Monique Bean:  

After graduation from Madonna, I went to BCC and must have changed my major like 5 times. I ended up getting my degree in Liberal Arts (which everyone knows means "UNDECIDED"). I then decided to go to Nova Southeastern to get my Bachelor's Degree in Education (with the help and encouragement from my friend Melissa Canavan, now Schrack, as she was doing the same at St Thomas). I ended up getting my degree and graduating on the Dean's List. So, I was intellgent...like the nuns at Madonna used to tell my mother at Open House...."if she would just stop being a social butterfly, she has the potential to be extremely intelligent...if she would just apply herself !!"). Okay sisters.....you were right !! I ended up teaching elementary school for about 10 years, and decided I wanted to become a firefighter. So, I attended EMT school at BCC while still teaching. In January of 2003, I entered Broward Fire Academy. It was at this point that I started dating my wonderful husband Steve. He was so supportive of me and truly was my source of strength...along with my brothers. I graduated from the academy in March and began Paramedic school in August. With one semester of Paramedic school to go, the Broward County School Board told me I had to go back to the classroom (as my leave of absence was cut short). So, I got a job teaching at Sawgrass Elementary for one month when the City of Sunrise hired me as a firefighter and I finally left the classroom in 2004. FINALLY...even though I still renew my certificate. Hey, you never know when you might need it !! Upon starting my career with the city, my husband Steve proposed to me...on a dock, at sunset, in Islamorada, Keys. What a romantic...and sooo appropriate, as we both LOVE Islamorada!! we got married a year later in 2005, one week after Hurricane Wilma. We almost didn't get married because of that hurricane. We got our electricity 3 days before our wedding, our bridal party had trouble getting into town, and our rerception was moved to another location because the original place had no electricity. Imagine....a whole year of planning a wedding and only having 3 days to REDO the WHOLE thing. So much for massages and golf the week before !!! It turned out to be an awesome wedding...almost like being at a nightclub..as EVERYONE was wasted and danicng all night...because at that time, EVERYONE needed a party. Alot of my guests lost their roofs, their cars, their homes. At the end of the night, no one wanted to leave. I could totally understand why. Six weeks later, I was pregnant (and didn't even know it). Doctors had told me in the past that I wasn't able to have children, and if I could it would be very difficult if at all possible. Well, I guess man says one thing and GOD says another. I had an awesome pregnancy for being 38 years old and considered "high risk". My pregnancy was "textbook" as the Obstetrician and Specialist said. While I was pregnant, my husband Steve entered the Coral Springs Fire Academy and graduated in July. I delivered Brock Michael on Sept. 2 at 3:58 in the morning, after only a 7 hour labor and no drugs. Yep, an all natural labor...and it was soooo wonderful !! ( I am being sarcastic !!!) It was something I wanted but very difficult to do. If any of you ha...Expand for more