Winged Whimsy Weekly

Well, its that time again where I share with you my favorite snapshots from the week. I confess, some weeks I dont have too much of a camera bug, but I think I still got a few good ones.

But first, I'm going to whine a little about Christmas. One of the unfortunate side effects of my job is if I don't fly very much, I still get paid a salaried amount, but without any of the nice per diem pay for overnights on trips. In addition, I don't have any opportunities to get money from crew cash (the credit card applications we get paid $50 each for on acceptance). So, my upcoming paycheck looks pretty pathetic to say the least. What's worse is normally the check on the 15th is our big boy, which we rely on for financial legroom (read: Christmas presents for others).

I realize I'm complaining when I get to sit around, do practically nothing all month and still get paid a salary, but there definitely is a trade-off you know? I'd rather be working my butt off and making a decent check than sitting bored out of my mind in Charlotte and getting bupkis.

*sigh*

With all that aside, I had a fabulous week (and by week I mean month) of doing next to nothing.

Darcy got a Twinkie making machine. He mixed all the secret ingredients (for the Twinkie and the filling) and made some delicious treats which we took to a holiday party. We're doing the same thing for another party we're going to tonight and it should be just as fabulous!

The results of our toils: fresh, homemade Twinkies. Believe me, they're even tastier than the manufactured kind!

On a shopping trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond, Darcy became acquainted with the likes of a massaging chair. I was afraid he'd never move again.

Can you see what those clever BB&B employees spelled out? Made me giggle.

On one of the miraculous days that I actually flew to Philly, I saw real live snow on the ground. As a bonafide Southern girl, this is practically a phenomenon. Exclamations were made. Unfortunately I couldn't jump out of the plane and go make a snow angel.

Holiday dinner and gift exchange at Mt. Vernon Restaurant with old friends

An Unexpected Roadtrip

Grandmother and I this Thanksgiving

In a job with infinite (read: free)  logistical possibilities, one would think it would be easy to get home for the holidays.

Wrong.

Maybe if you’ve worked for your airline for 25+ years you can rest assured that time with loved ones won’t be impeded, but as a new hire flight attendant you’re told not to make plans. As I’ve mentioned before, everything is rewarded based on seniority and this most definitely includes times off. Since my airline has been hiring like the dickens this year, my seniority as a reserve has skyrocketed and I’m pretty much able to get the time off I want every time.

But November and December are a different kind of animal.

Not only does everything want Christmas off, they want New Years Eve and Day too. And let’s not forget Thanksgiving.

I decided to be “smart” and not even bid Thanksgiving off. Why set myself up for disappointment, you know? I told myself it would be best to let people with kids and husbands get successful bids for holidays off and I’d just be the bigger person and celebrate it at some other point in time but not actually on date(s) that the Hallmark cards and Seasonal Sales tell us.

I managed to keep this cavalier, up-beat attitude until my mother casually mentioned that she and my father would be traveling to middle Tennessee to visit my 91 year old grandmother for Thanksgiving. (For those of you just tuning in, Darcy and I had a lovely visit with her in August, which I documentedin this post). 99.9% of the time, we spend Thanksgiving in Chattanooga and cook dinner around 2 and are done eating by 4. We then turn on a football game and drift in and out of consciousness for the rest of the day.

When I heard this news, I was really depressed. My little optimistic veneer of “oh it doesn’t matter” vanished and I realized how few Thanksgivings might be left to get to visit Grandma. In addition, when I found out I would be on a trip to Las Vegas for Turkey Day, a city entirely dedicated to superficial fanfare, I dreaded missing out on quality time with my family even more.

Then something amazing happened.

I was sitting in my hotel room in Orlando, bawling to Darcy about how much I missed everyone back home, and planning to meet up with an old college acquaintance who happened to be in Vegas on a business trip, when I got a call from Scheduling. Apparently some flight attendant who was also in Orlando had gotten sick and they needed someone to take their place on an early flight to Philly the next day. What this meant for me was I would not go to Vegas, but get paid for the rest of my trip (2 days worth) to fly to Philly and then go home.

Translation: I was given a PAID opportunity to go home and spend time with my family.

This turned out to be easier said than done, however. The closest airport to my grandmother’s home is Nashville, and I searched all possible flights from Philly to Nashville. As it turned out, the last flight to Nashville that day would leave 30 minutes before I even arrived in Philly. Big bummer.

A few quick searches showed me the last flight from Charlotte to Nashville would leave before I could get from Philly to Charlotte as well. I tried everything I could think of. Philly to Washington DC to Nashville? Nope. Philly to Charlotte to Chattanooga and then drive to Nashville? Too late. It began to seem like nothing would work out after all. I called my dad, with a heavy heart, and explained the situation to him.

“Why not check Philly to Knoxville?” he asked, after a moment’s thought.

It seemed like a long shot, but sure enough, there was exactly one flight from Philly to Knoxville that would leave about 40 minutes after I got there.

“But you’d have to drive to Knoxville and then drive all the way to Grandmas. That would be like 6 hours of driving for you instead of 2.5.”

I could hear my dad smiling on the other end of the phone.

“Honey, I would drive much farther than that if it meant getting to see you. I love you, you know that.”

I’m pretty sure what came out of my mouth next wasn’t English; mainly unintelligible sobs of joy and relief. I love my dad. He is seriously the best father I could ever ask for, and in that moment I savored the real meaning of giving thanks. A holiday like Thanksgiving was about the unpleasant sacrifice our ancestors made to be together in a new home. In recent months, my life has been a sort of pilgrim-like existence…..wandering hither and thither, trying to figure out where I belong in this big, goofy world.

That conversation with my dad taught me that I may be a vagabond right now, but my home is most definitely with them. It always has been and always will be. It doesn’t matter where I am. Like some invisible, unbreakable string, our hearts are linked together and the sacrifices we are willing to make to be with each other are both unconditional and extensive. I am so, so, so beyond grateful for this gift.

Dad and I had a fantastic roadtrip together, wherein we tried to get some T-Day vittles at every single Cracker Barrel from Knoxville to Dickson, TN. And every single time but the last attempt (at around 6 pm), there was no room for one more vehicle at any one of the restaurants. It was hilarious (and a very profitable day for anyone who happens to own a franchise!)

My time with grandmother was priceless. She’s still her spunky, wise, adorable self, and I got to spend hours talking and catching up. I also got to watch Dr. Who with my aunt Betty, and walk all around the 30 acres of property. Tennessee really is beautiful beyond compare (not that I’m biased or anything).

My advice to those constantly traveling this holiday season? Even if you can’t physically be with the people you love, take time to call them and let them know you care. Life is short, and even more so when most of it is spent commuting. Slow down for a minute and savor the people who remember you when you’re gone.

To see this post in its original source, click here.

Winged Whimsy Weekly

Another outrageously long  highly anticipated couple of weeks  month  amount of time has passed since my last smattering of photos from my flight attending life.

You'll have to forgive my tardiness, as I have to import the photos directly from my phone to my email, and sometimes even steal an especially good snapshot from friends. Then, sometimes wordpress takes issue with the size of the photo, so I have to carefully go back through and reduce them all to the same size and ensure they upload. Then, I make sure they're atleast somewhat in chronological order. It's a process and I'm working on it.

I hope the wait is worth it.

[caption id="attachment_782" align="alignnone" width="642"] Playing Pathfinder (a version of Dungeons and Dragons) at Darcy's house. While waiting my turn I got creative and stacked the dice.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_783" align="alignnone" width="642"] I made a new friend! Bryanna is an exceptionally cool lady! We connected instantly over our love of trivia, Sex and the City and bellydance.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_790" align="alignnone" width="642"] ZOINKS! Look at that incredibly handsome young man sporting a bow tie! A friend referred to this look as "Orville Redenbacher's love child".[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_784" align="alignnone" width="642"] layover in Orlando right before Thanksgiving. It was really nice to get away from the cold for awhile![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_787" align="alignnone" width="642"] I had my first experience at Denny's! I tried Bilbo's Breakfast from the Hobbit themed menu.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_785" align="alignnone" width="642"] I got to visit my grandmother in Lyles for Thanksgiving. The way I got the holiday weekend off was kind of a miracle. More on this later.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_791" align="alignnone" width="642"] Watching our friends The Molly Maguires play in Chattanooga at one of our favorite bar's: The Honest Pint. Gotta love having a Guiness and listening to good music![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_795" align="alignnone" width="642"] Belle and I volunteered at United Way for their Angel Tree event. Basically we helped sort toys for needy children. It was so much fun, and our group kept us laughing the entire time![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_796" align="alignnone" width="642"] Blast from the past![/caption]

 

Cosplay, and Conventions and Dragons, Oh My! (Atlanta, GA)

A couple of days ago, I got a call from scheduling with an option to go to Atlanta. Since I hail from Chattanooga, which is just a hop, skip and a jump from A-town, this normally would not be a terribly exciting prospect. However, this week was different because of.....

*Majestic music playing*

DRAGON CON!

Darcy and our friends are super nerdy, and this fantasy/sci-fi/cosplay convention is highly anticipated all year. I didn't think I'd get to go this year because as a newbie flight attendant, asking off for Labor Day weekend is about as realistic as a winning a head butting contest against a three-headed monkey.

However, when I got the call and heard that one of the overnights was in Atlanta, I got a serious case of euphoria. Even though I'd only get one night (Saturday) at the con, I'd still get to go and drink in the nerdy awesomeness.

It was my first Dragon Con, and the best way I can describe it is thousands of people dressed up as their favorite superhero, video game avatar or tv show character. Sci-fi nerdiness is in my blood though, because back in the day my dad owned and operated a comic book store in downtown Chattanooga. Everybody meandered around different hotel lobbies in downtown Atlanta, interacted, danced, ate and drank, and had a merry time. One of the hotels had an absurd number of floors; something like 40 or 50, and we took the elevator all the way up to the top to look down on the flea-sized party-goers below. We were able to purchase something called a "Bucket of Rum" which is essentially some tasty hunch punch in a plastic bucket.

Darcy and his friend were dressed up as the Blues Brothers (apparently this is an ongoing theme from the days of yore). What can I say, he looks pretty handsome in a suit.

[caption id="attachment_680" align="alignnone" width="642"] a picture from earlier this year at Chattacon[/caption]

On the flight back to Charlotte the next day, there were lots of con-goers (still proudly wearing their badges and lanyards) who I got to exchange stories with. I just wish I had been able to attend more days of the convention rather than only Saturday, but there's always next year. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take many pictures this time around, but Darcy's friends run a podcast called Vitamin Geek, and for those of you who'd like to see some of the nerdy awesomeness we experienced from their point of view, please visit their page {here}.

Last but not least, here's a picture of our group Saturday night. We had so much fun!

picture courtesy of Vitamin Geek Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/VitaminGeekPodcast)

 

Hurry Up and Wait (aka my first couple weeks on the job!)

I've started keeping a moleskine notebook by my side at all times, because no matter how much I try to make a mental note of all the things I've done and seen, I can't possibly keep up with the adventures I'm going on. I've met so many new people and done an endless list of things which are firsts of their kind in the past few weeks alone. It's a good problem to have!

Before I took this job I was worried I'd end up in a life where every day was basically a repeat of the last, give or take a few tedious details. Working as a flight attendant is the exact opposite. Every trip is different, and while certain things are the same (uniform, aircraft fleet, supplies, etc), everything else is fascinatingly varied. I still sit in awe of the fact that I'm getting paid to be a world traveler extraordinaire.

I remember well that first day when my class got our phone calls from scheduling. They went in order of seniority, so we literally watched as one person's phone went off after the next. We all were just so excited and ready to see what they'd say; hoping for something exotic and far away.

When I got called, I had to steady my voice from sounding over-enthusiastic. This was difficult to do when the guy offered me a trip to Aruba.

Would I like to go to Aruba and have a night all-expense-paid night at a beach resort? Gee, let me check my calendar. I might have a dentist's appointment that night.

OF COURSE I WANT TO GO TO FREAKING ARUBA!!

In Charlotte it was a cold 35 degrees, and the thought of lounging by the waves was almost too good to be true. One of the nice things about being at the bottom of the seniority totem pole as new hires is we get all kinds of trips. As soon as a senior mamas drop a trip or someone calls in sick, we are the first line of response to take their place.

On one of my first assignments, I got to sit OPR (on premesis reserve) with two of my lovely roommates. We got called in order of seniority, so we picked the same time slot. Basically, OPR is where you sit at the airport for 4 hours, waiting for someone to call you for a trip that has to be filled immediately. This usually happens when a flight attendant is late to check in or calls in sick, or is delayed at a different airport and can't make it to the next flight. OPR has a reputation for being boring, but I love it. The mystery of where you could go if you get called, and the camaraderie of hanging out with other flight attendants is awesome. I get a lot of reading done and/or blogging, paying bills etc.

That first OPR with Jasmine and Belle was awesome. The three of us are already inseparable and we kept each other entertained with 4 hours of YouTube videos, pictures, and advice from senior flight attendants who came over to see who these new kids were. That's another thing I love about this job; everybody is so happy to see us. They say it's inspiring to see our fresh enthusiasm, and it reminds them how much they enjoy their jobs. We learned so much, and when it was time to go, we were a little sad. Still, we strutted our stuff through that airport and giggled about how we were finally legit flight attendants.

[caption id="attachment_58" align="alignnone" width="300"] Belle, Jasmine and I on our first night waiting OPR[/caption]

The next week, Jasmine and I got a trip together. I forget where we went, but we were having such a good time. After we had served our passengers (flashbacks to training where she  and I practiced serving, we could hardly believe we were doing it for real!) we stood in the front galley, out of sight of the passengers and kept making each other laugh. She would do some crazy dance and I would do something silly, and we both just couldn't believe we were getting paid to do this. Then, being the crazy kid she is, she got the idea to climb into the overhead bins after the passengers had deplaned. I was sure she wouldn't fit, or even be able to haul herself up there, but sure enough—she made it happen!

[caption id="attachment_60" align="alignnone" width="300"] she is so crazy! But I love her![/caption]

The next week, I got a 4 day trip to NewYork, Philly, Orlando and Punta Cana DR. It was a big deal for me, because nobody knew me on this trip and I wanted to make a very good first impression. Of course, being me, I assume I'm going to mess everything up under pressure, and I obsessed over studying the aircraft and the position I would be working before the trip. But, it turned out to be great. I met a cool guy named Patrick, who had been working for the company for over 30 years. He was from the same town in Ohio as Darcy, which I thought was incredibly cool, and had a girlfriend from college who he never married because she hated his job. I've heard this a lot among flight attendants. Their spouses want them to be able to spend Christmas or birthdays at home, but we just aren't able to guarantee that.

I guess its hard for me to understand why the day of the month is so important. I wouldn't mind celebrating my birthday the week before, or remembering an anniversary the week after. The important thing is the quality time spent together, not necessarily the date, right?  The lack of precise freedom over schedule and planning ability is perhaps one of the drawbacks to the job, but to me it's not that big of a deal. I have a good friend who is getting married at the end of June and if I am unable to make it to the wedding itself, I will be there to see her beforehand and show my support. Plus, I got her and her husband free tickets to Europe, so I don't think they're complaining too much. ;) Flexibility is key, and I knew what I was getting myself into. Still, I felt kind of bad for Patrick and wondered how it felt to be in a relationship where one partner constantly wasn't happy with your lifestyle.

Our New York leg of the trip was spectacular. The flight was at 8 am, and we got in at around 9:30 and the rest of the day was ours to spend in the city. Our hotel accommodations were right in the middle of downtown Manhattan, and I called my good friend Andy to hang out with me. As it turned out, we spent the entire day together exploring the city and enjoying ourselves. We went to Central Park, the Garment District, Strawberry Fields and all over the metro. It was truly a perfect day.

[caption id="attachment_63" align="alignnone" width="300"] My sweet New Yorker friend Andy and I[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_64" align="alignnone" width="300"] walking around downtown Manhattan always takes my breath away.[/caption]

For more pictures on my trip to New York, as well as many other pictures from other trips, check out my instagram account at www.instagram.com/wingedwayfarer!

Well, that's all I have time for now, but I'll be updating again soon!