Europa sans Vino

I think I covered three languages in the title, but it is appropriate since Maureen is having to endure quite a challenging 10-day trip to Europe (Toulouse, Paris, and Leiden), all while not feeling exactly up to par. Of course "par" for her trips is staying up with her business partners at exclusive restaurants, eating fresh steaks, seafood, cheeses, and fine wine, talking business until 10 or 11 at night, and then waking up at the crack of dawn to go on a petrochemical plant tour - all in the name of new international business. There are so many parts of that scenario which just don't compute now. Compound that with the fact that we're still not telling folks that we're expecting (it's driving us crazy holding it back by the way!), and it makes for an awkward situation to say the least.

Luckily she's got some great co-workers who she has confided in, watching out for her and covering the plant tours, running interference on the late nights, and volunteering for all of the wine and aperitif sampling - heroes I tell you...!

One part of her trip actually worked out really well, since a gap in the weekend between visits allowed me to crash her hotel room in Paris! I did it with the help of some airline miles, great dog-sitters, and a few flexibilities at my own job. She can debrief how she felt during the time in Europe, but for me it helped not to have to worry as much about her being alone in Paris. But that's me, worrying about everything....

hmmm.... time for a homebrew.
-C