Minor Setback

I got a call from Cindy yesterday morning saying it was raining.  I quickly looked outside and saw sun and was a little confused until she said "No, in Zach's room!!" The tile setter had punched a small hole in the pipes for the shower and unbeknownst to us it had filled the space between the floors until it found a way out; through dry-wall seems, light fixtures, ceiling fans, it was quite the water park.  Zach turned the water off to the entire house and by the time I got there a lot of the waterfall had abated, so we quick called the contractor and he had someone there within the hour.  Disaster averted.  So now we are replacing drywall all over.  I could not even imagine building a whole house much less re- drywalling an entire bedroom ceiling.  I'll stick to firefighting much easier!!!!!

Bathroom Update

The Tile is in and it is sealed. 

It looks Awesome (capital A).  Almost like a professional did it  . . . oh wait . . . a professional did do it. 

Now we just need the glass, a few fixtures and now the rest of the bathroom to go with it . . . .Here we go again!!!!

Date Night

I told Cindy that I wanted to institute a new policy . . . Date Night!!!!  This was our second date and the only problem was  . . .

 . . . . she brought her kids!!!!! 

She did let me pick the resturant though and I chose Kings Fishhouse, one of my favorites (I think I really like Sushi!!!) They made fun of my random Tweets and winky faces ;) So I sent them home and took their mom to the Movies !!!! (Hangover2 - soso).

The best part was coming home and finding the kids playing this game with ping pong balls, cups and some beverage (Gatorade, Apple juice, water, maybe one beer) I think it is called Beer-Pong!!!!

Something is diffenently wrong with these kids!!!!!!

Ps ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)   . . . . . So There ZACH!!!!!!!!!!

A New Day

I always love it when I wake up after a long nights sleep. . . . Yes . . . all night!!!!! 

Totally looking forward to today.  Finishing up stuff at the house (upstairs bathroom), getting the boat fixed, and then . . . . Date Night with my baby!!!!! I can't wait!!!!!!

The best part of the day . . . . I woke up and on my new phone I saw this .

:-)

Thanks Cindy it made me happy!!!

My Evening

Here is my evening.  A full "IN" box.  A stack of reports that have to be entered into the computer, then seperated and then filed.  All before the morning.  It's going to be a late night.  Good thing I don't have to go on any emergency calls . . . Oh wait . . . . . I do!!!!!

A Crowded Station

    Is it possible to be lonely in a crowded station.  I would like to put forth that it is!!  I work with great people.  There is hard work, laughter, joking, stuff getting done and stuff not getting done.  Activity all over the place, all the time. 

     Sometimes though it feels very much like I am on the fringe.  Just holding on and following whereever the river takes me.  I don't really like this feeling, I need camaradarie, I need brotherhood, I need family. 

 Maybe I just need a good fire!!!!

Maybe  :/

The Tunnel

I saw this picture and it reminded me of life, most particularly my life.

 

   Sometimes you can see the light and sometimes you can't. 

   Sometimes you think it is the end and sometimes its a train coming straight at you. 

 I'm not sure I can see the light at this time, but I'll keep trying.... I have too!!!!

Untethered

Wow.  I am without my phone for the first time in years I think.  The only computer that I have is the station computer in front of me.  I drove to work today in So County thinking, no one can call me, ask me questions, talk to me.  But then I thought, Whoa!! I can't get out either.  I never realized how much I relied on cell phones for communication before.  I feel  very unconnected.  It's very lonely!  You know when people say that technology makes the world just a little bit smaller, well mine just got a little bit bigger.

I wonder if there are still phone booths!!!

The Graduate/ Future Fireman

Ok I know that I am late on posting this but yes, Zachary did graduate and yes he is one giant step closer to becoming a full time firefighter, and yes he is home now. Yeah!!!!!! It was great seeing him graduate. He put a lot of time, effort and energy into doing well in the fire academy and his mother and I couldn't be prouder.





We really couldn't!!!!!!!!




Welcome to the Brotherhood ....... Son!!!!!




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Location:Yuba City

The Birthday

She made it!!!!! A teenager finally. We asked her what she wanted to do for this day and she said ride bikes with friends at the beach, eat Balboa bars, play, make pizza. We told her great, live it up, it's May 21st the supposed day the world ends. She did!!! The world didn't end!!!! And my last child became a teenager!!!!




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Location:Newport Beach

Fate

I think it is interesting how we get places. I do not put forth that I can see or know the future, no one can, but I do feel there is a plan and for that matter a purpose, I have to. We are designed from the beginning. Yes we make choices and turn to the left or the right, but I cannot get past the fact that there is a path that we are "fated" to follow. Webster defines fate as "that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny". The only thing at times that keeps me going is even though my life is charted, there is a purpose behind the events in my life.  I choose to believe that without a purpose there is no meaning and without meaning, my  life becomes meaningless.  There is meaning to every event in my life, every path I cross and every corner I turn should impact me, positively and even at times negatively but that's my journey.  My goal is to be meaningful, to have purpose, to not live randomly by chance, not understanding that every decision leads somewhere.  Every plan has an outcome every journey leads somewhere and not by chance.  For me, to live randomly is to live without meaning.  This is my path, my journey and my purpose.

The Project

It seems that we just got done in the kitchen refinishing all the cabinets and now we are working on the master bathroom upstairs. Although the best part about this is that I am not doing the work. That makes me happy. But we are getting new tile, new fixtures, essentially a whole new bathroom. But we are now in the beginning stages and there will be moe to come. Also Cindy picked out the faucet for the bathtub. Total fun. Always wanted something like that.




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Location:Home

The Horses on Mothers Day

Now I know that this blog entry is late but I wanted to make sure that I post it. Cindy loves horses. I mean LOVES horses!!! If I let her keep one in the house, she would. She would feed it, play with it, let it nuzzle her to sleep at night and wake her up with it's cold nose in the morning. (I'm guessing I'd get the clean-up part). So it was only fitting that on Mother's Day she got to go and hang with the animals she so loves. She was sooooo happy. Happy Mother's Day!!!




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100,000

I made it! The challenge for the months April was that we row 100,000 meters on a concept 2 rower while only at work. That's 10,000 meters a shift. That was a lot of sitting on a machine and going back and forth and back and forth. But I made it and then some.


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Location:Fire Station 34

Speed Bumps

I remember when I first started this blog that I wanted to somehow refer to the journey that each of us (specifically me) through life. The ups and downs, the good times and the bad times and everything in-between. But the funny thing about journeys is that it can't all be good or easy, there are struggles, pitfalls and speed bumps. I'm in a "speed bump" time right now. The thing is about speed bumps is that there is always the other side. Sometimes it can be tough getting there, but I will get there..... I will !!!!!


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The 96

I just got home from working 4 days straight. Now to the normal person you might think that working four days straight is nothing, people everywhere do it all the time. Well first I'm not normal (so I've been told) and second I am a fireman, which means I was gone for 96 hours . . . . Working!!!! Everywhere from Placentia to San Clemente to Westminister. Long, long days and nights. A lot of sick people and a quite a few drunk people, well a lot of drunk people. Although there was one real bright spot during the time I was gone. On the last day we had a working structure fire. For a firefighter, total fun. But now I am home sweet home where I really belong.

Location:ALL OVER!!!

The Tongue

Have you ever said anything that you regretted. Don't you wish that you could at times if you said something you didn't want to and then just reach out into thin air and grab those words and pull them back in. I do it all the time. Something said to one of the kids that I knew would've been better off not said or a comment to a loved one that you knew as soon as the words landed that they did not have the right effect. It's like trying to catch smoke with your hands. Impossible. I have a masters degree in this. I am great at it. Cindy tells me all the time "maybe you should wait and think about what you are going to say". Or "I probably wouldn't phrase it that way". I'm learning, and I'm getting better. I hope. Maybe I better keep quiet!!!!!

The Duck Pond

A few days ago as we sat in our dining room, overlooking the backyard, I happened to see that the pool was full of waves. This was interesting because there was no way anyone would be in the pool because it is three degrees above freezing. We quick looked out the window and this is what we saw. Really . . . . . Ducks !!!!!! I didn't know that we were on the "flying south for the winter" route.







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Location:Home Sweet Home