My Life with Two Carry Ons

Recently, I have begun to think of each week in two segments- the segment where I stay home, live out of a dresser, use regular sized shampoo, and cook my own food, and the segment where I carry everything I need in two carry on bags, eat out every meal, and pretend that using tiny soaps and shampoo isnt irritating at all. I miss the life where the first segment is normal, and the second is a rare occurance. I looked at a calendar the other night and counted that I have been out of town for 16 of the last 17 weeks. Dont get me wrong there are some things that are great about traveling- people make your bed, towels and bathrooms clean themselves, and all the frequent flyer miles, but then there are the things that arent so fun... the tiny tolietries (it really bothers me), flying while 6 months pregnant, not getting to see Brian. While on my travels I have come across several people that have been living this lifestyle for decades (one has lived in my hotel m-th for 10 years!) and I have come to the conclusion that it takes a special type of perosn to love this life. I dont think I am that person. I love staying home, cooking dinner, having access to a washer and dryer, and spending time with people I dont work with. Tomorrow is the transition day between my travel life and normal life... I like this day best. It marks the beginning of a stretch at home, I am always a little bit disappointed when that day comes to an end because it means that I am that much closer to getting back on an airplane. In the meantime I am going to enjoy the experience, there will never again be a time in my life when I have so much freedom, when I have the opportunity to put in long hours without consequence or neglecting family (that is relative), where I have the opportunity to get to know coworkers, try resturants I would never go to on my own, and settle into a career. In 12 weeks (cross your fingers for 12... maybe 11) life is going to change, there will be less travel, fewer nights out, and more laundry than I care to think about. My bathrooms wont clean themselves, dinner wont be served on an artfully arranged plate, and no one is going to drive me around- until then I am going to enjoy the experience, and make sure my bags are packed for the flight home tomorrow.