Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 104

Hi Team!

I discovered that if my niece happens to be home when I want to use it, I can get limited internet access so here is a surprise post.

I did not sleep well last night, which is not surprisingly.  I was too excited about getting to come to "Brother's Town" and I was switching from afternoon shift to morning shift.  4 hours was the most I got, but I awoke feeling ready to go, surprisingly.  Any way that puts me down 1.  I did drink 2 1/2 quarts today and Pete logged 9,987 steps between rounds of Tarzan today.  At least I am 2 for 3!

Today has been somewhat of a disappointment nonetheless.  I left work at 12:15 as scheduled to head to "Brother's Town".  It is a three hour drive to my brother's fire station from home.  At exactly 1 1/2 hours into the drive I received a call on my cell phone.  It was my assistant.  She informed me that I left my fire coat at work.  As she told me that the realization hit that even worse than going to "Brother's Town" without my prized coat, when there is snow on the ground there, is the fact that my cash for the trip was in the inside left pocket.  And I was too far into the trip to turn around.  SIGH!  Thankfully my assistant is awesome and very trustworthy so she agreed to take my coat with her when she was off shift and to bring it by my house so my husband can retain custody of it.  NONI ROCKS!  I love my staff!  But the next disappointment came soon after.  Wednesday night is drill night for "Brother's Town" Fire and Rescue and I was looking forward to it.  I have pictures from the November Burn to Learn event that I wanted to share with a couple of the guys I met during that trip and I wanted to talk to someone about a donation I was offered by a Snapple representative for "Brother's Town" Fire and Rescue's rehab unit.  Unfortunately, my sister-in-law had some errands to run and forgot it was drill night so she did not get back to the house before my brother had to leave for the meeting.  I could not go because that left  1 year old Bella and 3 year old Joe and their older but not old enough brother John in need of supervision.  SIGH again.  I was planning to leave as soon as she arrived home and meet my brother at the station where drill is held but my sister in law got delayed further and did not arrive home until 8:20, drill was scheduled to be over at 9:00.  And it takes a little while to drive there.  So I didn't go at all.  Sigh.  I survived  but I was disappointed.  On the bright side though, my brother said it was another meeting night rather than drills and that it was more boring than usual.  He said it was a good time to miss out.

And on another good note, we did get a run tonight.  At around 11:15 pm we got called out on an alarm at a residence.  We took off in the dark with lights, no siren because of the time, and headed for the call.  Yay!  A real call!  Turns out it got cancelled before we arrived.  A total BS call, which is actually good because nobody was hurt and nobody's property was damaged and we got to go for a drive with flashing lights.  OK, kind of fun but kind of boring too.  I want to watch the guys work.  But I don't wish harm to anyone so I can live with this.  Already it is more action than I usually see when I visit.  LOL =)

Thanks for reading.  You are all such a great support to me.

Stay safe! 

Hotflash out.

Flashpointz 12/30 Do not read until 12/31 or 1/1 =)

Happy New Year!! (I know it isn't the first, but  you know I'll be away from the computer then and I didn't want to miss out on saying it!!

Stay Safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 -Day 103

Hi Team!

Short post tonight. It is 11 pm and I still have to pack a few more things. I leave right after work for Washougal tomorrow! YAY ME!!!!!!!!!!!!
Time to go play with my brother's family and play in the fire station =D

I drank 2 quarts of water and iced tea today. (Barely, I was too busy to stop and think about drinking) and I logged 12,103 steps with Pete after a really good night's sleep! YAY ME!!!! 3 for 3 =D

I'll be away from the computer until Sunday late or Monday. I promise to catch up the blog when I get back and share any adventures I might have. (Hopefully I WILL have some!)

Stay safe and I'll blog at you soon!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 -Day 102

Hi Team!

As you may have noticed, I added the Jango jukebox to my page. This will allow you to listen to some music that I enjoy while you read my posts. The jukebox should appear to the left of the posts and I've noticed the whole thing doesn't show, but enough of it does that you can operate it. In the lower left corner are two buttons, the larger one pauses the music so you don't have to listen to it, if that is your preference. The smaller one is an arrow and you can use it to advance to the next song, clicking it multiple times as a means of scrolling through them. Just below the buttons it will show you the title of the song and the artist. Let me know what you think of this gadget. Do you like it? Do you hate it, or does it not matter one way or the other to you? It seems to always start with the same song, but there is a good variety of songs to choose from if you scroll through.

I don't have a lot to say today. I'm trying to get to bed soon but here is the daily report.

Pete logged 10,115 steps for me today. YAY ME! I drank no less than 3 quarts of herbal tea and water (YES plain WATER) today. And I got plenty of sleep last night. 3 for 3 YAY ME!

Also, in the last two days, 3 different people have commented that my chin is getting pointy! NOT ROUND, pointy! It is still pretty round but there is a definite difference from 102 days ago! It is so encouraging when people point out changes that they notice.

Thanks for reading and encouraging.

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 -Day 101

Hi Team!

It is Sunday! I get to go back to work tomorrow. Four days off was wonderful. I'll work three more then have four more off. I could get used to a job like that. LOL

I did sleep well last night, but I still felt awful this morning so I did not go to church. I slept in. I did get out to quiz practice in the afternoon though. I've also rediscovered that if I don't resist taking Midol I feel a whole lot better. Not great, but a whole lot better.

I have had two quarts of herbal tea today and I have just started another 20 oz. glass of gatorade. I have no idea how many steps I took today because Pete reset himself when I leaned against a counter. I am guessing I was around 3,000 + steps, about average for a Sunday. I am also getting ready to go to bed. In the morning I have to meet Coach Alex a bit earlier than usual because we are going to change things up and walk at the South Hill mall in Puyallup (pronounced "pyoo al up") instead of at the Tacoma mall that is much closer. I am three for three today. YAY ME!

I have to admit. Even though I still feel pretty crummy right now, I am starting to get excited about my upcoming trip to Brother's Town! I love to go play at my brother's fire station! (of course that isn't blatantly obvious to everyone who reads this blog.) My brother is so good to me. He remembers the passion and excitement he had before he got to start really living his dream of being a firefighter and he both feeds and obliges that for me. He lets me play, but he is an excellent teacher. If there is something for me to learn while I play he is patient and encouraging and lets me learn it hands on. I bet the young rookies really like working with him.

Usually when I go to see my brother there is something specific that I want to learn about. This time, I have no idea what to ask him to teach me. Of course, I don't have to learn anything specific. I could just go and hang out. I love to do that too. My brother loves to spoil me. He reminds me so much of Daddy. I am very proud of the man he has grown up to be. LOL I say that and he is 37 years old! (Sorry bro.)

My sister-in-law is an amazing woman, mother and friend. I love her so much and she is so generous in giving of her self, her time and in giving up some of her precious time with her husband so that I can have it. And she spoils me rotten when I visit. She buys special treats and surprises me with them. I always try to do something special for her while I'm there too. Usually it is that I bring as much food with me as possible and plan/prep the meals so she doesn't have to. I don't know how my brother found such an amazing woman but I am so glad for him that he did! (How many women would let their husband buy a fire engine? -and smile about it?)

My nieces and nephews are pretty amazing too. Genny has become a young woman. I cannot believe how grown up she is now. It seems like yesterday she was a baby. And just day before yesterday when she wasn't even born yet and my brother and sister-in-law were babysitting my son and thinking maybe they didn't ever want kids! LOL

Jimmy is an amazing piano player. He composes beautiful music and plays so incredibly well. I love listening to him play.

Johnny is the chef. He loves to cook. He is also the lover of the family. He gives incredible hugs!

Mark is the scientist. He always has to know how things work and what if...? He has had many moments of "Grrrrrrrrrr" when it is discovered what mischief he has inadvertently caused with his experiments.

Joe is just crazy! He's fearless and fun. And very stubborn! You gotta love him.

Then there's Belle's. (Gabriella) She is such a sweet princess. She is a happy baby and so affectionate. She does happy dances! It is very cute to watch.

I always hate to leave when it is time to come home. Even though a house that has that many children can feel like utter chaos, I just feel so relaxed and at home when I am there!

Well, I had better end this now. Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 -Day 100

Hi Team!

Welcome Laurence, AKA Fireball, my newest team member!!  I am very glad you have joined my team.

It's Day 100!!!!!!!  YAY ME!!!! 

I am very excited that I have been climbing this ladder for 100 days now.  I have made good progress, though I wish I had the self discipline to have done more.  I know that can only come from within and I will just have to give more to get more.  I'm not talking about weight loss, that is coming at an appropriate pace for long term success.  But I could be working a lot harder on the fitness end and I should be doing more to get the sleep issues under control.  These comments are not me kicking myself either.  Just honest observations.  As I've said before, honesty in this blog is a must for it to be useful in reaching my dreams.

Today I did not put Pete back to work.  I felt like #&;%(!!  Sometimes being a woman is not all wine and roses!  Every month, I suffer!  Sometimes it is so bad I can barely do the things I HAVE to do.  Thankfully, this month, the worst of it hit during my days off.  Today I felt like I got run over by the tiller.  In addition, even though I drank my fluids yesterday, today I got a bit dehydrated.  Funny how fast that happens when your body is used to getting fluids and you miss most of them for the first half of the day.  I felt so crummy that I have slept most of the day.  When I awoke from a three hour nap at about 4:15 this afternoon, I felt like I hadn't had anything to drink in a month.  My head hurt and I felt weak.  I knew I needed to rehydrate so I made myself some gatorade.  I hate that stuff, but it works!  Two 20 once glasses later I feel a whole lot better.  The Midol helped too. 

So, I did get plenty of sleep both last night and today.  That is 1 for three.
I did get my fluids, even though the first half of the day wasn't so good, I have now made up for it.  I am at about 2 1/2 quarts of herbal tea and gatorade.  That is 2 for three.  I'm not going to make it in the exercise department so 2 for three is my final score for the day.

Well, tomorrow I hope will be a better day.  And I am looking forward to what the next 100 days of climbing will bring.  Thanks so much for all of your support.  Your words of encouragement and occasional kicks in the posterior are a big help to me.

Until we blog again, stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 99

Hi Team!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Here is wishing all of you and your loved ones a joyous Christmas and holiday season! May the Lord bless you richly with friends, a sense of purpose, good health, provisions for your needs ,the opportunity to count your blessings, the ability to serve others and a sense of happiness.

Thank you to all of you for encouraging me and for sharing yourself with me.

Pete and I declared today an official day off! We will be back on task tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 98

Hi Team!

Another great day for Hotflash. I have no idea how much walking I did today Because everytime I checked Pete was hanging from his tether playing Tarzan. I slept well again. I'm really on a roll! And fluids have not been a problem either. 2 1 / 2 quarts today (though admittedly it was 12oz of eggnog with a little rum. YUM!) I think I can fairly give me 3 for 3 today.

I got my cookies delivered today! YAY ME! And I was brave and boldly introduced myself, explained why I was bringing them cookies and then gave them the cookies I had made along with a card. The cover of the card was this:


Then inside it said:

According to Santa and Mrs.. Claus you have all been very good firefighters this year!

Thank you for all you do for our community.

Merry Christmas from the Myers Family!

And then we all signed it.

I did not get too shy or tongue tangled and the cat did not get my tongue and I did not say anything dumb! YAY ME! I think I'm getting better at this. =)

Here is photo documentation of my exploits. Be warned that the photographer was less than excited to be photographing. It was not his best work. But I love him anyway because he is an awesome son!

Here I am at Station 10 posing for a pic with Engine 10




Here I am delivering cookies at Station 10.



Here I am delivering cookies to Station 15.




Here I am delivering cookies to Station 11.




The firefighters were all very friendly and joked with me. I enjoyed being able to share with the firefighters and I especially enjoyed the fact that my family joined me. I know it is not their cup of tea, but they supported me. = D

I have to get this posted and get to bed. It is 5 minutes until Christmas and I do not want Santa to catch me up!

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 97

Hi Team!

Today was a great day! No an awesome day!

I slept very well for a fourth night in a row! YAY ME!!! =D
I drank 3 quarts today, water and herbal tea.
Pete logged 13,738 steps today! YAY ME!!
I am 3 for 3 WOO HOO!!!

During my walk with Coach Alex today, I ran across a friend. The only fireman I knew as a child who is still working for the fire department in my city, Joe S, was at the mall. When he saw me he said, "Hey! Merry Christmas!" and gave me a great big hug! =) We chatted a bit and he met Coach Alex. I didn't dork out today. I looked his partner right in the eye and held out my hand and introduced myself! YAY ME!!! It was wonderful seeing Joe today. It gave me a real boost.

And, I have been a busy fire buff, firefighter/paramedic wannabe. Look what I did!!!

I baked cookies for three fire stations today.



And I decorated them all by myself.



The firefighter looks a little funny.



Here is the helmet.



The fire engine would look better if I decorated it with icing instead of sprinkles, I think.



The fire hydrant is my personal favorite!



The flag turned out well too.


And of course, Sparky had to be there too!



I love my new cookie cutters. I had a lot of fun. The hard part will be trying to decide which three fire stations I will bring cookies to tomorrow.

Until we blog again, stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 96

Hi Team!!

I am amazed that I have had three good nights in a row! I could really get used to sleep! LOL Pete recorded 8440 steps today, though I know he reset at least once. I drank two quarts today, barely. I'll try a little harder tomorrow, but still I'm 3 for 3! YAY ME!

I finally got my Christmas decorations up today!! I love my little 4 1/2 foot tree with my four hallmark ornaments: snoopy fireman (a gift from one of my staff), 1956 Chevy firetruck (a gift from one of the kids I serve at work), snoopy and woodstock camping and snoopy's "Joe Christmas". I have other ornaments, of course, but these are my newest ones. I just love Christmas and was feeling a little blue as my family and I had not gotten around to working our way through our spare room (translate, disorganized storage shed)to get to the attic to get our Christmas things down. Now that my son, who keeps saying, ("We don't need to decorate for Christmas" and "I'm glad we don't have a tree")took the time to dig it out and haul it down, I feel so much better! It's funny how teenagers can make you want to slam your head in the door one second and make you melt faster than a snowball on a hot woodstove the next.

Now I just have to buy a few more things, wrap 80% of them and bake cookies!

Until next blog, stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 95

Hi Team!

I slept well again last night and that was even after staying up late being a night owl. It felt good to get back into my walking routine today after last week not going so well for that. Pete recorded 13,461 steps today. I also made a point to do some steps today when I found some available to me and I had time. YAY ME! It wasn't all at once, because I was working, but I took the stairs ten times just to do it. I have had lots of herbal tea today too, and some juice and milk. That put me at about 3 quarts of fluids today. I am 3 for 3 again! :D

On a personal note, my son surprised me tonight. When I got home I discovered that he and his girlfriend had wrestled their way through the jungle that is our spare room, crawled up into the attic and brought down all the Christmas stuff. We will be decorating after all. We had talked about not doing it because it was going to be so much work to get to the stuff and lots of excuses were made by all three of us. I am so thankful that my son did this. Now I am getting excited again, for Christmas!

Thanks for cheering me up, team!

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 94

Hi Team!

THis will be a short report only because I should be in bed.

Pete recorded 5,928 steps today. Pretty good for a Sunday. I drank two quarts today and I slept extremely well last night. YAY ME! Another 3 for 3! =D

Although it is technically tomorrow already, (12:38a.m.) I will be able to get plenty of sleep because I don't have to work until noon. The only other obigation I have is to meet Coach Alex and walk! And I am SO looking forward to that after this last week!

Thanks for continuing to encourage me. The doubt monster has been lurking again. It's because my knees and hips have been hurting a lot lately. But I'm not letting him win! I WILL over come this. I really think stairs are the answer. Well, stairs and Prayers!

Until we blog again...

Stay SAFE!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 93

Hi Team!

I slept about 7 hours last night! YAY ME! I have had about 2 1/2 quarts of herbal tea and water today. I looked at Pete's log and he claimed 5,672 steps today. Pretty average for a weekend I think, which is funny because I was out and about Christmas shopping for a good portion of the day. At least I can say I am three for three today! :D

I don't have anything interesting to tell you so here is a pic from the Awards Ceremonies I attended for the TFD recently:

Here are some of our crew. (Left to right) Bob, Du-Mike, Kathay, Wilby (TFD Chaplain, not Fire Buff), Me and Cat who is our President.



Good night and stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 92

Hi Team!

Today was an awesome day for me. I had one of the best days at work ever. Mr. and Mrs. Claus paid a visit to my kids today and made even the most cynical and skeptical of my kids question their beliefs that Santa isn't real. I mean, these two were amazing! (although, Santa admitted his beard and mustache are a little loose after 7 years of wear!)Time to grow new ones! =D



Unfortunately, I did not go to bed as planned last night. I found some fire department stuff from my own town, posted by an onoffical Buff and got sidetracked. I didn't go to bed until 11:30 =( (Bad Hotflash!)
But I did log 12,563 steps today and Pete was a very good pedometer. I didn't catch him playing Tarzan even once today! (good Pete!) And fluids were not a problem either. Probably because I ate a lot of salt today. I started my day at 4:45 this morning with 8 jumbo stuffed green olives! (When I was pregnant many MANY moons ago, my hubby bought them for me by the gallon because I'd eat about 14 every morning when I got up at about the same time I did today! -But I am NOT pregnant!) Then we had pizza for lunch at work today as a reward to the kids for doing so well in our fundraiser. I have had nearly a gallon of water and herbal iced tea today. So I AM 2 for 3 at least! And I didn't have one drop of Cherry Pepsi =D

I had a little time tonight and found a link on the Crusty Jakes website that I enjoyed. It's on YouTube. It is not fire department related, it IS police department related.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_risJzuR2E

(Cut and paste into your browser)

The first part (12 days of Christmas) is funny. The rest (White
Christmas) is boring. Just telling you that ahead of time so you don't
waste your time thinking it has to get better. It doesn't! (If I knew someone on that Dept. it might be more interesting) But as I
said, the first part is great!

Here's another cool video I found:

Go to http://www.eastcofire-rescue.org/Photos.htm

(again, you will probably have to cut and paste into your browser)

Click on Slideshows\2008 ECFR 1.wmv


More fun though is the next one.

Slideshows\2008 ECFR 2-3.wmv That is "Firefighter SUV" by Hannibal
Burress but it is put to pictures of an actual fire department.  It is hysterical. At least, we fire types think so.

Okay, that's the scoop so I'm gonna watch some Emergency! (Yay me!!)and then go to bed. (No bedtime on Fri nights!!)

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 93

Hi Team!

It is a quarter to nine and I intend to write this post, read a few posts from the blogs I follow and be in bed by 10!

I had a really good, but long day today. I started work at 6 this morning and got off at 6:15 this evening. I had about 12 minutes for lunch, and the rest of the time I was busy! But I still managed to drink 3 quarts today and got in at least 9,960 steps. And I slept WELL last night! YAY ME!! I do believe that makes me 3 for 3! Woo Hoo!

In fire dept. related news: Well, it isn't exactly fire DEPT. news, but fire stuff related. My bro posted on the crusty jakes web site links to his blog and facebook group for Engine 17. The Jakes are SO cool!!! They have started to offer him suggestions on how to get things he needs for ol' Engine 17 and offering to send him stuff their dept. is discarding, and talking about coming to meet him and deliver them, for a bribe. I feel warm and fuzzy all over!!!

Oh, and today, while I was shopping spending petty cash for work, I also picked up stuff to decorate cookies! Hopefully I WILL get around to making them! I think it will be very fun to share them with the firemen.

Ok, if I'm gonna get to bed at the planned time, I have to go!

Take care and stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 92

Hi Team!

I had plenty of time TO sleep but got very little! I was so tired yesterday that after work and choir practice, I came home and completely forgot to blog! Sorry.

Well, I am going to count myself 1 for three for the sleep because I at least tried to get more than enough. It wasn't my fault I didn't sleep much. I went to bed 2 hours earlier than usual. I drank all my fluids, YAY ME! (about 2 1/2 quarts). My assistant at work has really been a help with that. She just makes sure my water bottle is near me at all times. I don't even ask her to, (in fact I never have asked her to) she just does it. :) I logged 4741 steps on Pete yesterday but he is still up to no good. I found him off playing Tarzan more often than not. I'd say that fairly, I am three for three.

I did not get to the stairs as I was hoping however. I just didn't get time because it is a very busy time at work and I took the time to get some more of my Christmas shopping done. TOday will be no exception in that department. (Both being busy with work and getting more shopping done!)

Anywho's that is about all I have to report. I have to go to work now. Thanks for following me and encouraging me. You are all awesome!

Stay safe.

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 91

Hi Team!

First, thank you to 911R and to my friend Kenya (who doesn't follow my blog, at least if she does I don't know about it). Both of you have given me the lift I needed to get out of my recent slump. And 911R I'll lay off the cherry pepsi. I knew I shouldn't have the one I had a while back. It made me want it again! Thanks for the encouragement.

Firelady, I am jealous of the warm weather you have been enjoying while on vacation. It was bitterly cold here for a while. It is warmer now. Sad when 34 feels balmy! I hope you enjoyed every minute of it.

Today was a good day. I got a lot done at work and I drank all the fluids I needed, about 2 1/2 quarts. I didn't get great amounts of sleep last night, but I tried, I even tried the mp3 last night, but it didn't work. I did get a nap today though. I walked about 5,108 steps, that Pete logged on top of who knows how many that he didn't. I think that qualifies as three for three.

I have not done stairs in quite a while because the ones I used for my work out are outside and it has either been bitterly cold or quiet wet on the days I have been out. Tomorrow I think I will take the time to do some stairs in the school where I run my child care program. I can tell in my knees that I need to keep doing them. I cannot afford to have weak knees!

I need to start working on the upper body strength. If anyone has any good ideas of things I can do around home, without equipment or with stuff around the house, I would greatly appreciate the suggestions. \

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you all, I got new toys day before yesterday!




I can't wait to use them. When and if I find the time to do so I am going to mix them in with Christmas cutters and make some cookies for my local firemen!

It is early and I am hoping to get to bed early tonight so I am going to wrap this up and finish up my lesson plans for January, which are due tomorrow. Then I hope to get some SLEEP!

Thanks for all the kind words of encouragement. My team rocks!!

Stay safe

Hotflash out

Hi Team!

I am going to keep this very short, sorry about the boring factor, but it is amost 11 and as you know I get up at 4:30.

I did sleep pretty well last night and in fact would still be sleeping if I had not set my cell phone as well as my alarm clock. Apparently I failed to reset the alarm clock last time so it didn't go off. But I awoke to the sound of Klaxons! (they are an obnoxious way to wake up, by the way!)

I drank 3 quarts today, though admittedly some of that was (gasp) Cherry Pepsi! I have been feeling a little discouraged and blue the last several days and I am starting to realize that my actions are reflecting that.

I did not get my walk in today because of the weather situation here and Coach Alex cancelled on me and I had a ton of work to do. I should have gone anyway as I cannot go wed or fri this week due to work. Pete only recorded 3,783 steps today, but in my defense, he did slack off a lot! I'm telling you, Squad 6 is calling Pete's name!

I guess that made me 2 for three, barely -kind of pushing it on the sleep thing. It looks like it will be a week of two's at best so I had better make them strong twos!

And that means bed... NOW!

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 90

Hi Team!

I am reporting a day late again. I HAVE to stop doing that!

Day 90 was a great day for me. I didn't break any records or over achieve any goals or anything like that. In fact I was feeling sick most of the day. The great part was that I slept!!!!

I had 9 hours of down time to sleep and then played hooky from church and slept some more. I went to church when the service was over so that I could attend the next to last choir practice before our holiday performance but then I came back home and had more rest, and even skipped quiz practice. It felt GOOD! =) Sometimes I get SO tired that sleep just won't come (unless it is totally inappropriate) and when I finally get a good long period of sleep it feels so amazingly good. Now I feel human again. (And I didn't have to resort to the mp3!! Yay me!)

I drank 2 1/2 quarts of peach tea during the day too. I didn't get that much exercise though. Pete only logged less than 1000 steps, but I know he was teasing. He has been playing Tarzan from his tether a lot again lately. I guess I will have to take him back to Washougal and threaten him with Squad 96 again! Shucks, now I have an excuse to go. =) hee hee

I guess I am two for three for the day. Coach Alex already cancelled on me for our Monday morning walk so I am going to take it easy then too. We have snow on the ground, though not much. People around here freak out at the sight of snow. It's really quite silly if you ask me. Sigh.

Until later, Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Days 88 and 89

Hi Team!

I am SO tired. I worked until 10:15 last night which is why I didn't leave you my post. Sorry. When I got home I was so tired but I did not sleep well. It had been a long and busy day for me. I drank lots of water and juice Friday, close to a gallon, I think. My assistant kept bringing my water bottle to me, every time I set it down so that helped a lot. Unfortuntely, Thursday night did not bring much sleep so I bombed in that department. Pete did a good job though, logging 10,497 steps today by 10:00 pm. That made me 2 for three on Friday.

Saturday I had to get up at 6 am because my mother in law was picking me up at a quarter to 7 for our annual Christmas shopping day! This is a tradition we have shared for 14 years, since my son was a small boy. Sometimes it is just the two of us, sometimes my son joins us. This time my son and his girlfriend joined us. We use cell phones to communicate and split off in our own directions where ever we go to get our shopping done. Before we all had cell phones, we used Motorola talkabout radios. The cell phones are certainly more reliable! Anyway, the short of it is that throughout the day I drank about two quarts of water and iced tea, as well as a grande gingerbread latte at breakfast and 2 cups of hot herbal tea at dinner. Yay me!!! I did not sleep much at all and now I am a living zombie as I write this to you. Therefore, in the interest of wrapping up for bed I'll keep this short.

Pete kept hanging from his tether shouting "WooHoo!" and therefore logged only 4,941 steps even though I wore him the entire day. I drank lots and I slept very little. That makes me 2 for three again. Now, I am going to bed because I cannot think straight and keep writing crazy things as I drift off in front of the monitor.

If this post doesn't make sense, hopefully I will notice that the next time I log on and I will fix it. It happense because I am too far gone to try and edit is myself tonight.

Take care and stay safe!

Hotflash out!

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 87

Hi Team!

Tonight's post is short and boring. It's late and I need to sleep.

I drank 2 1/2 quarts of fluids today. Pete logged 7,593 steps and I slept about 6 hours. And napped during the day. That puts me at 3 for three today. YAY ME!!

Just to warn you, I probably won't post tomorrow and hopefully I will remember to post Saturday. I work until 10pm tomorrow (my usual split shift beginning at 6 am, second half ending at 6 pm and then 4 extra hours for a special event.) Then on Saturday I have my annual Christmas shopping event with my mother-in-law from 0'dark thirty in the morning until 0 dark forty-five at night. It usually includes Starbucks in the a.m., lunch out and fancy dinner out. Very fun, very tiring!! I love my special day with my mother-in-law. She's a wonderful lady!

FD related info: Today I finally got to see the ff dad of one of my child care kids who got promoted to Captain last week. I enjoyed congratulating him and got the biggest smiles and thank yous! He is the reason I got the patch. He saw the stack of them at the awards ceremony and told his daughter to make sure she brought me one! His promotion officially begins Jan 1 with his first shift as Captain on Jan 4. He tells me the patch is collectable as the department is merging with another and the patch will not be used any more. Very cool that he thought of me. :D Even more cool that he got a well deserved promotion.

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 86

Hi Team!

I am very happy to report that even though I caught Pete slacking many times today (hanging from his safety tether instead of clipped to my waistband counting steps) I still logged 14,713 steps! YAY ME!!!! =)
I stopped paying attention to my fluid intake after 3 quarts today. And I got an average amount of sleep last night. (Code for not enough but not less than usual -maybe 5 1/2 hours). I guess that makes me 2 for three if I'm being honest, and that was one of the "rules" I made for this blog. Sigh! But I walked 14, 713 steps plus the ones Pete didn't count!! Did I mention that? Since my goal is 10,000, that almost makes me 2.5 for 3 doesn't it? NO? Well, it ought to. :)

Nothing else to report today. Sorry. How cold is it where you are? I have been going to work in the mornings with the temp between 13 and 17f, before the wind chill factor. The most it's warming up to is the mid twenties by about 2:00 pm. BBBBRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! At least it has been dry... NO scraping windows! :D

My poor guys (I claim the entire Fire Department) are running a lot of calls for broken pipes! And houses filled with smoke due to homeowners/renters forgetting to open the damper when they use the fire place. DOH!

Well, I need to sleep! Stay warm and above all, Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 85

Hi Team!

Today was a mixed bag. I did well on my fluids almost 3 quarts, not as well on my sleep but not horrible. I logged 4,454 steps with Pete. Nothing remarkable, but an average day for a non-workout day.

The part that was hard today was just what our community is dealing with. I found out that officers from other communities have been patrolling the streets of Lakewood offering our Lakewood officers time to grieve. That is just the nicest thing I've heard in a long time. OUr city streets were busy today with all the police, fire and EMS vehicles making their way to the procession. Every where I went today there was heavy traffic. The procession took four hours from McChord to the Tacoma Dome and I heard people say there were Fire/EMS vehicles from Wisconsin, Canada, and all over! Of course there were even more police vehicles from all over our state and neighboring states. Canada had at least 1,000 Royal Mounties in uniform here. The show of support has been truly amazing.

The Crusty Jakes posted links to much of the memorial service and to scenes from the procession on their website. THe memorial was very moving, especially the roll call. It finally caused me to cry, which I have needed to do since I saw it directly affect children I work with, but have been unable to do until now.

Papa John's Pizza chain has offered 100 % of the profits from today and tomorrow to go to the fallen Lakewood Police Officers Memorial fund and I have to tell you, they were swamped today and had to cut off requests for orders. I am sure tomorrow will be no different.

Please send your prayers to the family friends loved ones and co-workers of those fallen officers for peace and comfort. And that somehow they would still be able to find some joy in the holiday season. I pray too that somehow through this horrible tragedy, God would be glorified. He didn't want this to happen but he knew that it would and he can use it in ways that will bring healing to others.

Also, don't forget to pray for the baristas and customers who were present.
I understand that the baristas have not worked and have no income. L&I may cover them somehow later, but that will take a while to process and it won't help with the post traumatic stress. Also the businesses in that strip mall all are suffering as a result of the incident.

Thanks for your prayers.

Stay safe.

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 84

Hi Team!

Today was a good day for me. I did a lot of walking today. Pete recorded 12,150 steps! Yay me!!! I also drank about 3 quarts of fluids today and I slept very well last night. YAY ME! 3 for three.

Today was the day. I am three months in. I hated to look but I weighed and measured today. I am down to 189 pounds. That is 12 pounds from starting, but 15 total pounds lost because I actually gained 3 at first. And then I measured myself. Here are the results so far:


Day 2 Day 28 Day 84

Chest 39" Chest 38" Chest 37"
Bust 48" Bust 45" Bust 44"
Waist 48.5" Waist 44.25" Waist 41"
Hips 54" Hips 52" Hips 51"
Upper arm 14" Upper arm 14" Upper Arm 13.5
Thigh 25" Thigh 23 " Upper Thigh 23"

That makes another 6 3/4 inches lost for a total of 19 1/4inches lost!! I cannot tell you how good that feels. Next weigh and measure in: Day 112.

I had a little disappointment today too though. The cold weather (it is in the 20's here) made me have to take my inhaler. I am trying to rid myself of it completely. I only use it a few times a year. Stress rarely brings on an attack any more. Exercise has been safe so far, though I haven't gotten into heavy cardio. But this damn cold air is tough. I know I have to beat this if I ever even hope to go into firefighting which I will have to do if I want to be a paramedic in the fire department. I keep thinking if I get the weight off it will go away. I know that is one theory out there and I am clinging to that. Well, that and the fact that GOd has cleared all the obstacles I have come up against so far so this shouldn't be any different. I know he put this passion in me simply because I have had it basically all my life and it hasn't gone away. And because he does send me encouragement regularly and removes obstacles. Sometimes I think talking about it, or writing as the case may be, will make it go away. As if I can will it away but only if I verbalize it. Well, in any case, please pray all you prayer warriors. My brother beat asthma. I have only had a mild case of it. I can beat it too.

On a humorous note: one of my little girls at work was talking to some other kids there, while sitting next to me when I was playing a game with another child. The little girl said, "Mrs. Myers wants to be a fighter farter!" We laughed so hard we cried! She didn't mean to get tongue tangled, but "firefighter" can be a mouthful, especially if you are prone to talking to fast. She was embarrassed that she said it but even she later told her mom about it and that it was funny. I told her not to worry about it. We all say silly things sometimes. I just thought I would share it with the team though. We can all use a good chuckle sometimes.

Well, it is 10:00 and time for bed! Good night and stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 82 and 83

Hi Team!

Welcome to my newest team member, Firelady! I am very happy to see you have joined the team. You might find this blog more interesting if you read the first several posts, way back there! They tell the story of why I am here now.

Okay, so I am a slacker. I did not post on Saturday or Sunday. I really didn't have much to say, but that is no excuse. The purpose of this blog is accountability and if I am not blogging, that goes out the window. That said, I'm sorry.

Okay, Saturday: I slept much better last night than the night before. The dog was settled and not doing laps on my stomach and chest, thank God! I drank nearly 3 quarts of water and sugar free peach iced tea drink (no caffeine) today. I was especially motivated to drink because keeping well hydrated helps me sing and I was supposed to sing at church Sunday.. Pete said I walked 5,603 steps. That made me 3 for 3! YAY ME!

I don't have any fun fire department stuff to report but since I had nearly a week of it all at once, I guess some down time is good too. I'm still on a high from the week.

Now, Sunday: Last night I had 8 yes EIGHT whole hours of sleep!!! Yay ME!!! It felt SO good. I drank almost 3 quarts again today and I sure can tell a difference when I drink enough. I just feel better. I am starting to think that dehydration contributes to my problem of falling asleep whenever I sit still.

Pete said that I walked 5, 176 steps, but I know he is only kidding. I walked around the mall for 3 hours today playing Where's Waldo. 12 of us from church submitted "mug shots" then altered our appearances minimally to "blend in" at the mall. The youth group had a paper with all 12 of our mugs on it and had to search the mall looking for us. When they thought they might have found one of us they had to approach and ask, "So, what kind of deodorant do you use?" If they truly found the right person the response they would get was, "Is that how you found me?"

It was loads of fun. But I know that Pete reset himself at least twice today so I have no idea how many steps I really took. Either way, I am 3 for three on Sunday too.

Again, no fire department stuff. It's okay though. At least I am an official member of the Fire Buff Battalion now. I can't wait until my first fire! (but I guess I'll have to!)

That's all for now.

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 81

Hi Team!!!!

I am really happy today, can you tell?!!!!

First the boring parts: I drank my fluids today, well nearly. I didn't exactly keep track but I am sure I am in the neighborhood of two quarts. I didn't sleep well last night, but it was not for lack of trying. My hubby left to go hunting last night and every time I fell asleep my little dog pestered me by barking, whining or walking on my chest and stomach! But Pete recorded 6,388 steps and that was when I had a lot of sitting today so I am pretty happy with that result. 1.5/3... I can live with that today.


Ok, now the fun stuff!

Today was the final day of the Fire Department Awards Ceremonies. As I drove there I realized that I was being followed by two fire engines who were also headed to the event. I approached the driveway to the training center, put my blinker on and... drove right past!! I dorked out in my car!! It is bad enough to do it when face to face with the firefighters, why did I do that??? I felt even worse when I had gotten turned around and came back. Pulling into the parking lot, the crews from both engines saw me. It's pretty hard to miss me when my license plate is MOMMY! There was no doubt that I was the crazy broad who put her blinker on to turn and then didn't!! SIGH

I got to attend more of the ceremonies today than any other day of it. As the week progressed, the speakers were more and more entertaining in their presentations of the materials. Poor guys, they had to present the same materials several times a day for four days! I have to say that they really did do a good job and it was great to see so many happy firemen every day. I really enjoyed getting to meet the FD brass and appreciated how welcoming everyone was. The Fire Buffs certainly are appreciated and loved. I am very proud to be a part of this group. And that brings me to my next bit.

Tonight was our Fire Buff's Christmas Party. The fire department's top brass was there and the Fire Buffs were there, of course, along with friends/family. There were not as many people there as we expected, but having just had the recent set backs within our leadership, I guess that is to be expected. We can and will bounce back. (I know I have been vague about details and I think it is best I stay that way. Suffice it to say every organization has its ups and downs and we are no exception.) Despite the lower turn out than usual, I think a fun time was had by all. There was lots of friendly bantering and cajoling as was to be expected. Mike did an excellent job at selecting table decorations which were given away as prizes after the event was over and I am happy to have taken one home for myself and they gave me an extra for my mother-in-law. I offered to buy it but was told to just take it.

Our president pulled a fast one on me and officially introduced me as a new member. This was what I have been waiting for, dependent on the background check coming back. I was set up to be "honored" tonight and was of course expected to give a small speech. I hate public speaking and half the group was fire department people! AAAACCCCCKKKKK!!! I just gave them the short short short version of why I joined the Buffs and what direction I hoped to go. I survived. Nobody at all believes I am shy. Cat (the president) made a pointed reference to that and announced that they cannot shut me up! That part is kinda true, I have to admit. Get me talking about something I am passionate about and I can't stop.

We held a small silent auction with the intent of putting the money into the club funds, but in light of the four murdered police officers from Lakewood, we voted on the spot to donate the funds to the memorial fund for them their families. My first official vote, and it felt good to be part of such an important one!

From that auction, my dad bought three shirts and some glasses among other things. He gave me my pick of the shirts. They were all from the Philadelphia Fire Department and I chose one from the station in China Town. It is a medic's shirt. Perfect. Dad gave me the coffee mug and glass mug also from the Philly FD and a Philly FD patch that was inside one of the glasses.

In the gift exchange I received a very nice FDNY 9/11 memorial T-Shirt. And happily, although it was a round robin style exchange, nobody tried to take it from me!

The only real bummer of the evening is when the Chief had to leave early, just when he was about to perform the installation ceremony for our new officers. Apparently he had a sick child. I sure hope his kid feels better soon. The Chief is a very nice and jolly man. He seems to always be smiling and joking around. He gave Cat a "Chief's Coin" for me. It is a nice heavy collectable coin. It has the TFD logo on one side and a memorial design for fallen firefighters on the back. The back also says, "Teamwork Professionalism Integrity IAFF Local 31." Cat tells me it is very important to keep it on my person at all times. She says if I was out for drinks and someone laid one on the bar and I did not lay mine down, I would be the one buying the rounds. This is apparently fire department tradition. Also the coins are blessed by the chaplain.

The very best part of all of this is that my dad was able to come and share the evening with me. I was very excited to have him join me and meet my new friends. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself, too.

Before I wrap this up, I want to add one more thing that made my day today.
One of my kids, whose dad is a firefighter, came up to me to let me know she would not be coming after school today. She said, "ButI have a present for you." Her dad works for the Edmonds Fire Department and was promoted to Captain last night. Apparently while she was attending the ceremony or dinner that was held for him, she got an Edmonds Fire Department patch which she presented to me. What a sweetie! That is the third fire department related gift my kids have given me this week. I am so blessed and I really feel the love.

I must get some sleep because it almost time to get up again! Until next time, stay safe!!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 80

Hi Team!

Today was a great day. I had a wonderful time at the Fire Department Awards Ceremonies today for A shift. Even if I did only get to stay for one section. I had a repeat of Tuesday's lunch. No complaints here, I still love Italian food. Firemen DO know how to eat!

Pete says I walked 6,009 steps today. YAY ME! I had almost 2 quarts of fluids today, not quite. I guess that makes me only 2 for three.


Ok, I was planning on posting my Washougal pictures and I have spent two hours working on just that. When I posted, only half of each pictures showed and I discovered that I will have to go back into photobucket and resize all the pictures then put a new posting together. That will take time and it is time I don't have right now. If you are feeling disappointed, please know that I am VERY disappointed to have put that kind of time in with nothing to show you yet. Please continue to be patient. I WILL get them posted eventually. I promise!

One more day of Fire Department Award Ceremonies tomorrow. YAY ME!!

Until next time,

STAY SAFE!!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 79

Hi Team!

Today was not the best day. Being peri-menopausal really sucks sometimes! I have felt like crap all day. Enough said.

I did drink plenty of fluids today and I slept fairly well and a resonable number of hours. Well, maybe not reasonable, but a number I can live with, one of my better nights.

Due to a number of reasons, three of which being that a) I had a half day and therefore had to go back to work early, b) I felt so badly and c) I had a friend that really wanted to meet so she could vent, I did not go walking to day. Pete says I still walked 5,397 steps today. YAY me!!

Although I have been good about going recently, I won't be going Friday either because I will be attending the Fire Department Awards Ceremonies.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I removed the patch from my fire department jacket, as I said I would. I do not want anyone thinking I am pretending to be something I am not. It looks naked without a patch on the arm. :( I am looking for a "fire department volunteer" patch to replace it. I can get one through the Roberts Company on line for two dollars, but minimum shipping is 6 dollars so it will have to wait until I need something else from them too.

Here is a picture of me in the jacket with the McChord Fire Department patch on the arm.



And here is a rather scary picture of me with the jacket after removing the patch. Notice the sleeve looks naked.



Well, gotta go. Kid needs to finish homework and needs the computer.

Stay safe.

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 78

Hi Team!

Wow time has gone by fast. Day 78? Already?

Let's see, boring stuff first. I slept well last night, although I still did NOT want to get up this morning. I have had very close to 2 quarts to drink today, that isn't as good as usual, but it will do. My steps, according to Pete, were 5,584. Not great but not bad. I say that gives me a 3 for three today. YAY ME!

Now the fun stuff. Today was the first day of four that the annual fire department Minimum this year. Cat and Bob, our fire buff president and husband, introduced me to a lot of officials today and several of them spoke to me briefly after our initial introductions making me feel very welcome. You can really feel the love if you are a member of the Fire Buff Battalion. The firefighters and the brass both really like having us around. I am proud to be a part of it. The Fire Buffs were presenting one of the awards, the "pan on the stove" award. We gave it out in response to a contest we had between the shifts to submit recipe's for a cookbook we are trying to make. I learned quite a bit too.



I learned more about budget woes than I care to have. I also learned that our fire department has just gone through a special accreditation process and is now an accredited department. (Sadly I could not tell you in detail what all this entails, but I can tell you that the department is very proud of its accomplishments. And they showed pictures of some of the new rigs our department has purchased.

Here is Engine 3 Front view


Engine 3 Front/side angle view


They also fed us very well. Chicken Marsala, some sort of baked pasta dish (not lasagna but similar) salad, fruit salad, rolls, soda, coffee, cookies, mandarin oranges.

THe best part of the day was when I got to meet Joe Stiles between programs. Leiutenant Joe Stiles. Joe was a paramedic at the fire station I grew up near. He was one of the friendlier firefighters I got to know during that time. I introduced myself to him and was surprised that he did indeed remember me, and that I had a brother, whose name he struggled with but then came up with on his own, except he said the third and that is my dad, my brother is the fourth, FJB. We had a good chat and he was very pleased that my brother became a firefighter. Lt. Stiles just joined the fire prevention management team so his job is ever changing.

It was a great day. I cannot go tomorrow but I am planning on going on Thursday for part of the ceremonies and on Friday for most of them.

Well, now that I am learning to post pictures, you will see more soon. Like pics from my Washougal trips!

I must be trotting off to bed now!

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 77

Hi Team!

Today was a good day. Kathy, one of the fire buffs, asked if she could join us on our walk so we happily had her meet us at the mall today. We had a good walk and talked up a storm as we usually do!

I drank about 2 1/2 quarts today between water, juice and tea. I slept well last night and Pete recorded 11,993 steps today! Yay me! That makes me 3 for three today. =)

Then I did something that really made my day, maybe the month! On a whim I stopped in to a thrift store. Now, usually it is unheard of to find anything related to any fire department, but without looking for that, I found three items! THREE! The first is my favorite. I found a Firefighter's jacket, the fancy warm kind with the patches on the arms, the inside pockets, etc. THe patch was McChord Fire Department. I tried it on. It was a bit snug but not uncomfortable and I could zip it closed. The price tag said it was only 5.99. And then I heard the most beautiful words. The lady at the register said over the loud speaker that the entire stock was half off today. Then I was looking through sweatshirts and found a Kent Fire Department sweatshirt, my size! And in T-shirts I found a University Place Fire Department shirt! It is a size smaller than me, currently, but I'm getting there. Add to that another shirt and two books, one by Earl Emerson, a Seattle author who writes fire novels and I paid less than TEN DOLLARS!!!

Now, I don't want to masquerade as something I am not. I collect FD stuff and I will wear the stuff I got today, just as when it rains I wear either of the two fire department caps that I own but 1) I am quick to point out that I am indeed NOT a ff (YET) and 2)I make sure I am very careful to mind ALL my p's and q's when I do have on anything with FD logos even if they are clearly marked as Fire Buff and not a specific department. The last thing I want to do is bring shame or ill will to the fire service. 3) I intend to remove the McChord FD patch on the coat and have a custom patch made with the maltese cross and the words "Fire Buff" embroidered in. At some point I will have several items with the FD maltese cross logo which I can buy through the Fire Buff Battalion. What I am really looking forward to is when I can respond for rehab and eventually have my own bunker pants, boots and an orange coat issued. Our fire department has been happy to supply them for us because they appreciate the service we provide and want to keep us protected and warm and dry.

Here is a picture of me modeling my new jacket.



Well, until next time, Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 76

Hi Team!

I forgot to employ Pete again today. I guess everyone deserves a weekend off once in a while. Being Sunday, I know I didn'g get that much walking in anyway.

I did have plenty to drink but I kinda sorta forgot to go to sleep last night, putting me only 1 for three! I didn't do it on purpose. I was reading a manuscript that an online fiction writer asked me to read as a favor. The main characters are career fd paramedics and some volunteer ff's. HOw could I resist? I really have had a hard time putting it down. When I started to realize that I was dozing between sentences, I looked at the clock and it was 3 am. I had to get up at 7 to get ready for church. OOPS! I haven't even picked it up today, and I am having withdrawals!

I was gone most of the day but I took a break from the quiz team because my ff brother was in town visiting his in-laws and I spent the afternoon at a get-together potluck bbq there. He just put me on his cell phone plan so that I could get rid of my pay as you go phone. It is a lot cheaper for me to pay him the difference from what his family was paying to what he will be paying by adding me, than it is for me to get my own plan. Now I am on the verizon network which is the best coverage available here. Most emergency service providers use Verizon here too. THe fire buff battalion has verizon and all of our calls will now be unlimited and not cost us minutes. I also got unlimited texting which is good because Coach Alex is a text-a-holic! LOL And I can take, send and receive pictures -also unlimited. I love my new toy. My brother made sure that as soon as I got my phone he sent me the sound of the Klaxons to use as a ringtone. I set my alarm clock to it. =) It really doesn't take much to make me happy!

On a sad note: This morning in the next door town to us, Lakewood, 4 police officers were ambushed and executed in a coffee shop. The only information known is that there were two men involved, a caucasian man and an African-American man and that they did not say anything, that there were baristas and customers in the coffee shop that they did not point their weapons at or shoot at and that the drove away, no description of the car. That is all I have heard of it so far anyway. I don't know if more details have been released or not. I am only adding this in my blog to say, please... pray for the families, friends, co-workers and other loved ones of these officers and for the other victims -the baristas and patrons of the coffee shop, for comfort and peace. Pray for those involved to be caught and brought to justice. Please pray for this to take place quickly. And especially pray that no other people are harmed by these criminals. I am saddened beyond words at this tragedy.

It's just about a quarter after 10 so...

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 75

Hi Team!

I fell asleep and forgot to post day 75 so here it is a day late.

Saturday: I slept very well last night. I forgot to employ Pete for the day, but I can tell you my walking was not remarkable. Probably a little below average for a Saturday. I did however, get plenty of fluids in me today.

My mother-in-law treated us, (her sister, my son, his girlfriend and her mother, and myself) to Christmas Tea at the Secret Garden, a Victorian Tea House in Sumner, WA. This is a tradition we started as a family several years ago and it is an absolutely delightful experience. I was especially good and ordered an Orchard Peach Roobius tea (red tea) which is naturally decaf and had at least 4 pots of tea over our 4 hour visit there. While engaged in conversation I discovered that my son's girlfriend's mom was a huge fan of Emergency! in the 70's! Cool! I promised to loan her the series a season at a time. She was almost as thrilled as I always am when I watch it. Her daugher and my son just rolled their eyes at us. LOL

Well, 2/3 isn't too bad. Nobody's perfect!

Until next time, Stay Safe!

Hotflash out!

Flashpointz -Johnny Rocket's

While my friends, Coach Alex and her hubby John and I were out and about in Seattle today one of our missions was to find gluten free restaurant food for Coach Alex. She is higly intolerant of glutens. THey make her hurt and make her feel very aggressive and make her want to kill the people she loves. Not such a good thing.

Today was a very busy day for businesses in the area. Imagine that on Black Friday. We waited until late to look for food so that we wouldn't be trying to get special service during rush times. We went to Johnny Rocket's in Westlake Center for dinner. Coach Alex surveyed the menu and asked to speak to the manager when he had a few minutes. It took him a little while before he was able to get away, but he came over to us and Alex asked him about a bazillion questions about the menu, how the food was prepared, what was in it, etc. Johnny Rocket's does not have a gluten free menu but the manager on duty, Stephen, was amazing and willing to accommodate in any way he possibly could. Alex ordered a burger, sans bun, with chili on it. We were seated at the counter and could see the cooks preparing the food. They toasted the buns on the grill. That causes cross contamination for those who are gluten intolerant. They wear gloves to handle the food but they touch the buns which is a cross contamination route as well. They also use the same spatula to remove burgers and buns from the grill. They place buns directly on the work counter which can also be a route for cross contamination for glutens.

When Alex explained her health situation Stephen was SO acommodating. He promised to do all he could to make sure her food was gluten free. He make the cooks sanitize the counter, change their gloves, get cheese and tomatoes from the back that had not been touched by gloved hands that had touched buns, get a clean spatula, clean the grill and he gave them explicit instructions, in SPANISH to make sure Alex's food was safe for her. He did all this very cheerfully, with a constant smile, even when he had to direct his cooks to change gloves when they touched a bun from anothe order. He told Alex he was sorry she had to go through all that to get a good bite to eat, he showed compassion for her. He stood guard over the food preparation to ensure no mistakes were made. He then chatted with us willingly for over 10 minutes. He gave us his e-mail address and asked us to let him know how she felt tomorrow because he really wanted to know if the efforts he and his staff put forth had paid off.

When he wrote down his name for us he wrote "Steve" and Alex commented that it had a "V" when his name tag said Stephen. I said it was because
"S-T-E-P-H-E" looked a little funny and was harder to pronounce. He repeated it out loud "Stephe" with an "f" sound. He laughed and said that was really funny and he liked it. He said he would like to have a name tag made up that said Stephe!

In talking with Stephe we discovered that this wasn't even "his" store. He usually manages the store in University Village, right next to the UW. He encouraged us to come by his store and promised that he would always ensure Alex could have gluten free food.

I did NOT order gluten free food. I had the route 66 burger. All beef patty, REAL swiss cheese, and fried onions and mushrooms. It was absolutely amazing. All in all the food was delicious, the prices were very reasonable and the service was absolutely incredible. Please tell all your friends and have them tell their friends to tell their friends!!

Johnny Rocket's is worthy of your business and Stephe is an awesome manager.

When you try it out for yourself, drop me a line and let me know how it went. You'll be glad you went!

Hotflash

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 74

Hi Team!

I am feeling great! While I did get very full at dinner for Thanksgiving, the first part of my meal was a huge salad, (a planned event to prevent more calorie filled eating) so I feel pretty good about my holiday eating. I did not have huge amounts of anything else. It was all very sensible. This is something my husband suggested last year and it worked so well that we have decided to make it a tradition to start the meal with a monster salad.

I slept very well last night, -thank you tryptophan (sp?)- and I drank more than enough fluids today. Even though I skipped walking in the mall this morning (cause I'm a chicken!) I went to Pike Place Market and Westlake shopping center with Coach Alex and her hubby, John today. We darted in and out of the crowds at the Market, exploring and having fun. I found a cool firefighter belt buckle for only 12.95 and bought it. Then we watched the Westlake tree lighting ceremony and fireworks before shopping around Westlake shopping center. I didn't know that one of the big shopping centers has snow at 6 pm every evening this time of year. Coach Alex brought me there to surprise me. It was really cool having theater snow falling all around. It is little sudsy snowflakes! It was beautiful. Anyway, all the walking we did from all of that according to Pete was 9,398 steps! YAY ME!! I'm 3 for 3 today.

Today was really an awesome day for me and a lot of fun.

I hope you all had an awesome, family filled thanksgiving.

Until next time, Stay safe!!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 73

Hi Team!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Pete and I took the day off! We think we deserve it.

Stay safe and THANK you for being there for me!!!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 72

Hi Team!

I was so tired I fell asleep reading a manuscript an online writer friend of mine sent me for review and therefore did not post my blog for Day 72 yesterday. I feel badly that I fell asleep reading it because I am enjoying her story. I met her on a fan fiction writing website but she has been published as a fiction author and I feel very honored that she asked me to review a manuscript she was considering submitting to her publisher. Anyway, that is my excuse. Please forgive me.

Today (by that I mean day 72) was a good day. It has been a long week, these last 7 days. The last 5 work days were extra long shifts, as I have mentioned and I have been very tired. Tuesday and Wednesday were really good days at work though. I have been in a very good mood -more sleep makes a difference =) I have laughed a lot and really had fun with my school age kids.

One of my boys is a firefighter's kid and because he knows my passion, he thinks he can get special privileges and allowances. I have to ride him extra hard to keep him in line because of it. He isn't a bad boy, just very active and unaware of the "enough is enough" boundary. Today we had blackbean soup, that the kids and I made together, for snack. After all the kids had been served I served the staff and I was fixing myself a bowl. This boy came over to me and wanted to "help". I had chopped cilantro, sour cream, sliced green onions and lime juice to top the soup with. He wanted to put the lime juice in, but had never used a plastic lime squirt bottle before. As he got ready to put some in my soup I directed him to point it downward towards the bowl more, but he was faster than I could give the directions and he ended up hosing ME with a lot of lime juice! Then, my startled expression and the expression and loud laughter of my assistant who was right next to me at the time, and my sharp calling of his name to get him to stop squeezing the lime caused him to laugh so hard that no sound would come out and he nearly fell down. Luckily for him I generally have a good sense of humor and was able to laugh about it. I had a big wet spot partly on and under my left breast on my smock and my lovely assistant informed me that it looked like I was lactating and leaking! And I had to wear the smock because my boss requires it. It was a little embarrassing. But I survived. The same boy cracked me up prior to that when I was serving snack to the kids. I was encouraging them to at least try the soup and the toppings for it. Many would try the soup but only a few would try all the toppings for it. Most kids don't seem to like green plantlike things any where near what they have on their plates or in their bowls. When it was his turn to be served he said, "I'll be brave and try everything because that's what firefighters do!" He can be a real pill sometimes, but he really is a cute kid!

Well, I am happy to report that over the last 5 work days, 3 of them were exercise days and thanks to encouragement from my wonderful awesome terrific team (that's you) I didn't skip any of my workouts even though I was very tired. In fact, for Day 72 Pete logged for me 11,367 steps! No wonder I was so tired when I got home. I drank at least 3 quarts of fluids, not counting my morning coffee. And I slept okay overnight too. That makes 3/3! Yay me!!

Not much else to report.

Thanks for cheering me on. I love my team!!

Stay safe.

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 71

Hi Team!

I am writing Day 71 early on the morning of day 72, sorry! I was trying to get a chapter ready to post on the site that I write at and time got away from me last night. I decided it was best to get to bed and catch up later.

I slept well last night and awoke refreshed! That is so rare that it is cause for celebration! YAY ME!!! Pete logged 7,035 steps for me today. Pete's doing a great job, isn't he? Maybe that was my problem all along... I just wasn't giving Pete enough encouragement! I drank plenty of fluids yesterday, at least 2 quarts over and above my one cup of coffee (12 oz) in the morning. I sure am a sucker for home brewed coffee with coffemate's gingerbread creamer!! I am stocking up on creamer and freezing it because I can only get it for two months in the year!

Well, there you have it. That is the day. Oh, one good thing to add. I get to back to Washougal over the New Year's 4 day weekend. My company will be closed Thur the 31st AND Fri the 1st. I was scheduled to work the closing shift on Wed. but my boss and the other Site Manager it would affect both agreed to let me switch to the opening shift. I'll be off at noon and can go to Washougal one day earlier! (Super big toothy grin!!)

Maybe this time while I'm there I'll make it to OMSI (Oregeon Museum of Science and Industry! My brother has a membership for his family and my husband has been promising me for 20 YEARS that we would go there. WHenever I remind him he always says, "Yeah, but I didn't say WHEN!)

Well, I have to get ready to go to work.

Stay Safe!!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 70

Hi Team!

Today was a good day despite the extra hours of kids at work! I met Coach Alex for my walk today, though I have decided on days that I have to work early we can cut one mile off of our walk. I still walked 12,404 steps today according to Pete! Thanks Pete for working so hard for me. :D

I slept fairly well and I even sneaked in a 20 min power nap today. Coach Alex caught me sleeping in the car awaiting her arrival for our walk! And I drank my fluids today, but admittedly, if I don't sleep well tonight it is my own fault! My secret pal gave me a 1 liter Cherry Pepsi last week. I was planning on drinking it on friday when I would have the whole weekend to sleep if needed. (well sort of anyway). BUt I didn't. I drank it today and it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! I have been really good about not drinking sodas. Last year I had a 44 0z cherry pepsi every day! Other than one 20 oz bottle in Washougal over my vacation just a week ago, I haven't had any since I was in Washougal over the summer! I've been a very good girl in that respect and once I cracked it open today, it was completely irresistable! Cherry Pepsi never tasted better!

Note to self: on the rare occasion Cherry Pepsi should be made available to me by myself or another party, keep the containers small!!!

What does that make me for the day, 2 1/2 for three? I'm being generous with myself here. :D

Well, it is a quarter to nine. If I wrap this up and finish up the other couple of things I want to do online I might be in bed by 9:30 or earlier!

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 69

Hi Team!

I am a little less zombie-ish. I got a bit of sleep this weekend but not enough yet. I hope this week will be better. I have not tried the PNT 200 that my childcare parent gave me yet. I might try it tonight.

I had my usual busy day for Sunday and only got in 2,888 steps. Pete did a good job today...THANKS PETE! I drank mostly iced tea and water today, but plenty of it. 3 for 3 again! YAY ME!!

This will be another tough week of extra long days as my afternoon shift will start two hours earlier each day while school age kids get out early for conferences. I am planning on still taking my walks with Coach Alex. (911R, if for no other reason than I don't want to let YOU down. You have been an amazing encouragement and cheerleader to me!)

I have to be brave this week. I purchased a Christmas sweatshirt from the fire department (available to ff families and the fire buff battalion) and I have to go to Station 9 and pick it up. Probably by myself. THis is a good thing. I HAVE to beat this crazy shyness! I am hoping to have time to go on Tuesday. If I don't, it won't be until after Thanksgiving.

Well, it is 20 to ten and I have a few things left to do before bed. I'm going to try and be in bed by 10. Thanks for continuing to cheer me on! I am a lucky woman! Make that a blessed woman!

Take care and stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 68

Hi Team!

I feel a little less zombie-like today. I tried something weird. I slept with my mp3 player! I have a very eclectic collection in it. Stevie Ray Vaughn, Abba, Martina McBride, Jim Brickman, Garth Brooks, Blackhawk, Trisha Yearwood, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Apollo 100, Kenny Rogers, REO Speedwagon, Boston, Chicago... you get the point. VERY eclectic. It is all stored on there at random. Last night when I went to bed I put my headphones on, turned on the music and went out like a light. I won't say that changes in the music never woke me up, because they did. But I went right back to sleep. And I woke up feeling, "REFRESHED", at least in comparison to how I have been feeling. I didn't use caffeine to function today! YAY ME!

I had a slow day though. I slept in a little, caught up some on my e-mail and other internet activities that I an still behind on due to my recent trip, I painted pottery for four hours, did a little grocery shopping and attended my 3rd Fire Buff Battalion meeting (YAY ME!). Pete logged only 2,273 steps today, and I would have to agree that it is likely to be accurate. I just finished my second quart of water. I am three for three today. Woo Hoo!

As promised in my Day 67 blog, I looked up the information on PNT 200, by Immunotec. The web page for the product (for anyone who is interested) is:

http://www.immunotec.com/IRL/Public/en/CAN/ShowItemDetails.wcp?&Item=0005900&Site=999999

Basically what I found out is that:

PNT 200 contains an active peptide from the milk protein casein. This unique ingredient has been studied to help naturally diminish the effects of both mental and physical stress in both human and animal studies. PNT 200 is believed to work by binding to GABA receptors in the brain. Substances that bind to these receptors send a message to the body to relax.

Medicinal ingredient per capsule:
Milk Protein Hydrolysate (cow's milk)112 mg

Non-medicinal ingredients:
Sodium caseinate and vegetable gelatin.

The child care parent of mine who recommended this product spoke very highly of it and said that she personally has recommended it to many nurses who now take it regularly and love it. She gave me two capsules try. I think I will try them. I will get back to you at a later date with my impression of them.

Now that all the business is out of the way, tonight was my third monthly Fire Buff Battalion meeting. It seems there has been a huge upset in the leadership. Our longest standing member, one of the club's original founders and the current secretary/treasurer resigned between last month's meeting (the third saturday of the month) and the end of October.

To put things briefly and diplomatically, the current President of our club, after trying to resolve issues through the proper chanels by involving someone from the International Fire Buff Associates (of which our club is an affiliated member)was given a crapload of paperwork from the last decade or more, all mixed up and in no discernable order. Bills, statements, legal documents, receipts, tax info, etc. are all mixed up. Nobody knows when our tax date is, what mess we might be in concerning our non-profit status, etc. (Though it is believed we are not in an irreparable state in that area). In addition, this recently resigned leader kept our canteen unit in his garage, (Covered storage) and plugged in, as is normal for emergency vehicles. Now it is being stored outdoors behind a locked fence at the local firefighter's union hall because it does not have a home. If the fire chief calls us in to do rehab and the vehicle is frozen over it will now take us much longer to respond! It is also the time of year that our firefighters receive service awards and our group is a part of that so there is a lot of work to be done concerning that while we are still trying to sort out the mess, and getting no help from the former person in the leadership position that left us this mess in the first place. Goody, Goody! I sure picked an interesting time to get involved! And until my background check comes back from the Fire Inspector, I cannot help or get involved other than attending meetings. I cannot even help them sort out the mess!! That former leader and his wife, who also resigned, were primary responders in the rehab canteen. We will still have to keep up without them and I can't even fill in because I am not official. Fewer people responding in the busy season is what that means. Can you see I am frustrated? Please pray for God's blessing on our club and that we would be able to meet our primary objective of taking good care of our local firefighters. THat is the purpose of our existance as a club. Pray that our tax exempt status would not be put in jeapardy and that all other problems would be quickly and efficiently resolved.

I am thinking that this could be very good for our club. New blood in the ranks. At nearly 41 years of age, I may be the youngest member! (well, if I WAS officially a member, anyway)

I did notice that the atmosphere was very different this meeting and much lighter and fun. We laughed a LOT! For those of you who have watched Emergency! on television, our meetings sound an awful lot like the banter in the day room at the fire station some times. There is a lot of good natured ribbing going on, some seriousness and some day to day humdrum stuff. But the comaraderie is also very similar to that of what you'd find in fire stations. It is all very cool to (almost) be a part of!

Our Christmas party will be held on December 4th and I am very excited to say that God has helped me get out of my prior commitment and I will be able to attend the party! My dad is coming with me! And maybe even my bro! (too bad hubby and son will be hunting and that they have no interest in this whatsoever.) I could tell the president's husband was disappointed that he would not be meeting my hubby.

While this recently rekindled passion in me was no surprise to me, it certainly seems to have blind sided my hubby. He still says silly things to me out of the blue. "I never knew you liked fire." Um... yeah... because that is what floats my boat. Not the job and challenge of firefighting, emergency medicine, the comaraderie of emergency personnel, the thrill of the fire engines racing lights and sires down the street, etc. Just fire.

In saying that, I don't mean it as a slam to my hubby. He's a wonderful man. He just truly does not understand this. He is trying to though, because he loves me. <3 He is at least supporting me on following my dream to the point of attending EMT school. He has talked about how he is excited that I want to better myself and our financial standings. Sadly Paramedicine is not a hugely high paying job. It is an extremely underpaid profession. It may be a step up for me though. Either way, God has taken amazing care of me, and has cleared each path so that I may pursue this dream of mine.

Okay, well, I feel like I am falling asleep at the computer. Good night everyone and stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 67

Hi Team!

Sorry I did not post this yesterday (the day it refers to) but when I got online yesterday my computer was acting strangely so I opted to run a few different virus scans instead, which of course, takes hours! I am happy to report a clean bill of health for the computer however! :D

Okay, so I have been a walking zombie. One of my child care parents told me about a naturopathic supplement that she has sold to many nurses and others who work crazy rotating shifts that helps the brain slow down enough to sleep without side effects.

Under ingredients it says, "vegetable proteins, contains milk products" and gives no other information. That seemed a bit odd and ambiguous. I'm going to look this stuff up on the internet on Day 68. I think the company name is Immunotech and the product I believe is called PNT 200, if my zombie memory serves me well.

I seem to go through cycles where I have these crazy sleep patterns and this is the worst one I can recall in years. My doc has put me on sleeping pills twice and both times they were different medications. Neither of them worked. One was Ambien before it was decided that it was very dangerous and I don't remember the other one. I am desperate enough right now to try almost anything if it seems safe.

If anyone has any suggestions, other than the usual (and lame) 'best times to (or not to) exercise, best times/things to (or not to) eat or drink, etc. I'd love to hear them. I'm getting pretty difficult to live with about now and it isn't fair to my hubby and son!

On a positive note, Pete and I had a great day (even while in Zombie mode) and his official count was 13,325 steps!! Yay Pete! Yay ME!!! It is so nice to be walking again with Coach Alex. And entertaining too. She is a hoot and a half. At least! And, when we stopped at Starbucks after, we found these beautiful Red ceramic coffe mugs! I lost control and bought us each one. We both LOVE red!! And they were pretty. I couldn't help it. The zombie in me made me do it. :D Unfortunately, I paid with a Bennie (which it is extremely rare that I even have one of) and they had to call me back to the counter to take my change. Yes I am THAT sleep deprived! YIKES!

I'd like to say my fluid intake was good but while I drank a lot of fluids yesterday they were not all good. Before noon I had quite a bit of caffeine. This is not my usual m.o. Usually I have one cup of coffee in the morning, 12 oz, regular coffee maker coffee at home. That is pretty much all the caffeine I take in during a normal day. I did drink water and juice in the afternoon but I didn't really keep track of how much. I just know I probably had about a quart of the caffeinated stuff in the morning. I was really good though. My secret pal at work gave me a LARGE bottle of Cherry Pepsi, (one of my favorites, just ask my bro) and I did not crack it open yesterday! I could have sucked it down to survive the afternoon but I didn't. Yay me!!

Okay, I've covered the basics in today's report. Now one more thing is very imortant.

THANK YOU 911R!! Your encouragement over not cancelling with Coach Alex the other day kept me from doing so the rest of the week, even though I really wanted to take the time to sleep. I got all of my scheduled work outs in this week and I owe that at least partly to you! I am very glad I went each time. I haven't weighed, but I am sure I gained back some of my weightloss (if not all) during the two weeks I was off schedule. I am not going to take my monthly weigh in and measurements. I decided because of that set back to wait until the next one is due. That way the numbers won't be there to discourage me. So I will have to work extra hard until week 12,Day 84!

That's all there is for now. Stay Safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 67

Hi Team!

@_@ I am becoming a zombie. I need sleep!!!

Tonight's report will be bare bones basic.

Pete was fooling around today and says I walked only 5,586 steps. Fat chance! Today I had two extra hours on my shift and I spent most of that time facilitating co-operative games with the kids in the gym. But Pete, it's okay. Just try harder tomorrow!

I had no problem drinking enough fluids today because I carried a water bottle with me all day and kept iced tea packets in my pocket.

Sleep is elusive. I can't seem to wind down at a reasonable time and then even when I do go to bed the wind around here is keeping me awake or waking me often. I am guessing I have slept perhaps 12 hours in the last 72. I am operating on caffeine and will power. I don't think I can keep this up much longer. I am having a harder and harder time thinking. I couldn't name the suits of the cards properly when playing card bingo with the kids today. I'd look at hearts and say 6 of clubs! Multiple times I made this kind of mistake.

Goodnight.

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 66

Hi Team!

This will be short. I am seriously sleep deprived this week. Ever since I came home from my bro's I can't seem to sleep. Maybe it is too calm and too quiet here after being with all of his kids! I love those kids, they are AMAZING!

Pete was awesome today! He logged 11,340 steps! YAY ME!! I drank lots of juice today. For some reason I was craving it. I've had about three quarts of fluids between the juice, coffee and water. Yay me again!

I am SO glad I did not cancel with Coach Alex. She informed me during our walk today that her husband prayed with her before she left to meet me that she would be an encouragement to me today. She always is, but today I was in special need of encouragement and just her telling me that they prayed that for me made a huge impact on me. I had some personal issues heavy on my mind today and was able to talk about them and she encouraged me so much when I did. THANK YOU COACH ALEX AND JOHN! (I'm yelling because they live a bit far from me and the wind is howling outside. I wanted to make sure they could hear me!) And 911R (I was omitting the R before by accident) has been praying for me and for all emergency personnel and dispatchers everywhere. I know it makes a difference and I thank you on behalf of all of those you pray for. You are amazing!

All of you who have been supporting me and encouraging me are amazing! Thank you SO much! I know I am babbling but I just have all these warm feelings from all the support you all send my way on a daily basis. I feel SO loved and blessed. I want to offer up a prayer too.

Dearest Lord,

Thank you for all the wonderful, caring and encouraging friends you have put in my life. Please be with all who lift others up in prayer and encouragement and bless them in return. Please be with all who work in emergency services in any capacity and bless them for what they do to help those in need. Guide them, give them wisdom and keep them safe, Father. May your love be reflected to those they serve and may you be glorified through their actions. Please protect them from burnout, from danger, and from discouragement. Please show them the difference they make in the lives of others. Thank you. In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Please, tell your family how much you love them and Stay Safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 65

Hi Team!

I don't have that much to report tonight. Pete says I walked 5,036 steps. I know he reset once this morning so there may be another thousand or so steps, who knows? Maybe one day I'll consistently hit 10,000 steps a day. I keep trying. Pete's very trying too. But he's at least making an effort to be good, I think.

I had plenty of fluids today but very little sleep again last night. If this keeps up I will have to take a nap between shifts and I dont' really have time to do that. But all work and no sleep makes Hotflash a very grumpy girl! And doesn't do much for the skin either. Bleah! Wrinkles! Balance. It's all about balance.

Today my arm is still sore from wrestling the fire hose. (I Love saying that!) It isn't as sore as yesterday though and I managed to skip the motrin today. Sadly, part of me kind of likes the soreness as it reminds me of the fun I had. (Oops! Did I just write that out loud?)

After two weeks off from exercising I am glad to be back into it again. It occurred to me that it is a difficult time to start back up however. Starting thursday I have to be at work 2 hours earlier for my afternoon shift every day until Thanksgiving break. It would have been easier to start back up after the holiday. As I thought about cancelling with Coach Alex (and facing the wrath!! LOL) I thought, two weeks is a long time and another two weeks would effectively kill any momentum I had gained. No matter how inconvenient it is and how little personal time I will get from now unti then, I am NOT cancelling. I will exercise. I will smile while doing it. I will enjoy it. (Usually I do, surprisingly!) and I will not do it grudgingly. I will remind myself why I am doing it and remind myself of what physical tests I will have to face and pass if when I get to the fire academy some day. It will all be worth the little sacrifice of my time now for the dream to come true in the not SO distant future.

OK, I really have to go to bed.

Stay safe and please say a prayer for all the emergency personnel on shift when you read this to stay safe and go home at the end of their shift.

Thanks.

Hotflash out.