Final trip of the year ...

4am wake-up call.  Ouch! 

Here we are ... 6:25am at SEA ... just a few more minutes and I'll be on my way to SFO in glorious first class.  Have I mentioned how I like 'status'?  When traveling it is just about the best thing or at least what makes it all bearable.  Okay I probably should clarify first, it is not my status but rather my boss.  I booked the flights but somehow he or our travel agent worked their magic so I can fly as his travel companion.  Woohoo for me.

We are off to San Fran this AM for a sales meeting this afternoon.  This will entail a nice, rather lengthy, ride on the BART as we are headed out to Walnut Creek.  Not exactly a hop, skip and a jump but it will do and saves us from renting a car in the Bay Area.  Tonight we head out to Dallas for another sales meeting and a buying group meeting, then home Thursday. 

Not sure if it is the holidays or what but this week has been harder to leave.  Or it may have something to do with EVERYONE telling me that six to twelve months is their favorite age and I have to take it all in.  Experience it all.  Well, the sucker of the whole deal is I'll be traveling more now through April than I will all year.  It is trade show, sales meeting, new product launch season.  So ... to my sweet little girl, mommy will be there all she can, daddy will be there when mommy can't and we'll be taking a billion pictures every day in between.

It is always humorous to me that people think travel is so glamorous (okay maybe a little twinge of haha when you get to walk through the priority security line).  But in all honesty I don't get to spend time in any city I visit, I see more of airports and hotels than any cultural history and eating out ... well at 11pm when you get to a hotel ... you can only imagine the food that I'm probably eating.  Now that is not to say that traveling isn't fun some of the time.  I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it.  Being at a show like the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago is awesome!  I love seeing all the newest, latest, and greatest.  Eating to-die-for dinners at Shaw's and other favorite establishments.  But lets be honest, half the fun relies on being in a great city itself. 

Favorites of the year so far would have to include Chicago (of course!), York Maine and Omaha.  Who would have ever guessed that Omaha would make my top list.  I'm excited to head back there and meet with more independents as well as work closely with my top account there.  Other notable favorite of the year are Dallas, Bellingham and Denver!  Hoping to add NYC to the list in 2011 as I haven't been there in ages! 

Okay time to go get on a plane. 
Lizzy ... mommy loves you ... and NO TEETH till I come home Thursday! :)