finally.

Ladies and gentlemen, loyal blog readers and people who got bored of reading about my unemployed life... rejoice!! We now return to our regularly scheduled flight attendant blogging!

After 3 long months of being on the ground (Okay, I did go for one flight with Ryan, but I wasn't working. And it was no Boeing.), I've returned to the life of an aviation employee. I'm working for a Canadian airline that I've admired for many years. I first applied at the age of 18, but my lack of maturity and experience didn't get me far in the hiring process. 7 years later, and here I am!

This weekend I moved from Red Deer to Calgary, settling in for what will be a long 5 weeks of rather intense training.

This morning was day 1. Let me tell you, after 3 months (to the date!) of having no responsibility, it was not easy to drag myself out of bed at such an early hour of the day. I was flustered as I read through the many emails I'd received, trying to ensure that I wasn't forgetting anything important before I left the house. I felt like a kid on the first day of school... scared and nervous. Even more terrifying was the prospect of the morning commute ahead. After a 2 year lapse of driving a car, I'm still adjusting to being back on the road, and rush hour in the big city happens to be one of my biggest fears. I'm a small town girl. When it takes me more than 15 minutes to get home, I lose my patience. When it comes to bumper to bumper traffic, I panic. To make matters worse, it happened to be pouring rain, cold, and a very yucky morning in general. I set off on my way, white-knuckled and practically hyperventilating. And you know what?? I made it. Not only did I arrive relatively stress-free, but I was also an hour early. Feeling a bit silly, I opted to stop for coffee before heading into the campus so long before the rest arrived. In Tim Horton's, I spotted a girl who looked rather familiar. She noticed me too, and it didn't take long for it to dawn on us that we'd been through the group interview together, way back in June. It was her first day as well, and she was also far too early. We agreed to walk in together to feel a little less intimidated. As it turns out, the majority of our class had already arrived.

The rest of the day was a breeze. Everyone was friendly and I'd been nervous for absolutely no reason. We spent the day learning about our new company and getting excited about the many perks of the industry. The drive home was quick and easy, and I'm feeling great about the entire situation! It's so good to be back. My heart belongs to Boeing. Well, and Ryan of course.

waiting for something interesting to happen.

I have nothing to blog about.

Life has been pretty uneventful this past week. Generally speaking, there isn't much wrong with uneventful, although it's a bit difficult for a blog addict such as myself. I want to write, I want to update you on my life... but alas, nothing is going on. I don't even have any delicious meals to brag about, because lately my diet has been made up of mainly super healthy meals. I know... how incredibly boring.

This week has consisted of killer gym sessions (my legs still hurt from Tuesday... today is Friday), unseasonably warm weather, and plenty of walks with my beloved puppies and friends.

In times like these where I can think of nothing better to do than ramble pointlessly, the only solution is to post photos. I may not be able to write on a daily basis but I almost always take at least a few photos. I once had a blog dedicated solely to photos, but I gave up updating it with the discovery of Flickr.

Anyways, there I go on rambling yet again. Come for a walk with me...

Despite the warm sunshiny days, there is no denying that autumn is fast approaching. I really do love this season, despite it's proximity to winter. I hate winter, with the exception of days spent cuddled by the fireplace sipping hot chocolate. And Christmas. Oh my goodness... I love Christmas.

My puppy Armani was born in the winter and thus has never experienced autumn and all of its crunchy yellow leaves glory. We went for a walk down by the river, and although she was a bit wary of the leaves falling around her, she seemed to enjoy herself.

In an attempt to interact with more of the human species, I met up with my friend Michaelle and her beautiful kids Layla and Alier, who happen to be my niece and nephew by default. Don't ask how that works, it just does. I love these kids and they make such gorgeous little models.

Well, that brings us to today, which is Friday! I may not currently be working (10 more days!) but I'm still very excited about the fact that the weekend is here as it brings my newly employed fiance back home for a few days! I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend! I certainly plan to!

nearest and dearest

With Ryan gone and moved away to Edmonton, I've found myself at a bit of a loss when it comes to occupying my time. With 2 weeks to go until I'm forced to return to the life of an employed person, I've got plenty of it to spare.

I've found myself taking up residence at the gym, struggling to cram in as much physical activity as possible before returning to ground school and likely succumbing to the temptations of the on-campus Starbucks. Tonight, as a break in the routine, I decided to do something different... I went for dinner... with friends.

I know what you are all thinking. Friends?! Since when?

Admittedly, I've been rather antisocial since my return from Dubai. It's so easy to get caught up in spending all of your time with your significant other. With a 4 week long road trip added to the mix, I just haven't had much time to catch up with my friends.

So tonight I ventured to my favourite sushi restaurant with my friends Rosie, Talin, and Berly. We reunited over delicious food and despite the long lapse since we'd all seen one another, we still managed to go on as though no time had passed. That's the great thing about good friends.

I might not see them often, but I really do have some of the best friends in the world. Even better, I have friends all over the world. I've met some amazing people in my travels that I'll keep in touch with for years to come. I'm hoping to even have a few special people from Dubai travel all the way to Mexico to attend my wedding. I've got friends at home who still love me even though my dreams have sent me to the other side of the world... twice. They love me for my nerdy, crazy, sometimes obnoxious self. And guess what? I love them too!

They've shared in some of the biggest moments of my life, and I can't wait for them to all be there when I marry my very best friend!

That's about enough sappiness for this evening, but I just want the people in my life to know just how much they mean to me.

up above the world so high

I think it's safe to say that Ryan and I are aviation geeks. From our rapidly expanding collection of all things airplane related to our satisfaction in spending hours parked near the airport watching planes take off and land, we most certainly meet the definition of obsessed.

2 years ago, I jetted off to Dubai to begin my career as a flight attendant. At the same time, he began working towards his private pilot's license. It was a long journey, interrupted by the reality of a full time job and trying to accumulate flying hours. Finally, this week Ryan passed his final exams and was certified a real pilot!!

I was so proud of him, and excited about the fact that he was now able to take passengers for flights. After 2 months on the ground, I was getting quite anxious to be in the sky again and tried to make this obvious with my not-too-subtle hints that I'd like to go for a ride.

The weather was in our favour and yesterday we drove out to the airport, rented a plane, took off and flew around Central Alberta. Just like that! We were flying, in a tiny little plane, and he was in full control. As if I didn't love him enough already, now he takes me flying. We were truly meant for each other.

We flew over the many places that I've called home over the years. I snapped photos and enjoyed the turbulence. It felt so good to be back. The world is better from above.

He was clearly as excited as I was, happy to be free from the limitations of a student license. After an hour flight, we landed safely back at the airport. It was an expensive date, but worth every dollar!

Brushing aside our healthy diet, we celebrated with a massive platter of deep-fried deliciousness at a new restaurant in town. We ate until we felt sick, but it was necessary for such an exciting celebration! I'm marrying a pilot!!!

oh summer, where have you gone?

This happens every year. I find myself staring at the calendar, confused as to how time has mysteriously flown by and left us at the end of August. Summer came, and it's about to go back into hiding for another long, long winter. I'm slightly terrified at the thought of this. In a perfect world, this summer would last forever.

Ryan and I would have the time of our lives enjoying our in-between jobs phase. We wouldn't have to move to separate cities and continue on with our grown up lives and working for a living. The weather would stay warm and snow would be nothing more than a distant memory, never to be seen again.

But alas, we live in the real world and life must go on. Next week Ryan will move to Edmonton to begin his brand new job, while I'll stay home until my own move 2 weeks later. We'll be separated by 3 hours of highway, which certainly beats an entire ocean, but still isn't much fun. The days will get shorter and colder, and we'll brace ourselves for winter.

On the bright side, both of us are moving forward in our careers and are very much looking forward to beginning our new jobs. He'll be working for a much better company than his previous employer, and I'll be hitting the skies again, doing what I love.

September brings beautiful autumn landscapes and the return of pumpkin spiced lattes. It will also bring a brand new city and hopefully some new friends!

It's a bittersweet time, but I'll try my very best to make the most of it. Life is changing, yet again!

bite by bite, step by step.

Since my return from Dubai, Ryan and I have been living like royalty. Or at least we've been eating like it.

Shrugging aside the fact that our wedding date is fast approaching, we opted for a summer of delicious meals regardless of their nutritional content. I re-experienced all of my favourite Canadian foods. I had a birthday party with enough food to feed a family for a month or two. Oh, and then there was the roadtrip. For 4 weeks Ryan and I drove through the United States eating like Americans. We had to get the full cultural experience, and that just happened to include Starbucks and a whole lot of burgers and hot dogs. The west coast was a seafood mecca and we took full advantage of the fresh crab, prawns, mussels and oysters. Every day was filled with glorious food and more treats than we needed or deserved.

All good things must come to an end, and unfortunately for us that meant returning home and facing real life and the end of our long vacation. It also meant returning to our long deserted former hangout... the gym.

We'd discussed it many times during our trip. We'd justify our calories with the fact that we'd go to the gym as soon as we were back home. Time flew by and before we knew it we were forced to accept our fate. The gym awaited and it wasn't going to go easy on us.

Still sore from our hike up a mountain days earlier, we forced ourselves out of bed this morning and reluctantly drove to the gym. We purchased our monthly pass and made our way to the track where we endured a mixture of running, walking, sit-ups and push-ups. We stayed an entire hour and were feeling rather proud of ourselves, but that wasn't the end.

Later in the day we returned, just in time for a circuit training fitness class. Ryan and I may be out of shape at the moment, but there was a time a long time ago when we were fitness junkie, gym addicts. We've been to the classes and at our prime, they were a breeze. Today, however, I thought I just might die. Everything hurt. My legs, my arms, my back, my abs. During one of our ten flights of stairs we were told to run, we contemplated escaping. My genius of a fiance had left the car keys in the other room and we were forced to return to our perky over-energetic instructor, who commanded us to proceed to the next station. Both Ryan and I struggled to get through each station, cheating and taking breaks and feeling rather embarrassed at our state of fitness. We did survive, and the class did eventually end, much to our surprise. Just 2 hours of workouts and I've got to admit, I'm sore and tired but I'm feeling great. Combined with our ridiculously healthy meals, we are well on our way to getting into shape for our wedding. The moral of the story: Nothing great comes without consequences.

That said, if we can do this, anyone can.

I'll leave you now with a tribute to the food that we ate and enjoyed. If I could take it all back I wouldn't, I loved every single gram of fat and calorie.

catching up!

Admittedly, I've been far too lazy to blog lately. Summer has flown by and I'm doing all that I can to soak up the last bit of it before winter settles in for a long, long time. To be honest, I'm not really sure how I'll cope with winter after 2 years living in one of the hottest places on Earth. Maybe a week away for a tropical wedding will help? Speaking of weddings, I have my wedding dress! It's downstairs, in the spare room closet, just waiting to be worn. Each day I take a moment to admire it and look forward to the fast-approaching big day. I'm overcome with wedding fever, but I'm sure none of you want to read about it.

Now back to our regular scheduled blogging....

After our trip to Seattle, Ryan and I enjoyed one last day in the United States before beginning the journey home. We watched airplanes take off, ate far too much greasy food, and went to Wal-Mart. I'm quite certain that I've blogged about my love for Wal-Mart in the past, but let me tell you... Wal-Mart in the USA? Amazing. Ryan and I cruised around the massive store loading up our shopping cart. Everything was so cheap in comparison to Canada, and our strong Canadian dollar made it feel like even more of a bargain. Before reaching the checkout we went through each and every item, trying to convince ourselves that we didn't need to own it. It worked for a few things, but we left with far more than we'd anticipated.

The next day it was finally time to begin the long journey home. We stopped for a couple of nights in Kelowna, where we enjoyed the beautiful weather and went on a 12 km hike... the most physical activity we'd had in weeks. Stocked up on fresh fruit, we set out for a full day of driving, eventually reaching home that evening. Our roadtrip was over, 9,000 kilometres later. We caught up with our parents and enjoyed a night of sleeping in our very own bed.

Our vacation wasn't over quite yet. We spent the weekend camping near beautiful Banff, eating campfire food and freezing in the Alberta weather. On Saturday we set out for a hike, battling exhaustion until we finally reached the summit of Sulphur Mountain. I watched in envy as gondolas full of people climbed the mountain above us. It was no easy task, but we felt proud of ourselves for taking the first step towards getting back into shape. The weekend ended and we returned home. Back to reality and the fact that we both have jobs starting in the near future. I've been a busy bee trying to finish up all of my pre-job requirements. I'm rather excited to start work again... maybe not the training portion, but I can't wait to hit the skies.

Life is busy and crazy and I'm loving every minute of it. I'd take this over summer in Dubai any day.