A lady at the bank yesterday told me I reminded her of a mililtary wife, but those "military wives" deserve way more credit than me. At least if I really REALLY miss my husband (or go into labor early, hello Mabel you better stay in there!) he is only 2 1/2 hours away and not getting shot at by terrorists on the other side of the world. 
          Its been a supercrazy winter with Adam going back and forth between home and Michigan. I want to say you get used to it, but we don't, really, because there's no routine. This week he was home only on monday and had to leave to go back right away on Tuesday afternoon, the week before he was home 5 days.  For awhile I was going up by myself to see him on the wkends, but its really hard for me to drive that far now, and probably not that safe since I am hitting the 30 wks pregnant mark.           I cant imagine what the inside of the "Man Shack looks like right now, Adam is not exactly the kind of husband who tidies up after himself, and after 10 years I have given up that battle. He told me there were at least 3 Taco Bell bags rustling around in his bed somewhere, and he hasnt brought home any dirty laundry the last 2 trips. I know he misses us as much as we miss him, but  Im sure he has those moments as well where he enjoys the cable tv and peace and quiet of the shack lol. And no one to yell  at him to take his boots off at the door. The best part is that there is these great eccentric neighbors who bring him soup, pizza, sausage sticks, etc so I know between them and the Escanaba TB he isn't starving.
          Which brings me to his favorite question "Dont you do anything while I'm gone?" Oh gosh, REALLY? Lol. No the clothes just "jump" in and out of the washing machine and walk themselves to their drawers, the kids feed themselves (well sometimes haha, Eric really likes to cook, under supervision) and drive themselves around town. The groceries magically appear.  The kids have to get hauled back and forth to three different schools in 2 different districts, we have girl scouts, dance classes, Eric's days that he "works" at grandpa's shop, and all my doctors appts. Not to mention that my between my kids and the neighbor kids and cousins that all live nearby, someone is always running in and out. I find myself "head-counting" a lot.
           Sometimes I think Adam resents that I get to "stay home" with the kids while he is at work, even though I would hardly call it staying home. Just look at the mileage on my truck, I put 101,000 miles on that thing in 6 years...(I guess there was a disastrous trip him and I took to Nashville in there, and the Griswolds-like trip to Chattanooga with the kids, but that is still a LOT of miles!) I like to think I put in my share of outside of the home "work time", I worked full time from when Eric was 8 months old until Jake was 14 months old, and last year I killed myself working that overnight temp job at Nestle. Im looking forward to being home with the baby next year (and having only ONE baby at a time, good lord how did I ever manage all three of them?! Holly couldn't even walk yet when Jake was born and Eric was 4), poor lil girl she will probably be the most traveled baby around.
         I like to think we have come a really long way in 11 years, I like to imagine where I'd like to be when we hit 20, but they always say "if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans". (ps dont tell Adam I mentioned god, he once told someone he was "anti-christ", until I explained to him what it meant, and that he should say Athiest instead lol that is an entire different can of worms...)