Happy Fly-iversary!!!

Today marks a year. 

A year since I left Colorado. A year since I moved to Houston to live in a hotel for 5 weeks. A year since I started this crazy job. A year since I decided that traveling makes me happy. 

In the past year, I've learned a lot. I've learned that people aren't just idiots once they land at their destination (I tend to live where people vacation), they are idiots ALWAYS. People are crazy... absolutely positively crazy, BUT that's also what makes this job interesting. People are amazing. They tend forget their brains at home, forget their socks when using the lavatory, and forget that hurtling at 500mph through the sky in a tin can means they can't have some things... But for every crazy, obnoxious, certifiably insane person, there are always a few incredibly interesting ones to make up for it, and if there aren't any interesting people, we tend to hope for at least one attractive person to ogle at per flight...

I've also learned that traveling non stop means I never fully unpack my suitcase. I basically empty out all of the dirty clothes directly into the washer and then they go back into my suitcase the second they are clean.... 

My suitcase (aka my entire life) consists of: 

     -Clothes. Fashion is basically non-existent and essentially is whatever folds the smallest and layers the best... The more layers, the more destinations you are already packed for! Singapore in the summer to Montana in the winter is currently what my bag is prepared for.... Yes, there is a swimsuit and a down jacket in there.... 

     -Travel-sized items are my new favorite thing. Everything is miniature sized... plus, they are fun and CHEAP! 

     -Miniature bottles of clear nail polish are essentially a life saver with pantyhose and galley carts... those carts snag EVERYTHING. 

     -Tiny spray bottles filled vodka are essential to happiness. No, it's not for drinking (although that would also be quite happy), but it can take the smell out of anything while hanging in a steam shower. Who needs an iron or laundry service in a hotel anyway? (Cleaning your pantyhose while wearing them in the shower is another life skill...One that most people REALLY shouldn't pick up... But a skill nonetheless.)

     -Shoes. You can really go anywhere with 2 pairs of shoes. One pair of sneakers and one pair of flip flops.... Granted, I like shoes.... So there may be more in there.... 

I've learned that traveling means jet-lag is never ending. On every single flight, someone asks me how I handle jet-lag.... The truth: You don't. Jet-lag handles you. You just hope that massive amounts of coffee and concealer for those dark circles is enough to keep you from joining the living dead... Also, Facebook and social media should never be trusted to find the correct date.... I somehow miraculously wish people 'Happy Birthday' either a day early or a day late EVERY TIME. 

I've also learned a lot about myself. I've learned that I am comfortable traveling a ton of different places, meeting amazing and different new people, and trying food that I am not convinced is actually dead or cooked.... I've learned how to get around the metro in Tokyo without a map in English, how to ask directions in pure mime, where to find the best food when you are about to keel over from hunger, how to tell the difference between 10 different types of currency and where it's from when mixed all together (poor life decision really.... now they are all in separate bags), how to transfer from boat-to train-to bus-to taxi in Sydney to go pet a kangaroo, and how to drink wine looking out at a sunset at a magnificent winery and marvel at life in Auckland. 

This year has been absolutely crazy. And I've pretty much enjoyed it all. I've managed to see my friends more than I did when I actually lived in the same city, visited my parents at home or even camping in the middle of nowhere, and even finagled my days off to have Thanksgiving with my entire family for the first time in 8 years. This job has given me the freedom to see the world and that's something I will never regret. This past year I spent 15 days in Tokyo, 3 in Taipei, 9 in Sydney, and 9 in Auckland. Next up is Shanghai, Singapore and who knows where else! 

Love, Alison

How to behave on an airplane 101

You'd think this would be pretty self explanatory, but I swear some people were raised in a barn.... Airplanes are public spaces. They are not your house, car or bathroom. Please act accordingly. 

This means anything that you normally wouldn't do in a public space, you REALLY shouldn't be doing on an airplane, and yes, these are real life examples... This includes, but is not limited to: 

- Clipping toenails (They fly everywhere even if you insist they don't...) 

- Waxing or plucking eyebrows/ mustache hairs (especially the waxing... And especially if you tend to lose track of the wax strips and have to rip them off the poor unfortunate soul next to you) 

- Barefeet touching everything, including but not limited to airplane lavatory floors (seriously?!? GROSS!!!) 

- Changing dirty diapers on tray tables (people eat there, come on...) 

- Regularly crop dusting the people around you (Please for all of us unfortunate souls, avoid the beans before getting on an airplane) 

- Joining the "mile high club" (Lavatories are gross, please remember that... And blankets are not publicly acceptable coverage while trying to get it on in your seat...)

- Becoming ridiculously intoxicated (it is not a bar, and to get that drunk is seriously expensive, your credit card will thank me later...)

-Puking, peeing, or pooping anywhere but in a toilet.

        - This is including but not limited to: 

          1. Puking in your hands and running up to me expecting me to do something about it besides kicking the lavatory door open for you... 

          2. Pooping on the floor. (Self explanatory, but seriously people, it's not a funny prank, it's a biohazard) 

          3. The combination of any of the above in your seat (at least let a flight attendant know on the way out, but I'm not cleaning it up, sorry...) 

-Wearing Japanese paper face masks with characters on the outside, particularly zombies (Paper masks are slightly creepy in general, but please at least warn me before you turn into a zombie while I'm walking through a dark cabin with a full tray of drinks... Unless you'd also like a shower....)

-Naked children. I understand you see this as innocent, but they wear clothes when you go outside right? So why not a plane....? 

-Losing your pets. If you pay extra to bring your dog with you, that's one thing, but please keep it in its carrier at all times... People have allergies and irrational fears. And please don't ask me to help you find your cat that you somehow miraculously managed to sneak on the plane. (Seriously, how did you get it through security and customs just to lose it now!?!) 

-Lose your children. (We've all seen Flight Plan, but seriously,  why did you decide to play hide and speak with your child on a plane with 180 other passengers trying to sleep and then panic and start screaming their name when you can't find them? Don't worry,  we found them about 12 rows back underneath some someone's legs...) 

-Unleash toxic diarrhea in the lavatory before the plane even takes off. (I understand there are questionable noodles and soup in some countries, but really? You want to take the toxic hell you just released into the lavatory WITH you on a 15 hour flight!?! Please no.) 

Yes, these were all real life examples of what happens daily on a plane. My only plea to you is to act like a regular human on a flight. Please realize you are in a public setting, and yes, people are judging you even if they say they aren't... And your friendly flight attendant sees all.... 

Please keep that in mind. WE SEE ALL. 

Now go forth, fly friendly, and pray for natural selection. 

Love, Alison

Traveling Smart?

Since I was little and started traveling, it seems like everyone always tells me to "travel smart." Now that I'm traveling more and more, it seems like there really isn't a good definition for what exactly that means... From what I've deduced, that definitely means pack light and try to blend in with the culture you are visiting. That is usually easier said than done... 

Part One: Packing Light

First of all, it truly is impossible to pack light without forgetting something you need. And this is from someone who lives out of a carry-on size suitcase. 

-My goal, LAYERS. Especially for the plane... Little secret, if it's turbulent, The heat gets turned all the way down. Warmth and bumps leads to a lot of people turning green and using those tiny little blue bags... 

-Another thing I've learned is to always pack a jacket. You might be on your way to Hawaii, but seriously, you never know. Always pack one and if you don't need it, hurray. but seriously, just pack it, you can thank me later. 

-I also always pack a charger in my purse. You never know if your bag is going to be with you on the plane or if you're going to be squashed next to the fatty on the plane and can't squeeze past to grab it, so a charger in the purse is always a good idea. 

-Shoes. I always throw a pair of comfy sandals in the back pocket of my bag along with a pair of sneakers or flats. Limit it down to one pair of shoes that are comfy enough to walk in and a pair of sandals. That's it. You do not need more than two pairs of shoes. Period. 

-Toiletries. Be smart about these. You have super limited room here, especially in some countries that are extremely strict. The hotel will have shampoo and conditioner, and chances are, if you forget anything essential here, the front desk or a convenience store down the street will have what you need. 

-Medicine. I have a pretty impressive first-aid kit hiding in my purse. People are gross on airplanes, and germs are everywhere!!!!!!! So, remember your vitamins, Advil, and cold meds. And hand sanitizer. Don't go anywhere without it. And I mean ANYWHERE. Some countries bathrooms don't have soap, so just trust me here... 

My motto when packing, it's all replaceable, so just make sure you have the necessities. Passport, phone, wallet..... And hand sanitizer.... 

Part Two: Blending In

For those of you who don't know me, I'm fairly pale, blonde, and blue-eyed girl. Lately, I've been traveling a lot to Asia... Not gonna lie, there aren't a lot of natural blondes there...

Last year, I met a random stranger I believe was named John(?) at the Louvre. He has a philosophy of being unapologetically American. For him, that was his reasoning to be exactly who he was. He was respectful to other people, as knowledgable about the cultures surrounding him he could be with his wardrobe and actions, and he made a point to at least learn a few words in the local language to help him get by, but he refused to travel and look like a ridiculous tourist with those white sneakers, and he refused to apologize for being American. I like that philosophy. I'm proud to be an American, and I refuse to attempt to blend in to the point of sticking out like a sore thumb. Sure, I will do my best, like wear darker colors in Europe and avoid those hideous white tourist sneakers, but there's only so much I can do in Asian countries. I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb regardless, so the least I can do is attempt to soften the stereotype against American tourists being ignorant and disrespectful. 

I think I fully came to this conclusion in Taipei. My hair is quite long right now, and if I'm being quite truthful, it looked AWESOME that day. Well, walking through the Taipei airport, I definitely felt like I was on America's Next Top Model. I walked by and people stared... To the point where my whole crew noticed. That trip I was the only blonde and the only woman at that.... One of my crew members just looked at me, said "Work it," sassily snapped his fingers and strutted away. 

So, if you can't blend in, be unapologetically American and work it! *snap* 

Love, Alison

Questionable Foods....

The motto in my house growing up was: "You know what we call picky eaters in this house?" "HUNGRY."

I was taught from a very young age to try everything at least once, and if you didn't like it, fake it till you make it.... The first time we traveled to Europe, my mother basically threatened my sister and I saying that even if we didn't like something, we eat it with a smile and ask for more. That has worked WAY too well for some of these foods, but at least it has instilled a bit of adventure when it comes to food. I will try anything once. (I feel I should probably clarify that to not include living things because this will undoubtedly come back to bite me in the rear later....) 

Well, Japan certainly puts my theory to test. Everything you eat there looks ridiculously strange, and seeing as I don't speak any language remotely close to Japanese, it's all a gamble. I generally just look at the pictures and hope it's tasty! 

Well, as any gambler will know, eventually your luck will run out.... I've been extremely lucky with everything I've eaten so far, seeing as it all has been delicious, but one of my fellow flight attendants was not so lucky, and she decided to share that unluckiness with me.... 

It all started out when she wanted a simple sushi roll to snack on for the flight back. So she went for the simplest looking roll, one with beans and presumably pork. Unfortunately for her, we discovered it most definitely was not what she thought.... The beans were correct, although they weren't just regular beans, they were fermented beans.... And the pork wasn't pork, it was pickled plum.... 

If you've ever smelled wet shoes, you know the ones I'm talking about; the shoes that you probably should've thrown away YEARS ago because they smell so bad, and then you wear them through a thunderstorm because you know they have already had a good run, so then they smell like WET SMELLY GROSSNESS? Those shoes.... Well, in case you've never smelled fermented beans before, now you know the smell. And the pickled plum smelled like anything pickled, but was indistinguishable under the massive odor of the beans.... 

Being the good friend I am, I dared my fellow flight attendant to eat it, and she handed it right back to me, so we both decided to try something new under the basis of "How bad can it be?" Famous last words. 

Well, she cut it into pieces for us to taste and the fermented part of the beans turned into a sticky almost cobweb like substance stuck to the knife... Quite tasty looking.... So we counted to three and downed the foot-smelling-bean-roll.  

Unfortunately for us, one of our fellow flight attendants from Japan decided that was the time to discuss the fermentation process of beans and how they basically rot in their own liquid ALL WHILE THE ROTTEN BEAN ROLL IS IN MY MOUTH. I quickly went through all my options of how offensive it would be for me to either spit it out or puke on the spot, all while trying to keep my gag reflex in check and discovered it would be hell to pay if I chose either of those options.... Another flight attendant decided that would ALSO be the optimal time to start ribbon dancing with the fermented cobweb still attached to the knife.... And I repeat, the rotten beans were still in my mouth. In desperation, I grabbed for basically anything to help wash it down and was lucky enough to snag a can of coke to be the chaser for those foot-smelling fermented beans.... All the while, impervious to my distress, they are still discussing rotting foods and dancing with the remaining cobwebs of those beans.... Delicious right? 

I'm still unsure how the other flight attendant did with her own tasting of terrifying sushi seeing as I was ultimately focused with keeping my own down.... 

Now I know what NOT to buy at least.... But hey, I tried it once! 

Love, Alison

Bad Fortune Favors You....

Bad fortunes. I guess it's the luck of the draw....There are so many traditions to try ones luck.... Such examples are throwing coins in fountains, sticking your hands in questionable places, kissing stones upside-down, rubbing questionable appendages on statues, etc., and of course, trying your fortune. Well, there are quite a few stories connected with all the situations listed above... but the one I'm speaking of takes place at Senso-ji's Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. 

At Senso-ji's Temple, such a thing is called an "omikuji" or "paper fortune." When you travel to Senso-ji Temple, you must make an offering and then take on the task of shaking a lovely metal box in the attempt to get a bamboo stick with your fortune's number out of the hole. While you're shaking the metal box, you're supposed to pray to the Gods and Buddha's for good luck in the coming year, but I guess I got a bit distracted and tried my dance skills out instead.... Anyways, the number on the stick corresponds to your fortune, which you then take from the box. 

I got "daikyou," which translated, means "terrible luck"... Figures, right? Well, in case the title isn't bad enough for you, there is also a description of everything you shouldn't do... Like travel, date, marry, have children, etc. ... And most endings for those were death... You get the idea. 

Tradition holds that when you receive a poor fortune, you are supposed to tie the fortune to one of the iron posts to seal the fate within the temple instead of carrying it with you... Odd, but hopefully that works. Honestly, I nearly burnt it in the incense cauldron just to be sure, but my friend was against that... 

So, what do you do when you get a bad fortune? TRY AGAIN!!! I got "regular fortune," so basically everything is OK to do, it won't be great, but you won't die.... I guess I'll take it! 

Better luck next time? 

Love, Alison 

EARTHQUAKEEEEEEEEE!!!

Fun fact: I live basically directly on top of a fault line, and travel to a place that is also directly on top of a fault line, so I guess it was only a matter of time before I experienced an earthquake of some sort....

I grew up in the mountains of Colorado. Basically the only natural disaster I ever had to worry about was a blizzard..... While kids in schools had drills for earthquakes and tornadoes, we had fire drills... that was about it. Surprisingly, we did have a forest fire next to the high school, but it was after school hours when we were evacuated, so the whole fire drill thing was never exactly put to real life use.... Anyways, I digress, point being I never was taught what to do in a disaster.

In college, the first time I heard the tornado sirens, I had zero clue what they meant... So while everyone else was taking cover, I was waltzing around outside casually making my way to class. Since then, I've learned a few things. Like not to go outside during a tornado... Earthquakes were still outside my realm of reasoning considering I had never experienced one.... Until last week....

I was hanging out in my hotel room in Tokyo getting ready for my flight back to the US of A, blow drying my hair when I heard things start to move. Well, in my jet-lagged state, I initially thought someone was breaking down the door to my hotel room until I realized everything was moving. My second thought was that I wasn't on a plane so it clearly wasn't turbulence... and the third thought was that I wasn't drunk, so after all that, I realized that naturally, it must be an earthquake. I happened to be texting my sister at the time, so I lovingly interrupted our riveting conversation about me shredding two pairs of pantyhose to terrify her by texting "Holy Cow! EARTHQUAKE! What do I do???" Because panicking by yourself is never fun, so texting others while in a foreign country to make them worry about you is always better. (Sorry Jill...)

Well, the man who got on the PA system at the hotel was also panicked. While he was shouting instructions in Japanese and then English, you could hear people yelling in the background also panicking. Overall, definitely a good way to calm people down... My mother's reaction was to send me instructions on what to do in case of an earthquake... two days later...

So, I survived a 5.6 earthquake in the center of Tokyo. Hopefully, it's not a repeat experience, but I now have the official recommendations from the CDC on what to do just in case. (Thanks Mom...)

Love, Alison

Ugly Stepchild Moments....

If you are a human in the 21st century, you should know the story of Cinderella. And if you know me at all, then you know my life revolves around a variety of Disney moments, or at least moments I relate to Disney.... Anyways, we all know the story of Cinderella who gets stuck caring for her horrible stepmother and equally horrible stepsisters, and while they are as hideous on the outside as they are within, Cinderella is the one who becomes the unwanted ugly stepchild. Well, I believe that we are all handed a variety of ugly stepchild moments.... Also known as those challenging moments where we are placed into a situation so uncomfortable we start grabbing air or random strangers to try and claw our way out.

In my job, the likelihood of an ugly stepchild moment is very real. The people, places, and situations I deal with on a daily basis change dramatically and chances of everyone getting along 24/7 in magical harmony, is just that, fantasy. When you have 14 people that have never met or worked together before, trapped in a piece of metal hurtling across the sky at 500mph all working to ensure 300+ strangers get along for 12 hours and make it to the final destination safely, tensions can run a tad high. Well, a recent experience I had was with one such crew. We had a few new people that were still learning the job, and while that is wonderful, it also creates a bit of added stress on the rest of the crew... But that in no way makes it acceptable to point out such a situation and repeatedly draw attention to peoples lack of knowledge and experience... This situation is known as an UGLY STEPCHILD MOMENT. 

The recipient of this particular ugly stepchild moment was an AMAZING sport. There wasn't a moment on the flight that there wasn't a smile on his face, even if it was a bit strained at times. He dealt with all of the senior people on the flight literally yelling at him non-stop and held it together in tremendous fashion. I volunteered to assist for a few minutes, quite literally got my head bitten off, and quickly made my exit. How that kid held it together for 12 hrs is BEYOND me. 

Kudos to him for being the ugly stepchild and having the strength to rise above it with a smile on his face the whole time. He even got on the flight back home to deal with it all again about 24 hrs later... We may have bought him a couple beers and played "Let It Go" several times in a vent session before the flight, but at least he was still smiling when we made it back home. It was really was a true Cinderella moment. Just remember to "have courage and be kind."

Love, Alison

Hello World!

HELLO WORRRRLLLLLLDDDDD!!!!!!!! I can now say that, seeing as I am now an International Flight Attendant! That is both terrifying and amazing at the same time. I'm actually getting paid to travel around the world, eat delicious foo, and stay in fabulous hotels. Yah. My life is cool.

So with all that excitement and my transfer to the international base in March, I then had to wait two gloriously long months of being on reserve and getting picked on by scheduling before actually getting an international trip. See, when crew scheduling calls you, it's both terrifying and awesome at the same time. Partially terrifying because my phone ring is absolutely heinous and Darth Vader pops up on the screen, and partially terrifying because they can call you at any time of day regardless of your life or plans or appointments and send you literally anywhere in the world, and your only response is "Yes, Okay. Thank you so much," even if it is a red-eye turn to the other side of the country and you're functioning on zero sleep. YAY! But, it can also be awesome because they can send you anywhere in the world. Understand the terrifying, but potentially awesome nature of the scheduling beast??

Well, this month is the lovely month of May, and I finally, FINALLY got to go somewhere cool. TOKYO, JAPAN. I've never been to Asia, and have basically always wanted to go. So, I was super excited and my first reaction was to tell my family. My mom was super excited! You wanna know her response? "Oh honey! That is so exciting! You'll be the first in the family to go to Asia!"...... Well, just so happens, my sister is adopted from Korea..... and got engaged in Hong Kong last year..... Both are kind big things.... And she was in the car when I told my mom, so her facial expressions were absolutely fantastic. I'll let you just picture that for a minute.....

Anyways, I survived working my first international flight, and made it to TOKYO! I understood absolutely nothing, bought all the food that I had zero clue what it actually was, and had a fabulous time. And guess what, I get to do it all again next week!

Life is truly fantastic sometimes.

Love, Alison

The Hills are Alive With THE SOUND OF MUSIC!

Throwback Tuesday to when I was in Salzburg, Austria:

SALZBURG!!! The birthplace of Mozart. Naturally, as a classically trained pianist for 13 years, I'm in HEAVEN. Actual heaven. It's Mozart!!! And it doesn't hurt that it's also the home of The Sound Of Music, aka one of the best movies EVER. So yes, Salzburg is heaven for those of you that are wondering.

Well, I decided I wanted to do everything, and visit everything, so naturally the first part of that list was doing The Sound of Music Tour. For those of you that know me, you know that tour groups are the most dreaded aspect of traveling. Piling onto a bus with 50-odd strangers and being herded from place to place sounds like actual hell to me, HOWEVER, when it's the only way to see all of the scenes of one of my favorite movies, SIGN ME UP!

I will admit, I was subtly surprised.... It was actually fun! Part of our lovely tour group seemed normal, as normal as Sound of Music fans can be... while quite a few were clearly looking for where they last left their brains and several poor souls had zero clue what they signed up for, which became even more apparent when they began blasting the soundtrack for us to sing along to.... Obviously, I was part of the semi-normal, singing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs crowd.

Since I was there by my lonesome, I offered to take pictures for a few of the people in front of the wonderful scenery. One such group was a lovely group of doctors from New York. I took their camera, and being full on Disney-brainwashed, wrapped the camera strap around my wrist (you only have to drop some strangers camera once...), and the girl in their group freaked out and demanded to know why I wrapped the camera strap around my wrist twice. Turns out, she had also been Disney-brainwashed on a Disney College Program in 2010 as a Photopass Photographer! Well, obviously we became instant friends, and after the tour they invited me back to their hotel to grab a drink.

Little did I know they were staying at the 5-star CASTLE on the top of the hill overlooking Salzburg! So yes, we did have a few drinks. At a castle. In Salzburg. And it was FABULOUS.

I can now say, I got tipsy in a castle with doctors and golden statues of jaguars while singing The Sound of Music soundtrack.

Love, Alison

Life

Life is a funny thing. If you would've told me 5 years ago that I would be living in San Francisco and starting a new career as a flight attendant, I probably would've said you where a crazy-pants.... But here I am, sitting on my friends couch with my suitcase packed and ready to fly anywhere. CRAZY. People keep asking me how I like it, and what's it like, and I honestly don't know how to respond. I think I may still be adjusting to the fact that this is my life now and I have no idea what I'm doing. Part of that is exciting, and the other part makes me want to curl up in a ball and hide from the world.

A few years ago I realized I was letting life pass me by. My friends were safe and predictable and my life was completely boring. I think my time abroad in Rome was kind of the turning point for me. I was still safe and predictable, but I finally realized there was more out there. Applying for the Disney College Program changed that... I met an incredible group of people, was forced out of my comfort zone on a daily basis and I finally allowed myself to be part of the college experience: meeting new people, having ridiculous conversations about religion and politics until 3am, cat-wine, and meeting some friends that I know I will still be frolicking around Disney with when we are all 80... Disney changed everything for me and made me learn so much about myself and what I am capable of. 

After completing two separate college programs, a professional internship, and a brief period as a regular human working at Disney, I finally decided my time had come to move on... There hasn't been a day that goes by that I don't wonder if I made the right decision. I left Disney at the ideal time... when I still LOVED my job, and that was definitely the hardest part. 

I left my job with the excuse that I wanted to travel, so naturally after talking about it for months on end, I finally bit the bullet and booked a trip. The absolute scariest thing I think I've ever done, was get on that airplane... I went off by myself to go on a 6 week journey that let me see exactly how far I can push myself. I learned that I can do anything and that I can do it by myself. I am capable of figuring things out on my own and DEFINITELY capable of asking for help when I need it. And while I, still learning new things about myself, I'm not scared to find out what the future has in store. If I love my new career, kudos to me for figuring it out by 24, and if not, I still have time to figure it all out. 

"For what it's worth: It's never too late gone whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you find you're not, I hope you have the strength to start over." -F. Scott Fitzgerald

Love, Alison

Commitment....

For those of you who know me, you know that I am terrified of commitment. This not only reflects in my lovely personal life, but also with things like furniture.... It's a commitment saying that I'll stay there or be stuck with something. The ironic part is, I really don't like change, but I'm far too stuck in my non-planning, commitment-free ways to stop it. If anyone actually reads this blog, you may notice a possible 7 month break between posts, because again with the commitment, even sticking to a blog is clearly problematic, or I'm just lazy... Your choice. 

So in light of the new year, my new place of residence, and a new career, I decided that the best way to record my life is to just do it in the moment, and while a timeline of chronological events would be nice, it isn't realistic. So, the new blog will be filled with my new adventures, whenever and wherever they happen.

Good luck to anyone reading this, it maybe a bumpy ride... May the odds be ever in your favor. 

Love, Alison