In the rain at the lake

We're on the edge of Memorial Day weekend.  A weekend dedicated to remember all those brave men and women who fought and sometimes gave it all so that we would have our freedom that most cherish so dearly.

For most of the day all I could think about was getting out of work and getting home to see my family.  I had enough and was ready for some time outdoors with them.  Mother Nature has been a fickle lady this year, a rough winter for those who don't like the cold and snow and a very wet Spring with several major rain events.  But with the sun shining, even so briefly, we headed to the lake.  We grabbed some dinner from the best place around and headed off.  As the clouds moved in, we got to what normally is an insanely busy part of the lake.  But I guess the cool temps and the threatening rain scared all but several brave souls away from the lake.  We were one of three cars in the parking lot, a young family was trying to get out on the lake for a quick kayak ride before the weather kicked in.  I warned them about the impending monsoon coming but they rushed off and got a few moments in on the water.  While we ate in the comfort of the truck, he packed up the kayak and wished he listened to me, his words, not mine.

We noticed what might have been a brief window of clear weather on the radar and we were off to the next place.  We got out and had twenty minutes of cool, but dry time playing by the lake.  There were only three other cars in that lot, a couple of people trying to get their boats in before the storm and a few casting from the shore.  It's not the far off destination I dream about often, but it's all I need for a short, quick fix.  Watching my kids enjoy the simple pleasure of getting their feet wet, throwing sticks to our eager dogs and eventually tossing small pebbles into the water was all I needed for my day to end on a great note.  The only thing better was them asking to go to another lake... I only wish I could oblidge.

Like the saying goes, all good things come to an end, the rain kicked in, we packed up and headed off.

Morning Routine

It's like the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray at my house every morning.  My son comes into our room, blanket and pillow in tow, asks for his milk, makes himself cozy in our bed and enjoys his morning milk.  You can guarantee that is going to happen every morning.  From there on out it's a crap-shoot.

His little routine makes me laugh every morning.  Sometimes it's a bit annoying because he comes in at different hours, ranging from 5 am to 8 am, depending on the day and when he went to bed.  If he comes in to early, we don't sleep well, if he comes in late, we feel so rested that it's like we missed some part of the morning, or overslept.

I don't think we'd have it any other way.  I think to myself, "when will this end?"  When will my little boy not want to cuddle in the morning anymore and at what point is he to old for that kind of behavior.  But that's one of those things that I'll relish now and worry about it in the future if I have to.

Firefighter Life.

I am a volunteer firefighter and have being this 'job' for almost 20 years now.  It's been a blast most times and other times it's like any job, it can have it's down sides.  Normally it's after a tough call where the situation didn't go as well as you had hoped it would go.  Sometimes it's just the weather, hampering your efforts.  Recently the volunteer fire service as a whole has been in a slump.  There used to be more volunteers than you knew what to do with, now we're running low.  Adults are far to busy working more than one job, taking classes towards a degree or additional degree, taking their kids to their various sporting events and school events, no one has time.  Now, teenagers and young adults have also been dwindling in numbers in the fire service, this is mostly due to a lack of caring, effort and the willingness to put down their iPhone for a few minutes to realize that there's more to this world than Facebook.

At my station we are lucky enough to have a streak going of several volunteers that are not yet adults but are willing to spend additional hours training, on top of school work, to be a part of a service that helps members of their community and surrounding communities.

Last night for drill we spent the night training with hoselines and ground ladder placement for various types of scenarios.  Being "Juniors" they aren't allowed to enter a burning building but they are allowed to help outside as much as they can.  It was a pleasant surprise to see almost all of our junior members show up to drill ready to learn, we were missing several senior firefighters but it's understandable as not everyone can come to every drill or call.  The few senior firefighters that were there went through the basics and techniques we've been taught over the years and have used on the fireground before.  It went well and it seemed that they got some good training out of it to hopefully prepare them for down the road when they attend fire school and eventually go on emergency calls as active firefighters.

At the end of the night we went to the local Dairy Queen and then our Deputy Chief took part in something going around as of late known as the 'Cold Water Challenge'.  It's where you get hosed off, or jump in a pool or lake before it gets warm enough for swimming in honor of our fallen brothers and sisters in the fire service.  The person called out also donates $100 to the Fallen Firefighters Foundation and calls our five other people for the challenge.  This was a great moment for me, you get to see the fun side, the honor and brotherhood of firefighters and the bond we have.

Being a Father.

One of the greatest gifts of all time for me is being a father.

It's a bolt statement and sure there are trying times, I'm sure in the instance that I go upstairs to bed tonight and awake in the morning the routine of my son asking my wife and I where "we're" going today will end in the same saddened angry voice that gets said so many times through the weeks that it's to the point where it's funny, in a weird sort of way.  It's funny I suppose because my wife and I know that he really likes school, probably not for the learning, but for the friend's and fun activities he gets to do throughout the day while mommy and daddy are plodding away at work.

Right now my wonderful son is having his back rubbed, another funny routine, by my wife like she does almost every single night.  He knows it's time to get to sleep when one of us comes in, he normally asks what are we doing, then we say it's time for bedtime, he flops on his belly and pulls his shirt up so that we can properly scratch his back so that he is properly ready for bed.  One last heavy sigh and a "I love you" and he's ready for bed.

My sweet angel baby girl asks for me to put her to bed, which is funny because her bedtime routine includes a dash of milk and as many songs as she can get out of you before you sneak out the door.  Since I'm a terrible singer and know hardly any songs, I muddle through a few and tell her I love her and that "daddy has to use the potty" and make my exit.  She doesn't cry or get upset, she just gets cozy and goes to sleep.  Maybe it's my horrendous singing skills, or complete lack of knowing the right words because my wife, who knows most of the songs, is in there a lot longer then I am and my baby is not happy when she leaves.

There are times throughout the day that can and will turn your hair many shades of gray, but in the end, when you stop working, stop caring about the crap that fills your day with stress, your kids can come through for you tenfold.  With a simple act of a good night hug or a surprising, seemingly out of nowhere hug, all that crap is gone.  I can only hope that my children love me as much as I love them.