Crazy Christmas and TRUE LOVE! =)

At the end of November, I was scheduled for a 3 day trip over Christmas... and actually, it worked out pretty well for me. The trip started on the 23rd, with the first overnight in LA. Luckily my parents kinda like me, so Mom picked me up from the airport and brought me home for the night instead of making me stay in the hotel (which, I found out the next day, was without power, and my pilots had to fight to be moved to another one).

On Monday we didn't have to be at the airport until 3pm, so I got together with Tina in the morning and we hung out for a couple of hours. =) Tina went to high school with us in PNG, and is working in Fiji with YWAM. She is just back in Cali for a few weeks to see her family over the holidays. As always, it was great catching up!!! The last time we got to hang out was last year when I was in Fiji...

us in Fiji last year

and now!

Monday afternoon we were scheduled for a Boise turn, and then overnight in Oakland (where they love to send me, especially for holidays!!). On the way to Boise, I had a bunch of passengers who had just come back from a bowl game in Hawaii - Boise State vs. East Carolina. That takes some dedication... going all the way to Hawaii for a football game. Wow. Must be nice! =) The next leg, from Boise to LA, there were some rowdy black guys sitting up front... They had just come back from Hawaii too, except they were there playing. They were four guys from the football team, and needless to say, they kept me entertained during the flight!

two of the guys with their coach

We had a two and a half hour sit in LA before flying to to Oakland. I was a little thrown off when we got there because they didn't give me my usual room, and put me on a completely different floor! ;-) That was Christmas Eve... It wasn't feeling like Christmastime at all...

On Tuesday (Christmas) I woke up at 5am to catch a shuttle to the airport to catch a 6:45am flight on JetBlue to Long Beach. See, we were scheduled to leave from Oakland at about 1pm to fly to LA, but it was just a deadhead. That just means that we're on the flight, we don't work it, but we get paid for it. Sweet huh? That also meant that I didn't technically have to be on that flight, as long as I could make it to LA myself by the time we had to fly out. Soooo... I went home again! What a blessing to be able to be at home on Christmas, even if it was only for a few hours. Our family continues to grow... Abi has been with us for awhile, and then Maria for the last couple years... this year we had another Maria with us. =) We had to initiate her, as it was her first Christmas in America!

Abi and I

Abi, Chris, and me... Chris accused Abi and I of acting like little girls!

Mommy making us breakfast =)
Dad finally grew some hair and it made him crazy

After hanging out at home, we flew the Boise turn again in the afternoon, and then back to Tucson that night. No drama, everyone was cool, no crazy stories to tell. That was a blessing. =) My pilots were very chill and relaxed, which was awesome. I had flown with the FO before, but it was my first time meeting the Captain. On our last flight of the day, we only had 20 passengers back to Tucson. We arrived at about 11:30pm, and I had the next two days off. There are no flights back to LA that late, so I was going to sleep on a couch in our crew lounge and catch the first flight in the morning to go home again. Well, I walked out of the gate, looked across the terminal, and saw a bunch of people waiting for an apparently delayed flight. I looked on the board, and it was the LA flight!! It was been delayed for FOUR HOURS. I went over just as they were boarding, and asked the gate agent if I could jump on. After a little drama with that, I got on the plane and called Dad up to let him know I was coming! I'd be getting in late, and they didn't think the train would still be running (I had parked Mom's car at the park & ride station in Norwalk so I could get home the next day since everyone would be at work). Anyway, I told Dad it wasn't a big deal, and I could just sleep in our crew lounge at LAX... Everyone had to work early the next day - Dad would have to be up at 4am or so. When I landed, I had messages from him saying he was on his way to pick me up and to call him!! It was SO NICE that he would sacrifice sleep to come and pick me up, just so I could come home. An act of true love, for sure. =) When I asked him why, he said, "you're not sleeping at the airport on Christmas night when you can come home to your own bed." Awwwww... =) I think he loves me. =) We finally got home around 1:30am and when I went into my room, Maria sat up and looked at me like I wasn't really there... She said out loud, "am I dreaming?" It was the cutest thing. =)


I had asked if I could sit reserve in LA again after my days off... I didn't think they'd let me on Friday, because I was the only person on call from 4am-4pm, but thought we looked ok for the rest of the days... But I was told no, "we need you in Tucson." Needing me in TUS = sitting around not getting called. Well, as I expected, I did get called on Friday morning, at 5am after getting maybe 2 hours of sleep. I just flew a local - TUS-LA-Boise-Denver-TUS. Been on call all weekend and no one has been called... But they NEED me, right? Even though there are six other people here not getting called? Yeah, it's getting old. And the thing that's a bummer is that it doesn't look like I'm going to get transferred out of here. I ended up putting in a transfer to LA, where I would still be on reserve, but at least I would be on reserve at home where I have friends, family, and puppy dogs to keep me company. =) (I mentioned that I was thinking about Fresno, but found out that they cut back the schedules there and I would still be on reserve there as well.) My schedule for next month stinks, and I'm very frustrated about that. I'm having a hard time making lemonade out of these lemons!

On call for two more days, through the 1st, and then hoping to go home again for two days... Let the fun continue...!

...HOME...

I love being home. Is it because it's the holiday season? Mom's fresh delicious home cooking? My puppy dogs? Family? Being with friends that I've known more than a few months? My own bed, my own room, and my electric blanket??? Or is it comfort... familiarity... safety...? Whatever it is, I love being home. I was off last week from Wednesday through Friday, and was blessed enough to have Crew Support let me be on reserve at LAX Saturday through Tuesday this week... So extra time at home! I love my job. So much flexibility! It doesn't always work out to my advantage, but this time it did. =)

Southwest brought me to LAX from Tucson on Tuesday evening. I walked on the plane, being my cheery self and said hi to the pilot and flight attendant that were greeting passengers as they boarded... They were a little caught off guard, and asked why I was so happy to be on the flight... I told them I was always like this! They asked why I wasn't working for them, and I said that Southwest didn't want to hire me... I applied and never heard from them. My energy and enthusiasm are not easily communicated on paper! I was fortunate enough that SkyWest took a chance on me. =) Anyway, Mom took the day off on Wednesday so that we could hang out! In the morning we baked cookies... (when I say we, I mean Mom)

For lunch, Mom and I met up with Dad and Chris at my favorite spot, Souplantation... It was wonderful, because it was just the four of us!!! I honestly cannot remember when we did something as a family, without anyone else, and it was so nice. Don't get me wrong, I love the people that live with us, and I love it when friends can come out with us or meet up with us, but it being just us four was different. A rare occasion, for sure. I loved it.
Thursday morning, my roomie Morgan flew in from Tucson. Dad had worked it out with his friend Dave to get us in to Disneyland for free... =) The three of us met up with Dave at noon and began our adventure in the Happiest Place on Earth!
The lines weren't long... we waited about 20 minutes at the most for a ride, so that was nice!! I thought I had dressed warmly enough, but even after I put on the extra long sleeved shirt I had brought, I was still freezing. Then we did a really smart thing: went on Splash Mountain. Morgan got to sit in the front, and I hid behind Dad. He was wearing a pullover that dried quickly, brilliant! Fortunately, I didn't get tooooo wet, but was still very cold. So Mom, being the saint that she is, said she'd bring us coats and coffee. We took the monorail to Downtown Disney and went to Tortilla Jo's...
We had a fun server, Joey, who Mom and Dad had met last time they ate at Tortilla Jo's back in September... He even remembered them (not hard to forget someone like Dad... especially since he had called me up last time they were there, then called Joey over and made him talk to me on the phone!!!). Mom and Dad left to go to a meeting, so it was just Morgan and I for the rest of the evening. After awhile we jumped on the monorail and went back into Disneyland. We were going to go on It's A Small World, but the usually 10 minute wait was 45 minutes, so we went to find Mickey instead...
On Friday Morgan hung out with us for the day and then we took her to the airport that evening. Saturday I was on call, but crossed my fingers hoping I wouldn't have to fly, because some of the girls I went to Biola with were getting together for brunch! It's always great to see them and catch up!
Saturday night, Abi called and asked what we were up to... Then said that they were having a surprise party for his old roommate, Pete, who had just graduated. Maria and I went and had a great time! Africans are crazy!! Especially entertaining was Linda... 6'5", played for Biola and was on the Nigerian basketball team in the 2004 Olympics... she was getting her dance on!!! That was another great time of catching up with people I hadn't seen in forever.
On Friday, Crew Support had scheduled me to fly on Sunday morning. I went up to Oakland, their favorite spot to send me, and back, then sat reserve at the airport until 5:00pm. I got to fly with some awesome guys based in Fresno, they were so cool!!! The kind that make flying not feel like work. =) When I was walking through the cabin doing my passenger count, people kept telling me happy birthday... I told them it wasn't my birthday, and then asked if the Captain had made an announcement about it or something. They said yes! So when I went back up front I asked him if he said it was my birthday in his announcement, and he goes, yeah, I thought you would like some more attention. =) Hilarious! It made up for my lack of happy birthdays from my passengers on my real birthday in July!

I mentioned in my last post that some changes might be coming, and the biggest change I am considering is transferring to another one of our domiciles (bases) - Fresno. If I did transfer to Fresno, I could probably have a line (which means having a set schedule for the month), rather than being on reserve (on call) all the time. Since Tucson is a senior base for us, it is more difficult to get a line. In Fresno I would have a chance. With a line in Fresno, I could live back at home in Orange County and just commute... and in case you're wondering, I would fly to commute, not drive. =) I have to stay in Tucson through the end of February, when the lease for our apartment runs out (or pay for my part of it, if I leave before then). I am praying about it. I have really enjoyed being back in California for more than just a couple days, and in talking to people I've met up with in the last couple of weeks who are based in Fresno, it sounds like it could be a very good thing... But it depends on the number of lines there as well. Sooo... we'll see what happens in the next couple months... I'll keep you posted. =)

Fun Randomness

I am a P to the max!!! You know, the Myers-Briggs test... aka Kiersey Temperament Sorter... aka the Jung personality test... So this is me:

ESFP - "Entertainer". Radiates attractive warmth and optimism. Smooth, witty, charming, clever. Fun to be with. Very generous. 8.5% of the total population.

Take Free Jung Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

The "P" part of me is the spontaneous, last minute, non-planner. Ok, so I was on call last Saturday through Tuesday, and hung out in Tucson (i.e., I didn't get called)! I did have a two day trip right before that, with an overnight in Phoenix. I got to have lunch with Cliff, a friend from high school who lives in Phoenix!!! and then flew four legs of simple pie... much turbulence all day = no beverage service. I tried, believe me. I couldn't stand up in the aisle so I was literally kneeling, going through the aisle trying to see what people wanted to drink... and then my FO (First Officer) called me and told me to sit down! =)

Ha, I digress. So I had planned to go out to Colorado Springs on Tuesday night if I didn't get called, and hang out there for my days off this week. Well. My friend Jason, who is an amazing guy and also a Flight Attendant for SkyWest, happened to call me up on Monday afternoon. Long story short, he had Tuesday and Wednesday off so I convinced him to fly to Tucson on Tuesday morning then fly with me to Colorado Springs. Since we're Flight Attendants we can do stuff like that. =) I think it's awesome. He used to be based in Co. Springs (just transferred to Salt Lake City) so said he needed to get some stuff he'd left at his old place anyway. Flight loads looked good so we decided to rock and roll! I picked him up in the morning, and we hung out at my place. I got him to sign up on eHarmony, so we could see if they matched us, just for the heck of it! (Ok, if you don't know, I will admit it now, I signed up on eHarmony awhile ago simply because I was curious about what the personality profile would say about me... I like learning things about myself... and anyway, it's kinda funky cos they keep sending me matches, whose profiles I can read, but I can't communicate with them or see their pictures unless I decide to pay for a subscription... which I can't bring myself to do!! I know, so embarassing! Interesting though!) Yeah, so they haven't matched us... guess that's a no go Jason! =( We grabbed some yummy food from Rubio's, came back to my place, got our stuff, and headed out to the airport for our flight to Denver. SO fun flying with someone else!! Especially someone as cool as Jason. We are dorks! We hung out in Denver long enough to get a latte from Starbucks before catching our 14 minute flight to COS, where we flew First Class. WOW! ;-)

My days in Colorado Springs were so refreshing! Isaac and Clara Ring (MKs from Ghana and PNG) were awesome and opened their spare room and futon to me, letting me crash at their place. I hung out with Jubz, a new friend of mine, and spent quality time with Clara, had some great talks! Wednesday night Jubz and I went to church with Luke Skrobot... a solid message about being in the desert and what to do when you're there (how about both literally AND figuratively??). On Thursday Clara and I took on a huge task of doing some serious Christmas cookie baking for her music students. It was crazy! Lots of fun though, talking, laughing, and catching up with Isaac and also Keren, another friend from PNG/high school. I love catching up. =) And I love that I can do it more freely now with my job. A huge blessing.

me and Luke being crazy!

Isaac and Clara... and our delicious, raw food dinner!

me and Keren

Colorado is beautiful, but can I just say, I love the weather in Arizona! More change may be on the way in the next few months... We'll see what God tells me about it... stay tuned!