Melissa

Melissa Ann Blair

September 6, 1965 - March 20, 2009

Today we said goodbye to our dear friend, Melissa. She suddenly passed away shortly after going home from the hospital after having major surgery. Her spirit was strong but her body was too tired to fight the massive infection that took her life. Her passing has left a huge void in our lives. She was loved and will be missed. She loved quirky and colorful, she was engaging and interested in everyone. She was always quick to smile and had a wry sense of humor we enjoyed. One of the favorite gifts she gave to us was a fridge magnet that says; "good friends are like stars, you don't always see them, but you know they're always there!"

Dane's new Durango!

Dane is so happy! He loves his new ride. We looked and looked for what seemed like forever until he found exactly what he wanted (and what would fit his budget). It is a 1999 Dodge Durango.

Dennis took this pic on the first trip out four-wheeling. Dane and his friend, Richard, followed Dennis and I. It was great fun. (See the snow on the ground?)

Just brought the Durango home.

Heading off to work on the first day in his new SUV.

Another Picture? MOM!!!

Snow in Arizona

Yes, it snowed the day after Christmas. This is our backyard...you can sorta see the snowflakes if you look closely. It didn't stay on the ground at our house but we got enough snow to ski on up at Mt. Lemmon.

ICE! Yeah, I know, it's pretty lame. But we rarely see stuff like this in Arizona.

More ICE! (This is a small retention pond near the post office about 5 minutes from our house.)

Christmas 2008

Christmas morning. Dane coming down the hall to see if Santa found us. Sleepy guy!

My boys in their matching jammies. This year it was blue snowmen bottoms and navy t-shirts.

Mom got a new robe! My jammies are pale blue. Dane got me a really fluffly blue robe covered with clouds! I love it!

Yeah, I cheated this year. This is the first year (and last!) we used a kit to make our g-bread house. I think we were all disappointed.

Our mis-matched Christmas tree. Not one ornament matches because we add one new one each year for each of us. Some are handmade but most are snowmen or Santas. It is a tree covered in memories. We love it.

Up close view of our Christmas Village. This is the villagers around a flickering fire by the docks.

This is the piece we added this year. It is 2 boys and 2 girls having a tug of war in front of a big snowman.

Our Christmas Village...getting pretty crowded! Next year might have to get a bigger table?! :)

Arizona Life - November '08

Do you like our newest sticker on the Cruiser?
Our new family motto..."Life is good".
Working hard and enjoying life one day at a time...together!
Some pics of our weekend wheelin' day trips through Coronado National Forest, Rosemont Ranch, Salero Ranch and a pit stop in Patagonia, Arizona.

Dennis really likes this photo of the Cruiser...he was on a hill looking down thru an old dead tree.

Stopped for lunch under a big old tree in the Rosemont Ranch area out near Sonoita, Arizona.

YIKES! The tree looks like it is about to fall on us! (It really wasn't though...just grew out over the wash like that...weird, huh?) Do you know what a "wash" in Arizona is? Hint: it has nothing to do with laundry but everything to do with water...rain water!

Dane in Patagonia Park. We like to get out and stretch our legs here. It was beautiful with the leaves turning color and falling from the trees. This was taken on a perfect Saturday afternoon in November.

Another shot of Patagonia Park. We joke about retiring here. But seriously, doesn't this remind you of small town Utah? Can you see why we like it and feel very comfortable there? I enjoy it because I feel like I am so much closer to home when we go there. And it's less than an hour drive away!

Mom and Lucy playing...

Happiness is...Lucy snuggling with me and tickling me to death! She was playfully poking her nose into my hair and neck making me laugh hysterically. She and I had a blast as you can see!

Home...Paseo Del Tornasol

Just some miscellaneous pics taken from and around our home. Dennis just loves to take pics! We can often find him out in the yard on the weekends with the camera in his hands.

Our Lucy...Lucita Pepita...Lucy Watusi...Ms. Fatty

Truly the most wonderful beagle girl in the world! Isn't Miss Lu Lu beautiful? If only she could talk! We love her and she loves us...we're one big happy family without question.

Thanksgiving 2008

It was just us again this year. Everyone we invited had other plans. But we had a very nice day lounging and cooking and watching football and eating too much food. As you can see, Lucy is a very big fan of Dennis in the kitchen! Whenever there is food involved, she is right there! :)

Lumberjacks Dennis & Dane

Decided to cut down the mesquite tree in the backyard because it was a very trashy tree. It dropped tons of mesquite beans, leaves, and tiny bits of branches all over the place. After Dennis cut it down we discovered it was not a healthy tree and had some sort of beatle living in it, so we were even more happy to have it gone. What a job!!!