The Wife of a Traveling Salesman

There are very few things that are good about the fact that my husband travels a lot.  He's obviously gone, which makes me a sad wife.  But also while he's out of town, I don't have his usual morning singing/whistling to start off my day in a good way.  I also have to juggle the special needs of taking care of Winston...which means we're all alone on our walk to doggee daycare, instead of the normal morning family outing.  I'm usually later to work because of the extended morning routine I do alone instead of tag teaming the coffee making/Winston duties.  I don't sleep well because my mind starts to wander about things that happen on Paranormal Activity and that I'm less safe from unexpected intruders when he's gone.  I don't get to talk to him much, because most of his travels take him to a much different time zones with busy schedules.  And then there is the worst part...my sweet husband comes home from his business trips absolutely exhausted and then our weekend is uneventful so that he can fully recover before doing it all again the following week (sometimes!).

Thanks for keeping me company mom!

So after almost 4 years of enduring these frequent travels, I've started to focus on the good things that come out of Mike flying all over the country.  First and foremost, he has racked up quite the collection of frequent flyer miles.  In 2010 we were able to book at trip to Dublin on miles, our honeymoon flights were 100% miles, and we just booked at trip to Mexico in April...you guessed it....on miles!  He's been a loyal American Airlines customer way before he became the prince to the American Airline's VP, aka my pops, Mark DuPont.  When Mike is out of town, I do get to enjoy some of the embarrassing television content that he refuses to watch.  This time allows me to cuddle under my faux fur throw (we all know how much I love those throws) with my tea and watch Teen Mom or the latest Kardashian drama.  I know, I know...judge me, go ahead.  My solo nights also give me the perfect time to catch up with all the ladies and/or work events.  I've been known to pack in my schedule so that I have something to do every night that Mike is gone to minimize the amount of time I spend alone.  I've had my mom come visit, I've done girls dinners, I've scheduled monthly dates with my sorority little sis, and I've spent evenings with some of my favorite team members and work vendors designing Nike IDs, having cocktails, trying out New York hot spots, etc.  My dinners when I'm by myself are a tiny bit lower stress and ofter a bit healthier, so you have to love that.  If i feel like eating eggs, or an apple, or a sweet potato, then I'll do it!!!  And finally....my favorite thing about Mike traveling is how elated both Winston and I are when he comes home. When he walk through that door with his roller suitcase and laptop bag a huge wave or relief and happiness overcomes me every time.

But this week was different. Mike's work did not only require him to leave during the week, but he had to be gone part of the weekend also...and on SUPER BOWL!  Football and weekends are both sacred to us, so it goes without saying that this particular trip was a doozie.  So to soften the blow a bit, I took a day to myself, I took a "breather".   I think a day of pampering is a necessity for every lady every once in a while (budget permitting).  It was a perfect opportunity to do all the things that I feel guilty about doing on the weekend when my husband has been away during the week. This past Saturday, I completed 5 straight weeks of P90X. Out of 35 days, I'm proud to say I worked out on 30 of those days.  Five weeks of daily workouts for 6 days a week was definitely starting to take a toll on my body a bit.  So I started my solo Sunday with a nice visit to the Bliss spa for a massage.  I rarely get massages, and I think the last time I got one was on my honeymoon more than 9 months ago, yikes!  It was nice to massage away all the tension and stress from the first month of the year and I felt like a million bucks when I left.

 My next little splurge was a mani/pedi at my favorite neighborhood nail salon.  It's a bit more expensive than the little places you can just stumble upon in the city, it's 100% worth the extra $10. There are few things better than spending an hour getting your calves and wrists massaged and leaving the salon with clean, shiny, impeccable nails.  So a day to do all the girly things I love is just what the doctor ordered this weekend.

Mani/pedi....ahhh!!!!

My breather day continued with some retail therapy on my favorite sites.  It's naughty, I know, but while the cat's away, the mice will play....with the cat's credit card! Regardless of the fact that I'm minutes away from the wonderful Madison Avenue and a quick subway ride from the best and most impressive departments stores on 5th Ave, I prefer online shopping.  I can be more impulsive and I find I can get better deals!!! I could go on Gilt, Ruelala and HauteLook almost daily and buy something, but I have some (very little) self control. 

Yes, it was Superbowl weekend, and its always great to be in the city that takes home the big trophy, but these kinds of things just aren't as fun when it's just me...without my other/more festive half.  I'm so thankful to have a husband who works his hiney off so that we can have the wonderful life that we have and I've become more optimistic about the days he spends traveling, but it would be SO much better if he were home every day!