2016 was an eventful year for our family.
Howard returned home from a 6-month deployment at the end of January. We travelled to Washington State for a true family vacation in June where we celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary. The three oldest kids attended summer camp in July. I completed my student teaching at Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas in the Fall. I also started working as a substitute teacher in the Clark County School District. 4 days before I graduated from UNLV I found out that I was pregnant with baby #5 (complete and utter surprise would be an understatement). I graduated Magna Cum Laude from UNLV with my B.S. in Secondary Education Social Studies on December 17th.
To end the year, we said goodbye to our sweet dog, Dasher. He suffered a neck injury in early September. He was such a hyper dog, it was self-inflicted due to his boisterous personality. Vet treatment and meds helped for a while, but by the end of December we knew it was time to say goodbye to Dasher, as hard as it was. He was the first dog in my adult life that I truly loved, and because of him I was able to love animals in a way I never thought possible. Dasher joined our family in 2010, and he was the healing balm to the grief of my parents' deaths. I will be forever grateful to Dasher for what he provided to me when I needed the unconditional love of a dog the most.
Some people are saying that 2016 is an awful year. I would disagree. While it ended on a sad note, with the loss of a beloved family pet, it was a joyful year for our family. The circle of life is ever present; we cannot escape it. Indeed 2017 will bring a new birth to our family - one which was not planned, but which is now highly anticipated and will be loved beyond measure.
December 19, 2009 - December 31, 2016
