Homework with the Holley Pack

The other night I had to finish up a couple of things on the computer for school. Mike was watching TV, so I snuck into the other room so I could focus. Those of you that have children or dogs will understand what happened. It seems like I can't get a lot done around here without the help of my dogs.

Eagle Fire Department Graduation

Saturday March 1st twelve new fire fighters were sworn into service for the Eagle Fire Department. Today was a very special day for Mike and eleven other fire fighters. Mike has been pursuing a fire career for a while and has worked very hard to become apart of the fire service. Today he earned his badge.
The ceremony was awesome! It began with bag pipes, which are always cool. I forgot about taking the video vertically, just tilt your head and you will get the picture.








Deputy Chief Mark Rabdau & Division Chief Gary Voss

Waiting behind the bag pipes were the members of the 2008 Eagle Fire Department Academy. Mike is in the row on the right, the third guy back.

There were speeches and a documentary video of the academy set to great music. I was lucky enough to pin Mike's Fire Fighter Badge to his uniform. Fortunately no one was injured during the badge pinning.

After the ceremony we spent time chatting with the other new fire fighters, friends, and family. Mike's mom, Don, Michelle, and Steve came up from Twin Falls for the ceremony. Our close friends Susie, Wayne, Walker, and Olivia Frisby also attended the ceremony.
Mike in his uniform (with the badge) standing with Engine 41

Mike and D with Engine 41

Cassius.....Busted!

Last night after class I was pretty full of information so I decided to stay up for a little bit and study. Mike had gone to bed and the dogs were hanging out with me. Cassius, being the pathetic creature he is, was mad because Beck had taken the "good spot" on their couch. After minutes of heavy honking, Beck wouldn't budge. Cassius gave up and walked down the hall. A while later I heard snoring and I couldn't determine who was causing such a racket. I went searching for the culprit. I checked the usual dog sleeping spots: the middle of the hallway, the crates, and our bedroom. I found Mike snoring in our bedroom but no Cassius. After further investigation I found him. He was busted! He was so snuggled in he had wrapped his paws around the pillow his head was resting on.



After much groaning and whining on Cassius part he walked back to our bedroom as if I was sending him to the pound. This morning I found him shivering in Beck's crate so I had to tuck him in once again. We have the most pathetic dog!

Horsetheif Reservoir-Winter Hiking

This morning Mike and I decided that we haven't been doing enough activities outside. The dogs were wound up and needed to burn off some pent up energy. We packed up our gear and the dogs and headed for the hills. We drove to Cascade and then took a right and headed toward Yellow Pine. After 8 miles we pulled off the road, released the hounds, and started hiking. We hiked to the end of the reservoir and back. It was a short but fun trip.

Cassius was trying to bully Beck, she got fed up and forced him into a snow drift. He emerged completely covered in snow and with a bruised ego. Beck ran like a maniac and was truly in her element. She would bounce over the high snow drifts to explore off trail and would surprise Cassius by jumping in front of him down the road a ways.

Beck Sprinting

D & Mike

Cassius, D, & Beck

Beck, Cassius, & Mike

The Holley Family Goes To The Hockey Game

This weekend three of Mike's four siblings traveled to Boise to attend an Idaho Steelheads Game. We took up a good chunk of a section. Me being a baby hog, had Peyton on my lap for most of the game. Everyone had a great time and the Steelheads won, which was an added bonus.
Steve & Les


The Family










Danielle & Peyton

Cassius' Protest

This evening after bath time (Beck has pet therapy tomorrow) Cassius was pretty upset that Beck was in her crate and wouldn't let him in to sleep. Cassius has never been a fan of his crate and I find it ironic that he always wants Beck's crate and will sneak in to her crate in the middle of the night if she is sleeping elsewhere in the house. You can see from the video that Beck didn't really care that he was protesting, but the video is funny nonetheless.

Mike's Birthday and General Updates

Mike celebrated his 34th birthday this month. Unfortunately this year he was battling the worst cold he has had since we have been together. He was a good sport and still managed to enjoy going out for dinner with some friends.

The next morning we woke up to a couple inches of snow and it has been snowing intermittently since. Today they are forecasting for snow most of the day and we should see more snow showers the rest of this week.

This week my work schedule went to part time. I am excited to cut back on hours and looking forward to spending more time working with the dogs and getting ready for school.

Cassius and I have been working pretty hard at getting ready for obedience competition. He has made a lot of progress and I am starting to really enjoy working with him. Before it was a struggle to get motivated because he was not excited about working at all. He is getting so much better at heeling and almost struts his stuff. He has learned to stand on command and his fronts are getting a lot better.

Beck and I are still going to the hospital for pet therapy and she loves it. Hopefully she will mellow out a little bit more and start focusing on the patients a little bit more. Right now she wants to sniff every nook and cranny in the hospital.

Mike finished the EMT-Intermediate portion of his fire academy and now they have moved onto the Driver's portion. Mike is looking forward to getting time behind the wheel of the fire engine.

The Holley Pack is looking forward to the opportunities that 2008 will bring.