Hundred and Three: Maui

When I lived in California, I was a 6 ‐ hour drive away or 45 minute plane flight away. I would see them maybe once a month, but now that I live here in Alaska, my new home, I have been able to see my family about every 2 to 3 weeks. 

Being a flight attendant has its challenges‐ Many ups and downs, but the opportunity that it provides to see the states, and eventually the world, is such a powerful gift.

I was able to jump on a plane and go visit my parents in Maui. I Crashed their vacation. After working hard and being in darkness for the majority of the days, it was nice to sit on a beach and at the pool taking in as much sun as I could ‐ Great way to recharge the batteries. 

Spending time in Maui is always such a blessing. Tonight at Fleetwood Mac Restaurant, I got the opportunity to sit and chat with not only my parents and cousin, but the wonderful people who sat around us. It is truly a small world. 

Having a wonderful couple come up that I strike up in conversation.... come to find out that they are from Clovis. The world just continued to get smaller the more we talked about my time there and all the wonderful experiences it had taught me.

Then to have another group join us at the bar and one of the ladies be from Visalia. It is so funny how people are brought into your life. Even if it is just for a moment at a bar in Maui. You never know who you are going to meet and the impact they will have on your life or you on theirs, even if it is just for a few moments.

 

Hundred and Two: Christmas in Chena

A job. Many go through the motions to make ends meet, but I have been so blessed with jobs that I love.

I became a flight attendant out of sheer luck and this beautiful opportunity has been able to provide so much for me and my family. I have had the opportunity to bring my family up to Alaska and introduce them to this beautiful place I get to call home.

They were able to come up for a quick weekend trip and I was able to take them up to Fairbanks. From Fairbanks we went up to Chena Hot Springs. It was absolutely beautiful there. A winter wonderland does not even begin to explain the beauty that surrounded us.

We then shot over to the North Pole to meet THE Santa Claus. He is such a wonderful man. The entire area up there is everything any child, or grown‐up could imagine. The true spirit of Christmas is alive and well up there.

Then getting to walk down the path and enter into an ice wonderland was just the icing on the cake. Getting to see these beautiful ice sculptures that were made by extremely talented men, women, and children who have the vision and make it come true ..out of a simple block of ice.

I may not have been able to be home for Christmas, but sharing these moments with my family are the ones that we hold on to. 

 

 

 
 
 

Hundred and One Stops: Oregon!!

Well, the first week is complete and I do have to admit that there was a point when giving up was definitely an option that crossed my mind.b Between the content of the material, homework, and getting ready for the test,  lead to lack of sleep and it was not pretty.

Towards the end of the week though I was able to find a balance that helped me get peace of mind.   Every morning would start at 5:15 and I would go to the gym for 45 mins to an hour where I worked out, broke a sweat instead of crying and studied for the upcoming test that morning.  This helped me get in the right mindset to take on the day and helped me feel like such an accomplishment was already completed.

After spending 8 hours in the most uncomfortable chairs possible, I would head back and figure out what was for dinner.  This is my least favorite part.  The hotel food was not that great and rather expensive and eating out is already getting old.  We still have 3 weeks!  There is only so much you can make with a microwave.

We did have a 3-day weekend, which has totally helped the anxiety because I was able to study for 2 full days and still get to go out and have some fun.  I mean we are in Portland Oregon… it is so beautiful!

Got to spend the day with Erika and Nick and we went up to the waterfalls, with everyone else who thought this would be awesome idea, and hiked the Multnomah falls that was so beautiful...it was an amazing escape!

We then headed over to Salt and Straw and had the BEST ice cream I have ever  had in my entire life.  If you are ever in Oregon, you have to get yourself over to one of the Salt and Straws. It is absolutely amazing.  Super cute story on how it came to be to.

Here is their story from their website:

Our story is part luck, part strategy and part love (for ice cream, family, local foods, and other stuff we can’t mention here). I (Kim) have been wanting to open an ice cream scoop shop since 1996. I thought it would be nice to have a local spot where you could run into your neighbors, celebrate with your family, reward yourself…whatever! And I love exploring fun, interesting new flavors. After toiling away in safe mode working for several amazing Fortune 500 businesses, I moved back to Portland for love and found the window of opportunity and support that I’d been lacking to jump start my idea.

In the mean time, my cousin Tyler had been studying in China and traveling in Asia. He completed his business degree and had just announced to the family that he was going to enroll in Culinary School. I actually saw a posting on Facebook that he was considering moving to Portland and phoned him up…not even knowing about his plans! We traded stories and updated each other – coming to realize we are on similar paths by coincidence. Next thing I knew, I was getting reports from Tyler regarding ice cream tests he was running with his friends and family as tasters. He had a million ideas and wanted to join me in this crazy idea. How could I resist? He literally dropped what he was doing, loaded up his car and drove to Portland from Seattle to start work as our head ice cream maker the very next day. I would probably be somewhere rocking back and forth in a corner without him. He’s amazingly talented, super smart, hard working, and quite possibly the nicest person ever.

So…I cashed in my 401K, signed a lease, created a custom push cart, and spent days and days in Sarah Masoni’s kitchen (head of R &D at the Oregon Food Innovation Center) creating ice cream recipes. And now, here we are.

We’re hoping to create the kind of company that’s fun to support, work for, and partner with. We’re about building strong local community – both in the neighborhoods where we do business and by purchasing as many local products as possible (to keep our money in Oregon and help create stronger local economies).

But at the end of the day, we just really hope you enjoy the ice cream.

Check them out at: http://saltandstraw.com/about/"

I think I am ready to tackle week 2!

Hundredth Stop: Flight Attendant Training

Who would have thought that me taking a chance and applying for a flight attendant job would actually lead to me taking off for ground school in Portland for a month???   Who would have thought ?!

Ground school will include 4 weeks of all the skills that you need to be a successful flight attendant... From assisting in medical situations, to protecting the flight deck, to passing out a snack and drinks. 

I look forward to meeting new people that I am sure will become family- Considering we will be together all the time in class for 8 hours a day, study time, and hotel life. 

I am interested to see if my study habits are still with me.

Goals for the month:

-       Workout at least 4 times a week

-       Maintain, as much as possible, a healthy eating lifestyle

-       Not have to retake a quiz.

Let the games begin… 

Ninety-Nineth Stop: Fun Day 2015

Who doesn't love adorable, amazing, hard working puppies?!  Well this girl, me, has missed having a puppy at my side everyday all day and would not pass up a weekend full of puppy breath, wiggles, and adorable puppies themselves!

I had the opportunity of joining our Fresno Far Sighted group as we went up to San Rafael for the Puppy Fun Day.   I got to see so many wonderful people who I miss seeing on a regular basis, and got to meet the new puppies in our group and wish luck to the older ones who are entering school and going to start phase training.

After a very fun Saturday, we headed to San Francisco on Sunday to give the puppies experiences that we were not always able to provide in our home cities.  It also gave them a paw up when they go back to official training because they have already experienced some of the sights, sounds, smells, and tourists.

Wish luck to Mr. Catcher, who is Solstice's half-brother, as he was going back to school Sunday.

 

Mr. Catcher is all grown now. 

Ninety-Eighth Stop: Taking A Chance

Ever had a dream and wondered how it was going to be able to come true?   Well, I have developed a love of travel and have a very long lists of places to see and things to do.  On an interpreters salary, it was going to be nearly impossible to afford.

So, I decided to take a chance and apply for a flight attendant position.  Never in a million years did I ever think I would be chosen for an over-the-phone interview and from that passed on to the group interview, but I was and I was so excited.

As the time got closer for me to arrive in Portland for my interview I was surprisingly calm... Even upon my arrival and day interview.

Coming to day's end, I was able to advance from the group interview to one-on-one, and at the completion I was offered a position.  I cannot wait to start my training.  in a few months, I will be attending a month long training to learn how to become a flight attendant.  Let's be honest ...the more I learn about the profession I am quickly learning that it is more than just providing drinks and snacks!

Here is to my new adventure that I am so thrilled about!  Fingers crossed ...I will remember quickly how to become a successful student again.

Ninety-Seventh Stop: Camping

Well, my contract is finished and the reality sets in... I am unemployed... what better way to not think about that than to go camping!

I got to go on one more kayaking and camping adventure with 2 pretty awesome people and it was a beautiful way to wrap up my stay here in Nanwalek. We were able to see hundreds of sea otters and their babies.  It was a really amazing thing.   I got so excited!  All the moms had their babies on their chest as they float ed...and you could hear them crying.  Mother Nature never fails to amaze.

We then kayaked around to find our perfect beach and our third try was the successful one!  After a day of rain and winds, it was nice to set up camp on a beautiful calm beach.  It was pretty unreal how the weather changed so fast.  It was truly the beauty after the storm!