Don't mind the blood-shot eyes. I was up at five after a restless night because I was excited for my trip. Terry was on vacation, so I flew as Captain with my manager, Little Boss, taking Big Boss and six others to Oakland for the day. We left at 7:30 AM and landed back home around twelve hours later. What a great trip!
I always try to overly prepare for flights. I study the airport (one I had never been to, mind you), get a few dozen weather briefings, learn about the arrivals and departures in and out of that airspace, etc. There is a lot to it, but I find that the more I prepare, the less I feel overwhelmed about the flight. Everything went very well, and I had a blast. It wasn't until I got home that evening that I felt my muscles release from a day of tension. Luckily, I've got a great husband who takes great care of me.
While in Oakland and waiting for them to run around town, I found a little hotel restaurant nearby and tried to order the healthiest thing on the menu. I could only identify a few of the ingredients, but I know edamame is healthy! I only ate a few bites, which perhaps helped me justify saying "yes" when waiter asked if I wanted a piece of their gourmet red velvet cake, on the house. Man, being nice and smiling at people opens so many doors! I may or may not know that the cake was absolutely incredible. I do know that only a few bites were risked. And they were certainly worth the calories!
The flight home was fun. One of the passengers had never been on the airplane before, and he sat behind us and got a "tour" of the cockpit for an hour during the flight before we had to prepare for our arrival into Phoenix. During rush hour. We were slowed to 250 knots and given a 30-degree right vectoring turn two-hundred miles out of town! Since we are the little (and slightly slower) guy, they often vector us to allow faster airline traffic in front of us. Usually, it's not fun. But Little Boss just laughed and said, "Hey, more flight time for us!" So true. And I love every second I can be in the sky.
It was a great day. A night landing finished it like a cherry on top of whipped cream. I buttoned up the airplane and drove home with a smile on my face. It feels good to be able to do what I get to do every day, and I am amazed at how blessed I am in every facet of my life.
Oh man we were just a bridge away! Next time give us a call maybe we can spring for a taxi to bring us to you! Sounded like a fun little trip! Miss you guys!
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! Yes, a few bite of edamame totally justify a few bites of red velvet cake - I hope it had layers of frosting! Plus it was on the house, you couldn't hurt their feelings, right? ;)
ReplyDelete