Thank God for kids!

What a difference a day makes!

Above Sydney did fantastic in her Talent show performance with her very good friend. There was a mess-up in the begining, but they made a great recovery!

Paige had a great day having lunch with her teacher. At the end of the day, she had fun at her softball game. Here she is having some competetive fun with the other players. Who won? Who cares!

I'm so very proud of my strong and beautiful daughters. I truely feel like the luckiest guy on earth! Next up....5K trail run tomorrow in Mentryville.

It is over now...

for our sweet Marilyn. Today at about 10:00 a.m. my brother-in-law Sean stopped by the house to view a Robin Williams special on our DVR. After saying hello to our sick dog, she took a few sips of water and went back to rest under the trees in the corner of the yard. She passed away peacefully in the bright clear blue sky. My wife is a wreck, especially hearing that she had passed while on the phone with her brother.

She was a tough girl. Very bright, as most golden retrievers are. Even just as recently, she could still escape from the back yard and just hang out at the front door til we got home from work. She could run 5 miles uphill in the mountains with me non-stop, and still want more. She loved to chase rabbits and birds. And don't get me started on the skunks! She had no fear of skunks when we moved to Valencia. Maybe this was her way of being a little adventuresome.

Being attached to an animal was never how I was brought up. But, this dog had great personality. She would never hurt anyone, except if someone was acting the fool. Ask the dog psychic that came to our house years back when we wanted to know why Marilyn keeps escaping from her back yard. Boy, that lady really got a kick out of her.

What can I say? Every dog owner says their pet was the best. Well, I just can't do that. After all, that would be almost self righteous because it seems to me that pets are a reflection of the owner. For me, I now run for her, always. Just as I did for my beloved father-in-law who passed away over a year ago.

The hardest is going to be for our daughters. They know death now. The way Marilyn died just brings back memories of their grandfather. It will be a tough day and the mourning will last. Of course, she is better now because she is not in pain anymore. I cannot look at other people running and walking their dogs. Sure, I can take Mr. Knuckles for a jog, but it is not the same. He only comes up to my knee, standing! He knows he has big shoes, um, paws to fill. He will be okay without the blond beauty around. I'll get him ready for the trails soon enough.

This is just yet another reminder that time sure does fly, and we shall always remember death. A mind eraser sure sounds good right about now.