Travelling by Air: How to Make People Really HATE You

The holidays have a way of bringing people together...and sometimes you have to hop on a plane to be with the ones you love. In order to keep the peace, I've put together this guide on what not to do while traveling. Consider this a how [not] to guide on all things air travel.

1. Wear Perfume on the Day of Travel. You know how when you go to test various perfumes in the fragrance department and you think to yourself, "Who would wear that?!" Well, someone thinks that exact same thought about your perfume. The ol' olfactory receptors are fickle things. That's why there's so many different bottles to choose from. So go ahead, and let everyone know your personal tastes and forget about the rest of the people that have to sit in the small, metal tube with recycled air now filled with your scent.

2. Stand to the Left on the Escalator.  You know how the passing lane is the left lane when you're driving? Well, that also applies to escalator etiquette. Not all of us have lengthy layovers. Not all of us have smooth flights where you don't have to sit for 15 minute taxiing by the gate. But no big deal--let them be late--you need your space and you reserved that entire escalator step.

3. Don't take a shower on day of travel. Just wait until you get to your destination. It's not like you'll be sitting in close quarters with recycled air. Yep, totally a great idea.

4. Bring the most aromatic food you can possibly get onto the flight with you. Don't worry about getting to the airport a little early so you can snag a meal before the flight. Just grab something on the way to your gate and eat it as soon as you board. Those other passengers can just open a window.

5.  Let parents know when their kids are being....kids. They're loud. They're in your personal space. They're crying. Let the parents know their kid is being a disruptor of the peace. They probably aren't aware of it and are certainly not stressed out by (a) traveling with children, or (b) knowing everyone hates them.

6. Take as long as possible with the TSAs and security. Don't get your laptop out in advance. Don't worry about having your liquids bag packed on top so you can easily remove it at security. Wear lace up boots so that it takes as long as possible to remove and put in the bin. Let those people behind you know that you're important and the world stops for you.

7. Put your purse & other luggage in the seat right beside you at the gate...especially if you're sitting next to a charging hub. After all, you forgot your cashmere blanket to lay down so your luggage doesn't touch the floor. And, let's be honest, it's not like anyone else waiting to board the flight needs to charge their electronics before the option is taken away.

8. Prop both of your elbows up on the armrests on either side of you. The people beside you don't need any space. If they wanted an armrest, they should have booked first class.

9. Fall asleep on the flight with your open mouth pointed towards the person sitting next to you. I'm sure they want to smell your breath. Just be prepared for them to take a selfie with you while you're sleeping and post all over social media. You deserve it.

So there you have it, folks. Now you can't claim ignorance when people are giving you hateful looks because you committed one of these terrible airport/flight sins.

The Novice's Guide to Visiting Oahu

  One of the many perks of a traveling gig is that sometimes you actually get to go to some cool places. Honolulu, and more specifically the entire island of Oahu, was definitely one of them. Conversely, one of the many downsides of a traveling gig is that you are often traveling alone. BUT I packed as much exploring in as I could before heading into the office.

  Alas, my beginners' guide to Oahu. My coworkers who live on the island were astounded by how much I was able to see and do during my time on the Big Island. I was fortunate enough to know several people who live or have lived in the area to give me the down and dirty on some areas to visit that you won't always find on Trip Advisor. 

1. Maunawili Falls: This was one of my favorite things I did in Hawaii! I'd heard a decent amount about Manoa Falls, but the locals steered me towards this excursion.  My GPS led the way in my rented Dodge Charger (seriously, I asked for economy and they gave me this massive, blinged out car). First off, it is not clear to first-timers where you should park and where you enter the trail. Fortunately, there were other people coming in and out of the trail so that gave me a pretty good indication of where to head. Parking is on the street...in front of houses...no big deal. Secondly, I originally felt like a moron for packing my serious hiking boots since everyone else I saw was in regular tennis shoes. My boots were big and bulky and not at all practical for strategic packing, BUT I'm so so SO glad I thought to bring them. The trail quickly turned extremely muddy....I mean mud bog muddy. I'm not sure if they had a torrential downpour before I arrived on the island or if it's always like that, but you definitely need hiking boots. My boots gave me the traction I needed to hike through the lava trails at a decent pace. I felt like a boss because I was passing everyone else, but really it was just boots doing most of the work for me. 

   The trails are physically taxing, but the views are so beautiful along the way. You feel like you're in a jungle. You're jumping over streams, climbing up stairs, and have I mentioned battling a lot of mud. Once you get to the Falls, it's time for relaxation. There are people jumping into the pool, swimming, and lazing around on the rocks. The water was a bit cold for me so there was no swimming, and the Falls were a little to high up for my sissy-self to take the plunge. 

  The ascent down is much easier than going up, but again, beware of slipping downhill in the mud. Overall, this is a must-do in my opinion. You don't need to be a master hiker to enjoy this trail. The trail is only 2 miles long, and you don't need to be in peak shape to to take it on.

2. Halona Blowhole: I decided to take a drive around the island which quickly got halted once I happened upon this beauty. This is by far the most spectacular and beautiful piece of nature I have yet to see with my own eyes. The water contains every shade of blue in the spectrum, and of course, who doesn't love seeing water slam against rocks and up into the air?! There is a small beach which you can enjoy when the water isn't too rough and a small cave for a quick exploration. 

3. The Beaches of the  North Shore: People say the North Shore is where you go to experience authentic Hawaii...or at least that was before its secret got out. This area is home to big waves, surf competitions, and shrimp trucks. I enjoyed sitting on the beach and watching the humongous waves. I've only experienced beaches along the east coast and Florida's panhandle so I'd never seen waves like these before. Truly mesmerizing! 

4. Giovanni's Shrimp Truck: This place is world famous. I'm going to be honest, I do not enjoy eating shrimp so I was on the fence about trying this place. I'm happy to say the food was great. A couple of things to note if you plan on going: be prepared to wait a LOONNNGGG time. I'm pretty sure I waited about 45 minutes to get my shrimp for ONE. Also, there are A LOT of flies. A lot. Lastly, they only accept cash so come  prepared.

5. The Dole Plantation: Let's be real, the Dole Plantation is definitely a tourist trap but I'm glad I went. I hopped aboard the train and learned all about the making of a pineapple and other fruits. I finished it off with some frozen pineapple whip (which I didn't feel was worth all the hype the Internet was giving it). We will definitely take August here when we take the whole fam to the Island.

6. Diamond Head: The view atop this extinct volcano is amazing! I went on an overcast gloomy day and it was still beautiful. I can only imagine how the view would look on a clear, sunny day! I'd heard the hike was rough, but I definitely didn't think so. Perhaps that's because I was battling Maunawili Falls earlier in the week and my expectations were a bit high. The stairs can wear you out, but they're at the very end so you forget all about them once you reach the top of the volcano.

7. Lanikai Beach: This beach is beyond beautiful and is absolutely a must-see! That's all I have to say about that.

8. Eat ALL the Poke:  If you're not familiar with the deliciousness of this dish, just imagine sushi and hibachi making a baby. That baby's name is poke.

This is definitely not a definitive list, but it's a great start! I made this trip almost a year ago, and it's still very vivid in my mind.

A couple of things on my bucket list for the next trip to the island:

• Iolani Palace
• Pearl Harbor
• Experience a Luau
• Catch a surf tournament

A few things I wish I'd known before my visit:

• Island time is a real thing. Be prepared to wait......and wait some more.....for everything. There's no such thing as grabbing a quick bite. No one is in a hurry but you.
• It's beach weather even at 6am. Again, I'm used to beach vacations in Florida where it's not warm and toasty until at least 10am. This is not the case in the Aloha state.
• Hawaii loves it's values and they sound different. It's nice to review the pronunciations so you'll be able to communicate roads you're on and whatnot. 
• A lot of parking is on the street so get used to parallel parking.

A Look Back on the Year of Hustle

 Rather than adopting resolutions for the new year, I started declaring a one-word theme that would consistently point me in the right direction throughout the year. Last year's word was HUSTLE, and hustle I did. 2016 is considered another great year in the books for the Bianchi fam, but I'm not going to lie, it was tough. It was a good  kind of tough in that we truly hustled towards our goals but not without challenge. For more details, challenges stated below.

• While I absolutely love my job, traveling every other week when you have a family can be hard. Sure, Mommy's not having to cook, getting to take up as much room in the bed as she wants, and taking a shower without disruption every time she goes on a vacation business trip. But rather than taking advantage of the city I'm in by exploring the sites or binge watching HGTV (which I NEVER get to do at home), I spend a good portion of the evening watching videos and combing through pictures of my child. I miss Anthony & August terribly while I'm away, but that's not something that was new to 2016. The tough part was the fact that August is now aware that Mommy's gone and is old enough to see my suitcase and say, "No leave, Mommy." Whew, that's tough y'all. 

• Anthony had a big year as well. Studying like a MADMAN for boards, taking boards, 30-day audition rotations away from home, and interview season. For those of you guys not in the know--that's A LOT of time away from home. You can't just take your boards anywhere--no, that would be too easy. You have to fly to Philadelphia--which was an AWESOME mini-vacation for Mommy and Daddy. Anthony did not live with us for 2 consecutive months while he was doing his audition rotations. That's right, I was single-momming it up. (Shoutout to the single moms out there. Respect!) As if that wasn't hard enough, we had to abruptly pull August from daycare and the ONLY respectable center that actually had an opening adds 2 hours to my daily commute. Whew! Hard times. But enough about how hard that was on me. This may be MY blog, but this post is about the fam. That's a lot of change for a 2 year old. He doesn't understand why Babbo isn't going to be  home in a little bit. He has no clue why he's being dropped off with all new people in a new place with a new schedule. Also, let's not forget to discuss the fact that poor Anthony doesn't get to come home to his family each night for TWO months. Let me remind you how ridiculous I am when I only have to leave for a couple of days. NO WAY I could handle two months. As soon as the audition rotation period was over, interview season began (which is also when the holiday season began.) Anthony and I wanted to tackle these interview trips together since we both need to feel a connection to the city and program since it will dictate our lives for the next five years. I wasn't able to go on all of the interview trips since I always double up on travel weeks for work during Nov and Dec because I don't want to be trying to prepare for my trips on holiday weeks. That alone can be enough to pull my hair out. But try this to really make you go cross-eyed: Monday: Board a flight to Texas. Thursday: Fly home. Well, not actually home. Fly to my parent's house so I can see August. Friday: Drive to Birmingham to see Anthony. Saturday: Board a flight to Kansas City for interview. Monday: Fly home to Birmingham. Tuesday: Fly to Charleston. Thursday night: Fly to Birmingham. Friday: Drive to get August and bring him home. Spend a couple days at home then drive to spend a few days with the fam for the holidays. That was our life for a while. Whew, that's tough y'all.

  Now don't you go feeling sorry for us. Anthony and I both went into all of this willingly. We are both very passionate about what we do and knew the pursuit of our dreams comes with some sacrifice. We knew 2016 would be a tough year. Hence, the HUSTLE theme. Looking back, it was the perfect word for that time in our lives. It took HUSTLE to get through it. 

Birmingham Views

  We moved to Birmingham about a month or so ago, and guys let me tell you, we absolutely love it here. Anthony lived here for six years getting his undergrad and grad degrees so it's like returning home for him. I've only visited Birmingham in small spurts for work or shopping.

  I was most excited that there's plenty to do around the city so there's no such thing as saying, "I'm bored." While we enjoyed our time in Dothan, there was plenty of times where we sat around because there was nothing to do other than a visit to Target.

  Even if you just want to go outside and check out the beautiful elevated views of the city or watch the sunset from our loft, it's a great place to be and good times to be had.

What To Do When Your Baby Wipes Dry Out

  We have a wonderful wipes warmer which we leave on 24/7. August doesn't really care if his wipes are chilled or warmed, but we have it so we use it. The only issue is that he's out of town once per month when he's visiting Grandparents and I'm traveling for work.
 
  We forget to turn the contraption off so, of course, the wipes dry out since they're continuously heated and not being used. Everyone who has ever had a baby knows there's nothing worse than having a serious Numero Dos on your hands and dry wipes. Without going into the details, it's just a mess.

  I finally had an A-ha moment today. I still have a travel-sized spritz bottle of witch hazel from post-delivery. It turns out August loves getting spritzed; who knew a good spray on the fanny was so fun? Double dudy (get it, du-dy?!), it's soothing to his newly developed diaper rash.

  Score!

In the Moment

  As I walk into the door from a long day's work, Anthony hands me our half-sleeping baby. I hold him, arms lazily wrapped around my neck and body melded to mine, and I melt. Heart and soul. I carefully walk to the rocking chair where I whisper hushed "I love yous" in his ear as I do my very best to memorize the feeling of 19.2 pounds of my baby boy sleeping on me. I know my mind will never be able to replicate this exact feeling so I remind myself to stop stressing that this moment is fleeting and banish the need to memorize it. I remind myself to be in the moment with him, to cherish it with all my heart.

2014 Made Me...

 2014 was a continuous string of treasured moments that flew by so quickly I'm not sure that I'll be able to remember all of it. We fit a good many milestones into 2014. It was beautiful. It was wonderful. It was epic, and it was life-altering.

  2014 made me a wife. I got to marry the most absolutely beautiful man. Anthony is seriously the most beautiful person I've ever met--outward,  and more importantly,  inward. He makes me a better person and our partnership brings out the best in me. I am so proud to be his Mrs.

  2014 made me a mama. The first half of the year was spent in preparation for our bundle of joy, and the remaining half was spent wrapped in parental bliss. This son of ours is such a blessing! He is so happy, so healthy, and so fun. I am so proud to be his Mommy.

  2014 made me a nervous wreck. I stressed more this year that in all my years on this earth combined. I have stressed about things that matter so much, and I've stressed about things that mattered not so much. In all that anxiety and worry, I learned a lesson that I hope to return to each and every day: God's got this. I remember talking with my Dad early in the year about all the stress. There were a million things on my plate at the time, and I had very little control over any of them. My Dad said something very simple and yet so profound that it didn't sound profound at all. He said, "Whatever is meant to happen will happen." At the time, I thought he was being so cavalier about it all, and I couldn't understand how he could seem to so nonchalant. But he was right, as most parents always are. Everything worked out in the best way it possibly could have. There was absolutely no point in my worry. Let go and let God.

  2014 made me an observer. I find myself observing others in their everyday lives and taking note. I watch spouses' interactions with one another, and try to learn something from it. I observe mothers with children older than mine. I try to wean as much knowledge and insight into the future as I possibly can because I am hyper-aware that mine and Anthony's choices today will shape our son's tomorrow. I can read all the books in the world and not learn as much as I could simply by observing my peers.

  2014 made me grateful. I have so much for which to be grateful; my cup runneth over.

  I hope each of you can look back on 2014 with fond memories. Whether it was the best or a wash, may 2015 be your year!