No Place Like Home

What a whirlwind trip! Great conference, as usual. Love feeling so motivated and inspired. Makes me want to rush right back to the office to do great things. But there would be no rushing back for me this time. In fact, I kinda wondered if I was gonna get back at all.

On the way to the airport I got a text. A single photo of M. What I knew would happen had happened – she had lost her first tooth! I had resigned myself to the fact that she would lose it while I was gone and that I would miss out on all of the “new lost tooth” excitement. More than anything, I just wanted it to be super special. So I made sure the tooth fairy was ready and left instructions for the hubby so that my girl could have her magical visit.

So I was super excited when I got that message because I was on my way home! I wouldn’t have to miss it all! So I starting thinking of all the little extra things I would do – more glitter, more sparkles, planning to catch the tooth fairy…I was going to make it fabulous.

I was just so happy that I was going to be a part of it.

Then we arrived at the airport. We had decided to forgo lunch in the city for a not so great and overpriced lunch at the airport because we wanted to arrive early. When we arrived we found our flight had been cancelled but an earlier flight was going out. It was perfect, we were there early enough to get on the new flight and still make it home!

Except that flight was delayed because of weather. So we never made it home. Not that night anyway. I was so disappointed! I think it was just hard because I thought I was going to make it and was just so close…My husband was not too happy that I was gone in the first place so he wasn’t very sympathetic, his reaction just compounded my feelings of being a horrible mother. So I’m standing in the airport and all I can think about is how I’ve let M down, how I should have been there, how I’ve put my job before my kids…and then I started to cry. In the airport.

Nothing better than an embarrassing display of emotion in a public forum. It’s okay, really, I’m not quite as unstable as I seem…as I watched people made a visible effort to avoid me. Come here little Suzie, stay away from the crazy lady, she must be off her meds…So yeah, crying in an airport was not exactly a highlight experience.

I did manage to pull myself together and focus on the fact that it was still exciting and special for her – with or without me. And when she called in the morning and I could tell how excited she was to tell me about her special visit it really seemed irrelevant that I wasn’t there – she was happy and felt special, and that’s all I really wanted in the first place.

And when we finally arrived, guess who was waiting to surprise me? I step towards the baggage claim when I hear an excited little voice yell “Mommy!” and it’s funny, because in a crowded airport full of people, it was unmistakable that it was meant for me - I would know that little voice anywhere. I turned and saw a flash of blonde hair and there they were – my two girls! I ran, scooped them up, and covered them with kisses. It was the best surprise ever.

And I have to say, while it was a good conference, the best part of it all was getting home.