on leaving my daughter for 5 days

This afternoon I started to make a mental list of all the things I need to get done before BlogHer, and then quickly found my mind wandering from the things I need to do to the things I want to do... and, well, the wants won out.

So, when I got home from work, Mikey and I packed up the budgie and headed inland for some raspberry picking. She l-o-v-e-d it. Shoveled her face full of berries and stems and became quite a pro at figuring out which ones were ripe for picking and which ones were best to leave behind.

Watching my sweet little girl trot through the rows of raspberry bushes made the reality of my trip to San Diego really hit home.

I have to leave this child for 5 days, which I have never done before.

I remember reading other bloggers write these same words before BlogHer last summer, and while I felt some empathy for them I was able to be much more practical about it at that point--it's just a few days, it will go by before you know it, etc.

But this year it's my baby.

I am the one leaving my baby behind for 5 days.

Rationally I know that 5 days? Pfft. Nothing. Those days will fly by and I am going to have the time of my life and Natalie will have a great time here at home with her father and grandparents. But, oh, am I going to miss her.

I plan on kissing and snuggling her constantly after work over the next couple of days, and will most definitely be shedding a river of tears when it's actually time to say bye-bye.