I really wanted to complete an Air Force album to give him at his retirement ceremony...but he has opted not to have one...while that does give me more time to finish it...once I get it started...I wanted to do a page for our family album...this page lists all of the different countries that the Air Force has sent him to over the last 20 years...some would say that he hasn't really been gone a lot for 20 years by that list, but know that he has been to many of the places more than once...He was deployed to Italy more times than I can count...he really missed the kids childhood and a LOT of their growing up...
A few years ago he had deployed in April before school let out and was gone the ENTIRE summer and returned the end of September...we were on our way into town so we dropped off our oldest daughter at the High School...she was a freshman that year...and he turned to me with tears in his eyes and said...when did she grow up...we just left her at the door of her pre-school class...he missed it...he missed a LOT...
You see...what you probably didn't know is that even when he was home with us...he has never really been there...pretty much his entire career...he has been assigned to work Swing shift (3pm-Midnight)...once the kids started school...it was over...When the kids woke up...it was the middle of his night...by the time they got home from school...he was at work...we were stationed at Beale AFB in CA from Oct 1997 -Jan2003...that five years...was really hard...he deployed constantly and again when he was home...he worked swings...I figured it up right before we moved from Beale...I got out all of his leave forms, travel vouchers, and looked back at my calendars for when he had weekend duty...and the kids had see him a total of 362 days...out of 5 years and 4 months...now remember that he gets 30 days of leave a year...that's 150 days right there...so while he was working and deploying...the kids saw him a total of 212 days....out of 5 years...not enough...
So when I say we are looking forward to retirement...I really mean it...now that the kids are teenagers and all in high school...one Air Force journey is over...in Oct we embark on another one...Our oldest daughter is graduating from High School in a couple of months and is leaving for San Antonio in Oct to start HER military travel and her Air Force journey...so we will just transition from Active Duty to Retiree's and proud parents of another Airman...
Anyway...back to the page...20 years...is almost over...
Here is a close-up of the list of countries...
Close-Up of the title...
And here is the hidden journaling...with another use for the 20 year logo...
Hopefully you get some inspiration from the scrapbook page and a bit more understanding about what the Military Family goes through on a regular basis...
Happy Stamping...
Twila
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