30 March 2012
27 March 2012
ENGAGED! Only not really.
(1/6) Sitting out at the pool with Tessa, reading an American classic (The Three Musketeers) and enjoying the 80's weather. I sure can't ask for much more.
Life has been, as always, a bit crazy. I've been filling my days with lesson plans that range from topics like Sustaining those whom the Lord sustains to Pediatric Medical Emergencies for the BLS provider. Then of course, there's work itself, where no day is ever a dull day. Why in fact, let me share thegood news. I am engaged!
But Dibe, you've not been dating anyone! you might be thinking to yourself.
Right-o. But with an offer like this, how could a girl refuse. Let me introduce you to my fiancee.
We met on an 80 degree afternoon, he sat on a bench just outside of the gas station with 'Mary'.
"She ain't my girl friend!" He assures me, endearing himself to me more than his improper use of english, with a drunken wink. "It's not like I sleep with her!"
Whew, dodged a bullet with that! Wouldn't want a fella who's already sleeping with a gal. A gal who 'ain't his sister'. Or with a gal who is.... I suppose the latter is the most frightening. But I digress.
We began our courtship with the usual dialogue, you know things like,
"Why have you called me here today?" and "What seems to be the problem?"
His ever coy response of, "I done drank too much, and I have the chest pains again." This, my friends, is the start of something lasting, I'm sure.
"Well, why don't we get you out of a here." I smile, typical pick-me-up.
My new fiancee, he doesn't conform to social norms. Oh no. In 84 degree weather, he's wearing 8 layers. And showering? That's a ploy from the man to dictate our lives. He doesn't listen to the man. And who can blame him, really? I wouldn't call my fiancee stinky... He just has the aroma of Boulder.
"Sorry bud, the layers have to go. You see, our ambulance, well, it's a lot like menopause. It's either too hot in the summer, or too cold in the winter. With nothing in between."
He chuckles as he removed 4 sweaters and 3 pairs of pants. "Turn on the AC, then!" He suggests, slurring his words for effect.
I slide the side window open and turn to meet his bewildered stare. "What? We're from Boulder, we don't believe in air conditioning. That destroys the environment!" My fiancee glares.
Our first fight. I rush to make amends.
"How about this, we get you to the hospital, THEY have AC!" He ponders for a moment
"Okay, that's probably best."
We tie up some loose ends, and I start driving. As we pull in, I hear my husband-to-be commenting about women drivers. This could be a real source of contention for us, but I let it go. It's all about compromising, right?
"So" he slurs slowly as we pull the wheeled bed he's laying on toward the doors of the hospital. "Are you married?" Ahh, that creepy wink I love so much...
"No sir." I respond, holding my breath (anticipation, not the lack of ability to breath in the confined space with a boulderite)
"Do you want to be?" Wink.
"Are you proposing?" I ask, nonchalantly, I'm sure.
"You betcha!"
I pause.
"Did I just hear right? Are congratulations in order?!" My buddy and coworker asks as he climbs out of his ambulance when we walk by.
"Apparently!"
"You couldn't have picked a better guy!" My buddy tells me. "And you picked the right girl." He tells my fiancee.
"Hey, she's pretty." My fiancee says.
So there you have it. I'm engaged to a man who may not remember he proposed, but it's okay. He thinks I'm pretty.
What a bizarre couple of days it has been. I had just been told by a buddy of mine that I don't accept compliments well. I tried to explain that it was because of my personality. I am a kidder. A joker. Full of shenanigans if you will. Compliments don't come my way very often, because I rarely have a serious enough conversation to warrant one. And that's fine. I don't need compliments, and typically, I don't want them nor do I particularly like them, they make me feel weird.
Everyday since then, I have received one compliment or another. My theory is God's messing with me. Ha. Joke's on me this time! 90% of those compliments have come from intoxicated parties or someone coming out of sedation. Of course.
Everything else is going swimmingly. I've picked up my soda habit again, because it's either that or Meth. These 48 hour shifts without sleeping, yeah they're killing me slowly. Unfortunately, I've also picked up about 6 pounds from my soda drinking. I only drink it on shift, but I drink enough to cause heart palpitations and arrhythmias in full grown men.
Time to really get serious about my calorie intake and working out again. Which is cool, that's one of the few things that I really have a good amount of control of in my life. Time to put some order back in. Been to the gym every day this week. And not just to watch the TVs that they have there!
Woohoo!
Not much else is happening, I saw a movie, Antwone Fisher. I recommend it. I think. It's tough to watch. I almost cried. So if you're one of those who cries at movies, better have a box of kleenex handy. You'll need it.
I finally read The Help. What an incredible story. I think about my family. Years ago, I was given some family history information, and one thing I received was a Last Will and Testament. This was from a family from Illinois (I think) and they had slaves. I remember at 12 or 13 being sick at heart. How could they have had slaves? How could they have disregarded human lives. And then I wondered if my ancestors were rolling over in their graves when they thought of me, their namesake, standing up for the things that I stand up for.
I remember being extraordinarily grateful for a mom who taught me to love everyone, and to leave nobody out. I was grateful for my Grams, who in the late 50's had dated an African American boy (man. I don't know how old they were) and how she was the greatest example of caring about the person.
All in all, I'm grateful to be alive now. I'm happy to have to deal with the Mayan's end of the world, rather than that racism. Sure, we still have fights we're fighting now, but I'm hopeful that equality and humanity and compassion will win.
This weekend is General Conference. I'm thrilled to get to hear the voice of the Prophets. I'm excited to hear what they have to say. What they have to advise us. Yep. So excited. Also, I have the weekend off. WOOHOO! Who's excited? This girl!
Lastly, I broke my computer. Sad. I know, but I don't have the money to replace or repair it. Blast it! I already feel disconnected with the world and it's kind of driving me to distraction!
Life has been, as always, a bit crazy. I've been filling my days with lesson plans that range from topics like Sustaining those whom the Lord sustains to Pediatric Medical Emergencies for the BLS provider. Then of course, there's work itself, where no day is ever a dull day. Why in fact, let me share the
But Dibe, you've not been dating anyone! you might be thinking to yourself.
Right-o. But with an offer like this, how could a girl refuse. Let me introduce you to my fiancee.
We met on an 80 degree afternoon, he sat on a bench just outside of the gas station with 'Mary'.
"She ain't my girl friend!" He assures me, endearing himself to me more than his improper use of english, with a drunken wink. "It's not like I sleep with her!"
Whew, dodged a bullet with that! Wouldn't want a fella who's already sleeping with a gal. A gal who 'ain't his sister'. Or with a gal who is.... I suppose the latter is the most frightening. But I digress.
We began our courtship with the usual dialogue, you know things like,
"Why have you called me here today?" and "What seems to be the problem?"
His ever coy response of, "I done drank too much, and I have the chest pains again." This, my friends, is the start of something lasting, I'm sure.
"Well, why don't we get you out of a here." I smile, typical pick-me-up.
My new fiancee, he doesn't conform to social norms. Oh no. In 84 degree weather, he's wearing 8 layers. And showering? That's a ploy from the man to dictate our lives. He doesn't listen to the man. And who can blame him, really? I wouldn't call my fiancee stinky... He just has the aroma of Boulder.
"Sorry bud, the layers have to go. You see, our ambulance, well, it's a lot like menopause. It's either too hot in the summer, or too cold in the winter. With nothing in between."
He chuckles as he removed 4 sweaters and 3 pairs of pants. "Turn on the AC, then!" He suggests, slurring his words for effect.
I slide the side window open and turn to meet his bewildered stare. "What? We're from Boulder, we don't believe in air conditioning. That destroys the environment!" My fiancee glares.
Our first fight. I rush to make amends.
"How about this, we get you to the hospital, THEY have AC!" He ponders for a moment
"Okay, that's probably best."
We tie up some loose ends, and I start driving. As we pull in, I hear my husband-to-be commenting about women drivers. This could be a real source of contention for us, but I let it go. It's all about compromising, right?
"So" he slurs slowly as we pull the wheeled bed he's laying on toward the doors of the hospital. "Are you married?" Ahh, that creepy wink I love so much...
"No sir." I respond, holding my breath (anticipation, not the lack of ability to breath in the confined space with a boulderite)
"Do you want to be?" Wink.
"Are you proposing?" I ask, nonchalantly, I'm sure.
"You betcha!"
I pause.
"Did I just hear right? Are congratulations in order?!" My buddy and coworker asks as he climbs out of his ambulance when we walk by.
"Apparently!"
"You couldn't have picked a better guy!" My buddy tells me. "And you picked the right girl." He tells my fiancee.
"Hey, she's pretty." My fiancee says.
So there you have it. I'm engaged to a man who may not remember he proposed, but it's okay. He thinks I'm pretty.
What a bizarre couple of days it has been. I had just been told by a buddy of mine that I don't accept compliments well. I tried to explain that it was because of my personality. I am a kidder. A joker. Full of shenanigans if you will. Compliments don't come my way very often, because I rarely have a serious enough conversation to warrant one. And that's fine. I don't need compliments, and typically, I don't want them nor do I particularly like them, they make me feel weird.
Everyday since then, I have received one compliment or another. My theory is God's messing with me. Ha. Joke's on me this time! 90% of those compliments have come from intoxicated parties or someone coming out of sedation. Of course.
Everything else is going swimmingly. I've picked up my soda habit again, because it's either that or Meth. These 48 hour shifts without sleeping, yeah they're killing me slowly. Unfortunately, I've also picked up about 6 pounds from my soda drinking. I only drink it on shift, but I drink enough to cause heart palpitations and arrhythmias in full grown men.
Time to really get serious about my calorie intake and working out again. Which is cool, that's one of the few things that I really have a good amount of control of in my life. Time to put some order back in. Been to the gym every day this week. And not just to watch the TVs that they have there!
Woohoo!
Not much else is happening, I saw a movie, Antwone Fisher. I recommend it. I think. It's tough to watch. I almost cried. So if you're one of those who cries at movies, better have a box of kleenex handy. You'll need it.
I finally read The Help. What an incredible story. I think about my family. Years ago, I was given some family history information, and one thing I received was a Last Will and Testament. This was from a family from Illinois (I think) and they had slaves. I remember at 12 or 13 being sick at heart. How could they have had slaves? How could they have disregarded human lives. And then I wondered if my ancestors were rolling over in their graves when they thought of me, their namesake, standing up for the things that I stand up for.
I remember being extraordinarily grateful for a mom who taught me to love everyone, and to leave nobody out. I was grateful for my Grams, who in the late 50's had dated an African American boy (man. I don't know how old they were) and how she was the greatest example of caring about the person.
All in all, I'm grateful to be alive now. I'm happy to have to deal with the Mayan's end of the world, rather than that racism. Sure, we still have fights we're fighting now, but I'm hopeful that equality and humanity and compassion will win.
This weekend is General Conference. I'm thrilled to get to hear the voice of the Prophets. I'm excited to hear what they have to say. What they have to advise us. Yep. So excited. Also, I have the weekend off. WOOHOO! Who's excited? This girl!
Lastly, I broke my computer. Sad. I know, but I don't have the money to replace or repair it. Blast it! I already feel disconnected with the world and it's kind of driving me to distraction!
13 March 2012
Royal Arch!
This weekend we finally had some nice weather. With promises of temperatures in the 70's, blue skies and little wind, an adventure to the mountains was in order. But where to hike, we wondered. Easy, the best hike in chatauqua, Royal Arch!
"I should warn you, there will probably be ice." One of our stalwart hikers, Keagan warned.
uh... Did I hear you correctly? Ice? Me? Yipes!
And off we continued. 4 of us. Allison, Dan Keagan and myself. We were ready. ... sorta.
We met at the ever early hour of 0800 and drove to the trail head. Up and up we went. We climbed and climbed. And then, there it was. The ice. A lots of it. We slipped and slid and scurried up the mountain, clinging desperately to rocks, trees and roots to shimmy our ways to the Arch.
And the mountain was winning.
At one particularly terrifying portion, the trail seemed vertical with no visible footing and sheer ice. About 20 yards below, the boys had stopped at a cave to explore and talk about... caves? I'm not sure. To enjoy some man-moments. Allison and I decided to continue and let them catch up. Ha.
Allison, who is much more sure footed, much less clumsy, opted to be the leader. And I would follow.
"Dibe, there are NO foot holds. There's no footing at all!" She warned as she clung to the rock beside us.
"We got this..." I gasped, praying I wouldn't fall and slide to my death. I took another step and my left foot slid. I reached to grab something. I grabbed ice. Basically useless. I went down. Hard. With about 40 feet we had already ascended, I knew I was in for a ride. Particularly because if I continued in the trajectory my body was hurtling, I would go right off the side of the trail, and down the side of the mountain.
A shriek, comparable to that of a banshee, erupted from my mouth and I flipped myself over onto my back. I dug my left heel into the snow, slowing my left side down and shoved with my right hand to straighten my fall. Success!
Oh... crap... right into the path of rocks. Rocks barely covered by ice and snow. This was going to hurt. I tried to relax, (think, floppy fish) as I hit the first rock. When I bounced, hard, I switched tactics. protect the head! The bounce did it, I slowed considerably until I was at the bottom of this rocky ice slide.
"Dibe!" Allison shouted from her precarious perch halfway up this slide. "Say something. Let me know you're not dead!"
I lay there mentally assessing my injuries. Head? uninjured. Neck? just fine. Back? May end up peeing blood, but spine alright. knees? ow. Overall, alright! I looked up and saw the boys sprinting up and slowly sat up, wiping tears from my eyes. "I'm okay!"
After a few moments of recollecting, off we continued again. Finally, we reached the top! Slowly, but we made it!
Keagan and the Arch.jpg)
Boulder!
Goooorgeous
Dibe and Dan. Dan is giant, Dibe is not
prettyAs we rested, we chatted. We chatted with each other, we sat and just enjoyed the view. We chatted with some other hikers. One fella, sitting above us said:
"I don't mean to eavesdrop, but are you guys from the CU ward in Boulder?" He asked timidly.
"We are indeed!" We replied
"That's awesome, I got married out of that ward in 2003" He told us. And we chatted. Finally, it was time to descend. Dan, the adventurer that he is, decided to scout out a new trail, one less icy. With promises to return, we sat and basked in the sun and the warmth. 30 minutes later, no Dan. 45 minutes later, several texts and phone calls. No Dan.
"We better go after him" We decided, hoping not to find a broken Dan. So we went trail blazing. Down steep litter-layered earth. Surrounded by Cacti, possible poison ivy and who knows what else. Danger Will Robinson. Danger!!
Finally, we made it. We climbed down this:
Icy rock wall. you can see my head at the very bottom. YIPESWe made it down to the Mesa trail and hiked back to Chautauqua, where we found Dan working on homework. Survival!!!
Those boys sure earned man moments by getting us down the mountain (and up for that matter) without serious bodily harm!!!
In other news, this is what I got to deal with this shift, like my partner says: Welp... Can't fix stupid.
Him: We ran 9 calls all together... 1 dog food on fire...
Me: dog food on fire?!
Him: Oven on... dog food next to oven... smoldering... When they made entry small dog with small dog complex came bolting out of the apartment building and latched on big dogs back leg and wouldn't let go... cop almost tased little dog... be like you latching on (in an angry kinda way) to Ryan's leg and poor big dog was sad and scared and like what the flip.
Nothing like bursting out in the kind of laughing that makes you cry on public transportation. I'm cool (read as, I'm full of shenanigans!)
Next week on the ambulance is St. Patrick's day. We plan to be Irish all day, and having Corned Beef and Cabbage. Be ready City of Boulder. Ready or not, here we come!
02 March 2012
The truth about partners: starting anew
So, the new guy (who has earned a name around here, it's Ryan, for all who are curious) and I are going to work out, I'm thinking.
Mostly because he is hilarious! We laugh, we rock out to shenanigan music, we amuse PD when we do our legal blood draws. We are C -shifts 10p to 6a status 1 posting fiend! Meaning when one of the other cars go save a life, we go and protect their home base from robbers, thieves and thugs. (Read as, we park in the same vicinity as their home base, ignore all hooligan-like people, turn off the lights and sleep.)
Importantly, we are noticing where our strengths are as a partnership and where we have to opportunity to improve.
Example: We are great at coaxing people who don't want to go, but who need to go to the hospital to buck up and come with us.
We are greatly improving our scene times.
Also, I knew he must be a keeper when he was welcomed to the shift with an all-out nerf war, and he didn't turn tail and run for it. Welcome partner!
Here's to plenty of shenanigan music, middle of the intersection dance parties, and a some tomfoolery!
Mostly because he is hilarious! We laugh, we rock out to shenanigan music, we amuse PD when we do our legal blood draws. We are C -shifts 10p to 6a status 1 posting fiend! Meaning when one of the other cars go save a life, we go and protect their home base from robbers, thieves and thugs. (Read as, we park in the same vicinity as their home base, ignore all hooligan-like people, turn off the lights and sleep.)
Importantly, we are noticing where our strengths are as a partnership and where we have to opportunity to improve.
Example: We are great at coaxing people who don't want to go, but who need to go to the hospital to buck up and come with us.
We are greatly improving our scene times.
Also, I knew he must be a keeper when he was welcomed to the shift with an all-out nerf war, and he didn't turn tail and run for it. Welcome partner!
Here's to plenty of shenanigan music, middle of the intersection dance parties, and a some tomfoolery!
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