Family, isn't it about...time?

It's been a long couple of months.  I've been essentially gone since April. I went to training for SkyWest, I began flying for the airline, I out-processed the USAF, I in-processed the ANG, I sat reserve in Atlanta, and finally I started training for the KC-135 here in Oklahoma.  During almost all of that time the Blondies and their fearless mother have been in Florida, or on summer vacay in Utah.

It's what we signed up for and we are about half way through the transition plan but that doesn't make it any easier.  Last week, while being put to bed by his mother, Mackay said, "sometimes it feels like he isn't even our Dad anymore because he's never here."  I can understand that.

This last week I had a long break from the training program.  Luckily I still have my travel benefits from the airline so I jumped on a plane to Utah, then to Vegas for the wedding of Spencer and Arien.  Then I grabbed a red eye to Atlanta and an early Sunday line to Pensacola where I finally got to spend about 40 hours with my family.  We joked and played and wrestled and talked about their new schools.  We had a neighbors dad drag his son over by the ear when he heard that BGB and his son had gotten into a pissing contest and both said some very inappropriate things to each other.  That was a good lesson for everyone involved.  We packed many great things into a very short amount of time.

Then I had to get back to work.  It is what it is, but I wish we had done this whole thing differently somehow.  The Blondies are well taken care of and loved by many.  But my arms can't be replaced and can't quite reach the 900 or so miles back to them.