Some days.....

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!

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!

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.