ParaTed2k is Back in the Search & Rescue Biz!

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Many of you know much of the last 6 or so years have been pretty rough for me. You have laughed and maybe even cried with me through some pretty rough times in my life. These years have been a forced transition time, taking me from a hyper extreme lifestyle to well... something I wouldn't wish on anyone. It took time and working through but with the help of our Heavenly Father, family, friends and a lot of practitioners of the medical and alternative arts. In the end, I had to come to the realization that it was all part of the chain of experiences that will someday be the completed story of Me. Part of the hyper-extreme lifestyle was Search & Rescue (SAR) training out in the Grand Teton Mountains of Wyoming and the caves rivers and deserts of Idaho. It was all part of BYU-Idaho's paramedic program (though my diplomas say Ricks). I did apply for a few jobs in SAR, along with paramedic jobs after graduation, but none of them panned out. After getting my degrees in paramedicine and health sciences, I accepted an ambulance job, moved my family 1800 miles and we began our lives as Wisconsinites (does moving from Idaho to Wisconsin make us Potatoes Au Gratin?). Running ambulance in Milwaukee didn't offer much experience in SAR, so most of my "adventure" gear was packed up in my "toys I used to play with, but have no need for anymore... but refuse to get rid of" bins. Of course, eventually even my EMS stuff ended up in that category too. Like many others on Facebook, my past has exploded into my present. I have come into contact with people I haven't actively been friends with since 1st grade. So many people from my youth, and younger adult years are suddenly back in my life. Some have come into my life just long enough for us to do a little catching up, but that's about it. Others have become pen pals of sorts, greeting each other with Facebook's IM feature. But for the most part the people are a lot like the toys... whatever brought us together is pretty much in the past, so we probably won't be making any new memories together any time soon. One of the people who jumped from the bag was a friend from my Milwaukee ambulance days. He and a few others run a private K9 Search & Rescue outfit based out of Milwaukee. We got IMing a few weeks ago, and he invited me to come out to one of their training events to meet the people and see their operation. Because of my condition I'm pretty much dead for being on any of the search teams. However, my training and experience make me a great asset to the Incident Command team. I will be doing communications and coordination during the searches. I can't wait for future meetings, training and real world situations. My brother once told me that I was the only person he knew who could say, "Been There, Done That" and usually mean it. During the dark days of the last few years, it hurt to think that I no longer fit his description. When I finally got over myself and started pushing myself to quit lamenting what I can't do and start focusing on what I can do, I realized something very important... The last few years have merely added to my list of things I can say, "Been there, done that" about. ParaTed2k is BACK! http://www.peopleandpaws.org/