New Beginnings?

Do you make New Year's resolutions? I used to. I don't anymore, because I never keep them. Actually, this year, I decided a good resolution would be to travel somewhere internationally. That one, I can keep. =) I can't wait.

January 1st brought a big change: I was awarded a transfer to LAX. That means I will be moving back home for awhile. I am ready for that, and looking forward to it. January is my last month in Tucson, and I move at the beginning of February. I am planning to stay at LAX until I know I'll be able to get a line at another one of our domiciles, and then transfer again. I really like Tucson as a base/domicile, and the people here are awesome. I am just tired of sitting here not getting called to work! So if I knew that I could have a line in TUS, I might transfer back at some point.

So far this month, I've worked two 2-day trips. Both were great! My first trip was a Redmond, Oregon overnight. That was where I had my first overnight as a flight attendant, during my training. Awww... sweet memories... ;-) I had been on a downer at the end of December, and the beginning of January. Without going into it right now, let's just say I haven't cried so much since my first year back in America after high school. So when Aunt Colleen said that she'd pick me up and take me out for lunch when we got into Redmond, I was thrilled. Something to look forward to! We went to lunch, went thrift store shopping, then went back to their house and had some tea and delicious pie while we watched a chick flick... =) Then she fed me some homemade dinner while we had some good, refreshing conversation before she took me back to the hotel. I was completely spoiled!

I just came off of the second trip a couple days ago. I finally got to overnight in San Francisco! =) Apart from it being a fun city, I wanted an overnight there so that I could try to catch up with Luke... I was scheduled for something on Monday, but crew support called me Saturday night and gave me a two day trip starting on Sunday instead, pulling me off of what they originally had me working on Monday. I was way excited, because I was flying with two awesome guys, on the United side, 3 legs a day, and the SFO overnight. I got in touch with Luke, and we made plans to meet up for dinner Sunday night. He picked me up, and we went downtown to the city! I had never been there before... We parked then walked around and saw just a few of the things San Fran is known for... the bay, the bridges, street performers, streetcars, the crazy bush man... =) We grabbed some clam chowder for dinner and talked and caught up. When I was in high school, there were a couple of times that I stayed with Luke's family for a week or two at a time, and Luke and I had some good talks then... most of them took place in their kitchen. So when we started to have some deeper conversation, I told Luke I felt like I was in high school again and we were in his kitchen, to which he responded, "the kitchen's open!..." Needless to say it was just great to be able to catch up and talk about life. Luke was a huge encouragement to me. God is good, He knows what I need!

This last trip I was on was especially fun because my Captain, Mark, said I could come up front anytime I wanted to. I will usually call them after I finish my service in the cabin and ask how they're doing and if they need anything. When I did, Mark asked if I wanted to come up to the flight deck. It's not something I usually get to do unless one of the pilots needs to use the lav - and in that case, I am required to be up there. It was beautiful and clear so we could see a lot. Mark pointed out to Erik (the First Officer) and I different landmarks and airports along the way. It was so educational! We saw lots of snow, especially flying to Oregon and Colorado, and I am always happy to look at it from the warmth of the airplane. =)

Before and between those two trips, I did get to go home for a few days, so I'll leave you with a few pics from then...

I was a little unsure about this sushi... fish eggs... it tasted like the reef
Maria tried the frog legs
Dad and I saw a pitbull with pink shoes outside Starbucks... only in America!
And the funnest thing... (but not the best pic cos Dad didn't realize he had his finger partly over the flash)... a 6'8" Nigerian man sitting on a 7'0" Nigerian man's lap... so sweet!!! ;-)