I Have Baby Pictures. I Know Things.

Celebrating differences. I do it every day with my daughter.

She is creative. I am not. First grade is not quite over yet and she lets me know she wants a new class of kids for second grade class because she wants to meet new friends. I seek out the familiar. I am not quick with my responses; my "should have said" conversations are brilliant!. She is very quick.

I have been working with a personal trainer and my sessions are about over. I am trying to decide if I should continue. It is fun, I can see results and I am not at all confident that I will get to the gym without someone to hold me accountable. So, I was talking to my husband about this the other night and ended with a long drawn out, "I don't know what to do. I am sooooooo perplexed!"

Without a beat, a moment of hesitation, or a blink of the eye, my loving daughter comes back with, "Mom, does perplexed mean fat?" 

First grader, fifth grade reading level, she knows exactly what perplexed means and the look on her face was priceless. Her eyes were big, her mouth was in a huge smile and she was laughing out loud inside, trying not to burst. Just wait until you get a little older sweetie, just wait.

Remember, I have baby pictures. I know things. 

Boots to Boots: Embracing Veterans Skills

My nephew Erik, a Vancouver, Washington firefighter, has developed a veterans mentorship program, which has now officially become a Washington state non-profit organization called Boots to Boots.  The purpose of Boots to Boots is to assist military veterans with the sometimes difficult transition to civilian life, and also to show them that the life experience they gained while serving our country makes them excellent candidates for serving our communities as firefighters.  This is a journey that Erik himself took after his time as an Army Ranger.  It was a fairly long, competitive process and his purpose in developing Boots to Boots is to give the veterans a leg-up in pursuing a career in the fire service.

Boots to Boots has taken off! 30 Vancouver firefighters have volunteered to be mentors for veterans from all branches of the military, many of whom have already taken the opportunity to use the program to begin practice testing for fire service jobs; the Mayor of Vancouver and the CEO of the Bank of Clark County are on their Board of Directors; the fire chief for Vancouver Fire Department has given tremendous support and has also spoken to fire personnel across the country about the program; Erik's union donated $1000 to develop our first run of t-shirts to begin fundraising; and he has support from the local VA. Erik and Boots to Boots have already been featured on KPTV Channel 12 news and in The Columbian newspaper:

http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/03/03032008_Brothers-in-Boots-Embracing-veterans-skills.cfm
 
Erik and his board of directors would eventually like to see this program spread across the region, or maybe even further. Boots to Boots is free-of-charge to the veterans.  Their non-profit attorney has assured them that their 501(c)(3) status should be approved. When that happens, they will begin applying for grants.  In the meantime, they have started to fundraise. Their hope is that in reaching out to those they know, and hopefully through them reaching out to an even larger circle, they can begin gathering some funds and spreading the word. 

Please feel free to contact them if you would like more information about Boots to Boots.  Their website is under construction at www.BootstoBoots.org, their email address is BootstoBoots@gmail.com and their mailing address is Boots to Boots, 13504 N.E. 84th Street, Ste. 103-307, Vancouver, WA 98682.

Many people have a connection with a veteran, and would like to make some sort of contribution to veterans' futures. The feedback they have received from the veterans themselves - those actively participating in the program and those simply calling to say thank you  - has been inspiring and heartwarming.