Band Director Carson

Here is a clip of Carson being Carson at the Band Supper in Elmwood last night. I believe it may be the first time he's paid attention to the band director and was trying out his moves.....

Is it Halloween Already?

Tara and I went to a marriage retreat this past weekend and left the kids among the grandparents from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. We told the kids that we were going on a 'retreat.' During the weekend, Tara and I were to focus on our marriage and each other rather than worry about the kids, the house, our jobs, etc.

Nevertheless, we broke the rules and called to check on Carson and Hannah sometime Saturday evening. Hannah apparently went up to Joann, Tara's mom, and told her that we went 'trick-o-treating'. That's pretty close to 'retreat.'

We were worried that Hannah would want to see a giant bag of candy when we walked through the door.....but she didn't. She just wanted a bunch of hugs.

In Loving Memory

This post is in loving memory of Sidney. He had a short life but lived it to the fullest and brought us a bunch of memories. His departure leaves a big void in our family; one that we'll feel for some time.

We adopted Sidney when our Golden Retriever, Bailey, died three years ago. Sidney was from a breeder (read: puppy mill) and ended up with a birth defect; kidneys that didn't work very well. Our vet thought that, given similar situations he's witnessed in the past, Sidney wouldn't live more than a few months. He managed to prove everyone wrong living three years.

Sidney and Bailey were fantastic dogs however both died early in their young lives and both were from breeders who turned dogs over as quickly as they could. Starting with Ginger, we now adopt all of our animals from the Capital Humane Society as well as donate to this organization....and urge the rest of you to consider this as well.

Rest in peace Sidney. We'll miss you.