Vegas, Baby! Part two...

As I mentioned earlier, we stayed at the Bellagio Hotel. In their lobby, they have this amazing Chihuly glass "sculpture" on the ceiling. I could sit there and stare at it all day...

Jen and Valerie posing like the Bally's Jubilee dancer.

Hugh Hefner was there, and invited me to share a bit of bubbly.

We also ran into Wolfgang Puck, and he wanted me to taste his favorite wine.

George stopped by and asked for my hand in marriage. I gave it to him.

Then he changed his mind, dumped me, and asked Jen to marry him.
She accepted. Sorry, James!

He decided to break Jen's heart as well, and invited Dan to spend
the rest of his life with him. He accepted.

While in Vegas, Jen got in a bit of golf with Tiger and Arnold.

We were also lucky enough to take in a quick tennis match.
Jen, Valerie and Dan were really excited to be there!

Jen enjoyed hanging out with Marilyn Monroe, ...

...and Jackie Kennedy.

After hanging out with the various celebrities in Vegas, we headed back to our hotel room to relax and freshen up before our dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Spago restaurant at Caesar's Palace. It was absolutely delicious! Jen had filet mignon, which melted in her mouth, and we all ordered some kind of dessert - I had Pumpkin Pie Creme Brulee. Just awesome.

At 11:58PM on the eve of Jen's 21st birthday, she, Valerie and Dan were ready with their butterscotch schnapps shots to toast the arrival of Jen's 21st birthday.

We also celebrated Dan's 22nd birthday belatedly (11/20).

Jen was all decked out with her birthday girl crown, her shot glass necklace, her "I'm finally legal" button, her feather boa and her Belle magic wand.

Unfortunately, Dan had to leave on Wednesday to fly back to NYC so that he could be with his family on Thanksgiving Day. So I took him to the Las Vegas airport, and he flew stand-by to Denver and then on to LaGuardia! He made it home!

In the meantime, Jen, Valerie and John, Greg and I celebrated Jen's actual birthday with lunch at Serendipity 3 with a frozen hot chocolate, which was delectibly delicious!

And, of course, Jen had to play the slots legally for the first time ever!
It turns out that she's a BlackJack babe, too!

Vegas, Baby! Part One...

It has been an interesting couple of weeks...I have not flown since the last time I posted. I had a couple days on duty this past weekend, but never received a phone call! Our staffing level has swung from not having enough coverage to having too much coverage, so I've gone from working my buns off, to barely working. As soon as our new aircraft arrive in the next few months, things should be back to normal.

In preparation for Jen's 21st birthday celebration in Las Vegas, I decided that it'd be fun for Jen if we could fly in one of her best friends from NYC. So Dan flew from NYC to DEN on Sunday night and he stayed the night at our humble abode in Colorado Springs. On Monday, he and I ran a bunch of errands together - it was so fun hearing his comments about the scenery, the fresh air, and of being so lucky to be in Colorado - things that I take for granted.

We stopped and took some pictures a couple miles away from our house.

Just to prove he really was there, I got into the picture!

Dan was amazed by the beauty of this state.

After a day filled with errands, playing with the dogs, exchanging stories, and not taking him to places that I know Jen would want to take him, we flew with Greg to Las Vegas! Our flight arrived 5 minutes before Jen's flight - and hers was around the corner from us. So Greg and I went to her gate to meet her, as Dan hid around a corner down the concourse hallway. Right as we passed by, he yelled out, "Hey baby!!!" and walked over to her. She was in shock.

Jen seeing Dan and wondering if she really sees what she thinks she sees!

Still in shock (look at her left hand saying "Huh?")

Giving Dan a gigantic hug!

For years and years, I had talked to Jen about spending her 21st birthday in Vegas at the Bellagio hotel. I had always planned on a waterfront room so that we could watch the water shows in comfort, but I compromised so that we could keep the trip affordable! We had a very nice room overlooking the pool area - two queen beds, a rollaway, and a very large bathroom! But...no coffeemaker! What gives?!?

After we got settled, we checked out the last water show of the night...and then we went to bed! The next morning, we slept in pretty late and wandered around the shopping area of the Bellagio until Jen's BFF, Valerie and her hubby John arrived from New Mexico to spend a couple days with us. We roamed around, putting money into machines here and there, made dinner reservations, and then headed back to the room for a little "down time" to relax and get ready for our big night out.

Jen is teaching Dan how to iron his new shirt.

Dan doing an awesome job!

In the next episode, I'll have more pictures from our adventure.

True Exhaustion

Not only did I not go to the movies at the mall yesterday (it turns out that there is no movie theater there), or go shopping at the mall, I didn't even go to "Happy Hour" at the bar with the 3 crews that were all staying at the hotel in Milwaukee! Rumor has it that the drinks and appetizers are too cheap to pass up...but I was so exhausted after flying for over 8 hours in one day that I went to the room, slammed the door, and clicked the lock shut. Hence, I became an official "slam clicker." I just couldn't bring myself to be social any longer.

Instead, I played on my computer, did some research, and watched episodes of "Glee." Nice and relaxing. I also ate chicken out of a can (pretty disgusting) and mandarin oranges out of a cup. I didn't even feel like going out to eat.

The 0530 van came again this morning and took us back to the airport in Milwaukee. But this time we were heading to Phoenix. Still a three hour trip, but not as long as to Los Angeles. Our flight this morning had only 72 passengers - it's hard to stay awake when you're just sitting around after you've done all your service! And then our flight from Phoenix back to Denver was a bit more than an hour. Halleluiah! I was ready to come home.

I warmed up to the crew, and we had the obligatory discussions about unions, flight attendants, and air-brained employees. I think it's all a matter of agreeing to disagree. Our December schedule came out, and I got less than half the days off that I had requested. Kind of frustrating. But hopefully, I'll start climbing up the seniority ladder in January when our first group of furloughed flight attendants returns to our ranks!

Of course, I am working Christmas for the third year in a row. Two years ago I spent Christmas Eve in Chicago with my cousin Randy and his family, and then Christmas night in Salt Lake City where the hotel gave us a free Christmas dinner. Last year, I spent Christmas Eve in Dallas, where I got sick and ended up calling in sick on Christmas morning and went home instead of on a turn to wherever it was we were going. And who knows where I'll end up this year. I'm on from 12/23 until 12/26. Bummer. And, of course, not one person will trade with me.

I am having a hard time staying awake, so I should probably go to bed. But I want to stay awake and watch "Six Feet Under" - I just got Season 4 Disc 2 and Disc 3 will arrive tomorrow. I also wanted to watch "Glee." I've watched the first two episodes and have to catch up on the next seven episodes. The trouble is, I have a problem with sitting still and staying awake at the same time!

I think I've talked myself into retiring for the evening...

Milwaukee Double-Nighter

I went back on duty on Friday, and got to sit the couch at DIA from 0600 until 1200 - and I actually had a very fun time! It was because my friend, Kelly K, was also sitting the couch. We got to talk, laugh, play Phase 10, and eat breakfast together.

Then on Saturday, I had a surprising day at home! No phone calls from crew scheduling. SHOCKING. Since it's really hard to start a project and then worry that you'll have to abandon it at a moment's notice, I spent the day running nearby errands. I also had a spontaneous lunch with my buddy, Coleen - it turned into a FIVE HOUR lunch. We had a really nice time catching up, and I hope to do a bit of consignment shopping with her next week when I have a few days off.

This morning, my schedule was clear for today at 0715. Then when I looked again at 0810, it had a 3-day trip to MKE and MKE. I wanted to see how long it would take for crew scheduling to call me, and they called at around 1030. Technically, they're supposed to call right after they make the assignment, or so I thought. No biggie. At least it wasn't a two-hour call out.

I left the house at around 1100 - my show time was 1405. It's a really good thing that I left early, because the roads were horrendous. I don't know why Colorado is incapable of handling snow on their roads. Makes no sense to me. I did pretty well all the way up from Colorado Springs until I went over the last hill into Denver - at that point, my car started sliding to the left, and then I corrected it with the steering, and then I started sliding to the right, and again I corrected it, and then I started sliding to the left again...and finally I was able to aim that baby straight again. Funny thing is, the exact same thing happened to Greg in the same spot almost five years ago! Twas not fun.

Anyway, I got to DIA safely. At the appointed time, I met my crew - the CPT and FO seem very nice, but I did not get a good vibe from the two flight attendants. They're rather senior to me, and it just feels weird. I'm the B, so I'm at the back of the plane and pretty much stay to myself. That's a good thing. But when I set up the cart the "new way," the C was not very complimentary about the new system. This isn't rocket science. And it's not the end of the world if we change something. But you wouldn't have been able to know that today. Sheesh. It's at a time like this when I'd like to say, "Get a real job, and see what it's like to REALLY have to work." Enough said.

We flew to Milwaukee tonight, and we're doing a turn to Los Angeles tomorrow. It's gonna be a long day...but I'm gonna keep a positive attitude and a smile on my face. All day! And, if I need to, when I get back to Milwaukee tomorrow night, I may take myself to the movies at the Mall next door, just to reward myself for a great job of acting! Or better yet, maybe I'll just go shopping!!! Yay!

Back in the US of A

I got back to town on Monday afternoon, had a crazy nutso drive home (I just LOVE people who drive below the speed limit in the left lane), and managed to get home in time to stop by the Grace Church 80906 Potluck Dinner! I swung by the house first, picked up Greg, and we actually got to walk into our friends' home together. Wonders never cease. We had a really nice time catching up with everyone.

Yesterday was the first of three days off for me. The first thing that I did was schedule an appointment at my doctor's office. I have had a horrendous cough ever since I had the "swine flu" seven weeks ago. And lately, the cough has been literally scaring the passengers! They cringe and try to back away from me! I'm coughing into my elbow as instructed by the Health Department, but they're still freaking out. The doctor said that I have a sinus infection, so he put me on some antibiotics and I should be as good as new before I know it!

I've spent most of today working on Greg's JPO membership roster - I need to bring everything up-to-date, because the group has found another unsuspecting wife to take over my job. I am very excited!!! That's the second volunteer job that I have gotten out of in the past couple months. SCORE!

My dream is to be able to come home between trips and RELAX. I don't mind doing laundry or puttering around in the yard/garden, and even doing a little bit of bookkeeping work for Greg's office is okay. But I was growing increasingly frustrated with all the demands on my time! So, I put in a very full day today wrapping things up, writing up checklists, and getting ready to turn all this stuff over to the next victim. I've done it for two and a half years now - it was time for a change!

Do I Have to Leave?!?!?

The hurricane passed with just high winds and rain, and once it was gone, people started coming out of the woodwork (or wherever it was that they were hiding). I had stayed in my room updating this blog and working on Facebook, and then I went out and took a walk to grab some lunch. I ended up at McDonald's! The hotel prices were just too ridiculously high...

As you can tell, a lot of people got "cabin fever" while the hurricane was passing by, so we all headed to the hot tub when it was all over. But one big problem...it wasn't hot. It wasn't even warm this time. It turns out that the resort had turned off the heater, and the tub won't be hot again until tomorrow. Bummer.

Here's a nice picture of the hotel after the storm - no damage at all. The staff was even putting the deck chairs back out onto the patio.

When I came back from my walk, this is the first thing you see as you walk up the driveway to the main entrance. Nice, huh?

The beach swim-up bar survived, but the actual bar area got a bit flooded. Also, sand washed in onto everything. They've got a bit of a task ahead of them!

If the baby pool had been a tad warmer, we might have had more room in the hot tub. But because of all the cool rain that had fallen, all the pools were colder than normal.

After we made dinner plans, I headed back to my room to shower. When I looked out my balcony windows, I saw the most beautiful sunset. Incredible.

We chose the Laguna Grill for dinner tonight, based on the recommendation of a young woman who we met in the hot tub. She said it's her favorite place. And boy, was it good! The food was delicious, it was presented in a very sophisticated and artistic way (I should have taken pictures of it), and again, we sat on the back deck next to the laguna. However, this time we did not see the alligator swim by.

I enjoyed the parmesan scallops, Aaron got the tuna, and the other three got the special - grouper. To top off the meal, we ordered one creme brulee made with Bailey's. My oh my. It was so delicious!!!

When we got back to the hotel, we sat and enjoyed one more cocktail, as we talked about how great this trip was. I was very very lucky to get assigned to it, and I hope I get to fly with these ladies and gentlemen again.

A Change in Plans

We had a quiet night in Kansas City, and the anticipation of going to Cancun excited all five of us! But...the CPT told us that our plans could change. He informed us that there was a tropical depression heading to Cancun, and it would probably hit sometime on Sunday.

Well, you all know me...I'm not one to let a tropical depression get in the way of my fun! We checked into our hotel at around 10AM on Saturday after a relatively quiet flight to Cancun. We stay at the Omni Resort, right on hotel row in Cancun. For some delightful pictures (when the sun is out), go to http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/CancunHotelAndVillas.aspx.

This time, I was given a room that faced north, looking out over Laguna Nichupte. The last time I had a layover here, my room faced south, looking out on the Caribbean Sea.

You can see that things looked a bit gloomy yesterday - it was overcast, and it would rain on and off during the day. Also, the winds would kick up but they were relatively warm, so it was no big deal.
Originally, we had planned to plant ourselves at the swim-up beach bar, but the Caribbean Sea had other plans - it was breaking waves at the edge of the concrete patio, and the hotel workers closed the bar for safety reasons.

We knew that when the hotel workers started putting away all the outdoor chairs, trashcans, and portable plants that they were taking this storm seriously (as they should!). Then we notice that the storm shutters have been closed on several of the windows of the restaurants and some of the cottages.

Also, the workers dismantled all the umbrellas, decks, stands, etc. that were in the sand, and pulled them onto the grassy area one level above the sea.

The surf out there is the worst I had seen in quite awhile. The waves are crashing onto the sidewalk area, probably sweeping all the sand out to sea (again).

Here's another view of the sidewalks leading down to the beach. Notice the red flag, indicating that it was not safe to go swimming. Duuuuuhhhhhhh!

Even though it's not bright and sunny here, it's still so relaxing and beautiful. The temp was very comfortable to sit outside, to walk around in, and to sit in the hot tub!

So, being a resourceful crew, we did what we had to do. We found a covered outdoor patio outside the restaurant, and proceeded to fill up with libations and appetizers for several hours.

When the rain started pouring down hard, we retreated back to the outdoor table. Helena and FO Aaron enjoyed a Tecate or two.

And Cheryl and CPT Kosta shared a few laughs and several limes! We told "war stories" from our flying experiences, we toasted those flight attendants who have departed this earth, and we toasted to good crews and good layovers!

Here we have a group photo of Helena, Aaron, Cheryl and Kosta right before we headed to our rooms to prepare for our evening's festivities.

Here's a view from where we spent most of the day - kinda tough to take, huh? It was warm, a bit breezy, and not too terribly humid.

After regrouping, showering, changing, etc., we met in the hotel lobby and walked across the street to an outstanding restaurant called the "Captain's Cove." Wow. The food there was so delicious! CPT Kosta treated us to dinner - that was such a nice surprise! I enjoyed the crab cakes - delicious! Mostly crab, and not so much filler. Others had the grouper and crab cake combo, red sea bass, and I can't remember the strange thing that Aaron ordered. We had a lovely evening sitting on the outside covered deck, facing the laguna...right as we were ending our meal, we looked over the railing and there was an 8 foot alligator swimming right below us! Mind you, this was not a captive alligator. This is one that lives in the laguna. I don't think that I will EVER attempt to swim in the laguna...

After a very enjoyable meal, we asked around to find a good disco where we could dance. After hiring a cab, we headed out only to find out that none of the places were open - it was only 9PM. So we ended up at Senor Frog's...I know, I know...touristy as all get out, but it was our only option. Outside, there was an old VW Van painted in psychedelic colors that you could get in and pose, and then there was an adult swingset by the font door! But Aaron wouldn't move from in front of me, and I didn't want to slam my foot into his gut (or worse), so I did not give it my all. Inside, there were lots of tourists of all ages, lots of tequila shot conga lines, lots of contests for free shots, and lots of younguns. Fortunately, every once in awhile they'd play a song that you could dance to...and I mean actually dance. But I was a minority there - everyone seemed to really get into dirty dancing and that's just not something that I'm into.

They did start playing Wild Cherry's "Play that funky music, white boy..." and I ran out and was dancing up a storm. But they only used that song as a lead-in to the "White Boy Dance Contest." They selected four middle-aged white guys and brought them up onto the stage. One at a time, they gave each a shot of tequila and then had them dance. Our Kosta was one of those guys, and he did an admirable job. But...there was one white guy who outshone everyone. His prize? A Senor Frog's hat.

There were assorted wooden signs on standalone poles that the waiters would position next to unsuspecting guests - at one point, I had the "Likes White Trash Boys" sign pointing at me. I purposely did not bring my camera to dinner/dancing because I didn't want to have any incriminating evidence against anyone, but I would've liked to have had a picture of me next to that sign. I could have posted it on Greg's Facebook wall.

After a couple hours of fun, we headed back to our hotel for the evening, since we had a 0945 van time in the morning. At midnight, the CPT calls me and tells me that the flight that was supposed to come get us from Kansas City was cancelled due to the hurricane. Awwww. Too bad. So no more 0945 van. Instead, we'd take a van at 1600 on Monday for a flight back to Denver (which we will deadhead and not work)! What a tough layover this has turned out to be!

I have internet access (obviously), I have a DVD I need to watch, I brought lots of books, and food in my bag (but no microwave - I guess cold soup never hurt anyone!). I just took a quick walk around the property - I think the major part of the hurricane has already passed. The Caribbean Sea is very angry with large, crashing waves, flooding the beach bar. But otherwise, it's rather nice outside. I may go hang out in the hot tub again this afternoon...I'm livin' the dream!

Four-Day Trip

Yesterday, I sat the couch at DIA from Noon until 6PM. I had expected to sit and chat, and maybe play cards, with my classmate Kelly K. But when I checked in and was updating my Flight Attendant Manual, I realized that I had a bigger job to do...update the Announcement Book! You see, we have a small book that is posted on the Inflight website that contains all the announcements that we make while you are trying to sleep and/or watch TV. I kind of took it upon myself to update that book whenever a new revision comes out. Well...we just had a big one that pretty much redid all the announcements. So instead of chit-chatting with my buddy, I spent the six hours on the couch updating the announcement book. I hope it is posted to the website soon...

Last night before I went to bed, I checked my schedule and saw that crew scheduling assigned me to a four-day trip. Today, I flew to/from Kansas City from Denver, and we liked it so much that we flew back to Kansas City and are staying the night. In the morning, we are flying to CANCUN. Woo hoo!!! We'll get to stay 23 hours there and then deadhead (fly as passengers) on the way back to Kansas City on Sunday. However...there is a tropical depression heading to Cancun which looks like it'll hit on Sunday. So, we may end up having to stay in Cancun an extra day. Time and weather will tell.

What an awesome trip this is. The crew is very, very nice - and that really does make or break a trip. I think we'll all be hanging out together in Cancun...I just hope it isn't raining too hard. From what I understand, a very senior mama called in and is now on FMLA. That's not usually a good sign. But her loss is my gain, and for that I am very grateful.

If we leave Cancun as planned, we'll head back to Kansas City, then fly back to Denver, and then spend the night in San Francisco. Unfortunately, it's the short layover, so I won't have any time to look up my cousin, Jackie.

Keep your fingers crossed that I don't end up in a hurricane, but also keep them crossed so that not all of our layover in Cancun is in cloud cover and rain!!! (It'll still be gorgeous, even if it is...)

25th Wedding Anniversary

How do you top the fabulous trip that Kelly, Fadia and I had in Tucson?!? Well...Kelly got assigned to an Orlando turn and then was released to her days off. Fadia got assigned to a Cancun turn, but still has a few duty days on. And I got assigned to a Milwaukee overnight. Fortuantely, I had another great crew - Ellen and Jen - that kept me highly amused during our flights to/from Milwaukee! I spent a couple hours at the Brookfield Mall next door to the hotel, and then I went to bed EARLY since our van to the airport was picking us up at 4:30AM.

I heard those magical words when I returned to Denver, "You are released to your days off!" Glorious, magical, sweet words. I drove home and was walking in my door by 9:30AM. Nice.

The only trouble I have is that on my first day off, I'm kind of in a "dead zone." I walk around the house in a stupor, trying to reacquaint myself with my to-do files, my computer, the shower and the laundryroom. And then, of course, there's the required nap. But I didn't get one yesterday! My loving hubby put me to work!!! Can you believe it?!?! Our garage freezer went on the fritz, and we had to "uncover" it so that a repairman could see if it was salvageable. That leads me to a story...

There were about 6 file boxes of "stuff" that I've had in the garage for approximately 10-15 years, and Greg has been trying to get me to do something with those boxes. Throw them away, sort through them, whatever - just get them out of the garage. So how did I spend my day? Sorting. I took those boxes and sorted them down to one file box and threw the rest of the stuff away. The dates on documents were from 1995 through 2000. Oops.

So Greg finally got those boxes out of the garage, the freezer was fixed (sort of - it's making a really weird noise and is probably on its last leg), and I did not get my nap. Instead, I finished payroll. I got a few things at the grocery store. Made California Pizza Kitchen pizza for dinner (I know...I'm Martha Stewart, aren't I?), watched a couple episodes of "Six Feet Under" (I'm now on Season 3) and went to BED.

I woke up this morning to a gloriously sunny day...it's our 25th Wedding Anniversary! I remember that day from 25 years ago vividly. What a fun day. Lots has happened since then. Lots of time has gone by. We're still together. We've each grown up (well...at least one of us has...the other one is still playing with toys). But we're still in love.

We're going to dinner at the Edelweiss Restaurant tonight - the little German restaurant that Greg and I went to to celebrate our 1st Anniversary so many years ago. And we'll have another celebration later this month when we travel to Vegas to celebrate Jen's 21st birthday with her and a couple of her friends.

So I'm going to enjoy my day by doing laundry, running errands - the usual things I do on my days off, and I'll look forward to a nice evening of veal weiner schnitzel!!!