Home Away From Home

We talk a lot about farming on this here blog.

But, Jason is a Houston Fire Fighter as well. His passion is farming, but he loves being a fire fighter. Actually, being a fire fighter enables him to farm.

Houston has an amazing schedule. Probably the BEST in the nation. They work 24 hours on, get 24 hours off, work 24 hours on again, and then THEY GET 5 DAYS OFF........in a row! It is pretty awesome. And its totally worth those 24 hour shifts that he is away from home to have him there 5 days straight.

Jason is never idle when he is at home unless he had a rough night at the station and needs his beauty sleep. There is always something to do on a farm. But, knowing that he is here and we can join him in whatever he is working on is a blessing. Kaylyn spends hours a day with him riding the tractor, collecting eggs, picking veggies, giving the pigs a bath, and the list goes on and on.

And don't get me started on Laney Rae. She is her daddy's girl. I love that they are so close! We have seen firsthand the difference in his presence in our home. When KK was Laney Rae's age, Jason was gone a lot pressure washing. He had a pressure washing company as his second job on his 5 days off. There would be, sometimes, 5 nights a week that he was gone since most of his work was at night when things are closed. We knew that was not what the Lord had for us. Jason felt that he was missing so much. The Lord provided a way out and has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams.

If Jason and I were in the same room, Laney Rae would prefer him. Jason eats it up of course! It is so special to watch and I'm so thankful that she adores her daddy- just as it should be.

The girls and I took a field trip to visit Jason this afternoon. We don't get to do this very often since we live over and hour from the station. But, Kaylyn asked me yesterday if we could go and visit her daddy while he was working, and I said 'yes'.

Jason cooked meatloaf and some of his fellow fire fighters cooked a variety of veggies to go with it. Jason's shift eats extremely healthy. Now, does that shock you in the least? Fire fighter's are known for their awful diets and bad cholesterol. But, not on their watch.

We had a fun time visiting with the guys up at the station. They are like brothers. I guess you sort of have to be when you live with someone for a 24 hour period of time. He has an amazing crew that he works with. They actually call each other when they aren't working.

Fire fighters are heroes in my books. They risk their lives every single time they step foot on the pumper (fire truck). They go not knowing much other than what the computerized lady voice tells them as they are all rushing to the pumper.

Jason sees a lot of 'abuse of the system' where he works in Houston. They get a lot of calls from people that simply don't have insurance and their child needs to be taken to the hospital for a cut. Some of the stories are unbelievable.

But, there are many lives saved too. I can't tell you how many times I've heard from Jason that their patient was dead when they arrived, but they got them back (they do a lot of EMS stuff). And the stuff that they see could only be seen by a hero. I know this is a job that I could never do. But, I appreciate and am so thankful for those who do it.

Here are some photos that I snapped during our visit. I love photos of fire trucks. If I had a son, I'd be all over these hanging up in their room. I am a firm believer that there is beauty in the most rugged and unexpected places. It just takes looking at things from different angles and from different perspectives.

**During your time viewing the following photos, you might wonder why on earth my baby is naked. This is simply because her mother wasn't smart enough to take the photos before she ate dinner. Have you seen this girl eat? I WAS smart enough to bring her pajamas to ride home in, but didn't want to dirty those up while she was roaming all over the station.**


Funny story.....KK was climbing around on the fire truck and I told her to look at me and smile for a picture. To that she replied,"Mom, I am looking at you......right now." So, I snapped it. She was looking at me in the mirror.

KK in her daddy's bunker gear locker

Jason and the girls playing tag.

For lack of a better phrase......the control panel.

Fire Hoses

The fire truck leaving for a cardiac arrest.