This was my chicken-warming gift to Dawn. Chicken-warming is a thing, right?
Tonight I’m back in Brighton, Colorado. I think it’s going to be a good evening- most of the loud roommates are out of the house, and hopefully they won’t be back anytime soon. We all get along just fine, but you can tell that for some of them, this is the first time they’ve lived away from their parents.
For some of them, this flight attendant gig is the first real career they’ve had- it’s taking them a bit longer to grow up. They’re young and they get to travel for their job. Some of them work for a horrible airline, that treats the employees like dirt, but it’s all they know, so they love it.
Here’s the rule: If you’re going to live in a shared living space you need to pitch in every once in awhile. At the very least, make sure you pick up after yourself. I will be the first to admit that sometimes my house gets messy, but there’s a lesson that my dad taught me when I was young- DON’T LEAVE YOUR CRAP OUT FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO HAVE TO CONTEND WITH… or something along those lines. So this is why I do clean house often. You never know when you may have unexpected visitors. Just kidding- nobody visits me. Still, it’s good to clean.
Ok, on to something worth reading: Coming in at number 99 on my bucket list is to visit every single state in the United States. This one is only a matter of time since I only lack 4: Alaska, Hawai’i, Maine, and South Dakota. This has very little to do with my job- growing up, we would drive ‘cross-country from Arizona to South Carolina and each year my dad would drive us to different places. It helps that he was a history professor and needed to hit many of the civil war battlefields.
It feels like someone kicked me in the gut when this happens. It can be as simple as placing my phone or wallet in the wrong pocket. I may as well have been robbed at gunpoint. I’m pretty sure that it feels the same.
This morning, as I was stowing away my bags on the plane in Boston, I realized that my backpack was missing. I was overcome with instant panic. At first, I wasn’t sure where I had left it. My guess was that I had set it down when I’d come through security. I told my captain that I’d be right back and ran as fast as possible through the airport, back to the security checkpoint. I then discovered that nobody had seen a bag left behind.
This was horrible! I had left it back at the hotel! Thankfully, we stayed at a hotel next to the airport- I wouldn’t need a cab or a shuttle to get me back there. Also, my first flight was only booked for 37 people. This meant that I just might have time to sprint all the way back to the hotel, find the bag, and make it back to my plane before it was too late. It might be possible.
Let me tell you this- if you had been inside Boston’s Logan Airport this morning, you would have seen the absolute fastest mad-dash out of the airport and to the hotel. I can only imagine that I had a look of dread on my face. Here’s the thing: As a flight attendant, if I cause a delayed flight, that could result in disciplinary action, which could turn into suspension or worse. I’m about 12 1/2 years into this career, and I don’t plan on retiring anytime soon.
Now you’re beginning to understand why I was in such a hurry to find my bag. A bag, which by the way, contained my flight attendant manual (iPad), an item that I’m illegal to fly without. Not to mention my personal iPad, laptop, and wallet. If I had left any other bag, it wouldn’t be the end of the world- Walmart can provide most of what I need when I’m on a work trip.
I make it to my room on the 5th floor, only to find out that my missing bag isn’t in there. I get to the front desk, show my i.d., and ask for another room key. I run back down to the desk clerk and ask if any black backpacks have been turned in. She calls security, they tell her they have my bag! I’m so thankful, but now, as I’m waiting for them to bring my bag, I’m looking at my watch. The time was now two minutes past when I was supposed to be on the plane to start boarding.
Finally, my bag arrives and now comes another sprint back to my plane. I realize that it is taking longer for hotel security to bring me my bag than it took me to run from the aircraft- all the way back to the hotel. I’m relieved that the bag is on its way but very worried I’m about to cause my first delayed flight. My mind starts to wander- I’m wondering which airlines are hiring right now if this all goes from bad to worse. Delta would let me be based in Salt Lake City or Seattle- now there’s an idea! British Air or Emirates would be a blast! However, I don’t think either of these airlines want flight attendants from the United States.
I made it back to the plane about 15 minutes late, but with plenty of time to board 37 passengers and still push back from the gate early! I am incredibly grateful that a potentially harmful situation was avoided and that I made it back with time to spare! Sometimes I’m such an airhead!
Tonight I ended up at Dulles International Airport and am staying in Herndon, Virginia. I just finished some fish tacos (pretty good, not great) and am looking forward to a night of deep sleep. Before I nod off, I thought I’d talk about another item on my bucket list.
Once upon a time, I had set “attend a circus” as one of my bucket list items (number 16, to be exact). Then you learn about circuses and what goes on there, the cruel treatment of the animals, etc. I’ve decided to change this. Instead, I’d like to attend a Cirque Du Soleil performance.
I watched the television “reality” series called Verekai (sp?), and it was fascinating to see a lot of what goes on behind the scenes. It’s impressive to look into the lives and backgrounds of these performers as well. I figure that it’s time to go see a live performance. Let’s see what is playing right now in Vegas.
Since my last post, I’ve been on a couple of work trips. Sadly, I have to be in a certain mood to update this blog. Whatever the opposite of writer’s block is- that’s the mood I have to be in. Hmmm, I’ll call it writer’s flow. Tonight I’m in Brighton, Colorado, at my crashpad and am feeling a little bit of the flow, so I’m going to take advantage of the situation and here is an update for you.
Coming in at number 87 on the bucket list is to ride on the Silverton Train. One memory I have from when I was young is listening to my cousin Carrie’s C.W. McCall album for. I’d close my eyes and these songs would transport me to another place and time. They remind me of home. Sadly, Carrie has since passed away but I’m happy to have found C.W. McCalls’ Greatest Hits album on iTunes.
I will not advise you that you need to watch the movie In Bruges. If I were to do this, you would no doubt think less of me. The movie is filled with the absolute most foul language and a so much violence. The characters in this movie give no care for a human life. Truth be told, I haven’t seen very many movies this violent or vulgar. It definitely earned the ‘R’ rating that it received.
I also need to say that this is an excellent movie! I think this is so because of witty dialogue, brilliant acting, and my favorite part is the location. Bruges looks to be a very beautiful town. Check out the image search on Google. My brother-in-law Joe told me that he has been there and I’m a little bit jealous of this fact. Therefore, coming in at number 10 on my bucket list is to go to Bruges.
Usually, when you work a reserve trip, you are getting the worst assignment available. If a flight attendant has 18+ hours on a sandy beach, they’re less likely to get rid of that trip. A flight attendant is less likely to call in sick for a great trip, as well. I DO NOT condone using a sick day unless you indeed are sick. Actions like that will come back to definitely bite you in the butt!
Since I’m based in Denver, I have decent seniority- I’ve been here long enough that I never have to work reserve unless I pick up a reserve block by my own choice. Usually, that means I’m helping out a friend, or maybe I’m trying to get more hours in the month. It’s a rare thing but not unheard of. I wait for the call from scheduling- I cross my fingers and say a prayer that I don’t get a bad trip. This week, I did get lucky with my assignment.
On the second night of my trip, I ended up in Nashville, Tennessee, after working two short legs. I was given over twenty hours in music city, so I decided to head downtown and find an early dinner. I ended up at Jack’s on broadway. This restaurant is a definite tourist attraction, but it also has some really great barbecue! This is one of my favorite overnights!
After dinner, I searched on my phone to see if there were any shows or events in town. I was hoping to find a good deal on last-minute tickets. I, once again, got lucky! It is with great excitement that I can now check off number 44 of my bucket list! Even at this late hour, I managed to get myself a ticket to the Grand Ole Opry!
Since I had a few hours to kill before the show started, I decided to take a tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. This was amazing! Memorabilia from so many of the artists that I grew up listening to!
The concert was amazing- they had been having it at the Opry house, but this time they were back at the Ryman, which is something that I have always wanted to experience!
The artists who performed were Jeannie Sealy, Mike Snider, Kelsey Waldon, Jon Conlee, Connie Smith, Jamey Johnson, Riders In The Sky, Jesse McReynolds, Jamie Lynn Spears, Bill Anderson, The SteelDrivers, and Kristian Busch. Jamey Johnson surprised everyone and brought Allison Krauss!
So- all of the artists played two songs, but when Kristian Busch got to the, he only played one song. I thought that was rather odd since he appeared to be the headliner for that evening. When he left the stage, the announcer said that we would have a commercial break, and then he had a surprise for us. Since it was getting late, I decided that it was time to head back to my hotel. I had to be up early the following day.
I left through the gift shop, and as I was purchasing a shot glass, the lady ringing me up told me that there was a surprise and that I needed to head back into the auditorium. I told her that I had to be up early, but she looked me in the eye and said, “Trust me! There’s a surprise, and you need to go back into the auditorium!”. I found that odd but did as she said. As I re-entered the auditorium, I saw a band setting up, but nobody singer was approaching yet.
All of a sudden, GARTH BROOKS walks out. The crowd went wild! Suddenly, I’m incredibly grateful that the gift store clerk didn’t let me leave! After singing The Thunder Rolls, Garth said, “I want to introduce you to someone!” TRISHA YEARWOOD walks out! I’m beaming! Did you know that hearing Trisha Yearwood sing live is number 97 on my bucket list, and hearing Garth Brooks sing live is number 120 (not even kidding)!
The workers at Waffle House 1584 in Columbus, Ohio, are fantastic! One of the gals even called me “sugar.” I had my usual- the fiesta omelet. It was delicious! Happy that this is the 14th different Waffle House location I’ve eaten at. 14 down, 86 to go!
When we landed at JFK last night, I Uber’d my way into Newark, New Jersey. That ride was horribly expensive, but my body ached a little bit from not getting any sleep on the long leg. I found a hotel for about $110 but struggled with the decision to book it at first. I thought I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep since my body hadn’t adjusted to back to a U.S. time yet. Then, I decided that it would feel so good to lay down on a bed, rather than pull an all-nighter on the floor of the airport in Newark.
I laid down on the hotel bed and was probably out cold in about 24 seconds or less. Just like I suspected, three hours later I was laying bed, wide awake. This is probably going to be the case for the next three days or so. At the moment, I don’t have to work until the 5th of May, but once my body adjusts, I may pick up a trip sooner than that. I love the flexibility of my job!
09:00
I have had the most awesome seat companion on this flight! The woman sitting across the aisle from me had a cute little dog with her. This was her “emotional support animal” (don’t get me started on that subject!). I noticed that she looked tired and kept trying to fall asleep. Every time she’d doze off, the little dog would move around and it would wake her up. After watching this for awhile, I just told the lady that if she wanted me to hold her dog, I’d be happy to, so she could get some rest. She handed me over her “little girl” whose name is Kierrie.
Denver > Salt Lake City | 13:01
After a quick jaunt to my crashpad in Thornton to grab my house and car keys, I’m back on the plane. Excited to be home and sleep in my own bed! I’m feeling a little bit emotional and exhausted (and emotionally exhausted!). I am so thankful to have had this experience. Yes, I have been to Scotland a few times, but each trip only gets better. I love building on what I’ve learned about this culture, these places, and these people. I am by no means an expert, but maybe I will be someday.
I’m not sure when it will happen, but I’m looking forward to planning “Scotland 6”. I’ve been keeping notes about more places I’d to go, and favorite places I want to keep experiencing. Until then…
An awesome thing about flying around within the European Union is that even though this was an international flight, there was absolutely no waiting to get through immigration once I was off of the plane in Copenhagen. No paperwork to fill out. Even though the agent could see from my passport I was from the U.S., there wasn’t even a question of how long I’d be here or an address of where I’d be staying. I’m grateful for this since I hadn’t asked Jacques’ address. It was a wonderful relief!
When I came out of security, it was so good to see and Jacques! As we walked, we figured that it had been 16 years (give or take) since we’d last seen each other. We walked over to an airport hotel lobby/bar where his wife, Esther was waiting. She had ordered some food which was perfect. I was a little bit hungry.
Jacques wife Esther is a real sweetie! This is understandable because she’s originally from Arizona. She and Jacques were set up by friends whom they had in common. What started out as a Skype conversation, quickly turned into and invitation by Jacques for her to come for a visit to Denmark. It wasn’t too long before they’d both found what they were looking for.
On the train, heading to Jacques and Esther’s Home
Copenhagen > New York City | 22:14 (Copenhagen Time)
I’m not sure if I’m supposed to blame El Nino or Al Gore’s global warming, but today was crazy cold in Copenhagen. It felt like winter isn’t leaving anytime soon. As Jacques and I left his apartment this morning, the wind and rain hit our faces strong. Jacques had a hood, but I only had my jacket. I learned today that the jacket I’d bought right before this trip started, although warm, was in no way waterproof. Rather, the tag reads the term “water resistant”, whatever that means.
We walked through the old military housing where Jacques once lived. Number 29 was his old residence, before buying the place where he and Esther now live. We peered through the windows into the empty apartment so I could see just how small the rooms were in his old place. They were indeed small. I guess it’s probably better to use the word “cozy”.
Jacques standing in front of his former residence.
The next stop was a cafe’. Jacques seemed to know the chef well and we ordered some brownies and hot chocolates. As we walked away, the rain had turned into sleet and then snow, and the wind had picked up, causing our heads to ache. By mistake, Jacques bumped into a parked bicycle on the sidewalk, causing him to drop his hot chocolate all over the sidewalk. I held on to mine tight. This drink was the only thing I had to help ease the constant ice cream headache that I was feeling.
We managed to catch the end of the changing of the guard at the royal palace. Jacques told me about a time when he happened to see the newly-married royal prince out riding a bicycle with his wife, the princess. He said it was an odd encounter because he had just purchased two hot dogs and was gripping one in each hand. He didn’t want to salute His Royal Highness in the public setting, alerting other passersby of who that was on the bike, but did want to acknowledge him. He addressed the couple as he should have, but with a mouthful of hotdog. They smiled as the continued on their outing.
We took refuge from the cold by entering a huge church called Frederiks Kirke, which is Protestant Lutheran. It was incredibly ornate! So much beautiful detail! I took a few pictures, not wanting to distract those who were there to worship.
We next walked The Church of Our Lady, which is also Protestant Lutheran. This church houses the original Christus statue. If you’ve ever been to the visitor’s center at either the Salt Lake City temple, or the Mesa temple, you have seen replicas of this Christus statue. This is the original one.
Along the sides of the pews stand the statutes of eleven of the twelve original apostles. Each one so incredibly detailed. If not for the white color of the stone, I’d swear that they were really standing there! The sculptor opted to not include Judas, the twelfth apostle, who’d betrayed Jesus. I don’t have the words to appropriately share what I felt.
While we were there, I got to meet Jacques friend Michael. Michael is on the Copenhagen Police Force and was once mentored by Jacques in some sort of training operation. I’m not sure the whole situation, but since then they’d become good friends. Michael is stinking hilarious and seems like a top notch fellow! We had a great visit and a delicious lunch and dessert together. We were only together for under and hour-and-a-half, but I think I’m going to miss this new friend, who offered me a position with the police force. I’m not even joking.
After a quick stop off at a rug store, Michael dropped us off back at Jacques house. It was great to go back inside, leaving the cold. We’d planned to go see that famous mermaid sculpture that Copenhagen is known for, but I felt like I was running short on time before I had to get back to the airport to check in for my flight back to the states.
I’m incredibly thankful that I was able to spend last night and today with Jacques. He is truly an amazing friend and even though we were friends when we attended Utah State University, all those years ago, I’d never gotten one-on-one time with him. I didn’t really know him very close like I do now. A friend for years, but became a very close pal during this visit. I will miss him, but we both promised to keep in touch, a lot better than we have over the last sixteen years or so.
23:10
Now let’s talk about the flight I’m on. When I boarded the plane, I felt guilty for not having chocolate to give the flight crew. That has become my thing that I do, but I totally spaced it. I did introduce myself to the crew and said what I always say: Hi! I am a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines and I’m seating in seat ____. If you need anything, just let me know.
Just before they were ready to close the doors, one of them came to the back and asked me to grab my stuff and follow him. I asked if everything was ok. He said it was, but I’d need to bring my stuff. I did as I was told. This awesome crew upgraded me to first class! Maybe it’s the fact that they know I work in the industry. Maybe it’s the fact that they know how much I love to talk. So each and everyone who reads this needs to book a flight on Norwegian Air. Even if I hadn’t been upgraded, they were still a super nice crew!
Sadly, it is time to start to make my way back to “reality.” I use the word loosely because I think each of us makes up our own version of reality. The cleaning lady knocked on the door of my flat just before 11:00, and I knew that this was the sign that I needed to leave. Thank goodness I am returning to a place that is also wonderful! Sad to be leaving such a wonderful place.
I’m waiting for a flight that doesn’t leave for about 5 more hours. I’ve decided to fly east before I turn around and fly west to come back home. I have a dear friend whom I met while attending Utah State University years ago. I need to check in on him. I think this visit should bump me up to best friend status… that’s the goal, really. So there, Steven Hanson- take that! One item sitting on my yet-to-be-revealed Second Bucket List is to visit my friend Jacques in Denmark.
I think that the workers at Holyrood Palace are upset with me. I don’t think the Queen is going to invite me over to tea after today, not anytime soon. I have a story to share today- I’m going to start out by saying that today was excellent!
Months ago I was looking at my family tree. I was cruising up one of the lines on my mom’s side of the family, and all of a sudden I found ties to royalty! This was very exciting- I think it’s high time that all of my friends started treating me as royalty. I found that I am a descendant of James II of Scotland, that is if my family pedigree chart is accurate. I’ve blogged about this once in the past.
Before this trip to Scotland began, I looked up some information about James II and found out that he was buried at the Abbey at Holyrood Palace. This is great news because I also found out that touring the Abbey was included in the admission price. I was planning on coming to Edinburgh anyway- so I set a goal to find James II’s burial plot.
When I was in Edinburgh last month, I went to the palace and asked one of the workers if she knew where he had been buried. She said she didn’t, but went to speak with one of her supervisors. The supervisor said that the grave had been desecrated in one of the wars. He told me that some of the grave had been preserved, however. He said that if I purchased the entry fee, he would show me where it was. I thought this was very kind of him, but at the time I had gone over on my vacation spending budget, so I told him I’d have to think about it.
Fast forward to yesterday. Since I’m now back in Edinburgh and had kept to my budget so well over the past few weeks, I had enough to buy the ticket and explore the palace grounds. When I was about to pay the entry fee, I asked the same question and if someone could take me to where James II was originally buried. She left to go get another supervisor. She came back with directions to his burial place but said I may or may not be able to get an escort on the inside.
I told the supervisor that I understood. I’m sure the workers had plenty that they needed to be doing. I took note of the directions and paid the entry fee. The tour starts in the courtyard and then from there it leads you into the palace. You get to see so much artwork on the walls and the most awesome part about all this is the fact that this is still a royal residence. This is where Queen Elizabeth stays when she comes to Scotland.
After the palace tour, you walk over to the Abbey. I was so excited! The Abbey is, of course, in ruins but they are trying to preserve what remains. Following the instructions, I walked to the far-right, back corner to find the place where James II had been buried. I looked around and was able to find mention of his queen wife, but nothing about the King himself. I looked around some more. So many of the old markers had been worn out from so much exposure to the elements and I thought that maybe one of those worn out ones might be his.
I started to look for one of the workers to see if he/she would know which marker was the right one. I found one employee who didn’t appear to be busy and asked him if he could point me in the right direction. He replied with a very smug tone, “Oh, you must be that American boy looking for James II.” I didn’t know what to say, but I smiled as politely as I could and told him I was. Then he says (and I’m not even joking), “Yes, I know where he is buried, but I can’t tell you.”
Now, wait a minute! Before I’d paid the money to get onto the grounds, everyone had been so kind and sounded so willing to help. Now that I was in here, I had this [pick a swear word], smug, [choose another swear word, any word will do] talking down to me, what a [pick one more swear word and add the suffix ‘tard’ to the end of it]. I didn’t really have an attitude with him but these are the thoughts that were going through my head. What’s wrong with talking to me like I’m a person? I replied, “Oh don’t worry- I’ll find it myself. Sorry to trouble you!” and headed back over to the abbey. It’s not like I wanted to steal the King’s remains, for heaven’s sake!
More looking, but I found nothing. Just the marker for James’ wife’s burial place (who was actually buried somewhere else, but later exhumed and moved to this abbey). I decided I’d finish my tour and be done with it. As I walked through the gardens, this was sort of weighing on my conscience. I was upset and frustrated but there wasn’t anything I could do. I’ll just get over it, I thought.
I noticed that they were doing some excavation work on one of the garden lawns. They had discovered that there were once more buildings, just east of the abbey. That was cool- it looked like something out of an Indiana Jones movie, or Jurassic Park, or something like that. I took a couple pictures and moved on.
Finally, I reached the end of the tour and was getting ready to turn in my audio guide and told the last worker of my frustration. First, she said to me, “Oh, you’re the American looking for James II?” but she didn’t say it condescending at all, unlike her coworker had. I laughed and told her that was me. She asked me if I found the site. I told her I hadn’t yet, and so she told me to go back and look at that excavation site. The far northeast corner is where James II had been originally buried.
Yes, the site had been desecrated and the body had been exhumed but they somehow managed to get parts of the body back and they were reburied in that same area! So- I had found the spot! Now I’m grinning, and I ask her if I could hug her. She laughed and hugged me.
I walked back into the garden to find the place where James had been buried. I got to the area of the excavation and stood silent for a moment, lost in thought. I knelt down on the grass to just sit and listen. Then after awhile, I said, “Hey James! I just wanted to say hello. I hope you’re doing well!” Luckily nobody was around to witness this. I sat for another moment, then stood up while wiping the tears from my eyes. I turned around and made my way off of the palace grounds.
I will not advise you that you need to watch the movie In Bruges. If I were to do this, you would no doubt think less of me. The movie is filled with the absolute most foul language and a so much violence. The characters in this movie give no care for a human life. Truth be told, I haven’t seen very many movies this violent or vulgar. It definitely earned the ‘R’ rating that it received.
DavTravels 