A Hockey Road Trip...Revisited!

The 2011-2012 Hockey Season has officially started...and here I sit, alone.  That's right, let the road trips begin.  I have decided to recycle a post I did last year...In fact, it was actually the second post I wrote for this blog.  (You can read the original post here).

When I first started writing my blog, I didn't use pictures.  I knew I wanted to remain anonymous...and posting family pictures was not an option.  When I stumbled upon the idea to place hockey masks over our faces (and later on stock photos from the internet), I discovered a way to get my words and thoughts across...with an accompanying visual.  Since this post originally did not have pictures, I decided it was time to add a few...Hockey Wife style.

The Road Trip...

When a husband travels for work it is called a "business trip".  When my husband travels for work it is called a "road trip".  Now forgive me, but I believe when you travel for fun, that too is called a "road trip"!

Currently my husband is on a three week "road trip".  I know, that is a long time to be on the road.  But before you start to worry about all those games he must have I want to tell you a few facts.  There was a 4 day stretch in downtown Chicago...no games, just practice in the mornings.  Now he is on a 4 day stretch in Vancouver...no games, just practice in the mornings.  So what is a husband of two small children to do while away from his family for so long?  Well let's break it down...while we compare what his loving wife of two small children is also doing while at home.

Husband says his goodbyes and leaves to catch his flight...ahhh, peace and quiet!

Wife puts dirty laundry in a basket to take downstairs.  Says goodbye to husband and tends to crying kids who don't want their father to leave.

Husband lands at destination and takes a bus to his hotel.  There he heads up to his hotel room...probably turns on the television to the channel of his choice, lies down on the bed, catches a quick nap, wakes feeling refreshed....

Wife gets oldest off to school, cleans breakfast dishes, does laundry, feeds youngest child lunch, cleans up dishes, a little more laundry, cleans house, mops tracked-in salt off wood floors, thinks about making beds (but since husband is gone, no one will know if they aren't made), picks up child from school, makes after-school snacks...

Husband takes a long, hot, uninterrupted shower, dresses in peace, meets up in lobby to head to dinner.  Upon arriving at chosen restaurant..he is shown to his table, presented with a menu, his drink order is taken (numerous times), he orders his meal, it is prepared for him, it is served to him, while eating he is asked over and over again if there is anything else he would like, when finished his plate is removed...to be cleaned by someone else, he then has one last drink since he has had a tough travel day!  Upon arriving back at the hotel, he is asked if he wants to catch the last period of the game on TV in the hotel bar....why not, he has nothing else to do.  Husband then heads up to his hotel room, climbs in his large bed, sprawls out and goes to sleep.   

MEANWHILE...Wife shovels snow, floods backyard rink, mops salt that was tracked in from the afternoon, makes dinner for kids, cleans up after kids, does dishes for the 3rd time that day, fights with kids to get in pajamas, reads stories to two kids in two different beds while also getting glasses of water, goes back and forth rubbing backs, tucking in and finding needed stuffed animals.

Wife finally falls asleep after one last load of laundry, making sure her alarm is set so she can get up to repeat again in the morning.

Now, multiply this by 21 (the number of days my husband is gone)....and then imagine how excited we are when Husband returns.  However, all I want is a night out without the kids.....and all he wants is a home cooked meal and a night in.  "I've been eating out for three weeks straight" he argues.

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