Coolest Job

Ok.  I know no one likes a bragger.

But, for a minute I'm going to indulge myself...

I know my job is pretty cool.  I get to check out neat historic buildings and get paid for it.  I enjoy it.  But it's not everyone's cup of tea.

It's got nothing on my husband. 

My husband has the coolest job.

I know I tease him about hanging out at the fire station.  Eating and sleeping and sometimes goofing off. 

"Eat til your sleepy, sleep til you're hungry."

But I also realize that he deals with some nasty stuff.  Some things that would probably make me throw up without being able to sensor myself.  Some things that would give me nightmares.  And some that make me giggle when I think about them 10 years later.

I can't say enough how proud of him I am.

He set a goal to become a firefighter and was willing to do everything in his power to achieve it.

Just after he graduated from college his days were usually- ride his bike from Phinney or nearby to open the Seattle Greenlake Starbucks store in the mornings (4am) then ride his bike to the gym to work out, then ride  from his gym in Freemont to Lake City Way to work at The Boys and Girls Club until all the kids were picked up (around 6pm).

He did this for a year and it was grueling. 

He took every firefighter test he came across. 

He sat in the testing lab and memorized the questions so that he could zip out and instantly review his study materials to find out what he might have missed so he could study harder the next time around.

When our hometown tested it was so great that out of (I think it was) 850 people testing he made it to the final 4 who were hired. 

Can you imagine applying for a job and competing against 850 people?!

I often think of his job in abstract terms.  I don't really see much when we stop in to say hi.

But today he planned to "drill"- I explained to the kids that means practice and said he'd like to see us (really I think he meant the kids- but that's ok:)

So, we stopped by the drill pad (like that I know the lingo?) to see what was going on.

My kids are so lucky.

Not only do they get to sit in a fire engine everytime they see daddy at work, today they got to watch them squirt hoses.  And the word squirt does not do this process justice.

And if you're wondering, yes, those are pajama shorts Elsa is wearing.  I let her dress herself since she's been sporting a fever for 2 days now.  She was wearing a swimsuit cover up over this ensemble just before this picture.

Elsa really wants to operate this.  The boys are checking everything out.

Lucky girl really holds on like a real firefighter.

Another angle of the lucky girl.

The kids getting ready for daddy to do a trick with the spray.

Mr. Handsome there (even if he isn't in his Class B uniform-the bunkers are pretty nice too) getting ready to switch the spray so it fans out like an umbrella. 

Isn't he hunky?  I'm a lucky girl...

There's nothing more sexy than a man who genuinely enjoys his kids, the uniform is nice too.

And yes, I know that I'm down a child.  That lucky kiddo is on night 2 of a sleepover with one of the funnest moms around.  She got to do a 5k at the State Patrol Academy this morning and who knows what other super cool stuff she's done.  I think some of it involved swimming.  Lucky.

Ok, I'm done bragging.

And sorry ladies.  He's taken.

Can't believe I've known him for 25 years.

How did I get old enough for that?!