Valentine's "Gala"

This the is 3rd year that my search & rescue team have been included in the annual Emergency Services Gala.  It just happened to fall on Valentine's Day this year.

It's an evening of "appreciation" with a nice dinner, dancing, raffles & drawings and let me tell you - the people watching?  **chef's kiss**  LOL!  They also give out awards for patrolman of the year, corrections officer of the year, dispatcher of the year, EMT of the year, etc. 

This is a super cool challenge coin. 

Around the outside, it says "going out to make a difference, since staying home is not an option".  

The blue stripe is for police, red for firefighters, yellow for dispatch and white for EMS. 

The back side is black with the name of the gala and the year.  

Last year's had the First Responder's Prayer, which is very nice. 

Dear Lord, Upon this robe, I carry the pain, sorrow and fears that I've encountered on the job.  I am challenged to bear its weight.  As I lift it from my shoulders and place it upon the cross, I pray for those who have suffered.  Please heal my heart and strengthen my will, so that I may faithfully serve you.  Amen

The Spouse & I

I wore this dress 2 years ago, but didn't have anything on underneath. I'm sure the back of my bra was hanging out, too.  I'm very self-conscious about my arms & shoulders so I had a shawl on most of the night.  So this time I bought the sheer black shirt and it was much better.  I could see my bra when I looked down, but when I looked in the mirror, it was fine. 

It's had to see, but my earrings say LOVE.   

There was one other guy from the team there, but we couldn't find him for the photos! 

without the significant others

I was/am pretty excited about this - I won the lottery tree! 

This giant board is literally wallpapered in scratch off tickets! 

You gave them $20 and you got to choose a playing card.  Then you tore the card in half, put one half in the bucket and kept the other.  

When they did the drawing, they said it was a red card - and I thought they meant hearts or diamonds, so I tossed my half onto the table, and it slid under my program.  Then they said it was the 6 of spades!  I had the 6 of spades!!  So I grabbed the card back out - the back was red!! 

I don't know if I've won any $$ or not yet, since we haven't scratched any off yet.  The Spouse & I did take them all off the board and removed approximately 623 thumb tacks that were holding them on. 

Hopefully we'll get a little something!

Reading back over this & focusing on the words to the First Responder's Prayer - it feels like it means even more now.  One of my SAR teammates passed away yesterday.  

In the grand scheme of things, it was sudden (guess he found out last fall that he was sick) so it actually wasn't unexpected.

My heart hurts and I have so many thoughts that I can't put into words because they feel selfish compared to what his family is going thru. 

So, any prayer warriors out there - please say some words for Jeff and his wife (and his K9, Amber). 

Love is in the HodgePodge Air

Ugh!  A day late getting this out there.  I was the only person in my office Tuesday & Wednesday, then I had my Weight Watchers workshop last night & a VFW meeting right after that. 

Speaking of - my WW location didn't have coaches available for any evening workshops for a while, so I was stuck going on Saturday mornings - which I strongly disliked.  But then they found someone and started up a Wednesday evening workshop!  But it's been slow getting people to attend - I was literally the only person there last night, so the coach and I had a nice one on one chat.  She gave me some great ideas about getting over my WW brain fart.  It's like I know what I need to do.  I have all the tools I need.  I attend the workshops 95% of the time.  But I just don't DO what needs to be done.  So maybe there's hope for me.  Seeing photos of myself is appalling!

*********************

Let's do the HodgePodge, Valentines Edition!

1. What's something recent that had you 'tickled pink'?

Using the "face swap" filter with the grandkids.

I did this with the Spawn in 2016 (she was 19) when we got on the plane to go to South Carolina for a dance competition - we were both giggling until we looked at it.... we looked the same!

2. A bed of roses, everything's coming up roses, every rose has it's thorn, stop and smell the roses, rose-colored glasses, a rose among thorns...which rosy expression might currently be applied to your life in some way?

Stop and smell the roses - literally! We went to the grocery store Saturday night to get Super Bowl snacks and right inside the door at the local Walmart Supercenter is the flower section - so we had to stop and smell the roses (and carnations, and hyacinths, and mixed bouquets, etc, etc,) They make me happy.

3. What makes you feel loved and appreciated?

I think just being noticed / acknowledged.  Last week at the monthly search & rescue team meeting, it was announced that I would no longer be the mounted division team lead (since we don't really have one anymore) but they didn't want to demote me, so I'm now the ground team co-lead with someone who can only be described as Mr. Search & Rescue.  He literally directs a SAR training school!  And then one of my teammates piped up and said since I'm so proficient on the radio, that I should give training to the entire team on communication protocol and radio etiquette, stuff like that. 

I got thanked by multiple people at the VFW convention 2 weeks ago for all my "hard work" on the annual scholarship programs.  I really don't feel like I did a whole lot, but I guess if they didn't have to do it, they appreciate me.   

4. A box of chocolates or a bouquet of fresh flowers-what's your pleasure? Any special plans for Valentine's Day?

Our special plans involve getting all dressed up for dinner & dancing at a fancy golf course/banquet hall - with a whole bunch of other people who are police / fire / dispatch / search & rescue!   The county my search & rescue team is based out of has an "emergency services gala" each year and this year it falls on Valentine's Day. This is the 3rd year we've been included so it's pretty neat.

5. Share a favorite quote, scripture, or song lyric relating to love.

Of course 1 Corinthians 13 - the "Love is patient" verse. The Spouse's mom read this at our wedding.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Linking up over at

From This Side of the Pond

Thanks, Joyce!

Thoughts on the Super Bowl

 

That being said... we didn't really care about who won or lost.  

I even forgot to buy squares at work this year!  

Anywhooo.  But we did still watch ~most~ of it. 

I don't know what the Spouse decided, but the Spawn and I were "rooting" for the Seahawks, since she was born in Bremerton, Washington which is very near Seattle.  Yes - that's how we chose our team!  Sometimes it's based on how well we like the colors of their uniforms or their mascot. 

I am not familiar with 99.75% of Green Day's music.  But I thought it was odd for the old MVP guys to come out on stage during American Idiot.  Whose idea was that???

Did they just call up Joe Namath at the last minute and invite him onto the field?  Everyone else had on suits - ugly or not - but Joe looked like he had been out putzing around in his garage and just hopped in the car and showed up in his sweats.  

No idea who the singer of America the Beautiful was, but she did a nice job.

I'm never heard of Charlie Puth, and with the first few notes, I was afraid he was going to put his own spin on the National Anthem.  But no, he did a great job.  The Anthem is one song you just don't mess around with.  And the footage of him when the song was over, when he looked up and it was like he just realized where he was.... awesome.  I love when artists show their human side. 

I'd like to know the reasons behind Alice in Chains "Man in the Box" playing when the Seahawks came out of the tunnel.  Crazy Train for the Patriots was much better, 

The flyover is always the best part.  

I saw a lot of reels on Facebook about the B1 bomber, which is pretty cool. 

Especially the second one with the afterburners lit up and THAT sound.

I read where the military actually treats sporting event flyovers as training events - giving crews a change to practice "time over target" runs to practice precise navigation & timing under pressure.  

How did a miss the streaker???  

I don't consider shirtless "streaking" tho.  Way too many clothes!

Halftime show was interesting.  I had no idea who Bad Bunny was and therefore what the big to-do was about him.  I didn't even realize it was a male until right before the game started!   I could see where people would object.  I probably would have enjoyed it more if I understood Spanish.  Plus, Latin dancing is very suggestive, so I'm sure some people were clutching their pearls! I was very entertained to learn that the bunches of grass on the field were actually people in costume!  It was funny to watch them come waddling out. 

I read this article from MSN - Halftime show - and there was a lot of Puerto Rican symbolism in the music - which explains a lot of what was going on.  

So this was more or less when I stopped paying attention, even to the commercials.  The Manscape ad at the beginning with the singing hair balls was funny.  The promotion for the Scream movie that early in the afternoon was not a good choice.   And I noticed a lot of 80s references.  And I'm glad I saw the Budweiser ad with the Clydesdale foal and the eagle a good week before the game since I never saw it during the game.   Budweiser always brings the feels.

I also saw a lot of Facebook videos with critters choosing the winner - they're always funny & creative.  The local nature center had little football pinatas filled with cat food for the resident blind possum.  They also put egg cartons full of greens out for the random chickens they have.  Some zoo put big boxes out in the mountain lion enclosure.  Another zoo had frozen fish cakes in team logos made for the otters.  There was also a variety of random household pets, too.  My cat would probably be useless doing something like that!

   So that's my 2 cents.