My Little Marine

It is official, Zach has been accepted into the Marines and he will be sworn in the first weekend of August :)

I am so, so proud of this young man. He fought to get in, and he won his fight! Thankfully he won't be leaving for boot camp until February, unless they can bump him up at all. I will be thankful to be able to have him home for the holidays before he leaves us.

For all this kid has been through in his life, he truly amazes me. To be such a respectful, kind, caring, thoughtful young man, he is just so special and can conquer anything life throws at him.

I love you so much Zach and couldn't be more proud of the young man you are.

Decisions, Decisions

Zach has had a bit of a rollercoaster ride lately when it comes to his opportunities for his future. He has had his heart set on joining the Marines for a long time and we all support him 110%.

When he had his physical with the Marines they disqualified him due to tendinitis in his knee and shoulder. The tendinitis doesn't affect him, he has been doing weekly Marine workouts for a few months now. He was told to get paperwork from his doctor saying the tendinitis won't negatively impact his training.

Zach was very upset over this and thought he may not join the Marines. He then talked with me about going to Kirkwood Community College. I was supportive, but honest, with him. He would be going to school on his own, no help from his parents with anything. Sure you can get student loans, but then you get to pay them back.

Long story short, we've been going back and forth with this for a couple of weeks now. My mom feelings have kicked in hardcore, it's not fair, I'm not ready to deal with these kinds of issues and feelings. I've been overwhelmed by the strong feeling of thinking I know what he should do, but holding back from telling him so. But I've done well and just told him I would be here for him whatever he decides. How the heck my parents moved me out to Seattle at the age of 19 and left will forever awe me, my mom loves to tell me that I can finally understand how she felt in some way ;)

We had an appointment to meet with the Kirkwood Admissions yesterday afternoon. Zach texted me in the morning that we don't need to because he will be requalified for the Marines :)

YAY!!!!! I may seem like a crazy woman, wishing for my "son" to be able to join the Marines. To be frank, Zach needs to get the hell out of here, as far away from his uncaring father as he can get. He needs the structure, and hell he will be one kick ass Marine!!!!!

I'm sure my own dad will be happy once Zach's dad stops calling him fishing for info on Zach. You would think a father would call his own son if he was truly concerned, not call his son's grandpa only to bash and put down his own son.

I love that kid like my own and I always will. I hope and pray the path he chooses is the right one for him. He will get to travel with the Marines and have his college paid for. Plus just having the honor of being a part of such a special group, well I know that is something he's been hoping for, for a very long time.

Happy, Happy Birthday Bud!

Today is my "little" brother Larry's birthday! He is a wonderful, wonderful little brother, we've grown so much closer over the past few years and I am just so very thankful for him!!!

His no nonsense look on life and slapping me into the reality of not caring what other people think, even if they are related, has helped me a lot lately. He supports me 110% and is someone I know I can count on anytime, no matter what.

I love you Bud, always stay true to who you are and always know this big sister has your back, no matter what, even if you require help drop kicking someone ;)

Farewell Sweet Angel Lakota

My wonderful friend David had to let his beautiful angel Lakota go be at peace. He received the tragic news that she had cancer and it was inoperable. He was able to spend two glorious weeks with her and his mom was even here from Florida with them.

Lakota was such a special boxer. I will never forget the first time I met her and fell in love with her instantly. She sparked my true interest in boxers and was part of the reason we found Tybalt and brought him into our family.

You will be forever loved and missed Lakota. Her spirit is still with us though and will be with us always.

Summer So Far...

Some photos from our fun summer so far.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

Our home full of family is back down to four of us, myself, Kyle, Bells and Tybalt. It is eerily quiet, our teenager has moved out to live with friends before he leaves for bootcamp in February. We miss him like crazy, and we have been promised weekly dinners at home, and trust me I will hold him to that :)

The bond Kyle and I now have with Zach is phenomenal, I was one heart broken auntie the day he moved out. But I understand him wanting to spread his wings a little bit and be out on his own before he leaves. I just can't say enough how truly, truly giving, loving, caring and just plane awesome Zach is.

My wonderful father-in-law is moved into his new apartment, it is a really nice place and I truly think he enjoys living there. We make sure to see him every day and he is currently watching Bella during the week for us, trading off weeks with my parents for us until she starts at her new "school" on August 15th. Bella is enjoying this special time with her grandparents and I'm just so thrilled she gets to experience this right now.

I get to plan not one but TWO baby showers, my "baby" sisters are due a couple of weeks within each other in the month of November. I am having way too much fun doing this and am grateful they both trust me to put together something magical for each of them.

I vow to try to blog more, I really do :)