Rest In Peace, Gerst

Gerst was the best dog any guy could have. He was with me in Evansville, Colorado, Kentucky and two houses in Indiana. He loved Jeanna when she was my girlfriend, fiance, my wife and the mother of our four children. He loved our kids and was gentle and kind to them until the last year of his life He used to sit up in the back ledge of my Buick, until he could no longer fit. He used to love walking in the mountains of Colorado, especially on the Mesa where he romped through the most perfect fields of wildflowers you have ever laid eyes upon. He has been tolerant of children climbing on him, running strollers into him and more than willing to help them get rid of unwanted items on their plates. He was a protector of our house, even in his old age. He once scared an intruder so badly that there was a pile of bags laying in front of our unlocked back door, with two wallets an iPod and a purse laying on the counter by the door untouched. He also caught a bird that flew in the house one time, something I was very thankful for because I have bird issues. Gerst just wasn't himself the last few years though. He was becoming more unpredictable around the kids, and snapping and scratching them. He scratced Jacqueline a few weeks ago and snapped at one of the neighbor girls the other day. He never truly hurt anyone of them, but it was a matter of time before he would have. His swollen arthritic legs were getting worse and worse, and he didn't do much but sleep any more. He hated going outside even on the most pleasant days. While it was probably one of the most sad things I ever had to do, I knew it had to be done. He was humanely tranquilized and euthanized on Saturday morning. I am thankful for the time I had with him but I already miss him greatly. He was a good boy.

Sears Photos

At Sears they now give you a photo CD if you spend a certain amount (and believe me, me always spend a certain amount...) but you are able to print, post or do wahtever you want with your pictures. Here are some of the better ones:

Sears

What's Round On The End?

We are home from a wild weekend in Ohio which was a real treat. We were able to enjoy a nice visit with cousins that we hadn't seen in years adn the small town where my dad and many relatives were from. We went a tiny little festiville in Ragersville, complete with a game where you have to guess which hole a little mouse is going to run into. I haven't had a chance to really look at or crop any of the 150 (!) family pictures we took, but I went ahead and uploaded a few of them anyway just because I thought the cousins would enjoy them. Here goes:

Round On The End

Jeremiah is the youngest of all the Renner Family and it was quite nice for everyone to get to know him. Jillian and Jessica were lucky enough to get to go home to my parents new house for a few days. My sister Jessica will be coming for a visit here soon. Jenn and her husband are gearing up for a new school year just around the corner. jenn will be starting her second year of teaching, and Ronnie will be starting his first.