Gone fishin'

I've been MIA lately, and all I can say is . . . sigh.  Life happens.  Whenever I take a break from blogging I always come back saying that I'm going to try to do better.  I refuse to say that now, but I will say I am going to attempt to improve.

I figure it's probably about time I explained where I've been.

It all started a few months ago when my husband was approached about a new opportunity.  Long story short, he went for it and got it:  a promotion that involves a lot of international travel.

Which leaves me the single parent of our six children.  And, I have to deal with a lot of commentary like this:  "Your husband is in Italy?  Why didn't you go with him?!"

Am I the only one out there that thinks that's a stupid and downright rude question?  Because let's face it, there are only a handful of reasons that a wife wouldn't go with her husband on a work trip to Italy.  Or France.  Or Spain.  Ad infinitum!

1)  I don't have the vacation time
2)  We can't afford the flight
3)  I'm a philistine

Yup.  That's it.  With the exception of #3 that is (hopefully) an obvious joke, either of the first two answers would be an incredibly valid and profoundly personal reason not to accompany my husband.  Not to mention an inexcusable invasion into my privacy to keep digging persistently.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but there really aren't any other reasons why I wouldn't go.  Why do I have to say anything at all?

After listing them all out I feel compelled to clarify that the reason I am not going with my husband is the first one.  We have enough frequent flier miles that the flight really isn't an issue.  However, it seems that no one realizes that he's out of town for two weeks at a time, then home for a few weeks, then gone again.

Tell me, have you ever had a job where you could take two weeks off every two weeks?  Or every month, for that matter.  Come on, why isn't this obvious?

I acknowledge that part of my annoyance is due to my frustration and disappointment that I don't get to go.