This one could get a little lengthy. I probably should have set up a couple of reviews and started when I was only half way through the book. I also know many of you have been waiting for quite a while for me to get this posted. Sorry for the wait.

For the record, I really did enjoy The Fireman’s Wife. From start to finish. But that doesn’t mean I agreed with the majority she said or wasn’t annoyed by certain aspects of it here and there. Some are just personal decisions and a big difference in personality as well.

See the book was written AFTER she got that horrible call we all worry about getting. So all those fears she’d had were justified. How many of us have the same worries? Anyone not raising their hand is a big, fat liar, so reach high. lol But, thankfully very few of our worries will ever be justified with a major incident happening. The major theme throughout the book is how she never wanted to marry someone in the field because of this major worry she knew she would have. But again, this is written after there is an accident in their life so looking back in hindsight to write the book it would be very easy to run with that idea in your head as the common theme.

Now even with our obvious personality differences I enjoyed hearing another wife’s point of view. Our lives are very different, but even with how different they are we both deal with the same issues. OT, missed meals, rough calls (especially the kids), not being able to plan your day after shift because you don’t know if they can stay awake. There were many times I was laughing out loud as something sounded so familiar it was just a big THANK GOD I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE!

A big difference and one that is a major one for me is there has never been a time I wish he didn’t become a firefighter. Ever. Not when our Chief died, not when little injuries have happened to our friends, not when he was a volunteer and I was raising little one’s with him rarely home (or felt like it so many weeks). The thought has never once crossed my mind that I wish he didn’t do it. Because as I’ve said before, if he wasn’t doing it then he wouldn’t be the man I love. And I’ve seen that man that was miserable not working as a firefighter, so that was a big thing that did annoy me.

The end of the book was rough. I don’t know how I could watch my firefighter possibly not be able to return to work. The support she received brought tears to my eyes over and over again, because this is truly how it works. Reading her struggle with how to help, when to back off, when to push and having the Chief there to explain how things will work and what others have gone through when it’s happened to them. It was heartbreaking to go through that with her and know that it could happen with a serious injury at any time. It would be so devastating to hear that he may never be able to work a fire again.

It’s a keeper and I’ll reread it. I’m not a rereader so that says a lot.

So what did you think of the book? And what book should I read next? I saw some books on my friends coffee table, so I am thinking of making her bring me some to the girl’s night party. You want more reviews right?

Yes, a slight complaint and vent, but also a yippee. For one thing, he’s home tonight and I’ve barely seen him in the last 4 days. He worked an extra shift so we could have vacation the weekend prior and then I had a bachlorette party to go to with some other fire wives and a soon to be wife. Super fun! Guess I can blog about that tomorrow.

But since he’s worked 3 days already, it seems like he should be done. We still have tomorrow dang it. I want him to stay home I miss him. OH well, this way I will actually get work done. lol Today I didn’t get a thing done. I went to work for a few hours to teach the seniors fitness class, made some calls, checked emails and then we ran off to go shopping for fishing stuff. The salmon are kickin’ right now and I needed waders. Oh boy, should I post a pic? Believe me, it’s HOT! UGH, puke, bleh. The gonna-be-wife fishes so she and I can hang out. I get bored fishing, so I’ll catch my limit quick and then be sitting on the river bank with some wine or beer. lol

Wow, this post went totally random.

It’s fire service related so it goes on this blog. I’m a personal trainer and I have 1 fire and 3 cops I train. I could go into their long details, but they are swat, captains, yada-yada We don’t need to go there with the “name” dropping. ROFLMAO

I’ve worked out with one guy that I didn’t know at all before we started training. Then we’re talking and he’s a volunteer for the town next door, so of course I bring up a friend who WAS with them for many years and they are still really good friends. Yep, small world, of course. Well this mutual friend is the total REASON that hubby applied to be a volunteer. So needless to say, it’s a big mutual friend. Then we are all similar age. He is friends with the Chief in our small town as well. Someone that was instrumental in training hubby also.

So just to lay the ground work, I was also laying the gossip grapevine. lol I know how all of these boys talk. So when said client (total friend now) started bitching a lot and deemed me his Gym Dom I laughed it off and then freaked. OH SHIT, this could get around and this guy is going through a new divorce.

I immediately told hubby and nothing has come of it ever since except with the friend and I, but boy it’s lucky I have such a hubby that he understands. I know most guys would freak out for the sexual reference.

Yes, I’m bossy. Yes, I have been since birth. Just ask my family. lol Do I love hearing Gym Dom? YEP I do. Know what I love more? Hearing “YES, Gym Dom!” LOL

It’s just always been funny to me because I was waiting for the emails to start flying. I mean I already get told by each of them to ask so-and-so about this? Or bring up this? Total instigators. By the way, this isn’t even our department I’m referring to that I get the darn grapevine going through.

He was a volunteer for about 8 years before getting hired on. In those years he was working his ass off in construction. Minimum of 2 hours of commuting a day and rarely 40 hours a week of paid work before the crappy commutes. He’s competent so that made it easy to get and keep jobs with companies.

This means he was so tired. There were many nights he’d be crashed out in his recliner by 7:30. So hard cause we were dieing to talk to him and he us, but he was just beat. On top of all of these hours, he was also permanently on call with the fire department. That’s what being a volunteer means. You never go off call. Those that have jobs that they are on call certain days of the month and bitch, well you ain’t seen nothing.

Of course being Mom, I’m a light sleeper. Well he isn’t and put the over-tired with it and he would sleep through pagers a lot. I learned quick to wake him up with the call and possibly the address to go to. See why I need a scanner? I’m seriously used to knowing what is going on cause I sent him out to it. Anyway, he had to be woken up most nights or he would have never made the calls.

I worried when he got hired on that he wouldn’t wake up. Oh boy did I worry. But the fact that it’s his only job now has made all the difference. Others have slept through calls when first getting hired on. Our friends included and they never get to live it down. But he has always woken up and I’m impressed. I worried for nothing