Virginia!

Once upon a time I used to travel for business...a lot. I was in charge of a 2000 attendee convention and had to make a few visits to the convention city each year. That was back when we lived in Virginia.

Then we moved to California and I took different sorts of jobs and my business travel ground to a halt. I still traveled but just for pleasure.

Last week, however, I learned that I get to travel for business once again and guess where I get to go?

Virginia!

The headquarters of the organization I work for is located about 5 miles from my old high school. Isn't that crazy? Small world, right? Everybody at headquarters is fascinated by the fact that I'm a Northern Virginia girl so when my job expanded, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to bring me up there for some training and to finally meet everybody face to face. While most of my other co-workers are free agents and don't have much interaction with the people in Virginia, I work closely with the accounting department up there and it would benefit me greatly to spend time with them.

I'm super excited about going back "home." Although I tend to think of California as home, because I spent 18 years there and it's the most recent place I've lived, the fact is that I spent most of my life in Virginia.

It's where I went to middle, high school and college. It's where I met Taz, where we got married and became a family, where we first lived together and where we bought our first house. There are memories around every corner.

I don't have the money to spend nearly as much time there as I'd like but I've worked my travel schedule so that I will have some personal time to visit my memories. My Virginia boss specifically picked a Thursday and Friday for my visit so that I could have the weekend afterwards for myself.

I think it will be both wonderful and very hard to go back. I know I'm going to cry. Hell, I'm crying right now just thinking about all of this. But I also know that it's something I need to do. I need to revisit these places, I need to say goodbye.

I wish I didn't have to do it by myself, I think it's going to take every bit of strength that I have and probably some that I don't have to get through this but I'm strong...because I have no choice.

So Virginia, I'm coming your way in just a couple of weeks! I hope you're ready for me.

I hope I'm ready for you.