January is over already....

Can't believe that January is already over feels like the year just started and already have to flip the calender!

This ended up being a super busy month for me one week I worked 99 hours between both jobs most weeks I seemed to average between 45-70.

My goals for last month were:

January:
1-Drink more water each day I do great Monday thru Friday at work but weekends I sometimes struggle. Especially if I am working. I have done better with this even at my second job. When we go on transfers if I'm not super tired or its not late at night I get a fountain lemonade instead of soda. Now the late night early morning transfers I get soda to keep me awake.

2-Workout at least 3 times a week. Doing both cardio and ab, leg and arm exercises. I have searched pintrest for some quick easy workouts that I can do at home. Pretty much a fail I have been more active as in moving around doing more at home and work. Make more trips up the stairs at my office job and doing wall pushups when in the restroom at work.

3-Start cutting back on soda try to only have one a day. Hmmm its better at times and worse at times depending on the week. I need to find something else to have when stressed and frazzled right now when I hit that point I want a fountain dr pepper.

4-Eat healthier was doing pretty good until holidays hit then still staying away from fast foods. However snacks chips and frozen pizzas have been filling that void. Done fairly well with this one can't remember the last time I ate McDonalds or any other icky fast food I have had subway chicken from sonic made good choices at restaurants etc.

5-Look in the mirror and find something I like about myself not instantly finding what I don't like yes and no I still avoid the mirror like the plague but I have quit weighing myself daily and multiple times a day. I think the week I worked the 99 hours I wasn't ever home long enough to weigh let alone have energy to. So that sort of broke that habit.

6-Stress less and find ways to manage stress better not to let it bog me down until I fall apart or want to disappear. Still a work in progress I am happy to say (unless something happens today) I haven't hit that wall that I want to say forget it all and throw in the towel.


Goals for February:
1-Get a schedule figured out where I can schedule time in for workouts. I have my first race of the year coming up in 22 days its just a fun 5k but I want to beat my time of last year.

2-Get my costume done for that race and quit procrastinating. I have the tulle just need to cut and make the tutu.

3-Continue to drink more water and cut back on soda.

4-Bring healthy lunches for work and cook more crockpot meals along with cooking more than we need at night so we have leftovers for a few days.

5-Spend time with the boys one on one and together hope weather starts to warm up some so we can go for walks or bike rides on our road.

An Interesting article

In browsing facebook this afternoon I came across an article that a girl I work with at the ambulance had shared. I read it and then decided to share it here this is the link to the whole article but I am going to copy and paste some that happen to me the most. http://voices.yahoo.com/tips-survive-being-married-paramedic-3700116.html.

Article references being married to a medic but same happens if your an EMT or a fire fighter.
Tip #1: Never schedule anything within six hours of a shift ending or starting. If you do, you will almost always have to cancel or go alone. It's cliche to invoke Murphy's Law but it's the only explanation for this peculiar phenomenon--unless you want to go with the idea that there's a grand conspiracy out there to get you. I go with the latter myself, but not everyone wants to admit that there's a grand conspiracy out there to get them. Your spouse is never guaranteed to get off of work on time. Never. Ever. Never. No one can ever predict when a bunch of idiots on cell phones applying makeup reading the newspaper eating breakfast will decide to get in a car accident. So if you schedule an appointment or engagement shortly after your spouse is supposed to come home, you're just asking for it. Same goes for scheduling something within a few hours of when your spouse is supposed to go to work. If they need extra manpower at work, chances are they'll call and if your spouse values their job, they'll head in. Yep has happened to me more than once plan to do something as soon as I'm off work or plan something in between both jobs. Never fails I will need to go in early or get stuck a little later than usual.

Tip #2: Remember that sentimentality is for normal families, not for yours. What I mean is your spouse will have to work on important dates, be it your birthday, Christmas, Thanksgiving and every other important date in your life. It's not always possible to take off or switch for those days, especially if it's a biggie like Christmas. If you are hung up on celebrating Christmas on December 25th, you'll be celebrating without your spouse. It really is okay to open presents on December 24th or 26th, especially if your spouse gets holiday pay. Don't pass up on time and a half in this economy! I got lucky and only worked on Christmas Eve and New Years Day. However I don't mind working on holidays. Guess it goes back to growing up around the fire dept and knowing that you could get a call at any moment. My kids are ok with it and well Kenny is cause I get holiday pay. Holidays don't have to be celebrated on the date the calendar says nothing wrong with doing them sooner or after the actual day.

Tip #5: Let them sleep. The life of a medic is never easy. It's almost impossible to relax while on duty because of the anticipation of a call, being on a call, and recovering from a call. Even if they get to sleep all night, it's not restful because they're anticipating a call. So when they come home after a shift, just let them sleep, no matter how much you want them to stay up and wash the dishes. Most of the time Kenny tells me to go relax if he knows I had a stressful shift however doesn't mean anyone else does the chores so I usually just suck it up do what I can then crash on the couch.

Tip #7: Ask them how their shift went. But don't ask them for details because you probably don't want to know. You might think you want to know, but do you really want to hear about someone's brains splattered against a wall? Nah, probably not. But if you do, you should become a medic too. This isn't so much at home he sometimes asks and I sometimes leave the gory stuff out.. However at my office job yeah they learned early on not to ask how the shift went....

Pretty neat article to read and if you aren't around this lifestyle it doesn't make sense to others. I am thankful to have lots of friends in the fire and ems careers that understand. Then there are those that can't believe I would work on a holiday or work as an EMT or fire fighter but those are the people that will be darn glad that we are out there if they are ever in need of medical care :)
Just like on Sunday when I was to meet my friend at a certain time and got a page for brush fire. All I had to do was send text saying on a fire call she understood and heck even found where I was to wait for me....

A weekend off...!

For the first time in months I was off work from both jobs for 3 days in a row! After last week in working 99 hours from Sunday to Friday a couple days off was much needed. I ended up working 80 hours straight from Sunday at 8am until Wednesday at 5pm.. Never was home just bounced from office to ambulance base. 

So Friday night we decided to have a date night then last minute a friend of ours decided to come along. Some people would have been mad at their spouse for inviting one of their guy friends along but I generally don't mind. 

We went to dinner then to Sputs place for a couple bday parties. I got to see one of my good friends and well we had fun. 

I won't say how many mixed drinks I had but it was way to many 

Yes eyes half closed that happens in a dark bar when camera flash goes off.... 

We took the phone of the friend in other photo and we took lots of silly pictures for her to find later :). 

Saturday for a slow start to the day but was nice to sleep in for a change. We went grocery shopping which is rare for is to do together anymore. Then home to get ready to go to another friends house for a fish fry. Now the fish fry was for guys only however when Kenny called to ask about it I was told I was invited because I was one of them..... And I'm the only girl who has been around Kenny's high school friends for 15 years all the other guys have had many different girlfriends and wives over the years. Plus I've always got along better with guys than girls way less drama. We had a good time and about 10pm our friends wife got home from work and I was able to catch up with her. We both work crazy hours so its hard to find time. 

Sunday slept in again then that afternoon was to get the boys from my mom then meet Kathy to check out a field for her to rent for her horses. About 30 min before meeting her fire got paged out for a grass fire. Knowing Kathy would understand I went to the call was glad I was wearing my boots but wasn't happy to get my pink jacket covered in black soot.. The funny thing was Kathy didn't know what call I went on but by listening to radio traffic found the scene and was there waiting for me. I think her smile was as big as mine was we both love fire fighting and ems. Finally got to walk the property for her horses was nice spending the afternoon with her. 

Monday Blake had school and Nathan wanted to go to daycare so I went shopping in a near by town for some shirts and pants. Found lots of stuff on sale and bought a massage stick roller thing to use after working out. Not as fancy as some I've seen but I think it will work. 

Was hard coming back to the office today. I had got rid of my headache and tension in my jaws and by 11 it was back :(. I get to work a night shift at the ambulance tomorrow night. I think the 100 hour work weeks will be far and few in between. I'm still trying to recover! 

2014 Goals

I know the new year is 10 days in but I had to take quite a bit of time to think about what I wanted out of this year. That along with I had been working so much hadn't had the time to sit down and write anything out.

I've come to realize I can't follow most of these diet and exercise plans everyone raves about. Between being a wife and mom, working two jobs, being a volunteer fire fighter and the fire department board secretary there isn't a lot of time left for sleep or workouts. My second job some days your lucky if you get time to eat and some days that's just what you can grab at a gas station or snack thru out the day never having time to sit down and eat a meal. I wouldn't trade that second job for anything well unless I could do only it full time....

I think once all this lovely nasty snow melts this weekend I will bring workout clothes with me to work on Monday and aim to get a mile in at least 3 days on my lunch break.

On to my goals for the year I have decided to have a few big goals to work on throughout the year and then do monthly ones. I find if I have monthly goals I am more likely to stick with it and not procrastinate as much.

Year Goals:
1-Do another half marathon I will not set a date for the race as its early in the year and I am not sure what race I want to do. Would love to find a friend to do it with me just not sure I am up to doing a half alone yet.

2-Cut soda pretty much out and only have maybe one or two a month would love to say I would be soda free but I know once I say that I will want it twice as bad.

3-Learn to love myself and like what I see in the mirror and quit letting the negative self talk run my thoughts.

4-Be a better wife mother and friend make time to do fun things with my family and friends, find ways to be creative and not have to spend ton of money to have fun.

5-Find some trails to hike and run on. Never tried but looks fun and I love nature and outdoors and I think its something my husband and maybe oldest son would like.

Now on to my January goals I will do posts each month recapping how I did with the month and listing the next month goals.

January:
1-Drink more water each day I do great Monday thru Friday at work but weekends I sometimes struggle. Especially if I am working.

2-Workout at least 3 times a week. Doing both cardio and ab, leg and arm exercises. I have searched pintrest for some quick easy workouts that I can do at home.

3-Start cutting back on soda try to only have one a day.

4-Eat healthier was doing pretty good until holidays hit then still staying away from fast foods. However snacks chips and frozen pizzas have been filling that void.

5-Look in the mirror and find something I like about myself not instantly finding what I don't like

6-Stress less and find ways to manage stress better not to let it bog me down until I fall apart or want to disappear.

I of course have things running thru my head I want to be x number on the scale or wear x size clothing but I realize I am pretty muscular and to be that x number and size I would have to give up a lot of muscle and I don't want to do that. I need the muscle for work and need to learn to like that yes I may not be size 5 but I know I am strong.

Snow...snow...cold....yuck.....

I'm so over winter the cold weather and snow.. Yesterday by noon temp was -4 when I woke up it was -10!! 

I worked Saturday night and we watched weather to see winter storm warning in our area. At midnight no snow. Ran a call at 4am just a dusting. Ran another call at 6am and this. 

This was on a main highway only a partial set of tracks other than ours. After our call less than 20 min later our tracks were gone!! We made it back to base and it continued to fall hard. 

I left work a hour later than normal thinking they would have made at least one pass over the roads with the snow plow but nope. 

This was same road as first pic and was more snow covered than before at least it was daylight so I could tell landmarks and know where to drive. 

Snow up to my knees in most places and where drifts were was up thigh high!! I hadn't seen a snow like this since I was a kid!! My kids wanted to go play we lasted maybe 45 minutes. 

Nathan wasnt a fan once he stepped in a drift and lost a boot!

Lot of upper body workout with shoveling and pushing snow to get to cars to clean them off! My boss called me Sunday night to say not to come in. In 10 years of working here she's never done that. 

This was the warm temp of the day ha ha ha. I could never live somewhere that has snow and temps like this all year. I like the occasional snow and cold then return to regular winter temps of 20-30's...

Roads are still not real clear most are packed and slick and weather guy says more snow coming tomorrow night. 

I also work tomorrow night. I'm starting to see a trend each time I pick up extra shifts it snows ices or sleets....

2013 in Review

I had debated on doing a year in review thinking it wouldn't be as awesome as others I have been reading. I didn't go on any fancy vacations or have any major break thorough on workouts or races. But then realized I should do it just to have the memories all in one spot on my blog for later if I want to look back.

January: I had decided to sign up and do 13 races in 2013 at the time sounded like a great thing and knew I should have time and most may be virtual. (in reality I think I did 3 races... But life got crazy busy in ways I never knew possible) Also in January I officially joined the fire department. I had been "on" there for a long time but was made official with a number and pager in January :)

Little did I know that the picture below from Christmas 2012 be the last picture of my Grandparents together for a major holiday. I was happy he had made it past the heart attack and scheduled for kidney removal in mid January. Which he made it thru that just fine. I learned then with all the late nights early mornings lack of sleep that I could survive in the world of EMS :)

 February: First part of February we took the boys to Monster Jam to see the Monster Trucks. It was Blakes second time and Nathan's first and they LOVED IT!!! I was also busy in sharing and helping with the first ever Freezin for a Reason Race that would be held later in February. It was for one of my friends who had cancer and was also a paramedic at St James Ambulance (now my my second job) if anyone would have asked me then if I expected to be working there I would have laughed.

The race was fun I stepped way out of my comfort zone and a good time.

The water at the end was super cold but I'd do it again for the same cause. I still get laughed at for doing the plunge by my coworkers and local fire department. I am glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and did the race dressed up and took part in the final challenge.

March: It started out just like any other month then greatness happened. March 15 I was hired at St. James Ambulance was a shock to everyone and to me! I was ecstatic that I landed a part time job at my dream place I always wanted to work. However orientation was not so fun I had to fight tooth and nail to earn my place with everyone. Happy to say that I finally feel I have made it at least 98% of the way.

April: I took a vacation day to participate in a docudrama with the Ambulance, Fire Dept and St. James High School. Was a mock vehicle wreck that we made look very very realistic to teach students not to drive under the influence and not to text and drive. I was excited and nervous and stressed myself out all at the same time. It was a fun day glad I participated in it and myself and one of the medics ended up on the front page of the local paper!

 

Here is the one that made the front page of the paper. I for some reason can't get the other ones to upload.

April: Was the month I turned 30 I wasn't to happy about that but was to busy to stress to long over it. 

 

May: Is a month I want to forget.... I won an entry in to the Fugitive Run for Memorial Weekend. Well it didn't go so well and ended up breaking the bone right above my ankle. Was out of commission for  weeks. Wasn't able to work ambulance job which really sucked no walking no working out no running.

 

June: Not much of anything since I couldn't do much at all....

 

July: first week in July dr released me to start walking and I begged to be released to go back to work with Ambulance. I may have pushed to hard to soon but I was ready to get on with my life. I returned to work second week in July still sore but happy to be back. My running and working out was still on back burner. I was worried I would re break it or step wrong and in fact I still have that fear.

July Blake had a birthday and we surprised him by taking the day off work and taking him and Nathan to the zoo.



August was another busy month working both jobs as well as helping with auctions. I did get talked in to a 5k with a group of friends who had never done a race before. I was worried I couldn't do it or keep up. My husband did the race with me and it was his first and well lets just say he realized it was a bit harder than he thought it would be... We all survived and I didn't come in last which was my goal!

Ya I know my eyes are closed in first picture and you can see the sweat all over from how humid it was. But I was glad to have conquered my first race back since injury as well as sharing the day with close friends and my husband.
End of August was also when my grandpa was diagnosed with myloid acute leukemia and had opted to not do treatments and was given weeks left to live. 
September: More work work work and Nathan's birthday

He had a fun day :) I also did standby at the local fall festival for demo derby which was a fun night.
Middle part of September my Grandpa wanted to give the boys their Christmas present early since he wouldn't be here for Christmas. They each got one of his tractors.

Also Kenny and I walked in the 12 hour relay for life event with some friends and we walked 14 miles that day :)

Picture at the end of the night with one of my bestest closest friends ever.
October: Month started off not so well. Grandpa passed on October 1st. Not a great way to start the month but it was time, he had suffered long enough and was ready to go. It was a very hard time and something I still haven't fully dealt with. I had stayed busy all the way up to it and helped grandma take care of him of a night. I was there when the funeral home came and got him and helped take him out. Went back to being super busy with work trying to run from dealing with things.
End of the month was Halloween and I was able to take the kids to several places with the kids from daycare.

November: Well the first week went well then we got an unexpected phone call that my husband's grandma passed away. We were totally not expecting or ready to deal with another family death so soon.
Blake went hunting for youth deer season and got his first ever deer and a mighty nice buck at that!

Thanksgiving was bittersweet missing to important family members but we had lots of family and close friends to celebrate it with us which helped greatly.

December: Still wasn't ready for holidays but knew they were coming weather I liked it or not so I sucked it up and made the best of it. The kids had fun helping decorate the tree and waiting to see what santa brought.

 

 

Also in December was my first ever St. James Ambulance Christmas party. Which ended up being a lot of fun. 

The year had a lot of good some bad and some very busy times. But all in all it was a good year it made me grow as a person. I wouldn't trade working two jobs for anything well unless both could be in the EMS field :) I have gained lots of self confidence at my second job which is filtering in to my everyday life and self. I want 2014 to be a great year. I am still working on some goals and will make a post later this week with those.

Christmas 2014

This was a busy busy Christmas and also another hard holiday emotionally. I stayed busy thinking I could run from the lingering thoughts that we would be two grandparents short at our family dinner as well as noticing there were two less gifts to buy this year. Addressing my grandma's card was hard saying to Grandma instead of to Grandpa and Grandma. As I am sure it was hard for her to sign her cards to  us with just her name after 60 years of signing both names.

I worked Christmas Eve night at the ambulance many people criticized me for working on a holiday. Yes it was a holiday but I would be working while my kids were sleeping and home right after they woke up on Christmas Day. I honestly didn't mind working on the holiday when you are in fire ems or law you know there will always be a chance you are away from home on holidays. My kids told me to keep a look out for Santa when I was out and about on calls and transfers.

My partner that evening was really fun and cool. It was one of the last shifts he would work there since he is moving. Not long after I got there we got a call to take a patient from a local ER to a bigger hospital in Columbia. We were thinking well at least its fairly early in the night we will be back before 2am and able to get some sleep. In fact it ended up being one of the most memorable (in a good way) and best transfers I had ever had and I think it was the same for my partner. I can't go in to detail but lets just say that the guy was very old but wise and talked to my partner whole 1.5 hour drive as well as talked to me before and after the drive. Think he made us both think about some stuff and was a real blessing to have taken him on Christmas Eve. Heck he even gave me a compliment that I had nice hair...

As we left that hospital we talked about our patient for a bit and we were both just amazed at how it had went. I felt like it was a blessing of sorts for us to have taken this person and spent Christmas Eve with him. I needed a good shift after some rough ones and I am glad to have had it with the partner I was with that night as we had some rough times working together when I was first hired.

I got home a little after 8 Christmas Morning and the boys had just woke up. They were excited that Santa came and excited to show me my big gift.

I had wanted a bike ever since we moved in to the new house since we live on a gravel road. Blake had been begging me to get one so we could ride together and was super excited that I now have one. Now if the weather would just warm up a little so I can ride with him and hope I still remember how to ride!

The blue ones were from Santa and the boys loved the John Deere wrapping paper.

Blake wouldn't take a normal picture he wanted a silly one taken with the tree. Nathan however was happy to stand there and smile.

Blake was excited Santa got him the General Lee car as well as a Under Armor Camo sweatshirt he wanted DS game and a movie along with other things. Nathan was excited for his new boots Santa brought him that were just like bubbas.

After we cleaned up that mess I started in cooking Christmas dinner we would have my mom, stepdad, grandma and Kenny's mom, brother and his girlfriend over for dinner.  Nathan wanted to help with something so I let him ice the cupcakes and it took him over an hour but he iced all 24 on his own.

While dinner was cooking and our families arrived we went ahead and did gift exchange with them as well. I had ordered all the grandparents photo calenders for 2014 and my grandma loved hers. It was hard putting pictures of the boys with my grandpa in there but I know that its memories she will cherish as well.

The boys got lots more toys cars trucks and clothes. Which are all piled in various places in the house..... We had a good dinner and by the time dinner was done I was wore out tired and trying really hard not to let it show. I did sit down when most everyone had left and took a short nap watching a movie with Nathan.

It was a good Christmas and hard to believe its over and that the year is almost over. I will have to do a post of the year in review and a post on my goals for 2014.