On a random Tuesday afternoon, I found myself sitting on a plane headed to Georgia preparing for takeoff when it hit me. Once we take off, I'll be the furthest away I've ever been from my daughter. Hi, I'm Rick, and this is in my daddy era confessions from a first-time father who desperately missed his baby girl while he was out of town. I'm not crying, you're crying. I have a job where I need to travel from time to time. Actually, right after my daughter was born, I was asked to fly to Florida. I was lucky enough to be able to politely decline that trip. When I was younger, traveling for work seemed so exciting. You get to go to cool locations. Well, maybe not always cool, but locations nonetheless. But as I've gotten older and started a family, these trips aren't as exciting as they once were. I've been fortunate enough to see my daughter every night before bed, most nights rocking her to sleep in her rocking chair in her room. But this trip will put an end to that streak. Being away from my wife is hard, but factoring in my daughter made it exponentially harder to go. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and on my way to drop my daughter off for care before my flight, I was already starting to miss her. And I hadn't even left yet. That morning I gave her an extra amount of time helping her get settled in the class. We did our normal routine where I get her in the classroom, put her bottles up, but this time I had decided to sit back down on the mat to spend a little bit of extra time with her. She was extra cuddly that morning, almost like she knew that she wouldn't see me later. Once I finally got through the Atlanta airport and managed to get to my rental car, I don't know if you've ever been to the Atlanta airport, but it definitely earned the busiest airport in the world title. When I checked in with my wife, she told me my daughter was looking for me when they got home. She told me she had pointed at a picture and said, Dada? Hearing that made me happy and sad at the same time. Later that night, once I got to my hotel and I was able to settle in, I was able to give them a video call. Thank God for technology. My daughter was so happy to see me, and I realized during that call that that was the first time she had seen me on that side of the screen. She smiled at the phone, she tried giving me some of her toys, and before I hung up, she kept putting her head on the phone for me to give her kisses. Leaving my baby girl for the first time was tough, so you know I had to stop at the gift shop and get her an overpriced stuffed bear with a Love from Georgia shirt on it. Tell that to my wallet. But nothing is too expensive for my baby girl. Luckily, my first time away from her was a short trip. I was back the next evening, but it did make me think about the future when my daughter is an adult and no longer lives with us. I know it's a long time away, but I think I need to start bracing myself now. Now I better understand how my parents must have felt when they were dropping me off for college. It's also a good reminder that no matter how far away I am from my wife and daughter, I'm always carrying them in my heart. I say this to you, baby girl. No matter how far apart we are, distance will never decrease the love that I have for you. So no, as long as you carry me in your heart, we will never truly be apart. I'm still figuring a lot of this out, so I'd love to hear your stories and advice. Just click the link in the show notes to send me a message. And if you want to help keep the diaper fund stocked, you're always invited to join the village by clicking the support link in the show notes. As I continue on my journey in my daddy era, I'm still learning, still growing, and still showing up. Because the moment I get it down pat, that's when everything changes. Until next time.