God is Good...

Having just begun this lifestyle change, that is being a flight attendant, I am always looking for ways to lighten my baggage. This week God truly blessed that endeavor.  He gave me a NEW laptop!

Let me back up a little..

Yesterday, I was in NoCo finishing a few days off when the doorbell rang and the UPS dropped a box on my doorstep.  I thought it was a package my son had told me might be delivered that day, being his new shoes.  However the package was addresses to me.  Now I haven't ordered anything from online stores in several months (mainly due to financial obligations) so I was surprised.  The box was not marked with a company label but did have a return address shippers info label. The name was a good friend friend of mine (or so I thought).  I opened the box thinking he may have sent me copies of his latest novels, wanting to get my feedback and possible positive reviews online.

To my astonishment it was not books, but a brand new laptop.  With very little paper instructions on the inside of the box other than "Open and Enjoy", I decided to call my friend first.  When I got him on the phone he denied sending me anything.  I was not forthcoming at first what exactly I received, but eventually let him in on the surprise boxed gift. He was laughing as hard as I was at this point.  I then realized the name on the outside of the box was misspelled from my friends (Bryan vs Brian).  He suggested I call the phone number printed on the label, so I did...

That Bryan was as confused as I was.  He had received several phone calls that day asking him the same thing, "how did I get this laptop?"

Funny isn't it...

God is good, all the time!

Long story shortened...http://facebook.com/chrome



When you go to this site, answer the survey and you may get to "test" a new Chrome OS laptop.

It weighs about 12 oz. and is sleek in design.  Has a great battery life ( I'm blogging while listening to streaming  Christmas  music and have 4 tabs open)  Have been doing all this for an hour and the battery is still at 80%.

I will be talking about this for months to come.

Thanks God!  You know just how to bless and reward the faithful!

Integrity: Do I Have Any?

This week has been a tough one. 

In some sense it has been great to be home from Chicago, in my own bed every night, spending time with my precious wife and wonderful sons. On the other hand my integrity is being attacked.

I want to work!  Don't get me wrong, but I hate traveling to Chicago to sit on reserve and maybe get to fly 3 hours total in 4 days.  I know I have a responsibility to work as though Jesus is my earthly boss (study to show yourself approved, a workman after God).  If I chose to not return to Chicago, I may be able to get away with it (playing Reserve Roulette (not being within 2 hours of reporting for duty)) but it may cost me my good name in the end with the company.

I want to be a good example to my sons, my friends and my co-workers.  And I know that I can be. But this dilemma is testing my integrity to its limits.  I know what is right and my choice should be an easy one, but it is so hard to sit with no friends, family, finances in a foriegn city for four days.

Please Lord, help me to be the kind of Godly man you have set me to be.

Robin: A Lesson on the El

I was traveling on the elevated rails in Chicago one day when I met Robin.  She walked up to me and started a conversation about the expensive flat screens hanging in the underground loading area at the Logan Square stop of the Blue Line.  While I wasn't particularly interested in speaking to anyone she was very insistent on talking with me. I moved away once but she soon followed me down the waiting tracks and again asked me an open ended question.  Not realizing she was part of God's perfect timing I opened up and engaged in her banter about politics and the nuances of Chicago's transit systems.  After a while I was really enjoying our conversation and since it was a cold evening it helped to take my mind off of the wind blustering through the tunnels.

After a while she began asking me how I liked being a flight attendant, as I was dressed in my uniform and it was very obvious what I was.  I was excitedly explaining my new career for a while then realized I should ask what career she was in.  To my amazement she too is a flight attendant, although her story is going to teach me a valuable lesson this very night.

Robin is/was an attendant for United's mainline carrier, meaning she flies on the big planes (not the regional jets that I currently work aboard).  She has been in the industry for almost 16 years, the last of which has been the toughest.  See...Robin was cleaning a plane after a long flight, prepping for the next leg of the trip and her life changed in that moment. 

She remembers stepping into seat to reach into the overhead storage bin and retrieve a piece of trash that someone threw up there.  The next thing she remembers is being across the aisle laying on the arm of the seats in agonizing pain.  She had broken 3 ribs and badly damaged her spinal chord in the fall.

Robin has a home in the suburbs of Denver, I met her on the subway in Chicago.  She has been on medical leave since the accident over a year ago.  She is not allowed to leave the Windy City because her injuries are too severe, say her doctors.  They will not release her to return to work until she can stand or sit for more than 2 hours at a time. She can't fly, ride the train, or bus, or even take a car ride that will last more than 2 hours without an immense level of pain.  You see, she has been in Chicago away from her home, friends, and her family since before Christmas 2009.  She cannot get home until she gets better.

Lesson here.... NEVER jeopardize your safety to clean the plane.

While I am instructed to clean the plane after each leg, there are specialized crews that will sterilize the plane once a week.  If something is out of reach with my two feet planted on the floor of plane, it is going to stay until the weekly sterilizing of that plane. Period! 


I had the chance to encourage Robin before we parted ways almost thirty minutes later.  I gave her a poem about the Christ Child that I carry in my wallet and told her that she has played a vital role in my education into this new career, and I GREATLY appreciate it.  I will pray for her, that she may get to go home soon to be with family and loved ones who can assist in her rehabilitation and eventual return to the career she still desires to pursue in aviation.

Mary; The Nicest American Eagle Flight Attendant

I had the pleasure of meeting Mary (last name withheld) on a flight from Denver to O’Hare last week.   She was a superb attendant partly because she let me sleep and then offered me a first class meal when I awoke almost 2 hours into the flight.  But what makes Mary so unique is her story of “why”.

Mary started out as a navy flight attendant assisting troops heading to Operation Desert Shield in the early 1990’s.  She was not planning an entire career in aviation at the time, but just in the navy trying to help her country and discover her passions.  She served in the navy until ’94 then decided to apply for AA, the mainline carrier.  She was very successful and extremely happy being with the mainline until that fateful day in early September of 2001.  She was in the skies when the Towers fell and could not believe that someone would hurt Americans in such a heinous and cowardly way (her words not mine).  She was furloughed from AA almost immediately so she could go back to full active duty in the US Navy, somewhere she was thrilled to be allowed to be in service.  She was assigned to once again assist in the transferring of troops from US soil to Iraq and Afghanistan.  She loved the interaction with so many young troops who are willing to defend their country.  Both into and out of country she engaged in encouraging and congratulating many servicemen and women.  She did not like the fact that so many of our troops were riding home in the cargo holds in plain pine boxes, but glad to be able to bring them home to their loved ones stateside.

Mary was again discharged from the Navy in late 2004 and found that AA had not bode well in her time away, but found a new opportunity in the form of regional carriers, American Eagle to be exact.  So once again she is working in transportation and aviation flying the friendly skies above America.  Her benefits are not as grandiose as in the past; but she still enjoys interacting with people from all walks and corners of this great land.  If you ever meet Mary your life will be enriched. Oh, the Tiramisu from the first class meal was not bad either, as I listened with baited breath to her conveyance of the many stories she has from her times in the service of our country.

Thanks Mary!  You make this life better by your willingness to interact and encourage others. 

I'm AWAKE! Thanks CS...

Its the Monday after Thanksgiving 2010 and I'm on Ready Reserve at Chicago O'Hare.  Sitting Ready reserve means that you are physically at the airport within 10 minutes of your airline's gates. Airlines will usually have at least one flight attendant at the airport at a time in case another FA gets sick at the last possible moment, or someone doesn't show and the pilot calls Crew Support to get a replacement just before take-off.

Let me back up...I spent last night in a hotel just around the corner from the airport and had my alarm set for 4:30 so I could get up and shower then arrive at the crew lounge just at 5:30 am, and Officially "Check-In" for my Ready Reserve duty.  Yesterday evening I was so tired I fell asleep before 8 PM. I awoke at 2:30 AM and was aware that if I tried to go back to sleep I would oversleep my alarm and not make it to the airport, so I got up, showered, shaved, dressed and called for a shuttle to the airport at 3:00 AM.

Arriving at the crew lounge at 3:30 and completing some necessary paperwork, I decided to wait in the "Quiet Room" (a dark room with a dozen or so very comfortable reclining chairs). I plugged in my iPod and leaned back to relax and await a potential call from CS asking me to cover a plane flight.

I was more tired than I thought.  I was jerked awake by the EXTREMELY loud ringing phone in my ears (don't ever plug your iPod ear-buds in when you know you could be called).  Sure enough it was CS.  The lady was talking so fast I didn't understand the first couple of sentences she spoke. When I was finally aware enough to communicate i informed her I had fallen asleep in the QR, she backed up and explained I was needed on a flight to Atlanta. 

I asked her what time the flight was scheduled to leave, to which she responded 6:07 AM.  I then asked what time it was, when she said 5:59 AM.

I was awake as I ever had been at that moment.

I told her I was out of the room and headed to the gate.  She thanked me and said to have a great flight.

Rushing to the gate when you've been awake less than a minute gets your adrenal glands working at 190%, way too much juice for such a time as this.

I arrived at the gate and finding no gate agent I let myself through the security door, and rushed down the Jetway.  Now remember the flight was supposed to leave the gate at 6:07 and I was called to cover at 5:59.  taking less than 3 minutes to get to gate I expected to find the people inside the terminal and NOT on the plane.  WRONG!

When I got to the end of the Jetway, looked into the plane, there were already 2 flight attendants on board.  One I recognized as the one I was to work with.  When I explained that CS had just called me, the second one explained that she could not "Check-In" due to system problems at the gate.  She gave me her name and employee number, asking me to call CS and let them know she was on the plane.  The agent then told me the captain was ready to push back and I needed to let them go.

I stepped back onto the Jetway and called CS.  They said "okay, we'll put you back on standby till 1:00.

I think I deserve something else, like something to remove my stress, and adrenaline!

Calling Crew Support

I have been out of training for nearly 2 months now and am just beginning to figure out when and more importantly when NOT to call Crew Support.  Crew Support is that function within the company who is responsible for scheduling Flight Attendants, First Officers, and Captains for the various flights and trips that each airline has going on a any given day.  In training we were instructed that Crew Support will become your best friend, if not your only friend in this industry.  Quite the contrary is becoming readily apparent as I begin to navigate my way around the aviation industry.

Since completing my IOE (Initial Operating Experience - think on-the-job training) I have been in Chicago waiting in Reserve, which means I am waiting for Crew Support to call me stating they have a plane flight that needs me to be its flight attendant, anyway, I've been in Chicago O'Hare Airport for 14 days without so much as a phone call asking if I was really there.  I've called them daily to let them know I am there and would like to fly IF at all possible each day.  When I call I usually get a different person everytime, in fact I've never spoken with the same agent twice.  I even sign myself up for "first call", and still have not flown much.

That was until this week!

It is Thanksgiving week in the USA and I was in Denver, with my family, until Tuesday when I decided it would be in my best interest to get to DIA early enough to beat any holiday travelers late Tuesday afternoon.  I arrived at the gate for the 11:25 am flight on United to ORD in time to be told it may not happen because of a couple of pilots with more seniority had last minute decided to fly their 6 member families to ORD for the holidays (story for another post).  Long story short, I was bumped off of 7 flights on Tuesday afternoon.

When at last I was becoming nervous about making it to ORD to begin my shift of waiting in Chicago, I called to "S"Crew Support to get help and maybe some sympathy, or at the very least some form of understanding.  Little did I know THEY DON"T CARE....

Seriously?!?!?!  I am new to this industry and lifestyle and you are going to laugh, belittle, and blame me?

I was livid!  I decided I would waste my night by flying to Las Vegas on the 10 pm flight only to immediatly board a midnight PST flight back to ORD, putting me on the ground 1 hour beyond my potential 4 am CST on-call time.  I asked the agent to remove me from "first call" for the next morning thinking this would ensure that I again would not be getting called out.

Not 7 minutes later my nearly-dead cell phone is wringing and the caller ID shows it to be "S"crew Support.  I answer thinking they have found me a better alternative to flying all night long, or maybe they will let me sit in Denver (since they obviously haven't needed me in Chicago). 

To my unbelieving ears, Roe is on the other end telling me I have a 4 day trip beginning at 7:45AM CST. 

Lesson learned!  NEVER call and tell CS you can't make it to your base on time.  They will find a way to place a black mark on your employee record.  

Just so you know...I made it to Chicago and did not miss out on the opportunity to spend my first Thanksgiving in Canada (again a story for another post)

God Winks in the Hallway

Feeling frustrated and alone on my birthday of all days, I was in the hallway connecting the E & F terminals of O'Hare Airport to hide out and just read; God had other ideas of more importance.

While reading The Jesus Chronicles; Luke's Story , I was focused into the meaning of Stoicism, which is the practice John was raised to believe in before meeting Jesus. I had been reading for several minutes when my peripheral vision caught sight of a man obviously looking for a power plug he could use between flights, I happened to be using one of the few plugs in the hallway. Being aware of this fact, I stood and offered to share the plug by moving to the center of the row of chairs, allowing my new friend, Slade, to take the end seat for ease of access to the power.  I thought nothing of this simple gesture other than , "the man is in need of power", he on the other hand believed this to be a most generous act of servitude.  A few minutes later a young lady was in the same predicament, looking for power.  I had been silent since Slade had arrived, but upon sensing the lady's distress I again stopped reading and offered assistance in the form of knowledge of a bank of power plugs hidden down the hall.  She was most grateful and nearly ran down to them sitting quietly for some time later.

I am writing this, not to brag about my willingness to serve but because of what transpired next.  Slade was so taken aback by my willingness to interrupt my solitude and assist a complete stranger he stopped working on his "urgent" emails and engaged me in conversation about why I would be so giving.  He explained that this very morning he met a woman at the Hotel he had stayed at last night. This woman was in a sour mood and not forthcoming to engage in casual conversation with patrons of the hotel.    Slade was attempting to encourage her through engagement and a friendly conversation.  He relayed to me that this woman, although at her work station on time, in uniform and ready to "serve" was no more ready than the man on the moon.

She was wearing a company shirt which was displaying the core values of the company on the back. Unbelievably she did not exhibit these values.  When asked about them she responded, " I don't have a clue what they say or what they mean". 

Slade looked at me and said, you and this woman are complete polar opposites, she was neither wanting or looking for ways to engage or encourage people to better their day, while I; not on duty; was willing to interrupt my solitude and improve someones life, albeit with a simple piece of knowledge. 

Slade and I then became more aware of the others interest in life goals as opposed to career and work.  We engaged on a level of Brothers in Christ for the next 40 minutes until it was time for his flight home to Southern Alabama.  Slade gave me his business card and we agreed to connect online and continue building an Earthly friendship that will last throughout Eternity!

The Moral:  Proverbs 5:21, " Mark well that God doesn't miss a move you make; He's aware of every step we take".

More Trainee Tales

Why people apply to be a flight attendant is as varied an answer as the day is long.

One lady is here from Honduras.  Here husband has dual citizenship between the USA and Honduras; she is here to get the flight benefits that we will enjoy as some of the lowest hourly paid professionals in the USA.

You may be asking what are flight benefits, quite simply they are a portion of our annual pay structure.  Once you are a flight attendant, or pilot you get to fly any time without having to pay for the cost of the ticket.  Sometimes you get to fly international flights which usually range from 3 to 5 thousand dollars per seat.  Other times it is a little as a ticket from Denver to Oklahoma City to visit family, FREE!

As a flight attendant I will strive to not abuse this precious portion of my total compensation package.  As I have witnessed with my fellow trainees, some of them are here to abuse the benefit and fly friends and acquaintances around the world on the company dime.  Something clearly outlined as against policy in out IOM (Inflight Operations Manual).

But I digress, this young mother has been away from her daughter for 4 weeks and should be able to fly to Honduras on Friday to be with her husband and child this Friday.

Up Up and Away Shari!

Corporate Ugliness Rears It's Ugly Head

Well it was bound to happen at some point, might as well get it out of the way.  The ugliness that is present in all corporations of any size has appeared in great force. This is not the first time I have experienced corporate mis-communication, but this one nearly cost me a day's sanity.

One the second day of training we were introduced to the "People" Division of the airline, they chose the name in order to take away the stigma associated with most HR departments (at least that's what they told us).  During their presentation they made a ginormous deal about the fact that our families would be enjoying our flying benefits before we even graduated from class.  Well they LIED!  I guess they can claim they didn't lie, but they did communicate an incorrect process.  I am paying the price for their failure.

You see, I followed their direction in turning in ALL required documents of legal persuasion to get my flight benefits started for my spouse, son and parents.  They said I wouldn't need to do anything else.  They would be processing the papers and those family members who qualified would be able to fly to see me on the last day off AND to my graduation ceremony 25 days after.

Today was the day the benefits should have been activated.  I was trying to book flights for Karen to come see me on Thursday, when I ran into a snag and had to call the Corporate Travel Center for assistance.  To make a long story short, they told me she would be unable to fly until 12- 14 days from when I added her electronically (which I did on a whim last Friday, which nobody ever mentioned to us).  I was devastated!

Karen is not so easily defeated.  She found a way to get here on her own and will be seeing me on Thursday morning, no thanks to corporate ugliness!

I LOVE MY BRIDE!  I will marry her again in a an instant!

Joshua 1:9 is a verse that a friend shared with tonight which I will claim from now on.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go

Stamina To Make It Through

When you sign up to become a flight attendant, the FAA requires that you and your fellow trainees must complete all required sessions at the same time without missing a single spoken word, video played, or action defined.  Once you realize the length and depth of the knowledge that must be attained it can be a bit overwhelming.  Just consider for a moment that most travelers feel the flight attendants are only there to "sweeten the ride" or serve the juices, or better yet ensure my comfort.

What is hidden beneath the shiny smiling faces is the incredible amount of stamina these ladies and gentlemen have mustered to conquer the twenty-five (25) straight days of grueling hours spent watching film, reading books, practicing CPR & First Aide, commanding frantic passengers through thick smoke and flames, just to be "eye candy".

Some trainees have to overcome even more because of pressures, and life-as-normal back with their families.  One of my fellow trainees is going through the ultimate challenge today, and in the coming days.  Her father died yesterday.

Now his death comes as no surprise, he was in failing health when she interviewed, and continued to deteriorate throughout the confirmation processes.  Before she left home, nearly 10 days ago now, they had a deep conversation about what she would do IF his time ended before she earned her wings.  She made a promise to him that she would complete this course as a testament to his will.

I have a new-found respect for this particular classmate.  She is maintaining her composure as she completes each assignment and activity with a smile on her face.  Now don't think she is not suffering, on the contrary, she will break down at various times and start to cry over the loss, but our trainers are very conscious of this and will declare a ten (10) minutes potty break to allow all in the room to mourn with our new friend.

God places people in our lives for only a season, just a season.  What we do, and how we do it with them is up to us.

How Old Should You Be?

In the first few days of training to be a flight attendant, it becomes very apparent that you can't be just any "old" age and be an effective flight attendant.

Some of me fellow trainees are just barely old enough to qualify, meaning they are 21 and can serve liquor.

Others, like me are not so spry of step, no... my knee is just fine  : - ).


Still others can enroll in AARP, and quite possibly could draw SSI.

So my question is....How "old" is too old to be a flight attendant?

You must take into consideration several factors..

    1) Do you have a pleasant disposition?

    2) Do you have the mobility to accomplish all the various bending, lifting and twisting maneuvers we are called upon to perform?

    3) Do you have the mental capacity to adjust, on the fly, to the multitude of attitudes, demeanor's, and personality types that will be boarding the planes each and every day?

    4) Can you complete a shift without begrudging another flight attendants performance of ability?


If you find that the answer to any of these four (4) simple questions is "no", then feel free to skip the next interview session? (please notice beauty is NOT a factor)

Having a blast laughing at all the drama (33) women can muster.

Ever have One of THOSE days?

Today was a big one for me.

The transport bus this morning should have been a warning for me that I was going to have "ONE OF THOSE DAYS".  It was an early report morning, 0600, the bus was almost full of bleary eyed trainees.  I was in the very back of the bus riding along silently when a fellow classmate asked what i was so pensive about.

I had been thinking about my friend, Bill Ludwig.  Bill was a fellow trainer, more like a mentor, several years back.  He was a giant of a man, with a tender heart, willing to share any knowledge freely, openly, without thinking more of himself.  Bill had more training knowledge that had been lost from him than I could ever hope to gain in a lifetime.  He and I would co-train classes together where we could almost finish each others sentences, thoughts, and ideas - without being offended or offensive.  He had the most amazingly simple outlook toward life, one that I hope to achieve.  I write this to let you know how training can be a conducive environment for all participants to facilitate effective learning of the materials without the trainers getting in the way of the learning objectives.

You are probably wondering why I would be reminiscing about Bill while attempting to learn the duties of a flight attendant, well as the day wore on we were given over to a "trainer" who was the "nails on the chalkboard" for me.  As a former trainer of trainers, I find it difficult to learn when a really poor trainer is leading a class.  I sometimes can't focus on the learning objectives of the course because I am so distracted by the mannerisms and nervous ticks being displayed by the facilitator.

I was so frustrated that by the end of class I nearly failed the daily test being administered for the portion of class the "trainer" was facilitating.  Thankfully I passed by the skin of my teeth, something not comforting to my already worn psyche.  I was visibly shaking as I returned to the bus waiting zone; spoke to no-one on the ride back to the hotel; and disappeared to a lonely, but refreshing dinner before anyone could approach me.

God had other plans than to let me wallow in pity.  he placed into my mind Bob Willey, a mentor, confidant, and brother in Christ.  Bob and I spent several minutes in prayer over the phone before we rekindled each other to face another day in waiting for paradise.

Thank You God for friends to shoulder the load.

What's Your Story?

As I am meeting my fellow trainees I am finding some very interesting reasons for becoming a flight attendant.

Indianapolis (by way of Australia) - Was a Virgin Air Flight Attendant over 10 years ago.  Started a new relationship after a long time alone and now needs a new career.  Has a fantastic Aussie accent.

Portland - Sleep Number Bed salesman ended a 5 year committed relationship, quits job as depression continues to cut his salary, went from 43k per year down to less than 25k.  Sells everything(except his sleep # bed) for pennies on the dollar.  Ships bed to his parents house for long term storage as he plans on living the FULL TIME job of a FA.  Has no worldy-possessions other than clothes he brought to SLC.

Unknown - Mother of two Army Soldiers, spouse has been in Iraq since 2004(civilian job), signs up to be FA so she can travel the world and not be at home alone worrying.

Longmont - Spouse and Mother not happy with lack of love in the house.  gets the job to show she can be away as much as everyone else.

San Antonio - Just bored with life.  Was a flight attendant in the 70's for Hawaiian Air. thought it might be fun again, now that we are 10 years past 9/11.

San Antonio -  Fiance was caught cheating 3 months before wedding.  Wedding planner gets jilted by law school graduate 4 months before big date.  10-2 Wedding planned with $10k in deposits paid by daddy.  June 15 the bride catches soon to be husband with hickeys on his body, groom denies at first saying he "burned" himself.  She didn't believe him of course, but only after long conversations with friends did she dump him saying, "If he cheated on me as a bride-groom, what's to stop him from cheating on me as a wife?"

Bride is now happy again even though Daddy lost over $7k in non-refundable deposits.  AND get this, she returned the engagement ring.


Stay tuned for more adventures of FA Madness 

How Do You Greet New Hires

It's been fifteen years since I have experienced a day like yesterday. If you've ever worked for a large corporation, especially a government regulated one, then you might be able to empathize with me on this one.

We arrived at the training hanger before 6:15 AM, so we had actually beaten the training staff (or so it would seem).  We were dropped at the door by the very courteous shuttle driver, Cirbie (who will have her own story later).  She told us to enter through a certain door and we did.  No one was at the reception desk to greet us, but there was an obscure sign that was cryptically (or so we thought) written. Almost 10 minutes later, still no one having arrived to greet us or direct us, we noticed a rather large room with both doors open.  Having the curious mind, I walked to one of the doors and attempted to partially close it and read the sign posted on the front of it.  The sign read, "INH 14-10".  Having seen this phrase before I went back to the obscure sign and deciphered  that we, the trainees seemingly abandoned, were in fact Initial New Hire class # 14.  We entered the room to find additional confirmations that we were in the correct space and no longer blocking the entrance to the facility. 

Finally just after 7:10 AM the three "trainers" glided into the conference center and introduced themselves.

The day wore like any typical FIRST day at preschool, hurry up and then wait syndromes occurring almost hourly.  Most of the day the class felt more like cattle than highly valued crew-members.

The moral of this post....

TREAT YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE NEW HIRES HOW YOU WANT THEM TO TREAT YOUR CUSTOMERS.

Ladies and Gentlemen Welcome Aboard Delta Connection Flight 4621....

It's travel day and already some interesting stories are happening all around me.  The first was boarding the plane.

After checking in I was assigned seat # 12B.  Since I love to be seated early on in the boarding process I went to my assigned seat and settled myself and began watching for other trainees to board and be settled in their seats.  Sure enough it wasn't long till I realized everyone in the exit row seats were my fellow trainees.   We had jusy begun introducing ourselves when a lady and her daughter walked up and said I was sitting in her seat. The AFT FA came up asked for our boarding passes.  When we both showed that we were assigned to the same seat the FA informed us she would investigate and get back to us.

Being a gentleman I allowed the two ladies to sit down and begin to get settled for the flight, while I walked back with the FA and waited to hear my fate.  You see I was so scared about how they would let new hires know they were dismissed my mind was already sprinting towards an early dismissal and a long wait for Karen to return to DIA and retrieve her once again unemployed spouse.  Much to my surprise the FA let me know I had been "upgraded" to First Class.

What a Relief!

I was now seated in 1D with a much needed bottle of water and pillow with blanket awaiting my weary mind.

That's when I recognized the young lady next to me from the interview day last month.  Becca and I both had a good laugh after I relayed the story.

Onward and upward! 

The Start of Something New

It's September in Colorado 2010 and I am beginning a new chapter in my life.  Tomorrow I will board an airplane bound for Salt Lake City where I will check-in for Flight Attendant School with SkyWest Airlines.


Several months ago I had become very unsure of my future with InfoMedia, and Joel Comm.  The economic recession was looking more like a DEPRESSION and I needed to make a change to ensure my families ability to survive the coming wave of Obamanomics.  I listened to a good friend who told me I should try my hand at sales, COMMISSION only sales.  Boy was that a mistake.  After whittling away for three months God opened my eyes that I was not to continue this line of work, so on July 30th I left the sales job, having nearly depleted my families savings.

I didn't want to jump into another dead-end job so I prayed for God to show me where I should concentrate my efforts.  Little known to me a friend had been put in my life this year who planted a seed from God.  Stan Friesen suggested to me one morning that I would make a great flight attendant.

I laughed and told him he was off his rocker, or smoking crack (neither of which is true).  After several days of prayer and seeking God's will for my life, my mind was drawn to the seed planted by Stan.  I considered the thought and began to really contemplate what a life of traveling might be like.  I called Stan up and asked some important questions after which I decided it was worth further investigation.