A Wonderful Man

I have written many entries on my brother over the last year because a lot of things have happened, but I would like to write one more before this year is over.

My brother is a great man. He is one of the few good men left in this world. He has good morals, a great sense of humor, and is just an overall wonderful man.

When he went to Basic Training for the Army, we were all so proud. My dad has been in the Army for over 20 years and we all knew that Tyler would probably follow in his footsteps in some way. It was really hard on us having him be gone for so long because we are a really close family and Tyler is definitely my best friend, but we were still so proud of him and happy for him.

Of course, we knew that there was a posibility that he would get sent overseas to Iraq or Afghanistan when he got out because they are sending everyone within a year of graduating from Basic, but we were still hoping he wouldn't have to, and dreading it if he did.

Well, to all of our dismay, he does have to go. He leaves in February for training. He will be gone from February to the end of April when he will come home for a few weeks. In May, he leaves to go to Afghanistan for nine months. Needless to say, this year is going to suck...majorly. Be forwarned that a lot of posts this year will probably be sad and depressing because my best friend will be gone overseas...I'm going to be a wreck.

Now, there are a lot of good things that are going to happen this year by my own making...I will explain that probably tomorrow or a little later tonight...but it is also going to be a bad year. He will be here for Gabriel's third birthday but he will miss my birthday, his own birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. :(


This is my favorite picture of us together. This was taken in October at his 24th birthday party.

The reason I felt like writing about him some more is because of something he said to me last night. My parents left this morning for West Virginia. They are spending the weekend up there with some of my dad's family for New Years and Tyler is having a party. For those of you who don't know my brother, this will not be a wild and crazy party. There will be drinking but nothing else...just a bunch of friends getting together and having fun.

Josh, Gabriel, and I are going too just to spend time with everyone. Josh is a recovering alcoholic and I don't drink, so we are just going to have some fun and we can't stay til midnight, because we have to get home and get the munchkin home and in bed before then.

Tyler told me last night that there would be alcohol there but I wouldn't have to worry because there wouldn't be any drinking until Gabriel was gone. I thought he meant that he wasn't going to drink anything until we left and that didn't surprise me because that is just the kind of person he is...No, he meant he wasn't going to allow anyone to drink until Gabriel was gone. He doesn't want any drinking around his nephew. He said if anyone didn't like it, there is the door.

I was shocked at first but not because it was out of character for him, I was just surprised....and I'm not even sure why. That is the kind of person that he is. He throws a party at his house and invites his little sister, her husband, and their 2 year old son...and then makes a rule that no one can drink until the toddler is not in the house anymore. I was touched.

What a wonderful man he is. He is going to make some woman the luckiest woman on earth because he will treat her like a queen...like a woman is supposed to be treated. He is so thoughful and sweet. And I am going to miss him like crazy.

:(

Doggie Pics

So, for those of you who have never seen my dogs, I want to post some pics after my last entry.

This is Toby, our mini boxer. She has got the cutest face in the world! Josh says she is ugly, but who on Earth can think that face is anything but adorable?!?!?!



And, of course, I had to take some pictures of Apollo because he looked so handsome and regal. I have always thought that he looked regal. He likes to prop himself up on our pillows to relax and also to sleep. I love it when he puts his head on my pillow, he looks like a really furry person haha. I will get a picture of that as soon as I can, but I usually don't have my camera when he does cute stuff and then by the time I get up to get my camera, he has moved...but I am persistant!!

Go Away, Toby!!!

I find myself saying this...A LOT! Toby is our boxer. She is almost four yet she looks like she is about 6 months old. She broke her leg when she was a few months old and it stunted her growth. We call her our mini boxer.

But she is my baby and, like me, she is very affectionate. She is a cuddler. When she sleeps, she has to be up against someone like me or Apollo (our Great Dane that is also her boyfriend...yes, what a pair they make) and it doesn't bother me but my hubby and my son don't like her being so close all the time.

She has no idea of personal space. When she comes up to you, she goes right up to your face to tell you hello. I always give her a kiss but everyone else pushes her away. When she gets in Gabriel's face, I always say, "Go away, Toby." and sometimes she listens.

Josh calls her Brown because she is fawn colored and he just can't call her by her real name. I named her Kyley when we first got her and he started calling her Toby (I have no idea why) and then she started answering to Toby instead of Kyley...so we had to start calling her Toby. Well now Josh calls her Brown..."Get down, Brown!" is what he says instead of "Go away, Toby!"

The only reason I put that as the title and started talking about this is because right as I was about to start this entry, she got into Gabriel's face and I had to say it three times before she sat down. I thought it made for an interesting title.

But, since I am talking about one of the dogs, I might as well keep going. We have an electric fence around our yard and the shock collars that go with them. Everything has been fine with them since we got them almost two years ago, but here recently Apollo has been running through the fence. He won't stay in it for anything. Which, obviously, means that I have to keep him inside for most of the day so he won't run wild around our house or up into the road and get hit. I love having him inside because he is my handsome man and he is a total mommy's boy, but it is a pain because we have to keep him separate from Leo, our cat...so Leo is stuck in the bathroom all day so Apollo can be in the house.

So while all three dogs were in the house today, we were all sitting on the bed (Apollo, Toby, Roxy, Gabriel, and myself) and I noticed that Apollo's toe nails were getting really really long. I don't know about you, but clipping a dog's nails it a bit of an adventure...so try clipping the nails of a dog that outweighs you by fifty pounds.

Ha! You should have seen me. I broke a sweat just trying to get him to sit still and had to take my jacket off. So I ended up just laying on top of him and bracing his paw down so that I could clip one nail. He would shift and I would shift with him, brace again and get one more nail. So that is how it went to get his nails clipped. He wasn't scared, he just didn't like having to sit still so I could clip his nails...I stopped after I got all of his front nails. I will save my energy and get his back legs another time.

Haha.

Sad

So, it's hard to believe that Christmas Eve is tomorrow...this year has flown by so fast. I say that every year and it's because it definitely does...and that means that this is Gabriel's third Christmas and that he will be turning 3 in May. I really can't believe that!!

Anyway, I love Christmas because it is so much fun to spend time with my family (even though I see most of them on a weekly basis) and my mom's side of the family is mostly Christian so it is very easy to remember the Reason for the Season there, but Josh's family is all about Santa and what did Santa bring the kids for Christmas and blah blah blah...

I love Christmas but I HATE what Christmas has become. I hate going out in the crowds of rude people and being pushed around just because someone wanted the thing on the shelf next to where I was standing...It's all about sales and presents and rushing and Santa and ugh! I dread Christmas Eve because the whol day is so rushed. We have to go to my family's but we can't stay there long enough to see everyone because then we have to rush over to Josh's family's...

Josh's family is wonderful, don't get me wrong, but they think I am weird and radical because of the way I am and what I do and don't do...and for how I am raising my son. We did not give him vaccinations when he was born and we will never get him any...(that is a whole other story that I won't get into because not a lot of people feel the same way that I do and I don't want to get into a debate) but we are also not telling Gabriel about Santa. We are going to tell him the real story of St. Nicholas and tell him that some people believe in him still and that a lot of kids believe he brings them presents for Christmas, but we are going to tell him about Jesus and that Christmas is his birthday...We aren't going to tell him Santa doesn't exist because I don't want him running around telling other kids that believe in him and ruining it for their parents...but we are just going to tell him the truth. That we are the ones who buy his presents and it is to symbolize the presents everyone brought to Jesus when he was born...a lot more detailed than that but, hey, he is only 2 1/2 so that's all that he needs right now.

That right there is strange in Josh's family. Josh's little cousin is 6...I think...and she is so into the whole Santa thing and I know that they are going to be asking him tomorrow, "What is Santa going to bring you for Christmas?" and I'm pretty sure he is just going to look at them like they are crazy haha or say, "Nothing." haha...but it gets so frustrating because we have to rush to leave my family so that I can be looked at like I am a crazy person.

It's sad that I dread Christmas but I just hate what it has become...

Best Buddies

I just had to share this picture!! Gabriel loves Apollo and Apollo loves Gabriel right back...You can tell by this picture just how good of a bond they share. Gabriel is watching Despicable Me even though he looks like he is sleeping haha. Apollo was sleeping, but when I started to take a few pictures, the flash woke him up.

Two of my handsome men!

Sick

I hate being sick. I don't get sick very often, so it makes it all the more miserable when I do. I have had a sore throat and a really bad cough, my voice goes in and out all day, and I have just been feeling like crap.

The upside to this past week...I took some more pictures of Gabriel for Christmas and they are so cute. This first one is just adorable. I was trying to get him to sit still and he just started laughing...but I got a great picture out of it.



Out of the rest of them, this one is my favorite. They all turned out pretty cute but I just love his facial expression in this one...

Look at my handsome little reindeer!!!

Humbled

I was all prepared to write an entry about how mad I am right now at my husband but instead I find myself humbled. I was reading over a friend's blog and she is selling purses that she makes to raise money so she can help with a friend of hers in Africa. (You can find her blog by clicking here.) What a great idea, I thought. She also posted a link of the blog of this particular friend so I decided to drop by and read a little bit. (I am now following her blog as well and you can find it by clicking here.)

As I was reading, tears filled my eyes and I was shocked by how unbelievably selfish I was being. Here I am about to ramble on and on about my husband and this girl who is only a year older than me, is spending her Thanksgiving (and her life right now) away from her loving family and in a foreign country. She is serving God by helping others in need. What am I doing to serve God? How am I showing others the love of God with my actions, and my words, and my very life?

Wow. I'm not really sure what else to say. I am humbled and amazed and shocked and I know my life is in desperate need of change...Thank you both for bringing me to my senses!!