Sleep

Last week Steve had a 2-day. He left Thursday morning.

6am push.

5am show.

Steve typically leaves an hour before his show. And he typically wakes up an hour before he leaves. Well, add in snow, and he gave himself 90 minutes to get to the airport.

Folks, he woke up at 2:30am. Ugh.

I always feel so badly when he has crazy early shows like this, and a 6am push is about as bad as it gets.

Steve is a night owl, so even with these crazy early shows he isn't able to go to bed at 9pm. We were in bed around 10p, which would give him about 4 1/2 hours sleep. As I lay in bed watching tv, Steve shut his eyse and I swear within 2 minutes he started to breath deeply, indicating he was falling asleep.

This man, and I'm sure the same goes for most pilots, can fall asleep in the blink of an eye. In an industry where your circadian rhythm gets fucked over and over, I'm convinced that he has trained himself to sleep on command.

I woke up Thursday morning when Steve kissed me goodbye. Then I rolled over and continued dreaming. Fast forward a couple hours, and I always find it crazy when he has already flown a leg and I'm just getting out of bed.

Steve was supposed to get home Friday night at 22:55. That didn't happen.

He was delayed 3 hours because his inbound was late. Of course he was delayed on his last leg home. That's always the worst.

I woke up around 2am when he was walking up the stairs to come to our bedroom. After a quick and sleepy welcome, followed by delivering the message that one of our smoke detectors is broken, I fell fast asleep. I'm sure he changed, got some food, and perhaps had a glass of wine.

Flying the first flight out on day one, and getting in on the last flight home on day two sure makes for a long-ass trip.

Ours son's basketball game was at 8am Saturday morning. Of course it was! I let Steve sleep as long as possible before I woke him up. Poor guy, but such is the lift of an airline pilot.

***

Thursday I got home from work and took the kids shopping for a Christmas present for Steve. It was successful! We also made a pit stop at Aldi. When we got home, I put away the groceries, Ben heated up some potpies for dinner (clean eating starts in 2018!), and then we started to clean the house. I'm thankful that the kids are of age to help me.

I have written whole blog posts about this before, but I'll say it again. I (almost) always make sure the house is in order and pleasant when Steve gets home. We swept and mopped the floors, cleaned a bathroom, put away clutter, and started a fire.

Steve only had a 2-day this week, but I still make a point to welcome him home to the best house I can manage. I'm human, so I can't do this for every homecoming. But, I know Steve likes this. I know that if I don't do this, he gets pissy. And if he gets pissy, then I get pissy...and then it starts his days off in a pissy way. Who wants that! I know that with a bit of effort, I set a stage that makes him happy. Plus, by this point in the game, I know how to short cut things if I'm running short on time. A big clean can take 1+ hours, but I'm also good at getting the house to look presentable in about 20 minutes. 

A little effort goes a long way...this, I have learned.

***

Saturday night Steve and I attended a neighborhood ugly sweater party. I don't have any pictures, sorry!

We had a great time. Steve looked awesome, and he even sported his Polo Black cologne. Yum.

This isn't pilot wife related, but I seem to be adding non pilot wife stuff with each blog post, so here is mine for this week.

I attend a monthly book club. Actually, I had recently been involved with a second one as well. There are serious book clubs that actually discuss books. And then there are the ones I attend, which is more about wine and food and most of all togetherness with awesome women.

I think Steve and his friends have been jealous of these evenings, so they have started up "The Investors Club" to talk about investments...and shit.

At the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party a couple new people were recruited, including the new neighbor. I think the investors club is up to 11 men now. As word was spreading at the party, and new people were confirming their spot at the Monday "meeting" it made me happy. Life is truly about the connections you make with people. Your friends and family in life are what make it full.

My daughter is 8-years-old. She is a strong girl. Truly. Her legs are solid. Her legs made her the fastest girl in her gym class last year. She is made to be an athlete - she just doesn't know it yet. She has asked me on a number of occasions if she is chubby or fat. She is FUCKING 8-YEARS-OLD! and already notices that she isn't as thin as other girls.

I have high self-esteem. I have for as long as I can remember. In fact, that is one of the qualities that Steve finds most attractive about me. Well sure, there are parts of my body that wish I could change...what person doesn't to some extent. But, those are only internal thoughts. Cici only knows me to share positive things about body image. And I will keep it that way. Having low self-esteem as a woman can be a dangerous thing, and one of my main goals in raising a girl is making sure that she has high self-esteem.

There are images all over that dictate what beauty is. And my 8-year-old daughter has picked up on those images to think that her body doesn't fit into that mold. I reminder her of this all the time...her body is a strong body...her body is a healthy body. But, she doesn't always see that. I hate to think that she already has been told what beauty is and that she doesn't think she has that.

And here's the thing...who gives a shit about not fitting into a mold. Which brings me back to the Investor's Club. These men are all sorts. From tall to short, from thin to thick. Balding or not. Introverts to extroverts. Salaries vary. House sizes vary. And you know what...it doesn't matter. These men are all good men, who are raising good families, who are fun to be around, and who are good people...and this is what matters. Life is about the people you meet and the relationships you build, not the superficial shit that doesn't mean anything in the end. Love people for who they are inside, not what shows on the outside. What do they say about not picking a book by its cover?

***

Merry Christmas everyone! We are traveling a bit this weekend, but we will be home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This was Steve and Ben's wish. Wishing you much peace, love, health, and happiness!!!






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