Happy Halloween, everyone! And Happy Birthday to Laura, Jenn's little sister!

Aborted landing number 6 is now under my belt!

It doesn't even surprise me anymore when I hear the wheels go back up in the well... that's the only sure way I know we're doing a go-around -- I really can't see much out of the tiny windows on the door. Life should be interesting the next month as I am back on reserve, the first time since March. So, for that, I can't really complain. Usually I sit reserve every fourth month, but I got a longer reprieve this time around.

I have found a crashpad in St. Louis for November which should make sitting reserve a little less daunting. I have plenty of school work to be doing, so the time I spend sitting around waiting for them to call me can be well spent. I'll just have to bare the agony of carrying my laptop with me... it's such a pain in the ass these days, and its heavy. I have dreams of getting one of those little, itty-bitty Sony Vaio ones... the ones that a pound or something. My roommates are all former Reno Air flight attendants that went through training with me. Being around them brings back good memories. Ah, the old days! Sniff, sniff.

Also on the job front, American is recalling 390 flight attendants, which means the likely hood of me getting layed off is becoming even more distant, if ever. The company also is not renewing long-term voluntary leaves of absence, which also indicates they need more crews. I love that! Looks like my job will be safe for a while. Whew!

I recieved a letter the other day from Utah Valley State College extending an invitation to join Phi Theta Kappa, the collegiate level of National Honor Society. It was a nice little surprise and a moral booster for the middle of the semester. I went from dropping out of school to getting on the Dean's list, to this. Here's a little self pat on the back for me!

Bad luck or is is just me?

Last week when flying home from Denver, via Dallas, I was sicker than a dog. I don't know if I had mild food poisoning or what, but I was sick, very sick, and it certainly isn't any fun to fly that way, especially by yourself. But, nonetheless, I wanted to get home. My flight from Denver to Dallas was ok, but 20 minutes after taking off from Dallas for Vegas, we had to return to Dallas because of a mechanical problem. I got home three hours late. Not a nice scenario when your sick in the first place.

Yesterday, on my from Vegas to St. Louis, we were barreling down the runway for takeoff when suddenly the power was cut and the brakes applied. Aborted takeoff. Again, mechanical. We returned to the gate and left two hours later. All within a week and a couple of days. Hmm... makes me wonder.

Perhaps it all has to do with this: Since being based in St. Louis, I've experienced five aborted landings, two of which were on the same flight. I've had two instances where the traffic collision avoidence system has belted out instructions to the pilots to prevent a collision. I've been told it's because the airspace in and around St. Louis is very congested and air traffic control keeps traffic closer together than usual, resulting in more incidences. Makes you wonder...

Not so sleepy Gardnerville...

I guess things have changed since I've lived there... my parents bought a garabage disposal (big news since the 100+ year old house has never had one), they are considering hard wood flooring in several rooms, and a local man goes into the Carson Valley Pharmacy and holds employees hostage for over two hours, then turns the gun on himself.

Yep, things are really happenin' there. For more on the hostage situation, go here.

I never mentioned the make/model of my new cell phone: Panasonic GU-87.

I'm sitting in my new crashpad in St. Louis, sipping coffee and generally enjoying the morning. I am on reserve next month and needed to find a place to rest my head since I will be on call. The fun thing is, the other flight attendants I am with were all in my initial Reno Air flight attendant class. November should be a fun month! I also needed a place to stay for a few nights this month, hence why I am here now.

I forgot to mention previously that I finally got a new cell phone! I have been begging Beth for months to get a new one, and she got me one for my birthday. My first priority was that it needed to be a flip phone, and second, it needed to have a camera. The camera wasn't initially on the list of must haves, but after seeing Jenn's photoblog, I realized how much fun it would be to snap pictures on the fly, especially on my layovers. The cord I need to download the pictures to my computer is on back order, and they don't have an estimated ship date yet. As soon as I get it, I can get started putting some pix on the web. I opted not to get mMode, which enables me to e-mail the pix and other things, since it's kind of expensive and not necessary for my casual use. There is one website for work that, should it become WAP enabled someday, I will definately get mMode. That website allows me to check in for standby on flights. It's a great tool to have, especially for a commuter.

If only life allowed more time...

The absence in posting lately surely isn't due to any lack of activity in my life... I've been so busy I have barely had time to catch some Zs, let alone post. So, here I am to give the Reader's Digest of all I can remember.

Most recently, I went to Colorado Springs to attend Jenn's brother Rob's wedding. Get that? Anyway, it was a really nice time. I met my Mom and Dad there on Friday about 1pm. My parents napped in the room while Jenn and I went to lunch. It was great to see Jenn, since it has been sometime since we've seen one another. Neither one of us could figure how long it had been since we talk on the phone often, it seems like we've seen one another recently. I wish that were the case. At any rate, it had been way to long and great to see her. We didn't have much time together since she was the wedding planner extraordinare, but the time we did get was fantastic. It's always great just to sit and talk. It's worth millions!

Friday night was the rehearsal dinner. My parents prepared the feed for the 50 or so people, serving my mother's now famous burritos (she serves over 400 of them every summer to marathon runners in Tahoe). It was a good time and a great chance for me to get to know the bride's family a little better than had I been left to meet them on the wedding day. I really didn't get a chance to chat with Michelle, Rob's new wife, much. Too bad... I would've liked to have gotten to know her better.

Saturday was the big day, and it was beautiful. Colorado is experiencing an Indian Summer with temps in the upper 70s and low 80s. It was gorgeous. The church was a beautiful setting, nestled among the trees on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The recption was held at a Country Club with really nice grounds. The tree lined entry was dramatic and beautiful. The reception was a lot of fun, and of course, the dancing was great. That's the best part. I was missing my right hand gal, though, but fortunately for me Jenn was solo at the wedding, too. We made for easy partners and enjoyed the night like the good 'ol days. I even joked it reminded me of when we dated in 7th grade.

The weekend was quick and rather full so there was little time to site see. We did manage a little jaunt to the Garden of the Gods and a little town called Manitou Springs. That is where you catch the famous Cogs Wheel Railway which takes you up to the 14,110 foot summit on Pikes Peak. We would've loved to do that, but simply did not have the three hours the trip would have required. We have all vowed to go back.

On Sunday, my parents and drove to Denver to the airport. My flight left to Dallas at 12:30, and there's to Reno at 12:50. I woke up that morning not feeling well, and by the time we got to the airport I was really ill. I felt like I needed to vomit, I was achy from head-to-toe and getting hot anc cold flashes. It was terrible. I knew I needed to get home though, so I toughened up and boarded the flight. I made it to Dallas ok, but still feeling terrible. I made my connecting flight to Las Vegas, but about 20 minutes out something started to overheat and we had to return to Dallas. Two hours later we were off, again. I felt marginally better but exhausted and more than ready to be home. I made, and when I woke up this morning I felt tons better.

In other news, I had a very serious incident occur at work this week that cannot be repeated. I mention it for the fact it's a good thing the system works, and I am glad the company was there to support me and my coworkers when we needed it. One person characterized the situation as, "one of the most difficult decisions you'll ever have to make." It was nothing short of that and wish I weren't faced with it in the first place.

Jann was in town a week ago and we met up so I could take her flying. I have wanted for so long for her to go flying with me, and it finally happened. we flew south over Las Vegas to Laughlin, did a touch and go there and flew up the river to Lake Mead, over Hoover Dam, and back into Vegas from the east. In all, it took us about two hours and we had a blast. She was a lot less nervous than she thought, and I think she'd go again any day! I enjoy so much taking my friends flying... it is a true reward and a great payoff for learning how to fly!

In between the fun, I've been working quite a lot, spending several days at a time on the road.

Beth and I are still planning how we'll spend our Halloween evening. We got an invitation to one party, but not sure if we'll attend. We thought of inviting friends over for a low key Halloween get together, including costumes, and we can hand out candy to neighborhood children. I am sure we'll figure it out soon.

Lots to tell, no time to tell it. I will be back tomorrow with more...

Meantime, I have updated the website. Two new Halloween recipes from Emeril Lagasse have found their way onto the recipe page, as well as some tips to make it through Halloween on a diet in the "Cooking 101" column. New calendar, as well as a link to my mom's new blog and also an updated link to Jenn's. Enjoy.