1. Tell us what you deal with on a daily basis as an EMT?
I have been a volunteer with the Rescue Squad for almost 10 years and an EMT for more than half of that. I usually a couple weeknight shifts a month and maybe a weekend shift if my work schedule allows it. My husband does an overnight shift almost every weekend. We are very much involved in the squad and enjoy it. We take a wide variety of emergency calls such as nursing home calls, motor vehicle accidents, allergic reactions, water rescues, fire standbys, etc. We have a 40 minute ride to the hospital from where we are located and my favorite calls are the older people that have stories to tell you about the area and the history. There are patients that stick with you for good and not so good reasons, but mostly the good ones.
I enjoy helping the community face to face and behind the scenes with my full-time job as a 911 dispatcher {going on 8 years}. It is a stressful job at times, but I know that being the calming voice on the other end of the line when someone calls in an emergency situation helps. My life is a little hectic with all of the things Tim and I are involved in, but I do not think I would want it any other way.
2. The best advice anyone has ever given you.
"God will never give you more than you can handle" - Sometimes life is hard to deal with and things get thrown at you that you don't think you can handle. I went through a rough patch in the Fall/Winter of 2011 - I lost my paternal grandfather, dad, and maternal grandfather in the course of two months. I received a sympathy card with that written in it, I found it helped a great deal with getting through that.
"Never go to bed mad" is the best marriage advice we received.
3. What does your typical weekend look like?
I work a varied shift so I do not have weekends off very often, but we make the most of the time that I am home on weekends. We usually catch up on things around the house on Saturday mornings. Saturdayafternoons are either trips to the in-laws or anywhere just to get out of the house. My mother in law usually takes Mason on Saturday nights because Tim will volunteer overnight and I usually have to work the next morning or overnight. Sundays are definitely our relaxation day. It also depends on the weather what we do. In the winter we don't really do much on weekends or weeknights. In the summer though, we are always on the go.
4. Tell us what motivated you to lose weight and get healthy?
I got married in May 2011. I got my photos back in late June and did not like how I looked. I was also told at a doctor's appointment that she would not be giving me a prescription for my birth control until I fixed my blood pressure. I hated the idea of being on medication to lower my bp when I knew it probably had to do with my weight. I went to my primary doctor and had a nice talk with her and told myself and her that I was going to lose the weight. I ended up losing 35 lbs in roughly 4 months before finding out I was pregnant. Throughout my pregnancy I kept up my workouts and activity. After having Mason and giving myself time to recover I started working out again. I want to be happy and healthy for my family. I can notice a huge difference in me now compared to a couple years ago and I like it. :) Oh and my blood pressure has been perfect since losing the 35 lbs.
5. Why is it important for you to blog?
I started blogging to hold myself accountable. I continue to blog because I hope that someone can relate to my story and be inspired or realize that they can lose weight too. I blog about everything now - weight loss, life, being a new mom, Mason growing, and basically anything that comes to my mind. I also enjoy meeting new bloggers and reading their amazing stories.