I recently got hooked on the TV show Dirty Jobs, which has made me reflect on the different jobs I have held in life. One of the worst I’ve had to endure was what we facetiously referred to as the Al Doura 400. As the Iraqi parliament was signing their Interim Constitution I had to do continuous patrolling until all VIPs left the Green Zone. Politicians are politicians regardless of the country and this was predictably longer than we were told to plan. During this 30+ hour span I drove in circles on one of the most IED’d roads in the world with the goal of making an easy target to draw fire and save the VIPs from being targeted. It was essentially a NASCAR race, “Go fast, turn left, go faster, don’t crash (or get blown up)!”
This year the green flag dropped as we awaited the arrival of #4. Kristin held hope that this one would not be 41+ weeks and she’d give birth “early.” Labor started in earnest just in time to have our 2nd Valentine’s Day baby but abruptly stopped. In true Kristin fashion she was determined to shape things her way. When we got back from the hospital after walking all night she diligently went about raking and bagging leaves trying to get labor started again. After 2 hours of watching my 41 week pregnant wife rake and bag leaves I reluctantly decided to help. In our 3rd year in TX, it was the first time she’d picked up a rake and part of me just wanted to take advantage of her motivation to work. Still, no baby, but one tired, dusty, frustrated wife/mother convinced she would begin labor that night when she was exhausted from all her work and wouldn’t sleep for a 2nd night. He eventually joined us 4 days later, on his schedule, in his own way, with his own drama – welcome Gabriel Victor.
Go fast – Less than 2 weeks after Gabe’s birth I took off for 3 weeks in North Carolina to learn about my new job. While I was playing Army and out of touch, Kristin was left trying to figure out the routine of 3 kids plus a new baby. I came home for 2 days then left again for 3 weeks to New York City on a residency rotation. I got to visit some friends at West Point and just missed getting a chance to visit with my sister at Marist just up the road. This was followed by a week in Las Vegas for a conference. A brief 1 day stop at home was followed by a month in Austin, a month home, and a 2nd month in Austin. When I finally returned home I was carefully scanning for IEDs everywhere I turned. A glancing blow came in May when we took the girls to try Mutton Bustin’. Ava was thrilled to get a new pair of fashionable skinny jeans and a cowgirl shirt and Lizzy was just ready to ride a sheep. Lizzy fell off after making a great 6 second ride and immediately started crying. I was the embarrassed dad that had the crying girl so I angrily told her to stop. When she wouldn’t use her right arm to eat ice cream I knew something was wrong. After a few attempts at moving her arm in the stands I knew we’d be going to the ER. Lizzy wanted to see the bull riding so we waited till the end. She had said the day before she wanted to break her arm and got her wish – a broken humerus (upper arm) was the result. She handled it like a champ and was back to throwing a ball with that arm in under a month.
Turn left – I was closing the chapter of Residency and our family was packing to leave Texas after 3 wonderful years. Like our last move, we decided to vacation in conjunction with moving. This time we headed to Colorado with the Zielinski family to stomp around the mountains, tour a microbrew, and celebrate the 4th of July. The kids did a fantastic job hiking the mountains – they continue to amaze me with how far they are capable of walking. Our welcome home was the packers arriving the next day. Have you ever wondered how you accumulate so much stuff? We said our goodbye to some wonderful neighbors, fantastic friends, and our Texas family and started the cross country trek with 4 kids and a dog. Our new home in NC was utterly filthy when we arrived. I spent 2 whole days cleaning before I could stand to move on to other chores. I am still mystified by the filth that the previous owners were content to live in. Have you ever painted a room only to notice the 2nd can of paint was a shade lighter and had to throw it out and start over? Boom, yeah I hit that IED! Thankfully some local friends, Siusan and Lee put up with our family, entertained the kids, and housed us while we got the house livable.
Go faster – I hadn’t even finished inprocessing the hospital when I packed my gear to go away for my first time. This one only lasted 3 weeks but I returned only to start working in the ER unsupervised (yeah, scary) for the first time. Now it was Kristin’s time to say goodbye. Her work contract was wrapping up which meant she had to travel to DC. This was followed by a stint with the Marine Corps in Romania and Germany – Did you know Oktoberfest goes on in Munich in September? Also, congratulate her on her promotion to Major! In addition to visiting her sister, Kay, and going to Oktoberfest she also got to tour Romania including Dracula’s castle. Meanwhile I was left with our fast paced life of left turns – school, swim lessons, house repairs, homework, dinners, backyard catching on fire, multiple episodes of vomiting, and a flat tire. Kristin did come back, and then left again the next day. We did manage a getaway together, again, thanks to Siusan and Lee. They both displayed extreme bravery agreeing to watch our 4 monsters as we ventured back to West Point for our 10 year reunion – yeah, it’s been that long.
As the Al Doura 400 winds down the last phrase comes to mind, “Don’t crash or get blown up!” November was filled with renovations as we ripped out our kitchen, main bath, and deck all at once. Kristin’s uncle, Neil, came to lead the project and he got to see firsthand the chaos of the Knight family and the business side of his niece. Together, Kristin and Uncle Neil demolished our home, then piece by piece, put it back together. Kristin got to learn tile work, electric, plumbing, cabinetry, and design. Although not 100% complete, it is nice to be able to wash dishes, not eat off of paper plates, and cook a meal. I christened the kitchen by cooking Thanksgiving dinner including a 20lb turkey. About the time you get this the kids will be finished eating the leftovers and will swear off turkey until next Thanksgiving. December comes and I will close the year at another Army school away from the family. Although full of “easy” left turns, this year has been fast paced, and full of separation and change. We managed to not hit the big one but are left with more left turns ahead. Lizzy is expanding her artistic talents and constantly creating unique drawings. Ava has grown leaps and bounds since starting Kindergarten – she has started reading and learned to ride a bike. Casey is still a ball of energy and does everything to keep up with the girls. Gabey Baby is crawling, exploring, and growing. I’m trying to learn how to be a doctor and a soldier – one day I’ll be able to fake my way through one of them. Kristin is the glue that holds this chaos together and is trying to figure out where her career will go.
