Lady Layla

Just a quick post this morning to share some new photos of our Pit Bull mix Layla. This dog is great very photogenic and she does a fairly good job of sitting still long enough for me to take her picture. More and more each day I count myself lucky that we found her. She is such a sweetheart and couldn't imagine this household without her.











That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

For The Love Of October

Finally after many months, October is here again. Of all the months out of the year, October is my favorite month of the year. Sure it is the month of my birth, but there are so many more reasons I love this month.

First, there is the weather. September often holds onto heat from August, and November generally marks the change to winter temperatures, at least in this region. October on the other hand seems to strike that perfect balance. Chilly evenings and cool or mildly warm days. Indeed October is a great month for campfires, bonfires and any other fire that you choose to gather around with family and friends. Second, there is the fall foliage. Trees ablaze with many beautiful colors seem to abound in October. I'm not sure yet how Maryland will be, but growing up in New Jersey, fall color always seemed to peak in this month.

This October 1st is a rainy one, but I'm enjoying it just as much as I would a sunny one. I love rainy, fall days. Perhaps it has to do with the weather at the time of my birth. My mom often relates how it was a cold and rainy October 25th when I entered the world at the Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, NJ. I hope everyone has a great October. I'm looking forward to bonfires and photographing trains with a beautiful backdrop of colored leaves. :~)

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Whip It Good

Just a short post tonight before heading off to bed. Yesterday's bonfire was a great time. There was lots of yummy chili and I discovered that pumpkin flavored beer rocks (especially with pumpkin cupcakes). I have yet to try other brands, but I will make a shameless plug here for Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road Pumpkin Ale.


Among the general awesomeness of the evening, my friend Clark brought his whip along with him and was demonstrating the techniques for cracking it. Here's a short video of him demonstrating.


That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

A Great Weekend Ahead

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Today is going to be a great day. First, my brother Brian and his family are driving down from Delaware to spend a few hours with us. It will be nice to enjoy some food and fellowship with them. It is also good for Katrina to get a chance to spend some time with her cousins. Of course when family comes to visit, I pull out all the stops when it comes to food, and today is no exception. In a little while, I'll be firing up the grill and throwing on a couple of sirloin steaks. Once they're done, they'll get sliced thin and served on toasted Italian bread with homemade garlic butter (using real Irish butter as the base).

Tonight we're headed to see some friends and enjoy a bonfire, pumpkin cupcakes and some spiced wine. I've also picked up some Post Road Pumpkin Ale from Brooklyn Brewery. I can't wait to crack open a bottle and enjoy it with a Cohiba cigar.

Now with the bonfire happening tonight, I wish the weather would turn a little cooler. Yesterday marked the first day of fall, but other than last week, the weather has not really felt like it. I'm ready for cooler temperatures and colored leaves. Fall has been and always will be my favorite time of year. I guess that comes from being an October baby. According to my mom, it was quite the cool, rainy day when I came into this world.

I hope everyone out there in intraweb land has a great weekend with whatever you decide to get into! 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 Listening to "Crack the Meter" by Jordan Rudess

New Family Addition

We decided last week that the time was right for us to get a dog. I've wanted one every since I left home for the Air Force, but with being single and moving around a lot it just wasn't an option. Even after getting married, it wouldn't have been fair to the dog with both Kristin and I working. To add to everything else, we didn't want to run the risk of renting a place that wouldn't allow a dog. We had resigned ourselves to the fact that we had to wait until we purchased our own home within the next couple of years. On a whim though, I had decided to e-mail my landlord last week and see what he might say about adding the dog. I offered to pay an extra pet deposit if he said yes. Not only did he say yes to us having a dog in the house, but he stated that he was not going to charge us an extra pet deposit.

With the opportunity now right, we decided to pay a visit to the Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter (BARCS) to look for a pitty mix. At this point, I should backtrack a little. I've always loved all types of dogs. Growing up, we mainly had mutts we adopted from shelters or the occasional stray who just showed up. This past year though, I fell in love with Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes after my mom adopted one from a rescue.

My mom's dog Shiloh.

At BARCS, we waited for almost an hour before we could even look at dogs because they were severely short-staffed on volunteers that day. Soon enough though we were back browsing through all the animals. There were many animals that we would have loved to take home with us, but we narrowed them down to three we wanted to take for a walk. Of the three, one in particular stood out. This dog was Juicy. Not only was Juicy nice and calm when we first walked up to her kennel, but when we allowed Katrina to give her a treat, she sat there and gently took it. No snapping, no lunging forward. After getting lots of gentle doggy kisses from her and seeing how she just wanted to be close to a person, we decided that she was the dog for us. In short time she was ours and going by her new name, Layla. Now for those wondering, yes, I named her after the Derek and the Dominoes song. All I can say is that Layla is a sweetheart. She still has a little puppy left in her (the cats are having a hard time adjusting because of that), but when she's not active, she's the biggest snuggler in the world. She loves to lay on the couch or in bed with Kristin and I and is generally shadowing one or the other. All I can say is that I am so grateful we found her. She is such a welcome addition to the family.

Here are a few photos I took of Layla the other day.








That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

For The Honor Of 343 Brothers

I'm now back home after completing the 9/11 memorial stair climb at the Firehouse Expo in Baltimore. After 5 climbs up 20 flight of stairs I'm exhausted, yet energized by the experience. This event qualifies as the most awesome, yet humbling that I've ever attended. There were was one brief moment towards the beginning of the fifth, and final climb that I contemplated stopping. I was soaked with sweat and picking up my feet felt like I was picking up lead weights. I quickly dismissed the thought from my mind though. While there is no doubt that what we did today was tough, it cannot hold a candle to the hellish conditions that my brothers from NYC ascended into on September 11, 2001. There was also the pledge I made to my best friend Jay, that I would do this in memory of his Uncle Tommy. Tommy did not waver on September 11th and I was not going to waver in honoring his memory.

Besides climbing in Tommy Sabella's memory, another thing that made this event particularly special in my mind was the attendance by families of a few of the fallen FDNY firefighters. There were a couple of times I got chills and even a bit misty eyed as these families clapped for us while we made our rounds through the lobby to begin our next ascent. Here are these families who have lost so much and deserving of my applause, yet they cheered us on. I was proud to serve them in the small way I could. As worn out as I am, I can honestly say that I would do this again in a heartbeat.

Then there was the awesome team I was a part of during the climb. We looked out for each other and we stuck together through the entire event. If someone needed a break, we all stuck with them even if it meant being passed by teams behind us. I had never met these folks before in my life, yet they were all my brothers. It was also great to climb with other servicemembers including a Marine Reservist and a Navy Hospital Corpsman. Like myself, these guys have chosen to serve on two fronts.

Last but not least, I was thrilled to finally meet Captain Willie Wines and Lieutenant Rhett Fleitz of the Roanoke Fire Department. I've known these fellas for a little while through their respective blogs and Rhett's fire news website. Not only was it an honor to participate in this event with them, but it was a pleasure to share some food, fellowship and a few beers afterwards.

Everything else aside, I can say that while I've never forgotten for a moment, this event has caused me to renew my vow that I will never, ever forget September 11, 2001 and the sacrifices made by so many on that day.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Up The Stairs

On Thursday I'll be participating in a September 11th memorial stair climb at the Firehouse Expo in Baltimore. Those of us participating will be climbing up 5 flights of stairs repeatedly until we reach the equivalent of 101 flights of stairs, the number of flights in the World Trade Center buildings. This is done to honor the memory of 343 fallen brothers from the New York City Fire Department who perished on that day while showing concern not for themselves, but for others.

Since we had the option at registration of choosing who we'd like to climb for, I've chosen to climb in honor of Thomas Sabella from Ladder 13. Why choose this individual out of the 343? All of them are heros. All of them are deserving of honor. So why this firefighter? As with the other 342, I never had the pleasure of meeting Firefighter Sabella. I guess I feel a personal connection with this person, small though it may be, in that he was the uncle of my best friend Jay. Through many stories from Jay over the years about "Uncle Tommy's" deeds and his personality, I've gotten to know this man quite well. His character and his way of doing things not only serve as a constant inspiration to me as a firefighter, but make me strive to be a better person in all I do.

Some might ask why climb the stairs? Particularly in heavy bunker gear. The answer is that it is a small way of paying my respects to those fallen brothers. The slow, steady climb up the stairs allows those of us participating time to reflect on their sacrifice. I think Captain Willie Wines of the Roanoke (VA) Fire Department captured the essence when he stated that in some small way we're helping those 343 brothers to complete their ascent up the stairs since the towers collapsed before they had a chance to finish their climb.

I never knew any of them. I wasn't even in country when the events of September 11th unfolded. I was half a world away with the Air Force watching the events unfold on Japanese TV. As a firefighter myself and more so as an American though, I feel it my duty to ensure those 343 brothers are not forgotten. I'll do my small part by making sure that Jay's Uncle Tommy never is.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that one lay down his life for his brother."

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

My Relaxation Zone

My Relaxation Zone, originally uploaded by VirginiaSouthern.

I know it has been a long, long time since I have updated this blog, but I felt that it was time to shake the dust off. I can't spend a lot of time writing at the moment, but I just wanted to share a photo of my little place for escaping. As I type this I'm enjoying listening to the various prog rock offerings on Pandora and enjoying a bottle of wine made by my best friend's father. It's these small pleasures that I revel in.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.