Lessons learned

Hey blog readers...I hope the rain we are currently in the Michiana area is not dampening any one's spirits. I luckily have been at work through most of it, so I am not looking outside thinking of all the things I should be doing in the yard.

So the title of this blog is "Lessons Learned"...well as you guessed I am going to throw some lessons that I have learned. Either through life experience or life learning(actually listening to other people and learning to no repeat their mistakes). So here we go...

Life at the fire station is not always running into burning buildings and saving people(however that would be pretty fun). It takes a lot of understanding of people and how to live with different personalities. I have recently been reassigned to a new station and have started this process all over. My new partner is pretty long in the tooth(so to speak). He isn't very talkative, and for anyone who knows me that can be frustrating...I do love a good chit chat. So I have a new personality to decipher.

Don't pee into the wind. Not really something you should test, unless of course you are into the wet pants look.

Never look at your Thumb/Finger when pounding nails...you will regret it.

Never underestimate the power of doing nice things. I am married to one of the greatest people in the world, and luckily she appreciates my attempts at being a good person(even though sometimes they fail miserably). People inherently want to feel appreciated and taking a few minutes to show that appreciation will pay huge dividends in the end.

Never forget to say Thank you when someone completes a task or does a nice thing. Doing so can cause that to become a habit and then it is harder and harder to show appreciation.

When you ask someone "How are you?" expect to get an answer. I ask this all the time...and I want to know. It tells me a lot about where a person is in their mind at the time. Even if they say "Fine" you can usually tell if they are or not. It truly is, the easiest question I ask, and it is the best way to size up the current situation.

Now...onto some curious things that I have noticed.

Why is it that the Women's bathroom is so sacred? The firehouse that I am at has one. I have noticed that during the after hours portion of the day(when there is rarely a Female in the building) that room is off limits. I have actually witnessed someone do the "Potty Dance" waiting for the men's bathroom. It is right across the hall from the women's. I think I will try and break down this "social barrier" next time I have to pee...wish me luck.

Why do some people feel that it is important to story trump? Around the firehouse I would say it is very similar to a fish camp. Everyone sitting around when there is down time telling "fishing stories". But there is the occasional story trumper. You know what I mean...they have done things stranger, bigger and more embarrassing than anything you could ever hope to do. Why???

Ok...onto some updates.

Daisy is improving everyday...still some caution in our hearts, but it is great to see her up and moving around and doing "Daisy things" again.

Sharkboy is having some really great days at school. He is growing up everyday and becoming quite the little man. I am so honored to be his Dad and can't wait to continue to watch him grow..

Jenny, had a great Mother's Day. She started with Breakfast that I made. Belgian waffles, Sausage patties and homemade whipped cream. She got a bunch(and I mean bunch) of wild flowers. We have wildflowers in vases all around our house. Then she did some shopping while Sharkboy and I got the front yard in order for the spring time. We made the trek to New Carlisle and spent some time with her parents and dropped a plant off to my Mom(they weren't home or I would have visited there too). Then we finished it off with Homemade Schnitzel. It was a great day for me to honor the Mother of my child and my best friend in the whole world.

That is about all I have for now...

So until next time,

Be Kind, Be Safe...

Shalom my Peeps.

Time keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking...into the future.

Hey blog readers...hope everyone in the North West Indiana area is staying warm and dry today. It is not pretty outside...but at least it isn't snowing(said with fingers crossed!)

Not a lot of happening right now...yeah right. Daisy came home last night from her 2 night 2 day stay at the vet. It is our best guess(that is all we have right now) that she has Toxoplasmosis. She is responding to the antibiotics. The vet has cautioned us to proceed with cautious optimism, since we don't really know for sure how advanced it was able to get before figuring it out. The good news is she responding and we will take that. The even better news is that dogs respond very well as long as it has not infected/affected her neuro-muscular systems. Fingers again crossed.

I feel like I should add a plug here for our great and caring vetinary staff. The gang at Gilmer Park have been great. The Dr's are incredibly nice and easy to talk to and very caring. Daisy's vet called me today from his daughters soccer tournament...in Ft. Wayne to answer some questions we had. He is incredible and so is his wife, one of the other magnificent vets that are taking care our Daisy. If you are in need of a Vet in the South Bend area...I can't say enough possitive things about Gilmer Park Animal Hospital.

Sharkboy and I had a boys night out last night. He insisted on Hacienda even though we just had 2 night prior (it was Cinco De Mayo after all). He really had his heart set on Chips, Salsa and Ranch. It was really cute at dinner, he forgot Mommy wasn't with us and almost ordered a small green salsa for her. Then he looked at me and said..."man, I almost forgot this was a boys only night and Mommy isn't here". Good to know he takes care of her even when she isn't there.

Work for me is still kicking along. I am settling into my new assignment and getting used to the routines around here. The station I am at is nicknamed "The Nightmare". So if your curious about my Facebook status updates that reference that, well mystery solved. Lot's of new subdivisions and streets to learn, but if you are learning...your not getting anywhere.

Got a lot coming up this week...Mothers Day tomorrow! Then class during work Monday and then the 4-day, that will include an overtime shift on Tuesday.

I guess since I mentioned it...Happy Mother's Day tomorrow to all the Moms. Especially Jenny. I love that she is the Mother of my son and I Cherish every moment that I can share with her raising our son. She is a great mother, wife and friend. She truly is a blessing in my life. I can't forget my Mom...Thanks Mom for raising me to be a responsible adult and to appreciate the little things in life. Also LA...thank you for raising a great daughter, I have already said it, but she is a great person and I am lucky to have her and you in my life.

That is about all I have now, so until next time...

Be Kind, Be Safe...

Shalom my Peeps.

Time to get back on the blog wagon...

Hey blog readers...it has been over a month since my last post. I am not really sure why either...there has been plenty in my life to laugh about, preach about, whine about and think about. Just for some reason it didn't happen here. Well that is about to all change. I have been re-assigned to a new firehouse. For those of you familiar I am now stationed at the former Harris station 2 and current Clay station 4. It is nicknamed the Nightmare on Elm Rd, a little play on the 80's horror film and the fact that it is located at the corner of Elm and SR 23. It is a nice little station with I a nice pace.

Just got back from Cigarfest 2010. It was a great time as always. This year F.i.L. tagged along with me and 3 other firefighters. We scored many great pictures, memories and most of all cigars. I believe my final count of cigars handed to me was 68. Great times, and pictures to follow.

Sharkboy is doing great. He is growing up so fast. He takes his very own showers now. The only assistance he needs is a little help getting the shower gel on the shower puff, but in time he will master that too. School is just about over for him. He has a little less than a month left. He is really excited about this summer, as am I, since we will be doing a lot together. Not of the least is our family vacation to Florida in June. It will include some time with some great friends and visit to Disney. I can't wait and based on our conversations, neither can he.

Jenny is hanging in there. Her Uncle was diagnosed with cancer a couple months ago and sadly there is very little they can do for him medically. It is pretty much through his whole body. He is in the best spirits you can expect and thank goodness for the good people of hospice. He is receiving palliative care and it is really helping with the pain. The pain the family is experiencing is not treatable with medication. Just a lot of love, some great talks and time will heal those wounds. I hate to see the people I love going through this, so I try to support where I can, catch the tears I can and just plain continue to love on them.

Daisy is a pretty sick puppy right now. Hopefully the treatment she began yesterday will continue to help her feel better. She has what we suspect as Toxoplasmosis. It is a pretty nasty infection. The vet is very pleased with her rapid response to the medication and is cautiously optimistic on her recovery. We have been through a lot these past few weeks with her and are ready to have her return to some form of her normal self.

I think that pretty much catches you up on the current goings on in the wacky world I live in. Stay tuned for more updates and hopefully some pretty funny or odd perspective posts.

Until next time,

Be Kind, Be Safe...

Shalom my Peeps!