Whoa

Can you imagine what would happen if you saw this sign in Southern California!!!!! Not sure if people would stop or maybe just die laughing!!!!

Longevity

I have been married for the last 20 years. I have stayed in my current job for almost 24 years. I have been a member of a church for almost my entire life. I have maintained longevity in all these areas. But I think that longevity means more than just being around for a long time. I think that it also requires an active participation. If it is marriage, then longevity requires communication, commitment and a desire to "go the distance". If it is church then longevity requires participation, and active participant in worship, giving and learning. If it is friendship then longevity requires partaking in that friends life and accepting the good with the bad, and being there for the good and bad. If it is work then the requirement is striving for excellence not mediocrity.

I want to have longevity in my life. I want to be long haul in all the things I do and with all the people I come in contact with, especially those family and friends who are close to me.

Destiny

I recently saw a movie that entertained the idea that freewill did not exist and that we were all predestined to live a life on a predetermined path. I very much enjoyed the movie but I am torn. While I believe that we all have the ability to choose our fate and are the ultimate masters of our future, I also believe that we walk a path that has a purpose. I do not believe that we randomly showed up here on earth simply by chance but that each individual follows a line that was set in motion, by a creator, long before we existed. Interesting problem. How can the two co-exist?? I don't know. I'm not totally sure how this works. But I do know that whether pre-destined or free-will, I have enjoyed the dear family, the best friends, and the exciting places and experiences that my path has taken me.

And I can't wait to see what's in store for tomorrow!!!

Me and Alyssa

It has definitely been a very interesting and hard week for me. First it was St. Patricks day (week) and a third of the fire department went to New York. And while that would no doubt be a blast for those of us who did not go there was work a-plenty. I worked 5 - 24 hour shifts. At least 10 calls per shift and to top it off, a two alarm fire on the last day (strong ending). Other highlights were that I got to spend what days I did have home with Alyssa, and it was fun. We kept the house clean, the dogs alive, and we didn't get on each others nerves all week long. It was fun to spend some time with her and enjoy company. Cindy, Jenna and Shelby are coming home tomorrow so we should be almost back up to a full house. Just need Zachary home, but that's coming up!!!!!

The Test

I passed a milestone today. Or maybe it wasn't a milestone but an obstacle that I really wanted to overcome. I took a test, the second I've ever taken, in Israeli Krav Maga. It wad hard, real hard, 5 hours of hard. No breaks and having to go at 100% the whole time. Every bone in my body aches. I have a fat lip and I'm sure more bruises than ice had in a long time. But I did it. I completed the test and they will let us know the results early next week. (but I'm pretty sure I passed) the only downside to this whole process was that there was no one to celebrate with. Jenna came for an hour or so and rook some pictures but when I got home it was business as usual. No one wanted to see the pictures or hear the stories. Sad I guess. I pushed myself farther physically and mentally than I have done in s long time. I accomplished and overcame a lot and I know I did it and it makes me feel good. And that will have to do for now.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Long Long Day

Today has been a very long day. Alyssa has been sick with migraines for the last week and has been in the ER four times with Cindy, trying to figure out what is up. I really feel for her cause she has had more medicine push into her, it is enough to kill a horse. Tonight she had a CAT scan, a spinal tap and now it is 1 am and they are waiting for an internal medicine consult. Too much. My oldest baby needs to get better soon, real soon!!!!!

Late Night

I have always been a late night person. For some reason I am able to stay up when everyone else has called it a day. There are alot of times I find myself the only one awake in a station full of people. Now don't get me wrong, I get tired and if I need to I can call asleep at the drop of a hat. But for the most part I guess I am a night owl. And I kinda like it I guess. It allows me time to think and breathe and relax, without all the hustle and bustle of everyday life here at the fire house. It can get lonely at times, and it would be nice to have someone who was like me and didn't need the sleep that everyone craves. But for now I will just have to be content with me and my quiet time. For now.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Loopt-less

This is one if the saddest pictures I have. I have no friends on my loopt app. No notifications, no friends sharing my location. I'll keep this app though, cause who know maybe I'll get to use it again. But for now I'll just watch and wait.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Dinner

This evening was fun because it was the last evening that zachary could spend in the fire station before the big "move". It was fun because we (the Talbert's) cooked dinner for all the guys at the station just to show our appreciation for the time that was spent on Zachary by the guys here at the station. In less than 48 hours Zachary will be fully entrenched in his new adventure in Yuba college fire academy. I can't wait for him to experience this adventure. I can't wait for him to take the next step in his career. From his father.....good luck. From the crew at Fire Station 34 .... Good luck as well.


- Posted using BlogPress

Location:Fire Station 34

My Son

I walked from the car to the small plain looking building that somehow resembled a preschool. My son was holding my hand, I remember it like it was yesterday. We walked up hand in had to the classroom and looked inside and found no one, so we found a teacher and asked where Zachary's class was. This was his first day in preschool and I wanted to make sure that he got to the right place with the right teacher. We were directed up some stairs to a field next to the playground and sure enough there, picking flowers in some kind of classroom project were 12 or so kids and two teachers. I introduced myself and Zach and they quickly brought him into their activity. I slowly moved away as my son became more and more interested in the new activity, the new friends and environment. As I walked across the field and playground, I glanced no less that a dozen times to see if my son needed me, I even waved a few times hoping he would see me and wave back with a big smile. As I started down the stairs, my eyes got really misty which by the bottom of the stairs had turned to tears. I missed him and I had only been away for 5 minutes. My wife says I am not a cryer. Never have been. Just an "in control of my emotions" kind of guy. But by the time I had gotton to the car I couldn't stop. I sat in the car, in the parking lot for 30 minutes just wondering what he was doing and did he miss me as much as I missed him. This is for me the definition of unconditional love. Someone that small and innocent impacting me so deeply. (I am fighting tears even writing this).

Now it is 15 years later and I cannot get over having those same feelings as I am about to send my only son to Northern California to take part in a fire academy. He will be gone for four months. He is a grown man heading off to begin a career following in his father's footsteps. And I can't keep from being misty eyed every time I think about it. He can drive me crazy, angry, mad and almost every other emotion, but I can't stop loving him unconditionally. I am excited for this opportunity for him to experience life, to experience his future. But I still can't stop thinking of the 4 year old boy that held my hand as I walked him to his first day in pre-school.

In 1981 I went away to school in Europe and my mother and father took me to the airport and I can remember telling my mom to not make a scene with all the crying and hugging and stuff. She could not do it. She even told me as I walked away "Look didn't cry, I didn't make a scene" as tears rolled down her cheeks. I now know exactly how she felt. I don't know how I'll be. I can't stop getting teary eyed just writing this blog. But I do know this one thing. I do love my son, completely, whole heartedly and unconditionally.

ps and I'll let you know how I do in my next blog:)

Ok This is Cold!!!!

Ok, how do you know when it is cold, no really cold?? You can see your breath?? Stings the skin on your face??? How bout your dog has to wear a jacket and booties. Yea, I think that would be cold!!!

Lake Louise . . . WOW

I don't have words for this place. I knew it existed but I had only seen it in pictures. I am speechless . . . If ever there was a winter castle, a winter wonderland, a Cair Paravel (Narnia). This would be it. It sat next to a frozen lake. They had built a ice castle on the edge of the lake facing the Chateau. We walked from one end of the lake to the other, on top of the frozen lake. I have no words only pictures!!!!!!

New Years Eve, Surreal!!!

This was another first. I found myself standing around a bonfire in the middle of Canada, in the middle of the Canadian Rockies, on a frozen pond, drinking hot chocolate with 3000 residents of the small city of Canmore. Surreal. People ice skating, pulling sleds with their kids, dogs with mittens on their feet running around. I knew one person, Cindy. We celebrated the New Year in a way we had never experienced. To say the least it was surreal. People from a different world, a cold world. A real cold world (-25C). if you took away their passports and accents and HEAVY jackets, they are no different than you or I. But they are different. I was brought up in sunny, warm, So Cal. They were brought up in a place that they love and call home. I would have loved to talk to each one of them and find out their story. Where they are from? What is their life like? How are they different and how are they similar? 3000 different stories. My new years resolution is to hear some of these stories, anywhere I roam, to talk to the people around me. To engage in society. And maybe even blog about a few of them, who knows???

Dog Sledding

Cross another thing off the Bucket List!!! Dog Sledding. What an absolute kick. Fun with a capital F. The weather was an easy -10F and Cindy didn't want to drive the team so that left the two hour tour to me to drive. Absolutely fun. The dogs were great. I would do it again in a heartbeat. As a matter of fact they have a two day trip, overnight. . . . I'm . . . .thinking . . . .

Dinner

We had our Anniversary dinner at this restaurant called Rustica. It was awesome. We started with bread and three kinds of dipping oil; chili, sun dried tomato, and garlic basel. Then salad for me, candied walnut with raspberry vinaigrette and Cindy had Chipotle Yam soup (Awesome). Then filet cut of prime canadian beef, totally awesome and for dessert, an apple-cranberry crust and a white chocolate eggnog infused Torte. I was sick, was so full. The best part was that it was my Anniversary dinner. What a great way to start off the next 20 years!!!

Canada

I heard a comedian describe Canada as "The attic that you never go into, but once you do you realize all the cool stuff there is up here. I love Canada. It is an beautiful country. I would love to come here more!!!

20 Years

20 years ago I got married. my wife is wonderful, awesome, caring, and a whole lot more. One of the funny things i am finding out is the rarity of being married for 20 years. When we tell someone that the 28th is our 20th anniversary the response we usually get is WOW congrats, that's a long time, and it is rare to find a couple together for that long. Interesting. We are the rarity not the rule. Very Interesting...

Christmas Day

Its early morning Christmas Day and I am up. The strange thing about this morning is that no one else is!!! All the kids are still in bed and if I don't wake them up (which I'm not going to do), then they will all sleep till noon. Why you ask? On Christmas morning, the only morning were kids always get up before parents. Well we did things a little different this year. Cindy had to work Christmas day and so we decided to move our christmas up a day. The kids loved it!!! By Christmas eve all the events done at our house were over, opening gifts, Church service, big dinner, games, cards. And now it is Christmas day and we get to sleep in and hang with family. Not a bad idea.

My Baby

This is my baby. I have four babies and they are all precious. They all have the same last name, Talbert, but they are all so different. This baby of mine is going under the knife tomorrow morning. And even though I have seen and witnessed numerous people go through various levels of medical treatment. This one is my baby. As a man I stand strong, unwavering, sturdy and rock solid. As a parent I worry, I pray, and am brought to my knees at the mere thought of my baby not well. I love my babies. I love this baby. And all I can do is entrust them. . . Entrust her. . . To God's loving hands.

Letting Go. . .

I recently was reading through stories in the Bible and came across the story of King Solomon and the two mothers. Two women had given birth but one had rolled over in night and accidently killed her child. So with a jealous heart she went and swapped the babies and took the live one for her own. The story goes that when they awoke and found the babies, one alive and the other dead, they went to King Solomon to determine the real mother to the one remaining child. Solomon advice was to split the child and let each have a half. One mother said ok and the other, the real mother, said "no give her to the other cause then at least the child is still alive". Now I know that this story is about the wisdom of Solomon, but I think also there is something to be said for the mother who had enough love for her child, that to see the child live, she was willing to let him go.

This is real love. Love that is willing to let go in order for lives to be saved. This love, I believe, can be greater because it has the element of thinking of others over self. But this love is hard. Not easily obtained. In todays day very rare. This is true love. Loving so completely that the other's needs are met . . . first.

I am not real good at this love. It requires sacrifice and heartache. It requires letting go. I wish I was a pro at this but I'm not. Outside of my family and a select friend or two, my ability to love completely wanes.

I need to think more of others and less of me. This is what the mother in Solomon's time was able to do. In the end she loved, lost and loved again. I hope this is true of me too.