Sorry Sarah !!! Come on over - I have a few empty bedrooms - pack your suitcase and get on over here girl !!!

Yay!

I would love to see some sun!

I know what you mean Sarah!! Im tired of the cold too!! Im a little more "frost bit" than you are my dear. Im up here in Northern Michgan. I have about a foot of snow here. I hope everyone has a happy, healthy and safe holiday season. God willing we all will make it to spring soon!

Harry and Buzz I have a few empty bedrooms so come on over and enjoy the sun - get out of the snow and rain (though Southern California is still quite socky from the recent 40 days and 40 nights of rain)... Sarah can pick you up on the way over.

I just wanted to drop a note to all of you and say HAPPY HOLIDAYS... Please stay safe and enjoy the reason for the season... I have been so blessed to get to know each of you... You have made my life full of joy and mischief...

For all of you trying to figure out my real personality - watch the movie Elf - and the 1st hour of Will Ferrell's behavior is pretty darn close to who I am... lover of life !!!
LOLOLOL (and syrup)

So I share a fun holiday poem that was sent to me this morning...
and I thought of all of you...

YOU'VE BEEN ELF-ED !!!
________________________

LIFE IS ALL ABOUT ASSES

You're either covering it
Laughing it off
Kicking it
Kissing it
Busting it
Trying to get a piece of it
or
Behaving like one


HAPPY HOLIDAYS... now go try to get your ass in some trouble... and call me if you need bail $$$

Happy Holidays to all from Guffey Colo. and the South Park Cnty. Wildland Crew

Merry Christmas Eve... I know we may all be a bunch of misfits... but when we all come together WE ROCK !!!

PARTY AT MY HOUSE !!! YA'LL NEED TO BRING THE SNOW !!!

I wish all our brother and sister firefighters all a very safe, happy, and healthy Holiday season.

I am wishing everyone a safe and wonderful holiday.

PRESENTS FOR EVERYONE...
AND A BIG HOLIDAY BREAKFAST FOR ALL !!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS...

I HAVE BEEN UP ALL NIGHT PREPARING PRESENTS AND DINNER FOR EVERYONE... THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM SO COME ON OVER!!!

A very special welcome to Mike our newest group member... Mike jump on in... we a are a fun group...

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVENING... HOPE ALL OF YOU HAD A GREAT DAY...

Dessert and mistletoe activity for everyone...

Thanks for the wishes Heather. Hope you had a great day also. Dessert looks good so serve me up.

Happy Day After Christmas - I am dying to know what everone got and gave for presents - so spill your guts... and let us share the gift of friendship !!!

I am busy cooking - day after Christmas Roast - so you all are invited over to my house... to decompress after the crazy holiday season...

JAIME GIRL - AWESOME !!!

I hope you are having some fun in it !!!

STAY SAFE !!!

Hi to everyone else...

Southern California has been in a State of Emergency for the past week - with excessive rain, floods, mudslides, dead and trapped people - so I am happy to say all is well with me... many of the roads are closed or gone near where I live... but I know a bunch of you have been having even crazier weather...

Hey Everyone - sorry I was not around much today for visiting - I hope all of you are well. I will try to be more active tomorrow.

WELCOME TO ALL THE NEW GROUP MEMBERS - JUMP ON IN ANY OR ALL CONVERSATIONS - INTRODUCE YOURSELVES AND TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR WORLD !

Still digging out of mud slides where I am - houses fall off the cliffs and such here in Southern California - we have been in a State of Emergency the better part of a week - and the rain just keeps on a coming. My road is a river and my driveway a lake. Neighbors 3 blks from me their houses and cars are buried in feet of mud and houses on the cliffs above where I live are falling off the cliffs - creating some drama to the houses and roadways below them.

Some sun to warm everyone !

HI Everyone: hope you are getting some vacation and holiday season fun... My road is now opened !!! That is holiday fun right there !!!

The sun came out today - YEAH ! During the night the wind blew down the wooden privacy fence around my property. DOH !!! Spent all day rebuilding that and again digging out from the mud burying my patio - that part really sucked since I just spent the better part of yesterday shoveling out the debris and mud from the same patio. Perhaps I need to sand bag if this last much longer...

What is going on with all of you?

HI EVERYONE !!! A special welcome to all of our new group members - Matt, Ashley, Jordin, Adam, and George... and anyone else I may have missed. Come on in and join the conversations - tell us about yourselves, where you are from, share pictures and tell us what is going on in your world. We are very glad to have you as part of our group !!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU !!!
MAY ALL OF YOU HAVE ALL OF YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE THIS YEAR !!!

evenin every1! wow it's been a while since i checked in on this group. looks like there's actually some life in here. haha. hope every1 had a great holiday season and an even better 2011. today is my last day on A shift and friday is my first day on B shift at a new station with a new partner. i'm not only nervous but also excited. i'm looking forward to the change. keep it safe!

Hey Everyone ! Hi Josh - nice to meet you. Bring us up to speed about where you are from and it sounds like big adventures are happening in your world... Why are you headed to a new shift? Do tell... Post us some pictures of your world!!!

Jaime that video is awesome.

So the storms have been horrible here in Southern California lately. While I had to just rebuild my wooden fence taken down in the wind - today we had to take day a beautiful tree from my yard which was split by the storm - so before it fell through my house - we had to cut it down. That sucked since it was nice for shade and privacy... O well - better than laying through my roof - but dang - finally the sun is back out - and would like to keep it that way for while to let things dry up.

Finally found new housemates - that I like... yipee...

good morning every1 -
well, the reason for my move is because several officers were promoted and moved around so each shift was also realigned. i'm not the only firefighter moving from station to station and shift to shift. it's a department wide realignment. it happens every year here, just maybe not as much as this year. i'm just happy to be there so i don't care where they put me! :-D i'm in the mountains of West Virginia and it's beginning to snow this morning. we have already had a record December as far as snowfall goes. we all have 4WD so bring it! hope everyone has a fantastic day and here's a pic of my world -

Hi Everyone !!! Sorry been a little busy and have not been in this discussion much. I love hearing what is going on with you all. What type of calls are you running and what is happening in your personal lives ??? Do tell...

Josh glad to hear what is going on in your world - love the truck picture. Sounds a little confusing to keep rotating - but I guess it keeps you on your toes... always learning.

Yesterday my father (65, with alzheimers + legally blind due to dead brain parts) took himself out cross country skiing - fell and broke his hip... So in the middle of the night last night they did emergency surgery and put a pin in his hip... So I thought I would share the fun photo - you can see where the femur broke clean through.

p.s. my father lives in Vermont... so no, we do not have that much snow near me in Southern California... fyi... lol

I hope everyone had a wonderful new year! Yep, Im up here in the damn frozen tundra. Got about a foot of snow all total by now. The skiers love it. Im not fond of it at all. But, I gotta be where the job takes me.Got all the NFIRS reports done and out of the way. We have a few real good drills coming up. Always look forward to those. Had a real nice drill the other day, had three vehicles given to us and we took the probies out and let them have at it. But of course we have the boring stuff coming up too, the HAZMAT refresher, and the bloodbourne pathogens. So, whats everyone else have planned?

Sorry to hear about your Dad Heather, nothing seems to slow him down. Ha.
Well they finally lifted the burn ban here in south Texas although it is still very dry. We just responded to a grass fire yesterday, landowners brushpile got away on him because the surrounding grass was so dry. Burnt about a football feild size before we got there and put it out.
As far as training Harry, we got all kinds coming in Feb. I will probably take a rope rescue course being given. Sounds like it ought to be fun and challenging.

Hi Everyone ! Wow this group is getting pretty big and active - I love it... Ya'll be safe...

Hey welcome all you new members... a special welcome to Grant. Bring us up to speed about where you are from and what is going on in your world. Do tell... Post us some pictures of your world!!!

So status update on my dad - they got him up and walking with a walker and physical therapists a few hundred feet a few times a day and this afternoon they got him started on stairs - such as stepping on on the healthy leg which requires full weight transfer to injured leg. He is being ornery and refusing pain meds - but my EMT sister and brother who live near him are taking turns staying at the hospital round the clock with him to help manage his alzheimers and medical needs and help the nursing staff - who luckily are family friends so they are not enforcing visiting hours !!! Because my dad is likely to punch a nurse or something obnoxious when agitated. Old coot...

Thanks for everyone checking on me - I appreciate the support.

Harry - I keep on telling ya - come on over to the Sunshine State and get some warmth - before you freeze in the tundra... A foot of snow - damn... Good to hear you got some good department action going on - I love bloodbourne stuff and cutting cars apart is always a crowd pleaser... Got some pictures for us... I always love to SEE the action - I know I am a little twisted... but isn't that how it works in this field...

Yup, I hear ya - got to work when you can... I was reading below where Josh was saying something similar - happy to have a good job.

AJ - normally we have burn bans - but this month since we have record rain and floods we have not had the problem of late. It never ceases to amazes me how quickly a grassfire runs away. Rope rescue sounds awesome - you better get some pictures and post 'em for us.

Jaime - where ya at girl - haven't heard from ya in a few days ???

TODAY IS ENJOY A BUBBLE BATH DAY !!! SO THAT IS WHAT I AM GOING TO DO!!! AND THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE WITH YOU !!!

Hey thanks Heather! I am from Southwestern Colorado. But I am not in Colorado right now. I am on leave from my departments there and in Dallas, TX right now going to Paramedic school. What do you wanna see Heather?

Hey Grant - great to meet you !!! I love Colorado and Texas - so you can start there and show us some of that. FD pixs too - life pixs. A bunch of my extended family lives in CO.

Tell us about paramedic school - I have been thinking about going to complete that part of my life - though personally I don't really like people sticking me with needles - so "to teach empathy" in my EMT-I class when they made us practice sticks on each other - I hated that part - I can always stick others - but I sure as hell do not want them sticking me (especially when they don't know what the hell they are doing!)

So what types of things are you learning - what types of cool things can paramedics do in your neck of the woods?

Also for all of you that missed January 6th was INTERNATIONAL CUDDLE DAY - here is a belated cuddle !!!

Nice to meet you too. I love Colorado too. Still deciding whether I like Texas or not. Haven't been here long enough. Here are a few pics.
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I have a lot more I added to my profile so you will have to go check them out. You wanna see something interesting, there are a lot of pictures of water fights. I don't know if very many Fire Departments do anything like it but we have water fight tournaments in our area. A few guys and I on the department put one together in my hometown and hosted our first last year at the 4th of July. Then a neighboring Fire Department has hosted a tournament a little later then that for years. Several do it. 4 man competition between fire departments. It is a lot of fun. How firemen have a water fight. :)

Where I was at in Colorado we had a pretty large area we cover (644 sq. miles) and it is pretty rugged and rural. We have a pretty open scope of practice compared to many areas. We have another certification too. Basics can get IV and Basic Drug Administration certification in Colorado. So I can relate I hated the part where we all practiced on each other too. It was dumb and I hate needles in me. Like giving them, hate receiving. We can also do LMA's, King Tubes, and Combitubes.

As far as you thinking about Paramedic school I would say do it. When you are a paramedic you can do so much. Cardioconversion with drugs, give morphine, give a whole pharmacy of drugs really, chest decrompressions, advanced airways, and an endless list of things compared to being just an EMT Basic. It is awesome. If you want to do it, then go for it for sure.

Paramedic school just started on the 28th of December for me so I haven't done a lot. So far it has been Human Anatomy and Physiology. It will be cool though later on. The program I am in is so cool too. The reason I came Dallas is because it is an accelerated program where we get this stuff thrown at us pretty hard but we finish a lot quicker then most programs.

So where does your extended family live?

Jamie-if you had a snowmobile, you might think differently of all that snow. I happen to LOVE all the snow we have gotten and am praying we get dumped on again tomorrow. Think of the fun.....slipping, slidding, snow angels, sledding..... Besides-all those people that don't know how to drive on the white stuff keep people like us in business. ;o)

Hey Stacy girl haven't seen ya in a while? What's up? You make a good point about snow being fun to play in. I grew up in Vermont - and LOVE snow, especially snowmobiling... But ya gotta admit - it can be a lot of work... You got some pictures to post from your neck of the woods - tell us what is going on with you?

Grant - awesome pictures... Covering a wide array of your world. Nice. Thanks. And good info about the paramedic thing - I need to do some more research.

Jamie girl - been busy - see below for my dad breaking his hip. No big excitement like on your end. Nice picture. Yup - SNOW = WORK... but if you are smart you make SNOW = PLAY too :-)~ I thought it was funny when you said "BAD HOUSE FIRE" which of course begs the question - what makes a GOOD HOUSE FIRE ???

Great to hear from all of you...

Hey welcome the new guy to our group, Joe. Jump on in and share your stories and what is going on in your life. Bring us up to speed and tell us about what type of mischief you have been up to lately ;-)

Living the dream girl! :o) Even nightmares are dreams right? LOL! Yes, snow is work, BUT I will give up some shut eye to plow myself out. Been a bit interesting this year since our huge snowfall was followed up by rain....Makes driving the tractor interesting to move round bales for the horses. Turn the wheel to the right and you keep going straight. Oh well! It was -3 last night, perfect for cuddling in with a good book. Thought about a little throttle squeezing, but that is just too dang bitter even for my "cold" riding gear. Hoping for some accumulation tomorrow so the trails can be smooth and fast and maybe a little easier to get out to my pasture to feed the horses. Take care-hope all is well in your world! :o)

Welcome to new guy Baily to the group too... What's Up ??? Do share your life... post your pictures and teach us about your world...

WELCOME !!!

I agree Stacy. I wish I was back in Colorado and had 5 foot of snow to ride my snowmobile.

No problem here with snow. We had some more dropped on us today. Although I live only three blocks from Lake Michigan shore line, we get our share of "lake effect" snow. I dont even care about plowing my driveway, just let it build up. I have a 4wd vehicle so Im not worried. Anyone wants to come on up here and have some fun in the snow, feel free, I have a spare room!

Living the dream Stacy - SWEET !!!!!!! Got pictures of your sleds and horses?

Perfect if you scan below it was just international cuddle-up day - so the book... by the fire place with cocoa nd marshmallows... is perfect...

I use to live on a farm as a kid with horses and ponies. We use to bale hay into the rectangles... lot of freaking work... but fun too. I hear ya about the sliding around - steering less than functional - LOLOL - that is just something you have to experience - LOLOL

Do you get to trail right the snowmobiles and horses - or just around your local fields? I love trail riding - couple hundred miles even. Where I lived most of my life in Vermont - we lived right on the VAST (Vt Assoc of Snowmobile Trails) trail system - which was awesome - ride in ride out right from our yard.

Since I live in Southern California right now while I finish university - I have not had much snow play time lately :( I am really jealous of all of you who are buried in snow...

But I don't really miss the slippery roads - people who can't drive - and shoveling... endless shoveling...

Grant - a bunch of my cousins and aunt and uncles live in Denver and Boulder area and then around Larimer County.

And a bunch of my cousins run ranches there and they do professional rodeo.

See now Harry - I have a spare room too - you should come here and catch some sun and I should go to your house and catch some snow...

I trail ride (both the sled and the horses). Ditch ride about a mile to get to the trails, so not bad. Only pics I have of her ('09 600 IQ with 136") is with my boys-3 and 4. They just got a little 120 from Santa for Christmas, so now they "ride" theirs and mine in the garage when it is too cold or not enough time to do the "real riding". Pretty funny listening to them.

I have 8 horses at my house; 4 quarter horses are mine, 1 breeding stock paint and two ponies that are my boys and 1 quarter horse of my dad's. Been riding since I was 3 and was fortunate enough to show all disciplines. My boys want to rope, so we will see where that goes. If it keeps them off bulls-ALL FOR IT!!!! LOL!
Heather-always, always have to "live the dream". Smile and wave. Life is much too short for negativity and anger. Patience and perseverance are my friends when all else fails. I think we have all seen how precious life is to take a moment for granted.
Take care all!

Jaime, Why dont you ship some of that snow down to south Texas? We hardly ever get any here. I love to play in the white stuff.
Baily, good luck to you in boot, we do appreciate your service.

So Baily I heard a rumor that your FD was wanting NO SOCIAL NETWORKING - how did you get them to back down and let you come play on FFN ?

And YOU WILL LOVE FF 1... I am going to want blow by blow details... ya know that right ???

Hey AJ - great to see ya - what ya been up to all weekend?

Did you see new guy Grant is somewhere in TX, he posted a bunch of cool pictures on the next page over?

So Stacy - I just read your response - no negativity - so appropriate - since I just chewed someone out who was mean to me for no reason... other than personal amusement...

Damn... now I have to take your wisdom and TRY to permit them to be my friend again...

YES - they apologized - because they knew they were being a jackhole !!!

Speaking of snowy moutain fun - Home & Garden TV (HGTV) is giving away a free million dollar house in the next 2 months - and entry to win it is FREE - and the house is in my old stomping grounds in Stowe, Vermont - you can enter online 2 times per day

NOTHING TO BUY TO REGISTER TO WIN IT

2011 DREAM HOME watch it on HGTV channel on tv too

oh yeah - they are also giving away $500,000 CASH and a GMC Denali

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv-dream-home-2011-giveaway-thank-you/package...

it sleeps 14+ - and it is ski in ski out - right on the mountains in Vermont - so if you win it you can invite us all over :-)

Oh this darn cold weather is just getting me down. FYI for anyone who wants to know. Had a long weekend up here, finally got all my reports for 2010 done!!! HOORAY!! Not only that but we had one fantastic STOP on a house fire that should have been. I am so proud of my guys! Its funny, it sometimes seems like they are not listening to my training, they actually did. It paid off! We had a good stop. We had our first "drill" for the year here. Lit up some "unsuspecting" cars and had the guys put them out. Its great being an instructor!! I hope all is well with everyone else, and Bailey, thank you from Northern Michigan for all that you do. God speed.

hey hey every1 - just checkin in. finished a 24 for the dept this mornin and now in the middle of a twelve for EMS. only 8 hours to go! then back to the dept at zero-8 tomoro. :-) have a great day and be safe - J.