The Life of a Little Hippie

how fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes…

If there has been a soundtrack to this past seven months in our lives, it’s been the music of Mumford and Sons. We’ve spoken of them several times here on the blog, including some lyrics that touched us while in the hospital, a video of Ezra dancing and singing away for Liam, and in the Best of 2010 playlist.

These guys have bookended this time for us in a very physical and emotional way. Back in October, we were privy to a fun experience of seeing a band in a small venue just as they were hitting it a lot bigger…a great concert that came with lots of other feeling: Ahna was 8 months pregnant with Liam and our lives were preparing for an exciting and new time. Our time with Liam was given the beats and rhythm of their music, as we danced and sang our way through baths, visits, and days. We connect with their lyrics in ways that are probably both very similar and very different to a lot of other people.

…where you invest your love, you invest your life…

Recently, we were again given the opportunity to see these guys as they came through Denver, this time at a much larger venue with some really good friends. The show was again a lot of fun and full of a lot of feeling; and as Ahna and I listened to the music we were instantaneously transported to any number of times and places surrounding our time with Liam. As the band broke into the highlight of the night for us – Awake My Soul – we unapologetically let some tears flow…not for the reasons that some preteens might when they see the latest boy-band craze, but because of the actualization of how this music has narrated our current lives.

So as Mumford and Sons will hit the recording studio in a few months to create their second album, we can only hope that the narration that their next record will give us will be a happier story to tell.

I briefly eluded to something going on a few posts ago (…Oren testing at work…), so here is the good news up front: I got promoted! After a de facto 17 years of training, 6 weeks of intense studying, and three long days of testing; I finished high enough on the list to receive one of two promotions to Lieutenant with the fire department. The three days of testing coincided with the time that Dave and Mary Jo were here, so they had to be privy to my absence and high stress during the process. I have been serving in the role of Acting-Lieutenant for the last 2.5 years (loosely the same idea as a substitute teacher), but this is something entirely new and different.

9.5 years ago was when I promoted last to the Engineer position. Since then, I have had the opportunity to drive a couple of different engine companies, but have most recently been the driver of the ladder truck (quint) for the past 5 years. I have absolutely and nearly unequivocally loved the driver position, and it will certainly go down as some of the most fun that I will ever have in the fire service. But I am ready to move on and try something new – to be in charge and responsible for a crew of people as a Company Officer. I was transferred shifts (to A-shift) and was assigned a new crew of people…interestingly at the same station, so I get to stay on the ladder truck – which I am very excited about. It has been very weird to move lockers and rooms to the Lieutenant’s room, to change uniforms, to get a new badge, and to get a new front piece for my helmet; but I haven’t felt this motivated and excited about work in a really long time. It’s absolutely my honor to now serve with Jim, Jill, and Doug; and to be serving the citizens of Castle Rock in this new way. It will bring with it a lot more stuff (meetings, paperwork, etc), but I’m sure that all of it will be well worth the reward of being able to make a difference publicly and organizationally in this capacity.

I’ve already completed my first tour in the new role, with the new crew…and we’re off and running. There will be a promotional ceremony at some point in the next couple of months, as the department now get’s to honor a new Division Chief, two new Lieutenants, two new Engineers, and a new firefighter. There’s lots and lots of people that deserve a public thanks, especially Dad, Mom, Ahna, Ezra, Jeff, Scott, Brian, Matt, Cameron, Brett, Eric, Rich, Matt, George, Scott, Troy, Dave, CJ, and Joe (don’t worry, the duplicates are not duplicates).