Working Mom Life – California Edition

I occasionally travel for work. Not too much, just a handful of trips scattered throughout the year. After five days in California, my longest trip of the year just came to an end. Not only is it a lot of work inside the office preparing for our big annual meeting, but it’s a lot of work outside of the office preparing to leave my family for that amount of time. I admit, it’s as much mental preparation for myself as it is running errands, stocking groceries, planning outfits for Iris, paying bills, etc. before I hit the road. While I know Todd can handle everything just fine without me, I always feel a little better about leaving if I can help out ahead of time. Same goes for Iris. Now that she’s older, she understands why I’m leaving and when I’m coming back (and that I’ll most certainly return with souvenirs).

Being a working mom is tough. Being a working mom that travels is even tougher. You miss your people and you miss out on things. I’ve missed a couple school photo days, missed my last two wedding anniversaries, and will never forget being away on Iris’ second birthday. This past week was School Spirit week where Iris was supposed to wear a different themed outfit each day. I didn’t have much time to help think of ideas before I left, but Todd and Iris rocked it without me. As she gets older, I know that I’ll start missing bigger things like school events, sports matches, and more. With a little help from FaceTime and a lot of help back home, I’ll manage just fine. At the end of the day it’s all worth it a million times over. Not only am I fortunate to have a job that I love, but I hope that I’m showing my daughter the importance of hard work, dedication, and being proud of what you do.

Before I left for Newport Beach last Sunday, I made a quick trip to the dollar store and picked up a prize for every day I’d be away. I surprised Iris with a little note explaining that I left clues in envelopes for her to follow each morning. I’m sure she had fun finding her way to a surprise each day, but I just felt good knowing that she knew I was thinking about her a thousand miles away.

Even though I was in California for the full work week, we only had one afternoon to explore. I wandered around Balboa Island with a couple of my co-workers. I want to go back one day and bring the whole fam. It was adorable and beautiful all at once.