I may be biased, but I had the very best childhood anyone could ask for. I was born into an amazingly close and loving family. The people I became best friends with in elementary school continue to be my best friends today. And the community I grew up in was safe and filled with supportive and kind hearted people. Every since I was little though I knew that I didn't want to spend the rest of my life there. I remember going to Nags Head, North Carolina when I was seven and knowing then that no matter where I lived, I always wanted to be close to the ocean. So now that I'm an adult...errrr something like that, I've obviously chosen (for now) to live close to the ocean. I've honestly loved missing out on the winter this year! I like having a tan in February, and think I could get used to it! I miss all my family and friends, but it's not unbearable, and I've been blessed with lots of new friends and friends who feel like family.
However, every once in a while I get hit with a big thundering realization that, "I'm not in Kansas anymore."
South Florida is gorgeous. Literally, the homes are gorgeous, the lawns are gorgeous, cars are gorgeous, even the manicured dogs are gorgeous! BMWs, Mercedes, and Lexuses are the normal here, and yes, my 2008 Corolla is the beater of the neighborhood. I do love it here, but the culture is just very very different from Greene County, Illinois. I've met a lot of very nice people here, but its just not quite the "pull up a chair at the North End Cafe and reminisce about how great the 1992 basketball team was" kinda crowd.
When I first moved into my condo, an older man who introduced himself as Dr. something came over to welcome me to the neighborhood and to remind me that this was a nice quiet neighborhood and that he sure hoped I intended to keep it that way. This past week on one of my days off I decided that since I don't have a key to the community pool yet, I would go lay out by the water behind my condo. After laying on a towel and reading a book in a tank top and shorts for all of ten minutes, my friendly neighbor comes out of his house and approaches me. "Just wanted to let you know that sunbathing out here is not an acceptable practice. We do have two pools." I stare at him blankly thinking is this guy serious??? "So ya, thanks." And walks away.
I am not a fan of confrontation so with all of my maturity I gathered up my things, went inside, started bawling, and called my mom.
The next day I was scheduled to work a trip in the afternoon, so in the morning I took off for a jog around the neighborhood. Before I continue, I will preface this with saying that I have a horrible sense of direction. However, in my defense growing up in White Hall there was no need to have a great sense of direction, I always knew where I was! So I had been jogging for about 45 minutes when I decided I should head back. Except there was a problem. I didn't exactly know how to get back. I started wondering down a couple different roads, a coltasac here, a dead end there. Fifteen more minutes had gone by and I was still just as lost. I could feel my eyes starting to get that stinging feeling that always happens right before the waterworks. Just as I was about to hit full on panic mode, a nice middle aged man popped out of his house, began walking to his car, and let out a friendly, "Hello, how are you this morning?" Relieved to have found a friendly face I explained to him that I was turned around and was wondering me if he could tell me how to get back to my complex. Luckily he was able to read the look on my face that must have read "I have no fricken clue what you are saying" as he was giving me directions. He then said, "I'm actually headed that way, if you don't mind getting in the car with a stranger I'd be happy to give you a lift." I knew I shouldn't. It went against every Stranger Danger artlicle I had read in elementary school. BUT I couldn't afford to be late for work, I had no clue how to get home on my own, and he was driving a Cadillac with a booster seat in the back. How dangerous could he be? So straight out of Forest Gump, we exchanged names and I proceed that with saying, "Well now we're not strangers." I thanked the kind man over and over, but was careful to have him drop me off at the gate to my complex, not at my actual condo. Getting in a strangers car, ok not my brightest moment, however, after my encounter with Neighbor McNotsofriendly, a little kindness from a perfect stranger was much appreciated.
So life is a journey, and I'm slowly adjusting to my new life in south florida. I'm definitely loving it here, but my trip back home this week will be a very welcomed one! I'm even topping it off with a slumber party with my girls to celebrate my birthday...1998 style!
I'm off to get my nails done....South Florida 1 Kelsey 0
Monday, February 21, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Trash Talkin Tuesday
So I think I've come to the realization that being a flight attendant really is the perfect job for me. I get to travel, make money, and I honestly feel like I hardly ever work! The way I see it, you can't beat that!
While I am on reserve I get two four day blocks off a month, plus three days off that the company can switch around if they need me to work a trip. This past week I decided to use my four days off to visit my friends in Orlando and pick up a shift working in the park. In order to be a seasonal cast member I only need to work 40 hours a year at Disney. This allows me to have free admission in the park for myself, and six free admissions per year for my family and friends. Forty hours a year sounds like a breeze to me! So anyways, I had a great time visiting all of my Orlando friends! I've said it before, but I LOVE the friends that I made at Disney. Seriously, they are just some of my favorite people in this whole world! My friend Lita (there's your shout out girl) graciously let me share her humble abode for the week. My friends and I went to see the movie No Strings Attached (I give this movie an ehhh rating). My friend's and I hit up the parks for a couple of days, and of course it wouldn't be a visit to Orlando without stopping by the Ale House for ladies night. Love me some free drinks! On my last night in town I worked a parade shift in Magic Kingdom, which paid for my gas. I'll take it! I'll have to admit, it almost felt good to put on a pair of high water pants, an ugly shirt with a bow, and a vest that was too tight!
On Friday I started working again by sitting ready reserve at the airport for five hours. One of my friends was there as well, so it wasn't actually too bad. We spent the five hours watching The Office episodes and eating Dunkin Donuts. It's a tough job, but someones gotta do it!
On Saturday I left for a three day trip. I did three legs on Saturday and was very tired by the time the last pass anger at the last stop got off the plane. All of my hard work on Saturday paid off though, as I was treated to a 31 hour layover in Washington DC. There is so much to see in Washington that I decided I needed to hire a tour guide. That's where my best good friend Jenn's parent's came in handy! The Holt's were kind enough to pick me up on short notice and hang out for the day on Sunday. We had lunch at an awesome Mexican restaurant in old town. The meal was complete with a strawberry Margarita. Ironic since the first Margarita I ever had was made by none other then Mr. Tim Holt. After lunch we drove around town, and they pointed out several different historical sites. We then went to Arlington Cemetery and watched the changing of the guards ceremony at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier and saw the eternal flame by JFK's tomb. I definitely need to start bringing my camera on layovers! There is still so much I want to do and see in DC, definitely looking forward to more layovers there!
I hope everyone had a great Single Awareness Day. I kid, I kid I actually don't mind Valentine's Day so much. It's a day to express your love for others, I really think we could use a few more Valentine's Days in a year! I actually had a little thing called a date last night. Maybe calling it a date is a bit of a stretch, but none the less, my friend Bright and I met up and went out to a Sushi Buffet. Bright is from China, so it was kind of fun to have someone with me who is knowledgeable about the whole Sushi topic. I tried many things that I had never even heard of before. Caviar, aka fish eggs, not really all that bad but, I think I'd be just fine if I never tried it again. A new favorite, green tea ice cream. Delicious! We even finished the night off with Bright giving me a rose! Ok fine, the restaurant was giving them out for free.
And now for some exciting news I can finally spill the beans on....I'm gonna be an aunt again! My sister Genny is pregnant with her first bambeeno! I think it's her husband Ben's child, but I forgot to ask about that part ;) Last year when they got a new puppy I kindly offered my creative services and gave them a list of possible dog names. The name they finally settled on, Mac, was one of the names I suggested! So, I figure that if I was successful in naming their dog, why not their child? I've thought long and hard and have came up with a name that they can use for either an XX or an XY, Kellen. It's the perfect name, and it also just so happens to combine my full name, Kelsey Ellen. They're on their own for the middle name, but as for the first....you're welcome. I CANNOT wait to meet Baby Six in August!
"Life is a ticket to the greatest show on earth."
Martin H. Fischer
While I am on reserve I get two four day blocks off a month, plus three days off that the company can switch around if they need me to work a trip. This past week I decided to use my four days off to visit my friends in Orlando and pick up a shift working in the park. In order to be a seasonal cast member I only need to work 40 hours a year at Disney. This allows me to have free admission in the park for myself, and six free admissions per year for my family and friends. Forty hours a year sounds like a breeze to me! So anyways, I had a great time visiting all of my Orlando friends! I've said it before, but I LOVE the friends that I made at Disney. Seriously, they are just some of my favorite people in this whole world! My friend Lita (there's your shout out girl) graciously let me share her humble abode for the week. My friends and I went to see the movie No Strings Attached (I give this movie an ehhh rating). My friend's and I hit up the parks for a couple of days, and of course it wouldn't be a visit to Orlando without stopping by the Ale House for ladies night. Love me some free drinks! On my last night in town I worked a parade shift in Magic Kingdom, which paid for my gas. I'll take it! I'll have to admit, it almost felt good to put on a pair of high water pants, an ugly shirt with a bow, and a vest that was too tight!
On Friday I started working again by sitting ready reserve at the airport for five hours. One of my friends was there as well, so it wasn't actually too bad. We spent the five hours watching The Office episodes and eating Dunkin Donuts. It's a tough job, but someones gotta do it!
On Saturday I left for a three day trip. I did three legs on Saturday and was very tired by the time the last pass anger at the last stop got off the plane. All of my hard work on Saturday paid off though, as I was treated to a 31 hour layover in Washington DC. There is so much to see in Washington that I decided I needed to hire a tour guide. That's where my best good friend Jenn's parent's came in handy! The Holt's were kind enough to pick me up on short notice and hang out for the day on Sunday. We had lunch at an awesome Mexican restaurant in old town. The meal was complete with a strawberry Margarita. Ironic since the first Margarita I ever had was made by none other then Mr. Tim Holt. After lunch we drove around town, and they pointed out several different historical sites. We then went to Arlington Cemetery and watched the changing of the guards ceremony at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier and saw the eternal flame by JFK's tomb. I definitely need to start bringing my camera on layovers! There is still so much I want to do and see in DC, definitely looking forward to more layovers there!
I hope everyone had a great Single Awareness Day. I kid, I kid I actually don't mind Valentine's Day so much. It's a day to express your love for others, I really think we could use a few more Valentine's Days in a year! I actually had a little thing called a date last night. Maybe calling it a date is a bit of a stretch, but none the less, my friend Bright and I met up and went out to a Sushi Buffet. Bright is from China, so it was kind of fun to have someone with me who is knowledgeable about the whole Sushi topic. I tried many things that I had never even heard of before. Caviar, aka fish eggs, not really all that bad but, I think I'd be just fine if I never tried it again. A new favorite, green tea ice cream. Delicious! We even finished the night off with Bright giving me a rose! Ok fine, the restaurant was giving them out for free.
And now for some exciting news I can finally spill the beans on....I'm gonna be an aunt again! My sister Genny is pregnant with her first bambeeno! I think it's her husband Ben's child, but I forgot to ask about that part ;) Last year when they got a new puppy I kindly offered my creative services and gave them a list of possible dog names. The name they finally settled on, Mac, was one of the names I suggested! So, I figure that if I was successful in naming their dog, why not their child? I've thought long and hard and have came up with a name that they can use for either an XX or an XY, Kellen. It's the perfect name, and it also just so happens to combine my full name, Kelsey Ellen. They're on their own for the middle name, but as for the first....you're welcome. I CANNOT wait to meet Baby Six in August!
"Life is a ticket to the greatest show on earth."
Martin H. Fischer
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Go Pack Go
Training is finished and I'm a full fledged, 100 percent, gradumacated flight attendant! Yayy! Being finished with training is like the best thing in the world. It was by far one of the most intense experiences of my life, way harder than college.
A big part of being a flight attendant is the "look" component. Having full makeup on, neat hair in an up-do, and manicured nails are mandatory requirements while in uniform. I've really never been much of a nail person, but I figured if they need to be manicured I might as well get them done professionally. After all, I kinda deserve to be pampered after this past month. So last week, I went to my local salon, and got my nails did. Twenty fives fat ones later, my nails look beautiful, BUT i feel like I'm kidding myself with these things. I'm just not the fake nail wearing kinda girl. It goes against everything I believe in. Plus to be brutally honest in interferes with day to day activities such as typing, texting, picking my nose, popping pimples, picking white balls out of my hair. TMI??? You're welcome! Moral of this story, a clear coat of polish is about as close to I'm coming to a manicure in the future.
So last week Eric came down for a visit. My graduation was really nice, my instructors even took the time to put together a slide show of all the photos from training. That evening all of us graduates and some other flight attendant went out to celebrate at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. This place was like a mini Vegas, very fun! Eric finished off the night by making a group of dancing 70 year old women feel like they were 15 again...
The next morning Eric, me, and all of my belongings headed down to Key West. The drive down was about three hours, all on a two lane highway. This drive was awesome, and the entire way you could look to your left or right and see the ocean! Key West was a blast, and I will for sure be taking visitors down there when they come! The night life was way fun! A little shout out to the kind old man in the truck who gave us a lift back to our hotel after we got a little too sloppy at Sloppy Joe's Bar and Grill! One of my favorite things we did was going on an all day excursion where we snorkeled above the reef, dolphin watched, jet skid, and para sailed. So much flipping fun!
This week I started work. For the first few months I am going on reserve, which is pretty much the equivalent of being a substitute flight attendant. I'm basically just on call. It's exciting because I never know where I may be going, but it's also very difficult to make plans or have a routine. This week I was on reserve for five days and did two trips (Chicago and Aguadilla, Puerto Rico). Both of them were turns, which means we just flew straight there, reloaded, and flew back to Fort Lauderdale.
The next four days I am off and am taking advantage of this time to head up to Orlando to visit my Disney friends. I'm so excited to see some familiar faces! Word on the street is the Superbowl MVP Aaron Rodgers is going to be in the afternoon parade at Magic Kingdom, so they will be exciting to see. Never mind that I have no idea what he even looks like.
Tonight I went with my new roommate Stephanie, to one of her friend's house for a Superbowl party. I always feel so blessed by the good friends I make whenever I move somewhere new. Once again, not too into football, but it was to meet new people, and the food was amazing too.
I officially booked my ticket home for February 23rd through the 26th! I'm elated to go home, like really really excited to see you all!
A big part of being a flight attendant is the "look" component. Having full makeup on, neat hair in an up-do, and manicured nails are mandatory requirements while in uniform. I've really never been much of a nail person, but I figured if they need to be manicured I might as well get them done professionally. After all, I kinda deserve to be pampered after this past month. So last week, I went to my local salon, and got my nails did. Twenty fives fat ones later, my nails look beautiful, BUT i feel like I'm kidding myself with these things. I'm just not the fake nail wearing kinda girl. It goes against everything I believe in. Plus to be brutally honest in interferes with day to day activities such as typing, texting, picking my nose, popping pimples, picking white balls out of my hair. TMI??? You're welcome! Moral of this story, a clear coat of polish is about as close to I'm coming to a manicure in the future.
So last week Eric came down for a visit. My graduation was really nice, my instructors even took the time to put together a slide show of all the photos from training. That evening all of us graduates and some other flight attendant went out to celebrate at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. This place was like a mini Vegas, very fun! Eric finished off the night by making a group of dancing 70 year old women feel like they were 15 again...
The next morning Eric, me, and all of my belongings headed down to Key West. The drive down was about three hours, all on a two lane highway. This drive was awesome, and the entire way you could look to your left or right and see the ocean! Key West was a blast, and I will for sure be taking visitors down there when they come! The night life was way fun! A little shout out to the kind old man in the truck who gave us a lift back to our hotel after we got a little too sloppy at Sloppy Joe's Bar and Grill! One of my favorite things we did was going on an all day excursion where we snorkeled above the reef, dolphin watched, jet skid, and para sailed. So much flipping fun!
This week I started work. For the first few months I am going on reserve, which is pretty much the equivalent of being a substitute flight attendant. I'm basically just on call. It's exciting because I never know where I may be going, but it's also very difficult to make plans or have a routine. This week I was on reserve for five days and did two trips (Chicago and Aguadilla, Puerto Rico). Both of them were turns, which means we just flew straight there, reloaded, and flew back to Fort Lauderdale.
The next four days I am off and am taking advantage of this time to head up to Orlando to visit my Disney friends. I'm so excited to see some familiar faces! Word on the street is the Superbowl MVP Aaron Rodgers is going to be in the afternoon parade at Magic Kingdom, so they will be exciting to see. Never mind that I have no idea what he even looks like.
Tonight I went with my new roommate Stephanie, to one of her friend's house for a Superbowl party. I always feel so blessed by the good friends I make whenever I move somewhere new. Once again, not too into football, but it was to meet new people, and the food was amazing too.
I officially booked my ticket home for February 23rd through the 26th! I'm elated to go home, like really really excited to see you all!
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