You Mean... We'll Be Normal?

A few posts ago, I mentioned how I would only have X number of days stretched out before me as a working woman. Eleven days, as a matter of fact. Eleven more days of waking up four mornings a week, putting on my proverbial "nurse's cap" and tending to the terminally ill. Holding hands, administering chemotherapy, laughing and crying with my patients, many of whom I have known for the last five and a half years. We've shared birthdays and holidays. Vacation stories and anniversaries. Over the years, we've become family and as excited as I am to begin a new chapter in our life, I'm not sure I know how to be anything other than a nurse. Sure, staying at home sounds like a blast- but with 23 weeks until Baby Boy arrives, I'm worried about how I will spend that time. Will I still feel.. Useful? Important? Needed? Will I continue to make a difference in people's lives?

Not only do I have eleven days left as an active registered nurse, but more importantly, I have 22 days left until Hubs and I become a "normal" married couple. Normal. What exactly is normal? I'm not sure. But in my head, it's consists of a marriage where both partners are together each night. Cooking together. Walking Sheepie together. Curled up on the couch, catching up on our DVR together. Getting into bed together at the same time each night and kissing eachother goodnight. No more "goodnight phonecalls." No more having to make lists of things to "remember to tell Hubs on the phone tonight."

And in 22 days, that will finally be Hubs and I. Normal. After six very long, very travel-packed years. Did you know, one year, he spent 190-something nights in a hotel? That's half of the year. Away from home. Away from me and from Sheepie.

Granted, it wasn't like I never saw Hubs. I don't want to make it sound worse than it really was. He's always been home on the weekends, landing Thursday or Friday night and flying back out Sunday evening or Monday morning. But now? In 22 days? He'll be home every night. He'll come home to me every night. Words can't even begin to explain how excited I am. How long we've both waited for this. How hard he's worked to get to this point.

What will I miss? The vacations. The frequent flyer miles. The hotel points. Pretty much the only silver lining to being a Consultant's wife. Now we'll just have to plan and save for vacations like normal couples. There's that "normal" word again.

Normal. I can't wait.