This display was at fire school last weekend, and I had to get a picture or two. Every time I see something like this memorial, I say a prayer for the families who lost a loved one. That shouldn’t be reserved for a special day—it’s an every day kind of prayer.
Bela was a big fan of the motorcycle, so I got that as well.
I wait for fire school in Grand Island all year long. No kidding. This year was no exception. I have a day and a half of class time done already, and we’ll finish up in the morning. I made a new, funny friend in class this year…(hi, Sabrina!), and I hope she reads today’s blog post! She has been more like a partner in crime. 🙂
My fire school adventure started earlier in the week since there were so many things I had to do before I could leave for fire school. Thursday was a blur. Between teaching Spanish classes and not eating lunch at lunch time, I took off the trash and delivered my pups to Koko’s Palace (for doggie day care). Then I had to drop my little car off at the body shop in North Platte (75 miles away) and pick up a rental. I had specifically asked for “a small car that’s good on gas.” I got a double-cab Hemi. Not exactly what I was expecting, but it does have some power. I was bummed from the beginning about putting gas in the dang thing because that came out of my spending money for the weekend. I had plans for that cash….
Wes drove a fire truck to Grand Island, and I followed so I wouldn’t get “misplaced.” (He tried to ditch me, but I found him in Broken Bow!) We arrived early enough to shop at the vendor booths. Wes helped me find a booth where I could order my badge (the one I’ve been wanting for the last few years!) before we had to go to class. It took the lady at the booth a little while to find a badge like Wes has, so I had to keep checking with her after Wes left for his class.
I had learned (from the guys) that they all paid for their own badges, so I paid for mine out of my spending money. Funny thing is, though, that all of the guys had neglected to mention that they had billed the badge to the department and then reimbursed the department. I found that out after I had paid cash. Hmmm.
In class after the badge business, one of the teachers put up a picture that made me and Sabrina laugh. She said it looked like a dinosaur. I agreed, but added it was similar to a sock puppet. I took a picture, texted it to Sabrina, and we both posted it on our Facebook pages. We even showed the teachers this morning. After that, they watched for us to grab our phones when something funny was on the screen. Joe and Chuck were kind enough to give us time to snap a pic.
This looks like a sock puppet dinosaur, but it’s really about the parts of a fire.
Sabrina and I roamed around after class to see what we could discover.
I had spent all of Friday and today griping about the extra gas money for the truck. It cut into my shopping. Wes finally told me about the badges being billed to the fire department, so I went back and got my cash so the very nice lady could bill the fire department like she had for the all of the other guys! That made it possible for me to buy the shirt Wes had pointed out to me.
Stay tuned for more fire school news….
If you’ve been reading the blog lately, you know by now that I ended up at Fire School over the weekend. FUN!!! I was tied up in a (great) class for a couple of days, but I made time to check out the building full of vendors at Fonner Park. I didn’t get a T-shirt this year, but I finally bought a gear bag of my own. There were two vendors selling them, but I checked the prices and spent only $30 instead of the regular $45. Sure was happy about the savings! I used part of that $15 to get us a triple scoop each at Baskin Robbins! Ysabela had never been to a Baskin Robbins, but she knows how good it is now! She spent her Saturday in the hot tub while I toiled away in class, but we both are looking forward to next year’s jaunt!
Baskin Robbins was across the street from the hotel!
Thanks to Tyler, I snapped this picture.
As you can see, Grand Island takes Fire School seriously. I learned that Long John Silver’s gives firefighters a discount, too. Many businesses do the same, and it is very much appreciated.
I went to a workshop called Volunteer Retention and Recruitment. Apparently, recruitment is not a problem exclusive to rural volunteer fire departments because there were 20 of us from all over Nebraska. It was nice to meet J. D., one of our dispatchers from Ogallala. The instructors, Greg Render and Kevin Quinn, were wonderful. Lyndsay, the super assistant, kept them organized. Greg Reddin, Project Director for ADAPT, also shared a lot of information with us. Most Fire School classes run 1-3 Friday, 8-3 Saturday and 8-12 Sunday. Mine was a bit different because we were in session Friday 12-5 and Saturday 8-5 (with a lunch break, of course).
Lyndsay is enthusiastic and knowledgeable!
The best part of the workshop for me was leaving class with a solid plan to recruit new volunteers. Lyndsay scanned our plans while we shared in class. She will follow up with each of us as the year progresses to make sure we are on target. As a technology junkie, I especially appreciated the flash drive and CD with sample documents to use in the recruitment process.
I hope to be able to implement some of the ideas from class. Realistically, some may not work for my area, but I sure can try!
Greg Reddin, ADAPT Director
Kevin and Greg–awesome instructors!
All the hype about Prom—is it really worth it? Girls and their parents spend so much for so little, really. Dresses and shoes, of course, are usually expensive. Then there’s a corsage to buy, pictures, hair, makeup, nails, etc. Add in a dose of anxiety about finding a suitable date, and I have to wonder if it’s really worth it. Let me tell you about my experience.
I was so lucky to find a discounted dress at Deb’s in Grand Island last October. It was on sale for about $25. I saw a tiny flaw on the breast and brought it to the cashier’s attention. I received an additional 55% off! HALLELUJAH! Imagine my glee in spending so little for a PROM DRESS! (Sorry to shout, but it was exciting.) Getting Princess Ysabela’s hair done cost me $25 (thank you, Lisa), and a wrist corsage was a little over $17 (thank you, Lynn). Momma was rocking, right? Go me! Anyway, I thought I was rocking too. As I mentally patted myself on the back, I noticed my princess was manifesting signs of stress. Stress? Why ever would that be? How do I know?
Ysabela was smiling, but her silver shoes became her focus once she got to the gym. She complained that they hurt her feet. I suspect that was simply a symptom of insecurity and nerves. It makes sense. Like a guest speaker at school said, “Kids walk on stage and perform every time they enter the school.” I had never thought of high school like that. If I view Prom in the same light, no wonder Ysabela was using her shoes as a focal point for her nerves! It was easier than admitting to herself (or me) that she was feeling insecure. Oh, teen angst! It’s a battle we all must fight—and hopefully win.
Is the stress worth it? Prom is an important event in a teen’s life. As a parent, I think we need to be vigilant and do something if we notice our children’s stress levels escalating. I, for one, will pay close attention to my daughter’s clues, both verbal and nonverbal.
Princess Ysabela
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