that time... daddy got a bonus trip

I often get asked, "how often do you guys get to see Kevin?" and that is a difficult question to answer for us.  It isn't like clockwork, every 4 weeks he comes home.  Sometimes, it has been 2 months spacing, other times, it has been 2 weeks (like the case of January).  It just depends on what his schedule is, my schedule is, and Avery's school schedule.  Its a complicated system, very similar to when the eclipses happen.  Stars aligning and such.

So after we had a great time over Avery's Spring Break, we were expecting to see him "sometime in May or June." That's how we say things, "sometime in ___."

So it came to our surprise that not 5 days after we said goodbye, that I got a call from Kevin on a Friday that said something to the effect of, "hey, can you pick me up at the airport tomorrow around 5?  My trip was approved."

I'm sure you are thinking the same thing I did.  "What trip?"  and "Of course I can."

You see, he had been waiting to get approval to go to a conference about 60 miles from our house, but as most things with the Air Force go, until you get the paperwork signed, nothing is guaranteed.  This same type of trip was cancelled on us earlier this year, so I just put it out of my mind that it was happening this time.  And frankly, I didn't realize it was THIS week.  I thought it might be in 2-3 more weeks.  Never 5 days after I had last seen him.

With the complicated system of approvals, Kevin added to it by requesting to come home early and leave late (since his wife and daughter live in the local area of the conference).  That increased the likelihood of not getting approval and therefore, he just didn't want to get our hopes up until the paperwork went through.

So there you have it.  A complicated way of saying:  Kevin got a bonus trip home!

So what did we do on the bonus trip?  Oh - you know, acted like we were on vacation in our home town!

I finally saw a movie in a REAL.Live.Theatre (its been almost a year for me).  Did you know there are theatres with reclining seats and they serve you food at your seats?  Its like watching movies at home now.  CRAZINESS!  (I'm only half kidding about knowing this new fact - Avery and Kevin have gone to the movies, but I've chosen to miss out).

We saw Cinderella - great movie.  Nice morals.  I still think Maleficent is a better live action retelling of a Disney movie, but maybe its because Sleeping Beauty is MY favorite classic.




Side story - when Avery was little, she loved Cinderella so much, she used to introduce herself to people as, "Cinderella Unicorn Robertson."  That was her name.  There was no convincing her otherwise.  I would get the side glances from strangers, as if that name appeared on her birth certificate.  Alas, she eventually grew out of it.  Not before she met Cinderella in the flesh.  And we proclaimed there could only be one!

We also went golfing with our neighbors and their daughters.  Beautiful day, but gusty winds.  This was the first time we'd been on the course as a family in two years.  It was a silly game, but super fun.   I have a feeling we'll be out a lot this summer, especially with the girls.

We also ate crazy burgers.  I'm a huge food lover, especially of fried food, so these monster burgers were delish.  The fruity drinks were also refreshing.

And Kevin and I went BACK to the movies for a date night this past Friday.  We saw Furious 7.  Love Paul Walker - he will be missed.  While Kevin felt the movie was a bit ridiculous, especially The Rock's parts, it was still fun.

Lastly, we went to this fun game and comic store in Denver called the Wizard's Chest.  Avery had been dying to go there - she's such an adorable geek - and we finally visited it.  Kevin ended up buying some games for the family to play.  If you are ever in town, this is a great stop for kids - young and old!  We spent over an hour exploring the store and I took mental notes of lots of birthday gifts for my tween!

Its not everyday that I get a bonus trip with my husband.  Normally, we jam pack a vacation into one week and maximize our time together.  But since we had already done that a week ago, it was nice to just spend a bit more time being a family together.

Our family is different now when we are together.  We have a purpose, to maximize our time together, whereas, before, we'd just hang out, do maintenance of the relationship, and not put a lot of effort into quality time.  Its a different way of handling the relationship, but it is a good one.  We don't take for granted each other and the time we have.  We have little bits of time together, and we want to make the most.

So Sunday morning, at 5 am, we took Kevin to the airport, together.  Avery was happy to wake up super early, just so she could get one last time with him before he was gone.  She appreciates her time with him, even at 5 in the morning.