A Brand New Start - Big News :)

I've been teasing you all about some big things happening for our little family and as of Wednesday, I can FINALLY come clean to all of you lovely friends!!


{Closing a Big Chapter and Starting New}

I am so VERY excited to share with the world that my sweet husband has retired from the Police Department!!  The process of requesting the retirement and keeping our fingers crossed that it would be approved has been a nail biter.  We can finally breathe a sigh of relief and move forward with new and exciting opportunities!

{The Story}
I want to preface our story with the fact that Jimmy has medically retired. This is quite different than a 30 year retirement from the force.

Over the last year, Jimmy has been suffering through unrelenting back pain.  With his tall stature, riding in a patrol car with 35 pounds of duty belt gear has physically worn him down. The fact is, being a Police Officer is a physical career. In his case there was numbness in his legs, severe stomach pain, loss of balance and a few instances when he almost dropped our kids because his back gave out.  He went to the Dr. and was prescribed an arsenal of medications. They included narcotic, non-narcotic pain meds, muscle relaxers and anti-depressants (for stomach discomfort.) The problem was this; he could never take any of these medications because of the nature of his job. He wouldn't have been able to operate a vehicle, let alone put himself at risk for having to make life-or-death decisions. If he had been in a scenario where he crashed his vehicle or had to (God forbid) shoot someone, then his blood would have been drawn, per City policy. If the medications had been found in his blood work, he would have most likely been fired and/or sued.  That left him in a place where he had no choice but to "suffer" through it. After awhile however, it became unbearable.

{Academy Graduation - 2008)

{Decisions}
We knew that Jimmy could not continue in this career. We weighed all the options. He faced a future of pain and the very real possibility that he would eventually need back surgery. From what we have seen in our time as a Law Enforcement family, this was something we wanted to avoid. Back issues and surgeries tend to be a slippery slope.

{Faith}
We made the decision to apply for medical retirement and kept our fingers crossed that it would be approved. Either way, Jimmy had to leave the department.  We submitted the paperwork and waited two wearisome weeks before we got the approval.  I prayed every single day before and during this process that we would receive whatever answer with gratitude and grace. I would be lying if I said I wasn't elated when we got the call :) 

{What's Next}
During this process, Jimmy has transitioned to a totally different career. One that suits him creatively and makes him very happy. His hours are FINALLY Mon-Friday.  For those of you with predictable, normal hours, don't take it for granted! I am ecstatic that he will never miss another Christmas, birthday or anniversary.  I have had tears in my eyes countless times over the past few days and I am so grateful for this blessing. We are both very, very grateful.

We will never forget the trials and tribulations that we endured as a LE couple. The last 7 years have seen peaks, pits and politics that I am quite frankly happy to leave behind.  We are both ready to move forward and have lots of catching up to do as a family :)

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Please take a moment to click on this website, donate and/or say a prayer for the Jones family. Officer Jones was shot and killed in the line of duty on May 30th. He leaves behind a wife and three children. Remember what our first responders do for us each and every day. 

http://www.gofundme.com/9q9pss