There is no Arizona

As I've discussed in other posts, the main (and sometimes only) highlight of my job is the ability to fly for little or no cost. This benefit, coupled with a good hotel rate, makes leisure travel on my measly salary possible. However, before you turn green with envy and start cursing my existence, you should know that I have to be extremely flexible with any travel plans I do make, because I only get on a flight if there are empty seats left over after everyone boards. It is a regular occurrence that I get up at 4 am and head to the airport for that first flight, only to find out that I didn't make it on and have to try for the next one. It's extremely tedious and very frustrating, but wouldn't be a huge deal at all if I have extra days off, with which to be flexible. Unfortunately, I usually have only 3 days off at a time, so here we are.

Recently, my mother and I decided to take advantage of some rare extended time off that I had, and made a spur-of-the-moment trip across the country to Arizona. We did all the typical touristy things- visited the Grand Canyon, the red rocks of Sedona, Montezuma castle, etc. We also drove along historic route 66. After seeing all of these things, I've got to say, the Grand Canyon wasn't all that grand. Sure, it was pretty cool to see, but I really think people make a huge fuss over nothing. I see a lot of stuff from up in the air, and the Canyon actually wasn't all that impressive. Montezuma castle and well were much more impressive, and the red rocks of Sedona topped them all.

The natural beauty of those massive, bright-hued marvels is truly awe-inspiring. I also thoroughly enjoyed the fact that I got to enjoy them from the comfort of our air-conditioned rental car instead of walking around in the sweltering August desert heat like we had to do for all of the other sites we visited. I'll stay out in the snow all day, but nothing makes me more miserable than heat- dry or otherwise.

Above are pictures of the red rocks that I love so much!!

This is a picture of the Montezuma well, a sacred spot for the ancient natives.

The Riordan Mansion is an arts and crafts style duplex from the early 1900s, owned by two brothers and their two wives, who were sisters. Each home is its own separate residence, a mirror image of the other, connected by a common room in between the houses. As a former interior design student, I thoroughly enjoyed the tour of this property. One of the things that I found the most peculiar about this residence is that several generations of the family lived there from 1904, when it was built, through the 1980s, without updating any of the furniture, appliances, or decorations! It's kind of crazy to think of people in the 80s living in a house with accommodations from 1904. I highly recommend checking out this historic gem if ever you're in Flagstaff, AZ.

Housewife Tutorials: Lemonies (Lemon Brownies)

Most people who know me know that I adore baking. In college, I made several different baked goods each week, and it was great because there was always an abundance of starving college kids around to eat them. Nowadays, however, there are far fewer people around to share my goodies with, and since getting diabetes is on nobody's to-do list, I don't bake half as much as I used to.

Thursday nights are date nights in our house, because I usually have Thursdays off. We alternate weeks in who plans the date, and this week is my week. I decided that it would be cute and fun to have a picnic! Where we live, there is nowhere to have a picnic that doesn't requiring obtaining a permit first. This is the dumbest thing I've ever encountered, but I jumped through these town-mandated hoops anyway. Nothing is going to put a damper on my date night!

My boyfriend loves lemon and brownies separately, and I've had the idea in my mind for some time to surprise him with lemon brownies. So in addition to all of our other cutesy picnic food, I decided to look for a recipe for lemon brownies. I thought it would be a difficult task, and that I would have to combine several different recipes with my own expertise to create this lemony holy grail. Not the case. It turns out that there are tons of recipes for lemonies out there! I looked through a few and decided on the one that I thought would be the best. The original post can be found here: http://www.jennycancook.com/recipes/lemon-brownies/.
However, I will post my own account of the baking process, as well as my own adaptations, in this post.

First thing's first- gather all of your baking ingredients, listed below.

• Lemonies:
• 
  
• 1 cup all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3 Tablespoons canola oil
• zest of 2 lemons
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 
  
• 
  
• Glaze:
  zest of 1 lemon
• 1 rounded cup powdered sugar
• about 2 to 4 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 
  
• 
  
• Before you can do much else, you'll need to zest your lemons. You can use a fancy lemon zester, or the zesting side of a 4-sided grater, but I prefer to use a steak knife. It works just as well as a zester, and it's much easier to clean. Just be careful not to cut yourself. Cuts + lemon = no bueno. 
• 
  
• Preheat your oven to 350° F.

• 
  
• Next, put all of your ingredients into a bowl. Yup, that's right, no "combining dry ingredients in one bowl and beating together wet ingredients in another." The simplicity of this recipe is unmatched by most.
• 
  
• Then you stir it all up by hand until smooth (about 30 seconds). Get out all those lumps and bumps. If you wouldn't want them on your thighs, then you don't want them in your batter.
• 
  
• Spread your beautiful yellow batter in a greased 8x8-inch pan and bake for about 20 minutes, depending on your oven. While you're waiting, you can do a load of laundry, respond to emails, send your kid to a time-out, go out and get the mail, or be like me and write a blog post about your kitchen endeavors.
• 
  
• When they're done, let the lemonies cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes.
• 
  
• While lemonies are cooling, stir the glaze ingredients together in a bowl, adding the juice  gradually until the glaze is spreadable. This may or may not take all of the lemon juice. It most likely will not, so it's important to add the juice gradually and mix up the glaze thoroughly before adding more. Another important part of this step is to make sure that, if you send a man out to pick up powdered sugar, he actually knows what it is. As cute a he is, my boyfriend was unaware that different types of sugar existed, and rather than asking, he just bought plain white sugar. So back to the store I went. 
• 
  
• Once the lemonies have cooled a bit, spread the glaze on them while they're still warm, resisting the urge to eat all of the glaze before it makes it onto the lemonies! Now just try to eat one before your family gobbles them all up first!

Below, you will find photos of my process. I certainly hope that these lemonies are as delicious as they smell and look!


Zesting away!:

Mixing up the batter: 

Beautiful lemony batter:

The glaze!: 

In case you don't know what powdered sugar looks like...;):

All done!!:

The Cost of Raising Minimum Wage

While gettin' my sweat on at the gym the other day, I saw a news report about fast food workers pushing to raise minimum wage to $15/hour. The idea of this is appalling on so many levels. I understand that minimum wage is not a livable wage, but that's kind of the point. Minimum wage jobs exist for people with no job experience, education, or marketable skills-- i.e. high school kids. The current job market is tough, which is why we should all prepare ourselves for success as much as possible.

Minimum wage jobs were not designed to be lifelong careers. They are an entry point into the workforce for people with little to no skills. They exist to teach the basic skills needed for a lifetime of work. A person should learn a trade or get an education in a specific field before expecting to make more than $10/hour. At the very least, a person should aspire to move up to a management position within their current company as a means of gaining more experience and a higher salary. There is something that today's society seems to forgotten, and that is that the purpose of work is to EARN money. Money is a limited resource, and a valuable commodity. It should not be given freely or without effort.

I have two bachelors degrees, and there are months when I make less than the average minimum wage worker. While I technically make a decent hourly wage, I am guaranteed to be paid only about half the hours per month that a typical shift worker would get. When on reserve (an on-call only status), I have no control over how much I work and never know ahead of time how many hours I will work that month. In the months where I don't "break" (go over) guarantee by working more hours than my minimum guarantee, that's all I get. When you do the math, I end up making somewhere around the minimum hourly wage (between 7 and 9 dollars per hour).

I don't have a ton of extra cash for superfluous spending, but I get by. In a previous post, I explained my personal methods for living cheap and making ends meet. I am buried in student loans, and also owe a substantial chunk of cash to my parents for money they've loaned me over the past few years. I chip away at these debts a little at a time, whenever I can spare a little money, and this is how it will be for the foreseeable future. I may not be wealthy, but at least I'm educated and employed. I have acquired job experience and marketable skills, and am working toward a brighter financial future for myself. I am not able to buy all of the things that I want, but I am able to buy all of the things that I need. It's not a perfect life that I lead, but it's one of a hardworking American.

Raising the minimum wage would inspire even more laziness and sense of entitlement than is already present in our society. Do we really want an even less educated and hardworking nation? What ever happened to ambition? Yes, people need to eat. No, not everyone needs an iPhone, or even a smartphone. I didn't have a smartphone until about seven months ago, because I couldn't afford one before then. I also know people who still don't have one. Sure, it's a great convenience and nice to have, but it's certainly not a necessity.

If we raise minimum wage by such a substantial amount, then we are further crippling our nation's future. The low wages aren't the problem; it's the attitude of today's American that is to blame. People need to remember the purpose of minimum wage jobs, and act accordingly. Additionally, if the minimum wage goes up, the wages of people with skill and education should go up by the same amount. To offset these wages, the cost of goods will also rise, and this cycle will continue. The more logical approach would be for minimum wage to stay at a minimum, and spend this country's tax dollars fostering a desire for hard work and career advancement in today's youth.

Niagara Falls

This is a picture of Niagara Falls that I took from the air last weekend. Enjoy!

More Love = Higher Productivity

I don't care who you are or what you say to the contrary, everyone loves a compliment. Whether it's related to your appearance, a skill that you have, or your work ethic, positive feedback is always great to hear. I recently received an email from Management in positive regards to my own work performance, and it completely made my day. It got me to thinking, corporations should really put a larger focus on thanking their employees for their hard work, and noticing when they do something above and beyond the call of duty.

All too often in our society, we focus on the negative. Employers, families, and friends are quick to point out our shortcomings, yet rarely provide us with compliments. Of course, this is a vast generalization. There are many people in my life who provide me with positive reinforcement, as I'm sure there are in yours. However, it is human nature to nitpick the bad and not acknowledge the good.

I think that employers should make a conscious effort to provide employees with a higher quantity of positive feedback. In doing this, I have no doubt that the average employee would be much more eager to bend over backwards for the company. Why would anyone who feels underappreciated want to meet, much less exceed, expectations? By recognizing the hard work that your employees put in for you every day, it provides encouragement for them to keep up the good work.

The best form of encouragement is obviously monetary, but other small tokens of a company's appreciation work as well. Even something as simple as saying, "hey, I noticed you've been putting a lot of effort into that X presentation. I had a chance to take a look at it the other day and it seems like it's coming along great! Keep up the good work!" will make a big difference to your employees. People are much more likely to bring their A-game when they feel that their efforts are appreciated.

This one little task is a free and easy tool to help increase productivity at any company. So why wouldn't a company want to implement this strategy?! They would be crazy not to.

So if you're in a management position at your company, make it your goal to offer at least one compliment to an employee today. After all, all any of us really wants is a little love!

P.S. This works with parents and children too (to some degree...), so show your babies some love!!

How To: Live on a Flight Attendant's Salary (And Not be Completely Miserable)

It may come as a shock to those of you who are unfamiliar with the airline industry that I make very very little money. I can pay my bills (because I'm a financial wizard), but there is not much left over for error or frivolous spending. I had to defer my school loans, so I'm living with an ever-growing debt that I can't pay off, but I digress. Despite my lack of sufficient income, I still manage to make ends meet and have a little fun along the way. Because let's face it, a life without fun isn't really worth living. Below, you will find my own personal list of ways that I stay afloat in this dire economy.

1. I just graduated last year
Being fresh out of college, I have a distinct advantage when it comes to surviving on a next-to-nothing paycheck. Thank goodness I came into this profession straight from college, rather than from a different grown-up job. Had I already been used to earning a living wage, I have no doubt that I would be experiencing a much greater degree of difficulty in keeping my head above financial water.

2. My parents are smart people
Another advantage I have is the set of highly advanced money management skills instilled in me by my parents throughout the years. Without their guidance in how to effectively save and hunt for items on sale at a deep discount, I would be in much worse financial shape than I currently am.

3. Cheap and filling > costly and healthy
The first thing I do to save money is something that I definitely wouldn't be able to do if I wasn't basically still a college kid, and that is stocking up on 28 cent noodle cups. Ready in just 3 minutes, these noodle cups provide very poor nutrition, but are a great meal in a pinch, especially when you're trapped on a plane with nothing but ice and hot water. (tip: use the hot water to make the noodle cup) While these are certainly not the healthiest meal option, when one of your entire 2-week paychecks goes to rent, you really can't afford to be all that picky.

4. Take what you can and need to survive
My own personal motto for this job is "if it's free, it's for me." By following this motto, I am able to save a plethora of money by acquiring things at no cost that I would otherwise have to buy. For instance, I always take advantage of the breakfast included with my stay at the hotel. I can usually get a square meal to start my day off right, and stash a piece of fruit or something for a snack later in the day. I also save my hotel soaps for later, because using a bar of soap one time and then throwing it out is wasteful and, quite frankly, just plain stupid. And while technically this isn't a cost to you, by bringing that once-used bar of soap home, you've eliminated your need to buy a bar, saving you money. Plus, you've already paid for it with the cost of your room.

5. When you're poor, you can't afford to be embarrassed
One time, while I was cleaning up the plane between flights (yes, when you leave a mess behind, it is ME who has to clean it up, not the magical airplane fairies, so please keep that in mind), I found a seemingly untouched chocolate muffin that a passenger left behind. I ate it, and let me tell you, it was the most delicious muffin I've ever tasted. #noshame

6. Accept gifts without remorse
Occasionally, a captain I'm flying with will buy me a coffee, a pastry, or a drink on an overnight. At first, I felt bad because I don't like people buying me things, but then I realized that they make about 6 or 7 times more than I do, and that was the end of the guilt. And it took me a long time to be okay with this one, but if your boyfriend wants to buy you dinner (or a car or a house), let him!

7. Exercise your right to impeccable discounts
The best way to save money is to never pay full price for anything if you can help it. Scour the weekend papers for coupons, search online for coupon codes, and take advantage of weekly grocery specials. The only way I can afford to get massages (which I desperately need in order to de-stress and remain relaxed enough to keep my job) is by purchasing them at a deep discount. Individual salons sometimes offer discounts on various services, usually around holidays such as Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and Christmas. However, discounts are offered year round on sites such as Groupon (see link below). This site is basically my BFF. I spend more time on there than I probably should, but it allows me to afford luxuries I wouldn't otherwise be able to, so I'm okay with it!

https://www.groupon.com/visitor_referral/h/1519a21c-aad7-433d-9351-7272014cfcb0

8. Treat yourself!
No matter how little you make, if you don't indulge in a few little splurges now and again, you will live a sad, miserable existence. So whatever your poison, be it a new pair of shoes, a bottle of nail polish, a day at the zoo, or even a cheesesteak, buy it! Just make sure that all your bills are paid first.

Update: one year later

So I did indeed make it through flight attendant training, with flying colors, might I add. And after doing so, I began flying more hours in a week than I was sleeping, and promptly forgot all about my blog baby.

Here I am, a year later, picking up where I left off, thanks to the suggestion of my captain on this trip. Shoutout to Mike S. on that one!

As much time as I spend in the air, I try to balance out work and play with doing the things I love on my days off. These include activities such as reading, shopping, baking, frequenting spas, scrapbooking and other crafts, and figuring out what I actually want to do with my life.

My original plan was to be a flight attendant for a year or two before going to law school. However, I no longer believe that law is the correct path for me. The trouble lies in determining what the correct path for me is. At 13 years old, I set these life goals for myself, which, up until about 8 months ago, I followed. It was extremely hard to let go of the plan I had so carefully crafted in my youth, and now that it is gone I feel completely lost.

I am hoping to discover my life's passion at some point this year, and begin taking the necessary steps to make my newfound dream a reality. Until then, I will continue on as I have for the past year, calming the woes of the everyman traveler, and finding happiness in any small thing that I can.