Hold the Glamour

I am a full-figure model and working mother. I am a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend. I am a Leo. I am a first-generation Aussie and mother to two amazing little native New Yorkers. I believe that fashion is important—but so is real life. I believe that all women are beautiful and strong. I believe in working hard and loving harder. I believe in eating delicious food and drink with close friends, in breathing deep the air of new places, in laughing until you cry. I believe that when our bodies and minds are healthy and balanced, anything is possible.

Tag: delay

February 20, 2013

Handy travel tips that make life easier

Since my last post, I’ve traveled out of New York a couple of times to Philly and Little Rock again. This time I got stuck in Little Rock, Arkansas. Funny how I can make it home during one of the biggest storms (Blizzard Nemo) in our area in a hundred years however, I can’t get home because of a thunderstorm.

On Monday early evening I was to fly out of Little Rock to New York, via Chicago. A thunderstorm delayed my outbound flight to Chicago and immediately it threatened my connection to New York. I had the choice to risk it and see what happens, end up in a hotel in Chicago or stay put in Little Rock. I decided to stay put.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to work yesterday however, it messed up my plans I had with Mila for the day as well as a bunch of errands I had to run and packing for my next trip.

Yesterday I woke up at 3.30am and caught a 6am flight out of Little Rock to Chicago where I connected for a flight to La Guardia. It was snowing when I arrived in Chicago. I arrived home around 1pm, approximately 14 hours after I was originally due to arrive. This is not the glamourous side to the business.

Little Rock, AK - My 6am sunrise from the plane

Little Rock, AK – My 6am sunrise from the plane

Chicago - It's snowing when we land

Chicago – It’s snowing when we land

You see I’m at JFK airport right now, awaiting my Qantas flight to Sydney, Australia. I start shooting for Ezibuy on Monday for a week and I’ve finally stopped still for what seems like the first time in days.

The endless preparation that goes on before I leave on big trips such as this one is incredible. The kids, house, me and business keep going on and on. Is it like this for all working mother’s? Is it like this for all people who travel a lot for their occupation? The constant juggling and planning never stops.

I wonder sometimes how I get it all done… I know my amazing husband has a lot to do with it. I am thankful and grateful for Steve who is my true partner in life and love. We are a team. I know I could not do this and have the life I/we have without him.

Anyway, I thought I’d share with you some travel tips that I have found to work for me whether I’m on the road for business or pleasure. If you have any ideas or tips you would like to share – please do so. I’m all ears.

  • Drink plenty of water before, during and after your trip
  • Eat lightly
  • Pack healthy snacks like carrots and nuts in case you get hungry
  • Pack an eye-mask and ear plugs so you can zone out the noise and light and hopefully fall sleep
  • Pack some reading material especially for take-off and landing (no electronics allowed in use at this time)
  • Sleep whenever you can
  • Check and double-check all flight details and your itinerary
  • Ensure you have all travel documents in one, safe and easy place to access
  • Pack a scarf and extra clothes like a cardigan so you can layer – it can get very cold on the plane
  • Wear comfortable clothes

I’m sure I’ll remember other things to add. Stay tuned for more glamourous travel and life moments.

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June 1, 2012

Work, castings, boyfriend’s and family waiting

 

 

Welcome to Milwaukee airport, WI

Welcome to Milwaukee airport, WI

 

Milwaukee - Robyn Lawley and I in the car off to the studio

Milwaukee – Robyn Lawley and I in the car off to the studio

 

Milwaukee - in the studio after lunch

Milwaukee – in the studio after lunch

 

 

As I sit at my dining table writing this post, I have three roofer’s banging away repairing our skylight ceiling that leaked oh so many weeks ago. We’ve had an enormous amount of rain these last two weeks in New York so finally they are here… Leaks and roofer’s!

This week I flew to Milwaukee again on a 6.30am flight right after the Memorial Day long weekend, with every man and his dog traveling to and fro where ever they came from. The airports were a hot mess with people traveling it seemed to all places imaginable. All flights were full, there were lines and queues from the minute you walked in to La Guardia airport.

I got in my beauty rest for the duration of my flight which was about two hours. When I disembarked, I walked over to Starbucks and was hanging for my Caffè Americano… basically, a rich, full-bodied espresso with hot water in true European style. It was a good kick-start to my morning… now I was ready for work!

In line for my Americano, I saw a male model I knew whose name was Gary and then I saw the beautiful Robyn Lawley. Robyn not only is a supermodel but someone I’ve known since she started her phenomenal career in Sydney a few years ago. She started shooting Sara for Ezibuy with me and we worked together for about 18 months. It’s been awhile since I saw her so we had much to catch-up on.

We shared a car ride to the studio… I felt sorry for our driver as we didn’t shut up and continued our talks throughout the day and night. Work was great. Had lingerie shots to get all sexy for… you should have seen my big Texas hair! Comical really. It was a steady day for the both of us.

A model shuttle took us back to the airport (there was five of us returning to the airport). One girl was flying to Miami the rest of us to New York. We bonded, chatted and laughed all the way in peak hour traffic to Milwaukee airport.

Once we checked in, went through security and had our wood fire oven pizza for dinner, the four of us walked over to our gate to discover our flight home was delayed by three hours. It was due to severe weather in the New York area which included Washington and Boston. There was a band of thunderstorm activity blocking our path home and the three New York airports were on lock down! No flight in or out for hours. What now?

We hung out in the lounge and found Gary waiting to get home on the same flight. The five of us bonded over ridiculous work and travel horror stories. Boy, we could have written a book. We all had our tales of woe, frustration, stress and tears at trying to get home after work was done.

We hung in there. One of us was always going up to the gate agent on a regular basis and asking what the update (if any) was. We were told an hour after our flight was scheduled to depart, that we’d have an update soon. Our update was that we would board shortly and hope for the best! If air traffic control gave us the green light, we would be lucky to land by midnight. That was the case. We were so happy to have made it home we didn’t care how late it was. Work, castings, boyfriend’s and family were waiting for us the next morning.

No one was prepared for the taxi line-up however! Unbelievable… I’ve never seen lines that long at all taxi ranks in 10 years of living in New York. Nor had my fellow models. I arrived home about 1am and had awoken by 3.45am the day before… It was a long day filled with fun, glamour, stress, frustration and relief.

Who said glamourous miracles can’t happen!

 

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