Life as a Fire Wife

Today I am addressing another frequently asked question.

"What is it like being married to a Firefighter? How do you handle him being gone so much and missing things like birthdays and holidays?"

I am going to be honest, this was the only reason I was ever hesitant for Tyler to be a firefighter. I didn't want to be single-moming it and have him miss so much. My grandpa was a firefighter and I knew how dangerous the job was and how much he would miss. But I promised him I would support him no matter what and we would make the best out of every situation. It has been an adjustment but I think we are getting the hang of things.

Most firefighters that are part-time like Tyler, and even a lot of the full-time firefighters have another job when they aren't at the fire station. Tyler also works for a hospital. Some days he does three shifts in a row, bouncing between jobs. He works so hard for us and I love him so much for it.

There are some times that are hard. For example, we had a nasty wind storm last week. It was dangerous to be outside and the temperature was dropping fast.  As this wind storm started, I discovered a hole in our back kitchen door that was letting in the frigid air. On top of that, our furnace broke and my youngest son was throwing up and was showing signs of dehydration. We were freezing and and sock that I stuffed in the hole to keep the cold out just wasn't cutting it. Tyler was at work and wouldn't be home for another 12 hours. My awesome parents came over and Daddy patched the hole, fixed the furnace and brought pedialyte for my youngest boy. I honestly don't know what I would have done if my parents hadn't shown up. Nights like that are very hard.

But when he is home it makes it that much more special. We have time to take the boys to do something fun, or declare it pajama day and stay inside and just relax. The times when Tyler is home is our family time and we don't let anything get in the way. We schedule everything down to the last minute. On Christmas day we drove our separate cars because Tyler was starting his shift at the hospital that night. But we were extremely blessed to have Tyler on Christmas and Christmas Eve. I know we won't always be so lucky.

Our Family Nights are not always on Mondays. Family Night is whenever Tyler is home, and sometimes it is just the boys and myself.

I often attempt to take the boys to church by myself. We almost never make it the whole time but I know as the boys get older it will get easier. 

I also love that the fire station that Tyler is at does cute little parties for the firefighters and their families during holidays. For example, we were able to go to a Halloween party at the station because Tyler was going to be working Halloween. It was so much fun and the boys LOVED IT.

In fact, my boys love everything about the fire station. But what little boy wouldn't?

When we go a few days without seeing Tyler, we like to go visit him at the station. The other firefighters are amazing and so kind to us. Sometimes my boys even get lucky and get to ride in the fire truck while they are pulling it in or turn on the ambulance lights. 

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you'll probably start to notice that I will be posting our holiday pictures a few days early or late, depending on when he is working. 

This year Tyler was going to be gone for New Years. Four years ago, Tyler was my first New Years kiss.

(The above picture is us four years ago, just before our New Years kiss... Aren't we adorable??) 

This year, we welcomed the new year over Facetime, and he wouldn't be home until January 2nd. So, that is when we decided we would celebrate the new year.

Two days after everyone else celebrated New Years, we took our boys to Union Station to see the "choo-choos" as Drew calls them. 

And later that night we drank Sparkling Cider and I got my New Years kiss. 

We might not always celebrate things on the their exact date, but we do make time to celebrate them as a family and that is all that matters. There is a good chance I won't be seeing my firefighter on Valentines Day. And that is OK. We will be celebrating when we can. 

It is hard to watch him go when I know I wont see him for a few days. Especially when the boys start to ask for him. We always pray for him and he calls us when he can. I send him pictures and videos of the boys often.

I wasn't sure how I would like being a fire wife, but I am actually taking a lot better than I thought I would. It has helped me to become more independent. I am learning to do things on my own.  My sweet grandma recently passed away and the last conversation I had with her was about being a fire wife. She took care of SEVEN children while my grandpa was a firefighter for Salt Lake City. It was hard and I don't know how she did it, but she did it very well. And if she can do it, so can I. I think of her in my moments of weakness, when I am so frustrated and tired that I just want to hide in my bathroom and stuff my face with Oreos. I hope I can handle things just as she did, with the grace of a queen.

I am really proud of Tyler and the job that he has chosen. He absolutely LOVES it and I couldn't be happier for him! 

I hope this answers everyone's questions! Have a good weekend!