ALOHA!

Ever think... hmm... what should I do this week...? Hawaii maybe? That was my thought after I got called for a trip on Sunday a week and a half ago. I was scheduled to leave for two days of flying, with an overnight in Spokane and being back in Tucson by 11am the second day, super early! I had the next three days off, so plenty of time to get somewhere that afternoon/evening. As soon as I was scheduled that trip, I was on the phone to my Aunt Sharon who lives in Hawaii on the big island. We chatted for awhile then I asked if I could come and visit - she said they would love it! So I started looking into things and thought I had it worked out.

Monday morning I met up with Jim and Pam. I had flown with Jim before - he is awesome, super laid back, and just a fun guy. He's the one that made the announcement about Rachael Ray being back in the cabin making 30 minute meals during the flight... Pam is so cool! Fun, chill, also very laid back - she is from Hawaii. I had such a great time with the two of them, it didn't even feel like work. Pam and I chatted a lot throughout the two days. She used to be a flight attendant for Continental Micronesia in Guam (so she knew were PNG was) and then flew cargo for several years. We spent the night in Spokane, Washington. I wish I could do a longer trip with them!! They were a fun crew.

Since she is from Hawaii, I talked to Pam about getting there... I had decided to try to get to Kona and back from LA on American Airlines... After I got back to Tucson, I flew to SLC on the same plane we'd come in on, then to LAX where I waited for about three hours... The gate agent had given me seat 11A and said he would block B and C for me. When I went to board, my boarding pass didn't work... twice. The third time I went back up to the gate agent, he said he was going to have to put me back in row 33, because I was mean... ???? I didn't care, as long as I got on... Then he told me to look at my boarding pass. It said FIRST on it, and I was in 1F!!!! I thanked him and gave him a big hug. As usual, I was very well taken care of by the American flight attendants... I had a 4 course meal, champagne and all! It was amazing! =)

I arrived in Kona late Tuesday night. It felt so unreal to be there! Wednesday morning I got up and went with Aunt Sharon and Uncle Morris to take the dogs for their daily walk around the neighborhood. It was beautiful! In lots of ways it reminded me of Papua New Guinea... the climate, ocean, landscape, flowers and trees... I loved it. My aunt and uncle live in Waikoloa Village, about a 45 minute (?) drive to Kona, where we went on Wednesday afternoon. Aunt Sharon and I did some fun shopping at the international markets and then went for a walk along the beach. It was overcast so that was a bummer, but it was still nice!

Thursday was a gorgeous day. After breakfast and coffee on the porch, Aunt Sharon and I went down to a resort on the coast called Mauna Lani. I went crazy taking pictures! We enjoyed the ocean and the sunshine, then found a hammock to relax in... it was wonderful. =) We had a wonderful time... good talks... refreshing in many ways!!! That afternoon we took Ginger to the vet. She has a tumor and Aunt Sharon and Uncle Morris were wondering how much pain she was in and if they should put her down... =( Great news at the vet though - she's not in much pain, if any, and she's doing alright! After the vet we took a drive to look at an amazing view at Pololu, and then made our way back home. Just a few pictures of the Hawaii scenery...
Thank you again, Aunt Sharon & Uncle Morris, for having me at your home in Hawaii and taking care of me!!! Hope we can do it again sometime! =)

I made it back to LA on Friday morning. It was nice to have a day to rest a little (not that I didn't rest in Hawaii, of course, but those red eye flights can be a killer!). Saturday I sat reserve in LA, and actually got called for a trip that started out of LA on Sunday morning. So it was great to have another day at home and another night in my bed. The highlight of being home though was talking to Chris. It is something that rarely happens these days... for whatever reason... but we got to talk and it was awesome. I had a three day trip starting on Sunday, with overnights in Albuquerque and Palmdale/Lancaster. My roomie, Morgan, deadheaded on my first leg with me, so we met up at LAX before the flight and she grabbed some breakfast. We were starstruck in the United terminal when we saw either MaryKate or Ashley Olson... An extremely slim young woman wearing jeans, heels, a hat, and big sunglasses. =) She went into one of those airport stores, so we went in too, just to make sure it was her. =) Ah, fun times.

It was awesome having Morgan on the plane with me - she even helped me do the service and we chatted the whole time we worked, which made it go by much faster. From Albuquerque I had the CEO of United on my plane, as well as their Board Director and both of their wives... kinda nerveracking! They were nice though, and hopefully they thought I did alright. The guys I was flying with were a lot of fun, and took good care of me, helping me with my bag, making sure I had something to eat, and even checking my hotel room when we got in, to make sure things were safe. Good times, safe flights, back home last night. I'm on call today then deadheading back to LAX this afternoon... Not feeling too great, I seem to have picked up a cold from somewhere, so hoping to get some more rest. Will you take care of me Mom??? =)