I have been searching our house for the pictures that I wanted to use for this post. That’s why it has taken a few extra days to get this post up. I found a few of the pictures, but not all. I guess you will never know what pictures I wanted to use.
So where did we leave off? Oh yeah, it was the end of 2000 and I was all alone. A moment of silence please… Here is part two of this inspiring story.
In December of 2000, I had two job interviews. One was for an administrative position with the Office of State Fire Marshal, and the other was for a file clerk at the Department of Public Safety, Standards, and Training. I received a job offer from both places, on the same day. Making the decision as to which one to take was easy. The State Fire Marshal’s office was only five miles from where I was living, where as DPSST was about 20 miles away. Being broke, the cost of gas money was my deciding factor.
My first working day at the Fire Marshal’s office was January 2, 2001. I would never have guessed where this journey would take me. My world was changed the moment I started meeting the people I would be working with. Most of them were firefighters. People who did their job because they felt it was their calling, not because it paid the bills.
A few months into my job, I had a friendly conversation with one of the firefighters I worked with. This guy lived about 250 miles away, in a town I honestly can’t remember every being to. We would have these little flirty conversations over the phone. Eventually we would meet in person at a meeting with 20 other people. A few months later, we would go on our first date.
We met in Bend, and spent the day hiking around. It was September 9, 2001. Two days later would be September 11th.
At the time I was living with my best friend Dawn. Her and her boyfriend Brian had decided to take it to the next level and move in together. Once again it was time for a major life change.
I moved out on my own. For the first time in my life, I lived all on my own and was purely responsible for myself. It was scary and liberating at the same time.
(Insert photo of my small cottage on E Street.)
A couple of years later, I would turn 30.
I was ok with this birthday. I was actually starting to feel grown up. I felt like I was a productive member of society.
A couple of months after my birthday, on Valentine’s Day 2004, Scott and I got engaged.
I knew I wanted to marry Scott and spend the rest of my life with him, but it would mean, once again, making a major life decision. Marrying Scott meant that I would have to quit my job and move 250 miles away from the only life I had ever known.
(Insert picture of us standing in front of all my stuff loaded in a horse trailer getting ready to move.)
Scott and I were married on August 21, 2004.
At the same time, I became a step-mother. Wow, in one weekend, my whole life had changed.
After moving down to Southern Oregon, I spent a year and a half working in jobs that just weren’t satisfying. Then the job at the Fire District came open.
The decision to work at the same place as Scott was not an easy one. There have been times when people have made comments that were hurtful. I am very sensitive to people’s reactions when they learn that we work together. Probably more sensitive than I should be.
This story wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention that along the way, I also became a godmother.
Scott has taken to places I would have never gone on my own.
And I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I didn’t admit that there have been some hard times. There have been many days when I just needed a hug from my sister, or to sit and enjoy a glass of wine with my best friend.
We’ve had our ups and downs.
In the past few years, we had two sons graduate from high school and go on to live on their own. I am loving this time of our lives.
I just can’t imagine where we will be in another ten years.
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