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!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Top Ten
1) Today is my 6th day of six days off. I've thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of my days off. I feel refreshed and ready to hit the friendly skies tomorrow!
2) On Tuesday I saw the movie Beastly in theaters. If today were opposites day I would say that it was hands down the best movie I have ever seen.
3) This week marks the 10 year anniversary of my Grandpa Schutz passing away. The Tennessee Waltz, Tennessee Walking Horses, bib overalls, Go Fish, and Sweet Petunias will forever make me think of him. What a character!
4) I received an email from my baby niece yesterday, from her very own email account. I seriously thought she was still working on reading. How did that happen?
5) While working at Disney this week I randomly noticed a man out of the corner of my eye buying a balloon on Main Street. His voice sounded familiar, so I turned to look at him and then immediately blurted out, "Dave?" Yep 50,000 people in the Magic Kingdom and I just so happen to run into Dave, one of my sister's best friends' husband. It truly is a small world after all....(good luck getting that song outta your head).
6) This just released: Jenny Raabe, Andrea McQuillan, April 14-19 in FLORIDA! Get excited!
7) Thanks to my one month free trial subscription to Netflix I have now watched every single episode of The Office. Seriously how do you not laugh out loud while watching that show? So. Stinking. Hilarious.
8) The flower and garden festival is currently going on at Epcot. There are tons of beautiful flower displays and Disney character topiaries on that are really cool. All of this gardening business brought to mind the time I brought my prized Marigolds to the 4H fair. As I sat my arrangement in front of the judges I was all ready to tell them how I had diligently cared for the flowers all summer, but they interrupted me by asking me to first tell them the name of my flowers. I had to excuse myself for a moment to go ask my mom....BUSTED. I started to share this embarrassing story with my friend Lita, who immediately asked what the bleep 4H was. Yet another culture clash for this Midwestern farm girl and New England Jew.
9) I was attacked, but thankfully not bitten, by two separate small dogs today, during two completely different instances. Conspiracy theory much?
10) Piano Bars get me every time. I've seriously never not had a blast at one, and Jelly Rolls on Sunday night was no exception! I think it'd be so much fun play at one. I've got the piano part down, but the voice is my downfall. My friends have told me most singers fall into either the alto or soprano category, but I would be best placed in the baritone section. I view this as a speed bump, not a roadblock.
The Gift Of Love
Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.
by Mother Theresa
2) On Tuesday I saw the movie Beastly in theaters. If today were opposites day I would say that it was hands down the best movie I have ever seen.
3) This week marks the 10 year anniversary of my Grandpa Schutz passing away. The Tennessee Waltz, Tennessee Walking Horses, bib overalls, Go Fish, and Sweet Petunias will forever make me think of him. What a character!
4) I received an email from my baby niece yesterday, from her very own email account. I seriously thought she was still working on reading. How did that happen?
5) While working at Disney this week I randomly noticed a man out of the corner of my eye buying a balloon on Main Street. His voice sounded familiar, so I turned to look at him and then immediately blurted out, "Dave?" Yep 50,000 people in the Magic Kingdom and I just so happen to run into Dave, one of my sister's best friends' husband. It truly is a small world after all....(good luck getting that song outta your head).
6) This just released: Jenny Raabe, Andrea McQuillan, April 14-19 in FLORIDA! Get excited!
7) Thanks to my one month free trial subscription to Netflix I have now watched every single episode of The Office. Seriously how do you not laugh out loud while watching that show? So. Stinking. Hilarious.
8) The flower and garden festival is currently going on at Epcot. There are tons of beautiful flower displays and Disney character topiaries on that are really cool. All of this gardening business brought to mind the time I brought my prized Marigolds to the 4H fair. As I sat my arrangement in front of the judges I was all ready to tell them how I had diligently cared for the flowers all summer, but they interrupted me by asking me to first tell them the name of my flowers. I had to excuse myself for a moment to go ask my mom....BUSTED. I started to share this embarrassing story with my friend Lita, who immediately asked what the bleep 4H was. Yet another culture clash for this Midwestern farm girl and New England Jew.
9) I was attacked, but thankfully not bitten, by two separate small dogs today, during two completely different instances. Conspiracy theory much?
10) Piano Bars get me every time. I've seriously never not had a blast at one, and Jelly Rolls on Sunday night was no exception! I think it'd be so much fun play at one. I've got the piano part down, but the voice is my downfall. My friends have told me most singers fall into either the alto or soprano category, but I would be best placed in the baritone section. I view this as a speed bump, not a roadblock.
The Gift Of Love
Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.
by Mother Theresa
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Another Day Another Dollar
Sorry for the blogging hiatus! I really hate when people say they have just been "too busy" for something because we're all in control of our own lives. So my excuse will be that I have been working hard and playing hard and blogging hasn't been a priority. I do feel loved knowing that I have faithful readers who notice when I've checked out for a few weeks! :)
Alright so, errrrr rewind! If during this post you notice I sound wiser, more knowledgeable, perhaps older, it's because I am! This is my first post I've written as a 23 year old. I'll try not to sound too old, and keep my complaining about bad knees, constant constipation, and kids these days to a minimum. I had a great birthday! I felt very loved all day long! The only downfall to my birthday was that I had to work. But it just so happens that my work involved flying to Haiti for the day, which was pretty interesting, so it wasn't such a horrible way to spend the day. I had never met any of the crew I was flying with, nor any of the passengers, but it was my birthday and people are supposed to celebrate! I didn't want a little thing like none of them knowing me to get in the way of my celebration, so I just casually brought it up in conversation throughout the flight. Example, a little boy was waiting in the line by my jump seat to use the restroom.
Kelsey-Hi buddy, how are you?
Chubby Child-good
Kelsey-How old are you?
Chubby Child- Seven
Kelsey-Oh how fun! When is your birthday?
CC- blah blah blah some insignificant date that didn't matter
Kelsey-Oh, well guess what, today is MY birthday!
CC-*stares awkwardly* Can I go to the bathroom yet?
As you can see, it didn't work out as planned with every person, but I did get some successful birthday wishes from strangers.
My birthday night I went out with friends for some Mexican birthday dinner. The only thing that could have made it slightly better would have been the waiters slamming ice cream in my face like they do at good ol Los Tres Amigos. So, all in all it was a great birthday!
One of my projects during these past two weeks has been finishing my bedroom! Every since I was little I've LOVED interior decorating! My landlord was super nice and said that I was free to pick the colors for my bedroom walls. I decided on light grey walls, with one dark grey accent wall. Being my savvy little self I was able to buy a really cool bookshelf from Goodwill, and repainted a small dresser and frames that I already had. I spent a week showing up to work with little black highlights throughout my hair, but the result was well worth it. The room turned out exactly how I had envisioned. Photos to come.
This past month I have been working A LOT! During the month of February I didn't get called very often because that's generally a slow travel time. With spring break in full swing this month, I've worked almost everyday that I've been on reserve. One of the most frustrating days came when I was assigned ready reserve from 9:00 A.M-2:00 P.M. I spent most of this time napping in the crew room, and at about 1:45 I woke up, gathered my things, and was relieved that I hadn't been called out. Just as that feeling of gratitude surfaced, the phone rang and I was assigned a turn to Cancun. Now I'm never one to wrinkly my nose at Cancun, but TEN more minutes and I was home free. Oh well, it's all part of this lifestyle! For some reason I've been working a lot of turns, and not quite as many trips. It's all just kind of random how it gets assigned. Currently I am on a trip. Yesterday I was in Tampa laying out by the pool, today I am in Detroit and ordered food in with the other flight attendants because it's way too cold to wonder outside.
I was able to convince my roommate, who has never been a runner, to sign up for a 10k with me. I think it's always more fun to train for a race with someone else as it helps to keep me accountable. This was our first week of training, and so far so good. I've received multiple texts from her this week about being too sore to even walk, so I would go as far as saying training is going really well! If anyone wants to join we're running the Passavant Area 10k on May 28th, it's gonna be fun! I've never really gone on an actually beach run until this week, but it's my new favorite thing! The gorgeous sunset over the ocean, the endorphins, the occasional hunky man runner that passes me....what's not to love?
This next week I have SIX days off! Holler! I really do love this job, but I equally love the days off! Although several of those days are not complete days off, as I've picked up a couple of shifts at Disney. I'll be spending a lot of time with my Orlando friends, and even celebrating one of their birthdays. I find a little bit of work mixed in with a lot of play is always the best practice!
Hope everyone has a great St. Patrick's Day tomorrow! It just dawned on me that my uniform is a BLACK skirt and a BLUE shirt...looks like someone's arse is getting pinched a lot. I should be back in Ft. Lauderdale just in time to go out and celebrate my wee bit of Irish that I'm sure is buried somewhere in my family tree.
Love you all!
"Today is gone. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one. Every day, from here to there, funny things are everywhere." -Dr. Seuss
Alright so, errrrr rewind! If during this post you notice I sound wiser, more knowledgeable, perhaps older, it's because I am! This is my first post I've written as a 23 year old. I'll try not to sound too old, and keep my complaining about bad knees, constant constipation, and kids these days to a minimum. I had a great birthday! I felt very loved all day long! The only downfall to my birthday was that I had to work. But it just so happens that my work involved flying to Haiti for the day, which was pretty interesting, so it wasn't such a horrible way to spend the day. I had never met any of the crew I was flying with, nor any of the passengers, but it was my birthday and people are supposed to celebrate! I didn't want a little thing like none of them knowing me to get in the way of my celebration, so I just casually brought it up in conversation throughout the flight. Example, a little boy was waiting in the line by my jump seat to use the restroom.
Kelsey-Hi buddy, how are you?
Chubby Child-good
Kelsey-How old are you?
Chubby Child- Seven
Kelsey-Oh how fun! When is your birthday?
CC- blah blah blah some insignificant date that didn't matter
Kelsey-Oh, well guess what, today is MY birthday!
CC-*stares awkwardly* Can I go to the bathroom yet?
As you can see, it didn't work out as planned with every person, but I did get some successful birthday wishes from strangers.
My birthday night I went out with friends for some Mexican birthday dinner. The only thing that could have made it slightly better would have been the waiters slamming ice cream in my face like they do at good ol Los Tres Amigos. So, all in all it was a great birthday!
One of my projects during these past two weeks has been finishing my bedroom! Every since I was little I've LOVED interior decorating! My landlord was super nice and said that I was free to pick the colors for my bedroom walls. I decided on light grey walls, with one dark grey accent wall. Being my savvy little self I was able to buy a really cool bookshelf from Goodwill, and repainted a small dresser and frames that I already had. I spent a week showing up to work with little black highlights throughout my hair, but the result was well worth it. The room turned out exactly how I had envisioned. Photos to come.
This past month I have been working A LOT! During the month of February I didn't get called very often because that's generally a slow travel time. With spring break in full swing this month, I've worked almost everyday that I've been on reserve. One of the most frustrating days came when I was assigned ready reserve from 9:00 A.M-2:00 P.M. I spent most of this time napping in the crew room, and at about 1:45 I woke up, gathered my things, and was relieved that I hadn't been called out. Just as that feeling of gratitude surfaced, the phone rang and I was assigned a turn to Cancun. Now I'm never one to wrinkly my nose at Cancun, but TEN more minutes and I was home free. Oh well, it's all part of this lifestyle! For some reason I've been working a lot of turns, and not quite as many trips. It's all just kind of random how it gets assigned. Currently I am on a trip. Yesterday I was in Tampa laying out by the pool, today I am in Detroit and ordered food in with the other flight attendants because it's way too cold to wonder outside.
I was able to convince my roommate, who has never been a runner, to sign up for a 10k with me. I think it's always more fun to train for a race with someone else as it helps to keep me accountable. This was our first week of training, and so far so good. I've received multiple texts from her this week about being too sore to even walk, so I would go as far as saying training is going really well! If anyone wants to join we're running the Passavant Area 10k on May 28th, it's gonna be fun! I've never really gone on an actually beach run until this week, but it's my new favorite thing! The gorgeous sunset over the ocean, the endorphins, the occasional hunky man runner that passes me....what's not to love?
This next week I have SIX days off! Holler! I really do love this job, but I equally love the days off! Although several of those days are not complete days off, as I've picked up a couple of shifts at Disney. I'll be spending a lot of time with my Orlando friends, and even celebrating one of their birthdays. I find a little bit of work mixed in with a lot of play is always the best practice!
Hope everyone has a great St. Patrick's Day tomorrow! It just dawned on me that my uniform is a BLACK skirt and a BLUE shirt...looks like someone's arse is getting pinched a lot. I should be back in Ft. Lauderdale just in time to go out and celebrate my wee bit of Irish that I'm sure is buried somewhere in my family tree.
Love you all!
"Today is gone. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one. Every day, from here to there, funny things are everywhere." -Dr. Seuss
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
It's (Almost) My Birthday I Can Blog If I Want To
When I was a kid I never liked that my birthday was in March, because March was such a drab month. I wanted a summer birthday so I could have a swimming party. Then in high school I longed for a late August birthday, so that I could FINALLY get my driver's license. As I've gotten older though, I've come to embrace my March birthday ness. You see, every January 1st I make these big New Year's resolutions that I faithfully stick to day in and day out...for about a week. By the time March 3rd roles around I have to dig out my journal to even remember what my resolutions were. So, two months post January 1st is about the perfect time to create new resolutions. Side note, I actually haven't completely screwed up my 2011 resolution which was to become a vegetarian. My apologies to Wilbur and Bessie for the two minor slip ups.
So for my 23rd year of life I've decided that I'm going to do at least some form of physical activity everyday. Not that I'm disgustingly out of shape, but my level of fitness ebbs and flows way more than I like. For as hardcore of a runner as I can be some months, I can equally become a professional couch potato i.e., January and February 2011. It may sound unrealistic, but I know I can do it. I know everyone has 10 spare minutes each day. Why not use them to run up and down the stairs and get in a lil cardio? So now that I've proclaimed to the blog world my plan for 365 days of fitness, I might just have to do it!
It feels like a million years ago since I've last written because so much has been jammed packed into this past week. My trip back home was AWESOME. I spent time with just my parents, hung out with my siblings, spent time on the farm, played way too many hours of flight attendant Barbi with Lana and Bridget, got in some much needed best friend chats with Allison, and literally had sore abs after spending the night with all my girls from home. I had a blast in Macomb, and it was so good to get to see all of my WIU girls! I think I subconsciously enjoy hanging out with Heather, Liz, and Nicole because they laugh at everything I say. It's like an instant ego boost!
The visit went by way too quickly, and Saturday morning Kristen, returned me to the airport. While I was home I celebrated my birthday a week early, mostly so that I wouldn't miss out on my annual birthday cake, which tastes like a little piece of heaven on a plate, that is always made by the local birthday cake lady in town. My best good friend Evan has also started a new tradition of bringing me a cookie cake for my bday. So. Flipping. Good. I couldn't bare to part with the leftover cookie/cake, so I decided that I shouldn't. I boxed up the remains of each and shoved them in my suitcase. The ramp workers didn't exactly get the "handle with care" memo, but I'm happy to report both the cookie and cake still taste DELICIOUS.
I was back in Florida for a whopping one night before being sent to Chicago for a four day trip. I was able to spend quite a bit of time in Chi town in between flying back and forth to Las Vegas. While I was in Chicago I met up with a friend and visited the Sears Tower. Since I had been there last they have added these glass boxes that protrude about three feet from the side of the building. Now I know this architectural design has been deemed safe as they encourage thousands of people to stand on them, but holy crikey it made me wanna toss my cookies and shard all at the same time! I stood out there long enough just to say I had done it, and then I was done with that business. It felt way too similar to the time I was standing on the edge of the plane about to jump, except that time I was fairly certain I was going to have a parachute open. This time, not so much.
I'm headed out on a flight bright and early tomorrow to celebrate my birthday... Haitian style.
“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” -Abraham Lincoln
So for my 23rd year of life I've decided that I'm going to do at least some form of physical activity everyday. Not that I'm disgustingly out of shape, but my level of fitness ebbs and flows way more than I like. For as hardcore of a runner as I can be some months, I can equally become a professional couch potato i.e., January and February 2011. It may sound unrealistic, but I know I can do it. I know everyone has 10 spare minutes each day. Why not use them to run up and down the stairs and get in a lil cardio? So now that I've proclaimed to the blog world my plan for 365 days of fitness, I might just have to do it!
It feels like a million years ago since I've last written because so much has been jammed packed into this past week. My trip back home was AWESOME. I spent time with just my parents, hung out with my siblings, spent time on the farm, played way too many hours of flight attendant Barbi with Lana and Bridget, got in some much needed best friend chats with Allison, and literally had sore abs after spending the night with all my girls from home. I had a blast in Macomb, and it was so good to get to see all of my WIU girls! I think I subconsciously enjoy hanging out with Heather, Liz, and Nicole because they laugh at everything I say. It's like an instant ego boost!
The visit went by way too quickly, and Saturday morning Kristen, returned me to the airport. While I was home I celebrated my birthday a week early, mostly so that I wouldn't miss out on my annual birthday cake, which tastes like a little piece of heaven on a plate, that is always made by the local birthday cake lady in town. My best good friend Evan has also started a new tradition of bringing me a cookie cake for my bday. So. Flipping. Good. I couldn't bare to part with the leftover cookie/cake, so I decided that I shouldn't. I boxed up the remains of each and shoved them in my suitcase. The ramp workers didn't exactly get the "handle with care" memo, but I'm happy to report both the cookie and cake still taste DELICIOUS.
I was back in Florida for a whopping one night before being sent to Chicago for a four day trip. I was able to spend quite a bit of time in Chi town in between flying back and forth to Las Vegas. While I was in Chicago I met up with a friend and visited the Sears Tower. Since I had been there last they have added these glass boxes that protrude about three feet from the side of the building. Now I know this architectural design has been deemed safe as they encourage thousands of people to stand on them, but holy crikey it made me wanna toss my cookies and shard all at the same time! I stood out there long enough just to say I had done it, and then I was done with that business. It felt way too similar to the time I was standing on the edge of the plane about to jump, except that time I was fairly certain I was going to have a parachute open. This time, not so much.
I'm headed out on a flight bright and early tomorrow to celebrate my birthday... Haitian style.
“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” -Abraham Lincoln
Monday, February 21, 2011
I've Got A Feeling We're Not In Kansas Anymore
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
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
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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