is there a return policy?

hi all!

the husband has returned. he got back on june 30th which was a few days earlier than i had planned. the reason was that he was unable to complete the course. he made an error that jeopardized the safety of the crew and it meant that he was done and would not be given a 2nd chance to complete the course. sigh. he was only days from finishing too...his error was made on tues june 27th and the course ended for the graduates on sunday the 2nd of july. the interesting part is he lasted a day longer than a dutch student...which i think is pretty good, considering the dutch navy was hosting this course and they were on a dutch submarine. for the dutch student, it means the end of his career in submarines; he can still continue in surface ships in their navy. for rob, it just means that he was unable to finish the course. it won't be a strike against him when it comes to promotions, but it would have been a plus if he had finished.

he flew into boston on june 30th, a week ahead of his scheduled return. rob bought his own ticket and is expecting some recompensation on his travel claim for the ticket. we'll be out about $400 but at least we get to claim the mileage to & from boston. $400 is worth it for having him back a week earlier.

so we road tripped up to boston on the friday afternoon before the 4th of july weekend and maneuvered through the big dig. we arrived safely and only had to wait about 45 minutes before rob found us. the kids were eating their lunch (a donut & strawberry milk...the international arrivals area does not have anything better to offer :/) and i was keeping an eye on the door, looking for rob. i was also scarfing a blueberry muffin and apple juice (courtesy dunkin donuts :)). suddenly i hear reese say, 'daddy!' and rob is standing there on my right side, when i had been staring at the door to the left. i was praying i didn't have blueberry muffin junk in my teeth!

it was good to see him. reese was excited, cade was just watchful...or maybe he was just intent on finishing his donut (the boy knows to take advantage of donuts for lunch when he can!). he already had all his luggage so we finished our lunch and headed for the van.

we motored home without any problems, and before i could even get the kids out of the van, rob was already inside the house checking things out. so much for the presentation of the poster i had hung up. pizza for dinner and the kids didn't get to bed til at least 10. talk about tiring for a fat pg lady.

he had all weekend off, which seemed to really drag by. being fat & pg, i want to minimize the time i spend outside (away from a/c) so we stayed close to home. we saw the 4th of july fireworks from our bedroom windows, so that was a bonus...no bug bites! :)

now he's back to the work schedule and helping at subschool...offering his opinion when he feels it's necessary (all the time) and shooting the bull with coworkers. reese loves having daddy home and is finally accepting discipline from him. cade is another story...rob thinks that just b/c he's the daddy he should have instant credibility with cade. i keep trying to tell him that 2 year olds just don't offer out respect to everyone...you have to EARN it. you just can't hammer down on him suddenly and expect him to obey. if he obeys, it's a lucky thing, in my opinion.

rob has also finally started helping out around the house. the first few days were full of dirty dishes on the counter (close to the sink), dirty laundry no where close to the basket, and random stuff left where ever it was dropped. he finally got the hint and is now doing the dishwasher once in a while and at least picking up after himself. the best part is him taking the kids and dog outside to play after dinner. i can clean up at my leisure while hearing 'inside edition.' :)

i'm still adjusting. i'm used to sharing the bed, i think. not so much on sharing the bathroom, i like my vanity space i guess. i don't really like sharing the kitchen though. with our island eating up so much of the space and my tummy eating up what's left, if i'm in there, stay the hell out. you'll just be in MY way.

so i guess we're in love. or as much as you can love a pg woman in the middle of july.