Summer Work

My Hubby is blessed with a wonderful job. He works as a superintendent for an oilfield company. He enjoys what he does, and he's good at what he does. He is able to provide for our family, and we can every once in a while splurge on the toys of life. He is one of the hardest workers I know next to my Dad. He is one of those guys who isn't afraid to get in and get dirty with his crew. In fact, he much prefers that to the desk work that he has acquired over the past year. And his guys respect him for that. With the desk work came a fantastic promotion but also a lot more responsibility. He is the main organization behind all of the company's excavation projects. And with summer finally here that means he is balls to the wall most days now. Gone is winter and the predictable 10 hour a day, 5 day a week work schedule.

In oilfield, summer is IT!! It is when they get the job done and make the money. This summer being no different from any other. He has 9 projects to man this summer and yesterday got his first emergency call. So begins the long nights and the hours away from home and family. He left for work Friday morning at 5:30, and as I sit here Saturday night at 10:35, he is still not home. He has not seen his son since Monday (yes, almost a week ago) night and that was only for 15 minutes before he went to bed. What was suppose to be a 3 day weekend (and probably the only full weekend off for the summer) has now turned into a disaster. He averages at least 3 days a week where he does see Monkey because he gets home after 7:30 or 8:00 when Monkey has already called it a day. I tried at one point for a while to keep him up, so he could see his Daddy for at least a few minutes. This only creates a fussy boy and an unhappy Mommy who has to deal. No fun for me or Daddy who gets to hear about it.

I guess I'm just writing in frustration and sadness right now. Frustration for going at this parent thing solo a lot of the time. I thank my lucky stars that we had Monkey in January when his work schedule was more predictable and flexible. I can't imagine what my sanity would be like if we had Monkey now, and I had to do the colicky nights all alone. You would probably have to coax me out of the hole I had buried myself in. Sadness for all the moments Monkey's Daddy is missing out on. The coos, giggles, smiles, roll overs, and giant strides this little boy is continuing to make. He seems to be doing something new everyday now. He's been on rice cereal for a week, and his Daddy has only seen him eat it the first time.

Summer is the backdrop for this playground we call Alaska. When the sun never sets and the fish are jumping like crazy. Where rivers beckon you and you can't drive a mile down the highway without seeing a camper drive by. We get to play less and less each summer. Each year I pray that the summer will be more predictable and forgiving as far as the work schedule goes. And every year it seems to get more hectic. I guess that's what happens with a growing company and a workhorse husband. One of the things I fell in love with about him was his work ethic and now that thing is something that I almost, dare I say, despise. It's not the hard worker but the demands of the job I despise. I just pray that one day down the road the load will lighten or the demands will be passed onto someone under him. So he can come home and enjoy his family. Along with that prayer is the hope that it comes before he has grandchildren.

For now, I'm off to my empty bed in hopes that it will warm up some time during the night.