A Week Away

By Paul Morrone CFP®, CPA/PFS, MSA

I prepared for my last business trip just like any other, including deferring packing until the night before I left. With a 630am flight out to California, my alarm sounded what felt like seconds after my head hit the pillow. Once I came to my senses and took a hot shower I realized that I probably should have given myself more time to get to the airport given the government shutdown, rumors of limited TSA staffing and the torrential downpours that were bound to slow my progress of getting safely Bradley and onto my plane. I don’t like to have much free time in the airport, but this was cutting it close even by my standards seeing as I have an hour drive to the airport from my home (on a good day).

In spite of the rain that did its best to slow me down, I made it to the airport safely, parked and skirted through the precheck line without much hassle (the regular TSA screening line was out the door), bought a book and stumbled right onto the plane. Perfect timing! During the 6-hour flight to LA I realized that this trip did not at all feel the same as trips past, as I left the house with a baby sleeping in the crib who I would not see for the next 6 days. While I always miss Jill while I’m away, leaving Kyle had a different feeling altogether. It also didn’t help that the songs from his toys seemed to play on repeat in my head for most of the flight. Needless to say I’ve had enough of the purple monkey and the bubblegum tree; that part I could have done without.

The time differential is bittersweet when you’re going west and trying to keep in touch with folks on the east coast. In my case, it worked out well as I had about an hour each evening around 5pm west coast time where I could FaceTime with Jill and Kyle at home. Unlike most babies that are passed out well before 8pm (eastern time), Kyle still has about 2 hours of life left in him for the day so I got to watch as he rolled over (for the first time!), jumped around in his bouncer and screamed for a bottle as if I was sitting there in person.

As with any trip, business or not, I felt that just as I got settled (which didn’t take long as the conference was held at world-class resort) it was time to go. Prior to leaving I was fortunate enough to spend some time with some friends and colleagues from the LA area who came to the Terranea resort where I was staying for a spectacular dinner overlooking the Pacific. Can’t quite beat it as a last hoorah before taking the red-eye home and landing in CT the next morning to a balmy 28-degree day. While it wasn’t the sunny mid-60s that I was accustomed to in southern California, I have to admit it was nice to come home and see Kyle waiting with a smile on his face.

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Golf at the Terranea - What a view with the Pacific in the distance.

Hiking along the seaside cliffs.

A view of the resort from a distance.