$8.28 Albertsons Trip

Went to Albertsons today to pick up a few things. Got everything below for $8.28.

Here's how:

Two 4 packs of Marcal Small Steps 2-ply toilet paper

$1.00/each at Albertsons

-2 $2/1 coupon from 10/18 Smart Saver (they adjusted the coupon down)=

FREE

1 single roll Marcal Small Steps Paper Towels

-coupon for 1 free roll of paper towels in 10/18 Smart Saver=

FREE

1 single box of Marcall Small Steps Tissues

-coupon for 1 free box of tissues in 10/18 Smart Saver=

FREE

4 boxes of General Mills cereals

4 for $10 at Albertsons

-2 $1/2 General Mills Cereals at coupons.com=

$8.00

TOTAL SAVINGS: $14.28

Cashier was a pain about adjusting the $2/1 coupons down to a dollar but she was old and had painted on eyebrows so I forgave her for it.

A light at the end of the Customer Service Tunnel

Ever since we moved I've had several really horrible experiences with customer service, particularly with customer call centers. The worst experience was with AT&T internet services. After we moved, they came out and hooked up our internet on a Monday, and the following Wednesday, they shut it off for no apparent reason. To make an incredibly long story short, Brett and I both spent hours on the phone with their customer care center trying to get the internet turned back on. We were told that the cause of the disruption in our service was due to an error on their end, but getting it turned back on was like getting healthcare reform approved. Finally, after it was turned on, I went online to pay our bill, but was given an error message that said because "changes" had been made to my account, I needed to re-register. I went through the same fiasco again, being transferred from operator to operator, being hung-up on and placed on eternal hold until I finally gave up. At that point, I wrote a letter to one of the executive vp's at AT&T in Texas. I assumed the letter would probably just get lost on some secretary's desk, if it ever made it past the mail room, so I was surprised when I received a voicemail from a lady in Atlanta responding to my letter. She was with Executive Escalations and was very polite and helpful. She credited our account for the entire month and told me if I had any further problems to contact her.

This really gave me a sense of accomplishment because I was proactive and it resulted in a credit on our account. I'm proactive all the time though, with little reward. Take last night at Wal-Mart, for instance. For weeks now the Great Value brand hamburger and hot dog buns have been priced .97 on the shelf, but they repeatedly ring up at $1.13. The cashier always adjusts it down for me, but they never make any effort to call a manager over or tell someone so that either a. the price on the shelf can be corrected or b. the price the register rings up can be corrected. This frustrates me, so last night I decided to go to customer service. I explained to the woman what was happening and she gave me this blank, I'm-off-in-an-hour-and-I-could-care-less look. She offered to adjust my receipt and I told her that had already been done, but that either Wal-Mart or their customers were getting screwed, and the issue needed to resolved. She told me the outside vendors change the prices on the shelf, at which point I told her it was a Wal-Mart brand, and she fumbled for words and then said she'd let someone know. Sure.....

Some Wal-Mart Finds and Bzz Agent!

After sitting on I-4 for about an hour and a half trying to get home, I had to go to Wal-Mart, which ironically gives me the same feeling as sitting in traffic on I-4. I did, however, find some good deals. I had two $3/1 coupons for any Fragrance Collection item by Glade, and the 2 oz. candles were $2.98 so that made them FREE!


I also had two $4/1 coupons for Glade Sense & Spray starter kits, which are regularly $8.99 and include the spray unit, a refill, and two AA batteries. Wal-Mart had them marked down to $5.00, so after my coupon, they were a buck each!


So here's your moral question of the day: Is it wrong to take all this stuff back to Wal-Mart without a receipt and get $16 bucks on a Wal-Mart gift card? Technically, the store still isn't out any money, but I think it's dishonest to purchase something on a coupon for the sole purpose of taking it back to make money on it. I also tend to think that if people continually do this type of thing, stores may tighten their coupon policies or stop taking coupons all together. What do you think?

When I got home, I found my Glade Sense & Spray BzzAgent kit waiting for me in the mail! BzzAgent is a word-of-mouth marketing website I joined (membership is free) to try new products and get free stuff. About two weeks ago they sent me an email asking if I wanted to join the "Glade Sense & Spray BzzCampaign" and receive a free starter kit. All I'm supposed to do is try it out and give an honest opinion of it to my friends and family, and to the online community at bzzagent.com. That isn't much of a commitment to get free loot! Plus, the BzzAgent kit came with four $4/1 coupons for the starter kits (which means I could potentially get $20 bucks on a Wal-Mart gift card-kidding, kidding!)

The Sense & Spray seems pretty cool. I usually use candles and plug-ins, but thought I'd give this a shot. In an effort to fulfill my obligation to BzzAgent, here are some things I notice about the product already:

1. CON: The spraying unit, though it does have a sleek design, is large and noticeable.

2. PRO: It's motion sensitive and locks for 30 minutes after each spray, so it's ideal for a bathroom.

3. PRO: I like that you can leave it and let it do it's thing, or press the button and spray it yourself.

4. PRO/CON: The refills are said to last 30 days, with about 10 sprays released per day, which is good mileage, but the refills cost about $3.49, which is high to me even if it does last 30 days.

I'll let you guys know how it goes after a few days of normal "bum traffic" in our bathroom!

Weekend Update

Parents were down for the weekend for the Avalon Park community yardsale. Mom, Melissa and I went out in the blazing heat for several hours to see what we could find. Got some cute stuff for the house, a brand new bottle of VS Pure Seduction lotion for $2, and a set of converter plugs for traveling for $1!

My mom also celebrated her 53 birthday on Saturday, and she looks fabulous! I hope I age as well as she has.

Made a trip to Walgreens on Friday afternoon and they were having their summer clearance. A pic of my "loot" is below. I paid a total of $12.19 for everything below. The baskets were like $1.25 each!






















We also figured out how to hook our computer up to our television this weekend. After several trips to Best Buy for needed cables, we successfully watched Dawn of the Dead last night via Hulu. We stopped about halfway through because of the f-bombs. If the only way you're grabbing the audience's attention is by peppering them with foul language, your movie probably isn't worth watching anyhow.

Free Eggs, no yokes!

Go to the site below and fill in your name and email address, and receive a coupon for a free dozen eggs (any brand) with your purchase of a dozen eggs!

http://www.goodeggproject.org/take-the-pledge/thank-you

Summer 2009

Since it has been months since my last post, I thought I'd do a brief recap of the summer: went to South Africa for a week with our friends, bought our first home, and that's about it! After all the angst concerning whether we'd get the house or not, I was approved on my own, meaning Brett didn't have to take on any additional debt (his student loans are all in his name only). We closed on September 17 and moved in the same night. We absolutely love it. We spent the first weekend attempting to be home improvement super heroes by installing our own cabinet hardware in the kitchen. it turned out pretty good! There is still so much to do, so much you don't think about when you live in an apartment; you need a water hose; you need a weed wacker; you need to buy air filters; you can't put chicken bones down the garbage disposal! There's a completely new attitude toward your living space-you care if you scuff the walls or if there are fingerprints on the fridge, because the walls and the fridge now belong to you.

We also had an awesome opportunity to go to South Africa this summer with our friends Ben and Melissa, who are originally from Johannesburg. It was the trip of a lifetime! We got to fly first class both ways for free, because of the boys' employment with Delta. Boy was it sweet! The flight was 15 1/2 hours and the seats laid down completely flat. They fed you CONSTANTLY and the food was incredible! The total cost for both of us to fly round trip in those same seats would have cost $18,000.00! Who would ever pay that?!

There is so much I could write about our trip, but it would take days and I just don't have the time. I took about 500 pictures and have only posted about 200 of them. If you'd like to see them, they are on my Facebook profile. We were blessed to be able to go on safari with Melissa's family so there are some really cool shots of "exotic" animals in their natural habitat! We would love the opportunity to go back, but the latest buzz is that Delta is considering selling the school, which would mean we'd lose our benefits. That's been the talk since we've moved here, though, so we'll see.

On a more somber note, I found out about two months ago that my x-husband, Nathan Hallisey, passed away. Though our relationship was poisoned with our addictions, I seldom think of the bad times anymore, and it was hard to accept his passing. Nathan was bright, quick-witted, and always willing to help out a friend. He loved his family and would have given the life he lost for any of them. Though we didn't keep in close contact, we exchanged hello's on Facebook from time to time, and I will miss watching and learning about the happenings of his life.

I hope to keep up with the blog again now that we've closed on the house and things have started slowing down again. I've started couponing and I'm anxious to share the deals I find so that perhaps others than find them, too!

Very Quick Update

Still working on getting that first house! We signed a contract on our "first pick" today, Savannah Park Townhomes at Heathrow. Link to virtual tours, etc. is here: http://www.realtourvision.com/tour/BU/tour.view.new.php?utl=BU-9695-JG0FY9-01

After their preferred lender gave me a glowing pre-approval, I found out yesterday, after making an appointment to sign the contract today, that I was suddenly no longer approved. Apparently, the lender pulled my credit again and my Bank of America Visa payment showed a monthly payment that was higher by $66.00. This is because I use that card to pay our bills, then pay it down by that same amount at the end of the month (thus resulting in the accumulation of reward points). I made a very large payment on the 23rd, which did not post to the account until the 26th. The lender pulled my credit on the 23rd, so the balance shown didn't reflect the large payment. Now I have gone just about mad about how a $66 payment increase (which I've already taken care of paid down to BELOW the payment she saw originally on my credit report) could disqualify me. In the end, the builder assured me they work with other lenders and could find someone to qualify me. So I signed the contract with a 30 day financing contingency. I should have been really excited today, but I wasn't. They gave me a bag full of booklets and paperwork to go through, but I'm not even going to touch it. I don't want to get any more emotionally attached than I already am if it turns out I can't get qualified. I ran my front and back end numbers on this and truthfully, if I do qualify for it, it truly will be a miracle.

They break ground on "our" house next week. I'm still looking at other properties in the meantime. I am afraid I got my hopes up for nothing :(

House Hunting, Mother's Day and P90X

If I've seemed MIA lately, it's because I've allowed two things into my life that are eating up a lot of my free time: house hunting and P90X. With interest rates low, my credit score higher than its ever been, and the real estate market being the best for buyers it might ever be in mine and Brett's lifetime, we've decided to buy our first home in Florida. This has meant evenings and weekends filled with MapQuest, model homes, and meeting our realtor to tour listings. It has unfortunately also meant that I've been spending every spare second online checking out listings, taking virtual tours, and searching the public records to find out how much they originally bought that house for. There is so much to know, and so much to consider. Should be buy a single-family home? Should we opt for a townhome or condo? Should we stay in Sanford, or move further out to DeBary, where our dollar might go farther? Can we afford the payments plus the association fee? Should we focus on new construction or look for a fixer-upper?

I've literally spent hours online looking for "the perfect place" that, obviously, doesn't exist. Then there's the issue of my credit. We're trying to qualify in my name alone, as Brett has already amassed a considerable amount of debt in his own name with student loans. My credit has been terrible since 2000. I attribute it to a number of things including not listening to my parents about getting into debt and, of course, that "drug" thing. When my mortgage broker initially pulled my credit last month, he determined I'd have to pay off the last remaining collection accounts that still showed on my report. I paid them off and got letters from all the creditors saying such. It boosted my credit score quite a bit, so I should be in good shape.

Another time-sucker the past 30 days has been P90X. If you aren't familiar, it's a 90-day boot-camp style training program designed to get you in the best shape of your life in 90 days. It comes with a nutrition guide, but I haven't been following it, as my goal wasn't to lose weight, just shape up. The workouts last an hour to an hour and a half six days a week and are absolutely grueling, which is the main reason I've stuck with it even this long. With other workouts I've tried, I might have broken a sweat, but at the end of the workout I never really felt like I had done all that much. After these workouts, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt I've burned calories and pushed my body to the absolute limit. My 30 day results are what I expected; I'm bigger all over. I've definitely gained some much needed muscle, but because I've been working so hard, I've also been eating a lot! This is supposedly normal, and my hunger and weight gain should level out during month two. The most impressive result I saw in my 30 day before and after pics was the magical "lift" the workouts have given my bottom! It's amazing!

Lastly, Brett and I went up to my parents' house for Mother's Day. Mom and I had a yard sale to raise money toward a down payment on mine and Brett's new place. It was a beautiful weekend, so we spent a lot of time outdoors. Here are some pics...

Juvederm Round 2

I got another tube of Juve this a.m. The last round still left me with fine wrinkles, and I wanted a complete fix. A friend of mine works for a dermatologist, and if you can believe it, I got an entire tube FOR FREE! This time, I opted not to have my face numbed. It was painful, but not bad, and when it's time to get it done again in a few years, I won't get numbed. Much easier to endure a little discomfort than a half a day with a numb face. However, I did have a random panic attack as the physician's assistant was finishing up. He had a little goop left so he put a bit in my chin where the crease is (no, I'm not self conscious about it, but it had to go somewhere!) and it hurt more than I expected, but again, nothing serious. It triggered a panic attack and I had to lie back and put my feet up-how embarrassing!

Here are the pics: original before, after 1 tube of Juvederm, and after 2 tubes. I am already bruising a bit but this guy did an awesome job!

Original Before

After 1 tube of Juvederm

After 2 tubes of Juvederm

Sweet Non-Rev Dreams

We'd planned to go to Manhattan this weekend, however New York has a late spring break and flight loads were awful, so we ended up going to Atlanta instead. Our friends Ben and Melissa, also non-revers, joined us. Things went seamlessly. We got 1st class on our flight from Daytona Beach (DAB) to ATL, which was my first time flying 1st class. I must say, it will spoil you. The leg room is incredible, the service impeccable, and you get as many snacks as you want! Once we landed, we got our rental car, which I'd booked the night before. The rate was $25.00, and with tax, it was supposed to be $38.00. Not so! We were taxed 34% (???) and with the mandatory insurance and refueling charge, it came to $110!! Next time, we'll take a shuttle or something! We went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, and then spent the day at Six Flags, where I proceeded to burst a blood vessel in my left eye on the Batman ride, while experiencing the positive g's. SWEET!

I remind you of what happened the last time I burst a blood vessel in my eye in 2005:

I'm looking forward to scaring small children for the next month or so.

Here are some "plane pics" of Daytona Beach, Stone Mountain, Georgia, and Atlanta.

We ended the day with dinner at Panera Bread in the Atlanta airport. We got 1st class on the ride home on the 1st flight we listed for. Finally, a little non-rev luck for me!

Easter 2009

A few pics from Easter 09 at my parents' house. Brett was the sickest I've seen him so that Sat. night we went to the urgent care to get him checked out. He has a sinus infection and got an antibiotic. The doc also told him he had a heart murmur. He's never been diagnosed with one, and it's quite a scare for us, as it could affect his ability to renew his 1st class medical, and without a first class medical, you aren't flying. He went to the doctor here in Florida once we got back and that doctor told him he did have a heart murmur, and scheduled him for an ecocardiogram tomorrow. Please pray for good results :)

I made Brett an Easter basket this year and made a candy trail from the couch to the kitchen where I sat it.

Gidgit got a brand spankin' new bone, which she proceeded to take outside and bury. It's the first time we've ever known her to bury or hide anything, and for a while we blamed my parents' dog of taking Gidgit's bone and hiding it. Later, my mom was in her garden and noticed some loose soil in one spot. A little digging uncovered Gidgit's "booty."

Weighing my Options

You'd probably never guess it to look at me, but I've struggled with my weight, or my perception of my weight, since I was 19. I've starved myself, exercised like crazy, dieted, and puked enough meals to feed a small African nation. The result has always been the same: I'm never happy.

19 year old anorexic Misty

21 year old Tubby Misty
28 year old, sober, hormone free Misty

As I've gotten older, I've accepted some things about my body: my legs will always be muscular, never skinny and bird-like; I will always put weight on below the waist first; my thighs will most likely always meet in the middle. It's the way I'm made, and I'm okay with it. I'm thankful that I HAVE legs and arms, and a functioning, healthy body. And yes, I know that I am thin, and fortunate to have been blessed with what seems to be one incredible metabolism!

So here's my beef: A little over a year ago I went off of birth control, because I thought it was making me crazy. That, combined with having stopped drinking 2 years ago resulted in my shedding about 17 pounds. The last few months, though, I've been having horrible mood swings, so I decided to go back on birth control. Immediately I gained 7 pounds in 3 weeks. 3 WEEKS!!!!! I know "I can afford it" and all that crap, but come on-would YOU willingly sign up for 7 extra pounds that you KNEW was a direct result of a medication?

So which is better-normal, non-hormone induced body weight with multiple personality-like mood swings, or 7 extra pounds of PURE lard and a positive attitude?!

I even purchased an exercise DVD last week, The Firm 30 Minute Firm and Burn, and have done it the whole week. I've been cutting calories, and keeping track of what I'm eating-the whole 9 yards. The early results? As usual, I build huge muscles in my legs, but don't burn the fat off them, so the muscle merely pushes the fat forward, making my legs look "bulky".

Oh it's a no win situation. No matter what size a woman is, I don't believe she can ever be content. It's so silly, all this fuss about appearance. It could all be altered in an instant by some sort of accident or trauma. Our bodies are not who we are, they're just the flesh-suit we live inside of.

So, if you're a woman, and you've learned the secret to body contentment, let me know how you did it!

Because of My iPhone

You may have heard of the movie "Because of Winn-Dixie" in which a series of events happen to a lonely little girl because of a loveable dog. This blog isn't about that. This blog is about a series of very frustrating, very unfortunate events that all occurred because of my iPhone. It begins with my first non-revenue flying experience this past Friday, which I'd taken off from work to fly to Chicago. An internet-based group of pilot wives I am a part of, http://www.pilotwivesclub.com/, was hosting their first face-to-face meet up there this weekend and I'd planned to attend. Meanwhile, Brett was hopping a jet to Indiana for the weekend to visit his cousins. In the interest of time and detail, I've decided the best way for me to present this sordid tale is by time-line.

Friday

6:00 a.m.-Brett leaves for the airport to fly to Indiana
8:00 a.m.-Brett boards jet, gets first class, heads to Cincinnati to connect to Indiana.
8:30 a.m.-I go to the dentist to get a temporary crown re-glued
10:00 a.m.-I arrive at airport, see that flight to ATL looks good, but connection to ORD (Chicago) looks like a no-go. The guy next to me at the gate overhears a conversation I have on my iPhone about possibly diverting to Milwaukee (MKE) from ATL and then driving to ORD. He tells me the flight leaving from the gate before mine (which he is on) is headed for MKE by way of Cincinnati. Call Brett. He’s in ATL boarding the flight to IN.
10:30 a.m.-Visit the incredibly rude gate agent and list for the Cincy flight.
11:14 a.m.-Cincy flight is a no-go. Visit incredibly rude gate agent again and get completely ignored. Wait for kinder gate agent to arrive, re-list for original MCO to ATL to ORD flight. Meet 9 year veteran flight-attendant recently retired with Lyme's disease on her way home from getting medical treatments. Chat with her while waiting for flight.
12:55 p.m.-Board plane to ATL-flight is full, so no first-class.
2:05 p.m.-Arrive in ATL at gate A19. Call Brett-he’s made it to IN. Meet Nicole (pilotwivesclub) who has just been bumped from an earlier flight to ORD at gate A20. Walk with her to re-booking station to try to list for MKE flight. (Still both currently listed for 2:55 ORD flight.) Rebooking agent will not list us for MKE flight, which departs about a half hour after the ORD flight.
2:30 p.m.-Back to gate A20. Meet up with Bec (pilotwivesclub) who is also listed for the 2:55 ORD.
2:45 p.m.-Brief discussion with Nicole, Bec, and a 21 year old girl (headed to Chicago to visit her sister and "go clubbin" for her birthday) about the differences between Blackberry (Nicole's choice) and iPhone (Misty's choice).
2:50 p.m.-Check voicemail on my iPhone. Note to self to call mom at next opportunity.
2:55 p.m.-ORD flight is, as expected, a no-go for all 3 of us. Move to gate D1A to try for MKE flight.
3:20 p.m.-Arrive at D gates and confirm we are listed for MKE flight. Looks good; looks real good-like we'll all 3 be on.
3:30 p.m.- Eat an orange; get juice and pulp all over myself, but I'm starving.
3:35 p.m.- Collect personal items and get ready to board. Call Brett to tell him I’ve made the flight-wait, where’s my iPhone?
3:36 p.m.-I really can’t find my iPhone?
3:37 p.m.- Seriously, I just had it.
3:38 p.m.-Furiously sort through carry on several times.
3:39 p.m.-Where could I have left it? What should I do? I need to call Brett. Should I go back to A20? Perhaps I left it there. Or at the orange stand. Or just down the terminal.
3:40 p.m.- Make irrational decision to go search for my iPhone. Tell the girls not to wait up, I’ll make it to ORD one way or another!
3:41 p.m.- Rush back to gate A20.
3:50 p.m.- Arrive at gate A20. No one is there. Sneak around counter but don’t see that my phone has been turned in.
3:52 p.m.- Back on the tram to gate D1A. I’ll never make it.
4:05 p.m.-Arrive at D1A. I can still see the plane, and the jet way is attached. Break out in a run.
4:06 p.m.-See gate agent walk out of jet way, back into the terminal, pulling the jet way door closed behind her. “Is Milwaukee done?!!” “Yep, that flight is out of here.” Debate whether to argue with her. Decide it is useless.
4:07 p.m.-Ask gate agent to check flights for me. Milwaukee-no good. Chicago-no good. South Bend-no good. Orlando-no good. Detroit-no good. Savannah-no good. Jacksonville, FL-no good. Orlando looks the least not good. I request she list me, with an upgrade (which means I get priority over everyone except paid passengers and emergencies).
4:15 p.m.-Move to gate A16. Back to the A gates. Stop by A20. New gate agent there. Has she seen my phone? Yes, someone turned in a phone about an hour ago, she gave it to the re-booking station.
4:20 p.m.-Wait in line at the re-booking station.
4:25 p.m.-Speak to the rude agent at the re-booking station. She goes into the back and looks for my iPhone. She advises me that lost and found bucket was dumped into the city lost and found cart about twenty minutes ago and I need to check with the airport lost and found, but she doesn’t know where it is.
4:30 p.m.-Consult airport map. Lost and found is in the main terminal. No time to get there. Should I go? Should I try for this flight? I should try for the flight.
4:35 p.m.-Try to locate a pay phone. Found one, insert quarter and dial Brett’s number. “Please deposit 75 cents”. No more change.
4:36 p.m.-Go to the nearest retail store-a sandwich shop. Wait in line 10 minutes to get change. Finally get to register. “Can I get change for a dollar?” “Oh you should’ve asked me that while I had the register open with the last customer, I can’t open it now.”
4:37 p.m.- Finally get change, go back to pay phone and call Brett.
4:40 p.m.- Lose it.
4:55 p.m.-Orlando flight is a no go. Even with my upgrade, I was number 54 on the standby list. I’m told I’ve been re-listed for the next flight out of ATL to MCO, departing from the E gates on the opposite end of the airport.
5:15 p.m.-Wait in line for more change.
5:30 p.m.-Locate pay phone, call Brett to let him know I missed the flight. He tells me he has tried to call lost and found, but they are closed until Monday. Great.
5:50 p.m.-Arrive at E gates. Wait-these are the international gates-I must be in the wrong place. Go to gate on seat request ticket. Next flight is to Madrid. Wait in line to speak to gate agent.
6:15 p.m.-Gate agent advises that flight has been relocated to different E gate. Move to said E gate.
6:20 p.m.-Do not see my name on the standby list. Go to rude gate agent to make sure I’m listed. He says I’m not, lists me, and says “we’ll see what we can do”.
6:30-7:45-Get bumped from several other flights to various locations. Decide to see if I can even locate lost and found. Go to main terminal (out of secure area). Locate payphone, call Brett. He’s listed me for a 9:15 p.m. flight to South Bend that I just might make.
7:50-8:15-Go back through security, back to A gates. Get a black bean cheeseburger and fries from Chile’s and eat dinner-I’ve walked miles around this airport and I deserve it.
8:20-Begin making way to departure gate for South Bend flight. Stop by Delta departures board to make sure flight is still on time. Flight has been cancelled.
9:00-Go get more change.
9:20-Search for hotel kiosk or call center to get a room for the night. Can’t find it. Call Brett to see if he can find a hotel for me. I’ll call him back in 10 minutes.
9:30-He’s found one, but the rate is $150.00. Tell him I’ll find a cheaper one and call once I get to the room.
9:45-Look for a phonebook. No one has a phonebook. Where can I find a phone book? No phonebooks by payphones anymore. Ask a nearby Delta Clear agent if he knows of a hotel I can call. He directs me to a wall of hotel placards with phones to contact them. There is, of course, a line.
10:00-Begin calling hotels. No vacancy. No vacancy. No vacancy. No vacancy. VACANCY. The Sleep Inn, book room, call for shuttle.
10:15-Outside, wait for shuttle-it is FREEZING!
10:30-Hop shuttle along with two seasoned Delta pilots, who are good company and allow me to vent about my first non-rev flying experience.
10:35-Arrive at hotel, call Brett, and go to bed.

I’ll stop with the time line at this point. After I got to the hotel, I had Brett call the girls (pilotwivesclub) to tell them where I was. They called me shortly after, and suggested some alternate flight routes to Chicago for tomorrow. I wanted to go, but was leery of traveling to cities I didn’t know without my iPhone. Blast you, iPhone!! How week I am without you! If, upon realizing I’d lost my phone, I’d reacted rationally and not hyperventilated thinking of being without it, I would have been well on my way to MKE, and then on to Chicago. Nevertheless, the next morning, after sharing my continental breakfast with one of the Delta pilots from the day before, I headed off to the airport to try, try again. I rode the shuttle in with Rick (pilot from day before), a pilot wife I didn’t know and her mother-in-law, and some skeevy Delta pilot, obviously impressed with himself, who “never flies non-rev unless forced to.” It was great to be able to chat with other non-revers and share my frustrations. Each of them had their own non-rev nightmare, but all said that flying non-rev wasn’t typically that difficult. Skeevy pilot suggests that I didn’t get a flight because I was wearing flip-flops. Kick rocks, Skeevy pilot, I never wear anything but flip-flops unless forced to.

I got to the airport and arrived at my gate with no problems or issues. I was feeling rather embarrassed by my reaction to losing my phone the day before. Ashamed that I’d become so attached to a stupid device that I actually missed a weekend with the girls in order to find it. I begin to insert Twizzlers into my mouth for comfort. As I am rethinking the events of the day before, I notice the elderly lady seated next to me, missing half of her left index finger, and wearing a walking boot on her left foot, digging through her carry on baggage rather hurriedly. It is obvious she has misplaced something, but I don’t pay much attention. She’s in her 80’s, so I assume she’s lost her teeth or perhaps a bottle of medication. After a good search, she heads to the gate agent, speaks with her briefly, and the gate agent hands her the telephone. She makes a call and hobbles to her seat, quite flustered. Then I hear her mumble something that just about makes me laugh out loud-“Stupid cell phone-who needs them anyway!” Turns out, she left her cell phone at her hotel that morning. As she begins to tell me how crippled she feels without it, I feel my shame melt away, and find myself commiserating with her.

I made the flight to South Bend that morning, and had a wonderful day with Brett’s cousins exploring Indiana. Some pictures are below. On our return home, we made it to Atlanta, but still couldn’t get to Orlando. We ended up flying into Daytona Beach and having friends pick us up.

I think I got a crash-course in non-rev flying. I’m sure there will be many more horror stories to tell in what I hope will become my many travels. In several years, time will coat this experience with a golden glaze, and it will become just another funny story to tell.

Lovely South Bend Regional. Very small airport. Even has it's own tornado shelter.

The street Brett's cousins live on.

The plant that Brett's cousin Jodi works at. When we stopped to take a picture, some jerk pulled up and started questioning why we were on "private property."

Brett's cousins Josh, Courtner, and SarahJodi and his new baby, Chloe.
Jodi and his semi-new baby, Adam! Stephanie, Jodi's wife, Adam, and Courtney
A new 'stache for the collection. "Steakstache"
Downtown South Bend, Indiana

Notre Dame CampusBrett and I at Notre Dame
Now we can both say "yeah, we went to Notre Dame"

"Touchdown Jesus" on Notre Dame Campus

The Absolute Joys of Womanhood

It's 1:16 a.m. on Wednesday and I'm awake. Several years ago, this wouldn't be out of the ordinary, however I'm in bed by 10:30 most every night these days. I'm awake right now because my body is confused. Three weeks ago, after dealing with what seemed like violent mood swings for several months, I decided to go back on birth control in hopes that the hormones would "level me out." WRONG-O! Instead I feel even more crazy, IF that is even possible. Each morning I wake up has been like opening Pandora's Box; will I be playing the role of crazy Misty, sad Misty, happy Misty, angry Misty, mellow Misty, etc.? I've also gained 7 pounds in 3 weeks. That kind of weight fluctuation could seriously leave me with stretch marks! And now, the issue of sleeplessness. My body is exhausted, but my brain is wide awake, though you can guaranty it won't be in the morning, when it's time to go to work. My stomach hurts, I'm constipated, and I've got a whole host of other physical issues I won't get into for the benefit of any men who might stumble across this posting. Overall, I am MISERABLE, and the past few days I've been unable to put on the happy face that we women are expected to wear whilst dealing with our hormonal challenges lest we field the same question from every soul we come in contact with; "Time of the month, hun?"

I hate the idea of taking hormones in general, so I give this birth control 2 more months. Hopefully my waistline and energy level can take it.

Seriously, Dr. Phil?

The Octomom-just drop it. I know you're only covering it because you're "all about the kids" but after a month of shows featuring her and her unfortunate brood of diaper-fillers, one starts to get the impression that you're (gasp) capitalizing on her celebrity! The woman had 8 babies on top of however many she already had. We'll probably end up paying for her to raise them as we fund government aid programs with our tax dollars, but we do that everyday anyhow for crackhead moms, heroin moms, hooker moms, etc. I don't know why everyone has jumped on the 8-baby bandwagon, but I sure wish the wagon would pull outta town.

Here's something "octo" and much more entertaining.



Well...it has 8.....legs?

More Botox/Juvederm Before and Afters

Here are a few more before and after pics. I admit I photoshop'd a couple acne scars/bumps out of them both; hey, they're WAY close up!

Before

After (taken Sunday, March 22)

It's amazing the things you notice about yourself when you look at your own picture long enough. Who knew I had a crooked nose? (no, I am not considering a nose job AT ALL!!) I just never noticed it was slightly crooked!

Still not real impressed with the Botox, but the website does say 4-7 days. I can still scowl, but not as well.

Faye Dunaway

Let me go ahead and say this stuff for you and get it out of the way:

1. You are incredibly vain.

2. You don't need it!

3. Wow...there are hungry children out there.

Feel better? Great! Now you can enjoy viewing my before and after "Juvederm" pictures knowing that I know that you know that we both know gettin' injections is a completely self-indulgent act of vanity!

The pics below are my before and after. Please note that my entire face was numb in my "after" picture, so I do appear a bit slack-jawed. I'm also a bit swollen, and obviously I have several red marks where the actual injections went in. However, I wanted to be able to show how I looked IMMEDIATELY after the procedure. I will take another "after" picture in a few days to show any bruising I may have, and also once more after that to show the finished product.

BEFORE

AFTER

I am already extremely pleased with the results. My parenthesis lines literally vanished in what took about 30 minutes. The doctor told me the results would last anywhere from a year, to a year and a half. The procedure was completely painless. The doctor was an oral surgeon, and the shots he used to numb my face were the exact same shots they use to numb you for dental work, and are injected into your gums from the inside of your mouth in the same manner. They even numb your gums before they inject the shots. Once your face is completely numb, and I mean completely numb, the doctor marks your face, and takes about 3 minutes to inject the Juvederm and smooth it out. You see results immediately.

I also got Botox today. I got 15 units injected between my eyebrows for the "11" lines. You are not numbed for Botox, nor do you need to be. The needle they use is incredibly small and aside from some very mild burning upon injection, there is no discomfort. I gotta tell ya, so far I'm not real impressed with it. It doesn't feel or look any different. Granted, it is supposed to take 2-4 days for the Botox to "relax" your muscle, thus disabling you from frowning, which disables the wrinkle. I guess I just need to be patient. I can still frown and furrow my brow with ease. We'll see how it goes in a few days, and I'll post pics at that time, though it would probably be more effective to post "after" pics in about a month, as it takes about that long to fully see results. Botox is supposed to last me about 6-8 months.

So there you have it; I'm becoming "well preserved". If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask.

Hobo Dreams

Yesterday was one of those days that reminds you why movies like Office Space and shows like The Office are so popular: working stinks-it stinks real bad. What it really comes down to, is that work has you by the short hairs because it affords you the things you enjoy having in your life like stable income, a comfortable home, clothing, food in your cabinets, and the many frivolous things we also enjoy. Therefore, you have to go to work everyday and endure being treated like a sub-human by people you consider to be sub-human, and do so all with a willing and pleasant attitude, so that at the end of the day you can drive your fuel-efficient economy class car to your cookie-cutter house in your covenant-restricted neighborhood, pop open a cold one, sink into a leather chair you are making interest free payments on (for a year, at least) and think, "Man, this is the life."

Kind of makes you rethink panhandling, doesn't it?

Graduations, Company, and Updates, Oh My!

This past week Brett F I N A L L Y graduated from DCA's Standardizations Class and is now officially a contributing member of society once more. Hooray for a double income again! I just paid $500 on our "big" credit card; man did that feel good!

We found out Brett passed on Tuesday morning, and my parents came down Tuesday night to attend his graduation Wednesday morning. There were a total of six students in his graduating class, and I swear you have never seen six guys smile bigger. It has been a grueling twenty-two months of stress, studying, flying, and creative bill-paying.

The graduation ceremony was nice. Nothing major, but the boys had their families/significant others there and they were each given their wings, diploma, name tags and epaulets. A couple of Brett's former instructors were there, including the one that cut his shirt after his first solo flight. The ceremony lasted about thirty minutes, and they had some dang good cake, which I guess was supposed to make the $115k in student loan debt worth it. Below are some pictures. To see the full size images, you have to go to my Facebook page.

While all this has been going on with Brett, I've been developing a new hobby! My mom has tried for years to teach me to sew, but I've never been interested. She recently got a new machine, and I got her old one. Here's a few pics of a bag I made. The stitching is pretty hideous, but I'm proud of it nonetheless!

Lastly, the rocket launched tonight, and I got some pretty cool pictures with my new camera. All I need now is a gigantic telephoto lens, and I'll be set. Here are a few pictures I took behind our apartment. I didn't auto fix them because I took them on the night setting to preserve the actual amount of daylight left.


I'll have to edit this one and repost, but this is the moment where the two booster rockets (?)that fall off, fell off and you can see them in the pic.

Standz flight is DONE!

Though we won't "officially" know if Brett passed or failed it until tomorrow, he is pretty confident that it will be a pass. It went very well for him and we are both thankful it's just OVER! Tomorrow he has to do a 15 minute presentation, which is pass/fail, and take another written exam. Then Tuesday he has a final. THEN THAT IS IT AND WEDNESDAY HE WILL GRADUATE!!!!! DCA sure knows how to draw things out. (p.s. Brett is holding a homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookie in his left hand. I had a LOT of nervous energy on Friday night!)

To the Saint that parked next to me in the City Parking Garage today and left me the following note:

I sincerely apologize. You are correct, I was double-parked. I understand how frustrating this can be as the car to my left was also double parked. Next time this happens, however, and you leave a handwritten note, please consider the following:

1. I will never know who I have so greatly wronged unless you sign your name, you arrogant, spineless, parking Nazi.

2. If you're going to leave a nastygram, do it right. A used kleenex, and I mean REALLY used, would have convinced me of your anger a hundred times more than a clean napkin; heck, you'd probably have earned my respect.

3. Thanks for being so open about your subnormal level of intelligence. Only a half-wit would surmise that a lousy, passive-aggressive "napkin slam" affixed to someone's windshield would actually remedy the behavior they are displeased with.

Kick rocks and park somewhere else next time. There are 5 whole levels in that garage, you only made it to level 2.

New Blog Name

When I first started this blog, "The Death of Disguise" seemed like a really catchy way of describing the content I planned to include on my blog; all my personal business and then some! But, as with any decision made with haste, I am not happy with this title. Actually, I hate it! In fact, I hate telling people about my blog because the name drives me crazy.

As I have begun to delve further into the blogosphere, I've learned you can actually buy the domain for your blog; in other words, the ".blogspot" portion of the web address would be obsolete. It's fairly inexpensive, and I've decided I'd like to do it. That said, I need to come up with a new name because even though www.deathofdisguise.com is available, I am NOT going to buy it!

I would LOVE suggestions from you all (including those of you who read and never comment, you know who you are-fyi, you can make anonymous comments without ever registering for blogger).

Here are the only requirements for blog title ideas:

1. The name, obviously, has to be available.
2. It should sum up my entire life and the type of content I include on the blog in about two to three words; easy, right?

Help!

UPDATED: TOMORROW IS STANDZ DAY!

Well, I wish I had better news, but Brett's flight didn't go as well as it could have today. He's not eliminated from the program, but he has to do a review flight next week and then go back up to redo a few parts of his STANDZ flight on Friday. He'll still be doing all the STANDZ week activities, he just won't have his "hire flight" finished until next Friday. There is much more to tell, but today has been emotionally draining for both of us. Once again, we'll have to wait some more, while DCA pulls our marionette strings this way and that like a couple of puppets! But again, this is not bad news, just unexpected. Above all, God's will is always accomplished. He is fair, he is just, and to him be all the glory.

EARLIER
Brett's STANDZ week starts tomorrow with his STANDZ flight from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Please keep him in your prayers! I'll update tomorrow evening with the results, and of course, the checklist!


Meanwhile....here are a few pics from my birthday, taken with my new camera, the Canon Rebel XS!

Brett

Mom and Dad

Gidgie-laying the warm towels

Me, sick...but not too sick to open presents!

Too Close for Comfort

When I started my car up last Wednesday morning, I caught the tail end of a news story involving a student pilot and flight instructor who were found dead in their plane in a heavily wooded area in a neighboring county. There are several flight schools here in central Florida, so I started digging in to my chocolate eclair, not really worried about it. I turned the radio up, just in case, and then I heard the newscaster describe the plane as a single engine Cirrus. That stopped the chunk of eclair in the middle of my throat; the only flight school that flies that model aircraft out of Sanford-Orlando is DCA. I immediately called Brett, who was at home asleep; but had I seen our friend Ben's car in the parking lot as I left this morning? I faintly remember his car being there, but was it just a figment of my imagination or had I actually seen it? Brett confirmed that Ben wasn't scheduled for any flights that a.m. and that his car was outside in the lot. Within a few hours, however, Brett called to let me know the names of the victims. It was an instructor that Brett had flown with before, with a student finishing up his CFI-I rating, in a plane that Brett had flown before. The instructor, the student, and the plane all completely gone, just like that. They'd gone up Tuesday afternoon for a routine lesson, and crashed within a half hour. There is still some discrepancy as to why their plane was not reported missing by the school until 9:00 p.m. that night, though it was due back at 3:30 p.m. They weren't found until early Wednesday morning.

Obviously I know that this is a risk involved in the aviation industry, though statistically speaking it is still more likely that Brett will die by some means other than an plane crash. I also know that "it is appointed unto men once to die, and then judgment," and that when it is God's will to take Brett, he will do so, whether by plane crash, sickness, or any other means. Still, seeing photos of Brett's classmates' lifeless bodies slumped over in a wrecked aircraft is unnerving. Our bodies are so fragile, and it is amazing to me that we live as long as we do.
Our lives are here and gone in the blink of an eye, and we fill that blink with as many mind-numbing, useless activities as we can in order to bury the reality that every second could be our last, and we are just not strong enough emotionally to deal with that fact. Our minds can't comprehend the finality of death, nor can we imagine burying our pride to the degree necessary to relate to every other person we come in contact with as though we would never see them again. That kind of life would be so different, so "uncomfortable."

Brett has flown twice since the crash. I was a bit nervous during his first flight, but luckily my parents were here so I had some emotional support. I am not fearful of my own death, but I am fearful of the deaths of my loved ones that die before me, though I know to live in fear is wrong. I pray that God will continue to strengthen my reliance on him, so that when and if I am faced with the death of a loved one, I can rest in the assurance that his will is perfect, and he is just.

The Sweetest Thing....

If you've been following my blog for any amount of time, you are most likely familiar with the events surrounding Valentine's Day last year (see "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" February 2008 archives). As I expected, this year was much better. There were definitely a few twists and turns, like the flowers Brett ordered online to be delivered to me on Friday arriving in a UPS box, and my having ordered flowers for my boss's girlfriend from the same deceptive website (don't use proflowers.com), but aside from those tiny snafus, this was the best Valentine's Day I've ever shared with anyone. I'll quickly say that not only did I get 2 dozen beautiful multicolor roses at work (whether they arrived in a shipping box or not), but I was also welcomed home by a sweet card, a FULL size Whitman's Sampler (again, see V-Day blog 2008), a stuffed "Domo" robot, a giant Reese's heart, a gift card to Jo Ann's, and a card from the dog. Then, to top it all off, my sweet husband, who was sick with a cold, made cupcakes for me with frosting, sprinkles and all! (He assured me his hand washing was diligent!) The cupcakes spelled out "I heart U BE", as he was planning to spell out "BE MINE" but the frosting proved to be a difficult medium to work with, and "E" was as far as he got! Too cute!! He'd also picked up dinner from one of my favorite sandwich shops so no one had to cook. What more could a girl ask for?

Surprisingly, however, these efforts pale in comparison to the gift Brett gave me, without even knowing it, Saturday night.

We'd planned to go out to a nice dinner, but Brett's energy was sapped from fighting his cold, so we decided to stay in. I'd been scrapbooking all afternoon, Brett was watching tv, and we were generally just enjoying being at home with nothing to do. Suddenly, out of the blue, a feeling I now encounter only on rare occasions swept over my body, fully engulfing my thoughts and actions: an intense craving for alcohol. In those moments, I become a different person; the person I once was; conniving..... anxious..."crazed." I immediately pushed aside my scrapbooking materials and perched myself on the couch near Brett. For the next hour or so, I proceeded to exhaust all my best efforts to convince Brett we should make tonight "special" by going to get a bottle of wine. The lies and justifications that poured from my lips sicken me to think about. Even as I said them, I could feel the slime of the lifestyle they accompany wrap around me like a straight jacket.

Brett never budged. He never enabled. He never permitted. He did everything right. He didn't say much at all; he didn't have to. Even in this state of mental conflict, I knew what I was doing was wrong and that putting Brett in this impossible situation was unfair and toxic to our marriage. He endured the 2 hours of hostility his firmness with me had awarded him, and he never lashed out, never got mad, never questioned me. He remained calm....steady....and stable. And when I finally apologized, he forgave, and he loved me.

If you've never been on the receiving end of an addict's behavior, you may never understand the difficulty in dealing with such. An addict will make you feel like an unloving, uncaring, hypocondriac and will do whatever it takes for you to enable and approve of their desired behavior. To stand firm and say "no" to an addict, is the hardest, and most expressive way to love them. Because of Brett, I was sober yesterday. He stood in between me and what has been one of the fiercest and most destructive adversaries in my life. He is my hero, and I love him so very, very much.

That, is the sweetest thing.

You're Invited....to Hell Week!

As expected, Brett received his invitation to STANDZ week or "Hell Week" as it has been dubbed. On February 27, he'll start off with a test flight, then he'll have a written test every day of the following week. If you fail even one test, you're out; you don't even get to finish the rest of the week! (How rude!) You do, however, get a second chance on the flight, if you fail the first time. I will be sure to keep everyone updated.

Brett didn't want me to post this picture, as he's come down with a cold today and is not feeling well, but I think he still looks great! (Gidgit (doggie) thinks he looks great, too!)

UPDATE: Interview Results

IT WENT GREAT! And although his interviewers couldn't "officially" tell him he'd receive an invitation letter to STANDZ week, one of them did tell him that "he interviewed really well and as far as getting the letter...he wouldn't lose any sleep over it!" So we're anticipating receiving the invite tomorrow or Friday! It's STILL not a completely done deal until we get that letter though, and even then, he's got to get through STANDZ week, which starts on February 27. Thank you for following us and keeping us in your prayers!

As an aside....I've eaten so much today it's unreal. I started my day off with a chocolate eclair from 7-11 that I swear weighed a full pound! If I do any more "emotional eating" I'm going to blow up!

Oh geez! Is anyone watching the CBS Evening News report regarding the struggling aviation industry? Way to pop my balloon!


EARLIER

Tomorrow is the big day! Brett has his interview with DCA which will include several aptitude tests and then an interview with a panel of DCA's hiring personnel. I will post the results under this same blog heading tomorrow evening as this is an all day event. Please keep him in your prayers!

Here's a picture of him the day of his LAST job interview, with RPC Contracting, Inc. in Kitty Hawk, NC in 2005. We (I) thought he'd be in construction management forever! Obviously, it's been a different story, and an exciting journey from that day to this one. I am forever proud of him for being brave enough to follow his dream (and courageous enough to present the idea of doing so to me!)

How to Treat a Recovered Alcoholic in 6 Easy Steps!

Sobriety has taught me many things, one of which is that people who haven't dealt directly with addiction on a very personal level do not know how to act around recovered alcoholics. Everyone's always ready to "fix" an alcoholic and coax them into sobriety, but the minute they are sober the attitude changes and things get....weird. Events that the addict might once have been invited to, say, girls' night outings, boys' night poker evenings, holiday partys, or even dinner engagements, are now completely absent from the recovered's calendar. This is because the addict's friends cared enough about them to want to see them get help, maybe even to participate in an intervention by which means the addict would receive detox and therapy; but the truth is, these "friends" do not care enough about the addict to make life changes necessary to maintain the relationship with them (ie: no longer drinking until the recoveree has enough sober time under their belt to handle social situations that involve alcohol, or simply to no longer drink). What's a Superbowl party without beer? What's girls' night out without yummy dessert wine? Why should they have to give up alcohol? After all, they aren't the addicts! While this is true, to exclude the addict is not only hurtful, in many cases, it can lead to relapses in past behaviors. Though one would think that sobriety is the safest thing for an addict (which rationally, it very obviously is), sobriety can be extremely dangerous for addicts, especially for the first 6 months to a year. During this time, the addict is subconsciously, and sometimes quite consciously, determining whether an alcohol-free lifestyle truly trumps the situation they were in whilst addicted to the drink. Without the continued support of loving and caring friends and family, who were constantly around them, continually coaxing them to rehabilitate when they were addicted, the addict might begin to think that they receive this type of love and support only while acting out their negative behaviors, thus promoting their relapse.

I have been very blessed in my life to be supported by a family that has made the choice to be sober with me. I can tell you first hand that this decision was VITAL to my early recovery. Now, with the benefit of several sober years under my belt, I still prefer social situations where alcohol is not involved, but this is mainly because of the way I'm treated in these situations. It's as though I was pinned with a scarlet "A" (for "alcoholic" in this situation) and just as in the story from which this illustration was pulled, no one knows what to say or do around me. I'm surrounded by a fog of shame that others either think that I should feel for myself, or shame that they feel and project onto me. Drinks go behind backs. Conversations turn to whispers. Awkward smiles are exchanged, and then, my favorite part!

"W-Would you like a Perrier?" Oh why yes, thank you, nothing relaxes me after a hard day like a prissy bottle of fizzy water!

After one or two of these type of scenarios, you start to notice a downward trend on your social calendar. No more calls. No more invites. You are worse off now than you ever were drinking.

SO: Here is a list of what you can do to help promote continued sobriety and continued happiness in the life of an addict you might know.

1. Addicts are normal people; treat them as such.
2. Alcoholic, recovery, addiction, sobriety-these are not bad words. No one died; you can feel safe using these words in a dialouge with an addict, they won't (most of them) bite you.
3. That said, ASK the addict what they do and do not feel comfortable with; ie "I'm having a get together Saturday night and was thinking of having a bottle of wine; will that be too much for you? If so, I can absolutely exclude it." (Note I didn't say exclude "YOU" but exclude "IT")
4. If you are in a situation with an addict where alcohol is present, verify with them that they're cool, and then leave it alone. If they're cool, they're cool, managing any temptations they may be experiencing, and enjoying themselves. Allow them to rebuild trust.
5. As a follow up to number 3; if you're having a get together and the addict says it's okay to have alcohol there, PROVIDE AN OPTION! It amazes me the lack of beverage choices people keep in their homes! In other words, the option to alcohol shouldn't be tap water!
6. This is the most important! You have chosen to play an active role in an addict's life! This means you will have to compromise your plans/lifestyle to accommodate. It isn't selfishness on the part of the addict, it's just a fact. We compromise our lifestyles for tons of other things worth far less than a life on a daily basis; our jobs, social commitments, etc. This is no different.

And one final nugget to marinate on: If it seems too ridiculous or too difficult for you to make these types of changes to accommodate an addict you are close too, you should examine YOUR relationship with alcohol as well.

RESULTS: FAA ORAL AND CHECK RIDE TODAY!

IT'S A PASS!

I am so very proud of him! He has really put forth so much effort this past year and a half and I know he is happy that this leg of his trip to the airlines is over. As am I! We are one step closer to having another income! He will turn in his application and resume to DCA this week, and his interview will most likely be next Tuesday...which means I'll have to revise his little chart again!

As a reward (?) for doing so well today, I allowed (forced) Brett to perch (scrunch up) atop my brand new (gently used) zebra chest/stool that I got at a yard sale this past weekend while at my parent's house. Isn't it so cute? I got it for $5! It is currently housing my sewing notions, as I also brought home the sewing machine my mother passed down to me when she got a new one for Christmas. I love new hobbies!

Earlier Today

Brett has his FAA oral exam and check ride today so please pray that it goes well! If he passes, they will schedule him for an interview (for the position of instructor) at DCA. This would also mark his LAST DAY AS A STUDENT!! I am so excited for him, but very nervous at the same time.
I've also scoured the internet looking for regional airlines with low flight minimums to see just how long he'll need to instruct before he can transition. From the looks of things, nobody's hiring!!! Brett is 34; we need to get this flight career thing going!!!
Sigh...patience is a virtue!!! I'll be sure to update later with test results.

CFI-I End of Course Flight Results

Another victory!

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be DCA unless it took twice as long as it was supposed to take, so I have adjusted Brett's chart accordingly. He will most likely be up for his FAA oral exam and check ride on the same day early next week.

Meanwhile, amid tales of furloughed pilots and airline hiring freezes, I remain supportive and not at all negative, looking forward to what I'm sure will be an "exciting" future! All kidding aside, I am truly excited to see what the future brings. I'm up for a challenge and an adventure.