end of day

manifesto by request (more to add later)

clear

calm 

free 

live in moment

future no fear

cherish family and friends

love thy self most

laugh like no tomorrow

travel to unfamiliar places 

enjoy returning too...

take care of body

body take care of you

don't forget coffee in the morning

and favorite things....

"may the longtime sunshine upon you

all love surround you

and the pure light within you 

guide your way home" -unkown

On her throne

Today is Spring Cleaning Day! Cleaning out the closest was overdue and more work needs to be done. I think Vanessa needs to come up to chicago to help me. Last time she went through my closet it was very productive. Here are some favorite pics of my short visit in San Antonio. See Flickr for more...  I miss the warm weather. Spring is slowly showing up here in Chicago but I'm ready for the full blown summer. Oh well.  Next weekend I'll be enjoying more warm weather on the beach in Charleston, South Carolina.

Birthday week

I got my first Birthday card today and I thought it was so cute I wanted to share.  I am completely wiped out from my 18 hr (flt time) three day trip I finished up today. 

 The most exciting part of the trip was when in flight a passenger called my attention to another passenger who was choking. I spent about a minute going through in my head the Heimlich maneuver, then when I reached the "choking" passenger all he was doing was coughing I then knew he wasn't actually choking. After few seconds he was finally able to speak and said he had just swallowed some juice down the wrong pipe.  whew.  I'm glad I didn't have to perform  the Heimlich maneuver! 

The reward for such a tiring trip is that I have another week off! I am packing up and getting ready to spend a few days with Vanessa in San Antonio and I will also be spending my Birthday there as well! Yay! More relaxation in warm weather.  

jetlag

I got to experience being stuck in the Anchorage airport for 40 hrs. I was determined to find a way out along with some other amazing people I met during that time.  I have spent the week catching up on sleep, getting back on track with the time zone, and of course daylight savings time. The most amazing part of the whole trip was the flight I actually got a seat on which made three stops on the way to Seattle. Cordova, Yakutak, and Juneau.  See extensive photo collection of Alaska at www.flickr.com/photos/35212767@N04/

stay positive

I just spent a fantastic week in anchorage, alaska. Amazing place and I love it!  Photos will soon be posted... forgot to pack the camera cord.  However now I'm experiencing non rev trauma. Everything so far has been going to according to plan except getting back to Chicago. Meaning everything went smooth getting to Anchorage. That's always the most important part when traveling on standby and then you worry about getting back when its time... I thought I was actually being realistically smart and bought an extra zed fare to Seattle in case I couldn't get on the direct flight. I even started out leaving a day early to get a head start because flights were looking very full.  As a result I have been sitting at the airport for four hours and I have found out spring break is starting here and everyone wants to get out! You only find out about spring break when you show up at the airport and wonder why there is so many standby's.  The stand by list has too many people above me. I'm standing and waving bye each flight>ha!    Panic is starting to slip in my thoughts like how many days will it take to get out!  No.  I am determined to control these thoughts right now by keeping positive. Like:  I still have three or four more flights to try before I go back to the hotel to get some sleep.  Also,  I know I just need to relax alaska is really not a bad place to be in a few more days especially when I don't know when I will have the opportunity  to come back.  However the feeling of being stuck distorts the appreciation you have for a place when you are leaning on homeward bound.  What I really want is to just want to sleep in my own bed right now at 4 in the morning.  It only goes to show I have been very fortunate in my non rev travels and seldom come across getting stuck anywhere.  Besides taking part in more of the Iditarod  race festivities probably wouldn't kill me. Right? 

February Wrap Up

Early morning downtown chicago
Icy lake michigan

There was quite the wind storm when we left Sawyer field today. (Top photos)  Visibility was down less than a quarter of a mile. We had a little bit of a wait before we could take off. 

Yoga quote of the day:  "As if to give up competing with yourself and simply see the honesty in your effort."