A Birthday Weekend

Tis the season...for the dreaded head cold!

I came home last Friday morning filled with absolute joy and excitement of enjoying 4 fun-filled, relaxing and yet productive days. After all, it was my hubs birthday weekend and I had BIG plans.

Alas, I was greeted by a stuffy headed, red-eyed, phlegm coughing lover boy who was more interested in sleeping than celebrating. I obliged.  Don't get me wrong, I love my hubs unconditionally and when he's sick, I hurt for him. And he was sick, I mean full-on, snot-filled, seal barking sick.

Bless his heart, he was such a trooper. He had gotten up that day, showered, and dressed all for me. I immediately put him back to bed. And so it began.

My sweet husband always has a clean house for me when I get home. Dishes are done, laundry is washed, folded and put away, floors are vacuumed and the toilet, bathtub and sinks are scrubbed. He's the BEST! All I really have to do is a bit of dusting. It makes coming home so much less stressful. I knew he was sick when I walked in to a pile of dishes in the sink and pillows and blankets strewn around the living room which was obviously used as a make-shift recovery room...

All of my Birthday plans were thwarted...

I went to work picking up and organizing my disheveled house which really only took about one hour. Hubs slept most of the day, but got up every 2 hours or so to make phone calls for work...yes, he's THE most dedicated person I know when it comes to work. Around 5:00, my sweet mother talked us into going to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Tarahumara, right here in our little town. It was perfect and I think hubs even semi-enjoyed it.

OK...so my plans were put on hold. We had a quiet weekend. By Sunday, hubs felt better and we had the kids and my mom over for our family favorite meal, Chili Con Queso. It was a good day.

Fast forward to Monday...I woke up with swollen glands, a scratchy throat and a sinus headache. I have NO TIME TO BE SICK!! I HAD to go back to work today and I HAVE to fly tomorrow!!! So Monday was spent drinking copious amounts of Emer-Gen-C and swallowing thousands of mg of Vitamin D. We shall see if I was able to fend off the Beast!

Life goes on...I still got up at 4:30 AM to catch a flight to MSP. I was miserable, but I survived. I drugged myself up on prescription cough syrup with codeine and struggled to maintain any semblance of normalcy so the poor sap who would get stuck sitting by me wouldn't shoot me daggers for sharing the evil germs of influenza...I got lucky...I got a whole row to myself!

And so it goes...life didn't rest for me. Flights still went out on time and when I fly tomorrow, I'll smile and greet everyone with my deep, rich phone sex voice...I'll enjoy it, even if it's only temporary;))

Perks of the Job

There are obvious perks to my job as a Flight Attendant. But there are also perks that aren't so obvious but every bit as important and wonderful.

The other day I had the priviledge of flying to Rochester, MN home of the Mayo Clinic. We stay very close to the Mayo which still leaves me in awe of such an amazing facility. Millions of people flock to the Clinic in hopes of finding cures, relief, help and hope from the expertise of some of the top notch doctors in the entire world. It's a beautful place.

The flight to Rochester from Minneapolis is only 18 minutes as it is a 78 aeronautical mile trip.The good news is that there are usually many doctors and nurses on board. The bad sad news is, there are many patients and potential patients on board. I am always on the top of my game in the event of some sort of unforseen emergency. I'll admit, it's a bit unnerving at times.

The other day, we were actually returning from Rochester. As we were boarding, I noticed a young girl with her parents. This girl was in a wheelchair, wearing a heavy coat, knit hat, mittens, scarf...you get the picture (it was about 75 degrees outside). Her skin was gray, her eyes sunken and she was clearly sick. My assumption was cancer. As she stood from her wheelchair, with help from her parents, it was evident that she was living on borrowed time.

I kept an eye on her during the flight. She sat by her adoring, doting parents and slept most of the flight.

Then, in row 1, there was another couple. This lady was also thin, frail, had gray skin, sunken eyes, almost no hair on her head and no eyebrows or eyelashes. Her adoring husband lifted her into her seat. During the flight, he held her hand, tenderly touched her sallow face and spoke sweetly to her. they told me they had been married for 57 years.

I sat on my jumpseat with these precious souls onboard. They were both fighters and they were both strong in spirit. I couldn't take my eyes off of them. They were both captivating and they both touched my heart.

As I fought the tears, I reflected on my own life. It is so easy to get caught up in our own personal battles and struggles that we often are blinded to those around us who are facing life and death situations. I can't begin to imagine the hours, days, weeks or even months of "torture" these two women have endured. My "problems" or challenges pale in comparison. While it is true that we all have our own crosses to bear, I, personally, am extremely thankful for the ones I have had to face. A sweet friend of mine said in Sunday School class yesterday something to the effect of: "There are only two things I can really control: 1. my preparation for things to come and 2. How I react to what comes."

I only hope and pray that I can find the strength that I may need to deal with whatever comes my way. How incredibly grateful I am that I have enjoyed good health, prosperity, happiness, love and much much more! I pray that God will continue to bless these unseen, often unknown heroes. I also pray that He will bless me to recognize the blessings in my life