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Friday, October 30, 2009

Brunch with Pops


My Dad is visiting from Mexico where he has lived for the past four and a half years. He comes up every six months to see his kids and grand kids. Since he was in town, we thought we would celebrate by visiting our family-favorite for breakfast in Phoenix, First Watch. As usual, it was very delicious. The company must have been even better, because even after the food disappeared from the table we stayed to visit for another two hours!

I couldn't decide between pancakes or a Belgium waffle, so I went with an omelet. Sometimes when I order, I am schizophrenic! Luckily, it is a safe bet with anything from the menu, and breakfast was very good. It was fun to catch up with our Mexican dweller!

I will get many more opportunities to catch up next Monday when Dad and Micah set out on a road trip to Utah to visit my sister, Charloe, and her two kids. I absolutely hate road trips, but I am sure snacks will help alleviate that strife. During the dreaded eight-hour drive, I will not be able to resist thinking about how this exact trek would only take forty-five minutes in my airplane! Maybe I am supposed to learn patience? It will be a great week, and I am looking forward to it. I love any chance to spend time with family.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

One Day of Work


I hate to sound pathetic, but it was actually a pretty rough time. Have you ever experienced a day when everything seems to go wrong? That can describe my day at work today. I got up early...5:30 AM for a 7:15 AM departure to Las Vegas with Big Boss and two additional passengers. We never know what to expect with him, and today was no exception. The passengers showed up with no bags, so I figured out pretty quickly we would be returning that same evening! I had packed my normal week bag and had lugged it all over before loading it into the airplane! Better safe than sorry! The flight to Las Vegas was only 45 minutes, but we got held up for 20 minutes on the ground in Phoenix during the morning rush. It was unfortunate because Big Boss had to be at Caesars Palace at a specific time, but he handled the delay well (there is nothing the pilots can do about it but wait!). As we got closer to Sin City, being bounced around the entire time, we heard wind shear alerts for our runway. Loss of 20 knots, followed by a gain of 15? Yikes! Wind shear is a sudden change in wind direction or speed, and it makes landing a little more fun and challenging. It was Terry's leg, and he handled it like a pro. It was sure bumpy! Yeehaw!

After landing and getting a cab for the passengers, I hung out at the Atlantic FBO. When our stomachs started growling, Terry and I decided to hit the Strip for some lunch. We found out that P.F. Changs was in the Planet Hollywood Casino and was only about ten blocks from where we were! So we hopped into the crew car and wandered around inside the casino and mall until the restaurant opened. It was so windy and cold! There were lots of people exploring the Strip, but they were bundled up in jackets and hats. I am rather proud that I, the Phoenix girl, wasn't wearing any of that! Lunch was delicious...honey seared chicken from their lunch menu, which also gave me some hot and sour soup and white rice. We split the chicken lettuce wraps to begin our meal. I was so hungry! John "made" me Chex cereal at 5:30 that morning, but it had been way too long! The Chinese food tasted great.

We headed back to the FBO and waited for the call to return home, keeping a close eye on weather in both Las Vegas and Phoenix. Believe me, returning home in the same day is pretty abnormal for us. It was nice! But an estimated 4:30 PM arrival in Phoenix got side-tracked when they decided to put a ground stop at Sky Harbor Airport. That means nothing takes off or lands! Which meant we wouldn't be given clearance to leave Las Vegas until the ground stop ended! On three separate occasions, with engines started and ready to taxi to the runway, we were told a new ground stop had been initiated, and we would have to wait yet another hour. Big Boss arrived at the airplane at 3:30 PM, and we weren't able to finally take off until after 7:30! It was a frustrating evening, being delayed because of the weather in Phoenix. The valley was experiencing high winds, which naturally results in dust storms that lowered the visibility. I love being based in Phoenix, but the controllers are certainly not used to dealing with weather since it is only experienced five times a year! So they practically closed the airport and made us wait. We finally touched down at Sky Harbor at 8:30 PM. On the north runway, of course, because that provided a much longer taxi to our base hangar! When we shut down at Swift, an airplane was starting up next to us and created lots of noise, preventing my passengers from walking to their cars and finally heading home. It was like that all day...little things went wrong that all added up to be pretty entertaining (or annoying, depending on how tired you are when you look at it)!

I was exhausted by the time I pulled up in my driveway. After reading scriptures together with my husband, we crawled into bed. Waking up early makes John have a long day, too. But he was glad to have me home, and I was glad for the day to be over!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

My First Anniversary


What a busy weekend! And I got to spend it with my honey in celebration of our first anniversary today! I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by, and how much we have been able to accomplish together as husband and wife. I married a wonderful, sweet man, and not just because he bought me the Twilight series that I have been so desperately wanting (though I am sure that didn't hurt)! He is a great man. I am very much in love with him.

John unfortunately had class for most of the day on Saturday, so that prevented us from being able to leave town for the weekend. I was able to use some hotel points to get us a room at the same hotel where we spent our wedding night one year ago, the Doubletree near the Sky Harbor Airport. After he got home from class, we packed a bag and headed northwest to Phoenix. We ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory but wandered around the stores near the Biltmore first. John let me stay a whole twenty minutes in the Williams-Sonoma store, which I absolutely love but refuse to assist with any purchases. $25 for an ice cream scoop? And it isn't made of 24-carat gold?! We went to Borders and got some fun presents for my nephew and niece, who I get to see next week when I go to Utah with my Dad (who will be visiting from Mexico). I love bookstores, so let that be known. Man, do I just love everything?!

Dinner was incredible. I tried a new dish called the Chicken Bellagio, and John got his tried-and-true favorite, the Factory Burrito Grande. I took a picture as proof that he really did eat the entire thing. We shared a piece of the new flavor of dessert, Red Velvet Cheesecake, which was absolutely heavenly and very rich. I don't normally like to share, but in this case, it was appropriate. I can't be selfish with that much sugar on my anniversary!

We stayed the night at the hotel, then woke up and ate the included buffet breakfast before heading back towards Mesa for church. We stopped at the house first so I could put my dinner in the fridge, and the Flower Fairies had visited in our absence! I don't know how he did it, but there was a huge bouquet of gorgeous flowers waiting on my table when I got home. Is this guy a keeper or what? He also got me something I have been wanting forever, the vampire series written by Stephanie Meyer that is one of my favorites. With New Moon coming out next month, I need to catch up on my reading. Luckily, I can now do it from my own set! As if the day couldn't get any better, he insisted we watch The Sound of Music because he knows how much I like it. I told him no since I know he doesn't like movies like that. He threatened that I should take him up on it because it was a one-day-only offer! So we watched the movie (sigh...still love it).

It was a perfect weekend to celebrate a wondrous event. I am so in love with my husband and am glad I get him forever.