Just Need to Stop...

Breathing…Just kidding.

I feel like I have not been able to catch my breath lately. I feel like I am constantly being swept out to sea by a fast moving wave and can barely stay afloat. My toes brush the sandy bottom occasionally and if I do manage to stand still, I continue to run hard not making much forward progress.

I worked during my vacation in December and knew that I had another vacation coming in February. However, this time Josh and I had a vacation planned for the second week in February. This vacation could not be compromised by work. We had planned (and paid) for a Caribbean cruise months ago. Work was just going to have to deal without me for one week. I do like the fact that work can’t seem to manage without me for just one week but on the other hand, I am not performing brain surgery or any other life saving function that can’t wait a week. Yes, I deal with the Governments of the US and other countries but as everyone knows, things don’t happen in a week. Anything that must be worked can wait. I was not taking my cell phone, Blackberry, computer, email or watching for smoke signals on the horizon from work. I was going on a truly unplugged, kid free vacation (I love my babies but mama needed some “me” time). Josh and I had a lovely time enjoying no bed times, no early rises, no dishes, laundry and all the other wonders of home that we usually have. It was one week to be selfish, take naps, and eat until our eyes popped out of our heads. But then there was the inevitable return to reality. Work had been trying to channel me through ESP and let me know that I was going to be traveling to Dayton, Ohio the next day. Okay, in their defense they warned me that this could be coming and I need to check my email for a plane ticket when I return home. But still! We got home around 9:30 AM on Sunday and I was on a plane at 11:00 AM on Monday heading for cold and snowy Dayton. That just sucked. What was worse, we couldn’t bring ourselves to tell Abigail that I was going away again. She was fine while we were away but she actually got teary when she went to go down for a nap because she thought we were leaving again. So we would just tell her that I was working late. Thankfully I was going to be back home on Wednesday so that story was going to work quite well.

There is nothing like trying to travel and catch up with work when you have been away for a week. I have never had to change my out of office response on my email immediately from one trip to another. Sure I have had to change it from coming back on a trip on one day and then unknowingly having to extend the trip but two back to back? Forget it. I got home Wednesday night and Thursday was a nightmare at work. Still trying to play catch up on my email when work isn’t stopping for you to catch up can be challenging. Thankfully I had no immediate plans to leave any time soon so the pain would be temporary. However, our weekends were packed and the end was not going to come any time soon. Then I went into work at the end of the next week for my yearly merit discussion (yippee!) at 9:00 AM and was asked if I could leave on Sunday for Bethesda, Maryland to attend a training class. Sure. I had only been home one week out of three. What is another trip? So with 48 hours notice to get on a plane, I planned a trip to MD. This training class was at our corporate headquarters. Since I have only been there once in my almost 10 year career, you don’t say no when your manager asks if you can go. I didn’t even have to dust off my luggage, packed and headed for MD. I had a nice time learning lots. But I was really ready to just plant myself in the state and sleep in my own bed for a little.

I was at work all last week and of course work just keeps piling up. I feel like I have one of those “IN BOX” bins on my desk that magically keeps multiplying like rabbits. I am hoping that I am going to stay put for awhile. I have no plans but I didn’t have plans for the last two trips and only got 24-48 hours notice. I guess that it is great that they want me but I really wouldn’t mind a small break to give my feet a rest.

Maybe by June…