Solitude in my books.

The courage of exploring new ideas is nothing compared to the courage of actually doing the EMT course.  When I write, teach or learn, the concept of self-revelation is not new to me. The problem is getting through the nerves and anxiety and doing something unheard of for me: becoming an EMT.  I come from a long life of Public Services. My Husband, Pop and Dad-in-law were/are Police Officers, my Mom Mom-in-law, grandma and grandma-in-law were/are nurses. Brent is currently a Firefighter now. I feel like it's in my blood to serve my community the best I can; following in some very big footsteps, all the while making my own path.

I thought it might be a good idea to get out of my routine for a couple of days. So I drove up to Rawlins to see Brent and study without dogs and every other distractions imaginable. (Yet, somehow facebook and blogger don't seem to fit my description of "distraction") 

My first EMT test is on Thursday, so I have dedicated this week to studying. I'm not worried, I know the material and I have a good feel for how the real-world medial field works, so I should do okay...but just in case, this is what my hotel room looks like...

...and I LOVE it!

Rawlins is a town located on the outskirts of the some of the Oil Fields, which serve as large portion for Wyoming employment. The hotels out here are primarily used for workers to stay during the week. This parking lot was full last night. I am literally the only one here.

::UPDATE:: I ACED MY TEST WITH A 98%!!!

You don't get this in Florida.

We set out on a "last days of Summer" picnic, attempting to boycott the changing of the seasons, only to find we embraced them all the more. 

Fall. FALL. fall. 

"The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly
changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools."-   Henry Beston, Northern Farm

Don't mind the "snausages" dog treats. Dogs gotta eat too :)

Heritage Farm Park

Pit Stop

For some reason or another, Zip allowed this to happen. He just lied there while we covered him in leaves.

Missing Him.

Mezzetta vs. Best Friend

Ever known anyone with complete and utter stupidity? I do. Well, it's more of a second hand acquaintance. And no, chances are, it's not you. Though, pull something off that fits under my guidelines of complete-and-utter-stupidity, and I might just blog about you...like those country singers who blab out the actual name of their ex's in their songs. I could do that, ya know. Anyway, I won't mention names here, but if you recognize the story being about you...you're on the list. Congratulations. 

Idiot one, who we will name Mezzetta, which happens to be the brand name of "garlic stuffed olives" that are roughly 10$ for a small jar, which he eats everyday as part of his lunch even though he can barley afford a pot to pee in. (I won't lie, we have a jar in our fridge now because they are indeed ridiculously good.) I won't mention how we know Mezzetta, because my elusive and quite thrifty small-town readers could probably figure it out, but know that he is around my husband quite frequently. 

My husband came to the realization that he hates the word "huh". As in a way for someone to say "I already know this, but I want to prove it and need you to reassure me that I am right." 

Example one, which is not so idiotic to the untrained mind of Mezzetta, but it just so happens to be verbalized enough to drive someone NUTS.

Mezzetta: "I don't really like football. You're a football fan though, huh?"

After numerous conversations and in-depth explanation of favorite teams, players, etc... Brent replies

Brent: "...yes."

Did that even dignify an answer?

Probably not.

Example two: 

Mezzetta: "So you installed a doggie door huh?"

Let me point out that there had to be a previous conversation about this for him to even know this fun tid-bit to being with. 

Brent: "suuuure did."

Mezzetta: "So, they just go in and out of it?"

Ever seen Jeff Foxworthy's "Here's Your Sign"? ...Congrats Mezzetta, you just won yourself a sign.

Idiot Two, who I would like to name something more fitting, but censorship is still upon us. So for now I will call her "Best Friend". Best Friend and I have managed to run into each other on numerous occasions. First at a job interview for a Law Enforcement Dispatcher. She feels the need to let everyone know that she knows everything about everything and everyone. One of thooooose people. As if having an "in" with absolutely everyone on the Sheriffs Department, Fire Department, and EMS crew would help her. (If you consider an "in" being learning someone's name and pretending to be their life-long buddy.) No one likes a know-it-all, especially when you are indeed the one who knows-it-all and is being contradicted by Best Friend. Regardless, I didn't get the position due to lack of experience...totally understandable. Needless to say, she most definitely didn't get the job due to her mouth. Thank goodness, any and all interactions with Best Friend was done forever...or so I thought. I am now directly involved with her every Tuesday and Thursday for 3 hours a night.  I could undoubtedly go on with dialog upon dialogs with her unimaginable comments that escape the clutches of her mouth, but I'll summarize.

This is what I would have learned, had she been teaching the class.

Apparently TB isn't contagious at all. I mean...ever. Because she has a friend with TB, but she never contracted it.

     Jee thanks, expose the entire class to TB. But no worries..just because your friend didn't give it to you, we should now base all studies off of you and your friend.

She will be the guinea-pig for any and all class activities. Why? Because she already knows how to do it.

       No worries though, while being Velcro-ed to the spinal back-board, no one seemed to eager to unstrap her.

While learning ambulance procedures from the HEAD OF THE AMBULANCE DEPARTMENT, she was critiquing all students on their performances. 

      Sure, it's easy when you're the one sitting on the stretcher, since you just had to be the guinea-pig and not do the work. Good job, Best Friend.

Side note: not even Best Friend's own husband will sit by her. Now, that should say something.

Somehow, I think Mezzetta and Best Friend would do well together. She can tell him what to do, and he will get a life-time of reassurance  knowing he did it undoubtedly wrong.

Too bad Best Friend and Mezzette are already found their mates...and reproduced. 

Footnote:
I'm aware this is a quite demeaning post. It serves no purpose but to entertain and open your minds to the people we deal with in our day to day society. That being said...feel free to comment on your very own Mezzetta and Best Friend encounters. 


So here's to you Mezzetta and Best Friend. Thanks for being you. 

Banana Bread

Brent, being the bountiful baker, barley bakes now, so being how Brent is bound to his work,  I baked Banana Bread. Beat that Babe. 


Here is the recipe:
Bake Away fellow chefs! 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 1/2 cup mashed bananas (about 5)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix "blue" ingredients in bowl and sift well.
In separate bowl, mix "purple" ingredients.
Combine two mixtures. Batter will be lumpy.


Bake at 350 in a well greased 9x5x3 pan for 55-60 minutes

Best Banana Bread Bever!

Surprise Anniversary!

Who actually celebrates their "3 month wedding anniversary"? Anyone?! No. That's what I though too. Yes, we made mental note of "oh hey, we will be married 3 months tomorrow". But never agreed to celebrate or do ANYTHING. But leave it up to that thing of perfection I call my husband to make the day special. I woke up to horse boots that I needed/wanted for my horses, and the cutest "I Love You" figurine.

 I...AM...SPOILED. 

Adam's Road

Yet another weekend of go-go-going! This weekend we had the amazing opportunity to head down to Salt Lake and visit with Brent's good friends from Florida. Brent served his LDS Mission with most of them, and was companions and Micah. Micah, Matt, Joseph, Jay, and Steve have an amazing ministry and formed a Christian band called Adam's Road. They are based out of Florida, and sacrifice so much fo their family life to share the Word. They are on tour for 4 months out of the year, traveling all over the country spreading the Gosple. We were lucky enough to watch their concert and hang out with them before and after the show. What an amazing group of guys, we really enjoyed our time with them.

Micah and Brent

Steve and Stefan 

Joseph, Matt, Jay, Steve, and Micah and his cute son, and Brent and I

Cheyenne

A horse is the projection of peoples' dreams about themselves - strong, powerful, beautiful - and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence. 

The wind of Heaven is that which blows between my horse's ears.

"Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion, It seizes a person whole, and once it done so he will have to except that his life will be radically changed."

     

Life of a Cowgirl is Bliss.

A horse is a thing of beauty... none will tire of looking at him as long as he displays himself in his splendor. 

Inch By Inch

"One day a hungry Robin saw an inchworm, green as an emerald sitting on a twig. He was about to gobble him up..."

Inch by Inch was a child's book I read somewhere in the times of Lantana Elementary. I remember laying on the floor in prone position underneath a desk becoming completely engrossed in this book. As a child I had an imagination beyond compare, or so I'm told, but alas, it has drifted with me into my adulthood. 


A small green inchworm is proud of his skill at measuring anything—a robin’s tail, a flamingo’s neck, a toucan’s beak. Then one day a nightingale threatens to eat him if he cannot measure his song. At the time, my fascination stemmed from colorful pages and the heroine inchworm resurrecting from each turn of the page.  The desk over me became my own jungle, filled with animals of any kinds. The chair legs were obstacles, having my finger inch its way over and through anything that blocked it's path. The carpeted floor was the untouchable; doomed if my inchworm finger were to fail and fall amongst the worm-gobbling trenches of the forest soil.  


See, at the time, it was indeed just a story...a worm over coming life's challenges by "inching" his way through them. How simple. How complex.  I no longer use my finger as an inchworm, and the desk is not my jungle. When in reality, I as a whole, am the inchworm and life is the jungle. I think this is something we all need to remember from time to time...me especially. Slow down, take your life, day, situations, difficulties, struggles, enjoyments, memories...anything a fraction at a time...an inch at a time. In the end, things will be easier, more enjoyed, the lesson will be learned, and things will be complete. 

In the end, you won't get gobbled up by the Robin.

Mountain Man Rendezvous

Each year, Fort Bridger hosts a Mountain Man Rendezvous. For those of you who aren't familiar with the phrase it is a gathering of people from all over dressed in authentic time-period garb (mountain man, Indian, Military, Saloon girls, pioneers, etc...)  and buy, sell, and trade goods, most of them being hand crafted.  There are tents and teepee's (also authentic) set up all over of different shops selling everything from animal furs, guns, clothing, cooking supplies, and trinkets of all kinds. WE absolutely LOVE going. Brent has gone every year for the past 20 years, but I'm catching up with year 2 for me! My mom and Pop love to go as well, and we enjoyed spending time with them! Maybe they will dress up next year. 

We get so in to the atmosphere; there are so many unique people, good food, and so many things to do!