Officer Hartley...

I have been meaning to get to this post for awhile now but each time I start writing about such happy times and great memories in which my boys are making, I think about Joplin and all the devastation. So, I decided to take a different route with the post-I will make this a thank-you-post and a I-am-so-proud-of-my-brother-post.

My little brother is a police officer for Carthage, MO and has been for about 4 years or so now. Him being an officer, scares me and it is a good thing that I live in KC and not in Carthage because I would worry each and every day he had to go to work. I am not sure how his wife does it and I tip my non-existant hat to her. Growing up, my little brother was a handful and the kind of brother that you often wondered what will he end up doing with his life. Then, while in high school, a few unforeseen events occurred which changed his life dramatically. He went to college, enrolled in the police academy and that was it, he was home. He was doing what he was meant to do and in no time, he was graduating and towards the top of his class. He puts his life on the line daily to protect his community, to serve for his community and now he is volunteering his time to help with the relief efforts in Joplin. He has escorted FEMA around, he has searched for survivors, he has helped those in need of medical care and getting them to the right place-he has done whatever has been needed and I am so very proud of him and I know he has a whole family that is thinking the exact same thing.

Officer Hartley, my boys are very lucky to have you in their life. I only wish we were closer so that they could beat up on their uncle a little more. I have never heard Kaden laugh that hard and now all he wants to do is knock us over with the Big Blue Ball but we just can't play it the same way as you did. We miss you and hope to see you very soon and have never been more proud of you as we are now.