments!…You always got to keep your head up and look at the future. Because God has a plan for you and it’s big!! 🙂
From, Cesar
Dear Princess Nellie,
I am quite sorry that your home burned down with a whole lot of your personal belongings. But I am positive that if you hang in there, something good will come to you. Even if it comes in strange ways.
From, Someone Who Has a Dog Just as Cute as Nellie
And finally,
Have a laugh this holiday season; it will do wonders for your soul.
Many thoughts,
Nicole
Nellie wasn’t the only one to share in the bounty this Christmas!
My former Park Ranger buddy Laura sent me a beautiful 
set of ornaments that she hand crafted. This is actually “tatting,” an old-fashioned art form that isn’t seen much these days. Laura also sent a bonanza of gifts for Nellie and me, which made Christmas morning very special. Thanks Laura!
My cousin Bridget sent me a beautiful live tree, completely decorated. This was a total surprise, and arrived at my door about a week before Christmas. Bridget doesn’t know this, but I had searched high and low in Boulder for a small live tree to decorate, and had given up the morning that this arrived. It’s gorgeous, and it will be the first new tree that I plant on my property in the Spring.
We also received so many wonderful gifts from friends and family around the country. Snuggly blankets! Office supplies! Bath stuff! And look, more squeaky toys for Nellie! There isn’t room to list all the thoughtful gifts we received. But please know that your love and generosity helped us get through a tough Christmas, and going to the mailbox was the best part of each day. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I’ll close tonight by sharing a note that was sent to Nellie from Rolland the Demolition Guy and his wife Betty. The picture on the front of the card shows Rolland and Betty sitting on a Caterpillar 955L, which looks like a gigantic steam shovel. The caption says, “Big Boy’ with Rolland & Betty after the Fire, 2010.”
I must admit, this is the first Christmas card I’ve ever gotten that features a piece of heavy equipment. And the message inside was really beautiful.
They write,
Dear Princess Nellie,
Thank you for helping Andi every single day. Your love is helping her heal. You see, she is writing about how she feels and that is so important. By her writing what is happening and sharing her pain, she helps each one of us to be in touch with ourselves, to feel our own pain, to have more compassion for each other, to realize we are all in this together, to be true to ourselves, to love and accept ourselves and each other exactly the way we are.
We hope that you know you are loved and that you remind Andi she is loved. We send our best wishes and know that the world is a friendlier place because you are in it.
Blessings to you and Andi,
Betty and Rolland
What a lovely way to end the year. Thank you, everyone, for your love and blessings, and I wish you the very best in the New Year. As Nellie’s friend at Eaglecrest High School said, I am positive that if you hang in there, something good will come to you. Even if it comes in strange ways.
Lots of Love,
Andi and Princess Nellie
What a tribute to the basic good instincts of people. Kindness pours out of Andi, filters through Nelli and returns thousand-fold from hearts everywhere. What a model for the world.
Betty and Rolland clearly have hearts as big as their Caterpillar 955L. And they nailed it by listing why it’s so important that you, Andi, keep writing.
So happy that abundance was yours on Christmas! Keep wagging…
Thanks Laurel and Marian! Nellie sends big New Year’s tail wags.
I loved that Nellie got so many lovely messages, and I was especially touched by Betty and Rolland’s message. I think Nellie did all those things and more. And that tree–wow! Wonderful post, as always. All the best from Frisbee and Luna to Nelli and you!
Nellie says WOOF to Frisbee and Luna! Thanks for reading Hilary, and Happy New Year.
Andi, we thought about you and Princess Nellie over the holidays–you were in our hearts while we were out of town. It looks like you got a great outpouring of love from all over, and I especially loved the letters from the kids. Here’s to an amazing 2011!
Hi Gail, I hope you went someplace warm! Aren’t those kids great? The teacher, Linda, is the sister of my friend Laura who made the ornaments. It’s been over 25 years since I’ve seen Laura, and she continues to send me good wishes and wonderful little gifts from Alabama. And, hand-written letters on Smokey the Bear stationery! Life is full of interesting surprises.
Andi – I was so excited to read about the outpouring of love you and Nellie received this Christmas season. It was so much fun to hear about all the great cards and gifts you were blessed with. Also thanks for sharing Betty & Rolland’s message with us, as I know their words touched me. I continue to keep you in my prayers, and think of you often as I stop by your blog frequently waiting for your next post to inspire me and put a smile across my face. Wishing you a wonderful new year!
~Kristi
P.S. Dirk, our wonder pup, was so excited to see his name in your blog and happy that Nellie got his Christmas card. He wishes Nellie a Happy New Year, and a lot of dreams filled with squeaky toys!
Thanks Kristi! Nellie sends doggy hellos to Dirk the Wonder Pup! Have a great new year and thanks for reading.