Our Island Family Life

As for my day. I was on the 6am ferry and got picked up by our instructor at 7:30. I got there and changed into a fire station sweatshirt so people knew I wasn't some crazy person hanging out at rescue scenes and then was shown the station. I felt like I was back in grade school taking a tour. I suppose I should have felt more adult about it but it was very very cool. I met the instructors partner for the day who lives on another of the island and we had a lot to chat about concerning island politics. He showed me the ambulance and how they do their check and got to see where everything was and how to use some of the equipment. One machine in there costs $22,000! Insane. The base it clipped to alone was over $1000. Sad to say though it was a slow day. Sad for me, good for the general public...:) I did get two calls though. One was a cardiac call which was mostly a bad headache due to high blood pressure, high sugars and stress caused by a firing pacemaker that scared the patient. That was before lunch. After lunch there was a call about a woman who had stabbed herself in the abdomen. You should have seen the atmosphere change with the guys. They were hyped and ready for anything. The call was in a sketchy part of town and the police were on the way. We waited for them to secure the scene and had to walk up 7 flights of stairs. Huff..Huff. In the end it wasn't as bad as it could have been. The patient was bleeding a little but it was really more behavioral. I learned a lot though. The patient wanted to change before we left since she was covered in blood and we couldn't leave her alone and one of the cops wanted me to stay with her since I was the only female there but my instructor stood in front of me so the cop couldn't even see me anymore (did I mention he is huge? As in very tall. His partner calls him Gulliver) he told the cop I was a student and didn't want me in that position. Kudo points for him. She looked like she was going to run after we got her outside but it all turned out well. She was cut all over though and really needed to go to trauma. I need to have five contacts in order to get my license so I will most likely have to go another day. I don't mind. I just have to worry about sitter issues. It was a long day because after that I had class until 9pm. The instructor has it worse though because he went back in town for duty the rest of the night.

Saturday we had a 9am-4pm hands on day learning how to use the oxygen tanks, insert airway tubes though the nose and mouth, bleeding control, splinting, traction, back brace for car crashes and long board practice. It really helps to do things by hand. Our midterm is Tuesday and I will have little time to study. Right now I am baking Sofie's birthday cake. I have wrapped her presents already and am cleaning the house which hasn't had my personal touch in days. The boys have helped but they leave a lot of mess behind. It took me forever to fold laundry last night after class. I was pooped. All I could manage after class was the laundry and dinner.

I got to drive the ambulance on the island again yesterday. After class everyone just disappeared and so I was left alone to clean the hall and take out the trash. The ambulance was outside and I called Will to see if he wanted to walk down and check it out before someone came to get it. I just finished cleaning when Will showed up and Bobby (our resident Mr. fix it, also in the class) came by to take the ambulance. I asked him if I could show it to Will and we showed him the inside. Then Bobby asked me if I wanted to drive it home. Yippie! So I did and even backed it up to turn it around. Narrow dirt roads, big vehicle, kinda scary. I did it though and Will rode in the back. I thanked Bobby and he brought it to the fire barn. Will said he was glad his first ambulance ride was so painless. Ha.

Tomorrow, is our school trip to the opera to see The Barber of Seville. I think Sofie will like it. I showed her the Bugs Bunny version to prep her...:) We are all very excited for her to come home today and open her presents. I can't believe she is 4 already. I also can't wait for the day to come when the kids birthdays don't make me feel sad. I always loved them and looked forward to them and loved to reminisce about them being born. Now I feel bad about it and even ashamed. This is something I should be feeling so much love for with their father. Instead I feel as if the memories are tainted by his presence. Someday, this pain will go away. I hope.