Frontline Series - “The Vacation That Broke Me”

The Vacation That Broke Me

By Dave Fairburn, Co-Founder of CrewHero and North Point Outdoors

a Story from a Frontline Team Member Who Tried to Do Everything Right

I hadn’t taken a vacation in three years.

Not because I didn’t want to, I did. Badly.

But because I couldn’t.

We’re always in the busy season.

And when we’re not? Someone else is out. Or short. Or quitting.

And I never wanted to be that guy, the one who leaves when the team needs you.

So I stayed. I stepped up. I worked extra. I ran the yards when we were shorthanded.

I missed birthdays. Baseball practices. A few too many dinners.

Because I’m loyal.

I care about this place.

Then my wife won a trip, an all-expenses-paid award to California for making the President’s List at her company. Ten days.

She was so proud. And honestly, so was I.

“We’re going to California,” I told her. “You earned it.”

She smiled. First real smile I’d seen on her in weeks.

I Gave Plenty of Notice — I Did the Process

I texted my manager the same day.

Told him we’d be gone in six weeks.

He texted back:

“Awesome. Proud of you guys, enjoy it. You deserve it.”

That felt good to hear. I’ve worked hard for this company.

And I really thought I was doing it right.

I also:

✅ Filled out the paper time-off form

✅ Dropped it in the mail slot at the office

✅ Wrote my name on the whiteboard under “Time Off – April”

Covered every base.

And then I spent the next month grinding.

Training up the guys on my crew. Organizing the shop.

Making sure they’d be set up to win while I was gone.

The First Day in California Was Perfect

We landed Sunday.

Warm breeze. Big skies. Kids were wide-eyed. My wife was glowing.

We had dinner outside.

Talked about the week ahead.

She was nervous for her big presentation the next morning, introducing the CEO in front of hundreds of people.

I told her how proud I was of her.

We held hands on the walk back to the hotel.

That night, for the first time in a long time, I actually felt relaxed.

Then 3:00 AM Hit

My phone buzzed. Then again. Then again.

I reached for it, but it slipped off the nightstand and clattered on the floor.

Kids stirred on the pull-out couch.

Ding.. Ding… Ding.. Texts?? This early?

My wife rolled over.

“Everything okay?”

I picked up the phone.

Three missed texts. All from Dave.

Asking where I was.

Sounding pissed.

Confused. Upset.

I slipped into the bathroom and called him back.

“Hey. I’m on vacation. California. I let you know weeks ago — remember?”

He paused. Said “Oh sh*t. That’s right.”

Said he was sorry — but I could still hear it in his voice. Frustration.

Like I’d dropped the ball.

I Did Everything Right — And Still Felt Guilty

I climbed back into bed.

My wife was sitting up now. Arms crossed.

Not mad at me, mad for me.

“You filled out the form. You texted. You wrote it on the board.

She wasn’t wrong.

And it wasn’t the first time.

She’s seen it all:

• Me shoveling walks on Christmas morning

• Me missing dance recitals during mulch season

• Me running to baseball games in a stained hoodie, already late

I always told her, “They need me. I’m just helping out.”

But now she’s looking at me and saying something different:

“It’s not helping if they don’t respect you enough to remember you’re on vacation.”

I Couldn’t Even Defend It Anymore

I started trying to say things like:

“He’s just busy.”

But she cut me off — and not in a mean way. Just real.

“You already followed up. You did your part. You’ve done your part for years.”

And I sat there thinking:

“She’s right. I did everything right. And I still feel like I screwed up.”

That was the moment I cracked.

“Maybe it’s time for me to find a new place.”

Final Thought

This wasn’t about one phone call.

It wasn’t about the vacation.

It was about how quickly someone like me — loyal, hardworking, consistent — can start to feel invisible.

And the worst part?

I didn’t leave because I was mad.

CrewHero Changes That

With CrewHero:

• Time-off requests are tracked, approved, and visible

• Managers get notified — and reminded

• The entire team sees who’s out and why

• There’s no whiteboard. No forgotten notes. No guesswork.

And no 3:00 AM wake-up calls asking, “Where are you?”

You Can’t Keep Great People in Chaos

Not forever.

Because eventually, even the most dedicated person will break.

Not because they stopped caring — but because they cared so much for so long… and it never came back around.

Give your team clarity.

Give them respect.

And let them rest without guilt.

That’s what leadership looks like.

— One of the many stories that CrewHero was built to end