....."Well, I have officially been out of Flight Attendant training for exactly 2 weeks today! I cannot believe how fast time is flying. It feels like life is just flying by me and for the last two and a half months I haven't had a second to sit and reflect on all that I have accomplished and be put through and learned.
Over the last two months my life has turned upside down in more ways than one and now that I have the time and freedom to handle it, I am slowly sorting through everything and learning so much about myself and being reminded of who I am and being shown what all God has done in my life and finally seeing how all those things over the last two years have been small things piecing together my journey to where I'm at. It's pretty mind blowing.
These last two months taught me that there was a whole different level of stress that I didn't know about. People truly will never fully understand why Flight Attendant training is so hard unless they go through it themselves. When they told us that you will meet your life long best friends in training, I thought I already had with my roommate. 9.5 weeks later, my closest friends are four people I never would have expected, but love to death.
I became comfortable sitting in a cafeteria by myself, because let's be honest, when your with the same 65 people morning, noon, and night, and you eat, sleep, drink and breath with same said people, you become comfortable with your alone time being in public. Think it's weird to sit in a restaurant alone.. NOT EVEN SLIGHTLY.
I've learned that when you are told in the harshest way that someone thinks you can't do something without them as a crutch, you find a whole new strength you never new you had and you push through unbelievable obstacles all on your own. I have uprooted myself from everything I know and am comfortable with. I have said goodbye to my friends back home for God knows how long. I have gone two months without a pay check of any kind and I have managed to support myself the whole way through without a single melt down (not even kidding).
I've become comfortable tearing up in front of other people and become more emotional than I ever care to admit.
I complain far less then I used to. At this point things happen and all I can think is "Palm Trees"....
Almost 4 months ago I wrote the above, some how it never actually got posted. Odds are I fell asleep on a layover and completely forgot....
Now, it has been almost 6 months since I left Virginia to set out on this crazy adventure, the not so glamorous life of a flight attendant. Haha, 2 weeks after graduation I hadn't had a meltdown yet. I'd say the meltdown came when I had to call home to ask my parents for help financially. Something I have always prided myself in never having to do. But when you have bills to pay and you can't pick up anymore trips because you are required to have 10 days off a month and you've eaten the last box of Mac n Cheese, THAT is when you officially have to suck it up, swallow your pride and call home and admit defeat. My parents have been amazing doing what they can to support me through these last few months. It has absolutely been an adjustment. I went from being able to spend money and not having to worry about anything to literally counting pennies and praying I can make it to the 15th or the 31st without calling home.... that hasn't happened yet. Mom and Dad have had to swoop in multiple times at this point, but I've gotten to the point that sometimes you have to ask for help and not that I'm at all okay with it still, but things could be so much worse and would be if I didn't call home.
In the last 4 months since FA Graduation I have learned the hardest of lessons, cried the hardest because I miss home and being broke ROYALLY sucks, cried because of how hard I was laughing with Grace and Kala, my jaw has dropped straight to the ground hearing some of the trash that has happened to us, I have learned to appreciate the simple things in life, I have gotten back in touch with the girl I once was that just enjoyed not having to spend money and instead enjoys the outdoors and venturing to new areas, whether it be a park on the other side of Dallas or Lake Grapevine, and I have made some of the best most unforgettable memories with my best friends... all because we are so broke and having to entertain ourselves in the most creative of ways.
One day when we are all hanging out and reminiscing of the "post graduation" days our kids will be so mortified and embarrassed at some of the things their moms did to A) entertain, B) threw together for dinner on a layover or even at home (because that's what was left) or C) how much debt we racked up in such a short period of time and how fast our credit scores tanked because of said debt. But we will be able to laugh at ourselves because all of this ever even happened and at some point we finally made it out of this forever deep hole we have dug. We still aren't there. The light is at the end of the tunnel, we just still can't see it, but we know its there.... somewhere. And that's what we are holding onto at this point, because quite frankly we can't afford to hold onto anything else. HA!
At times I really do miss my old job, but really if I'm completely honest with myself, I just miss the paychecks. I can honestly say if I absolutely adore my job and that's all that keeps me from running home... how much I absolutely love what I do. Not many people ever experience a love and a passion for their job. Most people spend there lives working because it's a means to an end. I wake up every morning and I'm happy and I look forward to going to work and I can't wait to see who I will be working with and I can't wait to interact with my passengers. At work I am 100% myself, that's probably both a good and a bad thing to be totally honest. I get a little too bold sometimes, but all the time I am having an absolute blast, and I always ALWAYS come home with a story.
I have met some of the most interesting, stubborn, rude, awkward, amazing, friendly people I could EVER meet, and I could have only ever met them by being in a tin tube. For example, I had an older lady (and by older I mean my grandmother older) compliment me on how I do my make up last month. So we got to talking about make up and various brands. She told me she would give me the name of a lipstick primer she swears by. And she did, she wrote down her name and phone number and the brand and offered the extra to me, because she always carries an extra in her bag. The SWEETEST passenger I have ever encountered. In June I had a little girl named "Elise" come up to first class with Kye and I and she wanted to help serve the fresh baked cookies to our First Class passengers. Before she did the last row I pinned on my wings and told her she was now officially a junior flight attendant. Nothing will warm your heart like seeing a 7 year old beam with excitement when she gets her first set of wings. It was absolutely precious and that is a moment I will never forget.
I've been coast to coast and have figured out where I never want to go again and where I would love to go back and explore some more. At some point I've going to enjoy my travel privileges more than Nicholas gets to enjoy his... but until then I'm enjoying going back and forth between my two homes and going home with Grace, where we can hangout and enjoy knowing the roads we are on and the free things that there are to do.
Aside from work and traveling! I am officially a Texan, as of August 6th!! Everything has been switched over to Texas. Doing everything I can to not come down with big hair. Yikes.
Now, it has been almost 6 months since I left Virginia to set out on this crazy adventure, the not so glamorous life of a flight attendant. Haha, 2 weeks after graduation I hadn't had a meltdown yet. I'd say the meltdown came when I had to call home to ask my parents for help financially. Something I have always prided myself in never having to do. But when you have bills to pay and you can't pick up anymore trips because you are required to have 10 days off a month and you've eaten the last box of Mac n Cheese, THAT is when you officially have to suck it up, swallow your pride and call home and admit defeat. My parents have been amazing doing what they can to support me through these last few months. It has absolutely been an adjustment. I went from being able to spend money and not having to worry about anything to literally counting pennies and praying I can make it to the 15th or the 31st without calling home.... that hasn't happened yet. Mom and Dad have had to swoop in multiple times at this point, but I've gotten to the point that sometimes you have to ask for help and not that I'm at all okay with it still, but things could be so much worse and would be if I didn't call home.
In the last 4 months since FA Graduation I have learned the hardest of lessons, cried the hardest because I miss home and being broke ROYALLY sucks, cried because of how hard I was laughing with Grace and Kala, my jaw has dropped straight to the ground hearing some of the trash that has happened to us, I have learned to appreciate the simple things in life, I have gotten back in touch with the girl I once was that just enjoyed not having to spend money and instead enjoys the outdoors and venturing to new areas, whether it be a park on the other side of Dallas or Lake Grapevine, and I have made some of the best most unforgettable memories with my best friends... all because we are so broke and having to entertain ourselves in the most creative of ways.
One day when we are all hanging out and reminiscing of the "post graduation" days our kids will be so mortified and embarrassed at some of the things their moms did to A) entertain, B) threw together for dinner on a layover or even at home (because that's what was left) or C) how much debt we racked up in such a short period of time and how fast our credit scores tanked because of said debt. But we will be able to laugh at ourselves because all of this ever even happened and at some point we finally made it out of this forever deep hole we have dug. We still aren't there. The light is at the end of the tunnel, we just still can't see it, but we know its there.... somewhere. And that's what we are holding onto at this point, because quite frankly we can't afford to hold onto anything else. HA!
At times I really do miss my old job, but really if I'm completely honest with myself, I just miss the paychecks. I can honestly say if I absolutely adore my job and that's all that keeps me from running home... how much I absolutely love what I do. Not many people ever experience a love and a passion for their job. Most people spend there lives working because it's a means to an end. I wake up every morning and I'm happy and I look forward to going to work and I can't wait to see who I will be working with and I can't wait to interact with my passengers. At work I am 100% myself, that's probably both a good and a bad thing to be totally honest. I get a little too bold sometimes, but all the time I am having an absolute blast, and I always ALWAYS come home with a story.
I have met some of the most interesting, stubborn, rude, awkward, amazing, friendly people I could EVER meet, and I could have only ever met them by being in a tin tube. For example, I had an older lady (and by older I mean my grandmother older) compliment me on how I do my make up last month. So we got to talking about make up and various brands. She told me she would give me the name of a lipstick primer she swears by. And she did, she wrote down her name and phone number and the brand and offered the extra to me, because she always carries an extra in her bag. The SWEETEST passenger I have ever encountered. In June I had a little girl named "Elise" come up to first class with Kye and I and she wanted to help serve the fresh baked cookies to our First Class passengers. Before she did the last row I pinned on my wings and told her she was now officially a junior flight attendant. Nothing will warm your heart like seeing a 7 year old beam with excitement when she gets her first set of wings. It was absolutely precious and that is a moment I will never forget.
I've been coast to coast and have figured out where I never want to go again and where I would love to go back and explore some more. At some point I've going to enjoy my travel privileges more than Nicholas gets to enjoy his... but until then I'm enjoying going back and forth between my two homes and going home with Grace, where we can hangout and enjoy knowing the roads we are on and the free things that there are to do.
Aside from work and traveling! I am officially a Texan, as of August 6th!! Everything has been switched over to Texas. Doing everything I can to not come down with big hair. Yikes.
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