Promotion

A couple of weeks ago we had a promotion ceremony for the Kaysville Fire Department (KFD). The Department promoted three Battalion Chiefs, four Captains, three Engineers and three new fire fighters. I was one of the new engineers getting promoted along with A.J. and Keri. The ceremony consisted of a swearing in by the mayor and a badge pinning ceremony.
For the pinning ceremony I was supposed to have a family member or someone else come up and pin my new badge on me. Ariane was going to do it but at the last second Lucy said she wanted to do it. Originally she declined the invitation so I was surprised to see her come up.
She needed some help doing it, after I got stabbed several times but it eventually got pinned on my shirt.

The whole family was there for the event, the kids even wore their firefighter shirts for the occasion.
I also had two fathers in law and one mother in law come as well as my own Dad.

Some friends and family have asked what I had to do to become and engineer and what I do know that I am an engineer. Now that I am an engineer it is my responsibility to drive the fire engine and pump water to the hose lines.
I am also assigned two department vehicles to make sure that they are maintained properly and that the equipment that they carry are in good condition.

To become and engineer I had to be certified to drive and pump the fire engine, which I had done a couple of years ago. To do this I had to take the states fire apparatus pumper course, which we did at Kaysville Fire and then pass the states written and skills test.

To get promoted at KFD once there were some openings I had to take a test. This consisted of a pumping scenario, getting water from the engine to the hose line in a timely manner and the right pressure, a driving test where they set up a bunch of cones and I had to show I could drive, and an oral board where I was asked questions about my knowledge about driving and pumping.

After all that I did not think I had done very well but it turns out that out of the five of us the tested I finished third overall, enough to get promoted. I ended up being moved up to second on the list when the number two guy got promoted to captain.

I have even had the chance to put my skills to use. We had a car fire where I was the engineer.
I managed to get us there in one piece and get water to the hose line. This job just keeps getting more fun all the time.

Play Ball

Last week for family home evening we taught Lucy how to play baseball, sort of. Lucy went and got her a small bat, a glove and a soft ball. My parents came over to help us out. We played a little catch with grandpa.

Then grandpa and I took turns helping her try to hit.

Jack and Grandma sat in the stands and cheered us on as well as seeing how well a baseball glove tastes.

After it was over we all went out for ice cream, Lucy even shared some with her little brother, he liked it more then the baseball glove.

Redecorating: The Roof Edition

This last December we had some wicked winds come through much of Davis County, in the process we lost a bunch of shingles off the roof and our swamp cooler blew over.

After a visit with the insurance company they gave us a check to fix the roof and few other things that were damaged by the wind. Now being my father’s son I decided to save some money and do the project myself. I contacted some friends and family to come and provide free and unprofessional labor. We started it in mid December, the weather was cold but we got done what needed to get done before the snow came, the rest would wait until the weather improved.

The highlight of the project was when one of my neighbors stopped in front of our house in his truck rolled down his window and yelled at my brother Greg, who had spent most the day working without a coat in just a short sleeve shirt as pictured above, “You must be one tough son of a bitch to be working up their all day without a coat”, it’s the first time Greg has been called tough and the first time he has been called a “son of bitch” in a positive way.

Sure it took me a couple of months to get it all finished when a professional roofing company could have done it in a few days. But the finished project ain’t too bad.

Our roof went from drab brown to distinguished gray; I think it matches our house a little better. This worked out pretty well for us, the shingles would need to be replaced in few years anyway so instead of my paying for that the insurance company did and we made a little extra cash in the process.

I would like to thank all of you who came out and helped with the project. My brother Greg and his wife Stacey and her brother Adam, my father in law Jerry Evans, my brother in laws Kendall Horrocks and Devin Razee, my cousin Mark Bredthauer and his brother in law, my co-worker at Kaysville Fire and neighbor James Wade, my uncle Carl and his kids Daniel and Sarah along with her husband Andrew, my wife Ariane for cooking for everyone and my Dad Paul who has spent more time than anyone else up on my roof.

The World Series

Another World Series is in the books and this time my favorite team the St. Louis Cardinals won making it 11 championships for the Cards. This one feels extra special though since the Cards made huge comebacks and overcame a lot to get there and win it all. In August they were 10 and a half games out of the playoffs and managed, thanks to the Atlanta Braves collapse, sneak in. They beat the Philadelphia Phillies, the best team in baseball during the regular season, in the divisional series, the Milwaukee Brewers, champions of the National Leagues Central Division, in the National League Championship Series and then finally the Texas Rangers in the World Series. It’s been one crazy ride.

We made sure to have Jack already for his first World Series in his new Cardinals outfit.

We had a lot of family over to watch the games including my parents, the Evans’s and Arianes parents.

Some of my favorite moments from the series were when Albert Pujols hit three home runs in game three.

He’s only the third player in baseball history to do that in a World Series, Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth are the others.

Chris Carpenter diving to first base to get the out in game one.

When Allen Craig robbed the rangers of a home run.

The best moments though came from game 6, if you missed watching it then you missed one of the greatest baseball games ever. The Cards won in 11 innnings thanks to a triple in the 9th inning by David Freese and his walk off homer in the 11th.

After which his teammates mobbed him and tore his jersey off his back.

All leading to the win in game seven.

After winning it all the Cardinals like to pile on each other and spray champagne on each other. I prefer to run around outside waving my Cardinals flag and cheering loudly.

What a season and it was the best World Series I have ever seen.

Here's Jack

Jack was born yesterday at 9:38 pm. He is 8lbs 13ozs and 21inches long.
Here’s Ariane before she began the process.

She was in pretty good spirits.

After 12 hours of labor though she was pretty tired.

But we had this cute little guy so it was worth it. Here he is about a minute after being born.

Ariane felt much better the next day.

My parents are really happy to have another grandson and so are the other two sets of grandparents, I just failed to get pictures of the Stevens and Evans when they came up to visit us.

Arianes sister Chelsea has also been up several times to see her and Jack.

Lucy’s really excited to be a big sister and to see her Mom again.

We’re way excited to have this little guy as part of our family now.

Mothers Day

Mothers Day has become very bitter sweet around our place. Lariann passed away around this time of year two years ago. It still pains me that Lariann is not able to rais her daughter and that Lucy will not really ever know her mother. We went to the cemetery to put flowers on her grave. Araine, Lucy and I each put one flower in the vase at her grave for Mothers Day.

I am very grateful for the time we had together and I still love her so much.

Also this year my Grandmother passed away a few days before Mothers Day. Grandma Nelson was a great lady. We both shared a love for Pepsi. I have so many great memories of spending time with her up in Oakley Idaho and more recently when she came down here to live in Kaysville at an assisted living center for about the last three years. I lived really close so I would try to get over to see hear as often as I could but maybe not as often as I should. Lucy got the chance to get to know Grandma Great, as we called her. I had the wonderful chance to say good bye to her in the hospital the night before she passed away. Before I left the hospital I asked her, “Will you tell Lariann how much I love her and that I miss her?” Grandma looked me and said, “I will”. She was such a great lady and she will be missed.

With this bitter we still have a lot of sweet to be happy for. I have several wonderfull mothers in my life.

My mother in law Carrie, Arianes Mom, is a great lady who loves Lucy like she is one of her own grand children. We didn’t get a chance to see her this mothers day as she is with her son John and his wife Emily who graduated this weekend from college at the University of Northern Colorado.

Her other grandkids call her “Nanny”, but Lucy calls her “Manny” and Carrie thinks it’s hilarious.

My mother in law Lorain who we have great relationship with and still a lot of, Lorain still treats me like I am her son and Ariane is her daughter in law.

It’s really great how wonderful she is with everything, she just as excited as mine and Arianes mothers about our new baby.

My own mother who I know is really hurting these after losing her own Mom but puts on such a brave face for all of us. She is most wonderful Mother I could ask for.

She has given us so much help, support and love. I love her so much and am so grateful for her.


Finally my wife Ariane who I love with all my heart, she is such a great woman. She loves Lucy like she is her own daughter and if you ask her she will tell you that Lucy is her daughter.

I’m so happy to have Ariane in my life. She has made our house a home again and we are so happy to have her.