What a Way to Start a Week

I woke up on Monday morning at 4:00 AM and had a hunkering to go fly. Luckily, Big Boss was up for it! I headed to the airport to prepare the airplane. Four passengers arrived, and we were wheels-up shortly after 6:00 AM.

Our first stop of the day was San Diego. Just as we were landing, a huge fog bed rolled in! We landed just in time as the visibility dropped to less than a quarter-mile just after we touched down! We could see it moving across the runway as we got closer to the airport...such a weird (and apparently rare) phenomenom! After we taxied to Landmark Aviation and got our passengers on their way, Terry and I drove to a breakfast place for a quick bite. Because I don't think eggs and hash browns were the healthiest option I could have picked, I didn't take any pictures of what I ordered. But it was delicious. Don't you worry.

Not long after we arrived back at the FBO, we got a call that Big Boss wanted us to pick him up further north at John Wayne Orange County Airport. We lucked out and got to fly right over Disneyland! Oh, how I long to go to Disneyland. We got fuel and coffee for the airplane and then played the hurry-up-and-wait game while anticipating the arrival of our passengers. An hour later, we were on our way to the mountains outside Los Angeles to San Bernardino. We were just here a few weeks ago, so I didn't mind a return trip to the beautiful Million Air FBO. Our passengers were only gone about an hour, and we were soon hopping up to Whick's neighborhood to Modesto (hi, Whick!). The Sky Trek FBO here is outstanding...letting my passengers borrow a crew car instead of asking them to pay $80 for a rental used just two hours. 

After a short stay on the ground in Modesto, we continued a little further west to Napa, California. I've never been here before, but it isn't too far from Oakland. I could tell that from the dreary weather! It drizzled the entire stay. After getting fuel and not daring to get dinner (since they said they would be very quick), we stayed at the FBO and waited for their return. I was keeping my fingers crossed that this next flight would be our last, since we were already on City #6 and it was after 9:00 PM. No such luck. When Big Boss arrived, he announced that we were headed to Bakersfield...which we had flown over earlier in the day. Back-tracking 45 minutes isn't so bad unless you know it still isn't your last flight of the day!

While in Bakersfield, we made a mad dash for some dinner. It's an awful moment when the only thing open is a Taco Bell! We ate quickly then returned to the Atlantic Aviation at the airport to wait for our passengers to return. I called to arrange some hotels at our next destination...Seattle-Tacoma Airport. We flew 2.5 hours and landed around 1:30 AM. I had already been up for a while, and I don't know that being done for the day had ever felt so good. By the time we arrived at the hotel, a Fairfield Inn really close to the airport, it was after two o'clock. 

I worked 22.5 hours and flew to eight cities. The word "exhaustion" doesn't do it justice!

Phoenix - San Diego - John Wayne Orange County - San Bernardino - Modesto - Napa - Bakersfield - Seattle/Tacoma

The Perfect Pantry

Although I was home this week (surprise!), it was a hectic mess. After being gone for a whole month of nonstop work, I had a million projects that were begging for my immediate attention. Towards the top of the list was getting my pantry put together at last.  It has been quite a process getting to this point, and I'm thrilled that it's finally a great, functioning tool in our home. Now that the pantry is done (for now), it's time to reveal the finished product!

I say done for now only because there happens to be lots of excess space that will eventually be filled with more food storage (adding a little more each month with any excess grocery money). It feels wonderful knowing that we won't die next time Phoenix gets hit with a killer blizzard!

This pantry is...heavenly. I know it seems like a long time coming (it was for me, anyway). It took over a month from start to finish. But the wait was certainly worth it as everything came together to create our perfect storage space.

We stacked the dryer on top of the washer to make room for our latest addition...Mr. Free Freezer! We swapped our old dining set for our neighbor's old freezer. After getting the shelves organized, it was time to haul Mr. Freezer into place. Even if it dies next year...it will be a Free Freezer until then! What a blessing!

Just like every room in the house that we finally finish, I find myself walking by just to take a peek and to feel the satisfaction of a job well done (we hired some of it out, so I can brag about how awesome this pantry truly is. Right? Guys?). We couldn't be happier with our new pantry room. It is our last big home project for a while now that all of the excess funds are heading towards my student loans. But it's certainly a project that we get to enjoy every day!

Like a Chicken with Its Head Cut Off

I don't know about you, but I've been working a ton lately! What a whirlwind of a month September was! It didn't help that Hubby was camping with the Scouts every weekend. With me gone all week and him gone all weekend, I've forgotten what he looks like! I am looking forward to a better pace this month. Knock on wood.

Is this what a real job feels like? 

Last week brought a fun-packed and busy week in the Beechjet. Did you know I love My Baby?

We left Phoenix in the late evening on our way east. We couldn't quite make it the entire way, thanks to some awful weather in Chicago and our need for an alternate airport (a safety airport in case the weather is bad at our desired destination...which requires more fuel to fly to in case we can't land at the first airport). After a quick fuel stop in Salina, Kansas (one of our favorite places), we were on our way to Chicago-Midway Airport. We landed around 1:30 AM, and by the time I brushed my teeth and crawled into bed, it was almost 2:30. In case my dentist is reading, yes...I do brush my teeth that late at night. Luckily, I was able to make up for some sleep debt the next morning.

Lunch was at my favorite pizza place, Giordano's. If you haven't had their deep-dish Chicago pizza, you haven't lived! My passengers were only two hours late, which is pretty good for them. I waited for their arrival outside since the temperatures were so beautiful. I forget what it feels like to be able to go outside! When they arrived, we headed south to Evansville, Indiana. I hadn't been here before but wasn't on the ground long enough to give it proper exploration. We were soon on our way to the Cincinnati Lunken Airport. The main Cincinnati airport is actually located in Kentucky, but Big Boss needed to be on the north side of town. We thus landed at the Lunken Airport for his commute by car to be shorter. We are always trying to make his life easier! After Cincinnati, we were on our way to Teterboro in New Jersey. After a few hours on the ground here, he wanted to continue on to Raleigh-Durham. Since it was 2:00 AM in Teterboro, it was already pushing pretty late by my napping standards. Unfortunately, the weather was awful in Raleigh, and we decided to not risk the flight only to be diverted in the end (purple on a radar screen is never a pretty sight). So we grabbed hotel rooms near the Teterboro Airport at around 3:00 AM. Big Boss wanted to make up for the lost time, so were up and at 'em the next morning at seven. Even by Micah Math, that simply isn't enough sleep!

Wednesday morning, we were on our way to Raleigh. The weather was much nicer than the previous evening, and people told us about the bad storm they felt move through in the middle of the night. We had enough time in Raleigh to grab a quick breakfast at Bob Evans. I was so hungry from almost no food since pizza the day before! And I love eating out for breakfast! Soon we were on our next flight to Greensboro, North Carolina, which looks an awful lot like Raleigh from the air! Next came Hickory, North Carolina before heading back east and south to Conway, South Carolina near Myrtle Beach. Big Boss wanted to go to San Antonio next, but we couldn't make it without stopping for fuel. Since he had mentioned Ft. Smith as a potential stop previously in the week, that became our next location. I arranged for my passengers to borrow a crew car for forty-five minutes while we got fueled and ready for the next hop. Soon we were on our way to San Antonio...one of my favorite places in the world. We landed just in time to visit my co-worker's favorite Mexican restaurant before it closed. I even brought some chicken enchiladas home for Hubby to enjoy!

Around midnight Texas-time, we were on our way home to Phoenix. Thanks to a two-hour time difference, we landed just after midnight. By the time I got home and crawled into bed, I had been up for twenty-two hours straight...working the entire time with no chance to sleep! What a day! If you think I'm loopy normally...try adding in sleep deprivation to that equation!

It was a fun, fast, busy trip. We visited lots of new places, and some oldies-but-goodies that I'm never disappointed to see again. But eight cities in one day can be a little shocking...even to my little pea brain!

Phoenix - Salina - Chicago/Midway - Evansville - Cincinnati/Lunken - Teterboro - Raleigh/Durham - Greensboro - Hickory - Conway - Ft. Smith - San Antonio - Phoenix