Birthday Weekend Getaway
warning: this is seemingly the post that never ends. Be prepared for over 2,000 words...apparently, I have a lot to say about this past weekend.
*******
There are certain times in your life where you swear there must be cameras on you, because what is going down is just too fucked up for reality. Too much is going wrong. This must be a comedy show, or something.
Steve's birthday was this past week. A couple weeks ago, I had the bright idea to go away for the weekend. Just me and him. We typically get away, just the two of us, once a year. This hadn't happened yet in 2016, so I thought it would be fun.
Despite my fear that he wouldn't receive the invitation well...
...he did!
Great! Let the planning begin. We decided to stay downtown at a hotel within walking distance of bars and restaurants. We even used points for the hotel, so that was an added bonus. My aunt and uncle were going to watch the kids and the dog.
Steve got in Friday evening from a 4-day, and then immediately went to the Polish Center for a program the kids were putting on. He was pretty tired. We finally got home around 9pm, and had to start packing for the weekend.
Here was the plan for Saturday:
8am: Cici basketball
9am: Ben basketball
10:30am: leave the house to go furniture shopping
11:30am: meet our interior designer at the furniture store
- after shopping: drop the kids off at my aunt and uncle's house
- after dropping the kids off, head downtown for our night away
Ok, so here is how the day actually went:
8am: Cici's basketball went well. Steve and I are the coaches, and we were so happy with how the kids (1st graders) did. They showed great improvement!
9am: Steve drove to Ben's basketball game, while I took Cici home. First, we stopped at the store to buy flowers for my aunt, and also at the dry cleaners (of course) to get Steve's uniform. Once we got home I was going to finish packing and get everything ready so that when Steve and Ben got home we would leave.
9:45am: I made Niko go outside. He has a tendency to put in nose into everything, and then steal it...
...so I wanted him out of the way when I had bedroom doors open. Outside was the best solution.
10:10am: I am sitting at the kitchen island, ready and waiting for the boys to get home so we could head to the furniture store.
10:15am: Steve barges into the house "WE HAVE TO TAKE NIKO TO THE VET, NOW!" Problem #1.
Our property boarders deep woods, and a creek.
We love our property, but with the location comes lots of wildlife, including rodents. Because of this, we have a contract with an exterminator. They put out mice bait, which contains poison.
Guess who got into the mice poison?
When Steve got home, Niko came running from the backyard with chewed plastic in his mouth. Steve put two and two together, and made a bee-line to the vet. While Steve drove, I called the vet and let them know they were en-route. I then had to call our designer, to let her know what was going on. Then I had to call my aunt, to let her know what was going on.
Turns out the poison was an anti-coagulate. Had left untreated, Niko would have had no symptoms for about two weeks, and then he would have just started bleeding from everywhere. He would have died. But, he was treated, and should be fine. They induced vomiting, which was tinged blue, confirming he did ingest the poison. They gave him charcoal, which helped the contents of his stomach and bowels bind together to be eliminated. And he is on Vitamin K pills for 30 days, which is a coagulant.
Steve came home, without Niko, to get showered up. They wanted to keep him for just a bit to make sure he wasn't going to vomit anymore. I called our designer and we rescheduled our meeting for 1:30p.
Noon: we picked up Niko. The stinker...that cost us $178. So much for the "free" hotel room that night...the money was out of our pocket one way or another. But, with this face, it is easy to forgive. And, of course, we are so thankful that he is and should remain okay.
1pm: dropped the kids and dog off at my aunt and uncle's house. This was after having a weird run-in with an agitated lost driver looking for directions while scream out of his car. And then almost getting into an accident from a oblivious driver. Problems #2 and then #3.
1:30p: met our designer, and picked our family room furniture. No issues around this, thankfully.
5pm: wrapped up our appointment, and then headed downtown. Finally, we were on our way! Let our night begin! I was really looking forward to it. Steve and I haven't be getting enough quality time together, so this was very much anticipated.
I even got a new shirt. A gold shimmer sweater, to be worn with dark jeans, black heels, and a black velvet jacket. As I was drying my long/thick hair (noting this because it takes FOREVER to dry my hair) I was getting really hot. Being a bit agitated, the tag on my sweater started to bother me. I turned off the hair dryer, walked to the bed where Steve was lounging, and asked him to cut off my tag with nail chippers. The first snip went well, but the next snip caused a hole. "Oh shoot...sorry!" Problem #4
Without a sewing kit in our possession, I ended up changing into a black sleeveless blouse...fine. Thankfully I packed a couple shirts, just in case I wasn't feeling my original idea. Or, just in case my husband, with big hands, can't be delicate with fabrics.
Out the door we went. First we were going to get drinks and appetizers at one restaurant, and then head over for dinner at 8:45p at an oyster bar. We first had margaritas and chips with guac. Guac with goat cheese, actually. A really great combination! At the next place we had a cocktail while waiting for our table. Then at the table we had bread, shared appetizers of calamari and shrimp stuffed peppers, oysters, dessert and coffee. I am being descriptive with the food we ate for a reason.
The evening was going well. It was so nice to share quality time like this. Not to mention, this was in the same area (now redeveloped) where Steve and I met. We went down memory lane. The location was awesome - right on the water, where cargo ships were coming through. The scene was just perfect. Again, just a great time.
It was 10:30p something by the time we wrapped up. By this time, I was feeling quite full. To note, Steve and I aren't the biggest eaters. We prefer good conversation, good drinks, good atmosphere, before food. We like tapas or sushi the best...little bites of great flavor. Totally our speed.
As we were walking about to our hotel, Steve was talking about food. I actually told him to stop talking. I was just really full and not very comfortable. We had it to our room, and I immediately looked to see if they had any peppermint tea by the keurig. Nope.
And then the feeling come over me. Gag, gag...puke. I emptied the entire contents of my belly into the toilet. Yup, everything. Problem #5
Poor Steve. As he heard me getting sick he put water on my nightstand. And laid out my nightie. He thought I had what Cici had earlier in the week. She had a fever for about 2 days, but only got sick once. He was totally prepared for me to come out of the bathroom, crawl into bed, and sleep the night away.
And wouldn't you know it...after I composed myself and walked into the bedroom, I felt totally fine! My body simply had too much, and needed to reject it. I am actually thankful I got sick, because had I not, I would have been miserable all night.
We proceeded to have a nice evening, and a good nights sleep. The next morning was uneventful, as was picking up the kids and going home.
The above certainly is a replay of our weekend, but in my effort to keep my blog the talk of being a pilot wife, let me start sharing pilot wife stuff.
First off, it is so important to make sure you spend quality time with your partner. I blogged about this a bit in my post from last month, Flowers. Steve and I have just been so busy, that our quality time is mostly hanging out in the family room after the kids go to sleep. Wine, beer, netflix, or sometimes just conversation. Typically our date nights are Friday nights, but as of late our Friday nights have either been camp outs, Hoe Downs...
...Polish Programs, or Steve working. Getting away for the weekend was such a good thing for us. I know the both of us really enjoyed the evening, even though it meant Steve was in a hotel yet again that week. Throughout the whole evening, I was reminded over and over how much I really dig Steve. Being together over 17 years, and married 13, I still really dig this guy. I think a big part of this is the fact that he is gone a lot. I have said this over and over, and some probably find this so bizarre, but our marriage works so well because he is gone. When he is gone, I (mostly) miss him and anticipate him coming home. And when he is home, I (mostly) appreciate his presence. Absence has truly made my heart grow fonder. And then when you have a getaway where you reconnect, all is right in your world.
Ok, so moving on from mushy stuff to the realities of life, being married to a pilot. Steve was originally supposed to work Thanksgiving. He was to leave on Tuesday and come home Friday of that week. I was upset at first, but you simply gotta roll with it. Wasn't the first holiday worked, and certainly won't be the last.
One afternoon, I got home from work and as I walked into the house Steve said, shyly, "so...I may have just done something that could either help us or hurt us...I dropped my Thanksgiving trip." He didn't think he actually could (min. coverage, blah blah blah) so he kind of took a chance. But, the trip actually dropped. As did 25% of his November pay.
To offset the lost trip, he picked up a couple days trips and turned 2 or 3-day trips into 4-day trips. He has been working a lot, it seems, but at least he will be home for Thanksgiving!
Ok, ok, now that that has been established...Steve had a day trip this past Monday, the day after we got back from our little getaway. He had an early show, flew three legs, and was home by about 6:30p, The kids had school, I was working, and then we had PSR. We were busy, and the fact that Steve was working on an original day off really didn't impact us much at all.
The entire day I was high on life. My heart was so full, I could have jumped from mountain top to mountain top. Yes, the getaway was that great.
The kids and I pull into the driveway after PSR, and Steve's car is in the garage. He was home, and my heart was full.
I pulled into the garage, parked the car, and was barely out of the car door when Steve said, with that tone, "why did you take Niko?" When Steve is working, I take the dog in the car when we go somewhere. He loves it, and it keeps him out of the kennel at home.
Ugh. Cranky pilot. Been here before. I did what was best and bit my tongue.
I proceed to make dinner. Honey Garlic Chicken. Good stuff! And I casually mention to Steve that we need to call the appliance store because there is a squeak in the refrigerator door. Of course Steve has to investigate and diagnose, like a good pilot.
So, for the next 5 minutes, or so, Steve was opening and shutting the doors, and opening and shutting. And then asking me questions, and then opening and shutting more. He then discovered the appliance was actually rubbing the cabinet built around it. This set him off pretty good. "Look Joanna, it's rubbing!"
My advice: "call the contractor."
That wasn't good enough. Then he started trying to move the fridge within the cabinet space. It is a tight space, so moving it wasn't easy at all. Steve was very focus on this task, all the while carrying a certain tone and mannerism.
So much for a full heart. I was annoyed and incredibly bothered. I wanted to come home to a hug and a kiss, but instead I came home to a pissed off, tired, and cranky pilot. I even told him at one point that I loved that he was home, but not when he was like this. This, folks, is the reality of being married to a pilot....one that flew three legs that day.
Steve's birthday was the next day. We celebrated that evening: presents, chicken parmesan, salad, and cake. Happy Birthday!
He left for a 3-day trip Wednesday morning. He is due home tonight. Once again missing Friday night date night. Insert sad face. It will be good to see him when he gets home.
Back to reality, and telling it like it is.
*******
There are certain times in your life where you swear there must be cameras on you, because what is going down is just too fucked up for reality. Too much is going wrong. This must be a comedy show, or something.
Steve's birthday was this past week. A couple weeks ago, I had the bright idea to go away for the weekend. Just me and him. We typically get away, just the two of us, once a year. This hadn't happened yet in 2016, so I thought it would be fun.
Despite my fear that he wouldn't receive the invitation well...
his birthday is soon. thinking about going away for the night. the last thing he probably wants to do is spend another night away from home— Joanna (@comebackdaddy) November 1, 2016
...he did!
I suggest we go away for the night for his birthday...and he wanted to! Without hesitation. "That's a good idea" #pilotwife— Joanna (@comebackdaddy) November 3, 2016
Great! Let the planning begin. We decided to stay downtown at a hotel within walking distance of bars and restaurants. We even used points for the hotel, so that was an added bonus. My aunt and uncle were going to watch the kids and the dog.
Steve got in Friday evening from a 4-day, and then immediately went to the Polish Center for a program the kids were putting on. He was pretty tired. We finally got home around 9pm, and had to start packing for the weekend.
Here was the plan for Saturday:
8am: Cici basketball
9am: Ben basketball
10:30am: leave the house to go furniture shopping
11:30am: meet our interior designer at the furniture store
- after shopping: drop the kids off at my aunt and uncle's house
- after dropping the kids off, head downtown for our night away
Ok, so here is how the day actually went:
8am: Cici's basketball went well. Steve and I are the coaches, and we were so happy with how the kids (1st graders) did. They showed great improvement!
9am: Steve drove to Ben's basketball game, while I took Cici home. First, we stopped at the store to buy flowers for my aunt, and also at the dry cleaners (of course) to get Steve's uniform. Once we got home I was going to finish packing and get everything ready so that when Steve and Ben got home we would leave.
9:45am: I made Niko go outside. He has a tendency to put in nose into everything, and then steal it...
...so I wanted him out of the way when I had bedroom doors open. Outside was the best solution.
10:10am: I am sitting at the kitchen island, ready and waiting for the boys to get home so we could head to the furniture store.
10:15am: Steve barges into the house "WE HAVE TO TAKE NIKO TO THE VET, NOW!" Problem #1.
Our property boarders deep woods, and a creek.
 |
| picture taken after we had about 30 dead trees removed. Nothing like spending a lot of money to actually get rid of something! |
Guess who got into the mice poison?
When Steve got home, Niko came running from the backyard with chewed plastic in his mouth. Steve put two and two together, and made a bee-line to the vet. While Steve drove, I called the vet and let them know they were en-route. I then had to call our designer, to let her know what was going on. Then I had to call my aunt, to let her know what was going on.
Turns out the poison was an anti-coagulate. Had left untreated, Niko would have had no symptoms for about two weeks, and then he would have just started bleeding from everywhere. He would have died. But, he was treated, and should be fine. They induced vomiting, which was tinged blue, confirming he did ingest the poison. They gave him charcoal, which helped the contents of his stomach and bowels bind together to be eliminated. And he is on Vitamin K pills for 30 days, which is a coagulant.
Steve came home, without Niko, to get showered up. They wanted to keep him for just a bit to make sure he wasn't going to vomit anymore. I called our designer and we rescheduled our meeting for 1:30p.
Noon: we picked up Niko. The stinker...that cost us $178. So much for the "free" hotel room that night...the money was out of our pocket one way or another. But, with this face, it is easy to forgive. And, of course, we are so thankful that he is and should remain okay.
1pm: dropped the kids and dog off at my aunt and uncle's house. This was after having a weird run-in with an agitated lost driver looking for directions while scream out of his car. And then almost getting into an accident from a oblivious driver. Problems #2 and then #3.
1:30p: met our designer, and picked our family room furniture. No issues around this, thankfully.
 |
| navy couch, leather ottoman, accent fabrics sitting chair fabric will be a dark brown with a pattern in cream, not pictured |
5pm: wrapped up our appointment, and then headed downtown. Finally, we were on our way! Let our night begin! I was really looking forward to it. Steve and I haven't be getting enough quality time together, so this was very much anticipated.
I even got a new shirt. A gold shimmer sweater, to be worn with dark jeans, black heels, and a black velvet jacket. As I was drying my long/thick hair (noting this because it takes FOREVER to dry my hair) I was getting really hot. Being a bit agitated, the tag on my sweater started to bother me. I turned off the hair dryer, walked to the bed where Steve was lounging, and asked him to cut off my tag with nail chippers. The first snip went well, but the next snip caused a hole. "Oh shoot...sorry!" Problem #4
Without a sewing kit in our possession, I ended up changing into a black sleeveless blouse...fine. Thankfully I packed a couple shirts, just in case I wasn't feeling my original idea. Or, just in case my husband, with big hands, can't be delicate with fabrics.
Out the door we went. First we were going to get drinks and appetizers at one restaurant, and then head over for dinner at 8:45p at an oyster bar. We first had margaritas and chips with guac. Guac with goat cheese, actually. A really great combination! At the next place we had a cocktail while waiting for our table. Then at the table we had bread, shared appetizers of calamari and shrimp stuffed peppers, oysters, dessert and coffee. I am being descriptive with the food we ate for a reason.
The evening was going well. It was so nice to share quality time like this. Not to mention, this was in the same area (now redeveloped) where Steve and I met. We went down memory lane. The location was awesome - right on the water, where cargo ships were coming through. The scene was just perfect. Again, just a great time.
It was 10:30p something by the time we wrapped up. By this time, I was feeling quite full. To note, Steve and I aren't the biggest eaters. We prefer good conversation, good drinks, good atmosphere, before food. We like tapas or sushi the best...little bites of great flavor. Totally our speed.
As we were walking about to our hotel, Steve was talking about food. I actually told him to stop talking. I was just really full and not very comfortable. We had it to our room, and I immediately looked to see if they had any peppermint tea by the keurig. Nope.
And then the feeling come over me. Gag, gag...puke. I emptied the entire contents of my belly into the toilet. Yup, everything. Problem #5
Poor Steve. As he heard me getting sick he put water on my nightstand. And laid out my nightie. He thought I had what Cici had earlier in the week. She had a fever for about 2 days, but only got sick once. He was totally prepared for me to come out of the bathroom, crawl into bed, and sleep the night away.
And wouldn't you know it...after I composed myself and walked into the bedroom, I felt totally fine! My body simply had too much, and needed to reject it. I am actually thankful I got sick, because had I not, I would have been miserable all night.
We proceeded to have a nice evening, and a good nights sleep. The next morning was uneventful, as was picking up the kids and going home.
The above certainly is a replay of our weekend, but in my effort to keep my blog the talk of being a pilot wife, let me start sharing pilot wife stuff.
First off, it is so important to make sure you spend quality time with your partner. I blogged about this a bit in my post from last month, Flowers. Steve and I have just been so busy, that our quality time is mostly hanging out in the family room after the kids go to sleep. Wine, beer, netflix, or sometimes just conversation. Typically our date nights are Friday nights, but as of late our Friday nights have either been camp outs, Hoe Downs...
...Polish Programs, or Steve working. Getting away for the weekend was such a good thing for us. I know the both of us really enjoyed the evening, even though it meant Steve was in a hotel yet again that week. Throughout the whole evening, I was reminded over and over how much I really dig Steve. Being together over 17 years, and married 13, I still really dig this guy. I think a big part of this is the fact that he is gone a lot. I have said this over and over, and some probably find this so bizarre, but our marriage works so well because he is gone. When he is gone, I (mostly) miss him and anticipate him coming home. And when he is home, I (mostly) appreciate his presence. Absence has truly made my heart grow fonder. And then when you have a getaway where you reconnect, all is right in your world.
Ok, so moving on from mushy stuff to the realities of life, being married to a pilot. Steve was originally supposed to work Thanksgiving. He was to leave on Tuesday and come home Friday of that week. I was upset at first, but you simply gotta roll with it. Wasn't the first holiday worked, and certainly won't be the last.
One afternoon, I got home from work and as I walked into the house Steve said, shyly, "so...I may have just done something that could either help us or hurt us...I dropped my Thanksgiving trip." He didn't think he actually could (min. coverage, blah blah blah) so he kind of took a chance. But, the trip actually dropped. As did 25% of his November pay.
To offset the lost trip, he picked up a couple days trips and turned 2 or 3-day trips into 4-day trips. He has been working a lot, it seems, but at least he will be home for Thanksgiving!
Ok, ok, now that that has been established...Steve had a day trip this past Monday, the day after we got back from our little getaway. He had an early show, flew three legs, and was home by about 6:30p, The kids had school, I was working, and then we had PSR. We were busy, and the fact that Steve was working on an original day off really didn't impact us much at all.
The entire day I was high on life. My heart was so full, I could have jumped from mountain top to mountain top. Yes, the getaway was that great.
The kids and I pull into the driveway after PSR, and Steve's car is in the garage. He was home, and my heart was full.
I pulled into the garage, parked the car, and was barely out of the car door when Steve said, with that tone, "why did you take Niko?" When Steve is working, I take the dog in the car when we go somewhere. He loves it, and it keeps him out of the kennel at home.
Ugh. Cranky pilot. Been here before. I did what was best and bit my tongue.
I proceed to make dinner. Honey Garlic Chicken. Good stuff! And I casually mention to Steve that we need to call the appliance store because there is a squeak in the refrigerator door. Of course Steve has to investigate and diagnose, like a good pilot.
So, for the next 5 minutes, or so, Steve was opening and shutting the doors, and opening and shutting. And then asking me questions, and then opening and shutting more. He then discovered the appliance was actually rubbing the cabinet built around it. This set him off pretty good. "Look Joanna, it's rubbing!"
My advice: "call the contractor."
That wasn't good enough. Then he started trying to move the fridge within the cabinet space. It is a tight space, so moving it wasn't easy at all. Steve was very focus on this task, all the while carrying a certain tone and mannerism.
So much for a full heart. I was annoyed and incredibly bothered. I wanted to come home to a hug and a kiss, but instead I came home to a pissed off, tired, and cranky pilot. I even told him at one point that I loved that he was home, but not when he was like this. This, folks, is the reality of being married to a pilot....one that flew three legs that day.
Steve's birthday was the next day. We celebrated that evening: presents, chicken parmesan, salad, and cake. Happy Birthday!
He left for a 3-day trip Wednesday morning. He is due home tonight. Once again missing Friday night date night. Insert sad face. It will be good to see him when he gets home.
Back to reality, and telling it like it is.
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