Monday, July 7

long live the queen


Oh, London. I love you. A few months ago another flight attendant swapped my trip for their London at the last minute. Not complaining. I immediately picked up the phone to call my mom and asked if she wanted to join me. Within 30 minutes we had booked her on my flight and she started preparations. Elated at the thought of our first mommy/daughter trip together, we started planning.





In September, the Queen was away from the palace meaning the general public had access to tour the state rooms. An incredible opportunity that I'm so amazed to have been part of! This was our first stop...


Unfortunately, they didn't allow photos inside the palace but in the gardens? Well, they didn't specify so I went for it. We had tea and cakes at The Garden Cafe. It was superb.







I mean...how cute is this?





And the obligatory phone booth picture.






And street music. In every city I find a street musician. This man was unbelievably talented. What a privilege to stop and enjoy his music.


For the very few of you that follow this blog...I have a lot to update you on. This post was drafted in the fall and so much has happened since. If you're still following along, wait just a bit longer. I can't leave this book unfinished. This crazy, exciting, wonderful flight attendant life of mine is coming to a close and I promise to tell you more about why, when, and what's next. 

XOXO

Monday, November 11

a grandmother's love


I apologize once again for my hiatus from writing. A few weeks ago, my grandma lost the battle with cancer. During the weeks surrounding that time, I was busy traveling to and from Ohio to be with family. I have a couple of drafts that I could've posted to fill the gap but it didn't feel right to resume normal programming without paying homage to this incredible woman. I've been racking my brain for what to write...how can I be so vulnerable and put these types of emotions on the internet for anyone to see? I also know my mom is going to read this and because of that, my deepest desire is to bring her joy through this post. Mom, I love you. Thank you for your picture of humility and servanthood throughout the last few months. Know that grandma cherished you caring for her more than you or I will ever know. Be reminded of God's sovereignty over all things and that He will be your greatest source of comfort as your mourn your loss.

Growing up, I lived within 15 minutes of my cousins and grandparents. We would often congregate at Boo Boo and Papaw's and play red light-green light, Simon says, and hide and go seek in their front yard. As we got older, our parents would tell us mischievous tales of their own childhood...my favorite story? The time my mom and Aunt Sandy threw raw hamburger meat on the kitchen walls to see if it would stick. Needless to say, my grandparents had their hands full with 4 girls and 1 boy.
"To my husband, with all the deepest
love and devotion for eternity and then forever, I give as,
Your adoring wife."




My papaw was the linchpin of our family. Authoritative yet loving, strong yet gentle. He kept everyone in line with constant care. He passed away 4 1/2 years ago. This man, while wonderful in all his own ways, would've been lost without my grandma. I wish I had more time with them to see and experience the love they had for one another.

My grandma was a remarkable woman. If I had more time, I would ask her so many more questions. Where all did you live growing up? How did you manage raising 5 kids and taking care of your husband? What was your favorite thing about being a nurse? Tell me something I never knew about you, or a secret you've never told anyone. I want to have a vivid picture of what your life was like and record it through your stories and feelings.

I would also thank her for infusing our family with a love of music. Music is in many ways the heartbeat of our family. Every gathering is filled with time spent around the piano singing and laughing. As a child, I would listen in awe of my grandma and her children harmonizing together hoping to one day be able to make such a beautiful sound. She graciously taught all the grandkids to play Heart and Soul and in turn, we will now teach our children and grandchildren, and so on. That will forever be part of our family thanks to my grandma.

I am incredibly blessed. I have an amazing family. We love intensely, care deeply, and laugh loudly. No matter what, I know they will be there for me. It's more than I could ask for. Sadly, there is now a void in this beautiful mess of a family. But I know that due to their love and devotion to all of us, we will continue to sing, laugh, and live life together so that generations to come will know the love that we experienced growing up. 


Tuesday, October 1

the bookshelf




I love to read.

Losing myself in a good book is one of my absolute favorite ways to relax and unwind. Sadly, I haven't been able to read as much as I would like recently with my schedule. Clearly Confucius doesn't think that's an excuse. I did just begin a new trilogy that has inspired me to start a new blog series called, 'The Bookshelf'. In this series, I will, well, review books that I've read. Obviously.



It's time to start dreaming :)

Sunday, September 29

a pup & the parthenon


So, in August I went to Athens. Another flight attendant and I decided to go out and see the city together since neither of us had been before. The flight was exhausting so we took a nap when we got to the hotel and then headed out. Unfortunately, the flight attendant I went with forgot her wallet at the hotel, so we ended up having to go all the way back...and...it was just a mess. We didn't get to see everything we wanted to see 1) because of the amount of time we had and 2) because it was a holiday. In Greece, they celebrate the day of the Panagia (Virgin Mary) which just happened to be the day we went. Which meant a lot of stuff was closed. Not cool. But we ventured out anyways and took in as much of Athens as we could!


The Parthenon was top on our list so we went there first.



Temple of Athena

The Parthenon

The Parthenon

The Parthenon


The Temple of Zeus


After walking around the Parthenon for a while, we came down in search of some shopping!


View of the Parthenon from the city


We finally found a cute market that was bustling with people despite the holiday! We walked around and shopped for a while before deciding to head back to the hotel.


Before we called it quits though, I had to have authentic Greek baklava. Nothing about it was gluten free. Everything about it was mind-blowingly incredible! Nom nom nom. It was sooo worth it.


Athens is stunning and there is a lot to do there that unfortunately we didn't have the chance to do. Was it my favorite transoceanic layover....no, but would I love to go back...of course. There are still a handful of things I want to see next time I'm there. Hopefully I'll have a long enough layover to go and see the Greek islands sometime, but if not, I'm considering flying there and taking a cruise around the islands for a vacation! Who's with me?!

Friday, September 27

gluten free finds: honey garlic pork chops

I was home recently and didn't have time to run to the grocery but was desperately wanting to cook a 'real meal'. So I scrounged through my cabinets and found the 4 necessary ingredients to make this delicious dish. Honey, garlic, soy sauce, and pork chops. Easy peasy.

Honey Garlic Pork Chops


Ingredients:

·1/4 + 1/8 cup honey

·3 tbsp gluten free soy sauce

·6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tbsp)

·4-6 boneless, skinless pork chops


Whisk together honey, garlic, and soy sauce.






Soak pork chops in mixture. (If you're preparing this recipe ahead of time, you can marinade the pork chops overnight)


Place the pork chops in a glass baking dish.


Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.


I ate mine with thai peanut noodles and it was amazing! Easy and quick 'real meal' recipe. Enjoy :)