So here is my first post of 2008, and I'm afraid it's not a good one. No worries, Tony and I are doing perfect. He is settling in to civilian life a little more each day. I am so very proud of him and I can't imagine what my life would be like without him. Better yet, I don't even want to imagine what it would be like without him. I am truly blessed to be married to such an amazing soldier.

The holidays were better this year with him being home. And it was so great to see D, again. I wish she could've stuck around for the holidays, but she left on Christmas Eve to go back to Cali and be with her husband, which is completely understandable. I was unable to see her off at the airport due to my families Christmas festivities. But I'm sure she knows that I wish I could have been there.

New Year's Eve was already looking like it was going to be a quiet night for Tony and I. However, everything changed around 3:30 pm when Tony was outside on the snowmobile. He received a phone call, which he thought was going to be his parents calling to wish him a happy new year. And to be completely honest, I wish that's who it was and that's what the phone call was about. But life isn't like that. Instead, life has to constantly slap you in the face and wonder if you can handle what's about to happen next. The phone call was from D. Tony came into the house because D was so hysterical he couldn't understand what she was trying to say. So he brought me the phone and told me that all he could make out were the words: parents, fire, Orlando and Prince died. With my heart up in my throat I got on the phone to find out what the heck was going on. I tried to pick my jaw up off the floor while D continued to cry and told me that her parents' house went up in flames while, thankfully, none of them were home. But their 4 dogs had still been in the house. I suppose it would just be easier for me to post a couple of the news paper articles, rather than try to explain everything in my own words.

Salem Observer

Family of four left homeless; two dogs die in blaze

A New Year’s Eve fire damaged a home on Meisner Road in Salem, displacing a family of four.

No family members were in the home, owned by Michael D*****, when the fire broke out, but four dogs were inside, according to Salem Fire Capt. Paul Leischner.

Two dogs were saved. The other dogs, including one that CPR was performed on, died.

On Monday, Dec. 31, a neighbor called 911 to report the fire at 6 M****** Road. Rescue workers were on the scene around 10:20 a.m. and the fire was under control about a half hour later.

The fire appears to have originated in the back of the house on the first floor, Leischner said.

“There was heavy fire damage,” he said. “We knocked it down pretty quickly, but it was a pretty extensive fire.”

The house is not habitable now but it appears that it can be fixed, Leischner said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. The American Red Cross came to the house to provide support to the family.

Windham and Derry firefighters provided mutual aid at the fire, while firefighters from Derry and Methuen, Mass., provided station coverage.

The Eagle-Tribune

Firefighters save 2 dogs, too late for 2 others

By Rebecca Correa, Staff writer

SALEM, N.H. — Two small dogs died during a fire yesterday that left a split-level house on M****** Road uninhabitable.

No one was home when the fire began in the house owned by Michael and Donna D*****, but officials said a rescue effort to save the family’s four dogs began almost immediately.

Two Labrador retrievers were pulled from inside the wrecked home within 15 minutes of the 10 a.m. blaze being reported by neighbors. Two smaller dogs, a poodle and a Chihuahua, were pronounced dead 45 minutes after firefighters arrived.

Officials said it is unclear how the fire started at 6 M****** Road. Although the house was still standing, the interior was badly damaged by smoke, water and heat that left the house uninhabitable, fire Chief Kevin Breen said.

About 20 firefighters from Salem and Windham responded after several neighbors, who were outside shoveling snow, noticed heavy smoke coming from the house and called 911.

Janet Christie, who was visiting one of the D*****s’ neighbors, was one of about three people who were outside and spotted the smoke.

“I looked up and thought it was the chimney, but said, ‘That’s too much smoke,’” she said. “Then I heard a bang.”

Less than 10 minutes after the calls came in, firefighters arrived at the scene.

“I kept yelling at them, ‘Get the dogs, get the dogs,’” she said. “I wanted to run in there and get them, but (her friend) told me not to.”

Firefighters rescued a yellow Labrador first, followed by a black Labrador that required oxygen. About five firefighters huddled over the black Labrador and attempted to save its life.

Breen said the dog was whimpering, but as oxygen began to enter the animal’s system, the dog pawed away the mask and became livelier.

The homeowner’s son was the first to arrive at the house and told officials there were still two more dogs in the house. Firefighters discovered a poodle that they also tried to resuscitate with oxygen, but the dog died from smoke and heat inhalation. They later discovered the final dog, a Chihuahua, dead inside the house.

While the family does have a pellet stove, officials said it did not appear to be the immediate cause of the fire.

Fire Capt. Paul Leischner said the fire appears to have started somewhere on the upper level, near the back of the house. He said investigators were on the scene for about four hours and the investigation will resume tomorrow.

Here are 2 pictures of D's dog, Ebony, being rescued from the fire:

D and I have been calling eachother alot lately. I feel bad though. When she calls me, I'm never sure of what to say. And I am afraid that the things I do tell her, may not be enough to provide her with some sort of solace. That house was my second home while Tony was away. And they are my second family. They were always there for me. They never backed down when I needed a reality check, a shoulder to cry on, or even a place to sleep when I wasn't getting along with my own family. I just can't believe that this happened to them. It's crazy how bad things happen to good people. Why? No one can ever answer that question when it comes to things like this. It's like asking Why does the sun come up everyday? or Why does milk come from cows? And whatever you DO get for answer just isn't good enough because you're always able to respond with.... Why??? The sun comes up everyday so we have light. Well.... why?? Milk comes from cows because that's how God made them and it's always been that way. Why?? And we all wonder why, half the time, we feel like we're going in circles. If we had answers life would be a little less strenuous and a little more worth trying to survive each and everyday that we are fortunate enough to wake up.