Adam went to school at the Air Force Academy back in the mid-90's. He had one roommate for his freshman and sophomore years, then another roommate during his junior and senior years. Adam got out of the Air Force a few years back, but his two roommates stayed in. They both fly the B-2 Stealth Bomber, and his second roommate is a test pilot as well. This past weekend, he was on an assignment nearby so he came to see Adam.
Holy moly. To hear these two was the biggest kick as they reminisced about their school days. They laughed and shared memories of days gone by. It was fun for the kids to hear what Adam was like "a long time ago" and it was good for me to get a hint into his past.
What I didn't expect - was to learn things. Nothing bad, but little details like, when Adam is done eating, he puts his knife and fork in a certain way at the top of his plate. He's always done this, but I had no idea that it was from school. It was almost strange to see both of them do it after dinner when they were finished.
I didn't realize that Adam has ALWAYS set his alarm clock at odd minutes at least a half an hour before he needed to wake up - then have it continue to go off every ten minutes in between. (It evidently drove his roommate nuts too.)
The weekend was full of great conversation and spending time with an even greater friend. It was a nice reminder to appreciate and keep good people in your life. Adam had such a wonderful time and it was nice to listen to the two of them go on.
His roommate went back to his assignment today and will soon go home to his wife and kids. I am in awe of what they do and how well his family stays strong through the time apart. I have reminders of Adam's military past but they live through it daily.
To his college roommate, Thank you for taking the time to visit. It meant more to Adam than you could possibly know. Words are not enough to express the gratitude for all that you and your family do. Get home safely and we hope to see you all soon...and I'll make sure not to pack an alarm clock. :)