Wedding Part 3......

So, now we are on our way......

As is the case in the east, its raining!!!!!!!!!!!

We follow my family into Pittsburgh........Being a lifelong Clevelander, its so hard to keep from making comments about all that yellow and black......AHHHH!

Anyway, we get to the wedding.

I go to the back to see Charli, and as I guess with any wedding, the place is a mad house!

I exchange pleasentries (sp) with Wendy, and I make my way to find Charli.....There is this guy in a powder blue suit with a radio microphone in his ear.....He is moving around quickly, and barking out instructions.....Hmm, I think....A male wedding planner.......Could be, why not? I make a mental note, and go to the back to have a few pictures with my daughter and her mother.....

I return to the front and sit down with Lisa....I explain to her what I saw in the "wedding planner"...I laughed.....

I then start making jokes about everything from the flowers to the humidity to the clothes people are wearing.....I think Lisa was scared to laugh, cause she kept knudging me....

I will say, they had this really neat REAL pipe organ in this church!

So, some music starts playing, and out from the back comes the male wedding planner, followed by the Groom and his Groomsmen........I make a joke about the male wedding planner leading them out.....He stops in front of the alter and the groom and part all turn towards the friends and realitives in the church....

Then Charli makes her appearance! She looked beautiful....

Well, the male wedding planner starts speaking, and thats when I realize, HE IS NOT THE WEDDING PLANNER, HE IS THE MINISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I laugh, Charli's step dad turns and gives me a "hairy eyeball"!

So, the minister is doing his thing, and then he starts talking about how marriage has a lot of baggage (BOY DO I KNOW THAT!).....He talks about the positive baggage and the negitive....then he trys to draw an analogy to packing for a cruise.....He says "If you forget to pack something that you will need on the cruise, once you get out to see, that is it, you just do not have it".....I leaned over to Lisa and said "Bullshit, have you ever seen the concessions on one of those cruise ships? They have everything!". To which, several people whom I thought could not hear me, turned and looked......

Again, the ceremony was beautiful! I really enjoyed it......

Keeping with my "happy go lucky" attitude, when the minister presented Mr. and Mrs. Craig Foster for the first time, I rubbed my hands together in a creepy Boris Karloff way and said to Lisa "My duties are finally complete!". Of course, I was only joking, cause in my head, even though I have had two failed marriages, and became a total "whinny ass creme puff" with someone I thought cared about me, I know that my daughter will call on me for honest advice about her life ahead. And of course, I will always be honest with her, SHE DESERVES IT!

So, after MANY pictures, off to the reception!

We arrive, and there is my family, in the corner, having drinks and snacks! We immediatly join in!

After a short period, we move to the reception area.....We find a cozy table for 6 along the wall, kinda out of the way and the MEN head for the bar!

If I could remember all of the jokes, I would post them, but it is impossible....We laughed, we cried (Well, at least I did, I was laughing so hard!)......We think we even met Dee Schneider!

Charli looked beat at the end, and after she and Craig left, and we played on the dance floor a little, we too left.....

What a day!

Charli's Wedding, Part 2.......

So, I get to Maryland.....It rained the entire time I was back east....

On Friday, we go to On Target, to shoot the 44 and the Glock! Lisa had a great time, as did I, but her arm started after about 50 rounds....

I also learned another thing I do not now like about Maryland....The guy at the range said that if I have loaded magazines on my person, not in the weapon, that Maryland considers that a deadly weapon! OH PLEASE! Only if I either throw the bullets or the magazine at the perp. NEVER AGAIN WILL I LIVE IN THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF MARYLAND!!!

The wedding is on Saturday, so we try and go to bed early....NOT!!!

We try and get up early, NOT!!! We finally got on the road about 8:30.....We were hungry, so we stopped at the Waffle House in Hagerstown......Boy, did I forget how "hick" Hagerstown is....I thought for sure I would run into someone I knew, but thankfully, that did not happen!

So, I need to back up just a little.....Lisa's brother gave her a "Tom Tom" GPS device. So, we programed it for the hotel that my sisters decided to get us in, and away we went......

Okay, so we get on the road. Becky had left a message on my phone while we were in one of those areas with no cell service......They had arrived....

So, following directions, we get off in Pittsburgh......Follow the directions. At this point, there is no airport in the urban area we are in.....

We drive around for what seemed like hours.....See some things we probably should not have, but I was not worried, cause I had protection in the car.....

We finally found the place, 20 miles south of where "Tom Tom" told us....

We get into the room, and the reunion had begun!

I was talking up a storm, Matt and Ward were telling great jokes, all the while, everyone was getting dressed.....I thought this a little funny, but did not think anything of it....

Then the phone rings.....Its Wendy, Charli's mom.....No hello, how you doing? No hey, how you doing? The first words out............Are you coming to your daughters wedding?

I said of course, we just arrived in town, and the wedding does not start till 7. (It was about 3pm at this point).........I hear this, "the wedding is at 5 dumb ass!". Now, I am used to that, cause Wendy and I have a pretty good sense of humor......I look at my family, notice agian that they are all dressed and just about ready to go, and who feels like the odd man out? ME!

SO, we start getting ready, and off to the wedding we go....Ward in the lead......

Charli's Wedding Part 1 of Many!

Okay, left Nv for the Mid-West a couple days before my daughters wedding.

Left work at 3p for Vegas. Drove through the "High Desert" for about six hours, pulling Pearl on the trailer.....Arrived in Beatty, Nv.

Had dinner with my boss and one of the Fire Specialists from Battle Mt. What a ball.......

Arrived in Vegas at about 1am, flight is at 7:40 am.....

I needed a few toiletries (sp) so I stopped at a Super Wal-Mart....(One of about 50, no lie, in the Vegas area)....Got what I needed, and left for the Motel 6 on Dean Martin Blvd.......

Checked in at the desk, and confirmed with the counter person that I could leave Pearl and my truck there till I came back.....She said I was good to go, and I went back to the truck.....

I figured that I would get a couple hours of sleep in the Rodeo until it was time to go to the airport........HA!

First, there were the sirens from the police cars, then the sirens from the ambulances and fire engines (which of course I do not mind!)..The drunks yelling, the couples fighting.......Then, the hookers!!!!

They were coming and going and making so much noise, I do not think I slept at all......

So, I get up, go to the counter and ask the employee if she had a number for a cab......She said yes, wrote it down for me and I left.........Now, there was a cab there a few minutes before, but between the loudmouth ass that got into it and the hooker screaming at him, I missed the phone number.....

So....I call......The dispatcher says there is one of her cabs there already...I told her he left....She said, no he is their....I told her to call him to come back....She hung up.....AHHHH!

So, I pack my guns into the "TSP Approved" aircraft carry case, pack the ammunition......Do a walk around of the trailer, making sure Pearl is locked down, and I find an empty box of rubbers.......Got to love Vegas!

Okay, the cab comes back......The loudmouth gets out, and screams at the hooker that is getting into the cab. She then gets out, and points at me.....Now, I have not said a word to her.........The driver hollers "you call for a cab", I say yes, and the next adventure begins....

So, I load up into the cab.....We start towards the airport.....The driver asks me if I noticed the hooker. Duh! He said he took her "John" to MGM......the "John" asked him to wait.....He came back out with a "guy", and they do a "Coke" deal in the back of the cab......Its about this time I realize that I left my Day Runner along with my tickets in the truck......A quick u-turn in front of Excalibur, and we are on our way back.......The driver is telling me that he does not mind that they did the "deal" in the back of the cab, but the "John" decided he was only gonna give the driver a 50 cent tip....He said he "jewed" up to $5.......I was just shaking my head......

So, I get to LAS (Airport Code for the Airport in Vegas).......I head to the Southwest counter.....The idiot at the line asked if I had to check bags.....Now, I am pulling a suitcase on wheels, with another bag on top of it, and carrying a backpack......DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He then asks if I have already checked in online....I said yes....He said to go to the counter.....Remember, this is at 5am........

The girl at the counter asks if I had signed in on the computer behind me....I said no, the "Doorman" said to come straight here.....She said I needed to sign in on the computer......I smiled, and said, no problem......

So I did.....As my name popped up on her computer, she called my name....REMARKABLE....

So, I throw the big bag on the holder, and announce to her that I have weapons that need to be checked......Without blinking an eye, she says okay! We do the TSP paperwork, I show her my unloaded guns, gives me my paperwork and 10 minutes after TSP inspects my bags with the guns, I am on my way to the gate! I love Nevada!

I would like to thank the "Towel Heads" that flew the planes into the Pentagon/World Trade Center and Pennsylvania for the high food and drink prices in the airports! $8.79 + tax for a breakfast meal at Burger King!!!!!!!!!!!!! The same meal at your regular BK is $2.89 + tax......Hmmmmmm

The flight to Chicago was uneventful, cause I slept the whole way, and listened to my 24.5 hours of music on my Ipod.....

So, (Becky will like this) when we take off from Chicago, we cross the lake, then fly over some land....When I sit by the window, I really like to try and identify land features (oh, and I love to watch the planes that cross over and under us while we fly....(You would be so suprised if you knew how close other aircraft are when you are flying.....Lets just say, most of the time you can read the names on the side of the aircraft.)

As we pass over land, I see we are along the Indiana Turnpike.....I know this, cause there next it is Notre Dame Stadium.......

then we pass over Lake Erie.....I see Toledo, Perry Nuc plant and other stuff as we get closer to Cleveland....As we approach "The Mistake on the Lake" as so many of my "non-Ohio" friends call it, I notice that there seems to be a lot more condos along Rt 2 than when I lived here....Hmm..

Since I was a kid, and we lived in Elyria/Lorain/Sheffield Lake and Avon, I knew the traffic patterns of aircraft going into and out of Hopkins........So as we travel over Brook Park and Parma (I love that name, Parma!), I notice the familure looking houses that all look the same, and the empty Ford/Chevy/Dodge plant parking lots........Boy, times must really be tough in C-Town, but I will write more on that later.....

As we land, I see the HUGE NASA hanger at Hopkins and I now know, I am home......!!!

Now to baggage claim.....I was really impressed at how quickly our luggage was onto the belts...My guns arrived with me, so off to explore NE Ohio........

After scaring the rental car attendent to death when I pulled out my Glock 23 and loaded it,
I travel quickly via I-480 past all the familure landmarks of my youth....Cranking WMMS as I go......I stop at Southeast Harley for a quick look around, then I do my normal drive through Northfield/Macedonia......My, each time I go back, I just shake my head.....

So, a few weeks before my trip, I get the catalog from a cycle accessory dealer in NE Ohio.....They are near Burton.....I forgot about the Amish.....For my friends and family from PA, they are like the Menonites, but different......That is all I am gonna say....So I traveled through Amish country and stopped at a couple of Amish Farms....

But wait, I am a little hungry, so I stop at a Giant/Eagle......The sign said they had a deli.......Well, the deli was not what I wanted, but when I turned around, there it was! Standing there all proud, displaying her wares in my face like the hooker in Vegas! THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY TAILGATE PARTY STAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I started humming the fight song, declaring to the sales lady "I have died and gone to heaven!!"

I purchase my OSU Chips, shot glasses, red plastic cups with the OSU logo and leave...I had forgot that I was hungry!

So, I stop at a Subway, get a sandwhich and start on my long journey to MD!

So I am taking back roads until I get to PA......I figure I would get on the PA turnpike after I cross over.......So, I am cruising along, minding my own business, and I approach a toll both......As I continue to find change to through into the basket, I hear this drill sgt like voice scream out "HEY, DO YOU KNOW HOW FAST YOU WERE GOING?" I look, and in the lane next to me, is a PA State Police officer....Dumbfounded, I say, no, why? "YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING! SLOW DOWN AND PAY ATTENTION!!!" I said, "okay", and he sped away....

Welcome back to the east!

I finally arrived at my sweeties house in Pasadena, Md, in the rain (something I had not seen since the snow in May)........I am going to bed, so the stories will continue later........

Passing Friends!

Okay, what is up with the cycle of the world right now?

I was gonna write about how much I love riding with my Ipod, but.......................

Last year, prior to my leaving for the "Muck", a good friend that decided to isolate himself from those of us whom cared a great deal for him, Davy Gilchrest, died. I had read his obituary in the paper, then received calls from a couple of old ambulance buddies. We cried, we laughed. Then, we thought about all the shit we all got into, and wondered where time and our youth went...........

So, I get a call on Sunday night from one of those old friends. She told me that another good friend from the ambulance hall passed. Denny Whittington. She told me that his niece Carol, whom is a nurse at Washington County Hospital (and also used to run with us at the ambulance!) was on duty when the event happened.

What I did not know was that her mother, Vicki, passed last month. What is up with the world?

Well, then, since I live in the desert, and cell coverage is spotty at my house, I get another message at 6:14 this morning.......The son of another good ambulance friend whom I miss, passed. He too, spent time with us on the ambulance, and he was even one of my "probies"!

I miss these people. Its like being a junkie. But I have learned to keep them in my thoughts often.

I spoke with another friend from Halfway Ambulance this morning, and she asked if I was gonna come home for the services. I told her that I cannot. I told her I would be home next week, and that I would make time to stop and pay my respects.

So, thats four friends that helped save others lives, that have passed in the last year.

Not to mention, Frank and Noelle Murray, probably the two next most influential people in my life, next to mom and dad!

Just crazy!

Charli

Well, its about a week before I make the trek back east for my daughters wedding.

I am really looking forward to this!

Here is let my short list as to why (Of course, the wedding is the main reason) in NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

Cleveland!!!!!!!!!!! (I am flying there as my base)
The people closest to my heart are going to be there! Yes, I cannot wait to see my "Little Tick" Lisa!
Perogies in Pittsburgh!!!!
I get to wear my new suit! (more on this later.....)

Again, that is a short list, so please, nobody get upset if I did not mention you by name! (Its tough being in demand) :)

I mention Perogies in Pittsburgh, cause here in the desert, there are no Perogies! Lots of Basque Food (which is the only ethnic food, and since they use lots of garlic, I am all about it!), Mexican food, fast food and frozen perogies at the supermarket. No other ethnic food!

Now, even though I have your typical Cleveland attitude about Pittsburgh (Especially after last nights game!), I am going into town with "Eyes Wide Open". Hell, if my inclinations are right, my brother in law Matt and I may be able to find a "neighborhood" bowling alley to find some "Iron City" beer!

I think my other brother in law Ward will be up to this challenge also!

Did I mention that there was to be alcohol at the reception?

Somehow, I have turned this into a "me" thing....

Its not. Its my daughters wedding.

I am proud of her. She has a better attitude about life and the future, than I did when I was her age. I am proud of the plans that her and Craig have laid out for their lives! She knows what she wants, and is on her way to get it!

I will be there watching, so proud!

Now, about the suit......Everyone knows that I am a jeans and t-shirt guy. I mean, maybe some Kaki pants and a polo now and then.....But I usually have on my Harley Boots (or tennis shoes), jeans and a Harley t-shirt!

Well, for this special occasion, I went out and bought a suit. Not only did I get the suit, but I also purchased a sport jacket with it....I think I got a hell of a deal on it....Oh, and by the way, except for the excess around the middle that seems to never want to come off, I LOOK DAMN GOOD in a suit!

Just wait and see!

Picture

Since I was feeling so down in the dumps, I posted a picture from 1989 of me on a job in Fairbanks......Boy, has time flown!

Gustav

Well, here I sit, at dispatch, watching everything going on with Gustav.

My boss turned down an assignment to pre-stage in Atlanta. I told him he should go, but he feels he needs to stay here. It would be good for him to get away, cause I think he needs time away from Winnemucca, and I can handle everything that needs handling while he would be away, but I think he does not trust me with the "keys to the house".

I sit here wishing I was there (New Orleans). Kinda like when I watched the 9/11 shit on TV. I was an ice rink manager then. Wishing I was back "on the job"!

Being a Forest Service/BLM employee, I have learned that these people are in their own little world, and oblivious to the outside world of emergency services.

Yes, the work we do is important, cause homes, some lives, forest and other wildland should not burn or be destroyed.

Since my trip to the Plumas, I have realized how "Clickish" the BLM/Forest Service is, and how much they will only do things their way. Makes me wonder why so many of them support Obama, cause "Change" is not in their volcabulary.

Anyway, I really do not think my bosses realize my potential, because they are judging me by the BLM/Forest Service standards...

Just yesterday I read where the Elko Interagency Dispatch Center brought on a new assistant center manager, he is a "Broke Dick Firefighter" that had no where else to go, but dispatch.....

While I believe we should take care of "our own", the BLM/Forest Service makes it MANDATORY that if you want any position of leadership in dispatch, you must have been on the line for at least one season. What a crock!

That policy alienates 85% of the dispatch community that would do great in these positions, but like I said earlier, these agencies are "Clickish"!

I feel that I am a great supervisor, I am a great dispatcher, I was a great firefighter, I was a great EMT, and I feel that I am a great person.

I have been doing some extra training, so that I can pass the "Pack" test they give to firefighters every year. I am going to get out next season, and prove to the "click" that they have someone special, do what you can to keep him!

I think back on all the jobs I have been on, the lives I helped save, the wrecks I helped rescue people from, the advice I gave young "fire pissers" whom have turned out to be upstanding adults, the soldiers/firefighters under my command that I treated better than my family and I wonder, did I make a difference? Did I do everything I could? Does anyone care?

I know that I do not think or do in the terms of "I", its always "we" or "us", but right now, I feel a little useless.

My apologies to anyone whom thinks I am a "downer", I just want to help the little guys in N.O.