Wordless Wednesday

Fear of Flying update.

Well, I've got "aerophobia", that's what my book calls extreme fear of flying. Yep, that's me! I'm about 80 pages into my book and I'll be honest, I teared up about seven times in the first four pages! I've been doing a lot better now though, just upset stomach when I read it! I've learned some really good tips though, subscribed to the Podcast and found my rubberband (it's to snap "negative thoughts" away while flying...maybe I should try it everyday...).

I had a little relapse today though, I had learned about "vectoring" which is when an airplane basically circles an airport where it's about to land in the event that the airport is full at the moment. I was in my room working on a project for Mosaic, when I hear "The debris field from the crash is so vast that it will take quite a lot of time to get concrete answers. The plane was 'vectoring' at the time of the crash, a common procedure." Well, as you can imagine my stomach dropped through the floor and I hopped out of bed into the living room where my grandma was sitting watching television. Good news: it was not a real crash! She was watching "Breaking Bad" and it had a fake plane crash montage, fun. Nearly threw up, but you know, whatever.

For the most part I'm feeling more at ease about flying, but the one part I just can't seem to get my head around is the fact that I'm going to be on a plane for over THIRTEEN HOURS!! That's just the way there, on the way back it's SEVENTEEN HOURS!!! There literally is nothing I can think of that I would rather do less. I'm thinking positively though, and obviously the fact that I get to land in Paris at the end of all of this is a help. I may have to try Megan Fox's trick...

" I had to come up with a way to deal with it because I didn’t want to have panic attacks every time I get on a plane. I know for a fact it’s not in my destiny to die listening to a BritneySpears album, so I always put that on in my (headphones) when I’m flying because I know it wont crash if I’ve got Britney on.”

The length of flight is now made even more terrifying... I'd have to listen to EVERY ALBUM!

Wordless Wednesday: Alex's new calling?

Future hangout spot...Barnes & Noble bathroom??

Alex and I had to run a few errands this morning (i.e. Buy New Moon on Blu-Ray and some other junk) one of them being going to Barnes and Noble. I needed to go to buy "Flying without Fear: Effective Strategies To Get Where You Need To Go" that I had read reviews for online. I looked at all the used bookstores in Berkeley (okay, most of them, there are a TON here!) and unfortunately no one had it (I always try to buy new books as a last resort...I'll do my "green" blog some other time!) so B &N it was. I wanted to read some of the book a bit before committing to the $16.95 + tax price-tag and started getting that old familiar feeling...nausea, dizziness and tightness in my chest. Ah, the joys of panic.

So, I went to the bathroom, while thinking about some of the new tips I'd learned from the book. I start to calm myself and listen to the sounds around me (not what you think!) and I realize that the fan in the bathroom at Barnes and Noble sounds exactly like the background noise of a plane!

Maybe this will become part of overcoming my fear of flying, I can just come in here with my "Flying Without Fear" book and pretend I'm on the plane flying to France!

The flushing may become distracting at times....

Our Saint Patrick's Day. Wordless Wednesday.

It's Official.....I'm going to France!!

I cannot believe that this is actually happening, and I've held off talking (or blogging about it) because in our three years (practically!) of marriage I've quickly learned that "plans change". I've decided to blog about it now, because I've actually booked my ticket. However, it will feel much more "real" once I'm on the plane...very, very, very "real".

Have I mentioned that I'm terrified of flying? I would also say that it's less "fear" and more "crippling phobia". This is me in this cute little clip art, except brunette....and not wearing such a "questionable" traveling outfit...

Now, for anyone that doesn't have a "phobia" it may be hard to understand how someone could be afraid of something that's been proven to be safe for so long. However, when you have a phobia you may find yourself looking for children on the plane and thinking, "Okay, they're on the plane, God wouldn't kill them right?!" Or, turning to your mother you're traveling with and asking in a very solemn tone, "Mom, you take Jesus to be your personal savior, right?" Or you might even look at the eager man filming his family loading onto the plane and think that he's quite possibly a terrorist who is making a public record of what's about to happen. Sadly, these are not funny musings I've come up with. I have done every single one of them.

Hopefully I will find some good books or websites that might help me deal with this before I have to go (any tips are welcome too!) but I am at times finding myself feeling calm, which is honestly a nice alternative to the usual nausea and panic. The calm I have is the feeling that I most likely won't die because

A) I'm supposed to go on this trip, seems like it's part of a "plan"

B) I think I'm supposed to be a mom, and I can't die for that to happen!

The reason that this trip is even possible is because the mother of my boss extraordinaire at Mignonne lives in Brantome (France) and has a boutique there and suggested that I may want to design some of her windows this summer. Yes, please!

I will be there for a total of two months and Alex will come for nearly three weeks (that's the longest his work allows him to take off without taking a "leave of absence") in the middle when we will travel together...and do a lot of this:

Day OFF!!

This past Sunday marked the first complete day off I've had in three weeks! We made sure to make up for lost time!

Alex and I started off the day with brunch at Rudy's Can't Fail in Emeryville, with a great group of friends. If you're local GO HERE! It's A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I ordered the French Toast Challah bread...oh my gosh! So soft... so flavorful...soooo goood! Alex got the Eggs Blackstone and they were also incredible. Not too heavy on the hollandaise sauce and crunchy bread too. Yum.

Then we all headed over to Golden Gate Fields where Sundays are "dollar days". $1 parking, $1 admission, $1 hotdogs, beer and soda. My kind of event!

Alex and I had never been and it was so much fun! Our friends had to teach us how to use the automated betting machines, and how to bet too actually. There are really complicated terms! We even won a little....a very little. I even wore a floppy hat! I hope we'll return on April 10th, when there will be Dachshund Dog races!

After a few hours in the BEAUTIFUL weather we'd been having lately, Alex had to sadly go to work. I, however, got to go to Mosaic's lecture/gathering called "Among Us". It was all about refugees and how there are so many of them "Among Us". The IRC (International Rescue Committe) were the guests that night, and here is an amazing video I hope you'll check out. If you want a cool way to help you can become a mentor, you will be the first Americans they meet and you'll get to show them all the sights!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcHh7uZ5WSQ