Is the highway calling yet?

A federal employee can carry up to 240 hours of annual leave into the next year. I have almost reached that number by now, which means that before Labor Day, I'll be in a "use or lose" situation. The communications director had a fit last year when a bunch of us were planning to be out for the Christmas holiday. I was lucky not to have to change my plans, but this year, I'm not taking chances.

Having lived in the DC area for three decades now come this December, I can honestly say that the first twenty years are the hardest. It took that long to even begin to think of this area as home. Closer to the present, I have plans to assist with activities related to the BSA National Jamboree, so I'll probably take a week off at that time, and then I'll take another week off in the fall to return to Ohio. I'll check up on my parents to make sure they're still at the same address, maybe look up a few of my classmates.

And it's never the same going back without "Sal." But at her current assignment, she works several hours in the evening, seven days a week. Making deals with her colleagues to get the time off is a big headache, to hear her tell it. Helluva way to make a living, if you ask me.

But we'll see what happens. For now, I'm just thinking out loud here.
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