Our BIG Boy...

In Loving Memory...

Blazer Arnold
June 18, 2003 - September 6, 2011

Getting a German Shepherd puppy may have been my idea but John gets all the credit for picking out our sweet boy from the litter. This little guy caught his eye and his heart at first sight. From the get-go, "Echo's" personality was so laid back and sweet..there was no changing his mind. This was HIS boy.

I may have enjoyed playing with all of the other pups in the litter but I have to admit, this guys eyes had me at hello.

Such a common sight. These two were like peas in a pod.

Blazer was such a sweet boy but he did have a ton of energy as a puppy. He ruined many pieces of furniture, several articles of clothing, shoes...the list goes on.

But just look at that face!

Now, when we picked him out of the litter he was smaller than all of the other males. At their 5-month reunion, "Echo"(now Blazer) stood tall with his siblings. Notice though how skinny he still was. What we didn't know was just how big he was destined to be...

September 2004

Blazer helped us welcome Ashley Elisabeth into our family. Never once did he show jealousy or seem upset about her attention-stealing cries. We couldn't have asked for a more amazing dog.

Still thin...but beginning to fill out.

WOW!!! That puppy had us fooled!

Blazer topped out at 140 pounds but was the most gentle "giant" ever.

He absolutely loved going to the park with the family.

And of course needed a drink now and again...

And would ALWAYS find the BIGGEST stick around...

Tug-of-War was one of his favorite games and his Dad was his favorite opponent.

Even right now, 6 weeks after our loss, I'm so emotional over his passing. He wasn't "just" a dog. He was our boy, our baby, our son, our friend and sooo much more. Blazer died suddenly and unexpectedly overnight. We really don't know what caused his death. It's possible he was suffering from an illness we didn't know about or that he'd been bit by something poisonous the day prior. I guess none of that really matters now. What matters is that we loved him and he loved us back. He was simply the BEST!

Blazer, you were the sweetest, smartest, silliest gentle giant ever and you'll be forever missed.
RIP sweet boy . We love you.

Ashley Turned Seven!!!

On September 6th, Ashley Elisabeth turned SeVeN years old!
WOW, where has the time gone?

Sisterly Love

Dad and the girls at Chuck E Cheese

It's Party Time!

Seriously, it scares me just how "big" she's getting!

Hayley turned the BIG 5!!!

On June 16th, Hayley turned 5 years old and couldn't have been more excited about it!

Why is 5 such a BIG deal you might ask? Well, for many reasons.
1. She can go to KINDERGARTEN!
2. She can be a Daisy Scout!
3. She can go to the Youth Center!
ALL of these reasons are HUGE to Hayley Belle!

Hayley chose to have her birthday party at a place called Jump for Joy this year. She had a blast with all of her friends.

Hayley is still an amazing little girl. She's smart, sweet, hilariously funny and does all that she can think of to help her friends and her family if they're sad or hurt. She's a genuine "giver" and I absolutely LOVE that about her.

Now, after saying all of those positive things about my Lil Love, I must admit that she can be rotten and more than a hand-full at times. But then again...what 5 year old isn't?!!

I got a JOB!!!

Well, after nearly 7 months of applying for every administrative job on this base, I finally got the email(yea, no calls nowadays...just emails!) I was notified I had 3 days to accept or decline. The shock came when I found out that the commander I'd be working for would be none other than John's commander! This seemed to make the decision even harder and made me so much more nervous! I mean, what if I sucked horribly and they hated me? Would it affect poor John too? I was a nervous wreck. BUT, long story short, I took the job and what a challenge it has been I tell ya! Truth be told, it's more work and responsibility than I've ever had in the job spectrum but I for the most part like it! It's been almost 6 months now and I just got my first Squadron award almost 2 weeks ago but on Friday found out that that selection won a group level award as well and now I'll be up for a wing award(that kind of terrifies me!) LOL...sometimes I like to fly under the radar you know. But this was the picture that I had to go get for the awards package...kind of makes me look all "official" and everything! HAHA