8

If there's one thing I can say with certainty about our "post injury" life, it is that we have had a lot of opportunities that we wouldn't have had otherwise.

One of those opportunities came along in October. Our friend Chaz is one of the Marine Officer Instructors at Texas A&M University in College Station. He and his family moved to Texas last summer and even though they are only a couple hours away, we hadn't yet had a chance to visit.

When Chaz called Ryan and invited him to be a Guest Coach for a day at an Aggie football game, we thought that was a pretty good excuse to make the trek. We had no idea what a fun day it would be.

Ryan got a tour of the sports museum, a look at the press box, a special VIP breakfast, amazing seats for the game, and a great view of the Corps of Cadets marching into the stadium as he stood on field! But the best part was hanging out with an old friend.

Chaz and Ryan on the field.

Gig 'em!

One unexpected surprise was meeting former President George H. W. Bush. President Bush was kind enough to meet the guest coaches and take a few pictures before the game started.

The kids and I didn't go to the game, but we probably had more fun hanging out with Allison, Andrew, & Ava back at the house. Not to mention we had lunch at the Hullabaloo Diner and it was fabulous!

We can't wait to visit College Station and our dear friends again soon!

9

For as long as I can remember, Jaida has always wanted a dog. When she was little, she would ask and ask, and the answer was always no. So sometimes she just pretended to be a dog.

Jaida as "Max" the dog

When she got a little older, "no" wasn't enough. She wanted to know why. And when.

So, I told her she could have a dog when she was 8-years-old. That seemed so far off. And I thought by then I'd be ready.

I wasn't.

When she was 9, I was pregnant with Maya. The thought of having a new dog and a new baby at the same time didn't sound like such a good idea. And when Maya was 1, and Jaida was 11, I was pregnant with Noah.....and Ryan was deployed. Nope, still not the right time for a dog.

Then Ryan was injured. So we moved to San Antonio. Three girls with Daddy in the hospital.

Noah was born. And Ryan came home. Dogs were nowhere in our future.

But sometime last spring (I'm pretty sure it was when Jaida's guinea pig died) we started thinking about getting a dog. Ryan liked the idea. Jaida loved the idea. Maya and Noah loved dogs. And I was pretty sure I was ready to assume all responsibility for said creature, knowing that it was likely to be my duty most often. But not yet. We had a really busy summer planned and it wouldn't be fair to welcome a new dog into our home just to leave him repeatedly. So we just started thinking about what kind of dog we wanted and where we would get him.

After much discussion, debate, and research we came to a decision. We wanted a small dog because it would mostly be indoors. But not so small that Noah could easily crush it. We wanted a smart dog so that we could train it to be well behaved. But we wanted our dog to be energetic and fun to play with. And important to me, but not really anyone else, was having a dog that didn't shed a lot.

And we all agreed we wanted a rescue dog. We wanted to save a life and give a dog a home and a family.

Our searching led us to the Poodle Rescue of Houston. We made the drive on Labor Day weekend and found the dog for us.

At last!

He's a brown miniature poodle weighing about 16 lbs. We think he's about 4-years-old, but we don't know for sure. He's an anxious little guy, but he's doing well with his training. He's very protective, especially of the children. And he's very tolerant, especially of Noah laying on him, pulling his tail, and petting him in a less than gentle way. (We're working on Noah's training and it's taking a little longer!) His name is Huey (like the helicopter) and he's a welcome addition to our family.

And speaking of additions to our family, don't ask me why getting a dog when I was pregnant with Maya seemed ridiculous, but getting a dog when I'm pregnant now doesn't. I guess because it's my 4th baby I think I can handle anything. Ha!

Huey feels right at home.

10

Will someone please tell me where the year 2009 went?

A new year is upon us and as I look back over my blog, I see I have neglected to blog about several things that we did in 2009. So here are the top ten things, in no particular order, I forgot to tell you last year.

#10

In February, I told you about an amazing trip we took to Vail, Colorado, with the Vail Veterans Program. Ryan was able to snowboard for the first time since his injury. What I didn't tell you is that we were invited back to attend their summer program in July. The summer program gave us the opportunity to go fly fishing, white water rafting, and horseback riding, in addition to just enjoying the beautiful mountains and connecting with other wounded service members and their families. Photographer John Moore captured some of the best images of the trip in this slideshow.

Yet again, Cheryl Jensen, founder of the Vail Veterans Program, managed to think of everything to make this trip challenging, inspiring, and empowering.

No amount of rain could ruin our day

when we're fly fishing on the Colorado River.

I managed to get a fish on the line,

but I couldn't bring him in. Maybe next time.

A trail ride with my sweetie before dinner is a nice way

to end a great day.

After just a few nights at the Yarmony Creek Ranch

we felt like we could stay forever.

Back in Vail, the view from the top of the mountain

is just as beautiful without all the snow.

Lots of happy faces after an unforgettable stay in Colorado.

We're even more excited to be going back to Vail for their winter program again at the end of January 2010. And this time it is a family program! Be watching for pictures of our little family tackling the slopes in Vail. And tune in tomorrow for #9 on the list of things not blogged about yet this year!

Wordless Wednesday

Let's try this again

Apparently the following clue was a little too abstract for some people.

July 2010

I was trying too hard to be witty and creative.

Maybe this next clue will help clear things up.

Is that better?

If you've never eaten at the Waffle House, you may not find this funny....

Jaida and I were driving past a flower stand outside the national cemetery near our house. Our conversation went something like this:

Jaida: I wonder if anyone ever buys those flowers.

Mom: I think they buy the flowers and take them to the cemetery to put on the graves.

Jaida: I don't think I want to be buried.

Mom: You want to be scattered....?

Jaida: Smothered and covered!

Marine Corps Ball 2009