Report From Ladder Company 40 Days 160 and 161

Hi Team!

Friday,
I have to say Friday was not the best day I've ever had.  First, I had to cancel with Coach Alex for teh morning due to some situations that came up at work.   In some ways that turned out to be okay becuase Coach Alex a.k.a. The Smiling Beader, was miserably sick, again some more.  It was a good day for her to rest.

I did get plenty of sleep and drank just over two quarts today.  And although I did not go for my walk I did stay moving on my feet for 12 hours today.  I am definitely counting it as a three for 3 day.  I am TIRED!

As I went about getting my work situations taken care of  Coach Alex sent me a text informing me that there had been a school shooting in our town and a teacher had been shot and killed.  Immediately, even without further details I began praying for that teacher's family, students and co-workers.  And even though at the time I didn't know who the teacher was I began to cry.  The more I prayed the harder I cried.  Then Coach Alex texted again to say that no children had been present and they were all safe, and that the gunman had been shot and killed.  I began praising God for the safety of the students and that the gunman was no longer a danger.  I remember feeling sad that the gunman was going to hell and wondering about the teacher's spiritual walk. 

Later, that night I discovered that I knew the teacher that had been shot.  I didn't know her well and had not talked to her in several years, but I did know her.  She was a well loved and respected Special Education Teacher.    Her name was Jennifer Paulson.  And thankfully I know that she is with the Lord.  She loved the Lord. 

My heart goes out to the students who's lives she touched, to her her co-workers and especially to her family.  I pray God would lift up each one and comfort them and restore a feeling of security that has been stolen from them.

Saturday

Well, I have had a relatively lazy day.  I spent it studying, writing and reading.  I wasn't feeling very well today and my husband is sick so he has been very low key today too.  I did, however, make up for my cancelled walk from yesterday.  My husband and I took our little dog, Kaylee for a walk for almost 50 minutes this evening.  I slept about 7 1/2 hours last night and I have just finished my second quart of fluid for the day.  That makes me 3 for three again.

Here's a picture of my Kaylee.  She is a purebred Dachshund and she's called a silver dapple. She's a sweetie and she LOVES her walks. 


Thanks for supporting me and for all the kind words you send my way regularly.  I appreciate your encouragement very much.

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Days 158 and 159

Hi Team!

Tuesday was a hum drum kind of day.  Nothing spectacular to report, just that I slep well, drank two quarts of water and sugar free drink mix and was as active as possible during the course of work.  3 for three.

Wednesday

Today Coach Alex and her son James and I hit the mall for our walk.  James, having just graduated from college, started walking with us on Monday.  Coach took our picture so I could show you our newest team member.

Of course she took the pic at the end of our workout.  We don't look pretty, but we worked hard and earned our ragged appearances!

I am trying hard to finish up my minimum fluid intake before bed.  The last few days I have not been interested in drinking my water, tea, etc. for whatever reason.  It has been a challenge and a concerted effort to do so.  I don't know what is up with that.  I did get enough sleep and as you saw, I was very active today and I even included another 15 sets of stairs in today's workout... so three for 3!  Yeah baby!

I learned something today that I did not know.  I learned that my brother's oldest son wants to be a firefighter someday like his dad.  I've visited several times since I started this blog and I didn't have any clue!  I found out from a school assignment he did that my bro posted.  He loosely gave permission to repost as long as the last name was removed to protect anonymity so I did that.  You might get a kick out of it.

This autobiography was written by my 11 year old nephew!

Introduction/About myself


Hello. My name is Frank James "Doe" V (5th in descent. See Family/Heritage) I prefer to be called Jimmy, and that is my nickname. My birthday was April 2nd, 1998. My hair color is irrelevant, but if you want to know, it is a moderate brown color with blond tips, a sort of dirty blondish color. My weight changes on what I eat, but it averages at about 85 lbs. I do not know my height, but if I had to guess, I’d say somewhere around 4’7”.

Favorite things

My favorite things consist of family, friends, video games, fencing (sword fighting), snowball fights, and other boy stuff.

My favorite movie is Avatar. It is a movie about a guy who blah, blah, blah, blah. I would just take up space telling you about it.

My favorite book (series) is the Harry Potter series. It has 7 books: The Sorcerer’s Stone; The Chamber of Secrets; The Prisoner of Azkaban; The Goblet of Fire; The Order of the Phoenix; The Half-Blood Prince; and The Deathly Hallows.

Hobbies

I don’t have any official hobbies, but hobbies aren’t exactly official in the first place.   I babysit, and I like to play piano. I’m very good at hooking up TVs to DVDs, VCRs etc. I shoot rifles and bows.

Family/Heritage

I am the fifth descendent of Frank "Doe" I. Frank "Doe" I named his son (and my great grandpa) Frank "Doe" II. Frank James "Doe" II named his son (and my grandpa) Frank "Doe" III. Frank "Doe" III (deciding to carry on with the “Frank descent” as my dad calls it) named his son (and my father) Frank "Doe" IV. You can probably guess where I ended up. I am Frank "Doe" V, and hopefully this “Frank descent” will continue. My father’s siblings number to about 25! I didn’t believe it until he explained the unfortunately large number of divorces and adoptions.

My mother’s parents also had many divorces, but not so many children.

I have 5 siblings though, and it’s an adventure.

Personality/Characteristics

I don’t want to go into this subject because I’m afraid I’ll exaggerate some facts about myself. Almost all my family agrees I’m a nut (I’m partial to cashew). Even though my older sister questions my human quality, I’m pretty sure I’m human.

Friends

I’ve had so many friends, I can’t keep count, but I can still name them. This is the order I met them in: Nick, Riana, Molly, Celia, Madeleine, Robert, Quinn, Jacob, Kurt, Aubrey, Joey, and Olivia. I’ve had other friends; I just can’t remember their names.

Conclusion

I’ve had a good life, and I look forward to the rest of it. In the future, I hope to become a firefighter like my dad. I also hope to continue the “Frank descent”.

***********************

I loved it!  He can tell a story just like his dad!  The only inaccuracy I saw is the siblings.  (I mean they are my siblings too, right?)  I only count 15, one more legally but not really. (Don't ask, it's complicated)  And then there are three more who are "steps".  That makes at most 19, but that isn't all that big of a deal in the scheme of things.  WE HAVE A LOT OF SIBLINGS!!  And when Jimmy said his family thinks he's a nut and he's partial to cashew, he's not kidding.  Each of the "Doe's" has been given a nutty nickname!  Jimmy's is cashew and I think Johnny's might be "wing" (as in "wingnut! LOL)  I can't remember who is who but if you ask me their just a bunch of mixed nuts!

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Days 156 and 157

Hi Team!

I hope today finds you well.  I am doing fine.  Sunday was a good day of rest for me.  I barely got my two quart minimum of fluids (but the minimum counts!)  I slept about 7 hours and then I also had a nap in the afternoon.  I was otherwise lazy with my day, really relishing the day of rest!  You can call it either 2 for three or three for 3, as you see fit.  I did not exercise much but it was a NORMAL Sunday, so you decide.  I am content with it.

Monday

Today has been a great day.  I am glad to be back at my regular site for work this week on regular school schedule.  It beats the crazy staffing and shifts of the mid-winter break and I only have 32 children to work with instead of 90 plus!

Coach Alex and I had our walk today and her son James joined us.  We had a nice walk of two laps indoors at the mall (two miles) and a partial lap outside and I did 15 sets of stairs!  YAY ME!  It has been a while since I have been doing stairs so I felt very good about doing all 15 sets.  Coach Alex took a picture of me doing the stairs.  It isn't a great or flattering shot of me, and it is at the top on my 15th trip so I am tired!  Here it is:

Coach said to post it so I did!  I love my coach!

I slept well last night and felt energetic most of the day today.  I drank 2 1/2 quarts of water, green tea and lemonade today.  That makes me three for 3!

I finally got my fire buff battalion patch for my coat, (I don't remember if I already mentioned that in an earlier post) and today I took the coat to a shop to have the patch sewn on and the flag patch on the other arm re-sewn as it is coming loose in one corner.  The cost to have it done will be four times what I paid for my coat!!  (hee hee, remember I only paid three dollars for the coat!)  I'm pretty happy with that.  I can have my coat back on Wednesday.  I can't wait, but I guess I have to!  I'll post a picture, of course, when it is done.

Stay safe my friends.

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Days 152, 153, 154 and 155

Hi Team!

Okay, this is lame, I know.  I let myself get behind and that isn't working so well when it comes to blogging.

I didnt' take notes so I can't give specifics.  In that way, I let us all down and I am sorry for that. What I can tell you is that Wed, Thur, and Fri I did drink plenty of fluids, (three quarts each day) and I got enough sleep because I purposely did so and although I did not go walking as I usually do,  I DID purposely exercise.  I spent two hours on wednesday and three hours each on thursday and friday supervising between 50 and 90 kids on a playground.  (Not by myself, mind you).  During the time I was supervising, I purposely walked continuously.  I didn't walk at the pace I would ordinarly walk for a work out but I did it for a lot longer than my workouts would have been.  I also worked 8 hours each day barely finding time to sit other than when powdering my nose!  It was Mid-Winter Break for the school district that my child care program is run in and that meant that we had the kids for 11 1/2 hours each day.  Instead of working 6 hours in a split, I worked six hours straight, had a short break then worked two more hours breaking other staff, or vice versa. 

Knowing that I am a procrastinator by nature, I realize that blogging every other day is going to be a real act of self discipline for me.  If I miss one time, I have to write four days worth and I don't think that works very well for the accountability factor.  I will try this one more time.  If I do not stay consistent with every other day I will go back to blogging every day with just the occasional two day blog.

Okay, so I've told you about wed-fri.  Today is saturday for a few more minutes and things are fresh in my head for the day, so here it goes....

I slept in today, YAY!  After getting breakfast, showered and etc.  I took my son to his girlfriend's house then went to the ceramic shop I go to sometimes.  I may have mentioned a long time ago that I was painting a set of ceramic salt and pepper shakers -cows in turnout gear!  I finished the pepper shaker before Christmas and when I was doing some house cleaning this week I discovered it in a box and remembered that the salt shaker was still needing to be finished.  Today was the perfect day for that so I spent about 3 hours painting.  It was so relaxing!  I must remember to do this more often.

I had my monthly fire buff battalion meeting tonight, the first one as the official secretary and I took a lot of notes.  Tomorrow I will have to organize and type them up to submit.  The president let me have two of our battalion patches.  One for my fire coat to replace the McChord Fire Department patch that I removed after I bought it and one for my patch collection.  I offered to buy them because I know they weren't made for free, but Cat said "No charge!"  Lucky me! :)  The quart and a half of iced tea I drank at the meeting and dinner that followed put me at 3 quarts for the day.  I didn't get much exercise today, but no less than usual for a weekend day.  I'm pretty satisfied.

Now it is time to meet another member of the team.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny Boy!

Here is Johnny Boy enjoying a buffalo burger.

If you like meat, you too can be Johnny Boy's friend!

Johnny Boy is Coach Alex's husband and he absolutely adores his wife, which is adorable to watch.  He is kind and thoughtful and sincere.  And he has a great sense of humor.  John is a great cook too.  I have had the pleasure of dining at his table on a number of occasions and I have to admit, I am kind of envious of Coach Alex that her husband is such a great cook and loves doing so!

Another great thing about Johnny Boy is that he puts up with the two of us (Coach Alex and I) hanging out together.  He even encourages it sometimes!  That is something that our kids say is dangerous because Coach Alex and I are highly entertaining (at least to ourselves!) when we're together.  We both talk way too much and Johnny Boy patiently waits for us and then manages to get his 2 cents in at precisely the right moment.  And he is very good natured about it all.  More importantly, he is a man of his word and a good, kind, thoughtful and moral, Christian man whom I am honored to call my friend.

Thanks John, for all the prayers and encouragement.  I cannot tell you how much you mean to me as my friend.

Well, in four minutes it will be tomorrow so I better post this now and get some sleep before church.

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Days 150 and 151

Hi Team!

Poor Coach Alex.  She just got back from her trip watching her son graduate.  We were going to get together today to walk because although we had both said we would not be meeting this week, we both had forgotten that we each had the day off today.  Sadly, about an hour and a half before she was to meet me she texted to say she was SO staying in bed.  She had gotten sick!!  BOO.  NO FUN. 

But...  I was a good girl!!  I went to the mall without her and did two laps inside then one lap outside.  That meant I walked 3 1/2 miles today.  I SO did not want to do it.  And I wanted to quit after the first inside lap.  Today, my attire paid off.  I looked down at the fire department logo on my shirt and said to myself,  I CANNOT QUIT!  I WANT THIS.  That was when I decided that after my second lap I would walk outside forcing an extra half mile.  And I'm glad I did. :)

I have not done as well on the fluids today.  I haven't quite made two quarts but I will be sure I do before I go to bed.  I really notice now the day after I don't drink enough.  And I did sleep plenty last night because I was able to sleep in!!  Yay me!  By the time I go to bed I will be three for three for the day!

Tuesday:

Today was a great day.  I got to sleep in a little because I didn't have to be at work until 9:30.  Then the first two hours of my shifts was just giving breaks to the other staff.  I didn't have to take responsibility for any problems!!!  :) 

I drank all of my fluids today (3 quarts) and I got plenty of walking in, even though it wasn't a scheduled day because for this week, all of our child care sites are combined in one place due to Mid Winter Break in the schools.  When these breaks occur, I rarely get to sit in a six hour shift.  That means I am walking all the time.  Somehow it isn't so challenging when I'm doing it for work, but it still burns calories!

That made me three for three again.  :)

I'd like to share a memorable part of my day with you.  When I arrived at work, my counterpart, another Site Manager said to me, "there is a fire engine on the table for you!"  That was a little odd sounding, but upon closer examination I discovered, still in the package, a brand new hotwheels fire engine.  On the back it said from (insert whatever random name you like, I can't tell you!).   Awwww, what a sweetie!  It was from one of my boys.  He's in fourth grade and I have had him in my program since he was in kindergarten.  When his mom picked him up in the evening I thanked her, knowing that he had gotten his parents to buy it.  She told me he likes to play "the Claw" at the store.  You know, the game where you put your 50cents in and use a joy stick to sort of control a claw that drops down and tries to grab a prize.  They always let him play but when he asked if he could get the fire engine for "Mrs. Hotflash" they told him he had to choose between the fire engine and the claw, and he chose the fire engine!!!  What a love!  I know I am not supposed to have favorites, but if I did, and of course I don't, he'd be right up at the top of the list!  I love my job!

Until next time, stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Days 148 and 149

Hi Team!


Saturday was a very slow day for me. I had a headache most of the day and so did my husband so we really didn’t do a lot. I did sleep in in the morning and therefore got plenty of sleep, and I drank 3 quarts of water and iced tea so I was two for three.

I had planned on walking to make up for not going out specifically on Friday, but that did not happen. L We just didn’t feel up to it. It was a quiet day at home, sleeping, swallowing ibuprofen, drinking tea and water and later, watching movies. Nothing at all exciting.


Sunday

I felt much better! My husband did too. We got up early and went to church. Before service started I had already gotten my first quart down for the day! J After the service we went shopping for groceries. BORING, except we picked out our dinner and we got some walking in. We decided to fix thick pork blade steaks, mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy and asparagus for our Valentines dinner. YUMMY!!!! We couldn’t really afford to go out and we enjoyed our dinner in. Our teenaged son was away at his girlfriend’s house so we had a date at home! J J

We did take the dog on a forty-five minute walk so I made up for my missing walk on Friday! YAY ME! Not only that but we had a good time doing it. We haven’t taken very many walks together (my husband and I) in the last year or so. I would always get winded because he would walk too fast. Today was not like that at all! I kept up and did not get too tired or winded. I really enjoyed it actually.

By bed time I had drank three quarts of water and iced tea so for Sunday I was three for three.  WOO HOO!

Nothng else exciting to report.

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Days 146 and 147

Hi Team!

Not much to report for thursday or friday.

Thursday I drank 3 quarts of weak iced tea. :)  I was active throughout the day, though I was extremely tired.  My dog kept me awake all night jumping up on me then getting down, then up then down, etc.  I wanted to tie her long nose in a knot!!  So, thanks to her I can only say I got 2 out of three.  Nothing exciting to report though.  Sorry.

Friday

THANK GOODNESS IT IS FRIDAY and I have a 3 Day weekend!!!!!  I drank lots of fluids today, I lost count after 2 quarts.  My assistant handed me fluids occasionally and I also had a water bottle that was next to me most of the day.  I did not get to go for my walk today due to some work I had to do to prepare for mid-winter break (which means our kids are out of school but we combine our 4 programs and provide care ALL DAY).  I did not sit down for more than 20 minutes after 1 pm and I was pretty active prior to that.  I am sure that I got an equivalent workout in.  And last night I slept like a baby!  = D

I think I can fairly call it a three out of three day.

I have nothing else to report today either.  But you should see the cutest picture ever!  (My brother sent the pic to me.)

Gabriella wants to be a firefighter!  Sweet!

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 144 and 145

Hi Team!

Tuesday was a good day.  I kept very busy today, sitting very little at work.  I drank plenty of fluids, about 3 quarts, and I slept great the night before.  Three for three!  Woo Hoo.  The best part of the day though is the fire news! 

On the playground at work today was a man with his son playing basketball.  He was wearing a sweatshirt with a worn off maltese cross on the chest.  One of my boys, a firefighter's son, asked him, "Are you a firefighter?"  I heard him answer affirmatively and I stepped in closer.  I recognized him from the fire department award ceremonies.  I struck up a conversation with him and discovered he is a medic at 4's.  I told him I recognized him from the ceremonies and told him I was the newest member of the fire buffs.  He told me he had great respect for us and really appreciated it when he sees us at two in the morning.  I told him it was an honor to serve but that I had not yet had the privilege to so.  We chatted while he coached his son on technique and  I supervised the kids on the playground, and then he had to go to pick up his other kid.  He said he hoped to see me around.  Sadly, I either didn't get or don't remember his name.  But I remember the face!

After work I was doing well and had gotten into bed by 9:15.  9:15!!  I was very proud of myself for that one.  Anyway, I was having this great dream.  My family and I were at some sort of block party. There was a guy riding around on a motorcycle and he had been drinking.  He dumped it but he got up and was walking around.  Somebody called the fire department and they came out.  Before they got there, the guy that dumped the bike was smoking and he tried to pick the bike up, dropped it, and dropped his cigarette.  He tried to stomp it out but as I watched him struggle with trying to get to it, the bike blew up.  (remember it was a dream!)  Now it is mass chaos.  We're all ducking and covering waiting for flying debris to land, people are screaming, it's pretty hairy.  The fire department rolls in and gets to work right away.  Once I realize that I am safe and not hurt, I start looking around me.  There are people with cuts and burns, but I notice that my husband has melted plastic and burns on his left shoulder.  He is too excited to realize that he is hurt but I noticed so I start to drag him along with me over to the firefighters.  As I am pulling him through the crowd I start to think, "this is ridiculous.  I'm a trained professional!  What kind of EMT am I anyway?" (yep-still dreaming)  so I decide I am going to treat his injuries myself.  All of a sudden I hear this strange series of beeps.  I open my eyes and realize that my fire phone is beeping.  Before I can react, Cat's voice comes on with something like "Attention all fire buffs.  We have a working fire at  blah blah blah address. All fire buffs responding please report."  Well, I shook off the cobwebs and fumbled with the phone.  I hadn't actually used the push to talk feature before and it was kind of awkward but I reported that I was planning on responding and asked her to please text me the address as I had not gotten it written down fast enough.  She said she would and I started running around the house trying to find something warm enough for the chilly night and good boots to wear.  (I sleep in  a recliner chair because it hurts me to lay in our bed so I was in the living room).  I barged into the bedroom looking for my boots, much to the chagrin of my husband who had just gone to sleep after getting home past 10 pm.  I said, " I need my boots.  I've got a fire."  He said, "It's late.  You have to work."  I told him they would let me leave when I had to go to work.  He just shook his head then told me to be careful and rolled over.  I got out of there, got dressed and headed to the car.  Right then the text with the address came in.  I hit the navigator control on my phone and nothing happened.  Then it asked me if I wanted to install it.  AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

Ok. I push the button to install it.  It tells me that I need to go into tools and settings and change something but it didn't tell me quite where in there to look and it wasn't in the list.  I had to click on something else first.  That took me a while to figure out and I am thinking to myself that valuable minutes are being wasted.  I finally figure it out and get it installed and then try to get navigator to work with the voice command feature so I can do it while I drive.  No luck.  Cat radios me and tells me the fire is out, it is all overhaul now but buffs are still responding.  I tell her I am still on my way.  Navigator is not working for me.  I am not saying the right words and I don't know what the right words are.  (rolls eyes, a lot!!)  I give up and head the direction I think the address is in.  I am not sure where the street is that I need to get to but I have a pretty good idea.  About the time I pull onto the main street Cat radios me telling me the chief wants to know my 20.  I tell her I am just turning onto fill in the blank street.  She gives me directions and I head to the fire.  Only problem is that when I get close, the street she tells me to turn on she says to turn east.  I do.  I can't find any flashing lights, police cars, fire engines or anything.  I can smell smoke in the air but there isn't even much hanging around.  I drive around a few blocks then radio Cat.  She gives me directions again but this time says turn left instead of saying go east.  Ah now I get it.  Left is west!!  Sigh.  Nobody's perfect, not me, not Cat!

Finally I see police cars almost blocking the intersection and I pull out my fire department ID badge, roll down my window and stop to flash it at them.  "I'm with the buffs," I say.  The officer rolls his eyes at me and waves me through.  (Grin!)  I park behind the farthest back engine, as I had been instructed, put on my orange coat, lock my car and head to the canteen vehicle.  In this case, it is Cat and Bob's personal vehicle.  Cool.    Cat and I have a good laugh about the comedy of errors it took to get me there.  No worries, they are set up and ready.  We chat, watch the scene, Bob stops a car from trying to come through explaining that they CANNOT drive over the 5" supply line across the road.

Presently firefighters start meandering over a few at a time to have something to drink and a cookie or two.  One of them checks carefully to see what kind of cookies they are and when he confirms they are chocolate chip, he helps himself.  Cat gives him a bunch of crap for being picky, good naturedly, of course.

A little later I see a familiar face.  It is Will, from 8's.  I brought him cookies on Saturday.  Well they were for all the guys, but he's the one I talked to.  The one my husband told that he wasn't that involved with the buffs, YET! =)  Will said, "It's nice to see you again, Karen."  He remembered my name.  :)

We were there about an hour before engines started rolling out and then the chief excused us.  I got home at 12:01.  I was too keyed up to sleep.  My mind wouldn't slow down.  Suddenly it hit me why the navigator wasn't working on my phone.  It wasn't my phone I was using.  It was the fire phone.  (blushes with embarrassment)  I installed it on the fire phone.  Now I owe the club ten dollars.  SIGH.  I lay there in the dark, praying for sleep to come easily and for the amount of sleep I got to be three times more restful so that I would be fully awake and refreshed when I got up at 4:30.  I still was awake a half hour later so I practiced deep breathing.  Sleep finally came.  I awoke energetic but I was tired most of the day.  Still, it was worth it! 

Wednesday,

Before I got ready for work today I e-mailed Cat to tell her of my silly mistake in all the "excitement" last night and warn her that I owed the club ten dollars.  (more blushing from embarrassment.)  After my morning shift though, I was a good girl!  I went walking without Coach Alex today ( remember she is unavailable the rest of the week).  I also drank about 2 1/2 quarts today.  I didn't get much sleep but that was because duty called.  I had gone to bed early so I am counting myself 3 for three!  YAY ME!!!

Now, however, it is way later than I would like and I am going to bed.  IF I don't get a nap tomorrow, I will only be able to claim at best, 2 of three.  Sigh. 

Stay safe everyone!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Days 144 and 145

Hi Team!

Let's see, Sunday was a typical day of rest.  I got plenty of sleep last night.  YAY ME!!  I didn't get a whole lot of exercise in but wasn't lazy either and I drank two quarts today.  I know that is my minimum goal but at least I made it.  3 for 3 today =)

This morning when I was getting ready for church there were a lot of sirens that continued for a long time so I knew it must be a pretty substantial fire.  We didn't get a call to respond but it did make the news.  Check it out.  It happened less than two miles from my house!

http://www.kirotv.com/news/22493858/detail.html

I found out that CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams)  training is available this spring during the month of March.  It is taught by our local fire department.  The classes are based on the model developed by FEMA and teach citizens how to help each other in the first few hours after a disaster until emergency responders are able to get there to render professional help.  (we all know that in a huge disaster, a few hours could be a lot longer!)  Students will gain hands-on skills such as how to put out small fires, render first aid in a disaster situation, and perform light search and rescue.  There are six classes and one day of practical exercises.  Many cities across the country provide CERT training and in our city it is provided to us free of charge unlike some other places.

I will be in CERT classes starting the second week of March, every tuesday and thursday from 6:30-9:00 pm and will finish up on Saturday the 27th.  Then I will start EMT school on Monday the 29th!  I am very excited to be able to participate in CERT and even more excited that my husband signed up to do it too!

That's all for Sunday.

Monday:

Today was an awesome day.  I met Coach Alex and we had our morning walk.  I really enjoy walking with Alex because we both talk too much and it makes the time pass quickly.  Before we know it, we've completed our hour/3 miles and it's time to go!  It's going to be tough the next week and a half or so.  Coach Alex and Johnny Boy leave for California on Wednesday so I won't have her to kick my butt if I don't walk on Wed and Fri.  In addition, my work schedule is crazy the week of the 15-19th so I won't be meeting her to walk that week either.  BEFORE you all decide to collectively kick my butt about that... (because you are all so awesome that way) I am still planning on walking.  I will just have to be motivated to do it without my Coach.  But that's the beauty of blogging... built in accountability!

I drank 3 quarts today.  YAY ME!  I also slept well last night so I am three for three again.  WOO HOO!

Well, that's it for today, team!  Thanks for the support.  You are all AWESOME!!

Stay safe.

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 142 and 143

Hi Team!

Here is another two day report.  I am just finding it hard to find time to blog lately.  I have tried to spend less time on the computer lately and get other things done, so that is part of it.

Friday was a very busy day for me.  I had my morning shift, then my walk with Coach Alex, then home for a short stint, then a meeting for work, then my afternoon shift and finally a 4 hour extended program we call Parent's Night Out until 10pm.  That's why I didn't blog friday!

Coach Alex was funny.  She sent me a text friday morning that said,

"so.  how are we doin? am i getting out of bed to showr or am i rolling back over to sleep?"

(admittedly it has been a crazy week with me getting my exercise on the college campus monday and getting to the mall to walk on wednesday and promptly tossing my cookies instead, but i thought about it this morning before the text about how I did not want to go but by golly I was going come hell or highwater) 

So I texted back:

"Get your tushie out of bed!"

She responded with,

"ooo so viscious!  are you sure your not the coach?"

Well, today I guess I was.  Coach and I had a good walk and our own private body guard was there to keep us safe! LOL  ( CoachAlex knows what I'm talking about and so does Johnny Boy who has made a complete recovery from his recent attack by a mutant killer curb.)

I was so surprised on our walk today.  It is the first week in February, right?  Look at what Coach and I saw outside the mall:




Not only did I get my walk in, but I drank 3 1/2 quarts (yes 3 not 2) of fluids and I slept very well over night so I am 3 for 3!  Yay me!

Saturday:

Today was kind of a lazy day.  I slept in for the first time in a while which was really nice.  I spent some of my day cleaning up my computer, deleting junk and making more space on it.  I did some studying and I spent some time cleaning out the kitchen.  We are in need of weeding out the entire house and we have both agreed that the kitchen is where we will start and I did that while my husband hauled off brush today.

So I have had my sleep and I've been reasonably active for a weekend but I have not had much to drink today.  I know better than to not just keep something near me but I haven't taken the time to do that today.  I have maxed at about 1 1/2 quarts today so I can only qualify as 2 for 3.  Sigh.

Here is the pic I promised several days ago.  I do not photograph well but here it goes anyway.  I wish I could send you my Fire Department ID pic instead but it isn't something I have access to other than the ID badge itself. =(

Before:

After:
*I don't know what caused the line to go across the top of the pic.  :( 

I like the new hair color though it was weird the first few days when I looked in the mirror.  My hair was similar to the new color every summer when I was a kid.  Late in the summer it would be hilighted with blonde as well giving it a reddish gold shimmer.

Okay, well, it off to bed soon so stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 140 and 141

Hi Team! 

Sorry I have been making a lot of double posts lately.  It's not that I don't want to blog, I am just choosing to go to bed a little ealier and have been very busy during the day, for the most part.

Tuesday, Not much to report.  I drank barely two quarts (but that was the minimum goal, right?) and I slept very well.  It was not an exercise day but I kept busy and active.  Thats 3 for 3.  Nothing exciting to report for the day.

Wednesday:  Well, I did well on sleep.  I went to bed early Tuesday night and got an extra  hour.  YAY ME!  I drank lots of fluids, probably closer to 3 quarts.  I did NOT get my workout with Coach Alex.  I did make an attempt, but I decided tossing cookies was workout enough.  :(   I woke up tuesday morning with a sore throat and by the time I was ready for work my stomach was churning.  I went to work and after my shift I drove to the mall to meet Coach Alex.  I figured I would at least try to do my walk.  I barely got parked when the cookies were tossed and I called Coach to tell her I was not walking.  I went home and went to bed.  I woke up at noon, had some yogurt to put something on my stomach and drank some tea.  Then I went to work. (No subs available... staff/child ratios to keep)  I did okay the rest of the day.
But that puts me 2 for 3.  Or maybe 2.5 for effort. 

I did post on the Crusty Jakes on Monday that I had been elected secretary of the fire buff battalion and had been issued my coat and phone.  I posted a picture of me in the coat and mentioned that I probably won't be issused bunker pants and boots for a very long time as the city budget is in the tank.  I checked the thread Tuesday and a chief from Detroit posted in my thread that he might be able to scrounge me a pair of boots and pants!  OMG!  That BLEW me away!!!!  This man knows my background, somewhat.  He has a business in audio visual technology/advertising and is hiring ff's police and ems people to work for him all over the country.  (EASY work, GOOD pay, works well with ff's rotating schedules and requires no financial commitment from you to get into the job:  if you want to know more about it ask me!  He's still hiring!)  He hired me so he knows I'm a wannabe and that I want to go to school etc.  Even so, I was so surprised  and tickled by his offer!    The "guys" on the Crusty Jakes are SO supportive.  I LOVE them!!!  I am posting a cut and paste of the thread I started there so you can see why.

The title of the post is:  A FEW BABY STEPS FORWARD

I wrote:
Hi! I just wanted to share my recent successes.



I was recently elected Secretary of our local Fire Buff Battalion and issued a FD ID badge and Fire Buff Battalion phone so that I can now respond to fire calls and serve with the canteen unit. I got my coat but due to budget issues may not get my boots and bunker pants for a LONG time.


So.... I'll get wet. Sigh.


Even better though...


Yesterday I was accepted into the EMT program at my local community college. (I finished all the pre-requisites over the weekend). I start class in late March.  I suspect most will be half my age in the class. I wish I had done this 25 years ago, but I'm not letting anything stop me now!

ROOKIELZ Wrote:

And the chant starts.


"Go Flash Go!"


Every step no matter how small is another step closer. If you want this bad enough, nothing will stop in your way.
And as for the age of the others in your class?
So?
You have kids. They probably are in the process of putting you through as many hair raising experiences as they can. It actually helps in the long run. You've done vomit, diarrhea, sleepless nights, organizing, multi tasking. You know a yell of frustration from one of true pain without even being in the same room.


You've got the upper hand here, IMHO.


Now, go gettum Flash!

cjminick390 wrote:

Sounds like you are off to a great start.

Ladder8 wrote:

Go Flash!

depchief135 wrote:

Very nice!

capfiremedic wrote:

Canteen....


Never seen one. We aren't that well thought of until called, then it's "What the hell took you so long?"


Good deal though, study and learn well. You'll do fine.

(Note:  I wrote Cap back and told him I thought well of him!)

Chief54 wrote:

Hey flash! Maybe I can scrounge up some bunkers and boots. What size boots? I have your address from your application so if I can get them I can ship them to you.


Also I'll be in Seattle just before I do the Firehouse World Expo in San Diego on 3-1-10 or just after, to work on a display for Microsoft and to find out if FF can build and install them. how far are you from Seattle?

I wrote:

OMG! That is a very nice offer! Might be a tough one to fill. I wear a women's size 6, (Mens 41/2 ) shoe. Don't know what the correlation is to boot sizes because I've never owned a pair! As far as how far am I from Seattle? Not very! I am 1- 1 1/2 hours away (to the south) depending on traffic. It would be great to meet you in person either way! You have my cell number if you want to call me.



fireball wrote:

i'm very happy for you.congrats.

MikeWard wrote:

Congrats on the gear.

You will do fine in the EMT course.

kjohn23 wrote:

comgrats

Dalmatian90 wrote:

Nice.

nwfdcapt26-respctdajob wrote:
 
You're only too old when you're dead! Never let age hold you back. Often it's only the condition to what you aged to, and not the the age you've reached.
 
Scrappy wrote:
 
I'm the oldest in my paramedic class by 6 years. I'm nearly as old as one of hte instructors! Age means nothing..in fact, most of the 'older' EMT students I know do better than the young kids, and are better EMTs. As for boots, I had to buy my own because I take the same size and my dept didn't have them. It's a write off on your taxes...
 
(Note:  Not as a volunteer with the fire buffs it isn't.  Sigh)
 
drkblram wrote:
 
Scrappy, just thinking about it, in my EMT-B class. we lost almost 1/2 the class. The VAST majority were "college age" kids. The adults (use 24+ for this situation) had maybe a 10% drop out rate.
 
I wrote:
 
Thanks guys for all the encouragement. I am definitely not dead yet!



And another thing I have on my side is that I know what it is like to have let my dreams go. The youngin's have no idea how hard that can make life.


I'm not letting go again!



So, now you can see why I hang out there!  They know who I am and what I am up to and they allow me to be a part of their family.  I keep telling you I am very blessed and this is just more evidence of it. 

THANKS BRO FOR SENDING ME THERE!!!

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.

Report From Ladder Company 40 Day 138 and 139

Hi Team!

Sorry, I have been really busy lately and it is hard to find time to blog.  I don't even feel like doing it now but know that I cannot let it get any further away from me if it is to be an effective tool.

Sunday was a day of being VERY SORE!!  Lots of water, lots of rest, ice and ibuprofin.  Long island iced teas might have worked better, or at least might have made me feel like they were working better, but alas, I did not tryi them to find out. =(

I have bruises on my knees and on my butt.  Both the left and right sides are bruised.  The muscles in my legs, butt, arms and neck are also killing me.  My hands hurt from having to squeeze that mask so tightly onto the face of that dummy.  I'm glad the masks seal better on real people than they do in this situation.  Seriously, I knew this would be work but I had no idea how intense of a workout I would get in that class!  I have an awful lot of work to do!!!

I drank about 2 quarts of fluid and got lots of rest.  I slept fairly well saturday night and I napped on Sunday.  Considering the workout I had on Saturday and the fact that Sunday is a day of rest, I can fairly give myself a 3 for 3.

Monday

I had my fluids, herbal tea... lots of it... all day.  I slept VERY well because I couldn't stay awake if my life depended on it!!  And as you will read below, I am definitely 3 for 3 today!!!

Today I learned what it felt to be a pinball!  Go here, go there, back over there, no over here, no that way, come back...!!!  That is what it was like at the college today when I went to apply for the EMT program.  And to think that I had called Coach Alex to tell her I would miss our workout because it was way more important to me to apply for the EMT program and be one of the first 27 to successfully do so.  I GOT my workout, and then some.  I would bet I got more of a workout than I would have otherwise.  I forgot what a wealth of misinformation and miscommunication community college could be!  It took a lot of walking, a little talking, a lot of smiling and appreciating that everyone meant well and a lot of patience, but I am officially enrolled to the college and my application to the EMT program has been accepted.  I start class the end of March!  : D  =)  : >  = >   : )  = D

I had planned to write with a lot more details of today, but I am very tired.  Sorry about that.  I think you can read that I am very happy and excited though.  And thankful for all of the prayers that have been offered on my behalf and all of the obstacles that God has cleared for me and the encouragement, etc. etc.

One more fun thing for the day.  I took cookies (orange vanilla ones, of course) and a card to Station 8 tonight.  I met Will, the firefighter who answered the door.  He invited us in the lobby of the station and we chatted for about 10 minutes.  He has a deep respect and appreciation for the Buffs, and I shared that I (and also the rest of the buffs) also have a deep appreciation for the ones out there doing the job of saving lives and property.  He was humble, as most firefighters are and downplayed it.  He engaged my hubby in conversation some too and my hubby said something that surprised me.  Will said that he looked forward to seeing us on the canteen unit.  As I started to say that my husband wasn't really into the whole gig he was just along for the ride with me, my hubby said, "I haven't gotten that far into it... yet."   YET!!!    He said, "YET"!!!   Maybe someday?  =)  That would be SO cool to share this with him!!

I'm going to bed.   

Stay safe!

Hotflash out.