10/23/2026
Off topic post, but its something dear to my heart. Thank you to my client family for letting me take the week off to come out to Pentagon City.
We burried my Dad today. Right below The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. It was quite the thing to see and it was the absolute best send off for him after devoting his entire life to our country.
Im still quite numb I dont think I've fully processed it. For those who dont know, John was not my biological father- I dont know who that is. Him and my mom got married when the Army changed regs to where Commissioned Officer's and Enlisted's could not date. I was 6 when I met him and I went from making Father's Day cards in school and dropping them into the trash on the way out the door to finally having someone to give them to. My Dad was adopted and didnt know his birth parents, so it was something we deeply bonded over. Because of my parents military careers (my mother did 26 years in) my childhood was ANYTHING but ordinary. I grew up coloring in rooms that most civilians will ever only see in movies. It was quite funny actually, growing up everybody joked and said my dad was like the guy from the movie Meet the Parents because none of them really knew what my Dad did for work they just knew he was pretty intimidating. Throughout life I've told stories to my civilian friends, that I think are pretty funny, but most of the time people just assume that I am lying about it all LOL when I was dating Shannon he would tell me you know you don't have to make these things up to impress me I will still love you either way, and I would just giggle and be like why would I lie about this?! Funny story come to find out his CalFire IMT friend Robert Reynolds dad and mine were best friends throughout life! But I can see how as a civilian if it's not something that you are accustomed to dealing with you would think it's all just nonsense. Like the time that we were at SLO for a summer training camp primarily for kids of Officer's trying to get us to enlist or go green to gold and we were riding in a tank and hit this dip sooooo hard while I was in the Gunner seat that I hit my face on the gun mount it sliced my cheek open and I cracked my molar filling and popped 3 of my braces brackets off my back teeth! Leeeet meeee telllll youuuu alllll of the personnel on post were freaking terrified to make the call because they all knew who my Dad was and they thought that I was hurt, but I was just cracking up like givvve meeee the phoooone and I'll tell him- while 13yo me was holding my hand out for a General to hand me a corded phone. Ahhh good times. I used to beeeeg him to take me to work with him and run the halls of the National Guard State Headquarters- OTAG, making my rounds from the fountain to emergency services where my Mom worked under my "Uncle" General Bill Wade, to Lew Forrest and Barry Lee to get candy then up to the Adjutant General's office to see my Mom's Brother and Tammy Arno, to the cafeteria to see Dragon and his wife, to the second floor to my Dad's office and to see Quinto-Beck. I could go on and on, but I think you get it, it was pretty spectacular. Lol perks of your Dad being one of the highest ranked in the building I suppose. He was quite the guy. From the day we met we were thick as thieves and did EVERYTHING together! To the point that they had to send me to a Finishing School because I behaved like a man in the military haha. He gave me my deep love, ok maybe obsession, of clothing-especially SHOES and jewelry! From taking me to cheer to playing the piano at The Governor's Mansion or nursing homes for our Albert Einstein choir field trips he did it all!
He was the first one to put a gun in my hand, we went fishing for our monthly solo "dates" and let me chop the heads off which admittedly most of the time I ended up cutting the whole fish in half and he'd just deep sigh and roll his eyes and say OY VEY what are we goiiing to do with you, he bought me my first ball and glove, he taught me how to drive his old green Dodge on dusty back roads up around Pilot Hill at a questionably young age, because well, as he would say "if you end up driving anything like your mother you're going to need all of the practice that you can get"... if you know you know. When I was like 10 he took me to BofA and we opened my first bank account and then proceeded to teach me allllll about the wonderful world of finance and introduced me to the different vessels that would ultimately get me to where Im at today. With him it was always a crazy combination of Jaima you NEVER depend on a man to pay your way and You better marry someone rich because damn it girl you're expensive lol as I slid his Amex into my pocket and ran off with Maddie and Alena to go play at Arden Fair giggling saying yea yea old man its alllll yourrr fault! He was always "shrinking" my friends making sure they had everything they needed to thrive whether it was advice, clothing, or food he was everyone's DAD and they knew that he had their six and that he'd be there if they needed him. Always teaching lessons at juuust the right moments, but never making you feel dumb in the process.
How do you put into words the deepest amount of gratitude for somebody loving you to the absolute fullest extent when they didnt have to? I dont think I can, but I can say- It was one hell of a ride! Sorry if this wasnt the type of post you expected to read. To me he was more than "The Colonel" as most people in life called him, he was my Dad and so much more than just the guy in the BDU's.
I will love you until the day I die and I'll be forever grateful for you guiding me through life so I got the best possible outcome.
Thank you for being the Dad you didnt have to be.
He was the absolute best.
Spider Legs out 🖤
