Until we meet again

We made it through the first of many cycles of hello and goodbye. Having B home for my birthday was the best present I could ask for. We weren't expecting him to end up spending four days home considering he had only requested 36 hours, but thus is the unpredictable nature of the industry. Even if he had only stayed home for the requested amount of time, that would have just meant that he would be sitting on a load for 2 days only 3 hours away. So we got up at 4:00 this morning and took him back to where his truck was parked. It was rough on Boogie, but it's difficult to make a two-year-old understand. I can only hope this gets easier over time.

Having him home allowed us a chance to have fun, get necessary things accomplished, and then get ready for the cycle to begin anew. I lost count of how many times I started tearing up just watching my trucker and his newest son together for the first times and knowing that the next set of pictures I get with them together will have a very different baby in them. We bounced from place to place, just enjoying being together as a family. As much as I love him though, that man is bad for my diet! We must have eaten out almost every meal and I gained back several pounds I had worked so hard to lose, so now that he is gone, it's back to the grind for me.

My new outlook on housekeeping had me practically twitching at times over the weekend. Dishes on the sink, laundry on the bathroom floor... It was too close to the way I used to let things just pile up! The minute he went to lunch with a former co-worker and I was alone with the kids I immediately set about washing dishes and picking up. And then ended up going overboard and doing several loads of his laundry and folding his clothes. At one point yesterday I requisitioned his keys and took some groceries up to his truck, turned his fridge back on and took the sheets from his bunk so I could wash those too. And of course because men will be men, I found and removed most, if not all, of the trash in there so he can at least start from scratch. So I was able to send him off this morning knowing all of his clothes have been washed, his sheets are fresh and clean, he has food until next payday at least, and he has a freshly baked batch of brownies to munch on. If anything I just wanted him to feel taken care of because he is out there working hard and sacrificing seeing his kids grow up to support us.

I'm surprised with how "okay" I am with my trucker leaving. This was the first time he came home and left again with both of us knowing that it will be weeks before we can hold one another and be together again. I don't know if this is because I want to be the one leaving OTR and letting him stay home with the kids to be Mr Mom or if it's just easier because I turn around have him in my ear again as I hit the maps and plan his next stops. I might not be a crying wreck, but I am already looking forward to his next hometime, whenever that may be. Until then, I pray that God helps steady the wheel and keep that rig rolling between the white lines all the way home.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.