I May Be a Full-Time Working, Single Mom . . . But I Could NOT Do This Alone!

I work full time. 

Often times, that work takes me out of state. 

Nowadays, most of my travel consists of 4 or more driving hours per day, and on occasion I find myself shuttling between lovely Midwestern airports. 

The excitement never ceases. . . let me tell you. 

Check out some of my adventures in flying for a good laugh. If I don't laugh about it, I just may cry. 

So blah, blah, blah, lots of travel. Here is the deal. . . before I became a mother, the travel was amazing! 

I traveled all over the world, made some life long friends and experienced things beyond all of my expectations. 

I never would have pictured myself taking a walking tour of Paris on my day off.

(I should dedicate a post to the pics I took on this amazing day)

I never would have imagined that I would be laying on the beach in Oaxaca after doing an event for a bunch of sunburned hairdressers. 

(We couldn't swim because there were thousands of jellyfish)

I never would have known how beautiful Maastricht, Netherlands was, until I walked the cobblestone streets from my INCREDIBLE hotel to our European office. 

(This is quite possibly one of my favorite cities on the planet)

I never thought I would be driving all over beautiful Oahu in a Jeep, visiting hair salons. 

I also never thought that I would tire of the jet-setting lifestyle. 

BUT I DID. . . 

Once I had Jackson, my life was turned upside-down. I saved and saved and saved my pennies while I was pregnant, to prepare to take the maximum (unpaid) leave. I enjoyed every second of that time being a new mom. All of a sudden I knew what was most important, and I spent the final days of my maternity leave DREADING going back to work. Not only because I would miss soaking up the smell of my new favorite man . . . 

but also because I knew that my job would take me away from him, at least twice a month. 

What was once something that I ate, slept, and breathed, quickly became a trivial, yet necessary part of my busy life as a single mom, with a single income. 

THIS is what is important

In the past year and a half, I have made a positive upward move in my career, while maintaining the balance I have carefully created between traveling and spending time with my incredible little boy. 

I could NEVER have done this without the help of my friends and family, and most importantly . . . 

my dear cousin Shelby.
She has been caring for Jackson, in my home and in hers, since he was just 3 months old. I can maybe count on one hand, how many times he has cried when I leave for work. He is constantly learning new signs, and has some incredible manners.
This has EVERYTHING to do with how much he adores "his Shelby".
Whether I am gone for the day, or gone for a few, I know that Jackson is having a blast because I get regular picture updates, and we Skype to say goodnight.
I could not imagine having to leave him, if it weren't for Shelby. 

So this Mother's Day, my thanks goes out to the young woman that is helping me mother my child when I cannot be there. 

We LOVE You, Shelby!