The BLUE LAGOON: ICELAND

Hi again!

Ever since I started having layovers in Iceland, I've been dying to spend the day at the world famous 'Blue Lagoon'. The Blue Lagoon is a natural source of geothermal seawater located in the middle of the glaciers in Iceland, that even on the coldest day is still relaxing and rejuvenating. Considering it's a little more than a hop, skip, and a jump away from our beloved Hotel Keflavik... some planning had to be made in order to make our way to one of the wonders of the world! We were finally ready to do a little research on how to get there, and see for ourselves just what the healing waters and silica mud mask could do for OUR skin!

Myself and three other crew members rented a car for the day and were on our way! Naturally, Poppy drove, Nikki was in charge of directions, and Nick and I were the 'kids' in the backseat just taking pictures and asking, "Are we there yet??" :-) Surprisingly, it only took about 20 minutes to get there from our hotel, and the scenery of Iceland on the clear blue day was just gorgeous.

We were trying to spell out "ICE"... and Nick and Poppy just didn't seem to understand! From left; Me, Nikki, Poppy, and Nick. What a fun group of flight attendants!
This looks like a postcard! This is from the 'viewing platform' above the restaurant and spa they have at the Blue Lagoon. Boy, I bet that place makes a TON of money with a view like this!

Here I am on my way to the Blue Lagoon! We parked the car, then had to walk through this gorgeous pathway! "Come on, guys! Let's go!" (I was SO anxious!)

Before we reached the building with the lobby, spa, and restaurant, we caught a glimpse of some surrounding water from the lagoon that is near the building. It's hard to believe this is REAL!

Iceland is so gorgeous!

Here is an aerial view of the entire lagoon... as you can see, you enter from the building on the left, and conveniently they have a 'wading pool' with a door that opens from the inside so it's not TOO much of a cool shock on your skin. The water at the Blue Lagoon ranges from 90-104 degrees fahrenheit, and it's always steaming because of the 30-40 degree outside air. It creates a fog so thick that you can't even SEE anyone else in the lagoon until they are about 5 feet in front of you! For all we knew, we had the whole lagoon to ourselves... SO relaxing!

This is another aerial view that Nick took with his panoramic camera... It still doesn't capture how much there is to see of the Blue Lagoon!

For all guests, there are Blue Lagoon skin care products available for use while you spend your day at the spa. Before you enter the lagoon, each guest is asked to shower and use the moisturizing conditioner on hair and all over the skin. There are also all types of exfloiants and moisturizers when you get out to REALLY purify the skin and leave you just glowing! This is a board where they explain the natural healing ingredients of minerals, silicon, and algae.

This is the silicon mud mask that we all took advantage of... It's located in crates all around the lagoon and you leave it on for 10 minutes. It was SO nice, it never got too hard or felt too drying on my skin, and of course we just got a kick out of the way we looked creeping around the Lagoon like "Creatures of the Pond"! Hahaha!

Since I was one of the designated picture takers, I tried not to get my hands dirty OR wet. Nikki helped me out with my mask! Look how much she put on my face! Hahaha! We SURE did take advantage of the free products, let me tell you! :-)

And I kind of did away with my 'not getting my hands wet' after the mask was starting to drip onto my lips and I had to wipe some away. Oh well, that's what the towel was for!

After leaving the mask on for ten minutes, we made our way towards the massaging waterfall where we rinsed it all off in the STRONG pressure. It felt so good to sit there and have the water beat down on our shoulders for a minute or two. :-)

Ahh... are these not the fresh faces of 3 girls that look rejuvenated, refreshed, and revitalized?? I LOVE Blue Lagoon skin care!

I still kept my towel... I wanted to guard my camera with everything I could! And it worked! Not a drop on it...

A panoramic view of the bath house and spa area at the Blue Lagoon.

What a wonderful way to spend our day! I haven't felt this good in a LONG time!

Cheers!

-Lisa :-)

P.S. For more information, visit the website at www.bluelagoon.com

SLIGHT Change of Trip Itinerary!!

Hi friends & blog followers!

I had a SLIGHT schedule change that I thought is worth mentioning... instead of the tropics, I'm in the tundra! I left Monday afternoon and was commercialed out of O'Hare to KEFLAVIK, ICELAND instead of HONOLULU, HAWAII! Ha! Good thing Crew Scheduling told me this BEFORE I got the chance to pack! I can't imagine being stuck in Iceland with just sundresses and a bathing suit! :-)

See, in order to work in the airline industry you MUST be flexible and be able to 'roll with it', whatever they give you. Schedules change all the time due to unexpected delays, new flights being added, and also FAA regulations that decide who can and can't fly over a certain number of hours. I got a phone call on my birthday from scheduling, but since I had the day 'off', I was actually able to 'ignore' my phone. ;-) (Normally, we have TEN MINUTES to get back to them, or else!)

I called them back on the 25th, and I was told I had changes to my schedule beginning on Monday the 27th.
"WAIT! Monday? I'm not leaving for Hawaii until WEDNESDAY!"
"No, Ma'am, you're leaving for Iceland on Monday at 1610." Hmmm! Ha!

"How long will I be gone for?"
"There's a 95% chance you'll be extended the entire 18 days, so you'll be back on November 13th." WOW!!!!! (I'm thinking in my head... more adventures, more stops, more MONEY! Yess!)

To make this trip even sweeter, my friend Nikki from training is on my crew with me, along with my other girlfriend Kristi. And Nick from San Antonio! We're all extended for as long as they need us. To give you more of an idea of where I'm going to be and when, here is my schedule (As of right now... but as we ALL know, it's subject to change at ANY minute...) :-)

10/27 Commercial to ICELAND on American Airlines, and Iceland Air
10/28 Day off in Iceland
10/29 Reserve in Iceland
10/30 Reserve in Iceland
10/31 Deadhead to BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
11/1 Fly to Kuwait, and back to Budapest
11/2 Day off in Budapest
11/3 Reserve in Budapest
11/4 Fly from Budapest to Kuwait, then onto POLAND
11/5 Reserve in Poland
11/6 Fly to BISHKEK, then onto ROMANIA
11/7 Day off in Romania
11/8 Commercial back to Budapest
11/9 Deadhead from Budapest back to Keflavik, Iceland

The rest is TO BE ANNOUNCED.... I'll keep you posted! Isn't that GREAT that I'm going to get to see Poland and Romania??? I can't WAIT! This is going to be one GREAT trip, I can already tell...

CHEERS!
-Lisa :-)

Turning 25 in style!

Hi guys!

WOW!!!! What a birthday to remember!!! I started the day off with 2 mimosas at Ab Fab Salon & Spa and a fancy Audrey Hepburn-inspired updo for my party dress. It was such a relaxing morning and a GREAT way to kick off my birthday!


Mmmmm! Another, please!!! :-)

"You see us, Rockford, WE HAVE IT ALL!!" This is my best friend Bambi & I, getting cozy in the windowsill of our fabulous apartment we rented out for the night in downtown Rockford. This apartment is called 'Jackson's Urban Retreat', and it's right above the popular restaurant Brio!

It is SO modern and so fancy! We felt like the luckiest girls in Rockford above it all staying in such a posh space downtown!

My Mama was my guest of honor! I am SO glad she got to come, I truly had every girl there that I could have ever wanted!! :-) THANK YOU, Mama, for having me... 25 years ago ON THIS DAY!!!

My best girlfriends all came to celebrate my 25th with me! From left; Bambi, my sister Amy, Me, my girlfriend from college Bethy, my other girlfriend from college Julie, and my best friend from my old job Jami! We all drank a signature cocktail that Bambi mixed up for us: raspberry mojitos! They were SOOO good!
CHEERS to my best friends & being 25!!! What a GREAT 25 years its been so far! :-)

Thank you so much for celebrating my birthday with me! I can't imagine wishing for anything that could POSSIBLY make my life any better than it is now!!!

CHEERS!
-Lisa :-)

Next stop: THE ISLANDS!! (And my birthday...)

Hi guys!

Just thought I'd do a quick update from my home sweet home in Rockford, IL. I am SO enjoying my 10 days off this month... I've gotten to do dinners with my family every night, drinks with my best girlfriends in the evening (AND in the afternoon sometimes too... ha), and I squeezed in a quick but fun getaway to Chicago last weekend to visit my roommate from college. I've eaten at all my favorite places... Granite City, Beef a Roo :-)... and I've caught up on all my shows I've DVR'd since I've been gone. Also, my 25th birthday is TOMORROW so I've been running around planning the mini girls' party I'm hosting tomorrow night at a fun apartment we're renting out in downtown Rockford called "Jackson's Urban Retreat". I can't WAIT! I'm even starting my day off tomorrow with a new haircut and a mini bottle of champagne my hair dresser Micheal is letting me enjoy while he snips up my bob and styles it! ;-) How fun that will be!

I've definitely been keeping myself busy while I've been home, but at the same time, I am SO ready to go out on another trip because I want to fly more. LUCKY ME... I've already been assigned my next trip (or, VACATION as I like to call it...)... and it's to... DRUMROLL, please...

GUAM, the PHILIPPINES, and HAWAII!!!!!!!

No joke. My first tropical trip... and apparently the hotel we stay at in the Philippines is right on the beach. I leave for paradise next Wednesday morning at midnight and it's a 6 day trip as of right now. (But, we all know how the LAST 6 day trip turned out in Budapest... I was extended for the full 18... and I LOVED it!) You better believe I'll throw in a couple extra sundresses just in case. :-)

This is SO exciting... I can't WAIT to update my blog more often when I am there. I'm sure I'll be taking hundreds of pictures! Stay tuned!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend... next time I write I'll be a quarter century old! Scary, huh??? :-)

CHEERS to another 25 YEARS (and more...)!! :-)

-Lisa :-)

How to pass the time on our LONG deportee flights to El Salvador...

OK- Nick would KILL me if he knew I'm posting this picture of him, but it's too funny to not share. :-) Normally, a Ryan flight attendant would get fired for even 'appearing as if sleeping' on a live flight- but of course, for the hundreds of illegal aliens we are transporting back to their countries, we aren't allowed to have any interaction with them whatsoever and have NOTHING else to do. We are on the planes before them and are instructed to stay up in 'A ZONE' for the entire flight, and the only 2 people that are allowed towards the back of the planes VERY quickly are the flight attendants that are responsible for the 2 aft doors. Even so, those 2 'chosen people' (ha!) MUST be escorted down the aisle by at least 3 prison guards just so no 'alien' leans over too far, says something derogatory, or tries to get away with anything unimaginable.
Which leaves us to do.... much of nothing. We are there to arm and disarm the doors only, and everything in between is completely up to us. There is no such thing as a 'boarding position', no greeting, we don't do the safety demo, there are NO beverage or meal services... We basically just nap, eat, read magazines, and watch movies while the prison guards watch over the passengers. Let me just tell you- this job is getting harder and harder with EVERY trip. It is just BRUTAL at times. Hahahahaha. :-)
CHARLIE- is my favorite mechanic that stays with the plane from the minute it leaves Rockford until the day it comes back- which can sometimes be up to 10 days! We saw him every day last week, and he got such a kick out of my job as a flight attendant on these deportee flights. He would lean over and see me kicking my feet up, reading magazines, watching movies on my laptop with Nick, and taking pictures- and he would get up and go out of his way to serve ME beverages and meals just so he could make me the MOST comfortable. Ha! "Can I get you anything, darling?" It's COOKIE TIME! We really put these aircraft ovens to use and baked about 4 dozen cookies one afternoon on our way back from El Salvador. They made the entire airplane smell delicious and REALLY put the meaning of "Service with a Smile" back into the airline industry! (The plane was empty of passengers by this time- can you imagine anything more torturous for these illegal aliens than smelling fresh baked cookies and not being able to have one? Ha! Maybe we SHOULD do it next time while they're on the flight just for punishment...)
All different varieties too- chocolate chip, double chocolate, peanut butter, and sugar!

We even had time to hop off the plane and venture off to DUTY FREE... Nick found the best deals of us all for a bar he is constructing back home! $12 ABSOLUT 100 proof, and Crown Royal for about $15. NOT BAD!

Posing on the ground in El Salvador... Can't WAIT to get back home!
Gorgeous ocean line! On our way back to San Antonio, TX and we just KNOW we're going back to the states... Feels GREAT! Be home in 4 hours...
WOW, what a TOUGH day on the job. We are REALLY in need of some relaxation after movies, magazines, COOKIES, and naps. I tell you- I just don't know how I put up with this labor sometimes... Ha!

CHEERS!

-Lisa :-)

World's most dangerous airport runway: Tegucigalpa, Honduras!

I SURVIVED. Not once, but TWICE! The first time we flew to Honduras was on Wednesday, and we just got back from there again today. I had heard some 'rumors' about how difficult the landing is supposed to be at Tegucigalpa, but I had NO IDEA how it would feel being strapped into my jumpseat awaiting the final approach. What makes this airport so unique (and dangerous) is that it is LITERALLY smack dab in the middle of civilization, in between thousands of houses and also mountains on all sides. The way the planes angle in forces them to do a turn, and quickly descend as soon as possible so they have enough room to brake and stop the plane on the abnormally short runway.

This is the approach towards the airport... I'm not kidding, we were on the ground not 3 minutes after this picture was taken. And there isn't a runway in sight!

On Wednesday when we did this for my first time, Captain Theresa was landing there for the first time. As an extra precaution, we had the Captain, First Officer, In-Flight Relief Officer, and another experienced Honduras-landing Captain ALL IN THE COCKPIT to coach her along on how to do it. You CANNOT land at this airport without another experienced pilot in the cockpit with you! Let me tell you... Theresa absolutely NAILED it! It was SO awesome. I was peeking out my little window next to my jumpseat and all I saw was houses, billboards, greenery, and then immediately the wheels hit the ground. I grabbed my thighs so hard, and was SO thrilled that we landed! The BEST part was when she put the brakes on and came to the quickest stop I've ever felt in a 757. Everyone clapped when we stopped and my adrenaline was just RUSHING! It was so GREAT!
Just in case you don't believe me... this is the insane landing that several people have camped out by the airport to catch on film. WHAT A RUSH!



I LOVE TO FLY!!!!!!

Cheers!

-Lisa :-)

The scenic San Antonio Riverwalk!

Ahhh... another day off after a long day of traveling! This random Tuesday afternoon in October, Nick and I were lucky enough to have a 24/7 off beginning in the morning and not ending until Wednesday morning before our first U.S. Marshall flight out of San Antonio. We asked the concierge for suggestions on where to grab a late lunch, and the shuttle took us to 'Pappadeaux', a southern-style seafood kitchen that was just 5 minutes away from the hotel!
We felt like 'goin all out', so we ordered FRIED ALLIGATOR and FROG LEGS for our appetizer! SO delicious! We laughed the entire way through the meal. We started with the frog legs (on the right), and they tasted just like a chicken wing with a little more spice. I have to admit though, it was a little strange pulling the bone out of my mouth and putting it on my plate as if it was a Hooters wing... but you and I BOTH know it wasn't...

The fried alligator tasted JUST like a chicken nugget. Couldn't tell if I was at a nice seafood restaurant in San Antonio or KFC! Ha! (No offense, Pappadeaux... I absolutely LOVED the restaurant, regardless!)

We also got an order of fresh fried shrimp and fries to split for our 'meal' that was butterfly cut and perfectly cooked as well. And, the waiter was SO nice to us... he knew it was our first time there and loved talking to us, so he comped us the frog legs for free! What a great guy! (And what a fantastic restaurant... I guess there is one in Arlington Heights, IL if anyone is in the area and feels like being adventurous like we did. It is soooo delicious and such a FUN TIME!)

So later that afternoon (around 5pm) when Veni got back from her flight, we all met up and hopped the local bus downtown to the San Antonio riverwalk. OH. MY. GOSH. Absolutely gorgeous. About 20 minutes away from the hotel, a $1 bus fare to get there, and worth a million bucks! SO much to see...

Who's that girl on the bridge??? Hahaha :-)

They had these boat tours that were so cute and FULL of people. Everyone that floated by would wave at us, and one tour guide that saw the 3 of us profusely taking pictures pointed us out as a 'tourist attraction' as being 'JUST TOURISTS!' Hahaha!
This was around a bend that was so gorgeous... believe it or not, these are ALL HOTELS that line up along the riverwalk. I SO wish we were staying in one of these! Too bad they're so far from the airport, because otherwise I bet we would... Hyatt, Marriott, you name it, it's on the San Antonio Riverwalk.
Ahh! SO we stopped to take pictures, of course, and these 3 photography students stopped us from a Texas University to have our picture taken for a project they were completing. They were making a documentary on 'San Antonio life'... little did they know we're NOT from San Antonio, but they took some AWESOME pictures of us that are some of my absolute favorites from the night!
They're emailing the rest of them to Nick...
We moved onto the 'Five and Dime' store with all sorts of fun stuff! Texas souvenirs, cowboy hats, and cheap trinkets! I loved it!
And above the 'Five and Dime' is COYOTE UGLY... We peeked in and, sure enough, there was a whole troop of girls dancing in cowboy boots on the bartop and stools and guys were hootin' and hollerin' at them. I DO love that movie- it's just like the real thing! SO cute & fun!
Oh.... and Texas is FULL of Mariachi bands. Hahaha- serenading tables at all hours of the night! SO much fun! And so romantic too...
We kept on our walk and saw more dinner boat tours... serving caesar salads, rolls, drinks, and simple appetizers! How fun would that be?? All the passengers sit at a long dinner table on the boat! How fun!
This is on the bridge right across from the Marriott. There was a man on the balcony above us that was sitting and reading a paper and TOTALLY loving life. I wonder how much he paid for that room? What an amazing view! Worth it, I bet.
This was a little romantic restaurant on the riverwalk all lit up by lights that I thought would be a PERFECT date spot! How fun! There WERE alot of couples out that night walking hand in hand and all dressed up for dinner- I loved it! I hope the locals appreciate it and take advantage of it!
The Hard Rock: San Antonio. A staple... one of the nicer ones though, for sure! Such a view!
We did another stroll around as we decided on a place for dinner... this Five and Dime really caught our eye! We made 2 stops!
I thought these were SO funny... 'the Hillbilly BRIEF case'... What a funny gag gift!
A view from the upper deck of the Five and Dime, looking at Coyote Ugly and the upper level of the Mexican restaurant we ate at called 'RIO RIO the Original.' Such a beautiful 70 degree night!
Mmmmm.... Strawberry MARGARITAS!
And a Homemade MARGARITA on the rocks... FOR ME!!!
Ahh... Nick, will you foot the bill to take your two dates home in a horse drawn carriage???? Probably not. It was a good idea though! Ha!
What a fantastic city this is! I LOVE San Antonio, Texas! I hope I get to come here again! :-)

CHEERS!

-Lisa :-)