The cancelled tickets to Hawaii.

Yes, there's OPSEC. And yes, there's PERSEC. And then there's the life happenings that are cancelled that you're allowed to talk about because ...sadly...your plans have changed and that information is no longer relevant.

Yesterday, my phone hadn't gotten the message. My GoogleNow was chomping at the bit. "Your flight, Hawaiian ###, is on time for departure from LAX at 8:40am." Ugh. Google...you didn't get the memo did you?

Sometime at the end of August/early September, worldly events shifted - it required these tickets to be cancelled and our travel insurance utilized. I was bummed, but I couldn't let it get the best of me. My life, for a moment, was turning into a romantic-comedy moment. I would de-plane in Hawaii after a refreshing flight across the Pacific (<hilarious, because 5-hour flights are DRAINING) and find a Mr. Wookie there in the terminal with sign and flowers. I would breakdown crying at the sheer excitement of this moment in my life. How often do major life moments coincide?? What are the chances to spending my 30th birthday in Hawaii, sharing a North Shore condo with a boy who's finishing up a WestPac deployment??

It was too good to be true.

What if I hadn't told my parents the elusive birthday plans?? Would world events have maintained course (or at least happened after Hawaii, so our trip could have acted like a second halfway)?

But this morning I woke up in my own bed, no bagged pack by the door. There's no Welcome Home sign in my carry-on. And I'll continue my life just like this bleating piece of hope hadn't happened. Instead, Mr. Wookie is still deployed - though thanks to Amazon.com, my birthday is being celebrated from across the world. But I can still marvel at the fact that 30 could have been snorkeling, majestic hiking, romantic dinners, a plethora of sunscreen, and a calming of the mind for _ days of port call.

Complaining won't get anyone anywhere, so I've focused my energy on more deployment projects. The whispers of Homecoming dates have swirled around, never stopping for longer than a week's time, which only solidify the fact that I don't need to shave my legs yet. :) I even crept past the Midnight mark last night with a rally of energy for quilting squares and my next practice project. Deployment Project, Party of 1 + cat.

So this weekend I'll enjoy the beach and a cocktail in the sun, and start researching Botox and Juviderm since my old-ass will need it with the new decade.