My Interview With: Miranda "Randi" First (SANDEFLAY)

LM: Now that the emergency is over, please help me welcome Miranda First from SANDEFLAY. Hello, Randi! And congratulations on the baby news!

RF: Thank you, Linda! Collin and I are like kids ourselves right now, we're so excited.

LM: Knowing how sensitive tygrens are, has Bud shown any signs that he knows what's going on?

RF: Oh, most definitely. In fact, Collin and I have both noticed he's gotten extra protective of me.

LM: I think that's sweet! So you're going to stay on the job until you get too cumbersome to move about?

RF: Pretty much, but right now we're taking it one day at a time.

LM: You love being an extinguisher, don't you?

RF: You have no idea. It's the most terrifying, the most exciting thing I've ever done. Or will do!

LM: Next to being a mother?

RF: (giggles)

LM: Give me a negative, Randi.

RF: For what? To being an extinguisher? Umm... I guess it would be the fact that you can't put down roots. Every where we go, it's temporary. "Home" is probably our house in Sandeflay, but we're there so infrequently.

LM: Your house? Did you and Collin get your own place?

RF: Yes, we did. When I began extinguisher school, we felt it would be smarter to get our own place rather than move in with Marc.

LM: Collin's father.

RF: Yes. Actually, we ended up buying Collin's grandparent's house. His father's parents' place. Most of the homes in Sandeflay are kept within the families from generation to generation. Collin's grandparents died before he was a teenager. Marc kept the house specifically for Collin, in case Collin ever wanted a place of his own.

LM: Is it a living house like Marc's?

RF: Oh, yeah. Every house on Sandeflay is a living house.

LM: What about places like the schools and hospitals?

RF: Those are made of dead wood. From the trees and plant life that have died. Believe it or not, dead plants on Sandeflay petrify, so they make superb building material. If you've noticed, the public buildings are built to be very open and airy. That's because they aren't "living" like the houses.

LM: You said your home used to be Marc's parents place. What happened to the house owned by Collin's maternal grandparents?

RF: It remained with Monica's family.

LM: Wow. So many traditions and rules. How do you keep up with it all?

RF: (laughs) I have a native Sandeflayan to keep me informed. (laughs)

LM: Well, if I may say so, you are very blessed. You've been through so much.

RF: I definitely feel blessed.

LM: Thank you for giving us the chance to talk to you. And keep us posted on Baby Boy First!

RF: You can count on it!