I’m floored at how long it’s been since I last wrote a blog. December 2023 was my last post. I haven’t even written this year. It’s been quite a year.

I have been on a project implementing an ERP system for one of our divisions. What a crazy ride it was, but I can report that it was a success. This project was not without blood, sweat, and tears. I had blood because I scraped my leg on a table from being so tired. Sweat because there were some tense moments. I only had one emotional breakdown from dealing with difficult people and just overwhelmed. I have to be honest, I did shed a tear when the switches were flipped and the system loaded.

With all of that on the project in my job, there were other pieces. Just this year alone in the past 22 weeks, I traveled 9 of those weeks. That’s 43% of the time I was gone. Of that 43%, 41% was spent in Flower Mound, Texas. That means I was only home 57%. I called Flower Mound my second home, and if you look at the math above for my travel, that is an accurate statement.

When I tell people I travel for work, folks have this misleading response that traveling is so glamourous. Let me tell you, of all the weeks I traveled, I saw the inside of an airport, inside of my hotel room, inside of my rental car or Uber, and the inside of the office. There were no days I spent sightseeing. There were no days I took off early to enjoy the town. There were no days I did anything but work. I could have stayed over on a weekend and did some of those things, but I just wanted to be home. When you work 12-13 hours, attend team dinners at night, and not get into your bed until 5-6 hours before you had to get up and start all over again, all I could think about is home.

Don’t get me wrong, I do love my job. I love my boss. I find it fulfilling when I can achieve goals. My husband has been nothing short of amazing in holding down the fort. He would always tell me his part was easy. The positives of my job outweigh the negatives of the constant travel. I’m overly blessed. When I sat in an airport for 11 hours due to a snowstorm, I still felt blessed. When I missed a connection and had to wait all night for a 5:00 am flight, I still felt blessed. When I was dozing off late at night to finish a task before midnight, I still felt blessed. I figured out how to get by with only a carry-on. I once traveled four time zones, three big cities, and five airports in just four days. My longest day was 22 hours, but I did it with a smile. My smile never deterred.

I have an amazing support system at home where I know I can focus on work and achieve goals.

Now…working so many hours made me mistreat myself a little. I haven’t exercised. My site in Texas always kept me fed. This led to weight gain, more than I expected. When I would have time, I was so mentally exhausted that I just wanted to sit and not even think.

Today I got on the elliptical and accomplished 30 minutes. I felt as if I was going to die; I still fit a bit of nausea. BUT I have gained 25 pounds since this time last year. I’m overweight and out of shape. This (literally) weighs on my hip. I need to make a change.

Now that my current project is live, I quickly, without a moment’s rest, move on to my next project. However, my travel will only be about 25% for the rest of the year. I’ll take it.

While traveling (mainly Texas), I dealt with so many lovely folks that brought tears to my eyes when I hugged my Texans bye. My next project is with northeastern folks. Their personalities are different. I’m going to have to turn on my Kentucky charm to earn their trust. This project is happening no matter what.

I learned my last week in Flower Mound, Texas, there is a mound. It has remained untouched since settlers. Shockingly it was literally less than a mile from the office. My boss lady, coworker, and I stopped in the 96 degree heat for a quick shot en route to dinner. We were too early in the season to see blankets of wildflowers in bloom, but we did prove Flower Mound does have a mound.

My blog expires in September and I have not renewed it yet. I’m debating if I will. If I hear a sign, I may renew. Time will tell.

Thank you, everyone, for being along for the ride.

Peace out, trouts.