The Upside

I've already talked at some length about the crazy, ever-changing schedules my Army husband has, but it's only fair to talk about the upside of his schedule, too.

The other day, Steve told me he wouldn't be home until after 10pm since he had to complete a "night jump." (Yes, that's right—where he has to jump out of a plane in the dark while trying to avoid trees and the like.)

So I had planned on a quiet day at home, but when I got home from the gym and running errands around noon, his truck was in the driveway. He'd been given the middle of the day off, and we would be able to spend the afternoon together, since he didn't have to be back for his jump until 5:30.

Unfortunately, our afternoon was cut short when Steve found out the road up to camp would be closed for a few hours, beginning at 2:30pm. (The Air Force conducts bombing runs in the open areas near the Ranger camp, and they close the roads leading into camp during these tests.) He would need to drive back up to camp before they closed the road in order to be back to work on time.

So our afternoon together turned into having lunch and me watching him pack up to leave again, but that wasn't the Army's fault—they tried. This time it was the Air Force's fault!

Still, the Army let Steve sleep in until 7:30 the next morning, and we did get to have that unexpected lunch together, so I can't complain. Sometimes there are disappointments and sometimes there are unforeseen gifts; you can never tell what's going to happen in Army life.