Since I Last Wrote I....

Watched my very first Euro Cup! Go Spain...or was it Italy that won???

Traveled to the Island of Seychelles, and despite the rainy weather, enjoyed my own private porch that was just steps away from the ocean.

Took part in Monday Night Madness, all you can eat and drink, at one of our favorite Irish pub's in Dubai, Fibber McGee's!

Went boating with my friend Georgina and two Emirates pilots, and actually skied for the first time. I've probably tried skiing at least 10 times before, so I was beyond excited to finally stand up. I think the buoyancy of the sea water definitely worked in my favor!

Traveled back to the land of tea and crumpets and watched one of my very favorite musicals, Chicago, on London's West End (the Broadway of London). It was SOOOO good! My mom and I both loved theatre, and had actually gone to see this show in Springfield several years ago. I did not tear up during the opening number of All That Jazz....ok fine I did.  

After that week of fun, I'm now lying in the comfort of my own bed, with no plans of getting up anytime soon. I vaguely remember signing up to run a 10k, that is now just a little over two weeks away. Maybe if I think real hard about running, I'll be mentally training, which is supposedly half the battle...right? 

RIGHT!!!!

This past week I traveled, yet again, to the great state of California. Although I love the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood sign, and Grauman's Chinese Theatre as much as the next gal, I figured my past three visits would tide me over for quite sometime. The one thing on my Los Angeles layovers that I never tire of is this....

the bike path along the Pacific Ocean. So for much of my 50 hour layover, this is where I was. During my first day, three fellow flight attendants went along with me as we peddled 30 miles round trip to Marina Del Rey. Once we reached Marina Del Rey, we earned back every single calorie we had burnt, and devoured massive amounts of Mexican food! Yum!

As I am currently training for a 10k in August, I woke up early the next morning and completed a four mile run in the area surrounding my hotel. It felt so good to be able to run outside, and skip the hamster wheel AKA treadmill I'm forced to run on in Dubai, where the current temperature is in fact hotter than hell.

After my run I had planned to meet up with some other crew members and embark on yet another day of sightseeing in Hollywood. I am a big believer in the old saying, "Everything happens for a reason." So when the hotel elevator jammed, and caused me to miss the departure time for day-o-sightseeing, I was honestly fine with it. I had my rented bicycle, (complete with a basket and a bell), beautiful weather, and over forty miles of paved, beachside bicycle path.

Not that I'm a huge fan of spending extended period of time alone all the time, but I seriously LOVED my day...party of one style and all. I biked twenty miles to the Santa Monica Pier, where I ate some fish and chips for lunch. Naturally, I wanted some ice cream while on the pier, so I sat next to the carosol filled with kids and enjoyed my cone. It wasn't until I was down to the last lick of cookies 'n creame that it dawned on me that, perhaps, being a full grown adult, hanging out at the carosol, kidless is probably considered to be semi creepy. Alas, I gathered up my backpack, and saddled up on the ol bike for my 20 mile ride back to my hotel.

Six hours and 40 miles solo leaves a person with a lot of time to think. As I rode next to the ocean, quite simply, I thought about life. I thought about how thankful I am to be young and healthy. I thought about how much I genuinly miss my girlfriends from home. Occasionaly, I'd think about how sore my buttocks was going to be in the morning. I thought about my mom, and how flat out pissed I am that she died, and how much my heart just aches for her sometimes. I thought about the things that I still hope to achieve in my life like, write a book, open a coffee shop, have a family, have a dog. And then, to be completely honest, I spent a lot of time thinking about how good tanned, muscular, male, beach volleyball players look!

So, there you have it, another recap of Los Angeles. Feel like you just can't get enough of reading about these LA layovers? Well, you're in luck my friend, you can read all about it in just three short weeks when I go back for yet another trip to LA!

"You cannot be lonely if you like the person you're alone with." -Wayne Dyer