Homeward Bound

"Home... where my heart is beating... home..."
Thanks Simon and Garfunkel. (And Mom and Dad for playing them so much...) That song really hits it on the head for anyone who travels a lot for work. (Of course, there are days when "Leaving on a Jet Plane" works too...)
Well, I'm about to pack up and head home from Minnesota. I have mixed feelings about the trip. The training went well yesterday. The area is pretty (and of course, I didn't actually stop while I was driving around to take pictures of any of the really cool old barns...). The people were nice. So I feel good about the trip in general.
But this is my last trip before Boo is born.
My last trip not as a momma.
My last trip for a long time for work. (I'm sure I'll end up doing some travel for work again, but not soon...)
It's somewhat sad. It's the ending of a chapter.
At least it was an easy trip. I'm sure I'd feel a lot less nostalgia about giving up travel if I'd had a horrible week with horrible people.
But, I am heading home. And home is where I want to be. That's where Gak is. That's where the rest of my friends and family are. I've been spoiled the last several months by staying home so much. I am going to enjoy not traveling every week, even if a tiny part of me will miss it.
Mind you, I won't miss the airports, the delays, dealing with badly planned training sessions. (Usually due to the fact that the person setting up the training has no idea what the people in the training actually do or need.... or they try and do training in the middle of commissioning or construction...)
I will miss seeing lots of this country. There are very few places in this country that aren't pretty in one way or another. I wish I'd taken more photos. I wish I'd taken more time to explore. I wish I'd been able to take Gak with me more often. (I only got to take him with me once in three years!) I wish I hadn't been so tired that I just couldn't enjoy the areas I was in. I will miss seeing the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Coast, the heartland... even the never ending sameness to the green of Florida.
I also wish I'd been able to make it to a few more states. I think the last time I counted, there were only about 8-10 states in the lower 48 that I haven't been to. Most of them were in the Pacific Northwest. I haven't made it to Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming... What's funny is when I map out where I've been and you'll see things like I haven't been to Nebraska, but everywhere around it. There are distinct holes in my map. Oh well. I'm sure I'll fill them in eventually.
I must say, this has been an interesting 3 years. I've seen a lot of places. Gone to a few I'd never thought I'd go to... namely China, Mexico and so much of Canada. I've met lots of people, and finally met people face to face that I'd talked to on the phone for years. (That includes you Joe if you're reading this...)
But... I think I'm ready to move on, or at least move in a different direction. I'm looking forward to moving back into my old position, but still having something to do with training. I'm looking forward to the "new" challenges of being software support. I'm looking forward to being able to talk to the same people more than once or twice. I'm excited, and a bit terrified to turn over the actual training to other people.
But most of all, I'm so very, very excited about becoming a Momma! This has been a dream of mine for a long time. I have a wonderful husband who will make an excellent Poppa (even if he's not always sure about that...) There is a lot of love in our family and it will only grow with the addition of Boo. Sure, there will be tons of struggles, lots of heartache, a really steep learning curve to this whole parenting thing, but I think we'll be OK. I think we're ready to meet these challenges head on. I'm even pretty sure we'll be able to get through it all in one piece!
Well, I guess I should start getting my butt into gear. I've got to stand in the shower and get going. I've got about a 45 minute drive to the airport and to turn in the rental car yet. It is always, always, always a good idea to have lots of extra time at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport.
Peace to all and may you have good endings to the chapters of your lives and wonderful new beginnings.