T - 14 Days...2009

Well we as a family are very excited about our upcoming new year...2009. There are many planned changes in store for us. As a result of the disaster called 2008 we are going to diversify our retirement (what we have left) and only give away a portion to the stock market and use the rest to buy a Condo in Orlando and put some cash in the big shiney safe.

I will be going back to college at night to obtain my Master of Science Degree in Cyber Security starting in January. I'm excited and ready for the grueling process ahead. It has been 10 years since I finished my Bachelors Degree.

I've accepted a new job as Director of Information Assurance with Modern Technology Solutions Inc. I will be managing the IT and Security divisions as well as providing Cyber Security support to various federal agencies. I've known the owners for 15 years and its kind of a home coming for me because I worked with them in the Air Force at the Pentagon. Very exciting opporutnity and its the same company Melisa works for in the HR division.

Melisa will continue to pick up where I'm slacking and tirelessly support me in my career choices. She is very accepting of my desires to progress and has pledged her support in whatever I need to do and want to take on as we go forward into our next decade of marriage.

Ty will be moving up in Cub Scouts from a Tiger Cub to a Wolf. He has done very well in this program. He is maturing and progressing quite well in 1st Grade, he is exeeding all academic areas.

As always we will continue to spend as much time as we can using our Travel Trailer...Gettysburg here we come for our 5th year. We have a new bigger and more wooded site this year at Granite Hill and are looking forward to it.

We go into the new year with one less member of the family, Blondie. However she is always with us and a part of our thoughts everyday.

We hit our 10 years in marriage this year and are now entering the next 10 with newer and bigger plans for everyone.

Astronomy expert....not exactly

As you all know Ty is actively participating in Cub Scouts and earning lots of badges and belt loops. I "volunteered" to teach the Astronomy belt loop requirements. Whooooo...12 7 year old boys that already know everything. I was just glad to leave in one piece. Ty's Grandmother and Grandfather Paro had bought him several space books and a telescope, so that all came in handy. The kids were very much into the topic, unlike the food pyramid night that one of the other poor fathers had to teach. After it was all done and the bleeding in my head had stopped one of the fathers asked me if I actually worked in the Astronomy field cause he learned so much from my presentation...NOPE...only what I could get out of the book in 1 week. Think I might have set myself up for more nights of teaching topics for earning academic belt loops....

Ty was proud of his old father...

God called and she went...

In My Heart

I thought of you with love today, but that is nothing new. I thought about you yesterday, and days before that too.I think of you in silence. I often speak your name. Now all I have is memories, and your picture in a frame. Your memory is my keepsake, with which I’ll never part. God has you in his keeping. I have you in my heart.

In Loving Memory of Blondie

1994 - 2008

Today was Blondies day. She is now in heaven with all of her sisters that passed over the past few years. May God enjoy her as much as we did. She will forever be missed and a part of our family.

Life will harden you to a lot of things but never to the loss of a companion such as a pet.

To all good things comes an end...

Holidays not only bring joy but all too often bring some type of sadness. With such a crazy world of terrorism and economic hardships we must deal with the inevitable...death. I have a 14 year old Yorkie, Blondie, who appears to be dieing. Its been a long holiday since I realized its not just a bug. I've cooked more things for her to eat than I did for Thanksgiving and nothing will she eat. Monday if she has still not eaten after 4 days then the vet says she must move on to Dog Heaven. I took her Sister Dinah on the long drive to the Animal Clinic for the very same reason and foolishly hoped not to take the same path anytime soon. She has been with me through a lot of Good and Not So Good times over the past 14 years...My first dog as an adult...She has been the ever faithful servant and companion with no judgement for all my faults...oh can't we all learn from that golden lesson a dog will teach us over and over again.

See what the next two days brings with lots of prayer that it turns out for what is best for Blondie and not my own selfish desires.

Bobcat...Tiger Cub....Oh my

Ty has been actively participating in Cub Scouts this year. He has been very excited to do the requirements to go from one cub scout rank to another. He quickly earned his Bobcat badge and has been working all his requirements to be a Tiger Cub, all 15 beads have been earned and being worn proudly. As of this week he has officially met all requirements and is a full fledged Tiger Cub.

As a side effort he has been working on Sports and Academic achievements. So far he has earned 5 of 30 possible achievements to include; Art, Computers, Bicycling, Fishing and Bowling. In a couple weeks he will earn astronomy as dear old Dad gets to "teach" the Den the requirements to get the achievement.

We are getting ready to build our Pinewood Derby car to compete in January. Both Ty and I are racing fanatics so we certainly intend to win...fingers crossed and one leg over our head.

He and I are going to attend the CubWorld Resident 3 day program this summer. Should be very interesting to interact with all the other Packs.

More to come as he transform into yet another animal (no pun intended)....

Genious Amongst Us and two Proud Parents

1st Grade has proven to be a new level of maturity for Ty. He has been through Pre-School, Pre-K, Kindergarden and now is in 1st Grade. He is an Academic Genious and enjoys his school very much. Just ask him, its "his school".

We went to Parent teachers conferences yesterday and he is above his required level not in just 1, not just 2, not just 10, but ALL areas. I never realized how many areas they are independently graded on.

I had to make sure the teacher had the right students papers before I got too excited. PROUD PARENTS, yeah that's an understatement for how Melisa and I feel for how he is doing in school. Way to go Ty...I've told him that as he grows and matures to feel free to learn enough to make me look like a dumby (I know some say well that wont take much)...He's well on his way.

Happy 7th Birthday today Ty....

Oh the foulness of it all...

So Ty has..lets say very loose lips, something has always got to be coming out. As much tightening as I have attempted to do (of course within the legal limits) have been to no evail. He's very competitive in nature and he has been competing in a read a book/write a report on it competition on his school bus. All part of the schools attempt to get the kids to shut their mouths so the driver can actually drive. Well he did work very hard doing his part but the rest of his bus mates did not. Yesterday they had an assembly to announce the winning bus...well Tys bus did not win. He decides as they say who the winner was to just blurt out....DAMN. I just want to say sure glad that's not one of the foul words I use (we wont go into my long laundry list of words he's heard me use - lets just say I've got the sailors beat hands down). We wont even name the guilty party he heard that word from, just because I like to protect my wife...ooops, oh well now you know.

Needless to say I got a call from the teacher and I assured her his mother would get a spanking and learn to control her foul language... Man another serious sitaution avoided due to my quick thinking :)

Life...the relaxing side

As many people know we spend most every weekend from March to November each year with our family toy, the travel trailer. We currently keep the trailer in Gettysburg PA on a "seasonal" site and spend as many hours as possible enjoying it. Ty has been doing this since he was 2 so he already has 5 years under his belt.

This is our sanity from the life of a DC suburbian. Most cannot understand the life style but that's ok cause it keeps it nice and quite when we are away.

We (I) have towed the 9000 lb beast from MD to Orlando FL twice and enjoyed the whole 1600 miles round trip.

When do we leave for the next trip?

Inspired Connection to What's in a title...

Ok, so I've been inspired by an old friend that I lost contact with through the many years of early adulthood and have recently reconnected with; Tammy Hearnes. She has the most incredible articles on her blog about her family and the crazy things that happen day to day or at special occasions.

I struggled for a title as creative as others I've seen. To most they would squint real hard and say what is DMT....wait a minute I thought Dwayne and Melisa only had 1 Son...girls? Here is what is in the title:

D = Dwayne
M = Melisa
T = Ty

Girls = 3 Schwesties (Dixie (5), Sadie (3) and Daisy (3)) + 1 Yorkie (Blondie (14)).

I hope to be able to be as clear and creative as my blogging mentor.