The Beginning of the New Chapter

            Just the facts.  I married my husband and the Navy 24 years ago.  In those 24 years I have moved 12 times, covering 19,698 miles, been a single mother to three children for 132 months, and changed 13,104 diapers.  In 23 years my husband, Doug, has been home for 8 moves, but never moved with three kids, two cats, a rabbit, a guinea pig, and a frog in one mini van.  He has been a single father for 6.75 days and changed .5 dirty diapers.  I'm convinced he perfected the gag in front of the mirror first.

            Now the light at the end of the tunnel is blinding.  Retirement from the Navy is here.  Doug can come home every night from an organized, calm job.  We can buy a house  close to our children and have family dinners every Sunday.  I can become Donna Reid. 

            Just the facts-I knew the light was blinding.  I didn't realize it had blinded me.  The calm job is in a war country.  The home every night is home every six weeks.  The house close to our children is 1,682 miles away.  The new chapter begins on a gravel road...

            I must confess I am backing up a couple months.  I sped away from San Diego in January with the Navy in my rearview mirror.  However; not much had changed.  It was just me and the giant scaredy cat driving across country.  Our first destination was Corpus Christi, Texas. 

           

            We blew by El Centro with the Blue Angels soaring and dipping over head.  We coasted by giant cacti in Arizona and smelled too many dairy cows in New Mexico.  We passed helicopters in Texas being towed by a truck advertising giraffe sales.  Really!

            Twenty six hours later we made it to my parents house.  Time to rest and recoup.  However my father had other ideas-chores.  I thought chores after fifty was outlawed.  But there I was climbing up the grapefruit tree to get the last few at the top.

            When the grueling day of chores was finished.  My sister (who had not helped with chores) and I felt the need to relax.  We jumped in her still smelling new SUV and drove to the Party Barn.  We pulled in the red barn structure.  A friendly gentleman sauntered up to the window and we ordered our liquid refreshment.  It arrived in seconds hidden in the nondescript paper bag.   Off we raced to relax!

          Thus ending my time in Corpus Christi.  The journey to the gravel road continues.