Talking to myself...

I catch it just about five minutes after it starts. Once again I am talking to myself. I think I do it because I am alone so often. Well, not alone I have the kids and dogs but you get my point. The adult interaction has a minimal presence in my life at the moment. And then the thoughts of John flood in...

John is my husbands best friend. I struggled with that last sentence because it was the first time I had to question how to write it. I could have said was his best friend. I decided on is because they didn't have a falling out, John was killed in Afghanistan on February 22, 2011. My husband and John played football together in high school and were also Sea Cadets. When my husband went off into the Marine Corps, John soon did the same. He wanted to be a Marine so bad that is all he thought about. Cpl John Taylor served his country with honor and loved the Marine Corps. Remembering one of the first times I met him, he was young and excited about going off to boot camp. He finished at the top of his class in boot camp and once he hit the fleet he never stopped. He volunteered for deployments which put his time at home scarce. When my husband and I had our first born he was the first person (other than my husband) to hold him. I had an emergency c-section so I wasn't able to hold him for a few hours. I could go on for hours with stories to make you laugh and cry(mostly from laughing so hard). He was a brother to us, as if he was born into our families. When he was a boot (a term that is given to Marines that have not had their first deployment yet) I would check him out of SOI (School of Infantry) as his sister so he could get away from school on the weekends. From the moment I met him he had a place in my heart with his infectious laughter and over protective "big brother" personality.
 John's family, God Bless them, is going through a pain right now I couldn't even begin to fathom. I know John wouldn't want us to be sad. If he were here he would undoubtedly be dancing around spouting off something funny to stop me from being sad. He wouldn't want us to feel so helpless. He would want us to celebrate everything he was and stood for.


I'm going to miss that smile
I'm going to miss you my friend
Even though it hurts the way it ended up
Id do it all again

So play it sweet in heaven 
Cause thats right where you want to be
I'm not cryin cause I feel so sorry for you
I am cryin for me
-Toby Keith "Cryin For Me"




John and his father Mark







A night after too much Chinese take out and video games







Cpl John Taylor returning home







You will be missed Johnathan Wesley Taylor. Life will never be the same without you. Thank you for touching our lives and letting us be apart of your amazing journey. We love you Butters!