Off on Safari

Posted May 8, 2017 by Prairie Wife - 4 comments

african safariYesterday at 4am The Cowboy left for Africa.

It’s been in the works for over a year, and has been on his bucket list for as long as I’ve known him.

Last year at a charity event he took a leap of faith (pressured by me) and bid on this African Safari…and won!

A few weeks later I underwent my mastectomy surgery and the rest of the year was spent with a non stop surgery and recovery schedule. Thanks to our beloved Mary Poppins, The Cowboy’s burden was much less than it would have been but, it was still a hard year for him.

So, I’m thrilled he gets to go on this adventure and I couldn’t be happier to be the one to help him cross this off his bucket list.

In true Cowboy fashion, other than getting his shots, he did nothing to prepare for this trip until this week!

He will be gone for 12 days and packed exactly two sets of clothes.

He assures me that’s all he will need. I don’t envy whomever he sits next to on the plane ride home.

He filled his suitcase up with gifts for the locals including CAT hats, gum, fruit snacks and 4 pairs of soccer cleats for the local teenagers.

As an experienced hunting widow of over a decade I know that everything will be find for the first 5 days and then it will be a slow and steady stumbling count down until his return.

I’ve booked an extra day a week with our preschool/daycare to ensure that I get a bit of mental health/workout time. The first day I plan to exercise and then wallow and watch TV and do nothing productive at all. The next extra day I have a few appointments and then maybe lunch with a friend…who knows what I’ll be up to by next week.

I’m also going to be the fun mom and pull the Cowkids out of school and do a movie and lunch.

I’ll need extra strength this weekend as Cowgirl G has her ballet recital. This means hours of dress rehearsal (and keeping the other 4 Cowkids entertained) and then the next day will be the big event that will also be hours long. It’s well worth it when I see my sweet girl’s smile as we cheer her on at the end but, I can’t lie, it can be exhausting!

And of course…I’m going to miss The Cowboy.

After all, we’ve been a couple for 16 years, I kinda like the guy.

He should be able to email every few days, and maybe even call a few times.

The Cowkids are thrilled to have daddy headed to Africa and have spent hours discussing his possible adventures. Cowboy W has been begging him to bring home a baboon blanket, and I’m hoping that is NOT going to happen.

So far, day one has gone pretty well and as for the next 11…well…wish me luck!

 

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4 thoughts on "Off on Safari"

  1. Bennie says:

    Wow! How exciting! I hope you will share some of his photos with us. Hang in there, I’m sure you will survive just fine – you are a super trouper! Enjoy some of your free/downtime.

    Naturally a man would wait till the last minute for some things like shots and packing just two sets of clothes? I remember when I went on a cruise to South America I called my doctor to see about some basic shots. I can’t remember what I got but maybe a tetnas and whatever else she recommended but I wanted to be safe and not sorry.

    Funny similar story about a man packing for a trip. Years ago a lawyer in my dept had to go to D.C. for a patent hearing. He met the two scientists going with him at the guard gate, waited for their car to the airport and the three were chatting. As they loaded their luggage into the car one scientist had a plastic bag – from the grocery store. The attorney asked him where his luggage was, it was in the plastic bag.. OY!!!

    This scientist was a true nerdy type – think Sheldon from Big Bang – never making eye-contact in the hallways, just looking straight ahead, always pondering??? The attorney was dreading that flight home from D.C. We only hoped he had a change of clothing in that bag.

    1. Prairie Wife says:

      I will for sure share pics! He finally got his luggage today and he said he was happier than he thought…maybe next time he will take my advice and pack one more set of clothes in his carry on 😉 I can’t imagine a plastic bag lol I would have had to ask him what was in there, though I guess a guy could just use the hotel bath products and be fine.

  2. Pa says:

    Women always over-pack.

    1. Prairie Wife says:

      I am guilty lol!

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