Our Special House Guests
Our first in-our-home guests (post-COVID) who weren't family, were our Temecula neighbor Caylie, her darling little girls, and her Mom.
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The Memorial is a unique and stunning tribute to more than 1,400 firefighters who have died in the line of duty since California became a state in 1850. Individuals qualify for placement on the wall if it is officially determined that their death occurred either on duty or as a result of illness or injury directly related to their job. NBC Bay Area shared Saturday's emotional event.
In April 2021, our sweet neighbor lost her husband, Vista firefighter Andy, to a rare and aggressive form of melanoma that took him just three months after he was diagnosed. He was only 33 years old. Sharing this loss continues to break my heart.
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Belching Beaver Brewery created True Grit, an India Pale Ale, last year in collaboration with Vista firefighters, to raise money for Andy's family. The can reads, "We would like to salute Andy, his wife Caylie, and his daughters Lily and Grace. Cheers today and always to the man who stood in the arena with us, who did everything with enthusiasm, and who taught every one of us what it means to live life."%20(Medium).jpg)
During her grieving, Caylie took action and founded the new nonprofit Andy Valenta Melanoma Foundation (AVMF). The foundation’s goal is to spread awareness and provide free, annual melanoma skin checks for firefighters who have a higher rate of cancer than adults in other occupations. She hopes that through AVMF, "her late husband’s name will be remembered not for how he died but for how his foundation saves future lives." So powerful and so emotional. Caylie is one very special woman. What a timely opportunity to be able to host them here in magical Lake Tahoe during this time in their lives.
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Over the four days that our special guests were here, we tried to share as much of our "happy place" with these girls as we could, making magic Tahoe moments for us all. As a parting gift, we were given this incredibly special can of beer.
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1 comments:
Thanks Denise & Steve for being "good neighbors", and for loving on Andy's wife Caylie and the girls and Mom! Lord Bless Them & Y'all! :-))
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