A new frontier.

After a month-long layoff Steve is heading back to work this week. This is a good thing; regular paychecks are much better than unemployment compensation. Still, I'm a little sad. I like having him around.

No, it's not just because he cooks. Though I will miss that, too.

Once Steve gets back to the grind it will likely be gangbusters through the summer, and that means we won't see much of him.

This is just another curve in the road of our lives. Just when we've gotten used to having daddy here with us day and night, he has to say goodbye and we are back to seeing him maybe one night a week. The kids and I will get used to the old routine again, and we will appreciate the time we get to spend with Steve when he comes home or we go to stay with him. We've been down this road before.

Steve and I had an interesting conversation today. Yes, we've been here before, but what's different this time is we are starting in a different place - a better place - financially than we usually do. Typically we're spread pretty thin by the time Steve goes back to work after a seasonal layoff. This time we're current on all the bills and we've even been able to make some extra payments to eliminate some debts. That feels pretty darn good. But on the flip side, I'm feeling comfortable enough that I'm not ready to send my sweetie off to work again.

I guess that's a pretty good problem to have.

So no, I'm not complaining for one second. We'll make the most of this unconventional living situation just like we always do. And I will continue to be thankful every day for the job my husband has been blessed with and the life, in turn, he is able to provide for our family.

It's all good.