Christmas as a Pilot's Wife

                                                   Merry Christmas from Disney!!!!

I will be the first person to say we are extremely lucky this year that dh is home.  That being said there have been many years when he wasn't, and that's the normal.

Let's start with the year that I met dh, he was in upgrade training in Houston (we had moved down there) and we didn't come home for Christmas.  My family was very understanding of this, especially considering I had known dh for 6 months at this time and it included a move across the country with him.  However dh's parents didn't understand this and I was blamed for him missing Christmas.  Great way to make an impression on future in laws right?

Fast forward to a few years later he was actually home for Christmas and his good friend (pilot) had an overnight where we lived at the time.  It was great even though it wasn't a long overnight there is nothing better than helping a pilot have at least have a little bit of home on the holiday.

Then there were the Allegiant years.  Which brought a whole other level of crap to the holidays.  My absolute favorite was the year they let him trip trade off Christmas, which was great we were so excited!  Until two weeks later, after we had already bought our tickets home it "magically" appeared back on his schedule, a lot of screaming ensued which resulted in the company (basically) telling us "too bad so sad it's on your schedule now."   The joke was ultimately on them though, due to their fantastic maintenance program dh had super scary emergency landing.  This in turn gave him Christmas off, even though he had to sleep in the airport after his flight and told the schedulers to go pound sand.  Communication was stellar the chief pilot gave him and the CA  (coincidentally one our best friends these days) and dh the time off because of the nature of the emergency, but didn't tell scheduling.  So scheduling kept calling dh asking where he was, he finally turned off the phone.  I picked him up at the airport Christmas Eve morning and the only thing he wanted was breakfast somewhere with a bar, it was bad.  Then there were the years I drove from ABQ-ORD by myself in the truck with the cats and dogs because dh couldn't any time off around Christmas (or Christmas).  Every Christmas has a story it seems in those Allegiant years.

Then there was last year, dh had just switched companies, which in and of itself was a fantastic Christmas present.  But we also knew that because of that he would be working.  Dh was home on Christmas Eve and I dropped him at the airport Christmas Day morning at 6am.  And my day went on from there, Christmas with his parents, and later in the day my family.  While dh got a nice turn to LGA.  Every year we make it work, some years are better than others no doubt, so I will leave you with a poem I wrote one year.  I was supposed to drove to Chicago but I got a hundred miles away and something was wrong with the truck so I flew at the last minute with a giant box of presents and a cat in a snow storm, it was fun...or something....also VERY expensive!

Christmas Time Pilot Wife Style (Night before Christmas)

T'was the trip before Christmas and all through the house

 everyone was stirring perhaps even a mouse.

The truck had been packed with less than a care

in the hopes that I would soon get the hell outta there.

The animals were snuggled all safe in the back

while visions of sugar plums danced while they yacked.

While me in the front along with puma the cat

had just settled down to drive forever at that.

When out on the road there was such a shudder

I turned back home before the truck went a flutter.

Back to the computer I ran in a dash

hoping to book tickets that wouldn't cost me much cash.

Success with free tickets, send me away

only to turn out at the airport I must stay.

And to what did my tired ass eyes  appear?

the snow of the century that all airport passengers fear.

When I spy a poor old F9 driver so sad and quick

I knew in a moment he must work for the "Revered  St Dick."

More rapid than a hare he said they went missed 4 times

and this will no doubt cost you another dime.

On Delta on Airways, American, and Continental

and whoever we could ride on without being judgmental.

 Into the line you must rush

to see how to get out of all this fuss.

 

So I call my pilot who flies in the sky

to shout about what is happening and why.

 Up to the front of the line I flew

to find out my ticket was book on American anew.

 

Then in a twinkling I heard on my phone

my husband calling to let it be known.

That I would be staying the night in a hotel,

because the roads to my house had closed...what hell!

 I schlepped all my bags, boxes, and cat

onto the hotel with all of my crap.

 In the morning I got free breakfast for my trouble,

and back to the airport where American charged me double.

By the time I arrived in Chicago I'm not merry

and want to beat the shit out of the Christmas fairy.

Little did I realize my fun was just beginning

back to the airport I drove to pick up my husband who was grinning.

 

Two days I got to see my husband before

he flew off to Ft Lauderdale once more.

Then quick as flash back  to the airport I drove to get him

and on Christmas Eve even by now I'm quite grim.

But my fun was not over, because I got sick myself

what better to visit an ER on Christmas day...when else?

After receiving two shots which I dread

the rest of the day passed in my happy floatly head.

Lucky for me I had a few days to shirk

before following dh to Ft. Lauderdale for work.

Could barely stay awake till midnight on New Year's Eve

then my one day at the beach it was 30 I was  peeved!

Then back to ORD I went like a missile

and waited for Dh to appear looking official.

The next morning again to the airport for our O'Dark thirty flight

And we finally made it back home before midnight!