A gorgeous day at camp with all my kids.At the end of the last entry your Mom and I are married. She was working at Hogan Regional Center as an O.T. and I was consulting there for a Title XIX review. I was also working as an Emergency Medical Technician for a local ambulance company. I think I've told you all some of my adventures driving a huge Cadillac ambulance. This preceded the van ambulances which have all kinds of equipment. The ones I drove and rode in were like very fast station wagons. The motto was, "Scoop them up and screw.." I was in the first MA. EMT class so we actually had advanced first aid and life saving training. At accident scenes it was hard to triage and treat people because the police or firemen would be screaming, " GO..GO..GO.." In the two and one half years that I worked as an EMT I probably responded to a hundred car accidents. It was a job that you immediately knew whether you could do or not. Even in the beginning I could detach myself from the pain, blood, and confusion. I was noted for my bandaging and ER prep. The few times I needed to give you guys first aid you undoubtedly noticed my skills:-) At the time of our wedding Uncle Wayne was single and finishing up graduate school at B.C., Uncle Edward was a Senior at U. Miami, Aunt Barbara was married and I think still living in New Jersey, my folks were in Peabody. On the Kelly side your grandparents were in South Florida, Uncle John was about to get divorced, Aunt Dottie was working at Mass. General Hospital, Aunt Liz was Asst. Director of Nursing at Hogan, and I think Aunt Nancy was teaching somewhere near Worcester. We lived in your Mom's apartment in Salem for a few months before our big move to Arizona. I was accepted to the Arizona State University's Counseling program for the fall of 1976. We left in late summer with all our possessions packed in Mom's car, my Datsun half ton truck, and our two dogs Samantha, an Irish setter, and Irish, a Dalmatian. We even honor the Green with types and names of dogs. This is before cell phones and GPS so the strategy was I'd follow your Mom and we'd stop every two or three hours. It was a real hot summer so we traveled a north-western route. Oh no air conditioning in either vehicle. We camped every other night and rewarded ourselves with a motel room the other nights. I remember Kansas, endless flatness, Colorado, the Volkswagon sounding like an asthmatic climbing the Rockies, driving into 100 degree heat of the Arizona high desert. We were in our mid-20's, away from family, and on a grand adventure. Phoenix was just starting to boom in the '70s. Now its like L.A., both crowded and sprawling. We were fascinated by the western culture and the totally different climate. It rarely rained and even the hottest days cooled off deliciously most nights. I loved the genuine Mexican food. Our first yr of marriage was a slice of Heaven. We even got to travel a lot through the state. Mom still camped and hiked with me in those years. She really was a good sport helping me carry and set up our old tent. I kept that tent till last summer, good memories. Graduate school was interesting and not overly demanding. I worked part-time as a teacher's aide at The Devereux School, a school for very troubled adolescents. Your Mom worked full time as an O.T. at St. Luke's Hospital. Once we got to the Phoenix area we bought/leased a condo in Scottsdale. Zach saw the place during a trip we took to Arizona. It was perfect for two people. We lived there for over a year and a half. Your Mom got accepted to the University of Florida's O.T. Master's program for the Fall of '78, Go Gators. Gainesville was one big college town. Unfortunately, your Mom's program was rigorous beyond words so we had little playtime. She would disappear into books every evening while I'd watch our tiny two channel black and white t.v.. We did visit your grandparents now and then. (My folks moved to Deerfield Beach, Florida aroung 1977. ) It was a momentous time in Gainesville. Mom got pregnant in '79, say hello to your brother Zachary. Jobs were scarce in Gainesville but I landed a position as a Vocational Counselor II with a government training program. I was in charge of a Carpentry training program for women and minorities. This is kind of ironic since I screw in nails with a hammer. It was one of the most fun jobs I ever held. Early mornings with the trainees at work sites where they would renovate dilapidated houses. There were two professional carpenters training them while I made sure they didn't steal supplies. We eventually placed a lot of the trainees at good construction jobs. Zach was born on November 2, 1979 at Shands Hospital, making him the first Southern gentleman in the Weiner family. Yes Jeremy you are the second:-) Your Mom, 9 months pregnant and having contractions, drove us to the hospital. I wish I could describe my joy when I first held Zach, multiply the feeling when the Sox beat the Yankees in '04 times 1,000. This seems like a good time to take a typing break. Jem hit the books, Jules isn't bedtime yet, and Zach your wife deserves a kiss. Love always, Dad
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