Every Day Is Pay Day, Every Night Is New Years Eve

I have said it many times, but I really enjoy my job. It has afforded me incredible experiences, allowed me to meet really nice people along the way and made me value the important things in life.

My job can also be a place that is very lonely. I spend many hours locked in a small space with a person whose name I can't remember without looking down at the paperwork. Often times, my entire month can be spent with one person. This can be good or bad. I try not to subject anyone (professionally) to my antics for an entire month. You see, spending a month with a person (other than a spouse) can be exhausting. You end up either loving or loathing the person. Loving the person almost always entails dinners on the road, drinks and weight gain (at least for me - thanks for 10 lbs to JC and JW). Loathing leads to long months, too. Tad prefers that I love the person. He says I am miserable when I don't like who I am working with. Wouldn't you be? Confined in a small space with a person who tells you they don't like how you spin a knob or flip a switch? Seriously. Have been told both.

Enter Chris Jamison. I was supposed to fly with him all month. Seniority is everything in this game and he is #5. Could go either way. I do what is best for everyone, trade half the month away. Upon first introduction, I ask him how he's doing, to which his retort is "MAG-NIFICANT". Wow. Great first impression. And handle bar mustache. When we step into the cockpit and begin all the niceties, I am unsure. Career Navy. Those dudes generally hate young people and girls. So, I have that going for me. Then, he begins talking about his family, which he clearly adores. I have great regard for this guy. Then, he drops it on me "I have a vineyard in Northern Virginia". To which my retort is "and a new president of your fan club!". And we are off.

First trip: Great. Nice man. Easy to work with. Bought me dinner. He laughs. Both with me and at me. He is complimentary. He is nice to EVERYONE. I find myself looking forward to our next trip together.

Fast forward.

Trip #2 - I climb in the cockpit. He is there waiting for me and has all my work done. When I greet him, he says "look in your pubs bag" (the bag that holds all my important stuff). And when I open it, this is what I see:

Is this what I think it is?!

Chris goes on to tell me that he just bottled this. I carry it with me for 4 DAYS! I can't wait to open it! I am in heaven! We are going to have another great 4 days!!!

So, we have a fabulous trip, with great layovers and when we are parking the airplane for the final time of the week, he looks at me and says "if all trips were like this and all First Officers were like you then every day would be payday and every night New Years Eve". That just might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me in an airplane.

So, meet Chris. If you see him, thank him for me and wish him a MAG-NIFICANT day!

Never Wake A Sleeping Giant

I like to ski. Rather, I think it better to say I LOVE to ski. I have skiing since I can remember. My first memories include holding on to my dad's calves at about age 3 while learning to keep parallel and snow plow. Moving on to a rope tow with my mom (that she loathed), and by the end of the day begging my dad to take me on a chair lift. Not one to ever say no to an adventure, he obliged and I had my first chair-lift ride and top to bottom ski. Wow. I was rewarded with a very concerned looking mother who had hot-chocolate at the ready. Good times. I am fortunate. I have skied around the world. As a kid, my parent's always fed into my desire and as an adult, I have been able to ski with both family and friends. Then, I got married.

Tad grew up in a non-skiing family. I know. I couldn't believe it either, and still said yes at the altar - with one condition - he take a lesson to see if he could learn to like something I love so much. He kept asking me why I like skiing so much. I was trying to come up with reasons to NOT like it. Then, I finally came up with something like "you are outside, enjoying nature, cruising down a mountain while listening to your ipod and getting a little exercise at the same time". Wasn't really the sell I needed. I also may have mentioned something about apres culture. Bad move again. I should have mentioned cigars at the end of the day. We probably could have gone for an entire week then.

At any rate, he agreed. We could go. I was so excited. Our friends Kris and Mark invited a few of us for a weekend at their home in Fraser, Colorado (home of Winter Park). I had to spring into action. This required lots of new "stuff" - mostly for Tad, but I did score a new FABULOUS hot pink jacket. I took him shopping to make sure that he liked his new duds. When I had him try on his ski pants, I made him sit all the way to the ground and stand up several times because I figured he would probably be spending a lot of time in the snow on the mountain.

So, we took our newly outfitted cute selves to Colorado for a weekend of fun with friends, fresh air and great skiing. I had a private lesson arranged for Tad - at 9am. Oops. Well, kind of. See, I wanted him to have ski school in the morning, lunch with me then maybe an afternoon run or two with me WHEN he decided he loved it. Then I realized what I had done. Tad is a sleeper. He values his weekend sleep since the week tends to be so hectic for him. I am ALWAYS awake long before him. Oh well, our reservation was non-refundable. He would have to get up. I would have to make sure he had breakfast and get him dressed. He seemed overwhelmed by the layers. He didn't know what a wicker was. Oh boy.

Getting dressed. Tad making sure he has money for apres.

Casey, Tad and Mark riding the bucket to the resort

Kris, Janin and Mark on the bucket

Tad getting fitted for boots.

Tad with Tony, his ski instructor

So, off we go. We meet up with Tony, Tad's ski instructor. I decided that I would tag along, mostly for pictures but also because it is always more fun to ski with someone. So, off we went. Tad rode the magic carpet ONCE and decided he was bored with the bunny hill. No one was more surprised by this than yours truly. SO, off we go..........

Tad and Tony riding his first lift.

I have to say that our first day on the mountain was not ideal. It was overcast, snowing and very windy. Tad thrived. He loved it. This was nothing like I expected. He was almost getting - dare I say BORED. Or at least not challenged. He decided to just ski a half day, so I was off to enjoy the rest of the day with Casey. I have to say that I wouldn't have blamed Tad in the slightest if he had decided to not go back for a second day. When Casey and I were on the mountain, you couldn't tell you were in the bumps until it was too late. You were going between powder and ice constantly. It was work. And tiring. Maybe we would just let the "sleeping giant" sleep.

Here he is, gaining speed and going a little steeper!

Skiing with Casey in the afternoon

Did everyone else know that Casey is French?!

At the end of the day, Tad looked me square in the eye and asked me what time we needed to be on the mountain. I couldn't believe it! He said he liked skiing and it was "easy". This was going even better than I thought! So, I stuffed my pockets with Kleenex and Carmex and off we went. He asked if he could listen to his iPod while skiing and the resounding answer was NO. If we ever have children, I now know what to expect.

Tad skis with Mark

Janin and Tad (who is COVERED in sunscreen) on the lift

watch out, Bode! Tad gets off the lift a little cleaner than you!

After a second glorious day on the mountain, it was time to hang up the skis for the season. Fortunately, Tad liked it enough to ask about next year, I have a new hot pink jacket (that won't be returned) and I have a new ski buddy to boot! YEAH!!!!!

Day 2, looking like a natural

Everyone has to have one of these. Tad's only spill. Caught on film. I had to snap the picture because I have a feeling this will be the only time we see this!

YARD SALE!!!!

Many thanks to The Schneiders for the hospitality and Casey for a ton of fun (and carrying my equipment)!

The Same, Yet Different

The largest challenge of two professionals getting married most certainly centers around duplicates. Beds, couches, washing mashines, rugs, sheets, towels and our favorite, mortgages. It seemed almost cute at the beginning. We decided we would move into Tad's home for several reasons. Mostly because of the space and the view, but also because it is closer to work for both of us and there were more bathrooms - an essential for both of us getting ready for work in the morning. We started to refer to my home as "the country home". It is a whopping 3 miles from our current residence. When I called to change the insurance on it and the agent queried what we were going to do with the "country home", my retort was "weekends" with a stifled giggle. That was all good until now, 7 mortgage payments later we have nothing to show for it other than a very expensive storage facility that says "Janin" throughout.

Enter my friend Sally. She is a spitfire of epic proportion. We are very similar in many respects. She has a smile that doesn't stop. She is kind, generous, sharing, and easy to talk to. She is just FUN to be around. SO, last week when we came over to Tad and my condo and she asked "when are you going to put YOUR mark on this condo?", I jumped into action. Before we knew it, furniture was being moved. Chandeliers elevated (when you pay for a view, it may as well be un-obstructed), decisions of what would stay and what would have to go were being made. Tad was at work. I was safe. Until he came home.

Tad walked in, got a grin on his face and said "what have you done?!". I explained. The dining room table took up too much space. I had to move the wine cabinet to open up what would now be my sitting room. Oh, and the dining room table? Gone. Just because of the shape. We will still have a table but the new one will have to be angular in shape. Forutnately, we just bought a storage facility. The old table will not be disposed of, just put away for later use. When he looked at me and said "you seriously raised the chandellier all by yourself?" and my retort was "no, Sally helped", he immediately said she couldn't come over to play any more. Then he called her (he introduced us) and said this was what we both needed and thanked her.

SO, Saturday morning, we went up to see the decorator that did the condo initially. We found the perfect chairs for the sitting area. They need to be upholstered. The rest will come. It will be perfect before the summer and entertaining season. The end result: more open space. More seating.

Last night, I couldn't help myself. I moved the chairs from the living room window seating to the new sitting area. Check it out. And, be sure to thank Sally.

A now vacant dining room - my antique elephant marks where a small table (for my wine) will sit.

Second View

The new space - once we get the correct chairs and a new table and some new lighting, it will be beautiful!!!

Stay tuned.