A Bicycle Ride in Los Angeles

I’ve been home-sweet-home for the last 5 days which has been so joyful, I’ve loved it. I’ve had a mixture of days off after my recent LA trip and a good dose of home standby days (basically days where I’m on call should a flight need me to operate).

So far this month I have had all my weekends off which has been such a lovely change and one that I hope will stick around for the coming months. It provides a bit of normality in a job that fluctuates quite a lot- I really enjoy being at home, sleeping in my own bed, tending to that ever growing list of jobs and of course it is great to be on the same timetable as family and friends.

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Los Angeles (my third since starting the job) and the crew were all fantastic which helps a lot, particularly if you’re new and still unsure of things to do. Five of us hired bicycles and went on the longest bicycle ride of my life. All in all we travelled a grand total of 34 miles. Seriously, I’m not sure I would have made it had it not been for the sheer determination of the girls that I was with & not wanting to hold the group up.

All that pain was so worth it though AND I feel like I achieved something pretty momentous- not to mention a healthy dose of exercise which comes along pretty rarely in life at the moment.

Luckily one of the girls had done the same bike ride the week previously so she knew the route and took up the post of navigator- of which she did a fantastic job. We pedalled our way from Long Beach to Huntingdon Beach with a brief stop at Seal Beach on the way back. We were very well provided for, with bike paths all the way- most of which winded across the beaches so that the views were absolutely fantastic, particularly on our journey back when the sun was setting creating the most vivid pink sky I have ever seen.

Huntingdon Beach Pier- we stopped at Rubys at the end for a pumpkin shake and chilli fries

Ahh look at that view- sun, sand, sea at Huntingdon Beach

Came across this fella ( I was terrified to get any closer! )

Surfer Dooood

At Seal Beach they serve coca cola in jars, this warranted a photo obviously.

This is no ordinary bicycle- this is a cruiser

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<3 Miami & Jessica Simpsons Clothing Range

On Friday I got back from my first trip to the stunning Miami with my new job. I have been twice previously on family holidays- once many years ago and most recently just overnight before we sailed out of Miami on a cruise of the Carribean. This time, however I was staying in downtown Miami instead of the more popular tourist destination of South Beach where I have stayed on my two prior visits.

 

Unfortunately we were only there for 24 hours, which is very short considering the jet lag and also the lack of time to explore- I would of loved to have been able to pop over to south beach (11 miles away) but time didn’t really permit, so I settled for a wander around the streets of downtown Miami. It was perfect- the sun was shining and everyone seemed happy and smiley amongst the hustle and bustle of the city. 

As the title of this post suggests- my exploration led me to the well-known department store ‘Macys’. As you can see from the picture- the outside of the building is in dire need of some tlc and certainly didn’t make a very good first impression. However, I was determined not to judge a book by its cover and luckily landed in the handbag department immediately as I entered. Surrounded by Micheal Kors and Calvin Klein handbags it’s difficult not to feel like a kid in a sweet shop, and my first impressions quickly faded.

Despite my awe of the handbags, nothing else really caught my eye, that is until I stumbled across Jessica Simpsons range of clothing. It was one of those very satisfactory moments where I would see something I loved and then behind it see something else I totally loved too. Each piece was unique and had a quirky edge to it that fits my style perfectly. Who would have thought it- me, ahhing over Jessica Simpsons clothing range, & enough so to write about it, its clearly got my stamp of approval.

So without further ado, here are some pictures of my favs:

Fun, flirty dresses. L: Brittain striped dress £45.82 R: Cap sleeve, lace pleated dress £113.04 

And for the cooler British weather L: long sleeve, todi marled knit £45.06 R: Long sleeve, open knit £60.35

 

 

 

Getting Some Zzzz’s and iPhone Blogging

This blog post can be defined as coming to you via my powers of multi tasking.
I’m defining it as that because I’m currently ‘at work’, as such. Ok.. so strictly speaking I’m lying in bed in my hotel room- there’s little to do besides that( it’s gone midnight) but, I had a eureka moment- as cabin crew I often have lots of unproductive time that is usually whiled away watching vampire diaries on my iPad. However, I want to get into the habit of doing more worthwhile things in this free time & writing is one way that I can use this time productively.
Essentially this is made possible through my wordpress phone app- right now I’m still currently in the UK (Manchester to be exact) so Internet is free, however we don’t always get the luxury of free wifi abroad so certain destinations may prove a bit trickier.
Anyway, here goes the start of my on-the-go blogging capabilities. I’ll too it off with a photo of my hotel bed. I am sooo ready for sleep! Night!

Our Overnight Stay in Leeds

Lat night Jon and I drove up to Leeds after work to visit his younger sister who is studying at uni there. We stayed in The Doubletree hotel which is conveniently located a stones throw from the city center and was very good value for money, including a complimentary cookie on arrival!

As it was nearing 8pm when we landed we hurriedly freshened up and headed out to ‘The Alchemist’ for pre dinner drinks. This place is a restaurant come bar combo and quite clearly popular, it was crammed and I could definitely see why, it was amazing. It was quirky in a curious/magical sense and I loved how the drinks were served up in lab flasks, mine had two components which I had to mix together to create my cocktail- the result was very tasty and also very theatrical with smoke being created from the  dry ice.

After our drinks we made the short walk to The Blackhouse Grill where we had a reservation for dinner. The facade of the restaurant was covered in sparkling fairy lights creating an elegant first impression. Once inside we ordered almost immediately- each of us choosing steak with a peppercorn sauce and a few sides to share, alongside a bottle of merlot, all of which was fantastic. Besides the yummy food there was also such a relaxed and sophisticated atmosphere, made particularly special by a pianist who played beautiful music as we ate and chatted away.

After our meal, and whilst the night was still relatively young we decided to stop in on a Bierkeller. This is basically a pub decorated in a german style and selling beers in ridiculously large tankards. Jon and I had experienced one in our fresher days and I have fond memories of swigging beer and dancing on the tables whilst bellowing out german songs and this one didn’t disappoint either. 

After a good old dance and a satisfying dose of cheesy 80’s music we headed off in the direction of call lane where there is plenty of bars to choose from. We settled down in busy corner of one and ordered some drinks to round of our night.

On returning to the hotel we decided to have a nosy at their sky lounge on the top floor. With the twinkling lights of Leeds the views didn’t fail to disappoint and we sipped our night caps completely contentedly after a lovely night out in the town.

The next morning we awoke after a comfortable nights sleep. Once we were up, ready and our things packed away in the car we headed into town once more to do a spot of shopping. I’ve got my eye on couple of fedora hats but didn’t end up buying one- I’m being indecisive and can’t choose what colour I want!

We stopped in on yet another very quirky restaurant called the Botanist. Similarly to the Alchemist it has the same magical decor and atmosphere; with drinks being served in jugs and the staff wearing braces. We had some non alcoholic cocktails and they were delicious!

Our final stop was the Handmade Burger co. There aren’t that many of these in the UK, the closest to us is their Birmingham branch and that is a good 1 hour 15 minutes away. Therefore we were eager to try these much talked about burgers. After our steak the following night we were having a full on meat feast, but my American cheese was very tasty and the peri peri chips were definitely something to write home about.

We had a fantastic time in Leeds. It’s such a dynamic, vibrant city with plenty to do and see whatever your interests. I hope we will get the chance to go back for another visit in the near future.

 

A Spot of Shopping

I’m home sweet home 🙂 I arrived back from Kuwait at lunch time yesterday, more on that later. First of all I’ve got to showcase this amazing cat t-shirt that I picked up from River island today. Cats are without a doubt my favourite animals, unlike dogs they’re quite happy in their own company- I couldn’t be doing with needy pets, so in that respect cats tick that box. Besides that they are just utterly graceful, cool and collected. Sadly we cant have pets at our flat otherwise I would most certainly be a cat lady. I’ve already decided what breed/colour cat I want when we move to our next abode (which- top priority here- will allow pets!)

On this shopping trip of mine I also indulged in some lip balms. Being indecisive and also a bit greedy, lets face it- I’ve ended up with 3 lip balms. Initially I bought the Blistex raspberry lemonade (which tastes and smells delicious) but then remembered that Maybelline have a new range of lip care titled ‘Baby lips’ that needed my attention too. I ended up purchasing the mint and intensive care variations, so I am now fully stocked. 

The reason behind this lip balm splurge is because I have been encountering sore, dry lips during my flights. As cabin crew I am often left feeling dehydrated and this has a direct effect on my lips (which are prone to drying out anyway). I purchased Balmi a couple of months ago as an alternative to eos as we can’t purchase them in the UK.

I’ve got to say Im left feeling a bit disappointed. The actual balm was fantastic, I opted for mint flavour which left a tingle on my lips and tasted fantastic. However, the major and quite unforgiveable downside is that the little pot kept undoing in my handbag and smearing its contents all over anything it came across. My iphone, purse, and sunglasses have all had a good old layer of balmi goodness, unlike my lips it didn’t do them much good. Balmi, please sort this defect out! Once you do I will be repurchasing but until then i need a balm that will stay where its meant to!

So far I like these balms, they’re all soothing on the lips- and although they haven’t completely combatted my dryness I’m sure that with more time and use they will.