Back in the Air Again

I have to admit, after having several weeks at home, it wasn't too terrible getting back on the road for work this week. We left Monday morning at 6:00 AM with Ron and one of our Board Members. The non-stop flight to Chicago was uneventful, but it felt great to be flying again! I sure miss it when I am not doing it regularly! We checked into our hotel after stopping at Giordano's Pizza to order our deep-dish lunch. They have the best pizza I have ever tasted, but it takes 50 minutes to bake! When you are hungry after a three-hour flight, you can't wait at a table for that long! So by the time we checked in to our hotel, the Marriot Courtyard, we headed back to Giordano's just in time to get a Greek salad and have our pizza delivered. It was a windy day in Chicago, but it is ALWAYS windy there. We had Tuesday off, which I spent doing mini projects from my hotel room that are difficult to get done at home. I also walked up the road a mile to the mall, Costco, and Marshalls to wander around. On Wednesday, we took three passengers up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is only 80 miles away, but we have to get vectored all the way around the Chicago O'Hare Airport airspace, and that made the flight last about 40 minutes. Terry and I enjoyed a very cheap and yummy breakfast at a local family restaurant, Andrea's. I really take for granted our Clean Air Act here in Phoenix! Wisconsin doesn't have that same rule, and you can't escape the smoke smell when you are eating. Honestly, how can people have a fork in one hand and a cigarette in another? Crazy! We ferried the airplane up to Oshkosh in the early afternoon to pick Ron up there. They arrived by 5:30, and we headed back "home" to Chicago. Thursday was another day off. It was nice and warm (well, if you can call 54 degrees warm), but it was a beautiful day because it wasn't quite so windy. I had a delicious lunch at my favorite sandwich shop, Jimmy John's. They had one in Grand Forks, North Dakota where I attended college, and I got addicted years ago! I also went to the mall to try to find a Verizon Wireless store because my phone has been acting up. The replacement phone should arrive today! Friday morning, after a workout, I met Terry in the lobby to go to the airplane. We got it ready for our 1:30 PM departure, then he grabbed us some sandwiches at a local deli near the Midway Airport. I didn't eat mine until I got home that evening and shared it with John! I flew home both legs, and it was a windy stop in Grand Island, Nebraska. Everywhere else in the midwest was getting blizzards and Convective Sigments, which means thunderstorms. What a mean mix! So we found the only good airport to stop for fuel. We landed in Phoenix at about 3:50 PM. After dropping Terry off at the Stake Center near the temple, I went home to the arms of my sweetie! He likes when I come home, and I can't say I don't mind it either! It was a great week!

Project of the Week

I have been home for several weeks without being called for work. I came up with the idea of making something to show for all of this time being at home! I have wanted a headboard for our bed, or ANYTHING to jazz up the wall that our bed is against. We just don't want to spend our money on furniture right now, so I decided to make one! I drew up the plans in Microsoft Paint (very high-tech, I assure you), and then made a mental shopping list. I even figured out which wood to buy when I went to Home Depot! I didn't want to seem like an ignorant idiot in THAT store! It was a week-long project from start to finish. I designed it last Saturday, and this morning we put it behind our bed. Pretty nifty, eh? I am proud of it, and it still tickles me to walk into our bedroom and see it. I have a handy husband who is very patient and helpful. Waiting for the stain to dry was the most time-consuming thing I have experienced all week! I think the end result is amazing, if I do say so myself. I think I will have a Neiman Marcus cookie in celebration!

Move Over, Mrs. Fields!

I hate to brag, and that is a very un-pilot thing to do. It is rare to find a pilot who is able to undulge in a little bit of self horn-blowing. But when I say I make the best cookies in the world, I mean it! These things are the best! I found the recipe online, and apparently they are the same cookies made in the expensive department store, Neiman Marcus. I don't know if that is all a folk tale, but I DO know these cookies are insane. Lots of butter, sugar, and even some blended oatmeal as one of the ingredients! The recipe is below in my "Site Seeing" section, if you need to test my theory that these cookies could create world peace.