Current mood: adventurous
So on Tuesday, November 25th the Abates (that's my family in case you didn't know I had a last name... my dear myspace friends), The Babcocks (that's my sister's new last name and her husbands always last name), The Breeden (that's my boyfriend), The Snavely & the future Mrs. Snavely (that would be my boyfriends best friend and his new fiancee) & JoAnn... sorry I don't know your last name (that's my little brother's girlfriend), we all met at my sister's house for an early Turkey day celebration.
We all work and we are very busy people... so we ordered the turkey from Grady's BBQ... :) Let me tell you that if the Abate/Babcock sisters decided to make a turkey (as we have done before in the past) it would be awesome... and it was! So to save time this year, we bought a delicious one. Then I ordered a delicious pumpkin cheesecake pie. Oh gosh. Yum. I made sweet potato casserole, garlic mashed potatoes, green been casserole, pumpkin bread muffins, some pre-made rolls and some canned cranberry sauce... and yea... ta-DA! We had a FEAST! I wish our parents could have been there to see us... they would have been proud of us.... minus the christmas tree. They might be proud of it next year when it's my sisters turn to decorate it. :) Sorry Jer! :)
Jeremiah (my brother) & JoAnn (his girl) cleaned up the kitchen like nobodies business... and we sat by the fire (with the door open, cause it was hot) and watched a Christmas movie... not THE Christmas Story though... but there is still plenty of time for that. Anyways... we had an amazing pre-Thanksgiving.
Jeremiah (my brother) & JoAnn are heading to Dallas to spend it with her family, Bethany (my sister) & Jer are heading to Colorado to spend it with his Grandma, & Steve & Mere (the future mr & mrs) are heading to Arizona I think it was to spend it with her family... meanwhile the mister and I are both stuck working. Guess you can't beat everything.
So I flew out of San Antonio on Wednesday, November 26. I finally got my SA parking pass so I can drive myself to the airport now. I'm such a grown up... I know. :) Then I got a first class seat to Atlanta. My friends were all in Atlanta because we are all newer, so yuck. So we watched the news about the Mumbai hostage situation and hoped our flight attendants got out since it was the same hotel that we stay at when we layover there. Luckily they have all been contacted and accounted for. So yet another thing to be grateful for on Thanksgiving.
So I slept on the couch in Atlanta and woke up at 5am from the loud flight attendants... but whatever. My sign in was at 7:30am... first stop Philadelphia. Now it was surprising to me that we were so full on all of our flights... but I found out why later. So the first flight was pretty easy... everyone was surprisingly drinking a lot... which I found odd considering it was 8am. I had a couple of first time flyers on board who were sweating profusely from being so nervous. There were TONS of kids on board. I would have thought we were flying the plane directly on magic mountain.
On the way back to Atlanta we had more first time flyers and a lot more drinkers and WAY more kids... it's like they were multiplying. These people haven't been flying at all or in a long time because mid-flight they asked if their kids could go sit in the cockpit with the captain. I informed him politely that we haven't done that since 9/11 and that on their way out they can say goodbye to the pilots and maybe take a picture with them in the cockpit. whew.
I can normally finish a beverage service pretty fast... like 30 minutes for 130 people. That's with 2 flight attendants. But with all these kids and first time flyers and drinkers it took me 3 times as long!
Every kid wanted apple juice, which we didn't have... so the parents weren't sure if they would like cranapple... so I'd have to pour a taste sampler for each kid... wait a minute for them to swish it around in their little mouths and wait for them to decide if they wanted a full cup of the juice. It was like a wine tasting for kids and instead of me being at a fancy restaurant... I was on an airplane... and my clients weren't paying me or ordering fancy named wines... it was cranapple juice to 5 year olds. sigh.
On my way down the aisle with the 100 plus pound cart I get stopped by who I like to call the "two toothless wanders" who wanted to put their drink order in before everyone else... I told them I'd be right back and get to them in order. So by the time I get to the aisle in front of them and next to them and they are yelling out their drink order to me... I was being patient and helping out everyone in order then I got to them. The first guy asked for a Gin on the rocks. I told him it was $7. He looked at his friend and asked him why he had to pay for it if he was in first class (mind you that they were sitting behind the exit rows in the middle of the airplane). I got the giggles and so did everyone around him. His friend informed him that it wasn't first class. He said "oh, well then make it a double and then whatever my friend wants." So I make their drinks then he yells to his friend who is 5 rows in front of him if she wanted a drink to. I PROMISE you that he yelled 5 rows, "Hey! Betsie! Do you wanna drink too?" As he holds up his drink on the rocks proudly. She yells back that she does indeed want a drink and to make it a rum. I was almost in tears holding in the laughter. I've never quite seen anything like that in my plane. So I deliver her the drink.
Before we had taken off there was a girl near the back who had been sick in the bathroom... she was sitting next to her husband and new baby. Right before we land she was right back in the bathroom again... After we land she was in there again. They were the last people off the flight. I had given her sprite and checked on her through the flight. I finally asked her husband if she was ok... he just laughed and said yes that she was just hung over. I felt a little less sorry for her after that. The whole time I had been concentrating on not breathing when she walked by in case she had the flu. ugh.
All that and the endless amount of men flyers that I saw just wearing cut off tank tops and wife beaters... I knew there was something up.
Then I found out that our company had run a $79 special to fly on Thanksgiving. Oh Ok. Now I understand. :)
So I grab my food and head to the next gate... I'm DC bound. At the gate I encounter way more children under the age of five. At this point I've come to realize that America has been procreating excessively for the last 5 years... only starting 5 years ago. I hadn't seen any kids over the age of 5. I've also come to the conclusion that there must be a lot of disfunctional families in America so people are pre-drinking in order to deal with them. So that's my conclusions. :)
As I was sitting there I overhear a conversation between 2 young mothers about the recent politics. The one Caucasian momma is from where else but ALASKA! What are the odds... and the African American momma is from Boston. The Boston momma brings up Palin to the Alaskan momma. I flinch. I watch out of the corner of my eye.
Boston: "So your girl Palin is from Alaska"
Alaska: "yup! She's my girl!"
(I roll my eyes at the idiocracy of it all)
Then they end up in deep conversation of the candidates and neither one of them is well informed. I had to leave.
So here I am in DC. I've watched 2 movies and 2 episodes of Friends... this is pretty much what I'd be doing on Thanksgiving anywhere... I ordered room service and worked on my computer... the world is at peace. :)
I hope we have just as interesting of a day tomorrow as we did today. It was so funny and entertaining.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Showing posts with label Alaska. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alaska. Show all posts
Friday, November 28, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
can you keep up?
Current mood: refreshed
]
so... where did I last leave off?
a silly little sleepy london video as i recall. ok. so I didn't do a stinking thing in london. I passed out for almost 20 hours on the 24 hour layover. i was so tired. and whoever said you cannot catch up on sleep never had the chance to try because you CAN!
As soon as i was done with london i came to texas for a 9 hour visit to see my boyfriend...
what are the odds that i get on my plane to texas and the same fat flight attendant that broke the jumpseat with me on it last week was on this same flight and we were sharing the SAME seat!?! awkward!
it didnt break this time because as we landed i lifted up against the headreast to keep my body weight off the already strained little jumpseat. :)
rick and i headed to the olive garden because im addicted to that soup and salad thingy.. and what are the odds that the SAME waitress from last week waited on us.. she used to work for American Airlines.. and she forgot my soup... again... she's slow... i KNOW she didnt work for delta. haha just kidding.
we didn't even sleep a wink. at 2am we hit up chachos and took food to my little brother who was stuck working a night shift at his security job. poor boy. at 4:45am Rick dropped me off at the airport again... i think he should start getting some frequent flyer miles from the airport since he is there almost everyday dropping me off and picking me up at the craziest hours. well he already has a few points stocked up with me but the SA airport should definitely do something for him too. :)
I get to the atlanta airport and pass out for 2 hours on the couch. best sleep ever. :) i meet my flight leader and he's from brazil... those brazilian men are the craziest people. he kept telling me how hot i was and how i had a good butt and good legs... but he talked just like borat so i couldnt take him very seriously... so i just laughed him off. :) we sat in orlando for 3 hours and then headed to mexico... we only had 7 hours behind the door and i felt like death when i woke up... so sleepy. i went in the crew lounge at the hotel to check my email and i drank some oj in there... well it tasted good but different and i think it had mango in it... because i started to get all itchy in my throat... so i popped a benadryl and it made me soo sleepy that i kept falling asleep on the jumpseat. it was horrible! but we had a 4 hour sit in orlando again so i slept for 3 hours... :)
then back to atlanta then to hop a plane to san antonio and got in at midnight.. ugh. again my poor boyfriend had to come out and pick me up again. he had the best surprise for me! a painting by genevieve that i had commented about over a month ago that wasn't for sell. it's HUGE! it's called "the burn" you should go check it out. www.artmajeur.com/genevieve she has the best stuff. anyways... that was an amazing surprise. :)
my friend gregg from south south of texas who painted me an amazing picture is coming into town today so i get to meet him for dinner and kmax and ecole come into town on wednesday so that will be fun... i leave here on thursday morning to go to nicaragua. so i get a few days off in texas... much needed days of sleep and catching up on myspace work.... and sitting by the pool with the best people in texas. :)
also... music im addicted to this month and you should definitely check out is justin nozuka... sooo good! enjoy.
]
so... where did I last leave off?
a silly little sleepy london video as i recall. ok. so I didn't do a stinking thing in london. I passed out for almost 20 hours on the 24 hour layover. i was so tired. and whoever said you cannot catch up on sleep never had the chance to try because you CAN!
As soon as i was done with london i came to texas for a 9 hour visit to see my boyfriend...
what are the odds that i get on my plane to texas and the same fat flight attendant that broke the jumpseat with me on it last week was on this same flight and we were sharing the SAME seat!?! awkward!
it didnt break this time because as we landed i lifted up against the headreast to keep my body weight off the already strained little jumpseat. :)
rick and i headed to the olive garden because im addicted to that soup and salad thingy.. and what are the odds that the SAME waitress from last week waited on us.. she used to work for American Airlines.. and she forgot my soup... again... she's slow... i KNOW she didnt work for delta. haha just kidding.
we didn't even sleep a wink. at 2am we hit up chachos and took food to my little brother who was stuck working a night shift at his security job. poor boy. at 4:45am Rick dropped me off at the airport again... i think he should start getting some frequent flyer miles from the airport since he is there almost everyday dropping me off and picking me up at the craziest hours. well he already has a few points stocked up with me but the SA airport should definitely do something for him too. :)
I get to the atlanta airport and pass out for 2 hours on the couch. best sleep ever. :) i meet my flight leader and he's from brazil... those brazilian men are the craziest people. he kept telling me how hot i was and how i had a good butt and good legs... but he talked just like borat so i couldnt take him very seriously... so i just laughed him off. :) we sat in orlando for 3 hours and then headed to mexico... we only had 7 hours behind the door and i felt like death when i woke up... so sleepy. i went in the crew lounge at the hotel to check my email and i drank some oj in there... well it tasted good but different and i think it had mango in it... because i started to get all itchy in my throat... so i popped a benadryl and it made me soo sleepy that i kept falling asleep on the jumpseat. it was horrible! but we had a 4 hour sit in orlando again so i slept for 3 hours... :)
then back to atlanta then to hop a plane to san antonio and got in at midnight.. ugh. again my poor boyfriend had to come out and pick me up again. he had the best surprise for me! a painting by genevieve that i had commented about over a month ago that wasn't for sell. it's HUGE! it's called "the burn" you should go check it out. www.artmajeur.com/genevieve she has the best stuff. anyways... that was an amazing surprise. :)
my friend gregg from south south of texas who painted me an amazing picture is coming into town today so i get to meet him for dinner and kmax and ecole come into town on wednesday so that will be fun... i leave here on thursday morning to go to nicaragua. so i get a few days off in texas... much needed days of sleep and catching up on myspace work.... and sitting by the pool with the best people in texas. :)
also... music im addicted to this month and you should definitely check out is justin nozuka... sooo good! enjoy.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Panama City & Anchorage, Alaska
Current mood: relaxed
Panama was really fast... just a 9 hour layover... but we were right next to the beach... i didn't get to see it until the next morning though. I really wanna go back. But as always... here is a picture from the 12th floor.
I got to briefing for my Alaska trip and my flight leader tells us to be prepared because these are not our average flyers... Some of these people have never flown before... some rarely ever see people because they sit on an oil rig for three months or go snow crab fishing... some of the people will be really old because alaska is on their list to see before they die... so its something to cross off their "bucket list".
As soon as we boarded the plane I get a short little middle aged lady within 3 inches from my face screaming about how she can't put her bag underneath her seat and she should have been warned about it. She kept asking me what she could do and I kept smiling and telling her to put it in her over head bin during take off and landing and then she could take it down. She asked me what she could do with it then... put it on her head... that's what she said. "do you want me to put it on my head?" i kept surprisingly calm... it might been because i actually did my devotions via podcast that morning.
Little did I know about 10 minutes after I walked away from screamy pants she had a panic attack in the back galley... she fell on the floor in tears and was outta control because she wasnt sure she could make it on a 7 hour flight. The flight attendant grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her and told her to pull herself together... The lady almost got kicked off the flight... she took some valium or something and was advised to sit quietly or else... she did. I ran back and forth though to keep bringing her a cup of hot tea and cups of ice... she had no expression the entire flight.. apparently valium just makes her stop crying... but valium makes me relaxed and happy... maybe she needed a double dose. After she got off the flight she told us that it was the worst flight she had ever had... whatever.
After we get in flight... we walk through the aisles and there is a guy with a cut off shirt and a gold swordfish necklace who has a radio with an antennae... we tell him that he cannot use that and he says he's trying to pick up the race.... umm... in which country?! A little while later he hands us 2 empty bottles of jim beam. we don't serve jim beam. we tell him that he cannot drink his own alcohol on the plane... its not only not right... it's actually illegal according to the FAA. We had to tell him over 6 times to stop drinking jim beam.
After we served dinner and finally finished picking up and had a second to breathe a guy comes in the back and asks us for dinner... the flight attendant asked him if he was served dinner and he said no that he was sleeping. she shot me a look to see if i had served him and i was 98 percent sure that i did but i couldnt prove it... so we had to give him another one. later he stopped us and said he wanted one of our crew meals... um... its one thing to con me out of an extra dinner... its another thing to con me out of MY dinner... especially since it the first time I haven't eaten ramen noodles in 2 days. We tell him no. Well he makes a smart remark to the one flight attendant about how he conned us outta a dinner and she tells him "you know what happens to liars dont you?". it was the funniest thing ive ever heard a flight attendant tell a passenger... she proceeds to tell him that she hates liars. wow. later on he comes in the back and tries to make nice with us... he asks me for peanuts... i tell him no. i told him we already served peanuts and the galley was closed for landing. he gives me a little attitude and i didnt care. he sat down. When i was picking up the trash i walked past him and he said "man... it sure would be nice to have some peanuts rights now." i said "sorry... its locked for landing." he said "well i have a key... " i rolled my eyes and walked off and told him good luck with that.
Before we landed my flight leader told me that i HAVE to go into the cockpit to look at the view. Holy crap! It was honestly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. All these pictures are taken with my camera phone though... so sorry about the crappy quality.
We got to Anchorage and went out to dinner together. I got some tasty potato soup and tried my first clam ever. It was boiled... yuck. not a fan. The halibut was great though for sure. I was so tired... it was 10pm here and still light outside but it was 2am in atlanta... whew!
I got up this morning and walked around... it's so beautiful... very peaceful. I walked in and out of shops and watched the salmon boats... I think next may I will bring my sister, dad and boyfriend for a little old fashion salmon fishing trip... :) I fly out tonight... and get into atlanta at 6am and then straight to texas to see my man! :) for like 2 seconds... then over to london. :) it's a hard life but someone has to do it.
Panama was really fast... just a 9 hour layover... but we were right next to the beach... i didn't get to see it until the next morning though. I really wanna go back. But as always... here is a picture from the 12th floor.
I got to briefing for my Alaska trip and my flight leader tells us to be prepared because these are not our average flyers... Some of these people have never flown before... some rarely ever see people because they sit on an oil rig for three months or go snow crab fishing... some of the people will be really old because alaska is on their list to see before they die... so its something to cross off their "bucket list".
As soon as we boarded the plane I get a short little middle aged lady within 3 inches from my face screaming about how she can't put her bag underneath her seat and she should have been warned about it. She kept asking me what she could do and I kept smiling and telling her to put it in her over head bin during take off and landing and then she could take it down. She asked me what she could do with it then... put it on her head... that's what she said. "do you want me to put it on my head?" i kept surprisingly calm... it might been because i actually did my devotions via podcast that morning.
Little did I know about 10 minutes after I walked away from screamy pants she had a panic attack in the back galley... she fell on the floor in tears and was outta control because she wasnt sure she could make it on a 7 hour flight. The flight attendant grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her and told her to pull herself together... The lady almost got kicked off the flight... she took some valium or something and was advised to sit quietly or else... she did. I ran back and forth though to keep bringing her a cup of hot tea and cups of ice... she had no expression the entire flight.. apparently valium just makes her stop crying... but valium makes me relaxed and happy... maybe she needed a double dose. After she got off the flight she told us that it was the worst flight she had ever had... whatever.
After we get in flight... we walk through the aisles and there is a guy with a cut off shirt and a gold swordfish necklace who has a radio with an antennae... we tell him that he cannot use that and he says he's trying to pick up the race.... umm... in which country?! A little while later he hands us 2 empty bottles of jim beam. we don't serve jim beam. we tell him that he cannot drink his own alcohol on the plane... its not only not right... it's actually illegal according to the FAA. We had to tell him over 6 times to stop drinking jim beam.
After we served dinner and finally finished picking up and had a second to breathe a guy comes in the back and asks us for dinner... the flight attendant asked him if he was served dinner and he said no that he was sleeping. she shot me a look to see if i had served him and i was 98 percent sure that i did but i couldnt prove it... so we had to give him another one. later he stopped us and said he wanted one of our crew meals... um... its one thing to con me out of an extra dinner... its another thing to con me out of MY dinner... especially since it the first time I haven't eaten ramen noodles in 2 days. We tell him no. Well he makes a smart remark to the one flight attendant about how he conned us outta a dinner and she tells him "you know what happens to liars dont you?". it was the funniest thing ive ever heard a flight attendant tell a passenger... she proceeds to tell him that she hates liars. wow. later on he comes in the back and tries to make nice with us... he asks me for peanuts... i tell him no. i told him we already served peanuts and the galley was closed for landing. he gives me a little attitude and i didnt care. he sat down. When i was picking up the trash i walked past him and he said "man... it sure would be nice to have some peanuts rights now." i said "sorry... its locked for landing." he said "well i have a key... " i rolled my eyes and walked off and told him good luck with that.
Before we landed my flight leader told me that i HAVE to go into the cockpit to look at the view. Holy crap! It was honestly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. All these pictures are taken with my camera phone though... so sorry about the crappy quality.
We got to Anchorage and went out to dinner together. I got some tasty potato soup and tried my first clam ever. It was boiled... yuck. not a fan. The halibut was great though for sure. I was so tired... it was 10pm here and still light outside but it was 2am in atlanta... whew!
I got up this morning and walked around... it's so beautiful... very peaceful. I walked in and out of shops and watched the salmon boats... I think next may I will bring my sister, dad and boyfriend for a little old fashion salmon fishing trip... :) I fly out tonight... and get into atlanta at 6am and then straight to texas to see my man! :) for like 2 seconds... then over to london. :) it's a hard life but someone has to do it.
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