This past week was a lil thing called, AWESOME! On Thursday I picked up my friends Jenny and Andrea from the airport and drove to Orlando. This was not only Andrea's first visit to Florida, but also her first Disney World trip. I felt like a proud mama as I drove her into the Magic Kingdom parking lot. We spent Thursday night in Magic Kingdom and squeezed nearly every attraction into our six hours in the park. We topped the night off with fireworks and ice cream. What more could you want out of life? Not only was I stoked about having my friends from home visit, but my roommate from Orlando, Alex, who now lives in Colorado, was also in town for the weekend. Us four along with my friends Dean and Lita all spent the day together at Animal Kingdom and Epcot. I think it's safe to say I've become a Disney nerd. Like I literally get way too excited about showing people the parks. I guess it's just a part of life I'll have to live with.
On Saturday morning Jenny, Andrea, and I headed back to Ft. Lauderdale. When Jenny and I were 16 we went on our first ever vacation together to Florida. On this trip we discovered one of the best gourmet, authentic, Italian restaurants known to mankind: Cici's Pizza, home of the $5.99 buffet. We ate there at least four times on our week long vacation. Unfortunately Cici's Pizza hasn't quite caught on in Illinois, so Jenny was beyond pumped when she laid eyes on Cici's. So obviously, we had to make a pit stop on our way back to South Florida. Carbs, carbs, and more carbs, mmm good!
That night we spontaneously decided to go to a Dierks Bently concert. As we were walking up to the box office a husband and wife approached us and handed us two free tickets. At first I was pretty sure it was a scam, but it turns out they just had two extra tickets and figured we could use them. Kindness in this world is still alive and well! The concert was amazing! It was at a really small outdoor amphitheater, and for some reason hardly anyone was there. We literally sat about fifty feet from the stage. It was by far one of the best concerts I'd ever been to. Side note, security gets really touchy about fans waiting by the stars' buses after concerts, even if you do claim he personally invited you to his tour bus. The nerve...
The rest of their visit was spent laying on the beach and lounging in my living room watching The Office episodes and movies from our childhood. We did squeeze in a night of dinner, drinks, and a drag show with my Ft. Lauderdale friends at my roommate's uncle's restaurant. I can't say that I had ever experienced anything quite like it before.
Like visits with people I love usually do, it ended all too quickly. Tuesday morning I took their bums back to the airport. As much I would have loved to return home and wallowed around in self pity about how much I'd miss them, I had to report for work just as I was dropping them off. All of this lovely weather that has been going on in the Midwest has been causing delays, which creates lots of really friendly passengers (insert sarcasm here). Since Tuesday I've been flying all around the country and spending each night back in Chicago. I've been able to hang out with my friend Eric the past couple of days who graciously supplied me with a much needed fix of Portillo's and deep dish pizza. At 4:30 A.M. (just writing that time makes me queasy) I'll be on my way back to the sunshine state.
Hope everyone has a great Maundy Thursday!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Free Flight Fun
April 4th, 2011 was a very monumental day in my life. April 4th not only marked my three month anniversary with the airline, but it just so happened to also be the day my free flight benefits kicked in. Insert sound of the Heavenly gates opening and angels singing here.
I was working on the day the free flights kicked in, so unfortunately I wasn't able to start my personal traveling immediately, but I was definitely getting the itch to do so. Friday morning I left bright and early, actually it was more like dark and early, and worked a flight that made stops in Orlando, Atlantic City, and Boston. Friday night as I was preparing for bed I was mentally going over the next day. I'll get up and go to Ft. Lauderdale, San Salvador, Bahamas, back to Ft. Lauderdale, and then I'll have the evening and the entire next day off. Which is great because I need to go grocery shopping, do laundry....or I could go out with Kristen in St. Louis. I haven't quite decided if my impulsiveness is a downfall or strength of mine, but either way it makes for a very interesting life. So without giving it much thought, I called Southwest Airlines and booked a flight into St. Louis the next day. Thankfully there were plenty of open seats on the flight and I was able to make it on with no problem.
Kristen, being the best good friend she is, was inside the airport to pick me up just as soon as my plane landed. I wish I could share with you that I traveled across the country to tour museums, go hiking, site see, etc, but I would be lying. My trip consisted of going out to the college bars in Edwardsville, getting breakfast at 2:00 A.M., singing along while watching Hairspray, napping, and ordering Jimmy Johns all with one of my best friends. All in all I would consider this a worthwhile trip.
Yesterday I headed back to the airport around 5 to catch my flight home. I wasn't too worried about getting a seat as the gate agent I had spoken with the day before said there were three available seats. People wouldn't really wait until the day before to book a flight, so I just assumed I was in the clear. Then I got to the ticket counter and was informed the flight was oversold by one. Well, crap. So I sat at the airport for an hour with my fingers, knees, and toes crossed that maybe just maybe two people wouldn't show up. I never want to wish harm on anyone, but if someone on there way to the airport could just get a little flat tire it would be really helpful! Thankfully, just as the boarding process was starting my alias, Kelsey SchuLtz, was announced over the loudspeaker requesting I come to the ticket counter. Glory be, hallelujah, my prayers were answered and I got on the flight.
Now I'm aware that beggars can't be choosers, but I was the LAST person on the plane and therefore was treated to the LAST open seat. As soon as I sat down it was obvious why it was the last seat available. The seat was an aisle seat in the very last row, no big deal I'm used to sitting in the back of the plane. However, I was seated next to a husband and wife who were both, how do I put this, of large stature. Thankfully I don't take up much space so it wasn't a huge issue, but none the less slightly annoying. What I did find amusing though was halfway through the flight the woman in the row in front of us slightly reclined her chair. Apparently this was very irritating to the large husband as the seat was now in his personal space. He let out a very loud huff and whispered not so quietly to his wife, "Jesus Christ is this guy serious? Some people are just so rude." Never mind me sitting on half of my seat over here. Self awareness, some people got it, some people don't.
Despite the whole almost getting stranded in St. Louis and then having to share my seat thing, my first non revenue trip was in fact a success! Now the question is, where to next?
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
I was working on the day the free flights kicked in, so unfortunately I wasn't able to start my personal traveling immediately, but I was definitely getting the itch to do so. Friday morning I left bright and early, actually it was more like dark and early, and worked a flight that made stops in Orlando, Atlantic City, and Boston. Friday night as I was preparing for bed I was mentally going over the next day. I'll get up and go to Ft. Lauderdale, San Salvador, Bahamas, back to Ft. Lauderdale, and then I'll have the evening and the entire next day off. Which is great because I need to go grocery shopping, do laundry....or I could go out with Kristen in St. Louis. I haven't quite decided if my impulsiveness is a downfall or strength of mine, but either way it makes for a very interesting life. So without giving it much thought, I called Southwest Airlines and booked a flight into St. Louis the next day. Thankfully there were plenty of open seats on the flight and I was able to make it on with no problem.
Kristen, being the best good friend she is, was inside the airport to pick me up just as soon as my plane landed. I wish I could share with you that I traveled across the country to tour museums, go hiking, site see, etc, but I would be lying. My trip consisted of going out to the college bars in Edwardsville, getting breakfast at 2:00 A.M., singing along while watching Hairspray, napping, and ordering Jimmy Johns all with one of my best friends. All in all I would consider this a worthwhile trip.
Yesterday I headed back to the airport around 5 to catch my flight home. I wasn't too worried about getting a seat as the gate agent I had spoken with the day before said there were three available seats. People wouldn't really wait until the day before to book a flight, so I just assumed I was in the clear. Then I got to the ticket counter and was informed the flight was oversold by one. Well, crap. So I sat at the airport for an hour with my fingers, knees, and toes crossed that maybe just maybe two people wouldn't show up. I never want to wish harm on anyone, but if someone on there way to the airport could just get a little flat tire it would be really helpful! Thankfully, just as the boarding process was starting my alias, Kelsey SchuLtz, was announced over the loudspeaker requesting I come to the ticket counter. Glory be, hallelujah, my prayers were answered and I got on the flight.
Now I'm aware that beggars can't be choosers, but I was the LAST person on the plane and therefore was treated to the LAST open seat. As soon as I sat down it was obvious why it was the last seat available. The seat was an aisle seat in the very last row, no big deal I'm used to sitting in the back of the plane. However, I was seated next to a husband and wife who were both, how do I put this, of large stature. Thankfully I don't take up much space so it wasn't a huge issue, but none the less slightly annoying. What I did find amusing though was halfway through the flight the woman in the row in front of us slightly reclined her chair. Apparently this was very irritating to the large husband as the seat was now in his personal space. He let out a very loud huff and whispered not so quietly to his wife, "Jesus Christ is this guy serious? Some people are just so rude." Never mind me sitting on half of my seat over here. Self awareness, some people got it, some people don't.
Despite the whole almost getting stranded in St. Louis and then having to share my seat thing, my first non revenue trip was in fact a success! Now the question is, where to next?
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
Sunday, April 3, 2011
All Good Things Must Come To An End
So between my scheduled days off and not getting called while being on reserve, I physically went to work ONE day out of the past 13. It was awesome, I was basically getting paid for a two week vacation. My on call period is from midnight to 10:00 A.M. Each day that I was not called by 10:00 in the morning, I took it upon myself to go out and enjoy beautiful South Florida. I'm pleased to announce swimming suit tan lines are back in action! So this past week of "work" involved lots of time at the beach, movies and dinners with friends, and shopping for the condo. I love this job!
This past week also included my 2nd-only-to-Christmas favorite holiday....April Fool's Day. I don't think people embrace this holiday enough, and would personally like to see it get the recognition it deserves and be made into a national holiday. Not wanting to waste a second of precious time, at approximately 0001 on the holiday I emerged from my room with a piece of thread hanging off my sweater. Obviously this was the classic April Fools Day string that was attached to an entire spool of thread being hidden inside my sweater. This prank would have gone off a lot better if I hadn't have had to spend so much time convincing Steph to continue pulling on the string and not cut it with the scissors she had in her hand. It was a lame prank, but it's a personal must do for each April Fools. Next we joined forces and called several of each others friends claiming the other had "met a guy on a flight and went out for dinner, but should have returned hours ago, have you heard from (Steph, Kelsey)?" Of course, right before the concerned friend would offer to contact the police we'd join together for a unison APRIL FOOLS! Sometimes it was followed by laughs, sometimes not. Like all of my April Fools pranks, I had several hits and misses, but I'm a firm believer it's worth every miss, just to get that hit! The next morning I was woken up way too early by a call from Allison's mom, Jackie. I answered the phone and she frantically started babbling on about Allison being in the hospital. I quickly interrupted and informed her that I found it really ironic this horrible accident had happened on April Fool's Day. She is still a little bitter about a prank at her expense that occurred on that day four years ago. Unfortunately for her she is dealing with a professional here and will never be able to get even. Since I was up so early I figured I might as well call each one of my family members to let them know that I had decided to fly home for the day and ask if they could pick me up in St. Louis that afternoon. Each of them were so sweet, offering to set aside their own plans for the day to come pick me up. It almost broke my heart having to bust out "well make sure you leave plenty early, as I'm sure the traffic will be really bad with it being April Fools Day." I think I was most touched by my sister in law, Jackie, only hesitating briefly before agreeing to come pick me up. She later told me that she had a massage scheduled for that afternoon that she had been looking forward to for three weeks, but was going to skip it for me. That is love.
On Friday night my two week vacation came to a screeching halt when crew scheduling called to inform me I had been assigned to a four day trip that began at 6:00 A.M. the next morning. As nice as not working has been, I was kind of getting the itch to go some where, so the trip was welcomed. However, the 6:00 A.M. show time was not! At present time by body is way confused. My arse is currently burnt from laying out by the pool in Tampa yesterday, and my feet are numb from these sub zero temperatures and freezing rain in Detroit. On the bright side, my knees seem to be getting the best of both worlds and are at the perfect temperature!
In other exciting news, I found out this week that I am going to be an auntie to a nephew this time! With just having the two little girls around for so long, this boy business may take some getting used to. Based on my babysitting experiences, boys enjoy not showering, farting, fart noises, jokes about farts, picking their nose....ok so this little guy and I may have more to bond over than I thought. :)
Have a great week everyone!
This past week also included my 2nd-only-to-Christmas favorite holiday....April Fool's Day. I don't think people embrace this holiday enough, and would personally like to see it get the recognition it deserves and be made into a national holiday. Not wanting to waste a second of precious time, at approximately 0001 on the holiday I emerged from my room with a piece of thread hanging off my sweater. Obviously this was the classic April Fools Day string that was attached to an entire spool of thread being hidden inside my sweater. This prank would have gone off a lot better if I hadn't have had to spend so much time convincing Steph to continue pulling on the string and not cut it with the scissors she had in her hand. It was a lame prank, but it's a personal must do for each April Fools. Next we joined forces and called several of each others friends claiming the other had "met a guy on a flight and went out for dinner, but should have returned hours ago, have you heard from (Steph, Kelsey)?" Of course, right before the concerned friend would offer to contact the police we'd join together for a unison APRIL FOOLS! Sometimes it was followed by laughs, sometimes not. Like all of my April Fools pranks, I had several hits and misses, but I'm a firm believer it's worth every miss, just to get that hit! The next morning I was woken up way too early by a call from Allison's mom, Jackie. I answered the phone and she frantically started babbling on about Allison being in the hospital. I quickly interrupted and informed her that I found it really ironic this horrible accident had happened on April Fool's Day. She is still a little bitter about a prank at her expense that occurred on that day four years ago. Unfortunately for her she is dealing with a professional here and will never be able to get even. Since I was up so early I figured I might as well call each one of my family members to let them know that I had decided to fly home for the day and ask if they could pick me up in St. Louis that afternoon. Each of them were so sweet, offering to set aside their own plans for the day to come pick me up. It almost broke my heart having to bust out "well make sure you leave plenty early, as I'm sure the traffic will be really bad with it being April Fools Day." I think I was most touched by my sister in law, Jackie, only hesitating briefly before agreeing to come pick me up. She later told me that she had a massage scheduled for that afternoon that she had been looking forward to for three weeks, but was going to skip it for me. That is love.
On Friday night my two week vacation came to a screeching halt when crew scheduling called to inform me I had been assigned to a four day trip that began at 6:00 A.M. the next morning. As nice as not working has been, I was kind of getting the itch to go some where, so the trip was welcomed. However, the 6:00 A.M. show time was not! At present time by body is way confused. My arse is currently burnt from laying out by the pool in Tampa yesterday, and my feet are numb from these sub zero temperatures and freezing rain in Detroit. On the bright side, my knees seem to be getting the best of both worlds and are at the perfect temperature!
In other exciting news, I found out this week that I am going to be an auntie to a nephew this time! With just having the two little girls around for so long, this boy business may take some getting used to. Based on my babysitting experiences, boys enjoy not showering, farting, fart noises, jokes about farts, picking their nose....ok so this little guy and I may have more to bond over than I thought. :)
Have a great week everyone!
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