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Father’s Day: Planning Early

Every holiday poses a challenge for me.  Not only do I struggle with my time management around shopping and preparing, but I also often struggle with just the art of gift giving.  Especially for my husband.  You see, he is a very independent person who (although spoils the family) doesn’t really give any holiday much thought for himself.  This is true at Christmas, his Birthday, and also Father’s Day!  He never has any wishes or wants when it comes to gifting.
Do you know one of those people?  The type when you ask what they want and their answer is inevitably “nothing” or “I have everything I need”.  Although the latter may make some swoon, it gives me palpitations.   Not the ‘in love’ cutesy palpitations but the kind that leave you freaking out.  You see, I am one of those who want to give a gift and acknowledge the person.  Furthermore, I want the gift to be something they desire and deserve.
The ultimate irony of this whole thing is that every time I do get an idea of what I want to get him, he comes home with it! Yep.
Every.
Single.
Time.
There was the ice fishing shack incident, the trail cam incident, the latest movie incident, and the various tool incidents.  I now just assume he somehow reads my mind and right when I am about to purchase something for him, he pounces first.  We laugh about it.  Well, he laughs and I chuckle to the best of my ability.
So assuming this will happen again this year, I set out on a trek to find something for him and along the way wanted to share some great ideas with you.  I needed to start planning this early so that if I need to make a last minute change, I will have enough time.
Below, you will find some ideas I am looking at for my husband.  He is more of an outdoors kind of guy and so this genre of a gift guide suits him best.
Here are some unique gifts for the career oriented Dad:

Last but not least, here is a gift guide for the sports lover in your life.  There are some ideas in here that cross over to the career gift guide as well.

I hope some of my ideas help you plan what you are gifting for Father’s Day.  So far, I know one thing for sure that my husband will be getting come this Father’s Day.  I will make him his favorite Bourbon Pecan Pie.  It is absolutely out of this world delicious!
I will share that in my next post…

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Work Travel: Exploring New Places Alone

One of the benefits of some careers is the ability to travel for work.  I love work travel for many reasons.  That’s not to say I would want to travel 100% of the time, but I do like to travel about 25% of the time.  For my family, this number works for us.

Family Benefits

I love to experience different places, cities, and try regional restaurants.  I love exploring and taking in new sights.  It is also not to my expense so that is also helpful.  I view it as scouting for future family vacations and places to put on my bucket list for when I have more time to spend in an area.  Often times, I will FaceTime my family and give them a room tour, share my meals and usually bring home a little treat.  I try to share with them as much as I can so they do not feel as though they are missing out.  Technology is a wonderful thing!

Traveling for work allows everyone to develop independence.  Especially the kids.  I hear countless stories from coworkers whose children cry when they leave.  Their children are afraid of the parent not coming back or they feel abandoned.  My kids know I will be back and that I am working.  We talk about this alot and they understand it to be part of life.  So whether I am gone for a day or for a week, they know it is temporary. Ultimately, I get “me time” while my daughter gets ‘Daddy time’.

They also understand that schedules may be flipped.  We all get a better understanding of the various job roles around the house and this fosters a better understanding of everyone’s importance.  Like when my husband had to attend school’s open house alone or when I have to remember to take out the garbage.  It gives an appreciation for the family as a unit and for everyone as an individual.  It ultimately leads to a better balance for you as well.

Work Benefits

There are times on a work trip where there may be not much time to explore.  This is especially true if there are dinner events and meals scheduled.  It doesn’t mean, however, that it needs to be all work.  If there is any personal time allowed, try to explore.  The only two rules I abide by is 1) always be on time to any scheduled events and 2) do not overdo any alcohol consumption.  It seems silly to even write but I have seen many people not know their alcohol limits and pay for it both personally and professionally.

Prior to leaving for the trip, I will often check for things to do in that area or restaurants I may want to try.  Choose places close to the meeting center as so that traveling to explore is under 20 minutes each way.  Think “Uber-able”.  Yes, I made up that word but you get the idea!  If your meeting involves anyone from the local area, this is a prime networking opportunity.  If they live there, you can ask for their input or, better yet, ask if they would like to accompany you.  It is a great way to build relationships and foster collaboration.

Many times, I may take an earlier flight to the meeting or come back on a later flight to accommodate some exploring.  For example, when I have an afternoon meeting, I will fly out the night before and explore in the AM.  This guarantees I will be at the meeting on time and allows me to see a few sites.

Site seeing and finding out about a local area also gives you some great topics of conversation.  There have been so many times when facilitators or meeting hosts will ask “What did you do last night?” and the resounding response is “Sat in my room and worked”.  Boring.  I, on the other hand, will talk about the Museums I visited, the restaurants I tried and the shopping centers I explored.  It makes the travel so much more interesting and in turn makes me more interesting and helps me build my network.  It also shows independence, inquisitiveness, and ability to think outside the box and be confident wherever I am.

The next time you are able to do some traveling for work, take that opportunity.  With a little forethought, you can get both personal and professional benefits from it!

If you are prepping for a business trip, shop some of my favorite styles below:

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