Variations

I had a couch sit on my first day of duty - I bid for the 4PM to 10PM shift and got it! Then the next day crew scheduling called to tell me that they changed the shift to 2PM to 8PM...hmmmmmm. I have since found out that I did NOT need to call them back and come in at 2PM. But what if they had called and given me a trip? I believe that takes precedence...I guess I had better sit down and read the Flight Attendant Handbook.

Before I left at 8PM, I found out that I had been assigned a 3-day trip for the last three days of duty. Yay! No short calls for me...! I had a late morning show time the next day, so I went ahead and printed up my crew lists and schedule. But when I arrived the next day, another of the senior mamas on the trip dropped out and I had another reserve - Janice. She was so much fun! My kind of humor.

We had the first night in Kansas City, MO and the second was in Washington, DC. Unfortunately, our layovers were a bit short, so we couldn't do much. We flew on both A320s and A319s. The CPT and FO were easy to work with - thank goodness!

When I returned to DEN at 10:30AM, I was released to my VACATION DAYS! Woo hoo! I had five days of vacation and two days off. Yay!

I spent several days at home, attending fireworks displays and doctor's appointments, and I'm now at our cabin in Breckenridge for a few days. It is nice and quiet here - perfect for relaxing!

Days Off Are Da Bomb!

After putting in 78 hours of work in so far this month (60 hours of flying time), I had five days off in a row! Woo hoo! Time to have some fun!

So where did I go? Come on! You know me...I went to NYC! Getting there was going to be a challenge, because everything was booked, oversold, with lots of non-revs. My first choice flight to LaGuardia had three seats open, but 14 non-revs...and I was #10 on the list! But somehow, some way, I ended up with a cabin seat! AFTER the gate agent gave me that seat, I rewarded her with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! I also had enough for the CPT, FO and all three flight attendants. I think they appreciated the early morning treat - it goes well with coffee.

I don't remember much of the flight. I put my headphones on, turned on my TV, and slept THE ENTIRE WAY. Given that the flight left at 7:00AM, that was a good thing cause I was tired!

When I got to Jen's apartment, I just kind of hung out, watched some TV, napped, and just relaxed. On Friday, she and I did a bit of shopping - she needed khakis and white button down shirts for her new job at the museum. That night, James took us to a Thai restaurant in the neighborhood - the Pad Thai Noodles and Chicken were delicious!!!

Late that night, Jen's friends Jenn and Stacy arrived from Baltimore - they came in for the "Main Event"...Wedding Dress Shopping at Kleinfeld in Manhattan. One of Jen's NYC friends, Liz, joined us as well, and we had a wonderful time shopping for a wedding gown. Kleinfeld is the store where "Say Yes to the Dress" is filmed. They had a sign that they were filming on Saturday, but we did not see any cameras. But we did see all the bridal consultants from the show. Our consultant was Judith - a very nice lady with 25 years at Kleinfeld. Jen showed her some pictures she had printed from the internet, we walked through the gowns displayed for the designer Lazaro's trunk show, and we ended up with three gowns for Jen to try.

The first was nice, but nothing exciting. The second one was much better, but still not "the one." The girls and I had seen the third one in the showroom, and when Jen saw it, she fell in love. It was a size 0, so only a toothpick could have tried it on, so Judith held it up in front of Jen and we all pretty much started crying. It's simple, elegant and gorgeous. That was at the 1/2 hour mark. It was that easy. The best thing is, is that Lazaro was there and made a personalized drawing of the dress for Jen! Jen's first dress fitting will be in 10 MONTHS!

Saying "YES" to the dress was relatively easy!

Stacy, Liz, Jen, and Jenn After a Successful Wedding Gown Search

We celebrated by getting some cupcakes, then having lunch at a Cuban restaurant. Later, we played "Apples to Apples" on Jen's 11th floor patio - there was a nice breeze up there that made the hot, muggy day bearable!

Our next event was to meet Dan's family - Dan is one of Jen's good friends, and his family lives in NJ. His parents and I are Facebook friends, we "chat" every so often, and we've been dying to meet! They were coming into the city for Dan's Off-Broadway debut in "Yearbook - A High School Musical." But first, we all met at the Olive Garden in Times Square for dinner! We got a Mafia Room all to ourselves and enjoyed a wonderful meal with great conversation and good friends.

Momma Moore and Momma Navas Finally Meet!

The Navas Family - Sandy, Luis, Judy, and Dan

Jen's Friends - Liz, Stacy and Jenn

Next up was Dan's musical. Let's just say that he stole the show. It was held in a very small theater, with the audience consisting of friends/family of the cast members. I liked the ensemble songs, but not all the actors were as good as Dan. I think he's got a bright future - he has the talent and the personality to succeed!

The following day, James joined "the girls" for brunch at Serendipity, where the frozen hot chocolate is TO DIE FOR. We also visited Dylan's Candy Bar to pick up a few sweets to take with us to the Pride Parade that was being held down 5th Avenue. I got to attend four years ago when Jen attended CAP21, so I had "been there, done that" already. But it was definitely interesting to see this year's parade...

Men Dressed up like Little Girls

Men Dressed up Like Sailors

Men Dressed up as Ice Cream Cones

And Men Dressed up as All Sorts of Things!

Sadly, I had to leave that evening so that I had a day at home to pull my act together before it was time to be back on duty on Tuesday. I decided to fly out of JFK on JetBlue - all went well until I got there. The flight was delayed by an hour. Then two hours. Then our gate changed. Then we were delayed another hour. Then our gate changed again. We finally took off FIVE HOURS late. All the cabin seats were full, so I got to sit on the flight attendant jumpseat - thank goodness! My only problem is that it was now 12:30AM and I had to stay awake for the next FOUR hours of flying!

Fortunately, the crew was very gracious to me, and we talked about all kinds of things during those four hours when they weren't doing their duties...we compared airlines, procedures, benefits, and we even discussed serial killers! Before I knew it, we were on the ground in Denver and I got to drive home. It was now 3:15AM and I SHOULD have just taken a cat nap in the car. But Noooooooooo. I had to just start driving. I did stop a couple times to get a donut or a bottle of water or just to walk around. I was exhausted. I finally got home at 5:15AM and I don't even remember crawling into bed!

It was a great trip - we got a lot accomplished, and I'd play "The Non-Rev Game" again if it meant I could do it all again!

Incredibly Beautiful

After I left NYC, I had a quick turn to Jackson Hole, WY. The flights to/from were just around an hour and we had about 40 minutes on the ground. Oh how I wish we had longer! Seeing those majestic peaks brought back all kinds of warm fuzzies - I lived in Yellowstone National Park for 7 months back in the early 80s, and I traveled to Jackson Hole a couple times.

A view of the Tetons from the airplane passenger window.

Another view of the beautiful Tetons.

I absolutely love this picture.

On the ground in Jackson Hole, WY.

While we were hanging out at the airport for 40 minutes, I tried to convince the CPT that we had a mechanical. But he didn't buy it. I just wanted more time in this beautiful place. A LOT more time.

The Tetons in Jackson Hole, WY

Can you imagine waking up to this scene every morning? From what I understand, it snowed there the previous day! Sounds like it is very similar to Colorado weather. The passengers boarding the plane commented on how it's FINALLY pretty weather...I lucked out!

So Close...But Yet So Far

Here I am, at the Crowne Plaza by LaGuardia. Only a short 15 minute $30 cab ride from Jen's apartment. Arghhhh. I wish money were no object. Only a one hour $2 bus/subway ride to Jen's apartment. I wish worrying about being on time in the morning wasn't an issue. Oh well.

We just got into town, we have less than 10 hours until we leave. I won't sleep the entire time I'm here...but there's really not much time to do anything else. I tried to convince my co-workers to come with me to Times Square - a shared cab ride wouldn't be as bad, but they all wanted to get their beauty sleep.

Otherwise, it's been a good, but long, day. I spent last night at my friend's parents' house, which is about 30 minutes from DIA. I think I slept okay - cause I remember dreaming, but I also remember lying there tossing and turning, wishing I could sleep. So...that might explain why I'm so wiped out now.

When I got to DIA, I decided to check out who I was flying with, and one of the senior mamas that was on the trip was no longer there, and my classmate Crystal was! Yay! She's such a positive, beautiful woman - I love being around her. She's newly engaged, so we compare wedding planning notes! So finding out that she was on the trip started the day off right!

First we did a turn to Las Vegas, and it's always fun to tease the passengers about winning, losing, having fun, relaxing - all the reasons that people go to Vegas. The group going back to Denver was more subdued - broke, tired, hungover, sunburned. But it was a good crowd.

Our next flight was to LGA on a 320, so a senior mama joined us - and she is so, so sweet! I had a smart-mouthed guy in 2C with a big-(fake)-boobed girlfriend with curly hair (with purple streaks). He kept reclining his seat when he wasn't supposed to, and asked me, "what does it matter?" I explained, but obviously it's all about him, cause Crystal had to ask him several times, too. But his girlfriend kept him happy by straddling him with her boobs in his face every time that she needed to go potty. Fortunately for the CPT and FO, she was up and about when they came out of the flight deck and had a potty break - they got to enjoy the silicon valley, so to speak.

Speaking of our CPT, he is spoiling us rotten. He picked up sweet rolls for all of us at Starbucks when we were in Vegas, and then in Denver he picked up a McDonald's wrap for us to enjoy on the way to LGA! Nice! And now he just invited us to join him downstairs for a cocktail...but we're all going to be party-poopers because our van is at 7:20AM - his isn't until at least 5PM. Lucky! Our CPTs and FOs get nice 20 hour layovers here, but us FAs only get 10. That needs to be changed!

All in all, it's been a great day. I'm exhausted, but in a good way. I look forward to climbing into that luxurious Crowne Plaza bed and falling asleep! Tomorrow's flight back to DEN will be at least 4 hours, and then we have to do a turn to Jackson Hole, WY - I would LOVE to get off the plane and stay there for awhile! If anything, I hope to at least have time to look out the windows at the Tetons! Oh, how I miss them!

Good 'til the Last Drop!

I feel like a coffee commercial. Being squeezed and squeezed until the last drop comes out of me. I have nothing left.

But I have been awesome. Smiling, thanking or welcoming aboard - the job gets done no matter how exhausted I am!

Today, I was woken up by a phone call at 6:30AM giving me a 2 hour short call for an LAX turn. Fairly uneventful, except for the return trip - I almost had to have two girls pulled off the plane...one was asking guys to sit on her lap, and take her banana. Nothing major, but it was all so sleazy. I suspected that she might be drunk, but she was okay and she calmed down after the gate agent spoke with her.

When we got back to DEN I turned on my phone and there was a message telling me that I had a MKE turn on my schedule. And lo and behold, I turn my phone on after arriving at DIA from LAX, and there's a message assigning me to a MKE turn. OMG.

And then when I call in to be released, I get assigned to a two-day trip that has a showtime of 8:55AM. BUMMER. I was so exhausted that I don't have the energy to drive home - so I'm staying with my friend Bev's parents. And speaking of which, I had better go to bed, because I'm exhausted and I don't know if what I'm writing is making any sense...

Fun with Connie and Melissa!

What an awesome group of duty days...I sat the couch on Monday from 4PM until 10PM (that really wasn't very awesome...in fact, it was hot and yucky in the crewroom so it was actually kind of miserable), on Tuesday I got to stay home and do nothing, and then on Wednesday I got assigned a fantastic three-day trip with a wonderful crew!

On Wednesday, we had a turn to Los Angeles and then an overnight in Indianapolis. I was very excited about IND because one of my classmates, Casie, from Flight Attendant training recently moved to IND and is based in MKE. I let her know that I was coming, our schedules were both open and we got to meet for lunch! And guess what? She brought her sweetie, Daniel with her! We ate lunch at a delicious restaurant called Palomino and then had dessert at Johnny Rocket's in the mall. It was so good to sit down with them and talk - I especially liked getting to know Dan - he's a cutie!

Me, Casie and Daniel in front of the monument in downtown IND

There was also a lot of excitement going on around the downtown monument - the annual Strawberry Festival! For $6 you could get strawberries, shortcake and ice cream, sit outside listening to live music and enjoy the beautiful weather in IND! But I had already had a chocolate malt...poor planning on my part!

On Thursday afternoon we few back to Denver. On that flight we had Jim Colburn, the Director of Operations for Frontier Airlines on our flight - it was fun to talk with him and gather as much information as we could. He said that new things will be announced in the next 60 days, but he couldn't tell us what they were. (I sure hope the news is that we're hiring a new flight attendant class in Denver...but that'd be too good to be true, I'm afraid!)

After Denver, we headed to San Francisco. I was really getting to know my crewmates - Connie was in the back of the plane and she is a very intuitive and lovely lady, full of good advice (I had to write some of it down so I'd remember it all)! And Melissa who worked the cabin is a beautiful woman inside and out. I entertained her with some of my stories, I LOVED her story of how she met her hubby, and we discussed how she resembles Taylor Swift! She was also my partner in crime after we arrived at the hotel - she and I and the CPT went down to the bar for some snacks and beverages, and we enjoyed a couple hours of good conversation. Another crew came in right before we were leaving - and my classmate, Crystal was one of them!

Connie, Melissa and me!

Connie is a bit on the psychic side...it was fascinating to hear what she had to say!

Melissa left us after our return to Denver after leaving SFO - she has 25 whole days off! I wish I could do that every once in awhile...but she'd already worked 90 hours so far this month! Sheesh!

CPT Shawn - a really nice guy to work with.

Our First Officer Mark - he's a nut, as you can see.

After we returned to Denver on Friday, we had a couple hours sit until our "victory lap" to IND. When we got to our plane, we found out it was broken and was moved to the hangar. Next, they gave us a new plane but none of the TVs were working! Uh oh. By this time, the afternoon storms had blown into Denver, and boy...they were fierce! There were at least three tornado warnings that shut down the ramp and airport, and we finally left for IND almost three hours late!

But we had another bigwig on board - Don Osmundson, the VP of Flight Operations for Republic Airways Holdings, Inc, our parent company. The entire crew got to ask all kinds of questions and he gave us straight answers - I like what I heard. Very fair, very nice and very committed to keeping the Frontier way of life going! He actually said that any flight attendant either here or in MKE who doesn't want to do things the Frontier way are invited to leave our company! Boy...I sure hope he follows through on that! It told him about some of the issues in MKE - he was unaware of these issues - and he promised to start working on them immediately. Please impress me Don, and let's see some changes!

By the time we got to IND, the DEN-bound passengers weren't in the greatest of moods. A large percentage of them were going on to other destinations and had already missed their connections. But Frontier did give them hotel vouchers for the night at a Fairfield Inn. Nice place. Once we were up in the air, we heard that more storms were blowing through Denver. I had a few destinations where the connecting flights were being held for us...but our arrival time went from 11PM to 11:10PM to 11:30PM to 11:45PM. Some of those flights' departure times moved back, too, so some passengers were in luck!

We had someone going on to Salt Lake for a wedding today - she had to be at her hair/make-up appointment at 8AM for her sister's wedding - I don't think she made it. We had a passenger going to Los Angeles and then on to Palm Springs by car to be with her best friend who was dying - she was already booked on the first flight out in the morning...I sure hope that she made it to her friend's bedside in time. There were others going on to Spokane, Seattle and even Colorado Springs. They all had their stories and I tried to keep them informed the best that I could.

As people left the aircraft, they thanked us profusely for staying upbeat, happy, and keeping them informed of what was going on. It had been a long night, but yet people had smiles on their faces as they left our plane. We had done a good job!

When it looked like the three Colorado Springs passengers wouldn't be making it, I offered to let them ride with me, since I was driving that way anyway! They were so excited. It was a grandpa who was 70, his ex-wife of 30 years, and their granddaughter who had just graduated from a local high school - they were returning home after a trip to another grandchild's graduation in IND. We enjoyed good conversation during the drive home, and I dropped them off at the grandpa's apartment in downtown Colorado Springs at 2AM.

So all in all, I had a close to 15 hour duty day. I was exhausted by the time I got home. And I start six duty days tomorrow. What was I thinking?!?!? (That I wanted a bunch of days off in a row so that I could go to NYC later this month, that's what I was thinking!) And, of course, as luck would have it, I'll be gracing that gorgeous sexy black leather couch from 6AM to Noon (but I betcha they'll extend me to 2PM cause they're predicting we'll be short of flight attendants)...I see some serious couch sleeping in my future!

Is it Over Already?

I've had four lovely days at home. I did a lot of nothing. But today I finally got out of my desk chair and did a bit of spring cleaning in the yard...and at the end of the day what do I see? Kodi relaxing on a lounge chair next to the stream. Poor doggie. He worked so hard today!

Back to work tomorrow - I get to sit on that sexy black leather sofa from 4PM until 10PM, and then I'm on duty for the following four days. I wonder where I'll go this week?

Think Positive (even if it kills ya...)

I finished my 4-day trip this morning, and I did not hear those glorious words, "You are released to your days off." Instead, I heard, "Don't hate me, but we're putting you on the couch until noon."

That wasn't what I wanted to hear, but it was A LOT better than hearing that I'd been assigned to a LaGuardia or DC turn! So I joined the other three couchsitters (even though I saw only two of them), pulled out my computer, and I've been hanging out on the couch ever since.

My overall feeling is that we need to compromise. I just heard that we're keeping the purple in our uniform...YAY! I was afraid we were losing it, and I didn't want to - it gave our uniform a nice look. So that was my positive today.

As I've said in the past, I'm not a union kind of gal, but since one's been voted in, I guess we have to make the best of it. I want to be sure that all the things that are important to us are included in our first union contract...but I really don't want to be a union member...what a dilemma.

I know there are those people who are thinking that the union is going to bring us "hope and change." I hope it's better than the "hope and change" that we got a year or so ago...my husband's business has slowed tremendously, but our bills haven't. Hope and change, my foot. :)

Unexpected Mini-Vacation Photos

I'm finally getting around to posting the photos that I took during the recent mini-vacay that I took to San Diego. My coworkers, Bruce and Suzette, joined me in a fun afternoon at Old Town and Ocean Beach. It was SO MUCH FUN!

The fountain at Casa de Reyes - notice the oversized margaritas!

Suzette and I enjoyed a nice Mexican lunch.

Suzette and her lunch.

An almost-empty margarita.

Me and Suzette at Ocean Beach on the pier.

Bruce and Suzette on the Ocean Beach pier.

No trip to Ocean Beach is complete without a photo of a palm tree!

Some of my Friends

Every once in awhile I remember that I have a camera in my bag, and I'll bring it out while I'm sitting the couch.

This first picture is of two of my classmates, Nancy and LuEllen. We've been sitting on that reserve couch since we graduated in October, 2007. I'm really sad, because as of today, LuEllen has transferred her base to Milwaukee. We'll still see her as she commutes to/from work, I'm sure. But she won't be on any of our trips, nor will I see her smiling face as I sit the couch. So sad.

Nancy also commutes, but by car - she even has a crash pad in Denver. But I'm sure that she is getting tired of being on reserve, just like I am.

And lastly, there's Karen (on the left). She is a true nut. She can dance, and keeps me in stitches most of the time! It's people like these three ladies that help me to love my job as much as I do!