Back

I'm back from 12 days on the road.  12 days of eating out. 12 days of sleeping in hotels. 12 days of working insane hours.

Boy is it good to be home.  But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a pretty remarkable 12 days.  Of course, it doesn't hurt that I spent the majority of those 12 days here:

LaQuinta Resort & Club

Seriously.  That's the driveway to our hotel (or should I say, Paradise).

So here's the skinny.  I spent 10 days in Palm Springs for the GCSAA National Championship & Golf Classic.  The event I am in charge of.  The event I spend a whole year working on.  From there, I went to Las Vegas for the GCSAA Education Conference & Golf Industry Show to give my colleagues a hand during our association's biggest and most important event of the year.  This 10-day stretch is a big deal for my company.  It sets the stage, both financially and philosophically, for the entire year.  We work our tails off.

What made this year different is that I squeezed in a little fun, too.  Drew joined me in Palm Springs on the front end of my trip (before things got too insanely busy) for a few days of golf in the desert and some grown up time sans Jack.  It was dreamy.

It also explains the lack of blog activity since the first of the year.  Not only was I buried in work, but I was also busy preparing my house and my three-year-old for 12 days without Mommy and 5 days without Daddy. 

It would be silly (not to mention time consuming) to go over every detail of the days leading up to the trip and the trip itself but I can certainly reflect on the highlights now that I've had a chance to settle back into a somewhat normal routine.

So, in no particular order, here are some thoughts post Tournament/Conference/GIS 2012:

• I have the greatest mom ever.  She spent 5 days alone with Jack while Drew was in California with me.  Not only did they have a fabulous time, but I didn't worry about them a bit.  Seriously, not once.  In fact, I think this little break from his parents and some special 1 on 1 time with his Nana was as good for Jack as it was for us.  I can't tell you how fabulous it was to be able to truly relax and not have to worry a minute about how things were going at home.  Thanks for that, Mom.  (And thanks for deep cleaning my house, too!)
• Face Time rocks.  This was the first year that Drew, Mom & I all three had iPhones so we could face time through the entire trip.  It sure did make it easier to be thousands of miles away from my little man when I could see his face every day.  And I think it eased his mind a time or two as well.
• I don't go to the spa nearly enough.  While Drew played golf on some of the most stunning golf courses in the country, I treated myself to some pampering in the spa.  Magical.
• While it's a hell of a lot of work, it is hands down the most rewarding week of the year professionally.  It is a fabulous feeling to see a whole year's worth of work come together before your eyes.  It is equally empowering and humbling to be on the receiving end of the accolades from our members and sponsors.  And I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty damn cool to be a "VIP" for the week as the host city, golf courses and hotel roll out the red carpet for you.
• Eating out is a welcomed luxury at home, but after 12 days of hotel food and restaurants a pb&j sandwich or bowl of cereal never sounded so good.
• I am madly in love with my husband.  Without a doubt, this was the best trip we have taken since our honeymoon just over 10 years ago.  Of course, the golf and spa days were phenomenal, but mostly I just loved having him there.  I loved that he was finally able to experience first hand the part of my job that I work so hard on.  I loved that he met many of my colleagues that I talk about so often and travel with regularly - and even made some new friends/golfing buddies in the process.  Most of all, I loved the alone time from date night at Ruth's Chris to lounging in the hot tub.  It reminded me that even though we're in parenting mode right now, and cherish every minute of it, we are more than just Jack's Mom & Dad.  It felt good to be Heidi & Drew for a few days. 
• No matter how fabulous a trip is, the best part is always coming home.  I made it home in time to pick Jackson up from school.  He greeted me with a full sprint and a bear hug.  I'm not sure which of us was squeezing harder.  Then he whispered in my ear, "Mom, I'm so glad to see you."  I have no idea how I managed to keep the tears at bay.

So there you have it. 

Here's to being back.  Back to colder weather without blooming flowers and mountain views.  Back to cooking, washing dishes, grocery shopping, house cleaning, paying bills and running errands.  Back to blogging.  Back to cartoons, baths, bedtime stories, puzzles and all things Toy Story.  Back to reality. 

Back home.

Turns out Dorothy was right.  There's no place like home.

What I've Been Up To

On one hand, it feels like I've been gone forever.  I miss my boys like crazy.  On the other hand, I can't believe that at this time tomorrow another tournament will be in the books.

I've been in Palm Beach, FL for a week now and I haven't done a bit of shopping (except for the golf shirt I bought Drew in the pro shop), haven't ventured to the coast (just 20 miles away), haven't spent a minute in the phenomenal spa here at the resort, haven't sat by the pool.  And it's an awesome pool.

That's a business trip for you.

I have managed to eat at some pretty incredible restaurants while here.  Like this wine bar, this authentic italian restaurant, this off the charts local gem and this great pizza joint.  But mostly I've just been busy. 

The Editor-in-Chief of our Association magazine, GCM, is one of the 8 staff members working with me here at the GCSAA National Championship & Golf Classc.  This week he has been writing about the event on the magazine's blog. If you're interested, take a peek here to follow the action and see what I've been up to this week.

You know...instead of sitting by the pool.

All By Myself

The good news is:

My business trip is going really well. 
And all reports from home indicate that Jackson is having a blast with his Nana.
And it's in the upper 70's and sunny here in South Florida.
And this is the view from my balcony.

The bad news is:

I'm all by myself.

Today was the day Drew was supposed to play The Champion Course at PGA National (home of the PGA Tour's Honda Classic in just 3 weeks).  Tomorrow is the evening we set aside for date night at Morton's. 

Did I mention I'm all by myself?

Major bummer.

To the Rescue

Even the best laid plans often go awry.

Despite feeling totally overwhelmed just a few days ago, things managed to fall into place over the past couple of days.  Groceries were purchased, meals were frozen, the week's menu hung on the fridge and instructions were typed and ready for Mom's arrival.  I felt good.

Then we saw the forecast.

Winter storm warning for Douglas County predicting 0.1 inches of ice on Monday followed by 10-12 inches of snow on Tuesday.

This complicates things on so many levels. 

With Drew playing single parent, directing a snow removal of this magnitude (which requires working around-the-clock) will be nearly impossible.  Throw in the very high probability of school/daycare being closed and he's in a real pickle. 

Then there's travel plans to consider.  Mom is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday.  The likelihood of her plane making it to KCI in this weather is slim to none.  Which means Drew's plans to join me in Florida on Wednesday are in severe jeopardy as well.

These were the thoughts swimming around in my head as the driver pulled away from our house this morning while my little boy stood in the doorway in his pj's waving goodbye.

Fast forward about 5 hours.  Drew called during my layover in Charlotte to tell me that Mom was on her way to the airport and would be arriving in Kansas City at 6:30 tonight. 

I had called earlier to warn her about the weather.  She immediately changed her ticket, threw together a suitcase and re-arranged her work schedule in order to beat the storm to Kansas and come to our rescue.  This isn't the first time Mom has swooped in and saved the day.  And I'd be willing to bet it won't be the last.  Even though I knew Drew & Jackson would manage to figure out a way to make everything work, I can't tell you the relief I felt when I heard that Mom made it to Kansas safe and sound.

There's still a pretty high probability that Drew won't make it to Florida.  Which would totally suck.  But I'm not even going to think about that yet.  I'm just so thankful that despite the wrenches this storm threw in our plans, Drew has the help he needs, the boys are going to be just fine, and I'll be able to sleep soundly tonight.

Thanks doesn't even begin to cover it.  But thanks Mom. 

Keeping it Together

Barely.  Like, hanging by a thread.

This time of year is always busy stressful insane at work.  I'm used to that part.  I'm an event planner.  My job is logistics and logistics means details.  So at any given time (particularly the week before our annual event) there are millions of details swimming in my head.  From flights to ground transportation to room set-up to signage to audio visual equipment to food & beverage to hotel room blocks.  Then there's the tournament portion which requires tee prizes, pairings, flighting and scoring.  But like I said, I'm used to that part.

What I'm not used to is all of the preparation involved with leaving my 2-year old for 10 days.  As soon as I think I've got a grip on all of the work logistics, another hundred things pop in my head on the home front. Never mind the obvious stuff like jotting down Jack's favorite foods, school schedule or the bedtime routine.  I'm talking about random stuff.  Like remembering to show Mom how to work the car seat. Or telling her which mailbox is ours.  Or writing down the security code to get into Princeton. Or remembering to leave Jack's insurance card somewhere handy - god forbid it become necessary.  You know, that kind of stuff.

I know, I know...much of this is self-inflicted pressure.  Drew is perfectly capable of taking care of both Jackson and the household with no instruction from me.  And my Mom is familiar enough with our house and our routine to do just fine on the days she's here as well.  But I will not be comfortable getting into the town car on Sunday morning if the house is not in order, detailed instructions are not left and a suggested menu is not created - if not already waiting in the freezer.  A bit over the top?  Perhaps.  But true none the less.

The thing is, I was on track.  I had all weekend to get myself in order.  Figure out what to pack.  Drop off the dry cleaning.  Run to the Gap for a new pair of khakis.  Freeze a few meals.  Start typing up those instructions. 

Then the boys got sick.  Both of them.  Jack with a stomach thing (he's good now) and Drew with a horrible ear infection (he's still recovering).  And I accomplished nothing.  In fact, I feel like I lost ground.

Did I mention I too have been fighting a cold? 

And that I already miss my little boy and I haven't even left yet?

Not a bad little pity party I just threw, eh? 

Guess it's time to pick myself up by the boot straps and forge ahead.  Will it all get done eventually?  Probably.  Will everybody do just fine with or without my detailed instructions and frozen meals?  Totally.  And in the mean time, am I keeping it together?

Barely.

On My Way

I am officially on my way home.

I'm sitting in the Palm Springs airport awaiting flight #1 of the day and keeping my fingers crossed that my trip home is much less eventful than my trip here - which included a cancelled flight and a 14-hour day in airports.

What a week!  The 2010 GCSAA National Championship & Golf Classic was a resounding success.  The competitors loved La Quinta (how could you not...look at this place!) and the golf courses were impecible.  I'm anxious to read the post event survey data, but all signs point toward a home run for this year's event.  Which makes me one happy event planner!

I had all sorts of intentions while I was away that didn't come to fruition.  Skyping with the boys (only did it once), blogging about the event (no time for that), spending time at the golf courses (too busy at the hotel to get away much) and taking tons of pictures to share (oops).  I didn't even have an opportunity to sit in the private hot tub that was part of my suite.  Yep - I had my very own hot tub and didn't step foot in it.  (Partly because I didn't have time, partly because I was too scared to put on my bathing suit.) 

Despite all the hard work and crazy hours, we did have a little bit of fun.  We continued a tournament tradition from 2007, the last time we were in Palm Springs, and feasted on In-N-Out Burger.  Twice.  We ate the biggest pile of seafood I've ever seen.  (Seriously, it was a pile.  They just dumped it in the middle of the table and we all dug in.)  And we picked enough fresh grapefruits off the resort's citrus trees to fill a massive box and send it home on our supply truck.

While being busy helped keep my mind off my two boys back in Kansas, I still missed them an awful lot.  Drew is officially Super Dad.  I left for 9 days with no more instruction than a list of suggested meals and a lasagna in the freezer.  Sure, he had Nana and Gram & Grump to help out on the weekends, but for the most part it was all Drew.  9 days is a long time to be a single parent and he didn't get rattled once.  He's a keeper.

I have the day off tomorrow - I'm going to need all day to get caught up on the Jackson hugs & kisses that I missed - and then things should return to a more manageable pace.  If there is such a thing.

For now, I'm just happy to be going home.

You Are Here

The GCSAA National Championship & Golf Classic is officially underway.  Well, almost offically.  The competitors haven't arrived yet, but our event management team is here in Palm Springs, CA getting ready for 426 golfers to come to town.

Which explains my lack of posts this week.


I've got all sorts of material to share with you:

• The travel day from hell
• One of the dreamiest resorts I've ever stayed in (wait until you see pictures of my suite!)
• Jackson's latest accomplishments
• Boys week back in Lawrence while I'm away (with a little help from Nana and Gram & Grump)
• Missing my little guy (and my big guy)

Unforunately, exhaustion has set in.  We work long, hard days and my body is still completely confused about central vs. pacific time. 

Bear with me.  I'll get you up to speed soon.