Business Trips

I just arrived last night from a business trip.

I missed a whole weekend with my girls and I missed their school activities which was scheduled last Saturday and Sunday. Good thing my DH attended all the programs and videotaped my girls' performances.

Business trips for me are "bittersweet". Those trips are usually hectic, with meetings one after another. And the meetings are, more often than not, draining. Negotiating with top-level hotel executives are usually tough. On a positive note, business trips also allow me to explore the different provinces of our country. Because of my work, I've gone to Subic, Bataan, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Cabanatuan, Baguio, Batangas, Tagaytay, Cavite, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cebu and Davao in our search for viable hotels and offer our company's WiFi services. After our meetings, we manage to squeeze in quick tour to a locale's attraction and do what most sightseers do. We also get to try the various specialty dishes of each province.

my favorite business trip pictures

(clockwise: Pearl Farm Resort in Samal Island, Davao, road trip from Pangasinan to Subic,

Bataan Death March marker, Magellan's Cross shrine in Cebu, Microtel Davao, Bolinao Church,

Lighthouse Marina Resort in Subic, Cebu Pacific plane, Cape Bolinao Lighthouse)

Business trips also allow some "me" time. Don't get me wrong, I love my family very much and would do anything and everything for them. But going away on my own once in a while allows me to recharge. I've come to realize that it's also important to find fulfillment outside our home. I miss my family terribly when I am away but somehow, I come home renewed in spite of being physically tired from the trip.

And nothing beats the feeling of coming home to the welcoming shrieks of my girls.