EMT

So today was my first real day on duty with my EMS station and what a day it was! I got up quite early this morning and got on duty at 7am (until 6pm).

Things started out a bit slow as one of the Paramedics was late (he slept in and forgot he was supposed to be there). Our first chores include checking off the trucks. I met a lovely gal named Jennifer who is a volunteer paramedic-in-training who took me right under her wing and started showing me how to check the truck off. She was doing it quite fast from memory (very impressive--- something I'll have to do eventually as a test). Then, she handed the sheet over to me for my own practice.

Before I could even get the front cab and the first side door done, I was shoved into Medic 2 with Doug and Larry. It was my first call and I was really nervous. When we got into the truck, I could hear over the radio that a 32 year old mother was giving birth in her bathroom. The baby was crowning (it's head was coming out)! What an awesome first call-- I would get to welcome a new Christmas baby!

The ride over was actually quite frightening. I thought for sure the truck was going to turn over as Doug drove the truck crazily through traffic with sirens and lights blaring. I have never gone that fast on urban roads before!

Over the radio we then heard that the baby had come already! This was her second and he just didn't want to wait... literally. When we got there, we just strolled into the house and up the stairs where the firefighters had already arrived and started patient care. Apparently, they always beat us to the location on calls. Grandma was holding the new baby boy named Sam. Dad seemed a bit concerned, and Mom was on the floor in pain as the placenta had not yet been delivered.

Baby Sam was getting a bit cold, so Doug took him out to the truck and wrapped him in towels and hot packs. We then loaded Mom in a stair-chair to get her down the stairs and onto the stretcher. Finally and quickly we were off to the hospital with sirens blaring once again and a new born baby in my arms. I have never held a newborn before, so that was quite a joy. Here I was, welcoming him into the cold and bright world. His purplypink fingers were so small! He kept kicking in his blanket, so I had to keep rearranging the oxygen tube on blow-by in the blanket for him.

I then carried little Sam into the hospital completely covered for warmth. We walked right into a delivery room where I saw the confirmatory reasons why having kids may not be for me. I watched as the doctor pulled out the placenta and then sewed poor Mom back up! Despite it all, Mom and Baby will be fine!

What amazes me the most is how Doug was with Mom. He really stepped in holding her hand and supporting her. He would tell her to breath and just was so wonderful. Finally, Dad got to the hospital and Doug allowed him to take his supportative spot. The most rewarding part of the call was when the family thanked all of us, including me, by name.

We did a total of 3 calls today, which is quite a busy 11 hour shift, but not as busy as it could be. We helped a 49 year old man get to the hospital after falling from a spasmed disk in his back and even talked about his and our dogs to keep his mind off the pain. When you can find something to relate to the patient with, you can truly connect and carry out patient care to the fullest extent. We also cared for a 5 year old boy after being on coverage for another station. Really, the boy was scared after falling on a rock and lacerating his knee. I tell you what, riding an ambulance is expensive. If you don't have to, or need to, please save yourself the money and drive yourself or the hurt patient. Especially if that person just needs a few stitches and is not bleeding to death.

I learned a lot today. I even sat down with the chief and learned the hand-held radios. It was an incredibly awesome and tiring day, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

The Lord of the Rings

Man, I love the Lord of the Rings. This is probably why I've never really gotten into Harry Potter (I've never made it past the 1st chapter... I may try again). Now, that's not to say that I hate Harry Potter because I did like the last movie (perhaps it was the new director). However, there is just no comparison to Lord of the Rings.

As you might know (Dan and Carrie especially), The Return of the King came out on Special Edition today! I told everyone that I just couldn't wait until Christmas and not to buy it as a gift for me. So that means another trip to Walmart where I might be tempted to buy more than just that one DVD (sorry girls--you know who you are--, I can't help myself!). Honestly, I am just so excited that the long awaited release has come.

Now why do I adore these movies and books? They definitely have a great director and author. I do like looking at the cast of hotties. But, the story is what always comes out beyond everything else. Its a story of struggles, temptation, humor, fantasy, war, love, strength, and friendship. It's just a great balance of all of those aspects. I laugh, I cry, I get anxious, I get into all of it. What other movies and books will do that to you?




I have to say that I was never such a fanatic until I met my friend Dan. He is more of a Lord of the Rings fanatic that I am now. He is a tough battle when it comes to trivia! We had an unofficial competition about how many times we saw the movies in the theater. He won for the Fellowship, I won for the Two Towers, and we called it a draw for the Return of the King. All in all, I saw the Fellowship 5 times, the Two Towers 6 times, and the Return of the King 7 times. Pretty sad, eh?

My favorite character by far is Aragorn. Who wouldn't like a strong man with a sword who loves, cares for others, fights for good and is a handsome king! Fighting is so natural for him and Viggo is a great actor for the part. It's funny to think that he didn't know anything about the trilogy when they asked him to fill the part (his son actually loves the trilogy and wouldn't let him turn the part down). I even have a setting on my phone named "Aragorn."

I definitely think they cast very well for all the characters in the movie. It is always nice to see a movie based from a book. It helps me to give the characters a face as I read the books and engages me more in the story.



So, I do own lots of paraphernalia. I own calendars, figurines, books, & collectibles. I am always on the lookout for other collectibles. I am kindof of sad that I haven't had a movie to look forwards to this year, and I do hope that Jackson does the Hobbit.

I would definitely call the Lord of the Rings triology my favorite movies of all time. I compare all other movies to them. Much praise to Peter Jackson and Tolkien!

Christmas Traditions

Many families these days have their traditions. Our family is not an exception to this rule. They say that once a couple has children it is time for that family to start traditions. Most of the time that means staying at their house for Christmas first and foremost. I do think it is imperative that a couple discuss what kind of traditions that they will follow once they are married.

A major tradition that my family has is cutting down a live, fresh Christmas tree at the local Christmas tree farm. What, you might say? There are Christmas tree farms in the suburbs? Yes, there actually is one right on the outskirts of the city. We've been going there since I can remember. Nowadays, it takes way less time to pick out a tree than it did when we all were young. The latest tree we picked was much different than before as we picked a fir instead of a pine-like tree. Also, it took the whole of 15 minutes to pick it. Then, there's the traditional "Timber" when it falls. We then all decorate it together with lights and many different ornaments.

Another tradition we have is to put up lights out the wazoo. My brother, Thomas, is the one who is always in charge of putting up (and of course taking down) the lights. This year he put up approximately 5500-6500 lights on the house and around the bushes. It literally looks almost exactly like the Griswold's house in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (man, I love that movie!).

Speaking of lights, on Christmas Eve we drive all around town looking at all of the lights that are put up around town. There is one farm outside of Winston Salem that I go out to with Rodney every year now, sort of our new tradition. By the end of Christmas Eve, we are pretty much tired of riding around in a car so then we move on to our next tradition.

We always open up one gift on Christmas Eve, chosen by one of the other family members. We just don't know which to expect, but we all have usually already staked out which one we would like to open before Christmas Eve.

Rodney's family always gets together the weekend before Christmas for a gift exchange and a White Elephant fun exchange. Over the past years, it has gotten quite a bit smaller after Rodney's grandparents passed away, but it is still great fun as we always see new and interesting weird gifts (usually the ones that Kathy- Rodney's step-mom- gets). We all eat and enjoy each other's company.

When we were little, Santa would always choose a couch or chair to put our individual gifts on. Each one of us would hope that we got the couch since it always seemed bigger. Mom and Dad would take forever to get out of bed as we ached and peeked into the living room illegally. As we got older, we started to enjoy sleeping in and would just bother each other only if it got to be 10am or later.

Mom always puts out little snacks before our "thanksgiving type meal" and we always enjoy hot cider (Mom's special recipe). We hogged Grandma for about 20 years until my baby cousin was born, so now it is pretty much just the immediate family on Christmas day as she is in Atlanta. We usually also wait until after opening all the presents under the tree to open the stockings.

Well, everyone has their own traditions. These are ours. If you have any great traditions, please pass them along (leave a comment!)!

A Poem....

God’s Goodnight Kiss

Radiant colors paint the sky
as the impending darkness’ fingers grasp the horizon
A pure ecstasy of light
passionately drawing dreams and reality closer together
A taste of heaven
gracefully calling its beholders to such a sight
A gift of beauty
piercing the eyes and hearts of the witnesses
Unspeakable desire
to hold the love portrayed in a single moment
Extraordinary strokes on a canvas
softly blending the simplicities of life
Exquisite happiness
expressing a desire to feel like this forever
Eternity for a brief second
as the clouds break the purity of its art
God’s goodnight kiss to the world
the splendor of the setting of the sun

inspired by: Rodney

Fall 2000

Why I Got Hooked......

Have you ever wondered why I got hooked on Mission work? I wrote this story in February 2000 after my first mission trip to Honduras:

The Meaning of Life Through a Smile

All I had to repay them were Dum-Dum lollipops, stickers, and hugs.
“Este es un regalo,” they said. They recognized me only because I had won the spaghetti-eating contest the night before.

I was sitting on a rock pile, taking a break from the 100-degree sun. Suddenly, a flood of school children entered our work site, entranced by the “gringos.” My hands, red and blistered through leather work gloves, hurt as I shifted myself higher to get a look at them. They wore uniforms made up of matching white shirts with a school patch on the pocket and navy pants or skirts. As they tried to help, I realized all they needed was attention.

As I cooled myself with a spray bottle fan, the children gathered around me. As their eyes tried to solve the mystery of a misting fan, I foolishly attempted to explain how it worked. Then, for fun, I pretended to forget that dirt coated my hands. As I wiped some of the water off my face, it dripped down my chin, and a mud pie formed from my sweat. The children giggled. Then I showed them how it worked and squirted them. Some of them, frightened, would back away while others cringed to hold their position best when I pulled the trigger. Without words, they trusted me.

Their thoughtless trust hit my consciousness like a stone flying from David’s sling. It killed my definition of trust, as I knew it at home. I pondered whether or not I understood real trust. I didn’t have faith in my own instincts most of the time and lost wonderful opportunities as a result.

They talked to me and told me stories of their day. Then all but two little girls moved on. Since I could speak Spanish, I had an advantage. Later, I would call it a disadvantage when I became so attached. I felt like a movie star. They wanted to know all about me. As I told them, I grew ashamed of my many material possessions.

The children in Honduras had dark hair and dark eyes with skinny arms and legs, but what I saw was on the inside. Their innocent souls were worth gold, as was their love for everyone around them. They were the teachers, I the student. When I looked at them I tried to see myself in their position but my innocence had left me long ago. I could never be them though I wished I could.

A hair clip adorned one of the little girls little black strands of hair. It was a simple but beautiful clip decorated with a small glittery butterfly.
“That’s pretty,” I said in Spanish.
The little girl looked surprised and smiled at me. That’s when she took the clip out of her own hair and slid it into my hair as gently as a mother with a comb to her baby’s head. I was confused at first, thinking she just wanted to see what it looked like in my hair.
I then asked, “Tuyo?” trying to figure out if that was the case.
“No, suyo.” It was mine. But why? She had so little, and this was probably one of her prized possessions, yet she was willing to give it to me. My eyes started to glisten with the tears about to spill over top the dam. Her simple gift meant the world to me.

“Gracias,” I said thanking her and giving her a hug. The other little girl stood in front of me and held her hand out. She opened it so slowly and tenderly, like she was holding a feather that she was afraid was going to get caught in the very next breath taken and blow away. In it was a pair of two more butterfly clips.

I was honored. To receive such a thoughtful gift had become rare even in the United States. I didn’t understand why they thought so highly of me, and it was only because I told them that they were pretty. The little girl took the clips and slid one into each side of my short light brown hair, delicately checking and moving them so that they were even on both sides.

I didn’t know what to repay them with. They only things I had with me that day were lollipops and stickers, so that is what I offered them. Their eyes lit up like the sun coming out from behind the clouds as I held the gifts before them. They hadn’t expected something in return, but to me, my gift was not a sacrifice. To give was an instinct to them. I was the rich person, giving a small percentage of what I had, while they were the poor woman, giving two pennies, their one-week’s wages.

Tears flooded my face out of happiness and sadness. I was so happy to be in that place at that very moment, but I was sad because I could not stay in Honduras forever. I wish I could have taken them with me, just so that I could take care of them. They had already taken care of me. I had never seen so many sincere smiles in my life. These people, a lot of them living in poverty, were happy with their lives. I then understood that I was not happy with my own life. I wore a permanent mask, hiding my inner being. I could gain the whole world and never be happy.

It was hard for me to express myself emotionally to those girls. When the Honduran people described me they said I was physically strong for a woman. Physically strong is the only thing I am. On the inside I was torn to pieces. My heart was scattered amongst the characteristics of my life, but never fixable in my eyes. Yet, here I was seeing a solution that I could not even put together in my own life. I looked directly into the eyes of my soul as looked into the children’s faces. I had only waded ankle deep by myself.

“Tu eres muy bonita.”
“Yo?” I asked. How? I was not beautiful. Inside, a hideous monster was waiting for the right moment to jump out and flaunt my worldliness. Before now, however, this monster was my actual self. My desire to gain back my innocence, fought to restore the child within me. To be true to myself I would have to be like the children in Honduras: blind to the world that could carry away their happiness.

As I sat in the back of the trucks as we drove away, I could not take my eyes from their faces. Our final goodbyes were the hardest for me. I did not want to leave. I was leaving my dream. I wanted to be free from all the pain of the world. It hurt to think of how I live. The stars, so clear at night here, beckoned me to explore the infinity of my soul. They painted the sky showing that I had no limits. I needed to be who I am. I was made a star, but would never be one. I could not thank the children enough for just showing me what was truly important in life. It was the way I lived my life and how I affected the people surrounding me that I needed to consider.

For the rest of my trip in Honduras, I kept those clips in my hair. I only removed them when I was washing my hair or sleeping. They were a part of me now. When I got back to the states, I knew I would not be able to wear them all the time in my hair so I put them on a shiny silver chain around my neck. I wore this necklace for quite some time. They hung next to my heart reminding me how I need to live my life and the innocence I need to have to only live. Torn between my true self and my dream, I left a part of my soul there in Honduras.When those children smiled, I felt like I had a true purpose in life.

People say true happiness can only be found if you truly feel it in your heart. I have daintily nibbled at the plate without even experiencing happiness’ taste. Happiness is when you feel as though you have a real purpose in life and you have done something to change the world even if one smile is what comes from your efforts. One smile…