Getting that “I’ll call you in a minute” text, so you drop everything and wait by the phone just to realize that he got toned out for a structure fire that was fully involved right after he sent you that message.

Two and a half hours later you finally get that phone call that you were waiting for just for it to be ended by the tones dropping again. This time it was for a cardiac arrest.

Worrying is a major part of what you do while he is at work because you never know how his 24 hours are going to go. You never know what to expect when he comes home. It could be a smiling face followed by a “Hey babe, we had a big one today,” or it could be a look of despair as he says, “We got her back the first two times, but she didn’t make it.” Some days he is going to want to tell you about everything that happened, but there are some days where he won’t want to talk at all. Don’t push him. Give him a hug and a kiss, and let him know that you are always there for him.

Date nights are never just the two of you. You usually end up being the third wheel to him and the dispatcher that is working that night, and he will constantly be checking his phone for updates when there is a call. Sometimes date night will be cut short because there is a call that he just has to run. You never complain though. You actually get excited to run a call with him, because you get to see him in action for the first time.

I can see the passion that he has for his career and the way his eyes light up when he talks about all of the good days. He gets excited about the little things, like when they are stacking hose at work and they get all of the stripes perfectly aligned or when he talks about the medical stuff that makes absolutely no sense to you, but you see how happy it makes him so you go along with it and let him tell his story.

My heart is so full knowing that he is doing something that he has always wanted to do, something that he loves.

It’s not easy having a firefighter in your life, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.