Carrie Bradshaw? More Like Carrie Underwood!

There are a few things I have learned very quickly in the short time I have been a flight attendant.

The first thing is how to pack. My previous entry was called "My Life In One 50lb Suitcase," little did I know that I would be a complete joke in flight attendant world. Your entire life should fit into one, maybe two if you're pushing it, carry-on size bag. I have learned how to pack for any occasion, any location, for any duration and make it fit into one little 23" bag. Okay, so I lied. I haven't quite perfected it, but I'm learning.

Another thing I have learned, invest in good luggage. We're required to have solid black luggage whenever we're in uniform. Right before I started flying my grandmother purchased me a 4 piece set of luggage that was on sale at JCPenny. I thought it was a great deal. It was exactly what I needed and I got a bargain at the same time. Score. Well tell that to my growing case of tendinitis in my right elbow from dragging my bag because of the broken wheels. Some deal. It's not very fun to lug a bag (an overly packed bag I might add, as I said I'm still learning this packing thing) down the street, down the stairs, onto the subway, up the stairs, on the bus, through the airport, into the crew lounge and then onto the airplane. Just as you think you've made it home free and you're done with the bag for a few hours... you have to lift it and stuff it into the overhead bin. Which of course is a task on it's own because it's packed to the brim.

This is why I have completely consolidated my belongings and invested into a more expensive and durable piece of luggage. I now look for things in travel-size quantities. Not only to fit into my bag, but also to fit my budget. Did I mention living in New York City is not cheap?

The most important things I have learned is there is no place like home. After spending weeks in a twin size bunk bed with a so-called mattress, with 13 roommates in a town that you are completely lost and feel so little in, you realize you miss home. There is nothing like sleeping in your own bed. It's a beautiful thing. This weekend was the first time I've been able to come home since base orientation. It feels like I've been gone forever. It was the first time I've been in a car, much less driven a car, in I don't know how long. I knew exactly where I was and I could go anywhere and get anything I wanted. Without waiting on a subway, looking at a map, or googling to find where the nearest location is.

There was a huge sense of freedom as I sat down in my own car. I was alone for the first time in weeks in a place where I was actually comfortable. I immediately rolled down the windows, opened my sunroof, blared the radio to the first country station I could find, and took off as fast as I could back home. Thats when I realized... I am way more Carrie Underwood than Carrie Bradshaw.