The 11 & The 19

            Yesterday marked the 7 month anniversary of a tragedy that struck my home community.  This is a day that I haven’t ever been able to write about or explain the feelings that I had.  The horrific events of that day left our community united, heartbroken, and desperate for answers.  For on June 30, 2013 19 firefighters from the Granite Mountain Hotshots lost their lives in the Yarnell Fire.  That morning I had been in the presence of one of those men’s fathers.  I typically don’t find myself in fire stations but on that morning I had to go because my finger had swollen to the point that my wedding ring needed to be cut off.  I was there mere hours before that man would lose a son, a boy that I had gone to high school with.  It was a devastating time for our community and yet it brought a unity that couldn’t be described.  Rather than three separate cities, we were one and were united in honoring those fallen men.  The rodeo and the 4^th of July parade were used to honor those fallen heroes and many tributes still stand today.  There are still 19 purple ribbons tied to the fence of Chino Valley High School and there is a spot in the baseball dugout dedicated to honor Wade Parker. 

            I haven’t ever written about these events because I didn’t feel I could do the situation or those men justice.  These were men with families, wives, children, fiancés, etc.  These were good men and we mourn their loss.  I didn’t write this because I suddenly felt like I had to the words to describe the situation, these men, my feelings, or any of it.  However, tonight I was able to pay homage to these men and I wanted to express those feelings.

            In June 1973, 11 volunteer firefighters lost their lives.  These men were from Kingman, Arizona and one of them was a principal at the time.  Last year Kingman opened a new high school and in honor of this man it was named Lee Williams High School and their mascot is the volunteers.  Tonight they held a silent night basketball game.  Though I have grown up around the sport, I was unaware of what that would even mean.  A silent basketball game????  During this basketball game the crowd is asked to be silent (no cheering, clapping, or any sound) until the team has scored 11 points.  Last year was the first time for this event and tonight marked the second.  I was curious because I wondered if a gym-full of people could really be silent and to pay their respects to those who have lost their lives.  I was amazed to find that they were silent, even the Lee Williams coach hardly made noise and would only direct the players if he absolutely needed to.  It was amazing to watch.

            I walked in thinking of the 19 men from my community and continued to think about them until the 11^th point was made.  It was made off a 3 point shot with about 2-3 minutes left in the first quarter.  I could see the firefighters in uniform across the gym as the crowd erupted in applause.  And then I couldn’t see them anymore as my eyes misted over.  It was an incredible feeling in that room and something that I won’t soon forget.  It was an honor to be there tonight and it is with great respect that I honor those 30 men.  Their last call has come and gone but as we remember and honor them then they are always in our hearts.  God bless the 11 and the 19.

A Week Late

So my goal was to blog weekly but I think my new goal will be to average a blog post a week.  This last week has been crazy for our family and full of lots of new changes.  I started my new job today and am excited for this next chapter.

I spent a lot of time this week sewing and my straight lines are getting much straighter.  I got to impress Marc with my engineering and building skills.  I have epically failed at making one of the dinners for next week.  I have laughed and almost cried.  I have enjoyed the quiet moments and tried to make snuggle time happen more often.  However, the kitties have started sleeping under blankets and so sometimes snuggle time is ruined because I accidentally kick someone or sit on them when I get into bed.  I don't know why we have this new habit but we are trying to make it work for everyone.

I have finished Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen and I LOVED IT!  I am now reading "Bewitched" by Alex Flinn who is one of my favorite authors.  That means that I have finished by two books for January.  I am hoping to get our keyboard set up this next week so the piano practicing can start.  Next week I also plan on coming home from work and hopefully working out like an hourish every day.  I am super excited and can't wait to see what it does for my weight loss goals.  It has been a good couple of weeks and lets hope the next few are good as well.

New Year's Resolutions

So once again our lives went on hold and I stopped blogging.

Marc finally has a contract with the United States Air Force and he will be working in Intelligence.  It wasn't the job we were hoping for but I think it will be really good for our family and we have grown to become excited about this new challenge.  Marc will leave for Basic Military Training on March 4th in San Antonio, Texas.  He will then do 5 months of training in Sierra Vista, Arizona and then 5 months Pensacola, Florida.  From my understanding I couldn't live with Marc during any of that time and so I will be waiting a year to see where our first post is.

However, I should be hearing at the end of this week if I have employment as an educational interpreter and that will be a journey all of its own.  It is the first time that I will truly be living alone and I guess we will see how independent I truly am.  I was worried about how I would spend my year and so I made a list of 14 goals for 2014.  These are things that I want to work on through out the year to keep me busy and maybe I won't miss my husband quite so much!

These are numbered though not in any particular order:

1 - Lose 70 pounds

I know it is tacky to list weight loss as a New Year's goal because everyone does that and no one ever sticks to it.  However, I have already lost 12-15 pounds and I want to keep the momentum going.

2 - Workout Regularly

I would love to work out 6 days a week and that will be my goal.  I will mix up some cardio and some strength training.

3 - Eat Better

I would like to eat clean but I need it to be doable eating.  So we will start small and try to stick to an 80/20 rule.

4 - Read the Book of Mormon

Last year I read the scriptures every day but I started with a smaller book.  This year I want to keep the momentum going.

5 - Read a Book or Two Every Month

I have some how lost the joy in reading a book.  School beat that out of me and so I want to get started again.  I technically cheated for the month of January because I finished two books on New Years Day.  I finished "The Four Agreements" by Miguel Ruiz and "Between the Lines" by Jodi Picoult.  However, since then I have read "Sleeping Beauty's Daughters" by Diane Zahler and I just started "Just Ella" by Annette K. Larsen.

6 - Make Friends

Over the last few years we have really struggled to make any real friends.  We don't fit the typical mold for what is expected in our culture and that can make things hard.  I am hoping that we are both able to find individuals that we click with over the next year and make some lasting friendships.

7 - Play the Piano

This has been a skill that I haven't used in quite awhile.  I was embarrassed by my lack of talent and therefore stopped playing and now I have even less of a talent.  I don't want anything huge or grand but I want to enjoy playing again FOR ME.

8 - Save Money

This has been something that we have worked on over our marriage and I am excited to put some of our plans into action this year.  I want to set aside some money for the future and I want to set aside some money for us to be able to play.  Marc and I want to go on a cruise for our 5 year anniversary and I want to see if I can make that happen.  (Especially because our 5 year anniversary will occur after we have spent a year living apart!!!)

9 - Enjoy the Quiet Moments

I want to take time every day to just be still.  No music, no tv, no phone, no distractions.  I want to enjoy the moments of holding a sleeping cat or listening to the birds chirp.

10 - Write Marc Daily

I don't want our separation to separate us.  So I plan on writing Marc every day.  It might be a letter or maybe an email but I want to be able to share as much about what is going on at home as possible.  I know he won't be able to write back daily but this is my goal!

11 - Blog Weekly

I don't want to hide anymore.  I always get scared when our lives are in the air but then I miss the little things.  I want to have a history of our lives and remember all of the times that we have shared together.

12 - Become Nationally Certified

This will be the most challenging goal this year and the one that I can't completely control.  But I can do my part and study and prepare myself.  This will be crucial to have before our first post so that I can work anywhere in the United States.  Right now I could do that in an educational setting (minus two states) but I want to have as many doors open as I possibly can!

13 - Make More Time for My Kiddos

I don't have any kiddos if you use the real world description.  However, I have lots of little ones in my life that I care about very, very much.  Some of these are my niece and nephews, some are my kitties, and some are kids that I have adopted through the library.  I want these kiddos to know how important they are to me and I can do that through giving my time.  It might be a FaceTime conversation or maybe a letter in the mail.

14 - Thrive in the Year Apart

I don't want this to be a year that I simply survive.  I want to grow and develop and thrive this year.  I want to try new things and meet new people.  I want to develop talents and enjoy working on the house.  I want to make this a very full year of wonderful things.

Wish me luck!!!