Serenade from Afar [11/52] by Ryan

She may be in Dubai. BUT WOW, does she know how to throw me a party! I looove her! :D

She spoiled me rotten even though we were over 11,700km apart when the calendar flipped over to St Patricks Day, my Birthday. It started at 2pm in Alberta when Dubai flipped over and she had stayed up late just to wish me a happy birthday as of Dubai time. There were emails, facebook messages, and a video of her singing me happy birthday. 10 minutes after midnight in Alberta, a call from her cell to wish me happy birthday! I woke up to an amazingly long email that took me two days to read as I was super busy. I came home to Balloons that she had delivered to my house with a card. I opened another card that she had sent from Australia and wrote on it for me not to open until March 17, 2010. She's the greatest. Everyone needs someone like her in their lives! It's even more amazing when you're dating someone like her. Last year in 2009 when I turned 24, her favourite number, She wouldn't stop wishing me happy birthday as we went to sleep... woke up... throughout the day.... when we hung out that evening.... it was pretty great :)

The two stuffed animals Eve & Ry that I got her, celebrated with her by putting on their party hats!

I was truely blow away with how MUCH she did for my birthday. I couldn't have asked for a better present, a better girlfriend, or a better best friend :)

Thank you Krysta! I love you!

City of Dust [10/52] by Krysta

A thick cloud of dust has hung over Dubai for the past week, the result of a recent sandstorm. An eerie grey/orange tinge has replaced the normally blue skies. The visibility was so bad that we faced the fear of diverted flights and delays. Fortunately, my flights have all been pretty uneventful. It's been a busy week, full of turnaround flights... I've been to Bangalore in India, Bahrain, and twice to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. It's been exhausting, even with a couple of days off in between. Tonight I sat at the airport for 3 hours on standby. Not knowing where I might be sent, I had my suitcase packed with my winter jacket and beach attire. Oh, the unpredictable life of a flight attendant! At the end of the night, I was not needed for any flights and was sent home, much to my relief! I've survived! No more turnarounds this month.... bring on the layovers! Fresh air is calling my name.Ciry of Dust [10/52] -A thick cloud of dust has hung over Dubai for the past week, the result of a recent sandstorm. An eerie grey/orange tinge has replaced the normally blue skies. The visibility was so bad that we faced the fear of diverted flights and delays. Fortunately, my flights have all been pretty uneventful. It's been a busy week, full of turnaround flights... I've been to Bangalore in India, Bahrain, and twice to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. It's been exhausting, even with a couple of days off in between. Tonight I sat at the airport for 3 hours on standby. Not knowing where I might be sent, I had my suitcase packed with my winter jacket and beach attire. Oh, the unpredictable life of a flight attendant! At the end of the night, I was not needed for any flights and was sent home, much to my relief! I've survived! No more turnarounds this month.... bring on the layovers! Fresh air is calling my name.

Crying [10/52] by Ryan

It's one thing I've never really been able to do since I was about 8. I get sad about stuff, but the most I can usually get is a little misty eyed. I do, however, let the tears stream down my face when I'm laughing so hard I can't control myself as I wipe the water off my face between catching my breath.

It might seem a little sadistic, but I like to know that Krysta cries about me sometimes. It really does show how much I mean to her. I just have to find other creative ways to show her how much she means to me too. I think i've managed this quite well :)

I miss you Krysta!

I Love My Life [9/52]

I started off this week in beautiful Indonesia, soaking up the sun on my best layover yet. Myself and a few other crew members visited Ayer Island in Pulua Seribu, about 30 minutes by boat from the coast of Jakarta. It's amazing to see such a peaceful island so close to a city of 12 million people.

Since then I've spent my time catching up on sleep, avoiding cleaning my bedroom, and going on a couple of quick turnaround flights... one to Bahrain, one to Riyahd, Saudi Arabia.

On Tuesday I celebrated 9 amazing months of dating Ryan! I was super excited when a delivery man arrived with a gift sent from him. I'm not sure how I got so lucky, but I love my life, and my boyfriend! :)

Birthday Boy [9/52] by Ryan

Last Sunday I went up to Edmonton to celebrate my Nephew's 2nd Birthday. He got a lot of Thomas the Train tracks and parts and toys. I've always loved that stuff and am a little jealous. I will have to go up and play with him some day in the future. ALSO Team Canada won the olympic gold medal in Hockey. We brought our HD box up from Red Deer so we could catch the game in Hi Def. It was a pretty great day all around!

24 Hours in England [8/52] by Krysta

After my Brisbane flight I had a few days to recover from jet lag before a flight to Khartoum, Sudan on Monday. I spent my time lying by the pool and just being generally lazy. I checked my roster the day before my flight and was excited to find that my quick turnaround flight to Khartoum had been changed to a 24 hour layover in Manchester! I stuffed my suitcase full of warm clothes and, excited to visit Europe for the very first time! I've been battling a nasty cold so I wasn't feeling very motivated to do much, but I couldn't bear to stay in my hotel room for the entire day. I caught a train into the city and wandered around taking pictures, window shopping, and shivering in the wintery air. Night was falling, so it was back to the hotel room where I spent the evening taking advantage of free wireless to talk to my boyfriend that I miss so dearly.... and headed to bed early in an attempt to regain my health. No such luck... I had a miserable flight back to Dubai, sniffling and sneezing and struggling to speak, but the crew and passengers were great, so that made it a bit better. 24 hours of rest in Dubai, and then it's off to catch my next flight at 4 am!

PS... About the photo...I had to Google this building, as I didn't actually go inside. It's a shopping center built in the late 1800's, formerly used as a corn exhange. In 1996 it was damaged by the IRA Bombing, so it has been renovated and is now quite modern. On the screen in front I stood and watched the Vancouver Olympics for awhile, happy to see a bit of home so far away. :)