Give Me Freedom

Every Fourth of July we are lucky to be able to celebrate the same thing time after time.  I'm so thankful for our freedoms and to those who have made it so we have the opportunity to celebrate like we do.  I truly hope things never change. 

 

So Long, Dear Friend

We had our little dog, Koda, for almost seven years.  He's been with us on many adventures.  Many moves, at least one across state lines, vacations, long rides, and many many more.  We were coming home late one evening after one of Scottie's baseball games and Koda greeted us from the porch as always.  It was dark.  Scott came to a stop in the tahoe to be cautious, then proceeded to pull forward the rest of the way.  When we got out we were all a bit taken aback.  Koda was laying on the ground unresponsive.  We didn't hear or see or feel anything.  We're still not sure what happened.  Not much longer he passed in Scottie's arms.  It was a hard moment for the children to see their sweet little companion leave this earthly life.  It was hard for us adults to have to witness them experience this bitter part of life.  We assured them they would get to see him again one day.  Not a lot of words could comfort them, but the one thought that helped them pull through is when we reminded them that Colten was up in Heaven and we were sure he was playing with Koda.  We held a little funeral for him and gave him a nice place to rest.  They've had many lessons with the one thing none of us can escape in this life, death.  While it's a difficult task to bear, it is inevitable.  We're going to miss the little guy.....

My Little All Star

After playing with the Yankees for the regular season, Luke tried out and made the All Stars Team.  He has such a great knowledge of the game for such a young guy.  I guess it pays to have an older brother whom he's watched for many years and a dad that is always on the side cheering him on and giving him pointers!