Going on a Trip!

I haven't been to the US, where I was born and grew up, since I moved to this country 7 1/2 years ago. My close family all lives here, and flying to the US is pretty expensive, so I had no reason to spend a fortune flying to the US, though I do miss it and have been somewhat "homesick" for my old town, my old haunts, my old friends, etc...
I am really excited, because I am flying to the US at last- for work, but I will still be able to see old friends and family that I haven't seen in years. It's just me flying on the trip, without my husband, without my kids. It's the first time I'm ever spending a night away from Anneliese in her life... but ever since I knew I was going on this trip (about 2 months ago), I redoubled my efforts at night weaning her, and she is now sleeping through the night, so she should be able to handle my absence...

In some ways, I am super excited for this trip, in other ways very nervous. It's a big thing for me, going on a business trip for the first time (covered by my work, so it's not out of pocket for me)- a lot of pressure to make a good impression, and mentally I'm not completely prepared for it. I've been so busy working out the technical details of the trip, arranging flights, lodging, travel arrangements, and other logistics that only in the past few days was I really able to focus on the mental aspect, what I'll be doing while I'm there, and preparing for it...

And I'm also nervous about the kids. I completely trust my husband- I know my kids will be in good hands. He's a very loving father, caring, doting, and he runs the house very well... but he doesn't really know how to cook, other than a few basic things...
I'm nervous that the kids will miss me a lot and act out... but I want to try to work around that, by calling them and speaking to them on Skype at the very least daily, if not more than that. I will be photo blogging my trip for my kids, so they can visualize where I am and what I am doing, and be part of my trip in that way...
I guess I'm nervous not because I am worried, per se, because of anything specific, but more because of the unknown aspects, because I've never done such a thing before.
And yet, at the same time, I am really looking forward to a break. As a stay at home mom for the past 6 years, I don't think I've ever been away from my kids for more than 24 hours (after Anneliese was born, my boys were away for 2 days straight at my mom's, but I was with the baby, so still with a kid)... I can definitely do with some alone time, some time without needing to constantly be thinking about what my kids are doing and need, etc... I think this will help me recharge, and come back to be an even better parent... Of course, it would have been nicest if I could go on such a trip with my husband, and not alone... but I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving the three kids with anyone but him, so....

Preparations for my trip have been pretty intense, from dealing with passport headaches to arranging cell phone service while I'm in the US, to getting doctor's notes and overseas maternity medical insurance, as well as preparing food for me to eat while I'm there (I am so limited in what I can eat, and won't be renting a car, so my ability to get food that suits my dietary needs- not to mention low budget- will be tricky), and preparing gifts for my various hosts.

In future posts, I'll talk about what my husband is doing for food for the kids while I'm gone and what I'm doing for my food, how I'm gift giving cheaply yet nicely, what I discovered about traveling on a budget, etc... as well as updates on how my husband and kids are faring.. Oh, and about nursing Anneliese... I'm not weaning her. Obviously I won't be able to nurse her for the 12 days that I'm gone, but when I come back, if she wants to nurse (which I'm betting she will), I am definitely willing to do so. But, if on the off chance, she decides that she is done nursing, I'm also ok with that...

In the meantime, I just wanted to give a heads up, because I'm not sure how frequently I'll have internet connections while I'm in the US.

I'll be visiting NY, Cleveland, Chicago, Kansas City, and Cincinnati within the next 2 weeks... Hope the blizzards in the US don't make my trip problematic!!!

See you later!

Have you ever gone on a trip without your kids, leaving them with your spouse? How old were your kids? How did you make sure that it was as easy as them emotionally as possible? Any suggestions for me?