TBT: NYE 2011

New Year's Eve 2011 was one of the most memorable New Year's Eves I have ever had. It was not the best though. You see, at the time I worked a full-time job where I was a chef. I had time off on December 31, 2011 but worked as a volunteer firefighter. That was an on-call/full-time job too. The fire call came in the early morning of New Years. And this fire call was like no other. and here is what happened. It was me and another fireman that went in and did the primary search on the 2nd floor in the AB corner of the building. And while doing the primary search the other fireman found him and we went to get him out and he ran out of air so he went out and I stayed in and another fireman came in to take his place. The other fireman that came into relieve the other fireman was in shock and he never experienced anything like that before. So I had to pick him up and do most of the lifting. I basically lifted him out of the window to the fireman. And victim was a big man. At least 250-275 pounds. 

I shared the post on my Facebook on January 1, 20012

Link to story: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/12/31/2-killed-in-mckees-rocks-fire/ 

As a firefighter you see everything. And although I have seen a lot worse, it was very sad because both men (including Gino) unfortunately did not make it. By the time we got there, it was too late. I thought in my heart that I could save them. It was very sad to witness let alone experience. The only thing I could do was have pray for these two souls and their families and sympathize with their loved ones.

I was staying with my sister and her husband at the time. They had some friends over and made some food. I wasn't hungry. I was still shaken up. I decided to get a shower. After my shower I looked at my phone and noticed that I received a text followed by a call from Sarah. For those of you who do not know, Sarah is my girlfriend right now and I love her more than anything in this world. She had bought a new phone and was taking a selfie of her NYE outfit and was comparing the resolution of the pictures.

One of Sarah's friends took this picture of Sarah and sent it to me.

My girlfriend who is also my soul mate, best friend, lover, and everything else in between. At the time, we were just friends and we talked, but we were not dating or in a relationship. She recently bought a new phone and was taking selfies which she published on her Facebook and which she sent to me. That is when I realized how much I really did miss her. I explained to her how my night went.

Sarah smiling as she snaps a picture of herself with her new camera. Sarah's smiles always cheer me up.

At the time, Sarah and I lived far apart. She was in Dillon, MT and I was near Pittsburgh. We did keep in touch, but we did not talk often. It was more of a sporadic thing I guess you could say. Sarah made me feel more at peace. She informed me that I was a hero and warrior and not many people in this world would risk their life to save another. She explained that even though they died, the effort is recognized and that everything in life happens for a reason. A reason we cannot explain. It made me feel better talking to her.

Sarah took this photo trying to show me her entire outfit. She took this with her old camera and sent this to me before posting it on her Facebook. 

Sarah was not only thousands of miles away, but 2 time zones away from me. She was having a party there in Montana for her and some friends and I was getting ready to head to bed. The next day I went into work thinking it was going to be great. After all, it was finally 2012, the new year. Well, I was wrong. I ended up breaking my big toe. What happened was the equipment fell on my big toe.

I made a post about breaking my big toe on Facebook.

This is how both my New Year's Eve of 2011 and my New Year of 2012 went. In 24 hours I have experienced a lot and those are the days I will never forget.