Working (Mom) Moment: On the Road

The view from the car

I'm taking on a new role at work (any day now, I hope), and it's going to involve some travel. Thankfully, I think I'm going to have some flexibility about it, and it won't be too much, but seeing as my last work trip was in 2007, I'm excited to experience a change of scenery from the office life. That photo above was taken on my first trip last week, which other than a really delayed flight home, was very successful.

This particular trip was all done in one day: drive to the airport by 6 am, a few hours in the air, another hour in the car, lunch, meeting, car, plane, drive home. And honestly, it was the easiest weekday I've had in probably six months.

I couldn't do much actual work from the road, so other than replying to emails on my phone, I just had to be where I was. I didn't see Marc or the kids for the entire day, and while of course I missed them, I can definitely enjoy one day without parenting or any of the usual household tasks. I even found I wasn't as worried about flying as I often am--no kids with me (and apparently, no BlogHer-related anxiety/exhaustion), made me very accepting of the entire flying process.

While I was very excited about the success for work, by far the best part of my trip was getting to see Lauren and Denise, two friends with whom I spent many summers at overnight camp. I hadn't seen them in 20 years, and they came out in a rainstorm to join me for a cheesy airport margarita. The hardest part of my day was having to leave them after just an hour together. I'm really hopeful that I'll get to keep meeting up with people as I travel around, so be on the lookout for me to hit your town.

What about you? Do you travel for work? Any stories to share?