Hello Goodbye

There are charges on the credit card my husband and I share for restaurants I've never eaten at and hotels I've never slept in. For rental cars I've never been in and for trips to exotic (relatively) locales I've never visited. My husband is seeing other women. And men.

No, not in THAT way. He travels a lot for his job. It used to be that his travels took him out into some field work situation (he's an oceanographer with a physics based Ph.D.) on a ship or boat. Now he's bouncing all over the country for meetings and other less adventurous pursuits. His comings and goings are nothing new. After 16 plus years together, we're used to the travel aspect of his career, and what was mine once upon a time. It's all good, and I think in a way his traveling has been a plus in our marriage. I'm not always tripping over him, he's not always bombarded with my nagging about this or that needing to be done, and we both enjoy the welcome home part ; )

But this past month and a half has been filled with more back to back trips than even he can admit to enjoying. Since mid March, DH hasn't been home for longer than five days. No, really. Sometimes, like last Thursday, it's a matter of hours before he has to head out again, just enough time to change clothes in the duffel bag, take a shower and catch some sleep. He came home from a 3 day cruise (deploying moorings, not a Carnival or Royal Caribbean) Thursday afternoon and left Friday morning for a trip to Seward. He'll get home tonight at 7pm. Then I leave tomorrow afternoon for 3 days in Anchorage. (Not for fun, unfortunately.) I return Wednesday and he leaves Friday for 8 or 10 days. I think he gets to stay home for a couple of weeks in May before having to leave again. I'll have to check the calendar.

We keep up to date photos of him around so the kids recognize him. Otherwise we'd end up with conversations like this occurring:

"Mom, who's that guy sitting at the kitchen table?"

"That's you're father, honey."

"No, really, Mom. Who is he?"

I warn him not to shave his beard off while he's away or the dogs might go after him.

All in all, it's not as terrible as some might think, and there are certainly families whose separations are longer and more nerve-wracking than ours. But it'll be nice to see him again, dear old....um.....what's his name....wait a second, I know this one.....Hang on, let me go look at the marriage certificate.....