Home Again: Fobbits and Shadows

Trent is back home, and we are all so very happy. He is still dealing with some Jet Lag, but that should be done with soon.

It is fun going through his pictures and actually hearing more about his time over there. I feel like his stories are his to tell. I hope he will have time to blog a bit, but he is already busy with some work things that have a time issue, and we have all that moving in a month and a half involves, so I don't know if he will get time.

The kids have been so thrilled to have dad home, and it has been funny to watch them all react. Sammy went with me to the airport to pick up Trent. She was very quiet for a while but only wanted to hold Dad's hand and walk with Daddy and be in the same room with Daddy. The quiet is gone now. The shadowing isn't over though. We stopped on our way home to run a couple of errands since they were conveniently on our way home from Richmond. Sammy wasn't about to let dad out of her sight if she could help it. Jon raced into the house as fast as he could along with Ashley when they got home from school that day. Ashley started talking a mile a minute and very loudly as she is wont to do about everything she could think of. Jon, on the other hand, was as excited if not nearly as loud. Jon has taken to being a bit of a minny me. We took Trent out to dinner that night to celebrate, and we had just shown Jon the new shorts we bought for him while we were out (it has been in the 90's here since Saturday until today, and Jon didn't have that many shorts that still fit from last summer). Jon went through all shorts and held them up against his dad until he found the pair that was closest in color. He then found the shirt that was closest in color to what Trent was wearing. He insisted on a belt, because Trent had a belt on and insisted that he wear his sandals, because Trent had on teevas. Last night, when we were laying out clothes for school the next day, Jon only gave the o.k. for the shirt I had after verifying with Trent that Trent would also be wearing a dark blue shirt today.

We have learned that Trent's experience makes him a fobbit. My compliments to you if you do not think that involves the incorporation of a dirty word. If this did not occur to you, you are better than I am, and you are correct. Trent never left the FOB (Foreign Operating Base) he was stationed on while in country. He was going to go down to the oil wells, but it didn't end up happening. Those who don't leave the FOB are referred to as fobbits, because like the hobbits in Lord of the Rings who don't tend to venture out of the shire, they don't leave the FOB. I think it is a rather clever analogy actually.

I'll try and come up with a few stories to post soon perhaps. It isn't the same coming from me, but I know some of you would like to hear anyhow. In the mean time, we are all very happy but busy, and Trent is suffering a bit of jet lag and a lot of pollen exposure but is glad to be home.