Life on the Road

Naturally with this time of the year its hard not to get overwhelmed by all the awesome things we are blessed with. So since one of those things (along with all the obvious - friends, family, etc.) is my job. I've decided to dedicate a blog about my favorite things, some random things about traveling, and a few things I wish were different.

1. I enjoy all the miles and points. Definitely a huge bonus with this job (one of my bosses in our meeting called himself a points whore). Haha but its so true. You spend a long time collecting all these points and its fun to watch them grow.

2. I really like collecting hotel keys. They are everywhere in my apartment, bags, purses, wallet, and sometimes I get them confused. My favorite is the Hampton Inn key because on the card key it reads, "Welcome to _____." So its a fun little reminder of the places I've been.

3. My favorite hotels are Hilton's. Of the Hilton family my preference is the Homewood Suites. The Homewood has separate rooms or a studio flat where there are distinct divisions between living spaces. When you stay in a hotel for weeks on end, its nice to have a kitchen area, living room/work area, bedroom/bathroom area. It feels more homey. They also have a welcome home reception between 5-7 and have complimentary cookies, snacks, and adult beverages. Some of my favorite ones have had a big fireplace with books all around the lobby area and it feels kinda like a library.

4. I'm able to travel over the weekends. Whether that's flying to another cool place, or to just stay and explore the city I'm in.

5. I'm hoping to visit all 50 states.

6. I love meeting all kinds of people. It's one of the best parts of my job. I just finished with Utah- they were really weird but I liked them a lot.

7. Every place I go has something I wish I could bring back to Texas and share.. Show-and-Tell.

8. I enjoy everyone I work with. Being on-site can have its challenges because being with anyone for several weeks can be hard, but it's a cool/weird kind of family. We are together non-stop for a few weeks (traveling, working, eating) and then we might not see each other for months. But when you do, you pick back up where you left off. I'm fortunate to have some people I really get along with and wish I could have known sooner.

9. Traveling is a double edge sword. I love seeing places, meeting people, people watching, but it can get tiring getting on and off airplanes, messing with travel arrangements, reservations, and dumb people.

10. I never travel without my iPod, iPod speaker, bible, chapstick, hand sanitizer, and a book.

11. I wish I had more time to spend with friends and family. I love the travel, but it makes it hard to have real connections or close relationships with people back at home (or wherever they might be). This job has made me realize how intentional you have to be with the people in the life and making an effort to build those relationships.

12. I miss Sundays. I miss waking up when my body does and slowly enjoying the morning. Getting ready for church without an agenda playing in the back of my mind of all the packing/traveling that needs to be done in the last hours of the weekend. I miss lazy Sunday afternoons. I miss Sunday Night church and dinner with friends. I miss telling stories before bed and catching up with roommates after a long and crazy weekend.

13. I like trying local restaurants.

14. Assuming all my clothes are washed, I can pack in less than 5 minutes. If you attempt this, don't forget your toiletries, chargers (phone, ipod, computer), and under garments.

15. I really really like driving all the different types of rental cars.