The Boyfriend of a Girlfriend in the Navy: PIR,Getting Through 67 Hours of Emotion on 6 Hours of Sleep.

The Boyfriend of a Girlfriend in the Navy:  PIR, Getting Through 67 Hours of Emotion on 6 Hours of Sleep.

*Spoiler alert! If you read all the way to the end you will find a happy ending.

Wednsday

0430 Woke up for work

1130 Get the sailor call. Nice to talk to Sailorette, but we all knew she would make it, no surprise there.

1730 Left work early to head to airport. There are only 2 Nathans hot dogs in Phoenix. I’m so looking forward to a Philly and lemonade at the airport.

1830 Denied by Nathans. Out of Phillys and they only have that Country Time garbage.

2015 A flight on a 737 with 16 passengers !

Thursday

0030 Arrived at Midway Airport, Chicago.

0045 Get rental car off airport site 15 minutes before closing

0130 Settled in my room.  Pacing until the anxiety wears off

0300 Finally able to lay down and SLEEP.

0500 Woke up, bathed, ironed, got coffee. Red Carpet Inn does not serve their horrid doughnuts until 0600 (doughnuts aside I do very much so recommend the Red Carpet Inn). You are actually far better off to go to the quickie mart down the street for coffee and edibles. Put rose pedals in the  Jacuzzi tub. Made hotel bed with sheets and blankets from home. Set up lamp and stuffed bear from night stand at home.

0615 Left for base. Great advice going early Kurt (yes Kurt I really do mean it, the earlier the better if you want a good seat). Sit in traffic until the gates open.

0700 doors open sit front and center for Sailorette. If your worried about smoking there is a HUGE smoking section outside the gate.

0845 We get to rewatch all the videos of the Navy, that we watched on YouTube wondering  what our loved ones got themselves into.

0900 I hope you like the sound of horns and drums this goes on for about 2 ½ hours.

0930 We get to watch 561 people stand at attention for 2 hours while RDCs walk between them making sure they don’t pass out.

1045. “With out further ado! Hip Hip Horah! Hip Hip Horah! Hip Hip Horah!  Now this is where you and your sailor need a predetermined plan. Look each other in the eyes. Look at the nearest exit and make a run for it!

1100 Make it to the room Lay in bed stare at the ceiling and talk about every very personal moment we had apart. I will warn you my friends neither of you will be tearless.

It is now time to make up for lost time.

1500 Sailorette and I are hungry . We cant make up our minds on what she is craving. Finally we want food like she makes, when she makes a nice dinner for the two of us. Since I don’t care for steak we agreed on a place that specialized in it. We discover The Tavern does not open till 1700

So we decide to make up for more lost time.

1700 We go to The Tavern. I encourage you to make reservations, or it is likely you will not get in.  We agreed to finish dinner in under 2 hours so they lets us have a table before the next  guests showed up. Also if your shirt does not button completely up the front and/or it is not tucked in don’t go.

I want to take the time to specially note there steak with the truffle butter sauce was amazing. I thought it was good and Sailorette enjoyed not eating the feral geese from the base for a change. THE TAVERN (http://www.tavernlibertyville.com/index.php/tavern-dining) treated us VERY VERY well. I encourage you to strongly consider the dining experience there. Check the reviews on yelp(http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-tavern-libertyville).

1830 returned to  the room. And said our good byes. Meanwhile making up for lost tim. (Did I mention we were apart for 8 weeks?)

2100 Dropped her off at the chapel.

2130 Back in the room

2200 already missing her

Now. The ceremony I could take or leave. I don’t recommend the DVD but I probably would have enjoyed it more than the ceremony.

The irreplaceable feeling I experienced was the complete and deep happiness I saw inside Sailorette. I have never seen any one so happy in my 38 years. I didn’t see it in her large glowing eyes. It wasn’t even in her smile. Neither of us smiled much at all. I could see it inside her. I have never been able to look inside someone in such a way before. And her happiness was contagious. I felt all the joy she had. It was a complete exchange of emotion without speaking or the facial queues we depend on. I saw inside her and It was amazing

2230 Going to bed

0230 getting up to make my 0600 flight. Which is good because I had to turn around to get my cell phone charger and I got lost returning my car to a site not at, but near the airport.

*0900 Land in Phoenix talk to Sailorette. Her and 3 other girls were giving hi five in the showers last night for the afternoon they spent with their boyfriends.

1000 back to work till 1800

So let this be a lesson. Sending letters, actual tiny flowers, sweaty hockey equipment, pictures, poems, origami love boxes, and going out of the way to make sure they feel at home after PIR pays off. Sailorette and I have discussed it Neither of us love each other anymore or less than ever before. And we are not proud of having to go through this to learn how much we truly do love each other. (As for the Navy, to me its just a second boyfriend).

A footnote to those with short sailors. The Navy likes uniformity in every thing including the size of their sailors. They stick the short ones in the middle. If your sailor is short you will not see them, and they will not see you.