How much traveling is too much?

There are some distinct benefits to being a stay-at-home mommy. Schedule flexibility is one that really comes to mind right now. It's an especially attractive benefit when it means you get to come into town early for wedding celebrations, enjoy a couple days at the beach that isn't interrupted by a last minute business trip, and accompany your husband when he has to work in Brasil for two weeks.

I am currently typing from my third floor hotel room overlooking the beach. After a fabulous weekend celebrating Justin and Casie's wedding, Eric, Gabriela, and I had plans to spend a couple days of vacation at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a little R&R. However, sometime around 1:00 am Friday morning (moments after he arrived in SC for the wedding), plans changed. Eric is needed in Brasil Monday morning. So Gabriela and I dropped him off at the airport before checking into our beachfront resort. Luckily it will be a quick trip for him and he'll be back in the US on Saturday, but still . . . we'd never spent more than 2 nights apart since we were married. So the 10 days we were apart when I came down early and now another week in separate time zones is leaving me missing my other half in a major way!

Life apart has just been a huge whirlwind as there has been a whole lot going on with Eric work-wise. A week after I arrived in Georgia, he booked a two-week trip to Brasil in June. Since he didn't want to spend two more weeks away from his two favorite girls, we went ahead and bought a ticket for me and the Gabster too! But then we realized that besides needing to get a visa for me, Gabriela's Brasilian passport was about to expire, so we had to get that renewed as well. Trying to get that done while I was in Georgia/South Carolina trying to get ready for a wedding and Eric in Iowa working was a little complicated, but I think we got everything rounded up and submitted just in time so that we'll have it all back by next weekend in time for our trip.

Our much-modified calendar is looking a little something like this now:

May 25: Emily and Gabriela leave Myrtle Beach and fly to Iowa (leaving my car in Georgia)

May 28: Go to Urbana, IA for Kelly's Graduation (on Sunday) and to visit with Brian, Tanya, and our nieces visiting from Florida

May 29: Eric returns from Brasil for graduation

June 1: Eric, Emily, and Gabriela fly to Brasil

June 17: Return to IA from Brasil

June 18: Fly to Georgia for a family reunion, my high school class reunion, and a little vacation

June 27: Drive back to Iowa

So if things play out as intended, between May 10 and June 28 Gabriela will have spent just 4 nights in her crib! And I will have spent 18 days in the role of single mama. We're going to really test this kid's traveling resiliency. And, already, I don't know how people manage long term without a present, involved Daddy. Single mamas must possess super human powers!