Saturday's Long Awaited Goodbyes

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, this past Saturday was a very busy day for us. And, as I promised in that blog post, here are some photos of earlier in the day.

Adam had been home on leave for about a month. His timing was pretty good because that enabled him to spend as much time at the lake house as he desired. He enjoys sailing so he used the sailboat quite a bit. It was also nice to spend some time with Adam at the lake again since we all thought last year would be his last year with us at the lake house.

About halfway through his leave, I know he was getting a bit antsy... counting down the days... wanting to "get out of Dodge"... looking forward to his next assignment and his impending move overseas. I vividly remember those days and those very feelings. You get to a point when you know it is time to move forward... no more sitting stagnant and you are weary and bored with visiting the past.

Don't get me wrong, it is always nice visiting the past by reminiscing with old friends and family. I do the same as often as I can. For me, this means visiting with my old Air Force family which is something we did at the lake house last month. The meaning and feelings about "Air Force family" is something only those in the military truly understand. It is, without a doubt, the tightest of families and it is an integral part of a life you made on your own so there is an immense amount of pride in this family.

When you are young and full of boundless energy, some leave time and visiting the old "homestead" is nice every now and then. It is even nicer and certainly more exciting, however, to create a life of your own... in your own way... and, in the process, create an extended family of your own just like my extended Air Force family. Needless to say, Adam was counting down the days when he still had a couple of weeks left here in Vermont!

I suspect Sheila was also counting down the days. However, for Sheila, I think there was a bit of anxiety in having to say goodbye to Adam... again.

We had already said goodbye when he left for basic training... we already said goodbye when we left him after visiting him at his base for graduation. This goodbye, however, would be the toughest.

I know she is excited for him and proud of all he has already accomplished but she does understand the dangers of his career choice and no mother is all too pleased when a child chooses to move as far from "home" as geographically possible. (In this case, it was simply dumb luck that put Adam on the opposite side of the Earth but his career choice made this location possible.) Anyway, I suspect that there was a bit of anxiety for Sheila knowing she needed to say goodbye again.

Around noon, Adam piled his bags into Sheila's car and the three of us headed up toward Burlington. Our plan was to have lunch at 'The Longhorn' so that is where we headed. Liza and the kids met us there followed by Will and Sue, Adam's grandparents.

We all had fun and a good meal. The grandkids enjoyed themselves and were surprised to find that so many of their family were gathered at a restaurant they've never visited previously. It was a really nice lunch as we always experience at this particular restaurant.

Liza and the kids said their goodbyes to Adam in the parking lot then we headed to the airport with Sheila's parents following behind us.

We spent some time talking before Adam headed through security and toward his gate. Sheila never voiced this but I know this was the moment Sheila was not looking forward to and which I suspect caused a fair amount of anxiety as the date approached. Sheila said her teary goodbye to Adam followed by Will and Sue. I pretty much said goodbye to Adam previously so we just shook hands, looked each other in the eyes, and said a quick goodbye. (I don't do the asinine fist bump nonsense... never... I shake hands like a real man who really desires this personal physical greeting and I look the person in the eyes... and, for those who can't seem to get this right, a handshake is never like holding a limp dead fish... that is for the ladies. So when I say we shook hands, I mean we shook hands like men, not like three year olds.)

After we could see that Adam managed to get through the entire security process and arrived at his gate, the four of us headed to the rooftop garden... Unfortunately, it was far too oppressingly hot on that rooftop overlooking the airport so we decided to head to the tower to listen to air traffic control and watch Adam's flight depart.

As we climbed the stairs to the tower, the temperature was rising more quickly than we were ascending the stairs. I suspected we'd be descending these same stair very shortly. Apparently, the air conditioning was not working in the tower... I think it was hotter in the tower than that sweltering rooftop garden! We only lasted a few minutes before deciding to head to the bar and restaurant that overlooks the airfield. (My health can't tolerate warm environments so this sauna-like tower was not an option.)

When we walked down to the end of the terminal where the restaurant is (was) located, we quickly found out that the restaurant no longer exists! The only restaurant and bar is now located beyond security which means that unless we are ticketed passengers there is no bar and restaurant at the airport. There were some rocking chairs in this old restaurant area overlooking the airfield so we decided to stay here to watch Adam's flight depart. (Truth be told, I was really looking forward to a nice cold beverage at this point though.)

Before long, Adam's flight was 'tugged' out to the taxiway and they taxied to the end of runway. They were quickly granted clearance for takeoff and started their takeoff roll. About halfway down the runway, the business jet rotated and wheels were up quickly. Adam was on his way!

Adam is currently enjoying an unexpected layover tonight. He and a few other military family members are probably having a really good time. Times like this unexpected overnight delay will occur and, when they do, you must take advantage of these unplanned opportunities. From what I hear, they are indeed enjoying themselves!

It was a really busy Saturday and a day which had caused a bit of anxiety in the approaching days... perhaps even weeks. All in all, everything went well and everyone had a good time. After departing the airport, Sheila and I headed to a very nice Independence Day party hosted by some close friends. As exhausted as we both were, I think going to a nice party was a better idea than sitting quietly at home right after saying goodbye to Adam.

It was a busy weekend but a really nice one... and a memorable one!