Our Family Newsletter 2011

Well here ya go - I am a technology dork about everything else, I have been blogging since April - and I am about to make our first annual family newsletter on our blog site instead of the traditional paper one that is sent out in our cards. The best benefit? TONS of pictures and not confined to one page :-)

Let start in JANUARY when Maddy turned 14

In FEBRUARY, Dan and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary and we took our much anticipated and delayed honeymoon to the Bahamas by means of a Carnival Cruise Ship :-) We left from Baltimore for a seven day cruise to Port Canaveral, FL then Nassau and FreePort in the Bahamas. It was an amazing time and it was so wonderful to escape the "real world" for a week (the house, technology, work, etc...) and just have it be the two of us without a care in the world!

APRIL was a time to celebrate

• Easter

• Dan's birthday (he turned 33 this year)

MAY was a definite highlight month of the year!

• My mom turned 50 (check out the blog story @ Mom's 50th) and we threw her a surprise party with all her brothers & sisters. She was completely unaware and was definitely surprised and touched by everyone's love and best wishes

Mom & "Aunt" Debbie

• I graduated from Shippensburg University (it only took three years) with my master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction with a concentration in Early Childhood Education (check out the blog story @ Oh pomp and circumstance) 

• We headed to Pittsburgh to spend a weekend with Chad.  (check out the blog story @ Won't You be my Neighbor) He took us to Pointe Park (where we played frisbee, went to Heinz Field, and many more sights) plus we hit up the Pittsburgh Zoo (I am a HUGE fan of zoos)

In JUNE Maddy enjoyed her last day of middle school (Check out the blog story @ The Last Day) 

In JULY.....

• We went on our traditional camping trip (check out the blog story @ Miller Campout) over the 4th of July weekend at Miller's Grove

• We took our family vacation to Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktowne, & Jamestown. (check out the blog story @ Summer Vacation) It was a fabulous loong weekend and it was stocked full of fun quality family time!

• Also, in July, my father had a devasting event in where a early morning fire destroyed their home and they were forced to demolish their home and rebuild. (I am happy to report now though 5 months later that rebuilding is well on its way and we all have high hopes that they will be in their house by the end of spring!) Thank you to all who have made it possible!

In AUGUST.....

• Maddy started band at the high school level (she will twirl flags for the guard) and we began football season. I was beyond ecstatic that Maddy had chosen for band to be one of her high school activities. I had SO MUCH fun doing this activity myself when I was in high school and I knew it would be an equally wonderful experience for her too! It did mean however though that I had to break my vow of never sitting at a rainy or cold football game again (you say these kinds of things after enduring them for 6 years yourself) but it was TOTALLY worth it. You can even check out a video of the SASHS band show at Band Performance

• Maddy started high school! What a momentous day :-) check out the blog story @ 1st Day

In OCTOBER our lives changed when our beloved chocolate lab, Bayleigh, was unexpectedly and tragically hit by a car and killed early one morning at the beginning of the month :-( Our lives seemed frozen for days and it seemed unreal especially after celebrating the previous day when our German Shepherd, Rocca, had a birthday and turned 3.

You can check out each of the doogie's blog stories at

Happy Birthday Rocca

RIP BayLeigh

Also during the month of October:

• Maddy had her first high school semi formal

• and we had our first snowfall of the year (in October - oh my, the insanity!)

Next month in NOVEMBER we were reminded all month long of the many, many things that we are thankful for (my reasons @ 30 reasons to be thankful) and finished the month off by celebrating Thanksgiving and Maddy completed her first 5K where in Shippensburg it is affectionately called "The Turkey Trot". check the blog story out @ Happy Thanksgiving ) 

This past month, DECEMBER, has been a whirlwind of activities as usual (I can imagine it has been that way for your families as well!)

• Maddy had her first swimming meet (read about it here: Dover Invitationals) when she kicked butt and has really been enjoying swimming ever since
• we celebrated christmas very low-key this year (tamaqua one weekend, christmas day ALL to ourselves- just the three of us, and then new years eve weekend with the Eckenrode families)

And that is our year in a nutshell :-) Hope you enjoyed "creeping" on us! hahaha

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the Eckenrode family :-)
We have had a wonderful relaxing day: presents then church this morning, lunch, RELAX all afternoon and playing with our new "toys"

Maddy's "Grand Teton" present

In house, we have a tradition where one present is considered your "Grand Teton" present. It doesn't necessarily cost the most or the biggest in size but it is the one that you will like the most!

We made her hunt for her present this year playing the hot-n-cold game. Evil Mommy hid it under her bed!! haha

this was her all afternoon :-)

Our Tamaqua Christmas

Oh, what an amazing and wonderful weekend! We got to go home to Tamaqua to celebrate the holiday season :-) It is actually our first visit home since August (crazy fall band/football schedule and all) and I have been itching for days to get the journey underway!
First stop: Mom & Tom's. We had a lil history lesson in Jim Thorpe on the way to get our pizza for lunch, exchanged presents, relaxed with tv & games, then had a big holiday dinner with Tom's kids at the table also. (Chad you were greatly missed!)
Off to Dad & Maggie's...We stayed up until 12:30 playing games, exchanging gifts, just catching up and we still ended up going to bed earlier than Dad, Maggie, my Gram, Uncle Tommy, & Phyllis. Walking upstairs to bed, Dan comments "There is something wrong when you go to bed before your Grandmother!" haha Sunday brought a restful morning and delicious giant lunch with everyone again
It was such a wonderful weekend and ended just too soon (they always do though, I suppose)

Thank you Mom, Tom, Dad, Maggie, and everyone else for the all the heartful and meaningful gifts, plus the relaxing and soul filling weekend. We all had a blast!

Cannot wait to go back up on Friday (Chad is taking Maddy and I up) to go to Gram & Pap Miller's anniversary dinner (then I will get to see my whole Miller family) then a family birthday brunch on Saturday morning before we head back to Shippensburg again :-)

1st swimming meet (Dover Invitationals)

well Maddy had her 1st swimming meet today. I dropped her off at SASHS at 6:15 this morning. While we drove to the school, her comment was "It is too weird to be driving to school with the moon shining".
My reply? "Yeah, find a window and see some sunlight today because when I am driving you home tonight, you will be looking at the moon again!"

Here to tell her side of the story, Maddy, herself :-)
    Today was an amazing day. i was really nervous when i got to Dover at first. My event was called and i told the team to please not watch because i will be horrible. They didn't listen. As i got on the block for my 50 free i was a little shaky. The buzzer rang and i was gone. i finished the race, and i was first in my heat with 32 seconds. it was amazing! my coaches were so proud. the whole team watched me do my race. i got out and everyone started clapping and hugging me. they all said i beat some juniors it was again amazing. after my warm up i went into the hall and everyone was yelling my name and really proud. it was a great day!! then for my 100 backstroke race i placed 2nd but not by much. in our 200 relay our lane won and in our 400 relay our lane came in fifth. it was a really good day. :)

We are SO PROUD of her!!!!!!

Holiday Portrait

oh, the holiday card picture....it is always a stumper for me. Partly because it takes FOREVER to decide on a picture because I love so many and partly because  I need to figure out the technicalities of who is gonna take the pic so I can be in it myself :-P lol (it is amazing to see how many pics I am NOT in throughout the year. Always the one behind the camera, yep, that's me! hehe)

this year: what about a collage? I don't want something that is a picture christmas card. I make homemade ones (I need to use my stamping supplies at least once a year!) but maybe I can make a collage on one of these websites that is just a general nonspecific holiday one

The hunt was over on Snapfish. Now I won't show you what the card looks like or what photos I chose but I am SUPER EXCITED about my creation. Double bonus: now through December 11th Snapfish is offering 40% off their holiday cards PLUS free S&H (everybody loves a sale!!!). Check out their homepage for the coupon code or just type in CARDSFS40 when you are in checkout

Happy Card Making :-)

30 reasons to be thankful

This month I have been postings what I am thankful for each day. Here is a lil recap:

• For today Nov 1st: I am thankful that Maddy is so smart! She got a 97% on her history final - We are a proud Momma & Poppa tonight :-)

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• Nov 2nd - I am thankful for having Rocca, our 3 yr old German Shepherd, in our lives (esp. after the loss of BayLeigh last month)
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• On my third day of being thankful I must recongize the power & blessing of having such a close knit extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents)... it has been forever & a dog's age since I was home to Tamaqua! I love you all so much, miss you TONS, and thanks for being such an important part of Maddy, Dan, and my life :-)
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• On the 4th day, I am thankful for my friend Elizabeth Lerda Meighan :-) She is my secretary and one of the first people who made my transition to New Franklin last year just a little more bearable. Today is her last day before she starts a new job on Monday & I am going to miss her to pieces! I'll be praying - you are gonna rock it!
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• On the 5th day of Thanksgiving, I am thankful for coffee. Oh, it smells like freshly ground heaven all right & my favorite part - all the different kinds of creamers to add: sugar cookie, french vanilla, caramel latte, & my personal fave Pumpkin Pie Spice :-)
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• Today, November 6th, I am thankful for my church, Prince Street. We have been attending for about 7 yrs and I marvel at the way my faith has grown because of my church family. I have created so many lasting relationships and have had so many amazing experiences. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me in the future :-)
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• On this day (Nov 7th) I am thankful for my husband Daniel Eckenrode. One of the many reasons I married him was his ability to take care of us by being just a "jack of all trades" when it came to fixing stuff around the house. This weekend he proved that to us again by finishing the installment of our new water heater (so we don't have to buy fuel for the furnace anymore), putting the furnace on its own breaker, and hooking up our cute kitchen bar lights. I love you baby & thank you!!!
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• Today I am thankful for internet. Last night we were without phone (which didnt us that much since we have cell phones) and internet. When your computer doesn't have internet you forget that the rest of your computer does work :-P Anyhoo, it is back on and we are good to go!
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• I am thankful for my job. I am thankful for my job. I am thankful for my job. (this will be my mantra as I conduct 22 parent teacher conferences in 2 days)
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• Today I am thankful for PSUth (Prince Street Youth Group). Wednesday night Powerhouse was just what I needed to turn my frown on this hellish week into a smile. I love meeting & hanging with the youth and all the other adults as well. We might not be "reaping a harvest" every week but I definitely we are planting seeds and watering them!
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• Today I am thankful for all the men and women who have fought for our freedom. Your efforts never go unnoticed by our family!
• If you can read this, thank a teacher.
• If you can read this in English, thank a solider.
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• Today I thankful for lazy Saturdays to recuperate from a busy week and try to get my head on straight again.
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• Today I am thankful for my book club. Kristin Simmons, Elizabeth Lerda Meighan, Devon Dewalt Highlands, Anne Potter Rau, Jennifer Chance, Erin Rotz, Terri Vetock are such amazing ladies and I have a blast reading & bonding :-) See you all tonight!
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• Today I am thankful for autumn. I live for hoodies, pumpkin patches, apple cider, colorful leaves, football games, and the cool down from summer :-)
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• Today (November 15th) I am thankful for my home. It provides a roof over my head to stay dry, a bedroom to get a good night's sleep, a bathroom for a hot shower, a living room for my family to spend time with each other in, a kitchen with food in it so we aren't hungry, and many more things :-)
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• Today I am thankful for my morning commute. Listening to Word FM and sipping my cup of coffee really centers me & get me ready to face the day to do God's will
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• On Thursday, November 17, I am thankful for God. (this should have been my first post!) He is so amazing, full of mercy, & forgiveness. Because he loves me so much, he sent his son to die for me on the cross so I can have the chance to have eternal life!
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• Today I am thankful for all those wonderful and special people that I have the privilege to call my friends :-) We may not get to see each other as often as we would like sometimes, but you are never far from my thoughts or heart ♥
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• Today I am thankful for Christmas parades. YES I know I havent eaten my turkey yet but the parade is beautiful & always makes me feel all warm & fuzzy inside
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• Today I am thankful for my camera (a Canon TSi Rebel) It was a graduation present when I received my master's degree ans since then I have been having so much fun capturing life's memories. Today I have the honor of doing a photo shoot for my cousin Nathan Miller of his 17 month old son Blaze. It is gonna be a blast!
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• Today (November 20th) I am thankful for the great weekend I just had. Date night on Friday with Jim Bolich and Janet, Christmas parades on Saturday, and a super fun photo shoot yesterday with Blaze Michael :-)

• Today I am thankful for the food that nourishes my body and gives me the energy and ability to live each day. So many people around the world go to bed with an empty or rumbling stomach and I am so thankful that I am not one of them!

• Today I am thankful for this quaint little town of Shippensburg. Over the past 7 yrs I have began calling this place home and love everything it has given back to me. Without Shippensburg, I wouldn't have a college & master's degree, a husband & daughter, Prince Street Church, and Knute's which is where I am getting my wing night on tonight :-)

• Today I am thankful for Maddy's motivation to run a 5k and help out her good friend Hayleigh! You go girls - finishing the race in 35.34 :-)

• Today I am thankful that I do not do Black Friday shopping! You will see me in the grocery store this morning and then back to my kitchen to cook & bake all afternoon to serve my Momma Beverly Miller Kistler, Tom, and my Brotha Chad Michael, Madeline Eckenrode, and Daniel Eckenrode Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow :-)

• Today I am thankful for Daniel Eckenrode and Madeline Eckenrode who have helped me clean and cook to get ready for our family's Thanksgiving meal today :-)

• Today I am thankful for the entertainment of movies & their ability to escape the every day stresses and just relax! Last night we rented the new Pirates movies, tonight I am going to see the new Muppets movie, and Tuesday Maddy and I are FINALLY going to get to see Breaking Dawn!

• Today November 28th I am thankful for my nephews Benjamin & Gabreil. we had a sleepover last night and today we get to hang out all day too!

• Today I am thankful for days off of work for the holidays to spend time with Madeline Eckenrode :-) On our agenda today - swim team, vet, lunch with PSUth ladies (and Dan Henley), and Breaking Dawn!

• And lastly, on this last day of giving thanks I am so thankful that I have so many blessings to count throughout the month. I could have done this exercise for another month or so. It has taught me once again that even the gloomiest day has things to be thankful for and blessings to count!

Prep Day

So this is my favorite day! No, not because I go Black Friday Shopping, but it is my bake & cook all day Day :-) Tomorrow, it is our family's tradition for my family to come down from Tamaqua to eat around our Shippensburg table
This year, we will sadly be missing Dad, Maggie, Andrew, MK, and Sandi from our table - We love you all and will miss you terribly tomorrow as we sit around together and count our blessings. Hopefully, you will be able to rejoin us next year!
On my list of things to prepare today

• mashed potatoes (they will go in the crockpot with sour cream & cheese tomorrow morning)
• turkey (tonight it will get parsley butter shoved under the skin & then placed in the electric roaster overnight)
• pumpkin pie (from scratch)
• Candy Apple Pie
• homemade bread (with a little help from the bread machine)
• green & red cupcakes (those are actually for christmas, but I am gonna bake them today and then pop them in the deep freezer to icing and decorate at a later time)

As I am writing out my grocery list and digging through the recipes to find that 2nd pie I want to make Madeline is watching a FRIENDS episode in the background. It just happens to be one of my favorites (Thanksgiving episode of course) and I hope this NEVER happens to me

Happy Thanksgiving

Today it is such a blessed day! We may not be with all the family that we want to spend the day with but you are all in my heart and my arms are stretching across the miles to give you hugs and love <3

This morning, Madeline ran a 5k in Shippensburg affectionately called the "Turkey Trot". She had ALOT of fun and completed the race in 35 mins 34 seconds WOO-HOO Maddy :-)

Hayleigh Highlands and Maddy

"Run girls run!"

Maddy's finishing time 35:34

the fam @ the Turkey Trot

Football Season

well the last official game of the football season was on Friday night (not counting playoffs that begin next week - which FYI we made!!! Greyhounds went 8-2 this season). We froze a little bit, but it was a gorgeous November evening under the lights with the band putting on a stellar performance and the Greyhounds winning the game 37-13 against Gettysburg.

It is hard to believe that 10 football games/Fridays have just blown right past in the last 2 months! (5 away, 5 home) Maddy has had such an amazing experience already and I am SO proud of all the hard work that she (and all the other band kids) have put in to produce such an incredible field show this year.

I am happy continuing my duty as Band Booster secretary. I have created some great friendships this fall and have loved working with the other officers and band parents to create memories for all our band kids. I know the year isn't finished but at the end of football season is when the obligations of marching band are done (minus parades) and so I won't be as busy with band matters and so I just want to thank everyone who has had a hand in making Maddy's fall band season and mine a wonderful experience!!

Fetch

So we are out in the back yard today and Rocca go tearing off through the back yard to the big brush pile. I ask her what she is up to and when she comes around she has this in her mouth.....

"What do you think Mommy? Can we play fetch? It this good?"

too priceless

   

When she pauses to look up at the screen, you can image her saying "Mommy are you gonna help me with this or just continue to play on that toy of yours?" LOL

If Bayleigh was still alive, she would be at one end of the stick, Rocca at the other and they would be running through the back yard together. 

Boo....and I mean it!

Halloween is here and in case you haven't looked out your windows in the past 72 hrs - our Halloween is a white one this year! tooooooo strange Fall leaves hanging on the trees with snow covering them is just absurd.
Around our house we   We went to the Shippensburg Halloween Parade last Saturday (a nice parade that has expanded from 20 mins the last time I went a few years ago to 1 1/2 hrs!) Maddy of course marched in the parade as an 80s chick while twirling her flag

Did trunk-or-treat at our church on Wednesday (decorate your car trunk, park it in the church parking lot, pass out candy to the kids as they walk from car to car)

No trick or treating for us tonight - maybe just a bag of popcorn and the three of us curled up on the couch watching a scary movie!!

I leave you with an excerpt I am reading to my kindergarteners from a Junie B. Jones book called Boo.....and I mean it! (Junie B. is one of the funniest kids I know so even if you aren't familiar with her books I know you will get a chuckle out of the 5 secrets of Halloween)

5 Scary Secrets that Paulie Allen Puffer told me by Junie B. Jones

1. Real monsters and witches go trick or treating on Halloween. Only they don't even wear costumes. On account of everybody thinks they are already dressed up. BUT THEY'RE NOT! THEY ARE WEARING THEIR REAL ACTUAL FACE AND CLOTHES!

2. Do not carve pointy, sharp teeth into your pumpkin. Or else it will roll into your room while you are sleeping and eat your feet.

3. Bats like to land on your head and live in your hair.

4. Black witch cats can claw you into shreddle

5. Candy corn isn't really corn.

1. 
   
2. 
   

A walk in the woods

A couple of weekends ago, our family along with my brotha Chad and our friends TJ, Devon, Hayleigh, & Hayden went for a hike over at Tumbling Run (part of Caledonia on Rt 233) It was so much fun but there were many challenging parts also. Due to all the rain, there was water laying and running through many parts of the path and where there usually in water it was much higher. The menfolk had to construct a bigger and sturdier bridge to even begin our hike up the mountain to the waterfall

course Hayden took the easy way across Chad's back (I took that route on the way back! haha)

We also brought Rocca along for some good ol' exercise and she loved it all :-)

Once we got up to the top of the water fall, the girls took their shoes & socks off and played - I can only imagine how cold their feet and the water was!

It was a great day hanging out with friends, exercising, enjoying a gorgeous fall day from God, and we even got non-outdoorsy girl Devon to like hiking ;-) cannot wait to do it again!

House Face Lift

During the hail damage storm, our house (like many) took a hit. An insurance appraiser confirmed the fact that our siding was covered with hundreds of little hits along with the window screens. A quick inspection of the roof showed no damage (darn, we could use the money to fix up our roof too!) A check was dispensed, deposited in our account, and there it sat. "What should we do with the insurance money? How can we get the most 'bang for our buck'?"
The rain storms of the late summer/early fall made up our minds for us because our roof had a leak in it on top of our dining room section of the house. No new siding - a roof had now become mandatory. Now, the fun began: we knew that when it was time to replace our roof, we were going with metal. The benefits? 50 yr guarantee, no maintenance, looks new and good always, no rusting, and the superficial reason: it looks cool & pretty! haha
Color? dark blue, avocado green, brick red, battleship gray, ooh the color choices
Our final decision - avocado green :-)
Our contractor (Jason Gamble, BTW here is my little sales pitch for him: AMAZING! He was committed to finishing our job the BEST way possible, efficient, friendly, honest, cost effective, took personal time to finish the job....we would recommend him to anyone & plan on hiring him again to help with other household projects we want to check off our "honey do" list)
No job is complete without a few roadblocks though. Ours? the rain! Jason estimated our roof would take 3 days from start to finish. Our roof took a lil over a week. He came on a Tuesday (with clear skies and a sunny forecast in the future) and the following day there was rain in the forecast for the next four days. Ooh, what a pain.
The finished product: SO worth it!

before

after

RIP Bay Leigh

It is hard to believe that less than 24 hrs ago I was writing about one dog's birthday and now I am writing about the other dog's death. This morning Bay Leigh (our chocolate lab) was hit and killed by a car.
Right now all our family feels is a hole in our hearts. We took off the day from school & work to grieve and bury her. Rocca has spent the day pacing back and forth trying to figure out where she is hiding I think.
Thank you to everyone who has sent their condolences and prayers. They mean the world :-) We lost one of the BEST dogs in the world today.

RIP Bay Leigh Dorito Eckenrode

10.20.09 to 10.04.11

(just shy of her 2nd birthday)

I am borrowing this from Jody's blog

(thanks girl)

The Rainbow Bridge
inspired by a Norse legend
By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
When their time on earth is over and done.
For here, between this world and the next,
Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.
No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
They romp through the grass, without even a care,
Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.
For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
Together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
The time of their parting is over at last.
The sadness they felt while they were apart,
Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.

Happy Birthday Rocca

Today, our German Shepherd, Rocca Mocha Noelle Eckenrode turns 3 (that's 21 to her by the way). It is also her golden birthday (a lot of people actually does not know what this means. Your golden birthday is the year that your age matches the date on the calendar - i.e. today is the 3rd and Rocca is turning 3.)

It seems like just yesterday  we went to a childhood friend of Dan's to pick Rocca out from her litter mates and bring her home (techinally yesterday means the Tuesday before Thanksgiving of 2008). She came from a big litter (don't quote me but it was either 6 or 7 siblings) and picking her out was all on Dan's shoulders. It is one of his christmas presents for the year. We fell in love with her laid back nature, loving personality, and gorgeous coloring & markings (her mother has the normal coloring of a shepherd, but her father is pure black). Off to PetSmart we went to buy her dog food, a kennel, and any other puppy paraphernalia that we thought she would need.

Those first couple of days were crazy. Maddy and I were off for Thanksgiving break and my house turned into a hotel with my parents and siblings coming down to stay for the holiday.

Rocca soaked up the attention and love she could get and from the very beginning we knew she would live up to her breed of being one smart lil dog :-) She was housebroken within a few weeks and graduated "puppy kindergarten"

She has brought so much joy, love, and comfort to our home through the past 3 yrs. She is a lovey dovey, a guard dog, "the boss" and annoying big sister to our chocolate lab

I have no idea what we would do without her.