Through the lens

Honeymoon Help and New Years Grooving....

2012-01-20T01:39:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!!! I need some help please...

G and I were originally going to jet over to Greece for our delayed honeymoon in the spring. I've been day dreaming and researching for it ever since the wedding and move. We even bid for and were awarded vacation time off in May... and then our friend announced that he was engaged and getting married in South Korea in May- Sweet!!! So... our plans have changed a little. We figured that if we were going to head all that way over to Korea, we might as well enjoy the other side of the world for a bit. Our plans are now to head from Korea to BALI for our honeymoon. I am asking for anyone who has been, knows anyone who has been or knows anything at all of what we should do, where to stay, etc. please speak up! I want all and any suggestions!!! :) Please feel free to share this with anyone who might know anything that I should know!!! I only get a Honeymoon once so I really want to have some ideas for this vacation instead of winging it like we always do!

Besides scrambling to plan our big trip- I have taken some time with the new year to evaluate my life and where I want things to go for the next 10 years. This past year was consumed with new jobs, new cities, surgery and wedding so I kinda put everything else on the back burner. Now that we are getting settled in, I'm trying to get my life groove back on track. Bear with me while I make some adjustments and I'll be back to blogging in no time!

My Birthday and Christmas!!! :)

2011-12-31T09:37:00.000-05:00

Since we took that mini vacation at the beginning of December to Aruba... it's been non stop flying, holidays and more flying....So to catch up before my three flights today I thought I would recap my birthday and Christmas this year. :)

I was lucky enough to get one of the last lines this month for work. Originally on my birthday I was supposed to work an Aruba turn but a friend of mine was nice enough to pick it up for me. I ended a trip on the 23rd and came home to these pretty flowers left for me!

Geoff landed from his trip around 1pm so I picked him up and we headed to the North End for an early dinner/late lunch. We went to Neptune Oyster- we heard that the lobster roll (hot) was to die for and it definitely did not disappoint! We got this crazy platter to split full of huge shrimp, oysters, clams and more.

Our next stop was at Mike's Pastry's down the road for some birthday cannoli's!!! Yum! This place is pretty well known, there is always a line and they have so many flavors.

It was pretty cold outside so we headed to Starbucks to get my free birthday latte and enjoy some desert!

The North End is very pretty to walk around and we hit it right at my favorite time of day... the light outside is so so pretty!

We headed back home stuffed full of food, drinks and desert to open some birthday presents! I got some pretty fun things but the kicker was Geoff got me an IPAD! woo hoo!!!

Christmas morning we woke up, made coffee and heated up the fruit strada I made.

My family had sent us all our presents in the mail since they knew we weren't going to make it to Cincinnati this year (which was kinda weird!). We turned on the computer and Skyped with them while we all opened the large gifts from each other. Then we Skpyed with Geoff's family in Canada.

We hung out in the afternoon and had shrimp cocktail which is something we ALWAYS have on Christmas until I started cooking our first big Christmas dinner as a family. :)

We had ham, my mom's fabulous potatoes and Brussels Spouts (recipe from Daily Garnish) with a Maple Pear Pie to follow. It turned out amazing. :) Since I'm usually with my parents on Christmas... it was my first time to be in charge of dinner and I was so happy with it's success!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and are ready for a Happy New Years tonight! I'll be landing in Fort Lauderdale around 11pm so I will be hopefully celebrating with a glass of wine with my crew when we user in 2012. Stay safe! :)

30 things at 30- yes it was my Birthday!!!

2011-12-25T13:16:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone... oh and happy birthday to me! I'm 30 today- yesterday was my birthday... (I can't believe it but I think it is super duper exciting!!!)

So back in the days of college when I had a different blog (yes I have been blogging that long... don't judge) and I turned 25 I made a list of the top 25 experiences of my life and listed them. Looking at that list made me proud and so excited to think of what would be on my list as I got older. (Much better than freaking out at my age... right!?!?)

So as I turn the big 3-0 I decided to do this again! Here is my personal list of my most proud moments and happiest times in my life. :)

1. Marry my best friend and become our own little family!
2. Climbing mount Sinai in Egypt, watching the sun rise and seeing the Burning Bush.
3. Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef in Australia with all the fish!
4. Running my first Marathon- the Flying Pig in Cincinnati.
5. Walking along the Great Wall in China with my Bestie Courtney
6. Graduate college at The Ohio State University
7. Get my wings at my first and second airline. :)
8. Having a beer at the Hofbrahaus with my Mom, Dad and brother in Germany.
9. Shoot my first, second and third wedding.
10. Go on a Chrysalis weekend in high school.
11. Cheer on my Buckeyes as the won the National Championship Game in the stadium
12. Go on a Mission trip every year in junior high and high school with my friends to help the less fortunate.
13. Live in New York City for a year (and survive) :)
14. Walking around San Marco in Venice and almost get attacked by the birds
15. Climbing a Glacier in New Zealand
16. Get engaged at The Peak in Hong Kong overlooking the beautiful skyline
17. Skydive twice- first in Sydney, Australia and second in Queenstown, New Zealand
18. Climb the Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia
19. Planning and having my final Photography Show of my artwork during my Senior year of college
20. Paris- the cafes, the sparkling Eiffle Tower, Notre Dame, Amelie's cafe, the crepes...
21. Exploring Barcelona, drinking Sangria and eating Tapas.
22. Swim with Sea Turtles in Mexico on a mother/daughter trip.
23. Riding the double decker bus in London.
24. Graduate High School from Walnut Hills in Cincinnati.
25. Watching the sunset in Fiji and sitting on the beach under the stars singing to Bob Marly.
26. Climb the Harbor Bridge in Sydney, Australia
27. Win State my senior year with my Dance Team, Center Stage
28. Realize over and over what great and supportive friends I have when we get together on vacations and nights or in.
29. Dancing with my Dad at my wedding (my dad does not dance and took dance lessons for me).
30. Starting my 30's healthy, happily married and excited for the future.

I am so lucky to have great friends, a wonderful husband, a job I love and the ability to travel. As I turn a year older- I have nothing but excitement as for what this next year will hold in store for me! :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! May your day be truly wonderful. :)

Aruba... our "mini-moon"

2011-12-18T15:16:00.000-05:00

Most people get married and head off on a romantic honeymoon to mark the start of their life together. They relax after all the stress of planning a wedding and the fun but chaotic time of hosting both families for the weekend... We are not most people.

While this would have been ideal... life had other plans for us. After the wedding weekend and before family left town we packed up all our new and old belongings into our car and a rented truck and headed off on a 15 hour drive from Michigan to New Hampshire. We unpacked, went back to work and set up our new joint life. Our honeymoon and vacation time isn't until May which we are excitedly looking forward to and planning for. However, we were beat! By the time December came around I knew I needed some time away to recoup. Luckily Geoff and I had a few days off together and decided to take a short but much needed trip to Aruba! We called it our mini-moon. :)

Our trip was perfect and relaxing. We ate, we slept in, we hung out by the pool, we relaxed on the private beach of our hotel, we took walks at night around the hotel, we read books, we window shopped at the expensive stores at the mall... basically we did a whole lot of nothing and I loved it.

May the new year bring us all lots of downtime to spend relaxing with loved ones! :)

moving

2011-12-12T19:43:00.000-05:00

The last few years have been pretty interesting over here in the airline industry! Geoff and I both worked for an airline that really kept us on our toes. We were displaced out of our bases multiple times and moved from Cincinnati to New York and then on over to Michigan where we stayed until we both quit for another airline. I said that I would move again but this time it was our choice to move to a base which we both Love and hope to stay at- Boston. :)

A few days after we got married, with the help of our wonderful families, we packed up all our belongings and hit the road for a 15 hour drive. What a way to start off a new life together.

We arrived in New Hampshire (our new home) and carried all the things up flights of stairs to our third floor apartment. Not the most fun but we all made it through with smiles on our faces.

Then we started to unpack the boxes and set up our new life here in the New England area.

It's taken us sometime to get to the point where we feel settled again and we are almost there! Even though we are again farther away from friends and family... it feels like we are right where we are supposed to be-starting our life for our new little family of two. :)

As much as I despise moving (and I have gotten good at it... a move each of the last 11 years of my life) I can't wait until we make one last move into a house someday....

I'll leave you with a few tips to not go crazy during a move.
1. People will do almost anything for the promise of pizza and beer
2. Moving is a great time to de-clutter and get rid of unwanted or unused things.
3. When overwhelmed, put on music and have a dance party.
4. If you can afford it- Hire movers!

i love san diego!

2011-12-04T12:58:00.000-05:00

(First if you are reading this and you are "Cricket" please email me to get your giveaway necklace... )

I love the West Coast!
I found these photos from my last overnight in San Diego. It was a beautiful day out and I spent it walking around Balboa Park. :)

I had such a good time walking around with just my camera taking photos of the flowers, cactus and the buildings. If I didn't need to sneak in dinner and a nap before my red eye home I would have made time to hit up the zoo as well...

I would love to know some suggestions anyone has for my next time in the San Diego neighborhood... please remember that we stay downtown and I usually only have a day there. :)

December has already started and yesterday I just realized how busy I am this month... I guess I thought I had more time before the holidays. This year has swept by and it looks like the last month is going to be no different... tomorrow Geoff and I are flying to Aruba for a mini honeymoon (real deal is in May... I can not wait). :)

Happy December everyone, try and take it all in as we wind down 2011!!!

Giveaway winner

2011-11-26T23:25:00.000-05:00

So this is what happens when you fly over the holidays... You loose track of days. I completely thought today was Friday. Even when I woke up this morning I was in a Friday mindset. I apologize for the late post but we do have a winner! Thanks to everyone who commented!

Our winner is... Cricket! :)

Please email me at megabrown@gmail.com so we can get you your beautiful necklace!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T15:38:00.000-05:00

I love Thanksgiving!!! I always have. The food, the family memories (good and bad), football games, the pumpkin pie!!! Yum!
However, since I work in the airline industry- an industry that doesn't stop flying on any day- I am forced to miss holidays more often than not. This year is no exception. I will be working over Thanksgiving... flying to Cancun and overnighting in White Plains, NY. It's ok! We get in early and can have a Thanksgiving dinner at the hotel... and what's better is that I am flying with my husband!!! We get to have our first Thanksgiving together as the little family unit we are. :)

I thought in the spirit of the holiday, I would share a few things I am Thankful for this year...

-I am thankful to have a new job with a company I adore.
-I am thankful to be healthy and cancer free!
-I am thankful for my friends and family who have given us more support and love this year than I could ever imagine.
-I am thankful for my husband. Each day I am more and more happy to be married to him!
-I am thankful for out apartment in New Hampshire and the fact we get to drive to work again.
-I am so so thankful to be working at a growing base and the new hires that just came on line- you gave me Christmas off!!!

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!!! Feel free to share something you are thankful for with me!!! :)

Shabby Apple Giveaway!

2011-11-17T14:23:00.000-05:00

Can you believe that it's almost Thanksgiving?!?! Where has this year gone? Last I can remember it was July...
We are coming upon that time of year to stop, look around and recognize all we have and are thankful for (before devouring turkey, pie and then frantically shopping for the holidays). I love this time of year but I also know how easy it is to get caught up in the spirit and give all your energy to everyone else. That's why I want to give sometime to YOU!!!

I was contacted by Shabby Apple, an online boutique of wonderful women's dresses and accessories, to do a giveaway for all my amazing readers and I was so excited to do this! Their dresses are beautiful- go take a look and I'm sure you will agree. I love their jewelry, I'm an accessories girl... and so I will be giving away this necklace.

Through the Looking Glass. It's a beautiful glass pendant and even opens to hide something super special so you can keep it close. :)

This is a thank you for coming along my journey of life with me this past year through overnights, a new job, move and marriage!
This is open to my US readers only (I'm sorry!!!) but hopefully I can have another giveaway soon for everyone. (Because I like you all).

To enter to win this necklace you have to-

1. Like Shabby Apple on Facebook and then leave me a comment saying you did.

Also to get extra entries...

2. Become a follower of this blog and let me know you did. (Or if you already follow me -thanks!- you are still included, Just say so!!!)

3. Spread the word about this giveaway... tweet it, post on facebook, or blog it... just let me know you did. :)

That is all!!! Good luck. This will be open a week and I will announce the winner next Friday! :)

Chicago Overnight (back to work)

2011-11-15T19:13:00.002-05:00

I was lucky enough to snag another line for Novemeber... hello seniority!!! (I usually sit TOP of reserve and I am thisclose to having a line every month which I can not wait for that day to happen!!!) Anyways I was able to trade into a 3 day trip with a long Chicago overnight downtown. Not bad for my first trip back after the wedding & move. :)

We got into Chicago on Tuesday night in time for a drink, snack and then bed. I woke up pretty early the next morning and took advantage of the free internet at the hotel. My pilots called me to go to breakfast and when I got downstairs they had already ordered me a pumpkin coffee from the Starbucks in the lobby for our walk. Talk about a good crew!!!

We headed to The Original Pancake House and had pancakes. After that we walked around for a bit and then headed back to the hotel. It was pretty nice out in the morning but got colder and rainy as the day went on. I was determined to make it over to Millennium Park to see the "bean" so I grabbed my coat and umbrella and headed right back out into the cold. It's about a 15 minute walk down Michigan Avenue from our hotel and I passed right by this lovely lady on the way...

Once I made it to the park, I couldn't get over how beautiful the colors were. I LOVE fall- the leaves changing colors, the beauty, the cool crisp air.... but these colors blew me away!!!!

I made it! Finally. :) I took my time looking at all the amazing angles and reflections. I think the whole idea is real fun and as excited as I was, it totally lived up to what I was expecting. :)

I took a walk around the park to make sure I didn't miss anything (like these faces) and then I finally headed back to re-shower, warm up and get ready for my flight back to Boston.

It felt really good to know that after my flight I could just go to my car and drive home... I am glad I am no longer a commuter. :)

I'm a Mrs...

2011-11-11T10:48:00.001-05:00

Hey yall!!! Just wanted to come and say a quick hello! It finally happened- I got married to my best friend (woo hoo) and we moved to New Hampshire a few days later. I finally have internet so I can start posting again. I don't have a lot of photos from the day YET so I wont tell you too much about it besides that the day was perfect! But don't worry... you will hear all about it soon enough. :)

what have I been up to????

2011-10-26T00:58:00.002-04:00

Prepping for a wedding and a move to New Hampshire. Yikes!!! I have just a few more days to go!!!
I'll be back soon, I promise... once all this madness has come and gone. :)

Henry Ford Museum= Detroit fun.

2011-09-21T13:16:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago we had our second engagement shoot with our photographer for the wedding. It was included in our package and a great way to get comfortable around each other. It was hard to decide on a place in Michigan since we still don't know the surrounding areas too well. (Blame it on being gone from home a lot!) Well, I should say it was hard until we mentioned travel and ended up picking the Henry Ford Museum!!! With lots of planes, trains and automobiles it was a very fun place to explore for the afternoon.

We had some time to explore after the shoot was finished and I have to say we had a real fun time. :) If you ever find yourself in Detroit and want to learn a little history about the Motor City... just head on over the the Henry Ford Museum. We spent most of our time in the Hero's of the Sky exhibit looking at the airplanes. (Joys of marrying a pilot, right... haha)

(They had a section where you could make different paper airplanes and then see which design flew the best. Even though Geoff designed the planes... I flew them better! haha)

Hair Trial

2011-09-10T11:15:00.000-04:00

So this is going to be short and sweet. I am packing a bag and heading to Columbus, OH today to celebrate the end of my single days with some of my best friends- it's my Bachlorette Party tonight! Woo Hoo!!!

Last night I had my hair and make up trial and I am in LOVE with what the girl did with my hair. I just had to share! :) (I've always had real trouble getting something that I loved at hair salons for up-do's so I was pretty nervous going in last night... but not coming out!)

Have a great weekend everyone!

"Good Job Face!"

2011-08-30T22:57:00.000-04:00

If you remember, back in May I had surgery for skin cancer. Basal Cell Carcinoma to be exact. While it usually is a slow growing and non-deadly (if taken care of) cancer, it still sucked to go through the whole surgery and recovery process. Call me vain but it was unusually hard for me since it was 1. On my nose and 2. Months before my wedding. Eeeeek!

Anyways, Sometime after surgery while I was being told how great I did I patted my face and said "Good Job Face!" and that phrase has stuck throughout the months that followed. I was looking in the mirror at how great it was recovering this weekend and took a photo. I realized that I had quite a few photos documenting this recovery so I thought I would share them with you all as a reminder to ALWAYS take good care of your body and health! Please please get check ups, use sunscreen and stay away from tanning beds! (I am rocking the spray tan for all wedding related events!)

While I was at home for my Bridal shower, I learned that not only had I gone through this but BOTH my 2 Aunts had as well. One last year (thanks for telling me family) and one just a few months after me. We all had matching scars on our noses and were comparing stories.

(This is Before I knew what was coming. Notice the bump on my nose... thats the cancer.)

Right after surgery- swollen and miserable. (Sorry for the quality- all iphone and makeup-less)

On my way to get my stitches taken out...

and here i am right after getting my stitches out. YAY!

A month or two into recovery.

And here I am now!

I was worried that I wouldn't be completely healed before the wedding but now that it is getting closer... I don't even really care. Geoff tells me all the time how he likes my scar- it's like a really cool battle wound. You can hardly see it with makeup on and if this is what I have to remind me that life is fleeting and to concentrate on what matters most (family, friends, health...) then I am ok with that! :)

Stay Healthy everyone!

Cincinnati weekend and Bridal shower

2011-08-28T01:48:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I headed to Cincinnati for the whole weekend! This doesn't happen too often- I'm usually in and out in a day or two. I was able to run around a lot with my mom and dad doing wedding things as well as relax for a while with a few friends.

That sunday was my Bridal shower. I have to say that my Mom, Maid of honor and Bridesmaids did a Fantastic job on throwing me a wonderful shower. I feel so lucky to have such wonderful and supportive people in my life.

They even had a travel theme for me! All the food was different parts of the world from French croissant sandwiches to Spring Rolls to Cincinnati Skyline Dip. YUM!

Courtney (my Maid of Honor) even made us Bubble Tea!!! My mom got the cutest cookies. Not only were there airplanes but all the suitcases had places I had traveled to. Amazing!

Here are my lovely girls!

First thing after eating lunch were we played a few typical Bridal games. Everyone had to answer questions about Geoff and I and then I had to answer questions about Geoff. (Luckily I did pretty well- I was very nervous.) :)

After that it was all about unwrapping some gifts. I got some really cool (and many much needed) things. Check out my amazing world platter- my friends know us so well! :)

I really had the best time. It was wonderful to be around such a great group of people, I am truly blessed! (Here is my mom and I- isn't she too cute!?!?)

Biking the Golden Gate Bridge, SFO!

2011-08-26T08:17:00.000-04:00

In July, I was awarded my second line and was lucky enough to get a second trip to San Francisco. Not only did I have this amazing trip again, but Geoff decided to join me on my overnight! Yay. :)

Once we got going in the morning we headed straight to Chinatown for Dim Sum.

We headed from Chinatown down to the Wharf to decide what to do next. While we walked around in the beautiful weather we decided to rent bikes for the afternoon and ride over the Golden Gate bridge into Sausalito. The bike ride was amazing and there were some really great views of the bridge however, the ride Across the bridge was Insane! There were people everywhere and riding through the crowd was not for the faint of heart.

After the Looooong afternoon of biking, we stopped for some well deserved and delicious ice cream before catching the ferry back to drop off the bikes. We had just enough time to head back to the hotel for a quick nap before grabbing dinner and coffee for my red eye flight back to Boston. I was a little worn out from the day but it was well worth it! Days like this remind me why I love my job so much!!!

The rest of Seattle

2011-08-16T18:15:00.000-04:00

Now that I have gotten my laptop back up and running, I reloaded all the photos from my digital camera that I still had. These are some of the photos I thankfully did NOT lose.

Last month we spent close to a week in Seattle visiting with Geoff's family (many of who were in town from Canada for 2 weeks). I love thinking about how this is my future family too!!!!

The first day we headed to Bite of Seattle at Seattle Center. We walked around for a bit and checked out all the good food they had to eat. Luckily we had a mission and headed on over 'The Alley'. For $10 we got to try some eats from some really good restaurants.
Here was the Sunday menu-

Palace KitchenGrilled Oregon Pork Loin with Spicy Blueberry Jam

Seattle’s Little ItalyGrilled Italian Sausage with House-Made Pepper-Onion Relish

Daily Grill
Endive Spicy Pecans and Romaine with Gorgonzola Cheese Tossed in a Walnut Oil Vinaigrette Dressing

Urbane
Lemon Verbena Lamb Meatballs with Spiced Homemade Yogurt

Belltown PubSummer-Time Spaetzle

Roxy’s Diner
Hot Pastrami on Rye with Deli Mustard

Ten Mercer

Tayberry White Chocolate Mousse Eclaire

Everytime I come to Seattle I seem to get really nice weather... I'm always wondering where the rain is!?! Well we certainly had some rain today.

Once everyone arrived from Canada, the fun began! We celebrated Geoff's Mom's Birthday (Here are all the gals- my future sister-in-laws and the kids), we hit an all you can eat Sushi restaurant, the outlet malls, had our "engagement photo shoot", ate at my favorite Indian restaurant... the days flew by so quickly!

One really neat thing that the guys planned was a Salmon fishing trip EARLY one morning. I have never been fishing off a boat before so I was pretty excited. The best part was, whatever we caught- we got to keep and eat that night. The morning was beautiful but very chilly. Remember that heat wave that hit all the east coast? Ohio, Michigan, NY... all well in the 100's? Yup- I missed it all hanging out in Seattle where it was 60's and 70's. (Good thing I brought a jacket). We fished out on the boat for around 5 hours and though we had a few close calls and Chantal caught some smaller fish we only caught one Salmon. However, I was shocked at the size of this fish!!! It was more than enough to feed us a yummy salmon dinner that night. :)

Our trip was fun as always! I never get tired of visiting Seattle!!!

Engagement Photos compliments of Adelbert Ho Photography

2011-08-12T12:09:00.000-04:00

In July, Geoff and I headed to Seattle for 5 days to hang out with his family. His brother and sister-in-law live in Seattle (who we try and visit a few times a year) and his other brother, family, mom and aunt were all going to be in town from Edmonton, Alberta! It was so much fun hanging out with everyone and while we were there we were lucky enough to have Adel take some amazing photos of us for our Engagement Photos (take one... we have a session included with our amazing photographer here in Detroit as well).

White screen of death

2011-08-10T17:47:00.000-04:00

I have to apologize for my absence.... We were working on our invitations and guest list last week for the wedding. My beloved Macbook froze so I restarted her and got the White Screen of DEATH! Nothing would happen... so I rushed her into the store and found out my whole Hard drive DIED! Ahhhh!

Most of my photos were backed up on an external hard drive (lucky for me) but the bulk of my wedding plans, ideas, lists, budgets... GONE!

So needless to say it's been quite the week. I have a new hard drive with more space and it feels like I have a whole new computer! I'm slowly getting her back up and running... so I apologize I've been MIA. :) I also had to reconstruct my whole Invite list so I could get my invitations in the mail... yikes!

I will have some photos up for you real soon though.

My San Fran adventure

2011-06-22T17:40:00.000-04:00

After an exciting trip out to the west coast (San Diego), I was lucky enough to follow this up with a fun trip to San Francisco for almost 23 hours. I was stoked! I know I did a few happy dances in my apartment before I fully took in the fact that I was getting paid to walk around California cities I had been yearning to go to...

After my wonderful 4 day trip to San Diego, I flew my tired and jet lagged butt home (after a red eye... lets talk about a rough commute). I slept, I ate and I packed my bags again. In between trips I had ONE full day off (an early release and late start made it feel like 2 but I also had 2 commutes in front of me- killer!) and on that one day off I was going to my friends wedding. In Cincinnati. Now wait a minute... I'm sure you are thinking "Hey, no problem! You're a Flight Attendant... you fly for free, right?!?!"

Right... but so wrong. See between DTW and CVG there are flights but there are also an Insane amount of commuters (most from my previous airline). To make the wedding I got in my car and drove 4 hours to Cincinnati on Saturday morning. I doubled up on the wedding excitement and met my mom for lunch and went wedding dress shopping with her (Loud excited voice here) and Bought my Wedding Dress!!!! Hoorrrrrray! Then I had time for a short nap until I had to get ready, pick up my friend Cari (my date) and make it to the wedding. The next morning I had to drive Back to Detroit- to commute to Boston to the FLY to San Francisco. A million hours later we landed in SFO, walked outside and was hit by some serious chilly air. Yikes... where you all to tell me to pack a jacket??? Or even a long sleeve shirt?

My crew was really fun and wanted to go out for some late night snacks and a drink (or two). As tired as I was, I just could not say no! We headed a few blocks away for some serious Ham sandwiches and a few beers at Tommy's Joynt. We ended up hanging out until 2:30am which in my time zone was 5:30am....

As you can imagine, I hit the hay pretty hard after my long day and woke up a good 8 hours later ready to hit the streets. I grabbed a cup of coffee and some snacks at the Whole Foods right around the corner from the hotel and planned my attack. I decided since this was my first time here, I was going to hit some Tourist sites and act like a proper out-of-towner.

First place I walked to was Ghiradelli Square. I was going to walk right on by all the chocolate but the smell was wayyyy to enticing. I had to get something so I opted for the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate... seriously good! I got my first glimpse of the Golden Gate bridge and walked along the park and beach area to Fisherman's Wharf.

Again, no one told me to come hungry. I was walking past all the people chowing down on seafood and chowders... yum!

I then headed over to Lombard Street... you know that really crazy crooked street that people love to try and drive down, yeah... that one! I figured since I had already walked so far, I should stroll on over and take a peak. I had to creep up this really steep hill to get there (lets work off that crazy good hot chocolate!) but once I did I was really happy I had. It's weird to say a street was pretty cool but I have to admit- this one was. I was in LOVE with the houses on this street however it must get pretty annoying drive up and down their street.

After I was finished watching the cars, I walked back up the hill and on home to the hotel. I had to force myself to take a nap because I was enjoying the city so much. After my nap, I got ready for work and ran out to get a coffee for my red eye flight back to Boston. I was going to stop at Starbucks but another Flight Attendant had told me to head farther down the street to Philz Coffee. As much as I love my Starbucks I have to say I was enamored with Phliz. They let you pick out your coffee beans, grind them right there and make you an individual cup... so so good!

I'm heading back to San Fran on the 9th of July... so anyone have any reccomendations on what I should do this next time???

New company... new layovers

2011-06-19T23:03:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if I have officially announced my love for my new job. If not, I am here to say that I LOVE it! :) In May I was lucky enough to snag a line and escape the daily unknown of reserve. Some people love the thrill of not knowing where they are heading each day... me? I am a planner... I like to know.

I started the month with exciting destinations such as Buffalo, NY and ended the month sneaking into places like San Juan, PR... San Deigo, CA and San Francisco, CA. Imagine my excitement since I had never been to any of those cities. Awesomeness!

On my first 24 hour overnight in San Diego I went walking... through downtown Gaslamp Quarters and along the waterfront. I ended up at Seaport Village which is a really cute area by the water with lots of quirky little shops and eateries. I had lunch outside and enjoyed the beautifully perfect weather. I had to force myself back to the hotel for a nap in the afternoon since I was working the redeye back to Boston and then commuting home after that. (I was Tiiiiiiired!) I got up and went for a nice long run along the water! I swear if I lived in weather like that I would run outside every chance I could get. Then it was time to get back and ready for work. Luckily for me there was a Starbucks by the hotel and some really really good authentic Tacos!

I am determined to get back to San Diego as soon as I can (which may take a while since I know I'm not the only one...) but until then - Give me your suggestions on what to do the next time I'm in San Diego! (Can you believe they call this work???)

Hello wedding planning... it's me, Megan

2011-05-22T12:49:00.000-04:00

In the midsts of all my posts on flying, vacations and cancer... I'm sure you all have forgotten that I am in full wedding planning mode. Don't worry, I haven't. I'm closing in on 5 months and counting and while I have been cool, collected and calm- it's starting to get to that point where I am beginning to worry. See it seems that I have been less excited to plan this shindig than I ever thought. Don't get me wrong- the thought of marrying my Best Friend and becoming our own family has me so so excited that I get those fun butterflies all in my stomach every time I stop and think about it. :) It's not that... it's all the details and should haves that had begun to scare me. Cakes toppers, chair covers, favors... blah blah blah.

When we were newly engaged I spent hours fawning over photos and blogs of weddings. Gorgeous photos of outdoor California vineyard, rustic Texas barnyard and Canadian forest weddings. Personal "do it yourself" centerpieces, organic food dinners and candles galore... what is not to love? Once I started planning I even liked making a budget, finding vendors and trying to work in ways we can make our day feel like us without blowing the bank. (hello... I would like to buy a house at some point in my life...)

I decided last night that I really dislike the Industry that weddings have become. It's now the norm to spend 30,000 $'s or more on a one day affair. It's tacky to have cash bars, Friday night affairs or not give your guests a favor. You need to have $15 a slice cakes, letter pressed invitations and whole weekend affairs consisting of brunches, luncheons, golf outings, a spa day... etc. You throw the word wedding in and prices increase 25%... really?

When did it go from celebrating the beginning of two peoples lives together to this huge extraveagant blowout?

And you know what the worst part is? It's really easy to get caught up in it all. When you start reading and hearing "most important day in your life" it's really hard not to think about all the things you suddenly need to make this ONE day perfect.

Well guess what- I'm going against the grain. I hope my wedding is Not the most important day of my life. I want it to be one of the most important dayS of my life. When I sit back and get out of the wedding world and take a look at the kind of day I want it to be... it's not about the centerpieces or linens that I really think about... it's making a life long commitment with the support and love of all my friends and family. Oh, that and dancing... lots and lots of dancing. :)

While I may be struggling right now to enjoy this planning process... I can't wait for it to actually arrive. Any suggestions on how you kept your sanity while planning your wedding???

Last Day of Hong Kong

2011-05-18T15:17:00.000-04:00

For our last full day in Hong Kong we decided to take it kinda easy and hit one of the larger markets- Stanley Market. Getting there was really fun! We took a ferry across to the Hong Kong side and caught a bus to Stanley Market. The buses they have on this route are double decker buses so we got a seat up top in the front row to get some good views along the way. I decided it was too stressful to try and take photos since there were trees blocking my view half the time so instead I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. All I can say is that it was a really pretty trip and gave us some views of the area we didn't have before.

The market was huge and pretty amazing. Of course it had tons of "tourist stalls". Most of them have a lot of similar things for sale which gives you time to work on your bargaining for the best prices. We were able to pick up a few goodies for presents, some pillow covers for our couch and two paintings of Hong Kong which I swooned over and they only cost us $25 for BOTH. (I'm pretty sure I could of gotten them for even less if I hadn't been so in love with them....)

After walking around the market and down by the water for a few hours we headed back into town for dinner. We decided to go for Shanghai style food for our last night which was good and gave Joe's Shanghai in NYC a run for the money (We still thought Joe's Shanghai was better.... imagine that.)

We were really lucky to have a hotel with free internet because that night we were able to look up our flight that was departing early in the morning and found out it was delayed ALL day. We decided to sleep in a while and head to Dim Sum again one last time before heading to the airport. We walked back to the Dim Sum restaurant we had eaten at a few days earlier since it was so good and really reasonably priced.

Once we were done stuffing our faces, we headed back to the airport where we still had plenty of time to kill before the flight. We walked all over that place checking out all the aircraft and different airlines that came in and out of Hong Kong. Geoff loved it!

We were lucky enough to have Business Elite Seats open for our flight home... there is nothing quite like traveling in style. (or comfort... check out that leg room.) We were happy to have a direct flight back home to Detroit but I really enjoyed all of my time in Hong Kong. It was a beautiful city with nice people and really good food. All in all a fantastic trip!

Hong Kong day 3

2011-05-14T16:50:00.000-04:00

We got up early and headed out for breakfast and then on to Lantau Island. We had to travel to the MTR Tung Chung Station, take a bus and then take a cable car up to the top of the mountain. It was actually really easy to find out way and ride up on the cable car was really pretty and relaxing. If you ever go, pay the little bit extra and get the cable car with the glass bottom.... it's pretty cool to see everything around and below you! (My eyes look real tired!)

Lantau Island is home to the world's Largest Buddha Statue called Tian Tan Buddha which is meant to symbolize the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion. If you ask me, that is one freaking large Buddha! I was pretty impressed.

This island also holds the Po Lin Monastery. While we walked around and enjoyed a good vegetarian lunch there... they had a Lot of construction going on. We decided that we had enjoyed the jack hammering quite enough for one afternoon and headed back to check out a few of the touristy shops on the way back to the cable car.

At the bottom of the cable care we walked around Hong Kong's version of an outlet mall until our friends Patti and Gregg were able to come and meet up with us again. They live very close to where we were so we had dinner back by their condo before boarding the last ferry back to Hong Kong. I am still amazed at how wonderfully simple and easy the public transportation in Hong Kong is.

Hong Kong day 2

2011-05-08T18:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a hard day of my recovery. I was alone, bored and sore all over (mostly from sitting). It was mentally and physically a long day.
So, today I am distracting myself with fun things until Geoff gets back home tomorrow to keep me entertained. I'm taking you back to my 2nd day in Hong Kong! :) enjoy....

We started off our second morning by heading to Dim Sum with one of Geoff's flight school students who works for Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong. He took us to a place that was delicious and very reasonably priced!

Next we headed down by the waterfront to take in a few of the views of Hong Kong from the Kowloon side. They have this cool Chinese take on the Hollywood Stars with Jackie Chan.
We also had to hit up the Starbucks and enjoy a cup of coffee with the beautiful views!

We were lucky enough to meet two more friends for dinner who used to work with us at Comair and now live in Hong Kong so we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon checking out a few of the markets nearby. We shopped for souvenirs, ate some yummy street food and checked out what people were wearing around the city... Have I mentioned how CRAZY the fashion is here? Bubble coats, tights and these weird FUR leg warmers with heels. Holy Moly, I wish I had take a few photos of some of the clothes people were wearing. Haha!

Street Food! YUM!

After we were all walked out, we headed back to the waterfront to meet with our friends Patti and Gregg!

We joined Patti and Gregg for dinner. It was Wonderful to see them and catch up. Geoff and I had a big outing scheduled for the next day so we headed back to our hotel to get some much needed sleep!

Recovering, mentally and physically.

2011-05-06T11:20:00.000-04:00

Surgery is over, I am home and full out in recovery mode. (Relaxing on the couch is pretty much my life for the next few days since I can't do much yet. I have to remain upright for 3 days, even when I sleep.) Things went as well as I could have asked for. On Wednesday my Dermatologist doctor got all the cancer out in one try (which I was VERY thankful for). This meant I didn't have to go back in for a second or third round but even better it meant I had the smallest possible hole to fix the next day. This was a huge relief because not knowing how long or bad my recovery was going to be really freaked me out.

The next morning I checked into the hospital and they got me all prepped and ready for surgery. They let Geoff come in and sit with me while I waited. I have to say that I am really glad that I was in Michigan for all of this. Everyone from the dermatologists office and the hospital were AMAZING. The nurse even joked before they put me out that she was going to give me a "special margarita" for Cinco de Mayo. That's the last thing I really remember before I woke up and it was all over.

Yesterday I felt pretty good- much better than I thought I would. My nose is swollen, red and I have stitches all down the side of my nose. This morning the swelling has gotten a little worse and includes my eye. I can eat but I can't open my mouth too wide because it pulls on my nose and hurts. I have some pretty strong medicine for when it gets really bad but I want to lay down so bad.

Going through the process of finding out I had skin cancer, having surgery to remove it, having a second surgery at the plastic surgeon to fix the hole in my nose and then recovering has been hard physically but even harder mentally. I've had so many emotions and feelings the past couple of days. I feel Grateful one moment that I was lucky enough to have Basal Cell, that we were able to get it all and I will be healthy as soon as I fully recover. I feel Sad and Shocked that I actually had cancer. I feel Overwhelmed when I think of what it would have been like if it had been melanoma. I've felt very Scared a lot of the time because I wasn't sure of how bad it was going to be. I feel concerned that this could happen to me again.

I'm really struggling on how to address this after I recover. I love being outdoors, running, swimming, picnics, baseball games, the beach... I am fair skinned with moles and burn easily so I have always worn sunscreen. I want to be careful and protect myself but, I don't want to go overboard and feel like I can not longer do things I love. I guess what I need to work on is where I draw the line between careful and paranoid...

The Big C (and no I don't mean Cancun)

2011-05-04T00:30:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm going to admit it. First because I want to share my experience and second because I'm stressed and I feel like if I write it, it will get out of my head and float into the abyss of the internet.

Last week I found out I have Basal Cell Carcinoma Skin Cancer.

Yikes!

As my dermatologist said, if you have to have one... this is the one you want. It's fine, I will be fine but tomorrow I head into surgery and I'm scared. See the thing is it is located on my nose... not the best place to have something go wrong.

I am going in for MOH's surgery where they will remove the cancer itself and a small layer of skin/tissue around it and then go right in and test it to make sure that they got it all out while I wait in the waiting room. If not I will go back in for round 2, 3, 4 or how ever many times it takes to get it all out without cutting out healthy tissue and leaving a larger area to close (I'm praying for 1). The next day I go into the plastic surgeon where he fixes me all up and then I recover. For the next 72 hours I have to remain upright. No bending to tie my shoes, no laying down to sleep... ugh.

I've been loading up on shows and movies to watch, books to read and scarfs to knit.

I know I'm lucky that we caught it pretty early but I am scared to how deep it will go... that is the unknown. Through the appointment and tears I have learned first hand how scary the word Cancer is even when you know you aren't dying. I can only imagine the heavier feeling other cancers bring. (I hope that this is the only time I have to hear that word again.)

Since I am getting married in October I've been a little worried about scarring. I am supposed to be excited to meet with vendors, engagement photos and Bridal/Bachlorette parties not worried I will look funny. Also forget talking about my job... it's not like I can hide behind a desk... I'm out serving people each day. Luckily for me Geoff has been wonderfully supportive throughout this whole ordeal and I feel very lucky to have him in my life.

It might take me a day or two but I will let you all know how it goes.

Please please please if nothing else get your skin and moles checked out (Especially any that change color, shape or bleed!) and wear sunscreen!!!

Hong Kong Vacation (part one)

2011-05-02T12:45:00.001-04:00

It's been a few months but I just have to get back and blog about our vacation to Hong Kong!!! Having been to China before I was interested to see how similar and different it was to mainland China. Boy was it both. After flying all day from Detroit, all we could do the first day was check in to our hotel and find a bite to eat before sleeping off some of the jet lag.

The next morning we decided to get up bright and early, head to get some coffee and check out the sights. We were staying in Kowloon so we took a boat across the harbor to Hong Kong Island. In the morning sun it was kind of hazy. Anyone that has been to China before knows that the pollution is pretty bad over there. Hong Kong was bad but nothing compared to what I experienced in Beijing. Anyways, the views are pretty cool with tall tall buildings and then mountains behind them.

(map from Lonely Planet... http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/asia/china/hong-kong/)

Once on the Hong Kong side we walked around checking out the shopping and decided it was time for lunch. We ended up at a restaurant that was known for it's Roasted Quail. Not the duck I had in Chinatown in NYC but still very very good! We grabbed a couple of snacks from the bakery next door and walked to the Tram station that would take us up to the Peak.

The Peak is basically a huge lookout spot on top of a mountain that gives amazing views of the city below. Inside the building are lots of shops and restaurants. There are a few hiking trails around the area too. To get the views you can go up top to the roof and walk around. We went up before the sunset so we could see it both day and night.

This gorgeous place is where Geoff proposed to me on our first night of vacation. I was so surprised and happy!!!

I guess the evening is primetime for the tourists so afterwards we were hungry but the lines were so long everywhere- including the Tram ride back down. Once we got back to Kowloon, we found a street market going on and ate at one of the outdoor restaurants there. :) Yum!

Comair in the news

2011-04-20T14:06:00.000-04:00

Ok, I know I have fallen off the blogging wagon! I have had so much going on in my life since January!!! I promise I will catch back up. :) I just had to get back here and blog about the news last week since it was about my old airline.

For those of you who follow aviation, I'm sure you already have seen this video but in case anyone missed it... a Comair plane got hit by the wing of a very Large Airbus 380 Air France aircraft while taxiing in New York's JFK airport.

Now the Comair flight had already landed and was waiting in the alley to pull into it's parking space. I would like to remind everyone that this is a time where passengers tend to unbuckle their seatbelts and even open up overhead bins or get out of their seats. What can happen right? This can. They were very lucky to have had zero injuries, but imagine if someone would have been standing up. It is important to think about safety first even if it seems everything is safe.

It just feels right

2011-01-30T10:04:00.001-05:00

So before I forget... I feel like I should have an official goodbye post for my prior airline! As excited as I am for my new job (and I REALLY am woo hoo....) I had some really really good times at my previous job. If you have been following my blog, you probably remember that I was based in JFK then CVG (where I lived), then JFK again (where I moved) and finally DTW (where I am now). I can finally admit that I worked on CRJ's.... mainly the 50 seat jet (200) but also the 700 and 900 (where there were 2 flight attendants) but mostly I was by myself. I was part of the Delta family and the only wholly owned regional left (all the others were sold) Comair.

Whatever airline you work for, it is the people who make it what it is. I can honestly say that the people at Comair really make it a great place to work.

As I start my new adventure, I can only hope that the times to come are even better than the times I have already had! (And maybe someday I
can even be a line holder...)

Oh and I should probably add that it's also where I met my future hubby... :) (Good thing is he's already at my new airline!!!)

Change in the New Year...

2011-01-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!

My life has been ridiculously hectic since December. (Isn't everyones though???) I have had a years full of changes in just the first month of the New Year which is super exciting.

To catch up, I had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. I love the holidays and the chance to spend some quality time with friends and family!!! I always have the bare minimum of days off around the holidays since my seniority at my airline is non- existent... but I always cram as much into those days and hours as I can!

To start off the New Year, I flew my LAST trip with my airline. After 4 and 1/2 years... I am moving on to a NEW JOB! Don't worry... I will still be slinging drinks in the air, I'm just hopping over to another airline. I am so so so excited about this change!!! I will never again be the ONLY Flight Attendant on the plane. I'm ready to fly through training and meet all my new friends... You all will hear more about this later! :)

After I finished my last trip I had a week of Vacation before I officially left... Geoff was able to move his reserve days around and get the week off with me! Woo hoo!!! So we headed to Hong Kong! I will tell you all about Hong Kong in another post but the exciting part was Geoff and I got ENGAGED on the first night. After over 3 years of dating and world traveling, I am going to marry my best friend... I could not be more excited or feel more blessed than I do right now.

So that is all my exciting news right now... It's a lot and I'm still just trying to take it all in and have fun with the changes... :)

Thanksgiving and Vacation

2010-11-28T23:07:00.000-05:00

A few things I am Thankful for-
-My family and friends
-My Health and ability to do crazy things to my body (like run a marathon)
-Having a job that I truly enjoy
-Having the opportunity to see different places in the world
-Hot Yoga, Coffee in the morning and Trader Joe's

I really hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mine was good except for the fact that my grandmother had a heart attack a few days before the Holiday. Luckily she is doing fine and recovering. It made thinking of all that I am Thankful for much easier to do.

Second, right now I am packing for Vacation! I officially started my vacation at 10:30pm tonight when I stopped being 'on call' for the day. We are attempting to fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina tomorrow... fingers crossed that the non-rev Gods are with us!

Hopefully I can come back with lots of good stories and photos. :) Until then, have a Great Week everyone!

Harry Potter World

2010-11-19T13:37:00.000-05:00

For the past 6 weeks, Geoff has been in Orlando, FL training for a new job. It was a Loooong 6 weeks for me since we haven't been apart from each other for that long. I was able to make it down for the first day of orientation and again at about week 4 for a one day visit which was not enough, but better than nothing!

When I arrived in Orlando, we decided to hit up one of the parks on our free day. We chose Universal's Island of Adventure because we could check out the new Harry Potter Theme Park inside! We ran around to all the other parks first (since they were empty and lines were super short) and eventually made our way over with the rest of the people inside the park.

I was so impressed with this theme park! They did a fantastic job. Look how cute it looks with the snow covered buildings.

The main ride in this park was inside of the castle. It was really neat because they had the photos on the walls that moved around like in the movie. There was also the Sorting Hat, Professor Dumbledore and even Harry and the Gang. This was the longest line we encountered in the park at 40 minutes.

We saw huge long lines for the Butterbeer. We weren't really sure about it but figured it had to be good if people were standing in long lines for it. So we jumped in line, got the frozen and boy was it good! Do NOT miss this when you come here!!! (It's sweet like rootbeer but tastes different) YUM!

They even had Olivander's which also had a long line up but you could go inside and pick out your wand like in the movie. Very very cool!

I was so glad that we had a chance to go here before the last set of movies came out. It had been so long since I read the books (which if you haven't are Very good!) and seen the last movie... it was nice to get all excited again! The park was a fantastic addition to the Island of Adventure! If you have the chance to come, I definitely would!!! And get the butterbeer! :)

Sending love with Shutterfly's Holiday Cards

2010-11-15T16:53:00.000-05:00

Did you know that the holidays are fastly approaching?!?!
I am really bad at remembering to send cards out for any occasion. I blame it on the flying. I can barely get my laundry done in between some trips, let alone go to the post office... this year I have promised myself to get some Christmas Cards out! (Especially since some of my friends don't even have my new Michigan address).

I read on my friend Jes's blog (you can find her here... http://bleudress.blogspot.com/)
that I could get 50 Free Photo Cards from Shutterfly so I went over to their sight to check out the selection and I was happily surprised! They have a HUGE selection of super duper cute cards (and not only for Christmas but heaps of other holiday's too).

Here are a few of my favorites....

Let's just say that I am Very excited to pick out a perfect photo to put into one of these cards. I'm not so sure Geoff will be sharing my excitement but I know his family will. ;)

If you are a blogger and want to take advantage of this amazing opportunity too then just follow here.....
Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly, follow the arrow à http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Central Park magic!

2010-11-13T15:01:00.002-05:00

Ok, Let me be completely honest here... Since living in NYC (and moving away) I have been so excited to blog about my FAVORITE place in the city... CENTRAL PARK. However, each time I would try and start, I got stuck. Today I finally decided enough was enough....

As much as I love the energy and buzz of New York City, it gets a little overwhelming and exhausting the longer you stay. There are the people bustling down the streets at all times of day and night, the honking, the yelling, the subways crammed full of people. I love Central Park because it's an oasis of relaxation right in the middle of the city hustling on around it.

There are heaps of things to do here in the Park everyday. You can run, layout, take a walk, take a bike ride, grab an ice cream from the street vendor, hit up the Zoo, go Ice Skating, watch for wildlife, look at the memorial for John Lennon, go swimming, take a carriage ride.... all in a breathtakingly beautiful atmosphere

For me, I did most of my long runs for my marathon training in Central Park. I created quite the bond with my surroundings running miles through the trees each weekend. I knew I loved Central Park the first time I stepped into it and I knew I would miss it the last time I left it.

It represents strength, love, beauty and community. Each time I ran, I saw something new and different and each time I left I felt renewed and happy.

Even when Geoff and I would come to lay out in the summers afternoon, it was always a wonderful time. Central Park is one of those places that when I think of it, it makes my heart sing!

Post race exercise and complete exhaustion

2010-11-10T13:29:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's November... I was thinking the other day how I don't even remember where September went... WHOA... what about October?

I'll get to all things personal in another post but I am going to talk exercise right now. :)

After the race, I immediately thought what next??? What else can I start training for or set a goal... then I took a lot at my calendar and realized that I needed a break. It might sound crazy but I told myself I was not going to run for a whole month. I just knew that I had NO time and did not want to burn out. Training for an event works well for me but I know when I can't stay on schedule I feel guilty... it's like I am letting myself down. Silly?

So, the first week was pretty easy, I was still a little sore and was concentrating on just stretching. As the weeks went on, I realized how much I was starting to miss running. The problem at home was I still hadn't had time to find good places to run in Detroit. I love running outside in fall... it's my favorite time of year and the weather is perfect! I finally had an overnight in Jacksonville and got a pretty good 2 mile run in before it started to rain.

So what's a girl to do... no running routes, no gym membership (yet) and a need to get going...

I decided to try something completely different. I found a Bikram Yoga studio in Ann Arbor and headed out to give it a try. I've done Yoga before but never Bikram which is "Hot Yoga". At my studio... it's an 1 and 1/2 class in a 90 degree (F) heated room. Let me tell you, it was intense, it was Hot, I was sweating like nothing else but I really enjoyed it! I was VERY sore afterwards. I plan on going again tomorrow and Sunday (since I have a 10 day into membership). I really think this is something I want to add to my weekly workout plan.

I am glad that I read a fellow bloggers post on her Hot Yoga experience about dehydration... I was prepared for with 2 big waters and a coconut water for right after.

So, next time you find yourself in the down time, between training plans... why not take the time to try something NEW that you had been wanting to try!!!

Anyone have any other exercise classes that you have tried and loved while you were on a break???

(I apologize for the shaky writing... I have had a huge writers block and am finding it really hard to get back into my blog. I think it's because I have had way too much going on at once.)

Banff, Canada and Melissa's Road Race

2010-10-19T23:58:00.001-04:00

After we moved into our new apartment in Detroit, Geoff and I had a few days off to buy house things, unpack and get our place in order. Thank goodness because this was a lot more than we thought it was going to be. Apparently when you have more room, you need more stuff to fill it with.

After those few days, we hopped on a plane to Edmonton to visit his family. The main goal of the trip was a weekend in Banff where Chantal (Geoff's sister-in-law), her brothers wife Andrea and myself were all running Melissa's Road Race. We signed up for the 22K which is a half-marathon. We got in on Thursday and Friday we left to make the drive to Banff.

We stopped on the way in at some small town to grab ice cream! I had Maple and it was amazingly good!

The next morning we got up bright and early to get ready for the race. Unlike the races in Cincinnati, this one started at 10am which was nice.
We ate some oatmeal and headed into town and to the starting line. There were 2 parts to the race, the 10K started running first and then we all lined up for the 22K.

Then the gun went off and off we all went. The scenery on the run was breath-taking. Snow capped mountains, turquoise lakes, a waterfall, bright yellow trees...

The course was hilly and it was windy so the time I was first aiming for went right out the window. It's ok, I focused instead on enjoying the run and taking in all the scenery. Well, until I hit the last 4K which was down and then back up a never ending hill... I was glad to finally finish!

The next morning, us girls got up bright and early for our "recovery day". We headed off to the Fairmont Hotel for a morning massage and dips in the mineral pool and hot tubs. I'm going to be completely honest... the race was fun but this day was so much better! We all decided that it was totally worth all the pain of the run just for this morning of pampering. The Spa in the hotel was the nicest spa I have ever been too!!! I felt extremely pampered.

We finally dragged ourselves out of there and met everyone for Sunday brunch before driving back to Edmonton.
A few last shots on our walk back to the car.

We had a fantastic time, I loved Banff and I ran my first international race! Not a bad little vacation! ;)

Ohio State Football Game!!!

2010-10-15T19:01:00.010-04:00

Ok, so this is a bit late but if you know me.... you know I LOVE Football! Especially my Buckeyes. :)

In between all of our belongings being packed up and delivered, I had a few days of fun in Columbus with friends and some of that fun included going to the Ohio State/ Ohio University game. As you all know, we won! I just wanted to share some photos from my day.
(Please excuse my enthusiasm... it had been 3 years since I had been able to go to a game in the shoe!!!)

New York move, New York Tornado

2010-09-28T22:37:00.005-04:00

Well, I'm finally back. To make things short the movers came and 5 hours later they had all of our belongings packed away into 99 boxes and on their way to Michigan. That night we checked into a hotel in Flushing, NY (since we were flying out of LGA the next morning) and had our last meal at Joe's Shanghai Restaurant in Flushing.

If you have not been here you are seriously missing out! They have the best soup dumplings- Yum!!! It was a great ending to our year in NYC.
(our roommate and his friend came and met us for our last super)

The next morning I got up at 4am, caught a flight to Cincinnati, ran 9 miles in the park, packed up the car with at my parents house and drove it to Columbus (my pit stop for the weekend before continuing on to Detroit). On the way I got a phone call from Geoff. After we left that morning, New York got hit by storms, storms so bad that a Tornado went through Queens and Forest Hills and touched down in Brookyln. Trees were down on top of cars, one side of my apartment building had to be evacuated because the wall was crumbling in, windows were blown out of buildings, the subway and LIRR were stopped and a few people died.
Luckily, my roommate who we had just had dinner with was safe and sound, since we had no internet or cable he didn't even know it was a tornado until he went outside after. Here are a few photos he took on his iphone.

It was very surreal to know that I was just there that very morning, that that was my neighborhood and that we weren't going to be heading back to all the mess. It made me kinda sad but also I felt very lucky. If we had been moving one day later, we would have been moving in a tornado and that would have been a complete disaster!

Goodbye Forest Hills! It was a nice year with you.

MOVING!

2010-09-16T10:44:00.001-04:00

I promise I will be back soon...

the movers have come and gone, our stuff is now in transit from NYC to Detroit and I am spending the weekend visiting friends in Columbus and cheering on my Buckeyes this weekend at the Ohio State Game.

All in all, life is busy....

Have a great weekend everyone!

Travel Tips #1

2010-09-07T18:37:00.004-04:00

Travel Tip #1- Mark your important belongings

After every flight is complete and the last passenger has walked off the aircraft, it is my job as a Flight Attendant to do a final walk through in the cabin. I check to make sure that there are no passengers left sleeping in rows or in the lavatories. I also open all the overhead bins to look for left bags/personal belongings, straighten seat belts, "lightly groom" the cabin (yes this explains why I ask 5 times if you want me to take your newspaper) and throw away all the things passengers left behind for someone else to clean up.

It is during this part of my day that I also come across a lot of belongings that I know passengers did not mean to leave behind. In my 4 years of flying, I have found sweaters, scarves, cellphones, eyeglasses, sunglasses, a purse, medication, a passport, ipods, Game boys (this is the #1 thing kids leave behind on my flights),a kindle, a wallet,a few cell phones, books and a laptop computer (the laptop guy finally remembered and came back to get it a few minutes later).

What has shocked me the most in all these findings, is the lack of identification on important objects. Passengers are so concerned about making sure their luggage is marked and tagged that they seem to forget about the little things. It doesn't have to be anything big... just a name and phone number or stick your business card in the case.

There have been a few times when cleaning when I see an object, remember who was sitting in the row and find they are still around the plane/gate area. However, most of the time passengers (and myself) run off the airplane never to be seen again.

If your object is marked, I can either have the agent page you to come back and get it or I can call your cell phone and we can both figure out a way to get it back to you. (Yes I have done this and personally mailed back a cell phone and wallet, No not every flight attendant will do this for you but at least it is a possibility).

If your object is not marked, I have no choice but to turn it into the agent, who will then pass it onto lost and found for the airport we are in. I consider this a black hole since most have limited hours and who knows how many unclaimed items. I also am unsure how long they will hold unclaimed items for. It's much easier, when calling, to say you are looking for a black eye glass case with name ____ inside and phone # ____. No question to whose it is then... right?

Next time you are packing for a trip, think of those things you use in flight that you wouldn't want to lose and slap a name and number in or on it. I hope you wont forget it but it's nice to know it's there just in case!

Goodbye JFK

2010-09-02T22:49:00.006-04:00

So, it's official. I flew my last trip as a New York based flight attendant. If you have ever flown in and out of JFK, you know that when things go wrong, they go terribly wrong. I am proud to say I made it through 3 years of JFK. I was a bit sad as I entered our almost empty lounge, walked over to terminal 2, down the ramp, outside to climb the stairs of the airplane... then in typical JFK fashion- things went wrong. We didn't have fuel... that took forever, then once we did have fuel they were fighting over which airplane we were supposed to be on. They let us stay on our aircraft but we needed new paperwork... then we had to rush to take off because the airport we were flying into has a curfew and we were almost to that time...

All in all, I will be taking quite the load of memories with me as I head to Detroit. I do have a few more NYC posts to go but with flying and the upcoming move AND now commuting for a few weeks, my blog has been an after thought.

JFK I will miss you, but at the same time I wont... Adios!

(And a few more coming into Seattle... just thought they were pretty!)

Some of my Do's and Don't of Flying

2010-08-24T11:11:00.002-04:00

- Do smile and say Hello while boarding. It's polite and will make your Flight Attendants in a better mood. :)

-Don't bring your whole house with you. If you can't roll it, carry it or lift it yourself, leave it at home.

- Do feel free to ask a Flight Attendant if you need something. We are more than happy to get you a glass of water to take medicine, a blanket or a cup of hot tea for your sore throat. However...

- Don't get mad if we are busy (esp during boarding) and can not get it for you right away. Relax, we will bring it to you as soon as we have time.

-Do remember that if you are sitting in a bulk head row (aka. there is no seat in front of you) ALL of your bags must go in the overhead bins.

-Don't argue with us. Please! We didn't make the rules but it is our job to enforce them. Arguing with us will not change our minds that your kindle or iphone needs to be turned off. These rules have not changed for Years.

- Do listen to our announcements. We know you have heard them a million times... so have we! But, we might be telling you something you didn't know but will ask later on. Things like time in route, any delays, diversions, weather in route, etc.

- Don't stare at the Flight Attendants while we sit in our jumpseats. We are not circus animals. No one likes to be stared at. It is weird and creepy!

- Do throw ALL of your trash away when we come through the aisles with trash bags. This includes anything that you brought on board with you. Yes we are talking about all those newspapers shoved in the seat back pocket. (c'mon people, we are adults here so clean up after yourself and your children).

- Don't throw away your trashy magazines. That is not trash and your Flight Attendants will love you if you pass them on to us.

-Do wear Layers. Your plane might be hot or cold depending on the time of year and how old it is. This is the best way to insure that you are prepared for the flight. We can't always get the temperature adjusted to everyone's liking.

-Don't forget anything as you exit the aircraft. If you do, there is a good chance you will never see it again.

- Do remember that traveling is not perfect. As with everything in life, there are a million variables of everything that can go wrong. It is all part of the journey so take a deep breathe and practice patience when things don't go as planned! Who knows, some of my worst travel experiences with my family, make the best stories that we laugh and bond over later down the road!

Flight Attendant overnights and FOOD

2010-08-21T12:05:00.009-04:00

Ask a Flight Attendant what they do on an overnight and you will usually hear the basics- eat, sleep and workout. Not quite the glamorous world you imagined, right? A lot of what we do has to do with the location of our hotels in each city. My company tends to change our hotels often. Some have been really good (downtown or things to do nearby) and some not so good (by the airport with no restaurants or entertainment).

Don't get me wrong, I have had some real FUN overnights watching a basketball game in Lexington, the 4th of July Fireworks in DC, King street in Charleston, grabbing a few drinks in downtown Austin and hearing some good karaoke in Nashville to name a few. However, in reality, those aren't the everyday norm. Sometimes our overnights are just long enough to get in the basics.

Earlier this month, I had an overnight in Buffalo, NY. I had not stayed in this hotel before and was pretty amused by the decoration of my room. Pretty creative right?

Since the highlight of many overnights revolve around food, I love when overnights have something special to offer us. If you have been to Buffalo before, then you know that they do wings right... they are called Buffalo wings for that very reason. The Anchor Bar is where they started and the wings are delicious. However, the more people I talked to from Buffalo all said the same thing- that the wing's at Duff's were Better!
Duff's ended up being right down the road from our new hotel and of course, I had to go!

I have to say that the wings were GREAT! They were big and the sauce was hot and yummy. If you love wings, this is the place to go! :)

Failed run and cupcakes

2010-08-17T23:18:00.014-04:00

Ok, so I'm going to be honest here... I'm really good at getting my training runs in. However, sometimes a run just isn't meant to be. I've had them before and this one was no different.

I had a busy weekend planned. Apartment hunting in Detroit on Saturday, catching the evening flight to Seattle to visit with Geoff's family, flying home to New York on Tuesday and then back to work on Wednesday. I decided to move my long run (6 miles) to Friday. Normally, I would lace up, head into the city and get my miles in around Beautiful Central Park. Since we have this move coming soon, I decided to finally hit up another park I was looking to run in. It was between Riverside Park and Hudson River Park.

I chose to run Hudson River Park... and it was not such a good idea. I am not quite sure what I really expected from this run except a green pretty park, with great views of the Hudson. Instead what I got was a slab of concrete running along a road, occasionally the river, past graffiti, buildings and more buildings. There was also two different sides, one for "bikers and rollerbladers" and one for the runners/walkers. I ended up running on the bikers path because all the walkers pretty much meant tourists and good luck trying to really run weaving in and out of people.

I decided to start at the top of the park (59th street) and run until I reached Battery Park. I officially started my run in this park.

I was pretty happy as I passed the Intrepid!

I started to see less river and more this...

I passed a pretty tree covered pier and then it all fell apart after that.

To be completely honest, I will be shocked if I actually got 3 miles in. It's not that this park was really so horrible but for me, compared with Central Park (which is beautiful and a pleasure to run miles and miles in) it was boring and I was really struggling.

So, when I saw a street sign for Perry, I jumped off the Park trail and headed to see something else that was on my list to see before I left NYC.

I love Sex And The City. I had to look up where "Carrie's Stoop" was located. The article I read also gave SJP's address. (Pictured here) Not only is she a girl after my own heart, but also grew up in Cincinnati. (YAY Homegirl!) The address it gave was just around the corner and SJP (sorry for being a stalker) but if this is your brownstone.. I am one jealous girl! Gorgeous.

I recognized the stoop right away and I was glad to see that I wasn't the only sucker there taking photos. (There were about 5 other people when I got there).

Of course, as I left and tried to find my way back to the park to finish my run, I can across Magnolia Bakery. I caved, bought two cupcakes and ran to the subway so Geoff and I could eat them once I got home.

Sometimes a run just isn't meant to be. Mine was a HUGE Fail, however, the cupcakes were not. Delicious! :)

Tropical Oasis in Manhattan- New York

2010-08-13T11:31:00.003-04:00

This is one of the many reasons I love New York City... you never know what you are going to find on any street, at any time.

Geoff and I were walking to dinner and we pass Rockefeller Center- which we have passed many many times. I look down the way and see this wonderful Tropical Oasis set up for everyone to enjoy.

A little bit of tropical for the hot hot city summer.

The infamous beer stealing, slide popping flight attendant.

2010-08-10T22:20:00.003-04:00

Ok, so by now I know you all have heard the story of the Jet Blue Flight Attendant who lost it on a flight into New York. In case you have been living under a rock, I'll hit the basics for you.

Stephen Slater was working a flight into New York. Before they had reached the gate and it was safe for everyone to get up and collect their belongings, a passenger started to get a bag out of the overhead bin. He reached the passenger and got hit in the head with the bag. When he asked for an apology, he was called a "motherf--ker". He then got on the PA system, told the passenger "F--k you" Grabbed his bags, a few beers, opened the door and slid down the inflatable slide. He then took the Airtrain back to his house.

I'm not going to lie, when I first heard this story I had mixed emotions of humor and complete embarrassment.
Flight Attendants are a special bunch of people. I should know, I am one. We give up social lives, sleeping in our own beds every night and missing holidays, birthday, weddings, etc. to instead work 8, 10, 14 hour days in a small and cramped metal tube with complete strangers. We sleep and live in hotels and crash pads, eating leftovers or airport food day in and day out. Sound fun? When we board a flight and close that door, we are not only a Flight Attendant but the face of our company and with that comes dealing with the hard, rude and frustrating passengers.

I know that now days, air travel is not just hard on the Flight Attendants and Pilots but also the passengers. I work out of New York's JFK Airport just like Mr. Slater. On a day to day basis, we are dealing with crowded airports, crowded airplanes, overworked crews, delays and more delays... I am going to guess that this person was trying to get ready to run to a connecting flight but I am not going to excuse the passengers actions on this flight as Mr. Slater was just doing his job- telling them to sit down and keep the bags in the overhead bin. The plane wasn't parked and it did end up hitting him in the head which could have been assault on a crewmember. I want to know why nothing has happened to this passenger...

Anyways, on flights, in a single moment I have watched passengers go from a nice guy to a mean and rude passenger. It's when they hit their breaking point and hitting someone in the head with your bags (purposefully or not), not apologizing and then calling the flight attendant a motherf--ker sounds like Slater wasn't the only one to lose it on that flight. I have honestly had flights where I wanted to call it a day. I have been left in tears in the corner of my galley, threatened to the point where I was actually scared and so upset after my worst flight that I couldn't even look the passengers in the eye and say good bye to them. But those flights are few and far in between. I am a happy and optimistic person and I love my job. I try and remind myself to take the good with the bad and I have had my share of amazing "Magic pax" as well to help me out.

A lot of people responding to Mr. Slater's exit are treating him like a kind of overworked "stick it to you" hero. While I think this makes an amazing exit from a job and I do applaude his creativity, I also think that this kind of behavior is better left thought of or in books and movies. I would not have the guts to do what this guy did and nor would I want to be known as the flight attendant who lost it.

Here is the difference between myself and Mr. Slater. Once I leave that airplane, those passengers are gone and I leave the negative behind. I think maybe what this guy needed was a drink (from a real bar, not the plane), a good nights sleep and maybe a few vacation days. It's amazing what a small break can do for a persons mental health. I do have to say that at least he knew his time as a Flight Attendant had flown by and it was best to move on. I can only hope that the good to come out of this is the fact that we are people too, just doing our jobs and deserve some respect whether you agree with what we say or not. I'm sure all those passengers whose flight was delayed or cancelled because he let down that slide weren't too happy that someone had pushed a flight attendant to such drastic measures.

All in all, Flight Attendant Slater, I will drink a beer for you tonight. You did what a lot of us Flight Attendants think of doing but never would! Hope the slide ride was worth the time in jail and I wish you the best in whatever career you choose next!

S'mac- New York City

2010-08-09T17:45:00.001-04:00

We all know Mac and Cheese is a staple comfort food, but who knew it could be so exotic... We were told about S'mac in NYC by an FO I flew with months back. It's been on my "must do" list for quite some time so after the Museum of Natural History, we decided it was time.

S'mac is located in the East Village and has an eat in restaurant or a take away shop. There are 4 sizes, Nosh, Major, Mongo and Partay and the Mac's range from All American to Cheeseburger to Parisienne! I went for the Nosh Mediterranean and Geoff got a Major Masala. Both were freakin amazing!!!

Seriously, if you are in NYC and feel like something hot and filling- head here and give one of these a try! They even have a whole wheat and gluten free option for those who who dietary restrictions. Amazing!!!

Museum of Natural History- NYC

2010-08-01T19:57:00.001-04:00

We finally did it! This was pretty much the top thing Geoff and I wanted to do before leaving NYC (Yes, I know, we are DORKS! I'm OK with that fact)... we went to the Museum of Natural History! YAY.
(Isn't the stop from the subway so cute?!? You can access the museum straight off the B subway)

We had a lot of fun in this museum, 4 floors and a few hours of exploration and we pretty much covered the majority of it. We opted to splurge for the planetarium show 'Journey to the Stars' to start our day, which was very cool, before heading to the Dinosaurs exhibit and working our way down.

I really think this is a 'must see' for anyone coming to New York (especially with kids). It's just a really fun way to spend the day and you get a lot of exercise from walking around. :)
Here are our photos from the day-

Geoff was really excited that they had a dinosaur named after Edmonton (his hometown in Canada). I wanted to know where the "Cincinnatisaurus" was! Didn't anyone ever find dinosaurs in Ohio??? (haha)

Entry is $16 but they also take whatever 'donation' you can afford. I hear that if you come for the last hour you can also get in for free- but you will not get to see everything in one hour, the museum is much too big. (so maybe just head upstairs and check out the dinosaurs- best exhibit there!)

Serendipity- NYC

2010-07-28T19:13:00.013-04:00

So back in 2005, my friends Courtney, Anne and I wanted to try the Frozen Hot Chocolate in Serendipity (Yup, like in the movie Serendipity- don't hate, I am a closet John Cusack fan). The wait then was 3 hours. 3 hours??? We couldn't do it, it was January, cold and we had more touristy things to do and see. Fast forward to July 2010. Geoff and I spend the afternoon in Central Park and decided to give it a go. We arrived and were told the wait was 1.5 hours. We were hungry so we ran across the street for some NYC pizza (apparently cooking pizza in a coal oven is the NYC way). After we finished, we walked right back across the street and got right in for desert.

Serendipity could be called a tourist trap. Long waits, $8.50 per person minimum and a small and cramped inside.

The menu is huge but we were only there for the desert (I've read mixed reviews on the food). The special is the Frozen Hot Chocolate and let me say that I personally thought it was worth the wait. We also ordered the Trader Wic’s: pineapple coconut which was also really tasty and was a great balance to all the chocolate in the other.

While I think close to $20 is a lot for desert, this is NYC and it was fun to finally get this tourist stop checked off my list. We were pretty happy to end the hot day with some cold yummy drinks!

Running

2010-07-27T23:37:00.003-04:00

There are many reasons why people run (and we aren't talking about being chased here). It sounds weird, but for me, I relax when I run. I know, I originally started running in fear of gaining weight while flying. What I used to do because I felt I needed to, I now do because I want to. Growing up, I played a lot of sports. Softball, Soccer, Basketball... they were all 'supposed' to be fun except to me, they weren't. I was never the best at any sport and since these are team sports, I always put a lot of pressure on myself to not screw up and when I did screw up, I would feel horrible. That's not a fun way to enjoy something. Running for me is different. Yes, I know that I run in races and there is a winner involved... however, for me it's one place where I really have nothing to prove. To me, running isn't winning or loosing or first or last, it's a journey. I might have goals for myself but I would rather enjoy the whole experience of the run than worry about just the end. No one who comes to cheer me on or even run with me cares when I finish but more that I did.

I have officially started to train for my next race (and it really feels good to be back on a schedule). It's a 1/2 marathon in Banff, Alberta located in Canada in September and it is called Melissa's Road Race. I am very excited for this race! It's my first race in another country and the course views look spectacular. (Don't believe me? Check out the website and view last years photos... oh and did I mention this race has been sold out for weeks???).

This time training, I decided to work on speed since I will be running at a higher altitude. I'm hoping getting faster in training will in turn, help me run the course and not feel such a difference. Just in case you were curious what my training plan looks like-- here it is! (I'm doing my runs tentatively on Tuesday-Interval, Wednesday-Tempo and Saturdays-long runs)

Week 1-
T: 4x400 at 8:45 pace
W: 3 mile at 9:45 pace
S: 6 miles at 10:30 pace

Week 2-
T: 4x800 at 8:55 pace
W: 4 miles at 9:45 pace
S: 8 miles at 10:30 pace

Week 3-
T: 3x1600 at 9:15 pace
W: 5 miles at 9:45 pace
S: 10 miles at 10:30 pace

Week 4-
T: 6x400 (8:45)
W: 6 miles at 9:45 pace
S: 6 miles at 10:30

Week 5-
T: 3x1600 (9:15)
W: 4 miles 9:45
S: 10 miles at 10:30

Week 6-
T: 4x800 (8:55)
W: 8 miles 9:45
S: 8 miles 10:30

Week 7-
T: 6x400 (8:45)
W: 6 mile 9:45
S: 10 mile 10:30

Week 8-
T: 4x1600 (9:15)
W: 8 mile (9:45)
S: 12 mile 10:30

Week 9:
T: 3x800 (8:55)
W: 3 mile 9:45
S: 6 miles 10:30

Race week
T: 4x400 (8:45)
W: 2 mile at 9:45
REST before race!!!

Are any of you running a race in the fall???

Rooftop Bars- NYC

2010-07-23T08:02:00.002-04:00

On a beautiful summer night, there is nothing better than gathering with a few friends and heading for a drink or two especially when that drink overlooks New York City from one of it's many rooftop bars. With heaps of choices around the city, we decided to try 230 Fifth which has close views of the Empire State Building. It has a penthouse lounge and rooftop bar which is open year round.

After standing in line for about 20 minutes, we were looked over by the bouncer (dress code enforced) and pointed in the direction of the elevator. One good thing about this bar is there is no cover charge. You enter into the lounge area with huge windows and ceiling to floor views of the buildings around you. Be careful where you choose to sit, some of the seating is for bottle tables only which will run you $250. Head up the stairs and outside to the rooftop bar area where you can find great views of the city along with enough palm trees to make you feel like you are somewhere in Florida. The music is blaring, the place is packed and the drinks are... well... expensive. This is NYC, what else do you expect? (Location is everything right? That should explain the $12 vodka cranberry?) We even found a table to sit at that didn't have a bottle and price tag attached.

Is this the best rooftop bar in the city? Probably not, but it was an enjoyable night and I would highly suggest checking it out if you are in the city and at a loss for where to go.

Having friends come to visit gives us all a good excuse to try places we haven't been before. Sad that we only have a few more months enjoying New York City!

Your most memorable passengers

2010-07-21T21:56:00.004-04:00

As Flight Attendants, we deal with many different types of people on a day to day basis. We also get asked about our jobs A LOT by friends, family, complete strangers, anyone sitting or standing next to us while in uniform, you get the idea... It's really easy to talk about being a Flight Attendant because we easily have loads of stories up our sleeves. It's quite unfortunate that the majority of stories we remember happen to be our "horror" stories of flights gone bad and passengers gone wild. A lot of times we can find the humor in such stories and the other times well, I have those stories locked away never to be retold. (We really don't need to go there again!) I chalk the "remember the bad first" to human nature. Don't believe me? Ask anyone who has flown recently about their flight experience. 9 times out of 10 they will tell you some horror story of their own.

Sometimes I will have stretches of bad flights, bad days or bad weeks which can be caused by many many reasons. I will get almost to my breaking point where I just can't take one more thing and then it happens... onto the plane boards my "Magic Pax". My "Magic Pax" isn't your average passenger, it's not the lady who says thanks, or the guy who actually looks me in the eye and smiles while boarding... I love those passengers too, but my "Magic Pax" are really special, they are those people who actually change the way I am thinking that day. They change my mood and remind me that life is so much bigger than what is going on in my cabin. I forget and let go of all the frustration I have been holding onto and remember to live in the present moment.

I know, you are probably thinking "wow", what a passenger, right? It's usually about 1 for every 100 difficult passenger I host in my plane. Can you see why I hold on and treasure these people? I'm going to tell you my story of my most memorable "Magic Pax" and I really hope that this brings you some insight into life, love and living in the moment.

I was working a flight from Montreal to New York's JFK Airport. It was like any other day. We got to the airport, rushed through customs, rushed through security, rushed to the airplane to rush through all our cabin checks (I tend to rush a lot since I'm actually not paid until the flight pushes back). The gate agent comes on board to ask if we could pre-board a family first since the son is in a wheelchair. Sure, no problem. Montreal is a tricky one for us with wheelchairs. We are not parked at a gate with a jet bridge and there is no room for a lift to come bring the wheelchair into the galley so (and this is no lie) they have two big strong ground crew carry the son in the wheelchair up my aircraft stairs.
My family is sitting in my first row, Seats 1B, C and D. Mom and Dad get on board, put their bags in the overhead bin and set a cushion on the seat for their son. Their son is around 6 feet tall or taller. He is 15, he used to play basketball until he was in a car crash that left him paralyzed. You can see in his eyes he is there, but that's the only place. He is probably one of the taller people I have had on my plane and he doesn't really fit well in the seat. We get him in and the seatbelt on. The seat has to recline a little for his head to be semi stable as he has no control. His dad makeshifts a pillow and a seatbelt extender to help and he tops it off by holding his head in place for the majority of the flight. This poor kids feet extend into my galley a bit but I don't care. I spend the whole boarding telling everyone "Hello, watch your step" and they don't care either.
I get everyone else settled in and ready to go. Before take off I bend down and say hello to the son. "I'm Megan, it looks like your family has you as comfortable as possible. This is a quick flight, don't worry about a thing we will get to New York safe and sound." I really don't know if he heard anything I had to say but I wanted to say something, I just didn't feel right otherwise. So I pull out my jumpseat, sit down and watch. Mom and Dad each take a hand of the sons for takeoff (Dad's other hand still supporting his head), they talked to him, they smiled at him, they kissed his cheek, the love pretty much radiated out of them.
After my service was over, I had some time to chat with them as they were asking me a few questions about our terminal in JFK. (Their son can only be upright for 6 hours at a time, after that he has to lie down- don't ask me why, I am not a doctor). Turns out, after a fairly long layover, they were taking him to Africa. It was his dream vacation that he had talked about before his accident. The mother had family there so they were making the journey from Canada to the US to Africa. All this travel with their paralyzed son who has to lay down every 6 hours. All this travel so he could see his cousins, sit in the sun and soak up the scenery. All this because you never know when a miracle can happen. I literally was speechless. The pain, the commitment, the love, the hope, the selflessness... I saw it all in these three people. These amazing three people. They brought tears to my eyes and made me feel silly for worrying about things that just aren't important in life.

I feel like sometimes life knows when I need something and it's always there to show me the bigger picture. These are my "Magic Pax". They are my treasures in the sometimes crummy world of flying. It is these passengers who keep me up in the sky, smiling day after day, flight after flight. They come on with their stories and their love and they forever change me and they ask for nothing in return. So I honor them, in my memory and in my actions, I will always remember them!

This family changed my life, really, so now I want to hear from you- do you recognize your special passengers?

This is written from the heart, it is also written to let Flightster (check them out here) know that I am in for their contest. :)

the end of our New York life

2010-07-18T23:46:00.004-04:00

Have I told you all yet? We are moving.
Shocked?
I was.

Last year, my airline shifted a bunch of flying from Cincinnati to New York's JFK airport. They asked for volunteers to go, not many did, so they took the bottom of the seniority list and displaced us all to New York. The commute was awful so myself and 4 of my guy pilot friends all decided to move together. We found a great apartment in Queens and started our life in New York last October.
(my roomies... aren't they all so cute????)

A few weeks ago, we had another announcement. Our flying was shifting again but this time they were completely closing our New York base and opening a Detroit base. This all happens September 1st. Almost one year later.

Right now we are in the begining of another transition... planning for an up coming move, planing for a whole new work environment in DTW, figuring out where we are going to live, where I will be getting a crashpad or hotel for the month before we move, what kind of schedule I might hold and on and on. It's going to get real crazy real fast, What I do know is, I will not have these 4 guys as roommates for much longer.

So, along with me being grounded still (for my sprained wrist), we are trying to take every opportunity to enjoy this city we have come to love for the next few months. I am sure you will see a lot of post about NYC. Hopefully it is all good information you can use for your next visit. :)

NYC eats- MEGU

2010-07-13T15:39:00.002-04:00

I have wanted to blog about this for some time now and I finally have some time to get down to business... Ok lets talk food. New York City has some amazing eats. Now I grew up in Ohio and I am not trash talking our restaurants BUT the food here is a million times more exciting! Around every corner you have restaurants boasting food from countries ALL around the world. I can see why people who grew up here think they don't need to leave... Walk down the street or hop on the subway and you can go from street vendor hot dogs to Dim Sum to Italian, Indian and more. When Geoff's family was here we celebrated Mother's Day and the end of their visit at MEGU. We all decided to splurge and get the 8 course meal which was really good and ridiculously expensive. Besides having an amazing decor inside, complete with an ice sculpture Buddha, the food was amazing. Especially the Kobe Beef (If you don't know about Kobe beef, read up about it here.) and the crispy asparagus! YUM. If you are in the city and want to head out for a good meal make sure to check out Megu! :) (Here are a few photos from the evening)

4th of July in the City and Mets Game

2010-07-12T11:05:00.015-04:00

This whole month, I have been off work thanks to spraining my wrist on the plane. I was supposed to work over the 4th of July weekend so I really didn't think about what I wanted to do before the actual day. If you read my last post, you know I'm not the biggest fan of huge crowds. I really had no desire to head downtown to watch the fireworks (I know, call me crazy). However, our roommate Aaron had a visitor and I found myself heading downtown about an hour before the show was to start. Again, we get down there, soaked in sweat trying to get as close to the Hudson as possible, pushed and smashed in crowds and crowds of people watching a handful of firework explosions between the buildings.
If we had gone down early, sat there all day to get a good seat, I probably would have loved the experience. Ours was a bit lame. The best part of the evening was walking to dinner at Yum Yum for Thai food.

However, the next evening Geoff and I got tickets to the Mets Game. I had to go as they were playing against my hometown team- The Cincinnati Reds! Woot woot.
I've been to a lot of baseball games and lots of different stadiums in my life. I was excited to add the Mets and Citifield to my list. :)

(I was one of a few people actually wearing Red and cheering for the Reds)
We got to the stadium, checked out the gift shop and headed for food and beverages. We were going get hot dogs but once in the line we smelled the most delicious onion rings and immediately left and got into the next line. We ended up with burgers, fries and onion rings and while they were all pretty tasty, the rings were hands down the best!

Our seats were pretty much nose bleeds, a few rows from the top of the stadium but being located close to home plate and in plain sight of the big scoreboard, they were pretty good. :) We were in the sun for the first half of the game so it got hot but we also got to watch all the airplanes taking off from LGA fly by us which Geoff loved.

In the end, the Reds won! YAY! I know I was the only one around me who was cheering at the end!!!

After the show, pretty much everyone stuck around because Citifield was putting on their own fireworks show for the 4th. I really enjoyed this show since I had a seat to sit in and could actually see and enjoy the fireworks. Set to music, they set them off not only from the field but also from the top of the stadium. Very cool!

If you are in NYC in the summer time, I highly recommend checking out a Mets Game!!! :)

Lady Gaga at the Today show

2010-07-10T12:02:00.009-04:00

Living in New York, there are so many things you can do everyday.
The bad thing is some are considerably expensive, the good thing is that a LOT are cheap or free.

Back in 2000, during my first trip to New York City, we went to a taping of the Today show. It made for an early morning and there was a lot of standing around but I remember it being a real fun time. So, when I saw that they have a FREE concert series on Friday's and Lady Gaga was going to be there I bid off and decided I had to go.

Friday morning, Geoff and I got up super early (2:30AM) to head down, grab a coffee and find the closest standing place for the concert. Once we got down there, we started to re-think our plan. It was a mess of people, anywhere you could stand was blocked off into sections for people to cram into but the worst part was they were all Behind the stage. The stage was set up so that a small group of the people here could actually see or get close to the stage. Not able to see or hear much we decided to just hang out and see if things got better. Maybe once they closed the street we could all move in closer to the stage? Maybe the sound system was amazing? Maybe, maybe, maybe.

So here is my thoughts of the experience...
IF you want to get up in the middle of the night, head down to stand in hot and humid crowds to be pushed and shoved for 4 hours to not see anything And not be able to hear anything except the music and all the people around you singing- then go ahead and plan your concert morning. If not, stay at home, lay in bed with a cup of coffee and happily watch it in the comfort of your own home. (Did I mention how much I hate crowds as well???)

Granted, the Today Show said this was their largest crowd ever so I get that it was extra insane. However, if you are going to promote a Free Concert, it would be nice to set up the stage so that all the people coming out to see it, could actually see or hear it. In the end, it started raining once Gaga finally got on the stage and we decided enough was enough and headed home. We got home in time to catch her last performance on TV happily inside and dry.

There was this girl with the crazy headband in front of our section. Every TV station came up to interview here so I knew we would end up in at least one shot. Access Hollywood was the winner... can you find Me and Geoff in this photo???

What are your thoughts on large crowds and Free events? Worth it to go or do you just stay at home?

Summer in the City- Burgers!

2010-07-08T11:28:00.009-04:00

Summer is all about relaxing at the beach, picking up a good book and cooking out with friends and family!

If you come to NYC and want a little taste of summer, where do you go for a good burger and fries??? I've found it! Head to the Shake Shack! The original is located in Madison Square Park and you can find it pretty easily by the long line leading up to it. Don't pass it up, the burgers are delicious, the fries good and the shakes very refreshing on a hot summer day. It's nothing fancy but sitting outside eating in the park really brings back the feeling of summer breaks as a kid.

Life on the ground..

2010-07-08T00:25:00.008-04:00

This past week I have been grounded. Not able to fly all around the skies due to my sprained wrist. It's kinda weird to be home this much, not that I am complaining, sometimes it is nice to have a bit of a break. However, today I was in a funk. I'm feeling myself get restless. It's not being home that is getting me, it's not having anything to do (besides doctor visits and physical therapy). I first found myself wasting time. Then I got hard on myself and gave me a list of things to do... first was to clean up more space on my hard drive. (Too many photos!!!) They are all backed up in 3 places but I still had to get rid of lots of photos from the past few years to make room for more.

That is when I came across these... not sure if I have posted ANY of these before so I will post again in between new posts. :) So Enjoy!

St. Louis Overnight
So when it is raining, you are in St Louis for the first time... what should you do? Head to the top of the Arch of course!

Look what I got in the mail...

2010-07-01T20:45:00.002-04:00

So, it's no secret that I loooooove me some coffee! In fact, I worked in a Starbucks during college and that is where the love began. (I was a tea drinker before that, now I'm both)

So as a traveler, on the road a lot, it is sometimes hard to find a decent cup of coffee. Some airports have diddly and some hotel coffee is horrid... so once Starbucks came out with VIA, I was immediately in HEAVEN. I can have a decent cup of coffee ANYWHERE now. (And lets talk about how easy it is to carry with you!)

You can only imagine how Pumped I was when on Twitter "MyStarbucksIdea" (make sure you follow them) announced that they had come out with VIA Iced coffee and the first 80 people to comment on their website got a Free trail... I typed as quick as possible and barely got in at comment 76. Woo hoo!

Finally I recieved my trial in the mail...

Let me tell you... this does not dissapoint! It's already sweetened, so all you have to add is water, ice and milk or cream if you so desire. Just in time for the hot summer weather, I was faltering on a flight the other day and decided to give it a go and I was happily sipping along and felt wonderful.

So, if you are a iced coffee lover, make sure you give this a try! :)

(Starbucks has provided coffee or other promotional consideration)

cancellations, bins and bandages...

2010-06-30T19:27:00.005-04:00

So this past trip our LAST flight of the trip was delayed and we Timed Out in Norfolk. After talking with scheduling, making sure we were booked at the crew hotel and finding out what we were doing the next day we got our things together to beat it out of there.

Now lets remember that I work on a regional jet. We are one of 'those' airplanes where we pink tag your rollarboards, put them in the cargo compartment for flight and then pull them back out for you to walk away with. Our overhead bins are a bit smaller than the larger planes so it makes it easier for everyone. Well, a few months ago, our company took away our storage for our flight attendant rollarboards in the plane. Now we are to place ours in the overhead bins... yup, thats right, right where we tell you yours can't go and won't fit.

So, I start pulling mine out of the overhead bin and I feel a pain in my wrist... the next day after I clock out and head to the medical station, I leave the airport looking like this...

Next time you fly on a plane and have to tag a bag, smile knowing that you are saving yourself a lot of time and trouble getting it in and out.

Overhead bin baggage

2010-06-24T13:16:00.004-04:00

Ok, I have a confession... I have noticed something people do on flights that I really just don't get. I am hoping that someone out there might be able to clue me in! (I also think this happens much more on smaller aircraft so trying and imagine yourself in my airplane please!)

So, here is the senario... your getting on board the aircraft with your carry-on or computer bag, purse, coat, diaper bag or whatever else you are carrying. You immediately shove it all into the overhead bin and sit down. Everyone else boards, you get up to get back into your bag (the one already in the overhead bin) because you forgot to turn your phone off. You sit back down. I close the bins and make my first announcement. Back up you go, oops forgot to get out my book. I close the door and come by to close the overhead bin again.

We get up into the air and I make an announcement to stay seated until the seatbelt sign is off. Up you go again (and nope the sign is not off yet) baby needs a bottle, I need to get my sweater- it's cold, I want my laptop... there are a million reasons why you had to get up right away to get whatever it was out of the overhead bin.

OK so what gives? Really? When I fly I put my bag of items I will use during flight UNDER my seat (Bulkhead seats... you are not part of this conversation... I get it where you are concerned!) the rest of my items that I will not touch, those go in the overhead bins. Why would you place those things you KNOW you are going to need or want in the overhead bin? C'mon we are flying people, there are times when you are supposed to sit and stay seated... not be up and down, in and out of the bins getting your stuff.

Maybe it's for a bit more leg room? Maybe those books, bottles and laptops just are too much to put under the seat? Maybe you know how dirty the cabin carpet is and you'd rather take your chance with the overheads...

Whatever the reason is, I don't get it. I don't do it, so when you are up and down when you aren't supposed to be I get frustrated. Can someone out there clear this up for me?

How I pack- Inside my "food bag"

2010-06-23T00:46:00.006-04:00

After flying for almost 4 years, I can honestly say that I hate eating out on the road. Now, I am not talking about eating a really good meal... I'm talking about grab and go airport, airplane and fast food meals. This reason alone gives me reason and motivation to pack food for every trip I go on. (Not to mention saving money and calories!) I try and mix it up a bit so I am not eating the same foods each week, especially the fruits and veggies. I took a photo of this past trips bag of food because it pretty much represents my staples (plus Tuna and oatmeal).

It does take a little bit of preplanning but my body thanks me when I can have a little bit of comforts of home on the road. I pack enough for breakfast, lunch and snacks and will grab dinner on my overnights (unless I am too tired and then just snack on whatever I have left). I alternate turkey, tuna, pb&j and also a chicken salad with pita wraps in the summer.

Since I carry a lot that needs to be kept cold I do have the added task of swapping out the ice in my bag a few times a day but it's worth all the hassle to me!

After a lot of talk of crew members trying to stay healthy and improving what we eat I decided to share my goodies. I think I do a pretty good job if I do say so myself! So, there you have it... a little bit of my life from the road.

Do you pack food and what are your favorites to pack? I love all and any new idea's.

(Above- Starbucks VIA coffee and coffeemate Creamers, Applesauce, Apples, Oranges, Fage Greek Yogurt, Almonds, Almond Butter, Carrots and Ranch dip, M&M's, Fruit strips, Dried Fruit, Granola and Lara Bars, Chips Turkey, Tomato, Spinach, Sandwhich Thins, Mustard.)

A post from my plane...

2010-06-21T13:54:00.007-04:00

Dear Nantucket,

Oh how I miss you! Can I come back to your lovely little airport every day? See, when I am with you no one makes fun of me. No one asks the Flight Attendant where the real plane is. No one says how small I am. No one gets scared or mad. No one asks the pilots if I am safe and will make it 300 miles. My feelings don't get hurt and my self esteem squashed.

I am proud to be a jet! I am proud to fly people in and out of some of the busiest airports in the United States. I make More landings each day than a 747. Does that matter to passengers? Nope. I can hear everything they say and it hurts my feelings. But, Nantucket... when I land and pull up to your airport and my passengers see all the other aircraft sitting around... they don't complain at all. With you, I am one of the big guys. I feel proud, they talk about how glad they are to be flying with me! They do not even complain when we don't have a jet bridge. They smile, they laugh and they say thank you to my crews. Nantucket, you are the love of my life!

_CRJ

Running Faster

2010-06-17T18:40:00.003-04:00

When I first looked up training plans for my half and full marathons I was overwhelmed at the amount of different training plans. I was half expecting it. However, what I was not expecting was all the list of different types of runs included in the training plans. Long runs, Slow runs, Tempo runs, hills, repeats, fartlek, the list went on and on. Since my goal was to finish each race without injury, I only concentrated on running the distances outlined in my plans. I learned what pace was a good pace for me to start and tried to continue on that pace throughout the run. Guess I did ok, because it worked and I have both races under my belt.

With that said, I am now in between training sessions. My marathon is finished and my next 1/2 marathon isn't until September. It's a nice place to be. I went for a leisurely run in the park the other day and ran as far as I felt like (6 miles) without feeling overwhelmed because I had to get in a certain amount of running. I was able to just run and enjoy it- something I didn't really get to do in training. Just knowing that I could stop at anytime and walk away without any guilt was great!
However, I am starting to shift the way I think about my runs.

I have decided that I am going to run at least 3 times a week until my training starts.
2 short runs of about 3-4 miles and one longer run that can be anywhere from 5-8 miles.

My long run is going to be my relaxed, no pressure run BUT I am going to use my short runs to really try and step up my game. I am NOT a fast runner by any means and I am not in any rush to change how quick I can run a 1/2 or full marathon. I am interested in uping my runs for 5 K's since I would like to do a few more this year.
So I have decided to add in some tempo runs where I work on getting my time mile by mile quicker. Eventually I might add in some hill work and fartleks but my goal of running is to ultimately have fun so the last thing I want to do is overwhelm myself! Once I get going on my quest for a quicker run, I will post how it is going and what I am doing.

Do you have any advice for me? What are your running or fitness goals for the rest of the year?

When Lightning Strikes

2010-06-15T10:30:00.007-04:00

Last night I boarded a plane from New York to Cincinnati. I have 5 days off and need a little refresher time around friends and family. I'll be here for a quick 2 days but it feel great to be around those who know me best...

Anyways, we get on and I take a seat, get comfy and off we go. About 40 minutes out of Cincinnati I see bursts of light out the window next to me. I turn off my light to get a better look and I see a storm and lots and lot of lightning. Now, I have flown around storms similar to this twice before and while they were cool... it was nothing like this. The lightning was non-stop. You could see bolts all the way to the ground and bolts going sideways, stabbing between the dark and stormy clouds. I was mesmerized, along with half the passengers. It got quiet as we got closer and the lightning continued on. More overhead lights went off and soon we were all staring out the windows, watching. It was no surprise when the captain came on and told us we had to hold until the storm left the field... I didn't mind, I was quite entertained by the lightning show going on out my window. After 20 minutes of holding we were able to head back towards the airport and land. Safely down on the ground we all headed on our ways.

This morning I wake up and check my email to find out that A huge 6 story statue of Jesus (on highway 1-75 right outside Cincinnati) that people have nick-named Big Butter Jesus was hit by lightning last night and burnt to the ground...
You can check out story HERE

(photos by Tiffani West-May, of Fairborn, who was on her way home from Cincinnati)

Why I love Europe!

2010-06-11T14:48:00.001-04:00

Europe is beautiful... bea-u-ti-ful!!!! Check it out.

Love. ahhhhhhh....

The last of Prague!

2010-06-09T15:31:00.002-04:00

The best part of traveling for me isn't just seeing the sights of the city... it is actually getting a feel for the way that people live in each place. This has always fascinated me for as long as I can remember. I really believe that your life is shaped in part by your surroundings. So, when I travel I love to walk around the city, try out the public transportation and sit in a cafe or pub and people watch- which is so easy to do all over Europe. So, we walked all over Prague, rode the subway, tram, vernicular, we drank coffee, we ate, we watched people... Here are some photos from it all.

While we were there, the Czech Republic hockey team won the hockey world title. They had a huge screen set up in the Square, Food, Beer and Cheers. The next day as we walked by their celebration, the Hockey Team actually came in by bus (they all stood on top and cheered) and gave speeches. Too cool. Some photos from the Hockey Celebrations.

Some night shots

Food is an important part of every culture! It is how people socialize with each other. I always loooove trying different foods in different places. Our first afternoon we stumbled upon all these booths set up with amazing sausages, chicken skewers and the best Ham ever! Sooo soo good. :)

First night we decided to go full Czech for our meal... Pork, Duck, Dumplings and Cabbage. YUM!

More good food... yum!

For dinner on our last evening we decided to head to a restaurant where we could try Pork Knee.

Prague from above

2010-06-08T11:37:00.020-04:00

I wanted to share a few more things from our trip in beautiful Prague! Just walking around the city, there are gorgeous buildings all around and you will come into contact with loads of signs for the best views from different lookout spots all around the city. There were so many, we really didn't know which ones to check out. We ended up choosing 2 but I'm sure they all would be great. The first place we decided to check out was Petrin Hill. We figured not only was it a hill overlooking the city, but it also had a "mini eiffel tower" at the top that you could climb up. The views did not disappoint!

We walked around to the Castle after Petrin Hill and found another spot that promised to be beautiful views as well so we decided to go up again. I am convinced that in Prague, anywhere that has views from above are sure not to disappoint! :)

The first thing to do in Prague

2010-05-29T12:31:00.020-04:00

When you work for the airlines, your vacation time tends to be a little bit of a last minute decision (that is unless you bite the bullet and purchase a ticket). Things can always happen... volcano's erupt, storms roll in, flights cancel. We usually have a place in mind and a few back-ups. We originally planned to head back to Thailand, but since it's been a bit unsafe in Bangkok, we scrapped that plan and Prague it was.

Needless to say, we did not have a lot of time to plan our visit. When I finally posted on Facebook that we had chosen Prague- Geoff's cousin message us to say that her family was going to be in Prague for our last 2 days. We planned to meet up and go on a free walking tour of the city. Geoff and I figured we could wait for them and spend that time together.

This should explain why we waited to do THIS Free Tour of Prague on our last full day there. If it were just us, we would of gone first thing because it explained a lot of the city and it's buildings that we had already walked by and wondered about. It took about 3 hours with a lunch break in there and all it cost us was a tip for the guide. :)

We started the tour in Old Town Square (Staromestske Namesti) which was where we started our day each morning in Prague since we were staying a short walk from the Square.

The Old Town Hall Tower, built in 1338, has the Astronomical Clock on the side of one of the walls.

This clock was said to have a procession of the Twelve Apostles: on the hour, every hour. Each time we were there on the hour, people would crowd around the clock and wait... I never saw any processional. However, the clock itself is pretty neat. It has a sun on the end of one of the clock hands that represents where the sun sits in the sky. The colors on the clock also represent the time of day (sunset, day and night). The outer hours represent how many hours have passed since sunset.

Also in the square sits Church of Our Lady before Tyn, which is a beautiful Gothic Church. If you look close at the two spires they are not symmetrical and are meant to represent both the masculine and feminine sides of the world.

We headed on down the road to the Estates Theatre where two of Mozart's operas were premiered, most notable Don Giovanni which premiered October 1787.

We walked over to Wenceslas Square which is basically the main boulevard. There are a lot of shops, bars casino's and hotels around this area. The National Museum sits at the top of the Square. (The only photo I had of this was from walking around our first evening).

Next we headed over to the Powder Tower and Municipal House which sit side by side. The Municipal House is Prague's most prominent Art Nouveau building and houses Prague's biggest concert hall.

The Powder Tower was one of 13 gates that lead into Old Town and the only gate left standing nowdays. It is called the Powder Tower or Gate because it was used to store gun powder.

After a break for lunch we headed over to the Old Jewish Quarter.
The Jewish Quarter dates back to the 13th century, when the Jewish community in Prague were ordered to vacate their homes and settle into one area. Over the years more people were crowded into the area, as Jews were banned from living anywhere else. These buildings form the best preserved complex of Jewish historical monuments in the whole of Europe. Six synagogues remain, including the Old-New Synagogue and the Spanish Synagogue, plus the Jewish Town Hall and the Old Jewish Cemetery, which is the most remarkable of its kind in Europe.

Old New Synagogue

Charles Bridge is a beautiful 14th century stone bridge linking the two sides of Prague. A romantic place to stroll with wonderful views of the city.

From the bridge, you have a pretty good view of the Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. Prague Castle is a huge tourist attraction. This vast complex includes palaces, a church, a monastery, museums and art galleries, viewing towers and St. Vitus Cathedral.

Last we stopped at The Rudolfinum Concert Hall in Prague which hosts a variety of programs of classical music, concerts and exhibitions. This is also the building from the movie Eurotrip when they are visiting the Louvre in Paris. (C'mon, I know you've seen it)

Along the tour there was a lot of history and a lot of jokes. I learned a lot and saw the amazing sites of Prague, which was wonderful. I Hope I did an ok job taking you all on my photo tour as well! :)