Some days.....

Update on Ben's career

Congrats to Ben, he has a contingent job offer with the fire department for next fall. Although it is less exciting to wait almost a year (instead of starting the fire academy next month), it will be good for him to finish teaching this year and gain some EMT experience this summer. Thanks for praying for us.

gDiaper update

I started using gDiapers last spring with Abby and enjoyed them immensely at first for all the obvious reasons--they're super cute, and I felt like I was doing something good. I bought some microfiber cloth inserts from BumGenius which fit well inside the liners and made it sort-of cloth diaper. It got to be annoying to assemble the whole package, though--find a clean liner, snap in all four snaps, fit in a microfiber cloth, and top with rice paper (since microfiber shouldn't go directly against baby's skin). Too much work. Ben's cousin Nalani gave me a set of Fuzzi Bunz which are much simpler. Last week I brought the gDiapers out again to give them a try (I've had them for 8 months now) and have noticed that the liners leak like a sieve. Not leaking out the side of the leg, but they are simply not waterproof anymore. The minute she pees or poops, the whole pant is soaked. So disappointing! I checked the website and it states under FAQs that the liner is coated with waterproofing, like a jacket, and this waterproofing only lasts 6 months. I wish I would have known this before I invested in 6 additional diapers! I emailed customer service to see if there is anyway to restore the waterproofing, and they suggested I buy more liners ($5 for 2), which will again only last for 6 months. My recommendation is to just go for cloth (Fuzzi Bunz or Bum Genius)--much easier and less maintenance.

Forget that last part about Luna almost being potty trained. Yuck!

Here are some videos that crack me up:

Quick update

So it's been forever. I worked full time in July and part of August, then Ben started teaching in mid-August. Nathaniel started pre-school (3 hours twice a week) and loves it. Abby is a champion napper and is starting to repeat words. Ben has his final interview tomorrow (which we've heard is a formality) and it looks like he will be offered the job at the fire department. I just finished "Five Sacred Crossings" and enjoyed it a lot. I finished my latest mei tai, and hope to post pictures of it and the family later next week.

Oh, and we got a dog. (!)

A cute 9 week old black lab/shar pei mix we named Luna.

Who is almost potty trained.

Goodbye, CB

Today we packed up and left Crested Butte. There are a lot of reasons to be happy: Ben passed his class and will take the EMT-Basic exam on Friday morning. He completed the task and is one step closer to a new career. We have always wanted to live in a mountain town, so we can cross that off the “bucket list”. We stayed safe, made some new friends, had no major glitches, grew closer as a family, and Ben and I each grew personally as we faced the new challenges.

But, as we drove out of town, I felt sad. I will miss this crazy town where everyone rides a bike, no one locks it up, and there’s a bike rack in front of every store (and most houses).

I will miss the cozy two story stone library with toys for Abby, computer games for Nathaniel, and Wi-Fi for me.

I will miss the camaraderie of the campground.

Dusty, washboarded dirt roads, where everyone nods or waves as they pass.

Snow storms in June.

Clark’s market.

The creek.

Meadows full of dandelions.

Waterfalls.

Sniff.

Rosy retrospect is setting in already.

Sabbath

A friend of Ben's is arriving in Crested Butte today and they are going on a bike ride. Ben's worked hard this whole month, and the riding here is epic, so I agree that he should go on a ride.

BUT, like I have said before, I have issues with Ben going on bike rides! Here's my internal dialog: "Haven't I worked hard all month (day, year, week) too?!? When do I ever get to go have fun?!? Why do I have to watch the kids while he gets to go play?!?"

The solution seems easy enough--I just need to schedule my own time off. For some reason, it's really hard for me to do that. Possibly related to the fact that I like to sleep in. However, I was inspired by Holly Pierlot's example of the Mother's sabbath. She homeschools their 5 kids and takes every other Saturday as her day to go to Mass, window shop, read books, etc., and doesn't come home until she's ready. Wonderful!

So this morning, I got up at 7:30 (quietly, so no one would wake up) and rode my bike 6 miles into Crested Butte. Wow. It was a beautiful ride. When I got into town I noticed that there wasn't much traffic--I'm guessing most people partied hard last night and were sleeping in. This is a mountain town/tourist trap, after all. Most of the stores I rode past were closed. What was I going to do if nothing was open? I came around the corner to Camp 4 Coffee....and found the party! There were 15-20 people crowding into the tiny store, dogs leashed to benches, bikes strewn about the yard, the smell of freshly ground coffee beans in the air....ahhhh. So I got my hazelnut latte (with latte art!) and breakfast burrito and sat on a bench and read the paper. All by myself. With no interruptions. For 20 minutes. Heavenly.

Then I got on my bike and rode around to the whole foods store, cooking store, home decor store.....all by myself. Didn't have to tow the chariot. Didn't have to get the kids in and out of the chariot. Didn't have to talk with anyone. Didn't have to negotiate where to go next. I've needed this! After about 10 minutes more, I started to miss Ben and Nate and Abby so I called them. =) They were doing fine and having a great morning of sleeping in and eating breakfast.

Now I am here at the library, catching up on blogs and loving my life. I feel happy to let Ben go on his bike ride this afternoon and can't wait to see the kids. So, my BRAT (Bike Ride Action Plan) is to schedule a mommy outing, and (here's the kicker) actually do it.

Mountain adventures

I got to tow a Nissan XTerra out of the creek today. That was cool! I was getting us ready to go into town when a kayaker, sopping wet from the waist down, ran up and asked, "Can you help us? Our car is stuck in the creek."

I have laughed at Ben in the past for being such a prepared boy scout--he has one of everything in his truck, and everything has a place. Luckily I have paid attention, because I knew where the tow strap was, I knew to put the truck in 4-wheel-low, and knew the basics of towing. So, I got to be a BMW (burly mountain woman) today.

Laundry....I think I like laundromats. I did 6 loads last week and 3 loads today. There's something satisfying about the laundry being an event, getting it ALL done in 2 or 3 hours, instead of it being the never-ending, daily/hourly chore. Nathaniel and Abby had a blast putting the quarters in the machines and helping put the soap in. And Nathaniel was way impressed to be holding $20 worth of quarters at one time.

I've been reading "The Mother's Rule of Life" and it is fabulous. Highly recommended. I am guilty of sloth, and mistaking my freedom to mean irresponsibility, not responsibility. Lots of good ideas in there and I'm hoping that when we get home we will be able to work out our family rule.

Week 3 in Crested Butte

I was hoping to post some pictures--I even brought the camera cord to plug into the laptop--but it seems that the laptop is not recognizing the USB. Anyone else have a problem with Vista not recognizing a USB?

We spent this weekend in Crested Butte and it was almost like a vacation! On Saturday, we four-wheeled across the creek and watched an insane kayaking race (25 foot waterfalls, anyone?), then came home to the camper and took naps and watched movies. After 3 weeks of insanity, it was nice to relax. Sunday we went to the Gas Stop (Motto: Eat here, Get gas!) and ordered the Hurley: bacon, egg, english muffin, American cheese, with a hashbrown stuffed in the middle. Aaaaw yeah. Ben did a bike ride in the afternoon with a buddy from his class, and in the evening we took the kids on a short but gorgeous bike ride. It would have been a great weekend if I hadn't had an attitude. I always get jealous and cranky when Ben goes on a bike ride. I need to figure out a Bike Ride Action Plan (BRAP? How about BRAT.....Bike Ride Action Task!) so that I can stop ruining our weekends. =) (Thanks, Kelly, for the idea!)

News flash! Contrary to popular opinion, there really is an RV dump in Crested Butte! No more 30 minute drive to Gunnison every 3 days! No more poaching fresh water from the gas station!

Ben passed his class on Friday--wo-hoo! This week is the Wilderness EMT upgrade, which should be more relaxed and more interesting.

I can't believe we only have one week left--I am wring a to-do list so I don't forget to do these things:

--see the enormous elk at the Visitor's center

--take Nathaniel to the BMX track

--ride my bike through town (doing this today!)

--get a latte at Camp 4 Coffee

--eat at the Ginger cafe

--buy something at Lavish

--do school with Nathaniel in the afternoons.

Who's the boss?

Nathaniel was pouty and disobedient most of yesterday, and I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he has a headache from the altitude, maybe he is tired, maybe.....then when Ben came home, Nathaniel was obedient, helpful, and pleasant...to him. So this morning, after a few more episodes, it was time to reestablish myself as the boss. As I was holding my crying, kicking, hitting 4 year old, I thought, "I hate this! I am a horrible mother!" And after I won the contest of wills and he looked up at me though his tears and said, "OK, Mommy, you're the boss. I'll get in my carseat now", I realized it's my responsibility to be in charge.

And I was struck by my need, every morning, to struggle to lay down my own will and tell my Heavenly Father, "You're the boss."

Yeay for Ben!

He had his interview on Friday, and he passed! Praise the Lord! Thank goodness they let him know right away--it would have been an anxiety-ridden weekend otherwise. The next step is a psychological profile, then a 24 hour ride-along, then an interview with the fire chief. And, oh yeah, passing this EMT class and the National Registry exam. No problem. =)

We are heading back up to CB for the next two weeks. It's getting warm down here in Grand Junction (92 degrees yesterday), so I'm looking forward to being in the mountains. Plus I won't be working (well, outside of the home) for the next two weeks, so it will be a little mini-vacation for me and the kids. I signed up for 14 shifts in July to make up for missing so much work this month--it will be kind of fun to switch roles with Ben and let him be the stay-at-home daddy.

I've been enjoying my job a lot lately. I love that as a casual employee I can pick up as many or as few shifts as my schedule requires--there's no way we could have pulled this off if I had a "real" job. I'm also enjoying the actual work.

Yesterday a man went into cardiac arrest in triage, so another nurse and I wheeled him back to the trauma room, grabbed some more help (another nurse, a doctor, and an EMT), bagged him, got two IVs, got him on the monitor (he was in V-fib), and shocked him. And got his pulses back. We got an EKG, which showed he was having a heart attack, and he went up to the cath lab where the cardiologist most likely opened up the blockages in the arteries that feed his heart. We saved his life. Pretty exciting, chaotic, and satisfying.

Week 2 in Crested Butte

It is gorgeous and fairly comfortable here, but I keep asking myself: what on earth am I supposed to do with myself and 2 kids for 10 hours every day?!? I have been spoiled by Ben’s school schedule: we usually get up around 8am and he’s home by 3:30, so by the time I run out of ideas or energy, Daddy’s home. Not so here. We get up at 8am, get dressed, have breakfast and clean up……and then what? There’s no internet, no fenced backyard with a fort, no grandpa, and no laundry machine! (Who would have thought that I’d be complaining about a lack of chores.) All of those luxuries (except grandpa) are in town, which is a 20 minute drive, and I feel that it’s wasteful and/or silly to drive in twice a day. So we’ve been staying here at the campground until after naptime, then driving in to pick up Ben in the evening.

Being “trapped” here shows me how often I use chores, errands, and tasks to be absent from the kids—half listening, “Ummmhummmm” answers for Nathaniel, generally just letting them do their own thing instead of being fully present and engaged. This being a grown up is tough! I have more and more respect for moms who do a good job. Mothering: what a sneaky way for God to get at my character.

Today, though, I hit the jackpot. The one-in-a-million occurrence that makes any mother’s heart sing—they’re both taking naps AT THE SAME TIME! It was snowing a bit this morning, so we made the kitchen table into a bed and snuggled up with hot chocolate to watch Peter Pan. (I find it interesting how violent and racist old Disney movies are. When was the last time you watched Dumbo? Do you think it would get a G rating these days?) At 10am the sun came out and I decided the benefit of going to town twice today outweighed the cost of diesel. We went to the skate park in Crested Butte where Nathaniel rode his wooden bike (no pedals) and Ben met us for lunch and did a few laps. It looks like so much fun! Ben went back to class and we drove up to Mount Crested Butte to look at the houses. Well, that’s what I told Nathaniel. But it was really to let their lunch digest and lull them to sleep. I thought they might wake up as we jostled the last ½ mile down to the camp, or as I transferred them into their bunk beds…..but no! Hallelujah! So now I am typing on the laptop, keeping an eye on the solar panel regulator to make sure I have enough juice. The sun’s out—plenty of current at 7.9. Oops, there’s a cloud—down to 2.4.

Ben is doing well in his EMT class, and it’s fun and exciting for me to see what he’s learning because now we can speak the same language. CTLS immobilization! Airway! Trauma vs. Medical! Anatomy! I look forward to being able to tell him stories from work without ruining the punchline by having to explain it. (Obviously, I’m not much of a storyteller. =) )

God appears to be getting at my character through my marriage, too. Grrrr. I waver between enjoying this support role and resenting it. At home, I work at least one day a week, so I get the satisfaction of contributing to the family financially, using my brain and college training to complete my job, and sharing the chores at home. Here, my whole job is to be the mommy, cook, housecleaner, chauffeur. I keep reaching for my resentment, feeling tired in the evening and wanting Ben to do the dishes or clean up. But wait—he’s already washing the kids. And helping with the dishes. And wait, who piled up all these dishes? Oh right, that was me. And who got to have quiet time and read a magazine while Ben was taking a test? Oh, me again. Being a full time stay at home mom with a good attitude is an incredibly difficult job. Hats off to all of you in Blogland!

It's snowing!

Tuesday it was 75 and blistering (the sun is intense at 9000')--today it is 37 degrees and snowing. Good thing I brought all the jackets.

I earned my big girl pants yesterday. We had planned on getting all the RV stuff taken care of here in Crested Butte, but on Tuesday when I went to the gas station indicated in the guide book and asked where the RV dump was, they looked confused and said, "Probably in Gunnison"-- 30 miles down the road. Ben wouldn't have time to do it since he gets out of class after 5pm. So, it was up to me, since we were out of fresh water, one propane tank was empty, and our gray water was full. Oh, why hadn't I paid attention when Ben took care of this on all of our earlier trips?!?

So on Wednesday, I put the kids in the truck and we spent the entire day chasing around Gunnison finding a dump, finding propane, looking for a sewer pipe adapter (since I am not strong enough to lower the 300 pound tank out of the bed of truck), getting miscellanous things at Walmart, and filling the fresh water. Nathaniel threw up once, adding to my joy. But I realized how much I depend on Ben to take care of these things, and it made me appreciate him A LOT. There is surely a spiritual analogy here--how often do I use the "I'm not the spiritual head of the family" excuse to be lazy and wait around for Ben to take care of me.

And I also realized how comfortable my life is--at home, I just flush the toilet. Oh, the luxury!! I am taking a 30 minute steaming hot shower on Friday night at home. =)

Hurrah for Public Libraries!

Yes, the Old Rock Community Library has wi-fi. Yipee! So I'll at least be able to keep up with all of my subscriptions on Google Reader. It's 67 degrees and fabulous in Crested Butte. Kind of weird to be on vacation in a gorgeous mountain town but have Ben gone all day in class.

Ben managed to get our fifth wheel camper up a 6 mile dirt road and through a snow bank (with the help of 4 kayakers who happened to have snow shovels in their truck--providential!) to a free campground on a creek with an incredible view. The solar panels are charging the batteries by 9am everyday, and as soon as I can find an RV dump we'll be set for the month.

My standards for clean laundry might have to change. Nathaniel has discovered the joy of mudpuddles, and the Laundromat charges $1.75 per wash load. And 25 cents for 5 minutes of drying. Does that seem high?

More to come!

Getting ready for Crested Butte!

We are almost ready to go--we're supposed to leave early tomorrow morning. (!) Still need to pack.....all the clothes, all the food, all the toys....looks like it will be a late night. Ben's truck is leaking oil after having a fuel injector replaced this week, so he's taking it to the shop right now. We have 30 minutes left before 5pm on a Friday--hope they can figure out what is leaking!

Earlier this month I scheduled all my maintenance appointments for right before our trip, so it was the dermatologist on Wednesday, the chriopractor on Thursday, and the spa today. I won a free pedicure at last month at a benefit dinner, so I paired that with a cut/color today for a whole morning of pampering. My favorite part was this cup of tea.

The salon also sells Bare Minerals makeup (which I've been interested in trying), so I used my 25% off coupon for a starter kit. Fun!

I'm hoping to have internet access in Crested Butte, but I sometimes go a month between posts here so you all might not even miss me! =)

Traditional medicine

I was diagnosed with eczema as a toddler and have used topical steroids intermittently to control flare ups for most of my life. As I learned about and experienced some alternative therapies such as chiropractic care, muscle testing, supplements, essential oils, an anti-fungal diet, and the like, I had become turned off to the idea of using harsh chemicals on my body. Steroids can cause a host of problems like immune suppression, liver and kidney damage, weight gain, and thinning of the skin (if used topically). I was a bit disappointed that my parents had just given me the standard treatment instead of trying the more healthy, alternative route. Maybe all those years of steroid use had thinned my skin to where it wouldn't hold moisture and was more susceptible to flares.

So when I started having a flare up on my hands during the dry winter this year, I tried all sorts of natural remedies. Miracle Skin Salve, Burt's Bees, olive oil, Evening Primrose oil capsules, Young Living lotions and salves...and some not so natural ones, like Lubriderm, Eucerin, Vaseline.....and nothing was working. It was horrid. My hands itched all the time, and were red, swollen, cracked, and bleeding. I could get relief by running them under hot water to get a little histamine release, but that would just rob them of any moisture they did have and dry them out more. I compulsively scratched my hands until they bled. My daily tasks didn't help either--my hands were nearly constantly wet from doing dishes, laundry, washing after changing diapers, and bathing the kids. Same at work--12 hours of handwashing between patients was killing me. I used dishwashing gloves to protect my hands during chores but would sometimes forget to use them, and even if I did, I was still miserable. I was finally started using some leftover steroid cream, but it was low potency and didn't help much....and then I ran out of it!

Ben encouraged me to make an appointment with my dermatologist, which I didn't want to do because I knew what he would tell me. "Moisturize, avoid contact with water, and use this steroid cream." Why pay for him to tell me what I already knew? And I didn't really want to use the steroids. But I finally was desperate enough to make the appointment.
I was shocked when I went to the appointment and almost immediately started crying. I had been carrying this huge burden of ugly, painful, debilitating skin alone, and here was someone who would listen, empathize, and actually help me. I was unexpectedly overwhelmed with emotion and rather embarrassed with myself. But I've taken care of enough patients to know that it's on the spectrum of normal to cry, and the practitioner doesn't think less of the patient for it.

I was right, the dermatologist told me to moisturize, avoid contact with water, and use a steroid cream. But within that, there were specifics he told me to try that I wouldn't have found on my own. He recommended Cetaphil lotion and soap, which have been working fabulously. He recommended that I swap household duties with my husband so my hands don't get wet as often (I think I'll stick with using dishwashing gloves!) And the steroid cream is....amazing. It is a potent formulation (level 2 of 7) called Desoximetasone. The itching went away in one day, the redness and swelling in two, and the cracks scabbed up and healed within four. I have five days left of a two week course and am thrilled with the results. I have reduced the application to once a day (instead of two) and hope to taper off of it to reduce the chance of another flare.

I know that there are significant side effects of topical steriod use and I don't want to minimize that. But, there are significant side effects of untreated eczema as well. Maybe my parents weren't wrong after all--maybe they did their best to take care of their little girl (thanks, guys!). And I have learned (relearned? remembered?) to not discount a therapy merely because it is traditional or has side effects, but rather to weigh the risks against the benefits.

Six random things...

....about me. (I've been tagged by Rebecca)

1. I have a half eaten bag of wasabi peas in my backpack right now.


2. I have come love the essay at the back of Time magazine. There were a few essays this spring that struck a chord with me, as in, "I thought I was the only one who thought that handing out an economic stimulus would be like giving a drink to a drunk." or, "'Going green' is about selling a lifestyle, and what will really help the planet is better, easier technology". Now, as soon as I get a fresh copy, I flip straight to the back and devour it, then go back and browse the rest.

3. I need about as much sleep as my children. As in, 9 to 10 hours a day, possibly with an extra nap.

4. I'm a sucker for packaging, especially if it's color coded. Show me a cute starter kit of gDiapers with everything I need to start!, and I'm sold. Or a set of four Clorox wipes containers each in a different color for each room in the house! I've resisted these for a while. I don't know how much longer I can hold out.


5. One of my favorite things to do at work is give warm blankets to patients. They always say, "Ahhhh!", snuggle up, and relax a little. Almost as good as drugs.


6. I love my hubby. He did a ride-along with the fire department last Saturday. It was a fairly busy shift and they transported several patients to the ER where I work. So during my next shift, I went around and asked all my coworkers, "Did you see Ben? How did he do? Isn't he great?" I felt like I was in high school again, gossiping about my cute crush. =)



I'm tagging: Jen, Beth, Nalani, Ma Torg, Seen by Mercy, and anyone else who wants to play!

Forgetting the Dry Ice

Note to self:

When the checker at Walmart sees your 4 half-gallons of ice cream, balloons, and streamers, and deduces that you're having a party, and asks, "Would you like some dry ice?", don't try to be polite and say, "No thanks, I'll just use regular ice." Doesn't work. Birthday cake will be drowning in ice cream soup. The ease of scooping it doesn't justify the lack of texture or incredible mess. =)

For other "Doesn't work for me" tips, visit Rocks in my Dryer. (Not Dreyer's!)

Update on GJFD

Ben passed his physical agility test last week with the best time of the day, and also did very well on his written exam. The next and most important step will be the interview, which he has scheduled for a late Friday afternoon in June (hopefully the EMT instructors won't mind him missing one Friday, since the whole point of taking the class is to get hired with the City of Grand Junction). Thank you for your prayers!

Spring

Experiencing all of the repeating joys of spring this year--the smell of the Russian olive, the warmer days, my beautiful children playing outside, the sunlight on the carpet--makes me realize how down and depressed I was last year. Abby was a few months old, a delight unfolding before my eyes, and I could barely contain my sadness and negativity. I experience the same stimuli this year and as I brace for the sadness....waiting....I realize with relief that instead I am enjoying the smells, the warmth, the beauty, the expectation. Thank you, Lord!

EFM

When my sister in law became a stay at home mommy, she sent out an email notifying everyone of her new status as Domestic Engineer. I love that! I have worn the title proudly for 4 years now, and would like to share with BlogLand that I have recently completed my certification for Expert in Fluids Management. I have logged countless hours and passed practicums for such courses as "Overseeing the Toddler Peeing", "Sippy Cups 101", "The Big Bang: Diaper Explosion", and "Vacation Vomit: How Will You Deal With It?". Thank you, thank you. Interested in obtaining your certification? Contact me!

Works for me: Fun with Diapers

My cousin (in-law?) Katey gave me a starter kit for gDiapers during Spring Break, and I'm having so much fun using them! I had wanted to try the gDiapers (I'm a sucker for nifty packaging) but couldn't justify the cost/effort of changing our system. But with a FREE starter kit as a gift.....well, if I bought another starter kit that would make them half price, right? =) So, now I have green, blue, ivory, and red. Then I had to get the purple and brown because they are so darn cute. Then when the flushable inserts ran out, I discovered that they are rather pricey--$0.40 each! So, I invested in 18 cloth microfiber inserts from Bumgenius. They fit great in the g-diaper and so far are working wonderfully. Easier to use than a pre-fold and thinner/more absorbant. Plus, Abby was getting a painful rash with the cotton diapers. I also ordered these rice paper liners and Charlie's soap. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing, right?

Let me just say, the rice liners rock! It's a little time consuming to wrap them around the microfleece but they are soooooo worth it if she poops. And the most incredible, fabulous, amazing thing--they are washable (up to 3 times)! If it's a pee-only diaper, I just toss the whole rice paper wrapped microfiber insert in the diaper pail and wash like normal, then line dry. How can a flushable, biodegradable piece of paper be washable? Amazing but true.

I am enjoying the G-diaper/cloth system now that I have all the parts...but I do find it a bit time consuming to assemble everything, make sure there are enough clean parts, and take care of the dirty stuff. I bet that regular cloth diapers would be less tedious (but probably more expensive). Right now the novelty still outweighs the annoyance. And I just bought a camping wind-up clothesline for the laundry room--it makes me smile to hang up the liners with the wood clothespins. It's the little things, right?

More fun stuff back at Rocks in my Dryer.

Test day this Friday

Ben will be taking the written and physical agility tests Friday April 25th. If you think if him/us, pray that he does well.

Career change?

This is my latest conversation starter: Have I told you that Ben's thinking of being a firefighter? Really, truly! Teaching public school is difficult to say the least. He loves math and enjoys interacting with the kids, but there are many, many downsides. 1. The pay is ridiculously low. 2. The hours he needs to put in to do a great job are too high. 3. Little to no responsibility for learning is placed on the student's shoulders. Kids are failing? Must be the teacher's fault! Differentiate your instruction! It couldn't be because they're not trying.
We read an article in Time Magazine last fall about job satisfaction, and firefighters are #3, at about 57% "Very Satisfied". So Ben started thinking about it. Several of our friends work for Grand Junction Fire, and I interact with GJFD all the time in the ER. It seems like a great fit. 1. To match the starting pay as a firefighter, he would have to complete his master's degree and have 8 years of service with the school district. Does our society really value education that little? 2. He would only work 10 days a month. Of those days, 8 hours on the weekdays are structured, but the remaining time is his to sleep, work out, relax, or hang out with co-workers (and be on call). 3. What a cool job! Everyone loves firefighters. They're the good guys. They save your life, property, kids, or cat. They whoosh in, work hard, then go home.
So, we are going to camp/live in Crested Butte, Colorado for the month of June while Ben takes his Wilderness EMT class. (Sidebar: Anyone want to come visit? You can pitch your tent in our campspot!) We've heard that GJFD will start a new hiring process this April, with a new fire academy class starting in September. If you remember us, please pray that God will provide a job opening for Ben.

The 1-2-3 meme

I've been tagged by Rebecca!

The directions are:

1) Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2) Open the book to page 123.
3) Find the fifth sentence.
4) Post the next three sentences.
5) Tag five people.


The book is Captivating by John and Stasi Eldridge, which we are reading in our Mom's Bible study group.

The context is Luke 10:38-42, the story of Martha and Mary, when Jesus says "Martha, Martha, you were worried about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

"Some of you might have heard teaching that is was one simple casserole dish, that Martha was busy making a complicated meal when only a simple food was needed. No. That is not what Jesus is saying."

Leaving you hanging? Here's the rest of the paragraph.

"Jesus has again spoken straight into the heart of the matter. The one thing that is needed is a captivated, adoring heart, a heart that responds to the extravagant love of God with worship."

Now I need to tag 5 people. Hmmm. Since this is my first post in months I'm not sure if anyone will read this! So, leave a comment and I'll tag you. =)