so we didn't make it to Hawaii

Hello blogging world, this is Tim. I am a rookie here so take it easy on me. I am going to blog about our trip to Hawaii. ---------- There that empty space, that was it. We didn't get to go. Last Friday night, my last shift before a week of vacation, Monica was eating supper with me at the FD, she was on alert for the guard so she had he phone with her and low and behold the magic number appeared on her cell phone; the one from Forbes command post. The intensity arose as it wasn't time for them to be calling her off alert, so something was up. Over the the period of a few short minutes and the questions she was answering I knew the conversation wasn't in favor of our week ahead. When she hung up she said, "we just got axed." I knew exactly what she was talking about, no trip to Hawaii. While I asked the normal questions of why, why, why, are you kidding me and are you just joking me, my firefighter brethren took the opportunity to to dwell on my misfortune AND in true firehouse form, kick them while they are down! Of course, all in firehouse fun. As I listened to Monica's explanation that the AF unit that they were going to be training with had now been tasked to Haiti. I thought, "well, at least you aren't going to Haiti, and dang it I just spent good money on a ticket and now I am not going!! I am suppose to be leaving for Hawaii in less the 24 hours and now its not going to happen!" As disappointment set it, I really started to worry about my potential loss of ticket. That was the real bummer! Hawaii will always be there, and the 190th takes several trips a year to the island. However, my ticket was for this Sunday! Once our meal was finished and the dishes cleared, Monica and I headed to the office were I could look at my options. Option 1: get Monica a ticket and we go anyway. Though we could have done it, an essentially impulse trip to Hawaii didn't seem fiscally responsible. Option 2: call United Airlines and see what they would do for me. After a couple of calls and trying to deciphere what exactly the guy was saying in broken English/Arabic it was established that I would be able to cancel my ticket and use it sometime with in the next 12 months, that was the best option for us. So Hawaii here I come...... sometime, whenever Monica's next TDY to the island is. I have been trying to convince myself that the people in Haiti need those jets more then I need a trip to Hawaii............