How the Burkharts Came to Be…

September 11 was a tragic day for many... I didn't know it then, but the events that occurred on September 11, 2001, changed my life as well.

When the owner of Pelco invited all of the NY police and fire a retreat to Fresno, one of the events planned for them was a bbq at the airport. A buddy of mine whom I used to work with at the Clovis police department called me up and asked me if I wanted to go to the bbq with him. I went and was one of maybe 20 girls (including the servers) surrounded by at least 300 men. With the odds in my favor, I soon had a NY firefighter hanging all over me. The problem was, I didn't want this one hanging all over me and I couldn't get rid of the guy. As the night progressed (translation for "many beers later"), I ended up talking to a group of guys, with my NY firefighter parasite still attached to my shoulder, and managed to mouth the words "help me!" to some tall dude who smiled and laughed at my situation. A couple of minutes later, this guy kindly asked me if I wanted to walk to the bus with him to get his coat. Finally, I could escape this NY idiot, and this guy wasn't bad looking :)

To make a long story short, Bart Burkhart was my knight who saved me from some NY fireman who probably thought he had a full night ahead of him. After a week or so (apparently Bart was following some "man rules of dating" that said he had to wait a certain amount of time before he called me because he didn't want to seem too eager), Bart finally called me and invited me to Station 9 for our first date. I went to the station assured that the guy I had met seemed like a good guy, was pretty good looking, and was tall. So, when I got to the station and the guys said let me go get Bart, and this VERY good looking guy walked in I thought to myself, "Wow!" Then the guy introduced himself as Carl Delap and said Bart would be right in. Although Carl was a tasty lookin treat, Bart was no let down. We have been married for 4 years now and have two awesome kids, Kallen (2) and Michael (7 mo.). And that's how the Burkhart's came to be... (Sorry Nancy, I had to spill the beans about my instant crush on your husband! j/k!)

The Arthur Family

Our story is one of complete chance. I met George on a surprise trip from Fresno (I was attending Fresno State)to visit my parents in Southern California. I had met his cousin through my mom's work 3 years earlier and George just happened to be visiting from Massachusetts, when I was home. After a year of long distance and the Red Sox's first World Series Championship in 86 years, George moved to Fresno. Two years later on July 2, 2006 we got married. We joined the Fresno Fire family in January 2007. Then started our own with the birth of our son, Marty (or Maawwwty as George would say it) on April 16, 2008. It has been a whirlwind ride, but we have loved every minute of it. And now we get to share our love for the underdog baseball team (I am a Cubs fan by birth) with our extended family. Here we are at Marty's First Red Sox Game!!!!!

The Castillo Family

We moved here six years ago without a pot to pee in.... ok so maybe it wasn't that bad, but our first apartment could fit in the closet we use now. Moving to Fresno was a complete leap of faith for us both. Neither of us had family or friends here and the only thing I knew about Fresno was that it was hot. Rob moved in April (?) and started the academy, I moved in June and started teaching in August, four days after school started for me we were married, and to top it all of became pregnant in October (we're mexican....so you know how that goes :) ) Then our baby came two months early (car accident), right when Rob was taking his year test! Whew! That was crazy times...but I know God put me right where he wanted me. Fresno has been amazing for our Family. We have a good life and amazing friends and I wouldn't have it any other way. So here's us at the Fresno State Baseball Championship:

Documentary Preview

Here is a quick preview of the Fresno City Fire Department Documentary. Enjoy

New Members

I have another request. If you know of an engagement, a marriage, a birth.....email us with a picture and their information and we'll post it.

Here are a Few....

Caton Nunes and Summer Burns got engaged on July 2oth.

Justin Simmons married Robin Murdock on June 26th in Pismo.

Javier and Jody Pla welcomed a little boy Aidan on June 21st.

Well, it happened. The Scoggins'sses, welcomed Owen David Scoggins into the world on June 26, 2008 at 2031 hrs. He weighs in at a whopping 6lb 4oz and is 20 in. tall. He showed up with a full mohawk and his fist pumped in the air. Both mom and baby are well and back home. Scoggins says, "the little dude rocks!". - Bart Burkhart

PS. Feel free to correct me if any information is in error.

Family Photos

Hey everyone,

In an effort to get to know everyone I would love to add some pictures of different families and their story on the blog. If you would like to show off you family email your picture and story to fresnofirewives@yahoo.com and it will be posted. Thanks.

First Get Together

Alright,

We have finally set a date for our first meeting. It will be July 31st at 7:00pm at Karey Wedemeyers house. I will email everyone with directions. If you don't receive one just email us at fresnofirewives@yahoo.com and we'll be sure to get it to you.

We will be having drinks and desserts. We were hoping we could get a few of you to help with that. If you can bring a dessert, vegetable plate or fruit plate please let us know.

Kids are welcomed if you can not find a sitter. There is a pool for those who can swim unaccompanied but supervised.

We will just be getting to know eachother and finding out what we all want to accomplish with this group. We will be also figuring out who can help and in what areas. Bring any information that you think could benefit other wives.

Can't wait to meet you all.