Hotshots, Family, Thanksgiving

I feel like I've been going on about gratitude to the point where if any God is listening I am wearing them out. Regardless, things couldn't be going better now and just in time for the holiday to recognize it, Thanksgiving, which Jess, Maryanne, and I will be celebrating as a family with so much to be thankful for. Maryanne is doing great. She is ahead on weight and basically sleeping through the night--just waking up once or twice to down a bottle before nodding back off. And Jess is in high spirits, still finishing school but with plenty of time to dote. Finally, getting to this point has depended on a many things going just right for me: finding a job in fire, having a great initial season on a great crew, getting through the birth of our beautiful child, gaining acceptance in the UM grad school in the spring, and most recently, being offered and accepting a job next summer with the Logan Hotshots.

Hotshot jobs are very competitive with only a few openings on a relatively small number of crews each year.  The position entails all the challenges one would expect to find in a seasonal forest service position only more demanding, with little to no time afforded for me to return home over the six month season. It will be a sacrifice for sure, but I look at it like a military deployment, no different than thousands of men and women with families have and continue to experience. Most importantly, it will allow Jess, who will be independently raising Maryanne, to stay home through the summer, and it'll financially provide for her to student teach during the spring without working. While this kind of life may not be for everyone, it works for us, and she is very supportive. 

​All this being said,  I feel a renewed sense of purpose. I plan to appreciate all the time I can with my family until the summer and bust my butt in preparation for it.  Indeed, that preparation will be more than necessary. ​