So Emily, dearest birthday girl. You may think Ben has gone to Sicily to see you for a fun visit, but that would be a lie. He has gone to get a photo of you so I can post it here.

You see, I have worked for weeks to steal photos from your Facebook account to post a splashy blog on your time in Sicily. Jess, Will, even Ben all gave me tips about transferring your photos to this spot, but when push came to shove, I ended up with misshapen photos. Many of them.

To you, it probably seems we have all forgotten about you. This would not be true. It’s just that I continue to reach my technology melting point just about every day. So please know that every day we think of you and send love and TODAY we send special Birthday Love!

Why, Reina even posed for you with a birthday card.

And while we have this photo of you up on the wall reminding us of your arrival 21 years ago on Easter morning,

all three dogs were willing to gather round for a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday, provided I gave them treats every few minutes.

In truth, the only one of us who refused to join in the North American version of your birthday fiesta was your cat, Mishka.

To put it mildly, she remains miffed at your many month disappearance from her life and when attacked by the Green Hope paparazzi last night to give a comment on your 21st, she dodged the cameras and said, “Let me out of here, away from that pesky white dog!”

I can only say, I am relieved she had a better attitude when it came to the Animal Wellness Brochure photo shoot. And speaking of which, I am just about to haul your younger brother out of his warm bed to go pick up our first truck load of Animal Wellness brochures. Aren’t you glad you’re in Taormina today?

LOVE AND BIRTHDAY CONGRATS DEAR EMILY!