Thursday, January 29, 2009

Business Travel while the Man in Blue is inport

Just my luck. My better half is home, and now I have to leave him. Whereas I am sure he and the dog will fill the hours with hikes, sports center, and grilled meals, it still pulls at the heartstrings to leave those two.

Further, the reality is that by the time he gets underway again, I will have racked up business travel for one third of his time home this inport. So, where am I going? Ironically, to support another blue uniform: the USAF.

I am headed for a week at Eileson AFB, followed by another week at Elmendorf AFB. The biggest shock will be the temperature variation. Comfortably, I have been enjoying Kodiak temps that hover around 30 degrees. Add a negative in front of that number, and that is the average in Fairbanks. From the bitter cold of Fairbanks, I will warm up to 0 degrees when I return to Anchorage.

When working on DoD jobs, I am delighted to have my dependant ID. I have more standing among soldiers and branch chiefs when I can walk the walk and talk the talk. Plus, I can access MWRs, commissaries, and other base privileges while away from home. That ID card has saved me more than once.

So, here's to us spouses who travel away during these precious times. Safe travels and speedy (and warm) returns.

1 comment:

JulieAnn said...

I totally understand what you're saying - I tried not to schedule even dinners with girlfriends when my hubby was in port (back when he was on a ship).

Safe travels and I'm glad you can use your ID card! That's cool how it gives you more standing with those you work with!