SO, anytime I tell people that Mark is a pilot they think it is soooo cooooool and do I get to fly wherever I want for free?????? And the answer is, yes, sometimes, on Wednesday and Fridays of odd months, when the sky is pink, and an empty seat on the plane.... I might make it on the flight I wanted to take as a non-rev (a non revenue ticket, meaning if there is an empty seat, and no one else needs it, they MIGHT give it to me...) otherwise known as stand by.
So, yes, I can get on most flights and go where I please, but these days it just isn't that easy. There aren't as many flights a day as their used to be before 9/11 and our economy went crashing down, meaning less open seats for people like me. I shouldn't complain because for the most part I have made flights I wanted to take. But then there are the times I haven't made it on...
Once I was trying to get on a flight to Houston to go on a trip with Mark to Tulsa Oklahoma (I think...). I spent around 6 hours sitting on the floor of the terminal waiting to get on ONE of the zillions of IAH flights that day, and never made it on. Got my bag, paid for my parking and went back home. Another time I flew to Houston to see my parents while Mark was working one weekend. We ALWAYS check the loads before I leave to ensure that it makes sense for me to go somewhere, to make sure the odds are in my favor for getting home. At midnight the night before, the flight that was only half booked at 9pm was now overbooked by like 12 people... no way I was going to make any flight that day. So guess what? I got to pay $200 to rent a car and drive home so I could be at work Monday! Yipee!!!
What have we learned here? Just because you have a pilot or airline worker in the family doesn't mean you can jet off all over the world on your own schedule at any time... It takes lots and lots of patience and a drive to REALLY want to get where you're going! (because sometimes you will find yourself waiting our 3 or 4 of 5 flight options to try and make it happen!)
It's not all bad though, this past Thanksgiving we flew into Newark, and somehow I got first class both ways (while my amazing husband sat back in coach!). We're hoping to go visit a friend in Arizona in January so hopefully that goes just as smoothly :)
All in all though Mark has a great job and he loves it! Most days :) I love that he has the job he always dreamed of having, and I also love that we're going to Vienna the day after Christmas because of perks of said job :)
December 14, 2011
Merry Christmas from my pilot!
Mark had his 6 month simulator test checky thingy (PT? don't know what that stands for...) today in St. Louis, he's trying to get home right now, should have been home by 2:30pm BUT that didn't happen. Bad weather, weight restrictions etc and he just kept getting kicked off :(. Fingers crossed he will be home by 9ish though!
This past weekend we went to Houston, Mark flew in from Memphis (ALPA meetings all week) and I drove down on Friday. We hung out with my parents and then went to a Christmas program with the parents and my brothers family Saturday night. Great fun all around! Mark wanted to get home since he had been away all week so we drove back after the show Saturday, getting in around 12am. I'm glad we came home though, I love sleeping in :) (we were bad and didn't go to church...). Side note that we also spent the weekend calling our friend Barry who had a date Saturday night and annoying him for details like 2 schoolgirls :), we're told the date went well!
We're going back to Houston for Christmas on the 23rd, and then we're off to Vienna on the 26th!!! This is my first time out of the country and I AM SO EXCITED! It will be a short trip, we get home on the 30th, but I am so excited to go to Austria! We are flying Austrian airlines so that should be fun too! I'll definitely post pictures when we're back. Going to Europe was on our bucket list before we start a family, so this is perfect! I have the entire week off after Christmas, and luckily Mark got the same week off! No Christmas presents for each other this year since we just received a million wedding gifts, so this is our Christmas present for each other :)
Our office moved last week to a brand new building, it is so much nicer! I have my own office, for now at least. It makes such a difference in my motivation each day and wanting to come to work. Below is my work world. After 5 years I finally got to hang my diploma, I feel so successful, LOL!
This is completely unrelated, kind of like the rest of this post... but I want a goat, a house goat. Tori Spelling and family have a goat that lives inside named Totes McGoat. I think that is so freakin awesome! Minkey wouldn't be happy with me, and a goat would probably eat my shoes but it would also be so cute!!!
December 4, 2011
Thanksgiving in NYC!
Mark and I have so much to be thankful for! Our amazing parents gave us a beautiful wedding and we are so grateful! We are also so lucky that we got to spend Thanksgiving with both of our parents this year! Mark and I had wanted to take my mom and Skip to New York and New Jersey as a thank you for the wedding! We talked about it a lot before the wedding and finally made it happen!
My mom grew up in New Jersey, about an hour North of where Mark's mom lives, so she was really excited to go back and visit! They were up there for our shower back in September, but it was so busy there wasn't much time to really have a vacation. We met my parents up in Newark on Tuesday before Thanksgiving, they ended up having all kinds of delays and didn't arrive until a few hours later then scheduled. We had plans to meet Mark's mom, Gary, Bob, Helene, and Mark's cousins and Goddaughter to chinese dinner. Everyone had been raving about how GOOD this Chinese food was so I had big expectation, and it didn't disappoint! It was so delicious!!!
We stayed in New Jersey for three nights. Wednesday morning we took a train into the city to see Mama Mia and walk around! I was so excited to take my mom to see the show, when Mark and I saw it last year I knew she had to see it. I grew up listening to ABBA and dancing in the living room for my mom! So it meant a lot to us to see it together. The show was amazing and just as great as last year with a lot of the same cast!
Thursday we woke up, got New Jersey Bagels!, and headed over to Mark's moms house for Thanksgiving day! After we got there we decided it would be a good time to drive over to Westfield to see my moms childhood house. She was SOOO excited to see her house she grew up in, and Mark was so sweet to drive us all over there! The house looked amazing and the neighborhood is so beautiful! I know it made her so happy to see it, we took lots of pictures! Once we got back, Ginny was finishing up the WONDERFUL Thanksgiving feast for us all! Alyssa, Mark's cousin came in from the city to join us. The food was delicious and the company was even better! It was such a wonderful thanksgiving with my new husband and our families!
Friday we packed up and took the train into the city again with our luggage and checked into our hotel there. We stayed near where we stayed last year and it was a great spot! We were pretty much able to walk everywhere. I love the city during the holidays, it so festive and I actually enjoy the cold weather. This year though it was actually warm, and I was kind of disappointed. It was colder in Austin while we were gone then NYC! We had a delicious dinner at an italian seafood restaurant, and then headed over to see the Radio City Rockettes! My mom had been many times as a kid, and Mark grew up going to the show with his mom, and Skip had never seen it! It was amazing and so magical! I love hearing and watching the kids during the show, it's so magical for them! After the show we went across the street to "Top of the Rock", its an elevator ride up to the top of Rockefeller Center, and it has the most amazing view. We stayed up there for awhile until the wind got to much but we got some great pictures!
Saturday morning we met my step sister Leigh Anne, who lives in NYC, for brunch along with Ginny and Gary. After we walked over to Macys to see the windows and catch a glimpse of Santa! It was nothing short of crazy there... and we left shortly after! We had a late flight on Saturday so afterwards we said our goodbyes and headed over to the airport.
We had an amazing trip with our families and I am so glad we will always have those special memories! I look forward to so many more holidays with our families! Shout out to my amazing husband who gave me the only first class seat left on the flight TO AND FROM NYC! He really is awesome and I love him so much!
And now pictures!!
My mom grew up in New Jersey, about an hour North of where Mark's mom lives, so she was really excited to go back and visit! They were up there for our shower back in September, but it was so busy there wasn't much time to really have a vacation. We met my parents up in Newark on Tuesday before Thanksgiving, they ended up having all kinds of delays and didn't arrive until a few hours later then scheduled. We had plans to meet Mark's mom, Gary, Bob, Helene, and Mark's cousins and Goddaughter to chinese dinner. Everyone had been raving about how GOOD this Chinese food was so I had big expectation, and it didn't disappoint! It was so delicious!!!
We stayed in New Jersey for three nights. Wednesday morning we took a train into the city to see Mama Mia and walk around! I was so excited to take my mom to see the show, when Mark and I saw it last year I knew she had to see it. I grew up listening to ABBA and dancing in the living room for my mom! So it meant a lot to us to see it together. The show was amazing and just as great as last year with a lot of the same cast!
Thursday we woke up, got New Jersey Bagels!, and headed over to Mark's moms house for Thanksgiving day! After we got there we decided it would be a good time to drive over to Westfield to see my moms childhood house. She was SOOO excited to see her house she grew up in, and Mark was so sweet to drive us all over there! The house looked amazing and the neighborhood is so beautiful! I know it made her so happy to see it, we took lots of pictures! Once we got back, Ginny was finishing up the WONDERFUL Thanksgiving feast for us all! Alyssa, Mark's cousin came in from the city to join us. The food was delicious and the company was even better! It was such a wonderful thanksgiving with my new husband and our families!
Friday we packed up and took the train into the city again with our luggage and checked into our hotel there. We stayed near where we stayed last year and it was a great spot! We were pretty much able to walk everywhere. I love the city during the holidays, it so festive and I actually enjoy the cold weather. This year though it was actually warm, and I was kind of disappointed. It was colder in Austin while we were gone then NYC! We had a delicious dinner at an italian seafood restaurant, and then headed over to see the Radio City Rockettes! My mom had been many times as a kid, and Mark grew up going to the show with his mom, and Skip had never seen it! It was amazing and so magical! I love hearing and watching the kids during the show, it's so magical for them! After the show we went across the street to "Top of the Rock", its an elevator ride up to the top of Rockefeller Center, and it has the most amazing view. We stayed up there for awhile until the wind got to much but we got some great pictures!
Saturday morning we met my step sister Leigh Anne, who lives in NYC, for brunch along with Ginny and Gary. After we walked over to Macys to see the windows and catch a glimpse of Santa! It was nothing short of crazy there... and we left shortly after! We had a late flight on Saturday so afterwards we said our goodbyes and headed over to the airport.
We had an amazing trip with our families and I am so glad we will always have those special memories! I look forward to so many more holidays with our families! Shout out to my amazing husband who gave me the only first class seat left on the flight TO AND FROM NYC! He really is awesome and I love him so much!
And now pictures!!
December 2, 2011
Bad blogger!! I know it's been a few weeks since I've posted, but we have just been so busy! A few weekends ago my moms best friend Malinn and her husband Sandy invited Mark and I to the A&M vs Kansas game. I hadn't been out to College Station since I graduated 5 years ago! It was so fun to go back and we have an awesome time at the game! I loved showing Mark where I went to college!
The Aggies won the game! We had a great time and I loved being back on my college campus! We were trying to beat the traffic out of town so we didn't drive around much. Mark did get to see my first apartment though! The city has changed so much, so many more apartment complexes and new roads. We were so grateful for Malinn and Sandy for inviting us!
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