Cosmo Haseley
October 2007 – July 2023
Cosmo Haseley passed away quietly in Charlotte NC in July, 2023. He was surrounded by Allan and Kelly, who still live in Charlotte…but plan to spend their summers at their new mountain house at Beech Mountain, NC to escape the heat…and play pickleball. All are welcome to visit.
Cosmo is preceded in death by his brother Smokey and sister Chelsea and other family and extended family. We are sure he will continue to provide great memories and love for all of them as he did for us for 16 years. Cosmo leaves behind his main caregiver Kelly, his favorite face licker Erin, his actual owner Emma and his dedicated chaser Allan.
Cosmo always enjoyed his mornings with Kelly and his long naps…while Kelly would leave to enjoy her tennis, pickleball and most recently learning to play Mahjong.
Cosmo would often visit and stay with Kelly’s mom….as Kelly helped her mom transition to moving into her new one floor condo from where she has lived for the past 35+ years.
Cosmo was white and cute and loved to be the center of attention….Erin and James and their two cats are living in Cary, NC and are getting married in February. Erin plans to honor Cosmo’s memory by dressing in White, being very Pretty and will be the center of attention also.
Cosmo came to live with the Haseley’s in 2007 when Santa Claus answered Emma’s wish for a puppy dog….Emma lives in Washington DC and is always on the go and travelling, usually by car, train, plane or bike…instead of by sleigh.
Cosmo loved to play chase and provided Allan with some exercise each day when he got home….Today Allan’s exercise is mainly from building their newest pickleball facility scheduled to open by the end of the year. The new facility is an old tennis center and will be the home of 16 Indoor dedicated Pickleball Courts. This will bring the total number of Pickleball Courts owned and operated by Pickleball Charlotte to 60 courts in Charlotte.
Cosmo preferred to stay with his friends at the Barker Lounge (Doggy Day Care) each time the rest of the family took trips….Some of the trips and other activities his family took without him included attending all the Carolina Panther football games, some Carolina Tarheel games, Golf Tourney in New Bern, and Allan’s 60th birthday party trip to Turks & Caicos.
In lieu of flowers please hug your pet and donate to the pet charity of your choice.
RIP Cosmo.
Love The Haseleys (Allan and Kelly)
Erin and James
Hello hello!
We have had an eventful year, although slightly less eventful than the one before and the one after.
Our biggest news, as announced last year, is that our wedding is imminently approaching. As of February 17, 2024, it will be legally permissable for me to continue writing these articles, among other things, like celebrating our union and relationship. We are so excited to see all of you there – it’s going to be a great party.
This year, Erin and I, along with our beloved cats, Taako and Sutton, were finally able to settle into a somewhat-regular routine. For all her hard work and success, Erin was promoted at her job at Duke (she is still a fervent Tar Heel, despite her occupational circumstances). She writes nearly as much as I do to help organizations all across the United States improve themselves. I work at our round table on my all-too-many creative projects, some of which will come out between now and the next HH. And Taako and Sutton were able to achieve a long streak of days spent napping in the sun on our screened porch.
We went on several trips; we hosted a couple of events and went to several more, we saw many family members, Erin picked up the piano, I’ve begun to hone my juggling skills, and we saw a great golf renaissance among many of our peers. The winter needed a touch more snow, the spring flowers were gorgeous and abundant, the summer lingered far too long, and fall was perhaps among the best examples of the season I have witnessed so far.
All in all, an exemplary Carolinian year.
We all send each and every one of you much love!
-James, the newest soon-to-be member of the Haseley clan (and Erin Haseley)
Emma
I am ashamed to admit that I did not complete my Haseley Herald in 2022. I have brought shame upon the Haseley name, and–more importantly – I didn’t get my kuchen for submitting early! Because I missed last year, I will provide everyone with a very brief update on 2022 before moving on to 2023.
I was fortunate to do a lot of traveling in 2022 to Puerto Rico, France, West Virginia, New York City, and Turks and Caicos! In June, Logan and I visited Puerto Rico. We traveled around to San Juan, Luquillo, and the island of Vieques. In San Juan, we visited the Bacardi Rum factory for a tour and tasting. It was really delicious– although I prefer my rum mixed into a Pina Colada (which was invented in Puerto Rico!) We both fell in love with a dish called queso frito (fried cheese) with guava sauce. I had never had guava before, but now I love it. The perfect sweet and savory treat. We stayed at an idyllic hostel in Luquillo right near the beach and a river, which we paddle-boarded down at sunset. The highlight of the trip has to be our nighttime kayak tour of Mosquito Bay, which is the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world! Basically, there are tiny organisms in the water called Dinoflagellates that, when disturbed, produce bright bursts of blue light.
After a fun Fourth of July with Logan’s family in Lake Lure, I flew to France for a trip to catch up with some friends! I spent a week in the beautiful Île de Ré with my friend Genna and her family. We rode bikes along the salt marshes, cooked delicious meals with the local summer produce, and enjoyed many beautiful sunrises and sunsets on the beach. I then traveled to Paris to stay with my friend Alice, who was our family’s exchange student in high school. Even though we hadn’t seen each other in almost ten years, it felt like we were back in high school! I celebrated le 14 juillet (Bastille Day) with Alice and her family by watching the military parade along the Champs-Élysées and the fireworks above the Eiffel Tower.
From Shad Festival in April to Miller Fest in August to Turks and Caicos in December, I got to spend a lot of time with the Haseleys in 2022! Logan was exposed to almost all of the Haseley traditions (should we make Turks and Caicos an annual tradition?) and turned out to be an excellent shad-tosser.
Besides traveling and visiting with family and friends, I picked up a few new hobbies in 2022. Firstly, I finally got another bike after mine got stolen in college. I forgot how much I really missed it. DC is actually a great place to bike. I live near Rock Creek Park, one of my favorite spots in the city with has great biking and hiking trails. My most memorable ride of this year was when Logan and I biked from DC to Harper’s Ferry, WV, and back for a total of 137 miles (we camped overnight)! It was incredibly taxing, but I felt so proud of myself for accomplishing such a feat! I also participated in one of DC’s Bike Party rides, a monthly group ride around the city where 100s of bikers come together and ride, play music, and enjoy the city.
In addition to biking, I am still a volunteer at my local community compost drop-off site. I started last summer when I first moved to DC, and it has brought so many positive things into my life. For one, I met my boyfriend Logan during one of my first shifts there. I have also developed many new friendships with other volunteers, including my best friend, Mitra! I love being a part of my neighborhood and community while helping reduce food waste. The best part about our compost site is that we host an annual “pumpkin smash” in November of each year, where we have people bring their rotting pumpkins to throw off of a ladder! We do this so that the pumpkins break down into smaller pieces, making them easier to compost. But we also do it because it is so much fun and a spectacle for everyone!
A bit out of character for me, I saw nine concerts and one music festival (has anyone ever heard of MillerFest?) in 2022. I saw the band Rainbow Kitten Suprise (RKS) twice – once on New Year’s Eve 2021 in DC and once in the summer in Asheville. Two of my favorite concerts of the year happened to both be French artists– Stromae and the band L’Impératrice. Logan has introduced me to a lot of new bands, many from NC, like Mipso (from Chapel Hill), whom we saw in DC. Other concerts include Remi Wolf, Peach Pit, The Wood Brothers, and John Craigie.
Now, onto 2023!
January started off slow as I recovered from a very fun Christmas with double the inflatables we usually have. In mid-January, I set out for a work trip to Dhaka, Bangladesh. I started working for an international non-profit called BRAC in mid-2022. BRAC was founded in Bangladesh over 50 years ago and has since expanded its holistic programming to over 11 countries in Asia and Africa. I was fortunate to be able to travel to Bangladesh on an ‘immersion visit’ to engage with some of my colleagues and experience some of our programs first-hand. Two programs really stood out to me. First, we sat in on a Polli Shomaj meeting, which is a community-based women’s group that convenes to discuss how to prevent violence in their communities. We also visited one of BRAC’s famous Play Labs and observed a class session and a material development workshop.
The trip was absolutely incredible, and I count myself very lucky to have been able to travel somewhere most people have never been. Unfortunately, when I think about my trip to Bangladesh, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth (literally). On my almost 15-hour flight back from Dubai, I developed serious food poisoning from the plane food. I quickly became severely dehydrated, and the flight attendants had to call for a doctor on board to help! Luckily, a very kind doctor and nurse were able to administer an IV in my arm and help me get some strength to hold me over before we landed. After lying down in the prayer section of the plane for about one hour with an IV in my arm, I was moved to an open first-class seat for the final hour of the flight, so not all bad. An ambulance met us at the gate in DC and took me to the hospital to get more fluids. In the end, I was fine, just seriously weak and dehydrated. Not to mention–all of this happened the day before my birthday! So, I ushered in age 25 with lots of electrolytes.
In February, Logan kindly took me to see one of my favorite musicals, Something Rotten, at a local dinner theatre near us for my birthday.
March was another busy month with lots of family and traveling. First, Logan and I went to Oaxaca City in Mexico for about a week. Between the food, the art, and the scenery, it is by far one of the best places I have ever visited. We took a cooking class where the chef took us on a walking tour of the city’s most famous open-air markets and prepared a feast of homemade tortillas, memelas, salsas, and moles. We also took a long (and hot) bike ride to the el Árbol del Tule, the stoutest tree in the world! We rounded out our trip with a visit to the archeological site of Monte Albán and the oldest continuous market in Oaxaca, the Tlacolula Market in Tlacolula de Matamoros. Shortly after returning from Oaxaca, Logan and I headed back south to visit his extended family outside of Dallas. Then, shortly after returning from Dallas, Erin and James came to visit us in D.C.!
With the slightly warming weather, we celebrated Logan’s birthday with a 20-mile scavenger hunt gravel bike race in Virginia. Using a paper map (no GPS allowed!), we had to navigate the unpaved farm roads to find hidden spots and collect cards proving we had made it to each of the spots. We also hosted a backyard cookout to celebrate Logan’s birthday with friends in D.C.
May brought more biking, this time a 100+ mile round-trip from Jamestown, VA to Richmond, VA. It was a long two days, but really worth it! I was excited to have my friends and Logan come to the lake for Memorial weekend, but unfortunately, it was cold and rainy the whole weekend, so we never made it out on the water! We spent the weekend doing puzzles and playing board games, which wasn’t a bad way to spend a long weekend. From the lake, I went home to Charlotte for a few days to go wedding dress shopping for Erin’s wedding! My mom, Grandma Pat, Erin, and I went to a few different stores, and ultimately, Erin picked out a beautiful dress that she is going to rock at her wedding in February! I spent the rest of my time at home hard at work on our Fourth of July float…more on this to come.
June started off with an incredible wedding celebration for my friend’s sister in Asheville. The wedding was at the Biltmore, and I got to spend two days eating and dancing with some of my closest friends. It was definitely a wedding I will never forget! Some other highlights of June were strawberry picking with friends and a weekend trip to Philly with Logan.
July was a mixed bag of joy and sadness. First, we road our Cheeseburger In Paradise-themed float in the annual Fourth of July golf cart parade in South Carolina and (unofficially) won. While we didn’t know at the time this would be a timely tribute to the late Jimmy Buffet, it was a big hit! In addition to the burger and “paradise,” we had homemade t-shirts with various burger toppings and condiments to match. July 10th was a really tough day as we made the impossible decision to put Cosmo down. After sixteen joyful and adorable years, it was time for our perfect little buddy to join his brother (Smokey) and sister (Chelsea) in pet heaven. Cosmo was the best Christmas present I will ever get. Not to mention, he was an award-winner at the Shad Festival’s look-a-like contest with Grandma Janet!
In August, Logan and I ran/biked/swam in a sprint triathlon in Lake Lure, NC. Our parents watched us swim a half mile across the lake, bike 14 miles through the mountains, and run 3.1 miles around the lake! It was definitely the most physically and mentally challenging thing I have ever done, but I am really proud of myself! I’m also proud of Logan, who came in third in his age group! Although I was unranked, I did not drown as my parents feared, so I call that a win!
September brought more wedding celebrations, travel, and new favorite foods! I spent Labor Day at the lake with my parents, trying to soak up the last bits of good weather for wakeboarding and wake surfing. We also discovered a new feature on the lake: the cake boat! For years, our favorite thing about the lake has been the ice cream boat— a boat with homemade ice cream and ice cream sandwiches! However, the new cake boat (with mini bundt cakes) is a strong competitor for the best dessert on the lake! Later in September, seven of Erin’s closest friends and I celebrated the fabulous bride in Wilmington, NC. Erin’s bachelorette weekend (planned by yours truly) involved relaxing by the pool and ocean, wedding-themed crafts and games, and much love for Erin! After the bachelorette weekend, I traveled up to Chicago for the first time to try deep-dish pizza and visit Logan’s childhood town of Naperville. We also got to see an improv show at Second City, which was a really awesome experience. From Chicago, we took a bus up to Madison, WI, to visit our friends for the weekend and eat cheese curds.
As if September were not enough travel, I took the train up to Boston in October to visit with two of my closest friends. We saw a ballet, painted pottery, and made it through a few bottles of wine! Logan picked me up in Boston, and we drove to Portland, ME, to peep some beautiful fall leaves. We loved hiking around and trying some fun local spots. Back in D.C. I participated in one final bike ride of the year. A bunch of my friends and I rode 30 miles around D.C. and Maryland in the annual Cider Ride. There were two stops along the way with fresh apple cider and donuts!
Whew, I think that just about covers all of it! Love to everyone!
Emma Haseley
