And I Think To Myself.......

Today I got a phone call from CA Cop that went something like this:

Me- "Hello"

CA Cop- "He--- oh, sorry I'll have to call you back."

As I hung up the phone I stood in my kitchen and observed my surroundings. Remnants of the day were distributed throughout my home, but I became caught up in the four paintings laying out to dry on my kitchen counter.  It became one of those moments.  The type where you just let the impact set in.  I was thinking how blessed I was to have been present when those paintings were dreamed up and then created. And when they were completed, I got to wash the paint off their little fingers, cheeks, and arms.

In the kitchen I could hear them, happily screaming and enjoying each others imaginative chatter from within the "fort" built from blankets and kitchen chairs in my family room.

I am so grateful that I get to be home with my babies at this time in their lives.  That I know why their fingernails are dirty, if their foreheads feel too hot, and if they have cried that day.  I know what adventure Shasta was on when he got that hole in his jeans and I know what color(s) Sierra wants me to paint her nails.  There is nothing else that I would rather be doing, at this time, during this phase in my life.

Not because there is nothing else that I could be doing, but because I know that I am irreplaceable in only one place.

Today, CA Cop could not even pause for a moment to say "hello."  As for me, I got to relish in my moment, staring at those works of art.  I am so grateful to have a husband who finds my desired role as a mother and a homemaker as respected and uplifted as I do. Truly I am grateful.

Waste

Ok, so I know that this post will probably not be a popular one. But I can't help but publicize this observation that I have had about our court system and the amount of wasted tax dollars that seem to so freely flow out those judicial doors (and often into my very own bank account).

CA Cop gets a minimum of 4 hours of time and a half pay if he drives his well toned butt to those courthouse steps. Period. End of story. Cha Ching. Sometimes he is there for 4 hours sometimes he is there for 5 minutes.  More often than not he is there for 30 minutes or less. We appreciate the court overtime. As I am sure all LEO families do.

So here are my concerns, as a public citizen, separate from being a Cop Wife who likes the extra padding in the bank account.

CA Cop ALWAYS calls the court house the day before to confirm that the trial (or whatever court proceeding it may be) is confirmed to happen the next day. Occasionally they will let him know that it has been continued but often times they give him the thumbs up and so he sets his alarm clock for the next day accordingly.  Then he and 4 other officers (or however many worked the case/scene) show up all clocking in their 4 hours of time and a half at their respective pay rates only to discover that the suspect called in ill 3 days ago and the trial has been continued for another day.  Or the suspect is in jail in a different county and won't be in.  Or the prosecutor left on an emergency out of town 5 days ago and so the case has been delayed.  And on and on it goes.  5 officers collect their overtime from the public coffers and continue on their merry way. 5 officers that should have been informed the day before when they ALL called in the day before to check on the trial.

Shouldn't someone, somewhere have known that Suspect B for trial 38G was jailed up in some other county within 24-48 hours of their court date?

I am certain that I know very little about the complexities of a courthouse and of our judicial system, so perhaps I am just revealing my ignorance with this post. But I am shocked at how time and again he does an about face upon arriving at the courthouse because of some preexisting problem with the suspect/attorneys/judges/other officers/etc.  I understand the unforeseen issues of evidence and attorney delays, etc.  And I am not at all saying that once he's there he should not be paid. Our plans were postponed, family time was delayed, and precious sleep was lost so he better darned well be paid, but seriously?  If the suspect has a sinus infection on Monday can't we let the officer's know by Thursday that the 5 of them need not show up and cost the tax payers $1100 for nothing?

Okay, let me have it.  Please tell me I am wrong, or misunderstanding, or should shut up and be grateful for the incompetence of the government agencies because heck I'm personally profiting.......

Married To A Loser

I've often wondered if someone would intervene if they happened to be eavesdropping on a conversation or two that I have had with a family member.  I can picture being in line at the grocery store yapping away on my cell.  The older couple shaking their heads in my direction, the woman gazing in sadness and concern toward my little children as their mother chit chatted away on the phone about the various trists her husband had been involved in that week. 

So I keep "cop talk" confined to the walls of our home (or key strokes of my laptop), for the most part.

Seriously, what would you think if you heard one half of the below conversation at 2:00pm on a Thursday afternoon that went something like this:

CA Cop Mom: Hi how's it going?

Me: We're doing well, CA Cop is sleeping.  There was a bar fight or something last night so he didn't come home until morning.

CA Cop Mom: Well how was his work week.

Me: Not too much going on this week. Monday he got a DUI.  Tuesday I guess there was a car full of drunk strippers who were flirting with him, he ended up getting another DUI.  Wednesday he called me when he left the jail after they had gotten in a fight with a guy but CA Cop wasn't hurt or anything.

CA Cop Mom: Okay, well you guys are welcome to come over for dinner.

Me: Okay. Take Care!

Wow, I think I would offer "Me" a dose of woman power and tell her to leave that loser!

Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, CA Cop

Bicycling is our new addiction. We are totally sold on the sport. Every spare hour we strap on our helmets load the kids in the trailer and take for the trails. I'm hooked.  I like to feel the sun as it transforms my arms into a golden brown, the wind as it muffles my sense of hearing and leaves me focused on my rhythmic breathing and increasing heart rate.  The smells as we pass by sprinklers slapping the edge of pavement or grass clippings blowing around a yard. My legs as the push the pedals and grow stronger with each rotation.

It is my new favorite thing to do.

And the bay area is a great place to ride. There are trails along mountains and hills, trails along beaches and lakes, trails through vineyards and farmland and redwoods, even biking trails over bridges and bays. I hope to have experienced a little bit of everything by the time the winter rains slow us down.

While out on our family rides or with just the two of us I have had the opportunity to watch "the transition" take place. I know very well that even when they are off duty an officer is still on high alert. Still scanning, planning, etc.  But I have gotten to experience CA Cop taking his "alertness" (if you will) up a threat level on some of these various outings.

If a, shall we say "thug" or "crackhead" comes within 20 feet of me or the baby trailer every thing about CA Cop's demeanor changes. His posture, his expression, his eyes (oh my do his eyes change). He is well aware of any potential "threats" long before I am and has already positioned himself accordingly or "ordered" me to a different direction, to speed up, to slow down, or to stop. It is fascinating, really. 

Most, of our outings do not give him cause to go into cop mode, but lets be real the bay area is a melting pot of cultures, ideas, religions, and unfortunately gangs and drugs.  It is what it is and yet it is our home.

As we ride I know that my husband is intently watching over our family and guiding us on our journeys, ready to rip open is shirt and transform into CA Cop at a moments notice........ (Okay, I know he's not a superhero[but your dang close, honey] but a girl can dream a little.)

Newsworthy

The other day I heard from CA Cop that there was a happening in Bay Town.  So what do I do? Set the evening news to record, of course.  Not because I care to hear all the details rehashed, but rather because it is fun to try to catch a glimpse of CA Cop on the nightly news.  The kids think its great when they see him.

So as I waited patiently for the clock to strike 10pm so that the news would finally begin, I had to laugh to myself and at myself. I strained my eyes as I scanned over each uniform looking for one moving around with that particular swagger that only CA Cop has. I rewinded a few times and deleted the recording. Not tonight. My movie star avoided the paparazzi.

So, does anyone else do this?

Reflections

Last month CA Cop and I celebrated our 7th anniversary. This month we'll mark the completion of his first year on the job.  Thus, the "reflecting".  As we sat next to each other at one of those restaurants where they cook the food in front of you and make the onion into a smoking volcano we talked about our last 7 years. The homes we've had, the places we've lived, the vacations we've taken, the births of our children.  All the milestones that we've seen come and go.  We talked about what we want out of the next 7 years. Where we want life to take us and what we'd like to experience on that journey. If any more little ones will be planned.

Now I know that 7 years is still just the very beginning, but I really feel that we have learned exactly how we function best as a family.  I have so much joy in my life completely centered around him and our children.  I feel like we are a really good team. Like any team, albeit baseball or soccer, there are certain positions that must be filled in order for the team to play successfully. Two people couldn't play pitcher at the same time because that would leave a space in the outfield vulnerable. That is kinda how our family works. We have positions. And when we are fulfilling our designated position our household just seems to run so smoothly. Especially with the crazy schedule and random overtime it has been really important that we work as a team. We know that we can count on each other.

 CA Cop has proven to me that with him at the reigns our family will always be taken care of. Always, he will do what it takes. CA Cop, because of you I want for nothing.

I know this is a touchy feely post. But I just wanted to have these thoughts to reflect on in the future.

I am so grateful that 7 years ago we made a commitment to each other. Truly, CA Cop, with you, eternity is not long enough.

I love you, baby.