We’ve been in Oklahoma for nearly ten months, but we’ve only recently started to feel the pressure of pilot training. I say “we” not because I’m partaking in pilot training in any way — in fact, my job has only gotten easier as I’ve gotten into the groove of it — but things are simply different for the both of us now that training has really ramped up.
Before training got really intense, Nick came home for lunch at least a few times a week. Since our apartment doubles as my office, that meant we had lunch dates all the time. He didn’t need to study or sleep all that much, so we could stay up late to watch the latest episode of Chernobyl or Handmaid’s Tale on the night it dropped. He wasn’t nearly as stressed or busy as he is now, so I didn’t feel guilty asking him to help with chores around the house. (Don’t get me wrong, he still does chores.)
But now, training is in full swing and he’s starting to feel the pressure, so I’m starting to feel the pressure. I guess it’s been a couple weeks of this intensity, but I’ve been traveling so much the past month that I hadn’t really noticed until tonight.
Tonight, I’m at my computer, finishing up the day’s work as Nick drifts off to sleep in the next room.
Tonight, when Nick got home, I wrapped up a meeting while he changed out of his flight suit and made dinner while he reviewed his plan for tomorrow. I had plenty more work to do, but thankfully my job allows me the flexibility to work around his schedule. I know not all military spouses are so lucky.
About an hour after he got home, we were eating turkey burgers. It sounds so simple, but it was the only time we would get together today. I tried onions in mine for the first time (still a no from me, dawg) and we talked about inconsequential things for 30 minutes. After dinner, we took advantage of the 20 degree temperature drop from yesterday’s 105 and took Mila for a nice walk around the neighborhood. I know she’s been dying for some quality time with dad, too.
When we got back from the walk, we broke for showers and dishes, coming back together for an episode of The Orville. (Seth MacFarlane has done it again, folks. If you don’t watch it, you should.)
And now Nick is asleep and I’m back at work. He’ll leave long before I wake up tomorrow, and the cycle will continue until this weekend or next depending on his flight schedule. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles in UPT. He rises before the sun, and I burn the midnight oil.
Adventures of an Air Force Wife 