We’ve gotten some good news in recent days. My brother Chris got his job transfer locked down, and so is now in those final few frantic weeks of planning and executing a move to Eugene, Oregon. We’re told that his plane leaves Florida on 9/30 on a one-way ticket, and he’s still wrapping up the movers and getting his car from one coast to the other. The cool part is that he’ll be just an eight hour drive (or a one hour flight) from us; we’re hoping to visit him up there soon, as well as entice him down here possibly for Christmas.
The other bit of good news is that the cannery is starting to wind down the season. Latest word is that 9/12 could be the last day, and then all the seasonal people get sent home and the pack is done for the year. We’re both looking forward to wrapping up this seven-day-a-week night shift stuff, and we now can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
You adapt to circumstance. Work things out however you can. One of our adaptations is this ritual we do in the mornings: Kristi comes home about 6am, eats breakfast, changes clothes, comes to bed and wakes me up about 6:30. Then I slowly wake up while she tells me about her night. As I wake up, she winds down, until finally I’m awake enough to pick up a book and read her to sleep. Then I get up, usher the dog out of the bedroom, close up the room and get my own day started. We’ve been doing this every day now for months.
Anyway, this morning Kristi wakes me up and says, “Hey babe. I got an idea. Feel like taking your wife out for breakfast?”
And you know what? Indeed I did. So I jumped in the shower, dressed, and we hit up a local place called Huckleberrys. It used to be the local Perko’s chain; for you Florida readers, it’s very similar to Perkins. Only Perko’s had worse food and the new Huckleberrys has better (including fresh squeezed orange juice!).
So we had our first breakfast together in a really long time this morning. And it was beyond fine. This summer’s been hard, but I think it’s made us both appreciate the little things – the random foot rub, breakfast together, clean and warm towels, falling asleep together at night, weekends with someone fun to hit Barnes and Noble with. The things you miss most when they’re suddenly not there, and the things you might take for granted on a normal day. These days, those things are new and sparkling each time.
Glad summer’s almost over. Ready for the fall to start – and also ready for Kristi to resume R&K writing duties. 🙂