Help Wanted. Inquire within. Alleluia. We are finally getting new recruits. Yep. In-Flight training is back in swing. Training started August 23rd in Atlanta. It couldn’t come too soon for those of us working this summer. Oh, boy! In-Flight is in desperate need of Skytresses and Skyters. Our airline is actually asking Skytresses and Skyters to come back early from their company leaves. The company is also allowing Skytresses and Skyters to sell back their vacation so they can fly trips. Yessiree. Passengers have been flocking back in droves. Throw in a few storms, hurricanes, higher than normal unscheduled absences and everyone is flying to their limits. The poor junior Skytresses and Skyters are flying their little hearts out on their reserve days. Thankfully, 1600 of the 1800 people who had training slots prior to Covid-19 will be attending training classes in the next few weeks and months. Yes, you read that right. Only 200 people have declined their previous training slots. Our airline will soon be opening the application process for other people outside the company. We will need more Skytresses and Skyters in 2022 to serve our passengers. But, hold on to your boarding passes! Our airline isn’t just hiring Skytressess and Skyters. They are hiring in every department. If you are a pilot. Fly on in to fill out an application. Want to be a ramp agent? We need you to marshal yourself over to the nearest computer and start typing in your information. Reservations? Don’t put yourself on hold. Apply. If you don’t want to work for our airline, but, want to work at the airport….well, the Atlanta Airport is hiring on the spot. Yessiree. The airport needs workers. Good golly! I cannot stress enough how much they need workers!

I’m not sure where everyone went that used to work at the airport. The stimulus and unemployment checks are long gone, but, so are the employees. Yes. More eateries are open compared to when I came back last September. However, it’s a crapshoot as to which places will be open and when. Many airports are rotating the restaurants and the hours the restaurants are open. Yep. A restaurant that was open yesterday may not be open today. This August when I flew in and out of Cincinnati it was unpredictable if the Starbucks outside of security would be open. Without fail, the mornings I would decide I would treat myself to a chai tea latte, Starbucks would be closed. The irony always made me chuckle. You may not know this. But, airline crews can go through security with as much liquid as their hearts desire while in uniform. Because of this, airline people know just about every Starbucks located outside of an airport security check point. I’ll admit. Most mornings I don’t really need a Starbucks tea. I buy a tea just because I can unabashedly walk through security proudly displaying my Starbucks cup. I’m not going to lie. It’s definitely one of my favorite perks of wearing my Skytress uniform. And gosh darn it…I am going to take full advantage of it. I should point out that most of the eateries are still closed on our international concourses in Atlanta. Fortunately, McDonalds is always open. Unfortunately, the line is always fifty people deep to purchase food. In Salt Lake City, Cafe Rio used to have an app that airline crews would use to avoid the lines. We would order our food and then pick it up in special heated carriers. Cafe Rio is understaffed these days. So they have disabled their app. This was a brutal blow to hungry crews. Luckily, our airline heard the cries from crews about not being able to get food between flights due to lack of options and long wait lines. Our airline now has meals delivered to the crew lounges for Skytresses, Skyters and pilots to grab between flights. Yes. We are absolutely grateful…..even though they are pretty much the same meals every day. Well, I guess beggars can’t be choosers, right? I have noticed a “Starbucks outside of security” effect though. One evening we got rerouted. Originally, we had time to grab dinner. Our reroute changed this plan. And my plan to get together with my Skytress friend Jennie Lou on our original layover. Yes! THE Jennie Lou. Sorry. I digressed. Anyhow….We had to run immediately to our next flight. Fortunately for us, we had to pass the crew lounge on the way to our new gate. So, we made a crew decision to run down to get meals to take with us. Surprise! There were no crew meals. I didn’t really chuckle at the irony that day. Nope. I was still mad about my layover plans getting canceled with the reroute.

Hey, do you like pushing people around? Well, if you do….boy, do I have a job for you. No, it’s not being a bully. Let’s be real….the world has way too many of those! I’m talking about becoming a wheelchair attendant. Just about every airport we fly into needs more wheelchair attendants. Many people don’t realize the airports provide the wheelchair attendants for the airlines. Due to a shortage of attendants, right now our airline is providing the wheelchair assistants. Yep. We have ramp agents and supervisors pushing wheelchairs from gate to gate. I’m proud to say, we have a great group of employees that jump in and help out where needed. Our pilots are notorious for jumping in to help push our wheelchair passengers up the jetways. You see, Skytresses and Skyters cannot leave the aircraft with passengers on the plane. Even if there is just one passenger waiting for a wheelchair to arrive. Lucky for us, our pilots have a sixth sense for finding an unused wheelchair within an 8-gate radius. We are always extremely appreciative for the the pilots going on their seek and find wheelchair missions. I can’t count the number of passengers that have made their connections because of the pilots gestures. Heck, I’ve made my fair share of close commuter flights home because a pilot came to the wheelchair rescue and I could finally deplane the aircraft.

I don’t know if pilots these days have to pass a course during training on how to be a full-time pilot..part-time wheelchair attendant. But, I do know we have new classes of pilots finally graduating. Yeah! I can proudly tell you there are many female pilots graduating, too. Double yeah!! They, along with the new Skytresses and Skyters, will most likely be the crews flying over the holidays. Don’t feel too bad for them. Some of my fondest flying memories come from flying the holidays. We always brought things to make the holidays extra-special for our crews. These days crews will definitely need to bring those extra-special things. They may even need to plan on hosting a holiday gathering in someone’s hotel room. You guessed it. Hotel restaurants and restaurants in layover cities either have limited hours for service, or have closed down completely due to lack of employees. I won’t mention the lack of maid service in hotels these days due to less workers. I’ll just say, whoever decides to host the holiday party better be prepared to make their own bed before the crew shows up.

Yes. Help Wanted signs are everywhere these days. It’s definitely refreshing that our airline is back in the hiring process. This time last year we were in a very precarious situation because of COVID-19. I knew when our company started to hire again we wouldn’t lack applicants. We didn’t have to win the J.D. Power award to ensure this, either. Still, it was nice to win it. No our airline’s outstanding reputation, superb employees and amazing benefits speak for themselves. Plus, I’m pretty sure it’s everyone’s dream to work with me. This being said, I hope the Atlanta Career fair on the 25th was a success. I’m much more enjoyable to fly with when there are plenty of wheelchair attendants to go around. I’m less hangry when I don’t have to run up and down the concourses looking for something to eat at an eatery that doesn’t have a line a mile long. Mostly, I hope the career fair was a success so I can walk unabashedly through security holding my cup of chai tea latte from Starbucks. Cheers and alleluia to new recruits!

I’m sure you all have heard about all the comings and going’s occurring on airplanes these days. I’ve never heard so much about duct tape and passengers in all my years of flying. I will tell you though, I used to travel with a roll of duct tape in my flight bag. I didn’t travel with it to tape unruly passengers to their seats. No. I used it on the MD-88 to tape latches closed that became unlatched during flight. I wouldn’t have even thought about duct tape if it hadn’t been for my Skyter friend David. One day I was flying with David and he took duct tape out of his flight bag. I laughed. Then the following week I could have used duct tape. I didn’t laugh. No. I went home and threw duct tape in my flight bag, too. See, I’ve told you crew members have everything in their bags. Just another reason to take a Skytress or Skyter with you on a deserted island. Unfortunately, passenger have been misbehaving for as long as I have been flying. So, we know this has been a loooonnnggg time!!!! It’s just these days people have their cell phones at the ready to record it all. Not all passenger misconducts get recorded and shared on social media. Thank goodness for this. Most passenger misconducts are just talked about amongst the crews. Of course, we Skytresses and Skyters fill out safety reports so they are officially noted. Not one of my reports has included the statement of duct taping a passenger to a seat. That’s not acceptable or safe. But, it is kind of funny. Since my passenger misconducts haven’t made it to the media, I’ll share a few of them with you on my blog. You’re welcome.

Where shall I begin? Remember the days when Skytresses and Skyters used to be the cell phone police? Yessiree. Those were the good old days. Now, we have a new badge to wear. We are officially the mask police. We have been blessed by the FAA to enforce the federal mandate. Needless to say, I’ve flown with many mask-enforcing bad cops. These are the Skytresses and Skyter who’s sole objective on the trip is to seek out all the ill- wearing masked passengers. These power hungry mask cops can turn a decent flight into a scene from “ A Few Good Men” where someone is about to scream…”You can’t handle the truth” about the federal mandate. Luckily for me, I fly with a lot of good face mask-enforcing cops. These Skytresses and Skyters kindly remind the passengers to wear their masks properly. Let’s be honest. It isn’t always easy to be the good cop. Passengers try to circumnavigate the mask policy as best they can. Fortunately, Skytresses and Skyters have eagle eyes. We can spot a noncompliant mask wearer a hundred yards away. Yes. There are a few rare occasions when we miss a mask violation. Fortunately, there are enough self-deputized passenger policing the mask mandate on our flights. We call them the tattletalers. They are too afraid to address the noncompliant mask wearers themselves. But, they most certainly have no problem pointing them out to us.

Remember…..Good cops shouldn’t be confused with naive cops. I have had numerous passenger board the airplane actively eating and drinking. Yessiree. They actively eat and drink for the entire flight and continue to do so while deplaning. These are the loophole lovers. They are very aware they don’t have to wear their masks while active eating and drinking. They don’t fool us. We are well aware of what they are doing. As I said…we are the good cops…not the naive cops. As the saying goes….”pick your battles”. Especially, if you don’t want to end up on the evening news. We had one passenger on our flight from Phoenix to Atlanta that we knew was going to push the mask issue. She didn’t have it on when she boarded. We had to kindly remind her several times to place the mask over her nose and mouth. This passenger was also….how shall I say it kindly?…Well, she was an odd bird with a smattering of crazy swirling through her body. She would talk loudly. She would ask peculiar questions of the crew. She had a severe case of FOMO. Fear of missing out. She seemed to think we were going to forget her while we were conducting our beverage service. Thus, she would shout out her order to us long before we got to her row. I don’t know who rolled their eyes more. Us or the passengers around her. Fortunately for everyone, she finally fell asleep somewhere over Texas. Yessiree. She fell asleep… with her face mask covering her eyes like an eye mask. We all knew she did this on purpose. However, we all….including the passengers…decided not to poke the sleeping bear. Everyone was so grateful for the peace and quiet. We did remind her to put her eye mask…uh, face mask…back over her nose and mouth on our final walk through. After all, even we good cops enforce the rules.

A couple weeks ago I flew on our Airbus-330. This aircraft is mostly used for international flights. Since we have scaled back our international flying, the Airbus-330 is on domestic routes to help keep our pilots current with their flying qualifications. Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t fly on the dark side. The dark side being international flying. So, flying on the Airbus-330 was a first for me. It was also a first for my Skytress friend Michelle. We weren’t sure what to expect flying on the 330. We expected there to be a few odd ball passengers. After all, we were flying into and out of Phoenix. You can reread the last paragraph to refresh your memory of an odd ball Phoenix passenger. We were also sure we would have an odd ball Detroit Skytress of Skyter flying with us. There is always a 50-50 chance on this happening. Yes. There are a few interesting stories here. I’ll save these stories for another day. For now, I’ll only say…Egads! Still there was one thing we didn’t count on. Yessiree. We didn’t expect our Skyter In-Charge to come back and inform us a passenger tried to deplane while we were in flight. Yep. A woman passenger came to the boarding door with her purse and luggage. She was all prepared to get off the airplane. Our Skyter informed her we were an hour from landing in Phoenix. Plus, we were 35,000 feet in the air. Deplaning was not an option. Unbeknownst to us, the woman consumed a few drinks before she boarded the airplane. She ordered a few more cocktails in flight. More specifically, she constantly rang her call button demanding more drinks. Of course, we had stopped serving her when the Skytress that originally served her noticed her slurring her speech. This passenger, though, tried her hardest to get more drinks during the flight. Heck. We had a crew of six. She figured one of us six would bring her more cocktails. She figured wrong. Eventually, she fell asleep on her tray table. It was after her nap that she decided she would deplane. Fortunately for us, she took another nap after she was denied deplaning mid-flight. Sadly, this was only one of several reports written up this day. I’ve avoided flying into and out of Phoenix since this trip.

One evening while I was flying as the Skytress In-Charge, a passenger rang their call button. I went to the row to inquire what the passenger needed. I was not prepared for their response. The passenger handed me a shoe. She wanted me to return the shoe to it’s rightful owner. The passenger explained the shoe had hit her in the back of her head. So she wasn’t certain of who the shoe belonged to. I took the shoe and held it up. I addressed the passengers sitting in the area. I, quizzically asked who the shoe belonged to. Another passenger pointed her finger to a few rows back. As I looked in the direction, I immediately knew who the shoe belonged to. A woman passenger was slouched in her seat with her legs dangling over the passenger seat in front of her. She was only wearing one shoe. I walked back to the row. I stood in the aisle holding the the rouge shoe. I told the woman her shoe had hit another passenger in the head. In her slurred speech she told me her shoe was bothering her so she kicked it off her foot. Then, without hesitating, she proceeded to ask me for another glass of wine. I told the woman I would be more than happy to get her a nonalcoholic beverage. However, we were not going to serve her anymore alcohol on the flight. She was greatly disappointed. She became more disappointed when I told her she needed to take her feet down that were dangling over the passenger seat in front of her. Then I added she needed to sit up in her seat. She begrudgingly sat up for a moment. She looked blearily at me. Then as if sitting up was an impossible task for her, she put her tray table down and fell asleep on it. I found out from my crew a few minutes later they only served one glass of wine to the passenger. However, upon further inquiry, I found out from the other passengers the woman had been drinking in the airport prior to boarding our flight. If there is one thing I have learned in my career, it is this…..Many passengers can act normal during the boarding process after drinking in the airport bars and restaurants. Unfortunately, it’s at 35,000 feet after being served another adult beverage we find out their tolerance has reached it’s limit. Then we have to deal with their misconducts and document everything up in reports. I’m not sure what Skytresss and Skyters loath most. Misbehaving passengers or documenting everything in reports. Personally, it’s a tie for me.

It’s the Skytresses and Skyters responsibility these days to call our pilots in flight to inquire if they need anything or require a restroom break. However, prior to 9-11, we used to freely enter the cockpit whenever we finished our service to check on the pilots and to chitchat a wee bit. One day I was in the cockpit chatting with the pilots. There was a knock at the cockpit door. I looked out the peephole and I saw a passenger standing outside the door. So, I left the cockpit to see what the passenger needed. The woman wanted to know if she could go into the cockpit to take a look inside. I explained to the woman passengers weren’t permitted in the cockpit during flight. However, I told her after we landed and she was deplaning the pilots would be more than happy to show her the cockpit. The woman paused for a few seconds. I anticipated another question. However, I didn’t anticipate what happened next. The woman asked me if I knew who would be meeting her in Atlanta. She knew she was going to be met by someone. Since it was pre 9-11 I told the woman I assumed the person meeting her would be waiting for her in the gatehouse when we arrived. She said she didn’t understand why someone would be meeting her in the first place. She only had one driving ticket in her life. She didn’t think this warranted being met by someone. She further explained that her children had been taken from her because of the speeding ticket. This is when I knew this woman had a few issues. Our conversation was quite bizarre to say the least. However, she kept returning to her request to visit the pilots in the cockpit. I kept telling her it wasn’t allowed. I could tell the woman had no intentions of returning to her seat. She just stood there staring at me. Not saying a word. I chuckled inside at the absurdity of the situation. Then in my sweetest, authoritative, Skytress voice, I told the woman she needed to return to her seat. She begrudgingly turned around and walked back to the main cabin. I waited a few minutes to ensure the woman was not coming back to the cockpit door. Then I turned on my heels and went back into the cockpit. I know they, just like me, were curious why a passenger would be knocking on the cockpit door in the first place. I barely had the story out when there was another knock at the cockpit door. We all looked at each other. We all had a sinking feeling it wasn’t going to be good. I looked out the peephole. I anticipated seeing the woman standing outside the cockpit door eagerly waiting to come inside to visit. However, the woman wasn’t standing outside the cockpit door. No. From the peephole I could see a Skytress standing outside the door. A Skytress that was not on my crew. I told the pilots about the Skytress. I said I’d fill them in as soon as I knew what was going on. When I left the cockpit the Skytress told me I needed to do something with the woman sitting in her row. The woman was staring at the other woman in the row and saying horrible things to her. I had a funny feeling I knew who the woman hurling the insults was. So, it didn’t shock me when I discovered it was the woman that wanted to see the cockpit. I asked the woman if there was a reason she was disturbing the other passenger. She calmly told me she didn’t like her. I explained to the woman she couldn’t be mean to to our passengers. The woman didn’t reply. She sat there glaring at the lady sitting next to her. I don’t know who was feeling more uncomfortable….me or the woman being stared at. I was no longer chuckling inside. Instead, I was feverishly trying to figure out how I was going to handle this situation. I saw a young man sitting in a row by himself. Oh, how I hated to ruin his flight. But, desperate times called for desperate measures. I told the insult hurling woman I was going to move her to another row to keep the peace. Fortunately, the woman didn’t have an issue with the young man. He was smart. He immediately closed his eyes and pretended to fall asleep. Well, played young man. I walked up and down the aisle numerous times to make sure the woman was behaving. Thank goodness she was. I walked through the cabin one more time before the landing gear came down. The young man’s eyes were wide open. The woman was talking to him. I heard the woman say to the young man that someone was going to meet her at the gate. She was explaining how her children had been taken from her. Of course, she didn’t understand why….because all she ever had was one speeding ticket in her life. I felt, as Ron would say,….awful, awful, awful. I knew the young man was perfectly content sitting alone before I moved the woman back to his row. I pointed the woman out to the Captain as she was walking up the aisle to deplane. The Captain was well informed about the passenger. He and I stood next to each other prepared for anything. Shockingly, the woman just smiled at both of us and thanked us for a wonderful flight. There was no mention of seeing the cockpit. Not a word about her children or a speeding ticket. She didn’t even mention that someone was meeting her in the gatehouse. We were both relieved. As the woman stepped into the jetway, the Captain asked me if I thought someone was really meeting the woman at the gate. I turned to him and said, “Gosh. I sure hope so.”

One day in Cincinnati we were boarding our flight to Cleveland. I was the Skytress In-Charge. Thus, I was standing at the boarding door greeting our passengers. One of my Skytresses in the back of the plane came to the boarding door and told me she was going to step in the jetway to call the gate agent. She told me she wanted to get a new seat assignment for an older woman passenger. The Skytress didn’t want the passenger to have to sit next to the man that yelled at her and made her cry. As I was trying to absorb what she had just told me, the Skytress walked out into the jetway. Without further hesitation, I headed towards the back of the plane to see what was going on. I saw a gentleman standing in the aisle grumbling at the passengers seated around him. I knew immediately he was the bully that had made the woman cry. I didn’t tell him this though. Bullies don’t like to admit they are bullies. Plus, I wanted to de-escalate the precarious situation. So, I simply asked everyone if there was a problem I needed to know about. The bully promptly told me the two rows of passengers were the problem. The passengers told me otherwise. They explained the man became incensed when he went to put his luggage in “his” overhead bin and discovered the bin was already full of luggage. He took it upon himself to take out the other passengers luggage to make room for his bags. The passenger explained they tried to tell bully the bin over his seat wasn’t designated to be “his” bin only. Apparently, the bully didn’t want to hear this explanation and he became infuriated. The other passengers told me the woman sitting in his row sweetly tried to calm the bully down by telling him he shouldn’t get so upset about his luggage. The bully then directed his anger towards the woman. He upset her so much she started to cry. The passengers explained upon hearing the commotion, the Skytress walked to the back of the plane. The Skytress saw the elderly woman crying. This is when she headed to the jetway to get the woman another seat assignment. The passengers told me the Skytress was adamant the sweet woman wasn’t going sit next to the bully. As I listened to the bully and the other passengers bicker back and forth, all I could think was how our flight to Cleveland was supposed to be a quick and easy flight. Now we had this bully throwing a wrench in our easy day. I wasn’t going to have it. No, this bully couldn’t bully me. I looked the man directly in the eyes and reiterated to him the flight to Cleveland was a quick 30 minutes. I asked him if he could guarantee I wasn’t going to have any issues with him on the short flight. His response was, “I won’t have an issue if they” …..meaning the other passengers….”didn’t cause him to have an issue”. Well, that was all I needed to hear. I told everyone I would be right back. I headed up the aisle to call the agent to have the bully removed from our flight. I didn’t stop to tell the pilots anything. I was positive the other Skytress had filled them in on the situation. I whispered to the Skytress, as I headed out to the jetway I was going to have the bully removed. As I stepped off the plane, I saw one of our red coat supervisors walking down the jetway. I started to say I wanted the passenger removed. However, before I could finish my sentence the redcoat supervisor said, “I’m removing the passenger. No one can make another passenger cry and then stay on the plane.” Oh, how I loved our Cincinnati gate supervisors and our agents. We all had each other’s backs. I knew I didn’t need to do anything more. The redcoat was going to handle everything. I merely walked behind him to see it all go down. The redcoat was as pleasant as he could be to the bully. He simply said, “Sir. Please get your bags and follow me.” I followed both of them up the aisle. I could tell the bully thought the redcoat was moving him to a better seat away from the other passengers. The closer we got to first class, the happier the bully became. When we got to first class I could tell the bully thought he had won the lottery. Then he became confused as the redcoat continued to walk out into the jetway. I, too, stepped out into the jetway. I stood right next to the redcoat in solidarity. This is when the redcoat informed the bully he would not be going to Cleveland on our flight. He asked the bully if he had checked any bags so they could also be removed from the flight. The bully pleaded with the redcoat. He promised not to cause an issue if he could still fly to Cleveland with us. He explained it was only a 30 minute flight. He wouldn’t say a word the entire flight. He actually “guaranteed” the redcoat he would behave. Hmmm. This sounded familiar. Especially since he was repeating my words I used with him just minutes prior. The redcoat looked the bully in the eye and told him no one gets to make another passenger cry and stay on the plane. The bully was unusually silent. The redcoat turn and asked the bully to follow him up the jetway. I’m not going to lie. The satisfaction of seeing the bully walk up the jetway felt marvelous. While we were handling the bully, the agent working the flight had moved the sweet elderly woman to first class. She was embarrassed he did this. I told her she shouldn’t be embarrassed. No. I was extremely happy she would be joining us in first class. Fortunately, there was a pilot sitting next to her. He was going home to Cleveland. He was privy to the whole bully situation. However, he never mentioned the bully or the circumstances of her now sitting in first class. Instead, he talked to the lovely lady about Cleveland. Their conversation took off from there. The agent couldn’t have sat the woman next to a better passenger. When we landed the pilot took the woman’s luggage down for her. He let her pass in front of him so she could have the honor of being the first passenger off the airplane. I told the sweet woman it was an extreme pleasure to have her on our flight. She smiled a beautiful smile. I looked at the pilot and said, “Thank you”. He knew I was thanking him for making the woman feel so welcomed on our flight and taking extra special care of her. He simply smiled and said, “No problem. You all have a great rest of your day”. And by golly we did.

Yesterday the 2020 Summer Olympics concluded. Yessiree, I am officially going through Olympic viewing withdrawals. I’m not going to lie. The past two weeks I spent every waking hour and sleeping hour with the television tuned to the Olympics. Well…Okay. I switched the channel during the commercials to watch the Cowboy Channel. I couldn’t help myself. The “Daddy of them all”…The Cheyenne Rodeo was also happening. But, besides watching a few 8 second bronc rides, my eyes were glued to the Olympics. I even slam-clicked on a few of my layovers just to lay in bed and watch the Olympic Games. I did go out in Cleveland with my Skytress friend Michelle. Michelle called my room just before we were to meet up. She needed an extra 20 minutes to get ready. Michelle explained she had overslept because she had stayed up late watching the Olympics after we got to our layover hotel. Obviously, I completely understood. Yes, indeed. You can clearly see why we are friends. If you have read my previous blog posts you know my love for the Olympics runs deep. I’ve dressed up for the Olympics. I have had Olympic themed meals. I even got so caught up in the 2016 Summer Olympics, I did a somersault in my basement…..just to see if I could still do one. It wasn’t gold medal worthy. But, I didn’t end up in the emergency room. That alone should have earned me at least a bronze.

This year I thought about doing another Summer Olympic somersault. Only my knee has been swollen and I can’t bend it. I’m calling it my Olympic injury. After my successful somersault in 2016, I had high hopes I would have greatly improved on my execution this Olympics. I’ll admit. I had to talk myself into attempting my last Summer Olympic somersault. I, actually, thought about it for days. Heck, I hadn’t done a somersault in decades. Like many decades! But, the women’s gymnastics team made everything look soooo easy. Everyone knows I never could do a cartwheel. Proudly, I could do a handspring when I was younger. But, those days were long gone. Like really long gone! However, I felt the degree of difficulty of a somersault was perfect for my age. Yes. With age comes wisdom. So, on my way upstairs from throwing a load of laundry in the washer, I decided to do a somersault. Sadly, I had to think about the mechanics of doing a somersault. Hand and head placement were critical. Critical so I didn’t permanently injure myself. Then I had to muster up my Olympic courage to tuck and roll. I thought of Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton….I said a prayer…and I awkwardly somersaulted. My dog Finley thought I had lost my mind. She had no idea what had just happened. I wasn’t really sure myself. But, I giggled, and I went upstairs like I was a true Olympian.

I realize now I was not a true Olympian. Don’t worry. My ego was not crushed with this realization. Even though my love for the Olympics runs deep, I sadly have to admit I have never attended the Olympics in person. Shocking. I know. You will be happy to know it is now officially on my bucket list. I did come close to attending the Olympics in 1996. Well….actually…..to be more exact…..I worked many trips into and out of Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympics. I’m proud to say, I did get an airline Olympic pin to wear on my Skytress uniform. Remarkably, many Skytresses never got to wear their airline Olympic pin. Nope. They were scared into getting pregnant. Wait….What? Yes. Skytresses chose to become pregnant just so they didn’t have to fly during the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. All were heard for months prior was how bad it was going to be flying in and out of Atlanta during the Olympics. The fear was real. Skytresses I flew with were planning to get pregnant just to avoid the Summer Olympics flying. My friend, Mary, would remind Skytresses that after the Olympics they would still have their children. Still, these Skytresses decided having children for a lifetime was much better than flying full planes into and out of Atlanta for a few weeks. It’s better I chose to wear my airline Olympic pin than get pregnant. I misplaced my Olympic pin shortly after the Olympics. I perish the thought of what would have happened to my Olympic children.

Our pilots not only had their airline Olympic pins to wear. They were also allowed to wear Olympic ties. Yes. Our airline was full-throttle into the Olympic spirit. The decision to allow our pilots to swap their basic black ties for Olympic ties was a big deal. Both for the company and for the pilots. It was a huge deal for the Captain I flew with all month. Every week he wore a different Olympic tie. I eagerly awaited the Captain’s arrival every trip just to see his Olympic tie choice. And each week I would anxiously await the arrival of the first officer. I knew if he or she had the standard uniform black tie on….it wouldn’t be on for long. The Captain always briefed his first officer about the ties. They knew when we flew into Colorado Springs they were either going to buy an Olympic tie or they were going to wear the Captain’s Olympic tie for the rest of the trip. Yessiree, he would gift the first officer his tie and then he would purchase another Olympic tie for himself. The Captain was adamant that the cockpit crew was not going to depart Colorado Springs with anyone wearing the boring black pilot tie. After all, Colorado Springs is the home of the US Olympic Training Center and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. To leave without an Olympic tie would be unfathomable. Yes. It was fortuitous there was a gift shop at the Colorado Springs airport that sold Olympic ties. They had quite the variety, too. I know this because one week I accompanied the Captain to see the Olympic ties that were for sale. Remarkably, the ties weren’t expensive. There apparently wasn’t a big need for Olympic ties in the summer. Especially in Colorado Springs. I was amazed when I saw all the ties hanging on the tie rack. Boy, were they colorful! The vibrant ties lifted my Olympic spirits to new heights. I don’t know who was happier when we left Colorado Springs with both pilots wearing Olympic ties…me or the Captain.

For those of you that didn’t fly through the Atlanta airport while the Olympics were taking place, let me tell you how it was. It was the best summertime flying in my entire Skytress career! Yes indeed. All the hoopla about flying in and out of Atlanta during the Olympics had an olympic effect. Yep. No one flew through Atlanta. It was surreal. I was gobsmacked to say the least. There was no dodging passengers to get to our gates. The food lines were empty. Passengers had elbow room on the airplanes. Heck, they even had the whole row to themselves. Business men and women were almost extinct. I knew for a fact they had altered their flying plans during the Olympics. Yessiree. It was an unexpected summer vacation for everyone who worked at the airport. I can tell you first hand,…..Skytresses and Skyters were ecstatic. Well, at least the Skytresses and Skyters who were flying. I can’t speak for those who were out on maternity leave.

The Summer Olympics will be returning to Los Angeles in 2028. I’m already bracing myself for Skytresses and Skyters planning to be out on maternity leave when the time comes. I, myself, will be bidding trips that fly through Los Angeles. If the 2028 Olympic flying is remotely similar to the 1996 Olympic flying…..It could quite possibly be some of the best summertime flying I experience before I retire. I’m not sure if I will complete a summertime Olympic somersault in 2028. My American Olympic spirit will be willing to complete an Olympic somersault. However, I’m not sure if my American body will be bendable at that point. Needless to say, I am eagerly setting my eyes on the 2024 Summer Olympics. Not for my somersault. No. The Olympics take place in Paris. I’m already thinking about my Paris Olympic party theme. It’s never too early to think about a party theme. At least not for me! I’m not going to place my order in at the French patisserie just yet. Anyway, I know the owner of the La Bonne Bouchée bakery is an Olympic enthusiast. He has his patisserie decorated for every Olympics. He even bakes delicious Olympic iced sugar cookies. Every Olympics he proudly flies his USA Olympic flag outside his shop. He told me the other day when I went to purchase my Olympic cookies that he bought his flag when he went to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He explained he was a young man and he couldn’t resist driving to Atlanta to experience the Olympics. The day he arrived was the day the bombing took place. He, like the rest of the world, wasn’t sure if the Atlanta Olympics would continue after the bombing. So, he purchased the USA Olympic flag to heal his Olympic heart. He has faithfully flown his flag outside his shop every Olympics since Atlanta. He will fly his USA flag in a few months again when the Winter Olympics take place in Beijing. I will be flying my USA Olympic flag, too. Yessiree. I have to set my sights on the Winter Olympic before I set my sights on the 2024 Olympic in Paris. Sadly, I don’t compete in the Winter Olympics. Well, at least I haven’t yet. I never know when the Olympic spirit will take over my body. Cheers of USA…USA…USA may just cause me to put down my Olympic Chinese fortune cookie and pick up my long forgotten ice skates. I’m pretty sure if I don’t end up in the hospital….I could win at least a bronze medal.

Every Skytress and Skyter knows the best way to increase the odds of getting rerouted is to make layover plans. Many times Skytresses and Skyters won’t even mention their layover plans for fear the layover gods will hear them. Ah, the pesky layover gods. They are everywhere! Any airline person can tell you…..these layover gods can be very fickle. Thus, the less the layover gods know about layover plans, the better. Many times Skytresses and Skyters will make a quick mention of their layover plans during briefing. Then it’s rarely mentioned again. You see, the layover gods have excellent hearing. If they happen to be in a sour mood…watch out! They relish in making sure if they aren’t having a good day,….your much anticipated layover plans are going to be ruined. Oh, the layover gods wrath. I try to avoid it as best I can.

I thought about the layover gods when I made plans to meet up with my relatives on my short Newark layover. You see, I was giddy at the thought of seeing my Aunt Cathy and Uncle George. Boy, do I love these two! Without trying, my Aunt Cathy is funnier than most comedians. What can I say? She inherited…in spades…the Gaffney gene that makes the world laugh. Her husband, my Uncle George, inherited this gene, too. Which is odd, since he is a “Barnes” and not a “Gaffney”. Nevertheless, when my Aunt Cathy and Uncle George are in the mix,….it’s most assuredly going to be a spectacular time! I didn’t want the layover gods to know this though. So, I made a conscious decision not to speak too excitedly about our plans to anyone. Yes, I was nonchalant when I told the rest of my family I’d be meeting up with Aunt Cathy and Uncle George. Well, I was nonchalant on the outside. As I mentioned before, I was absolutely giddy on the inside! Yes, it’s a fact that the layover gods have impeccable hearing. However, it’s also a fact, the layover gods senses are less astute when it comes to understanding internal giddiness. Thank goodness for this. My internal giddiness was off the charts!

I barely mentioned my layover plans to my Skytress friends when I saw them in the crew lounge. Several of my Skytress friends were flying to Billings, Montana for a 30- hour layover. They didn’t have set plans for their layover. What?…..No plans? I can guarantee the layover gods barely heard they were going to Montana. I held my breath hoping the gods didn’t hear about my intentions for my layover. I know my crew’s interest was barely peaked when I mentioned I would be having dinner with my Aunt and Uncle on our Newark layover. Yep. I was feeling good about my strategy to ward off the layover gods. Our flight to Portland, Oregon was uneventful. I chuckled when I saw my hotel room overlooked a small airport runway. I’m sure the layover gods chuckled, too. Yep. This was the highlight of this short layover. The next day we flew to Salt Lake City. Our pilots flying us to Salt Lake City were also our pilots flying us to Newark. This was a very good sign. Another good sign….we had no delays going into Newark. We were actually going to be early. Woo hoo! The layover gods were clueless.

I’m not sure if the layover gods or I was more surprised when I exited the elevator and saw my Uncle Jay standing in the hotel lobby with my Aunt Cathy. When my niece, Jamie, was a wee little one, she used to call my Uncle Jay, “that funny man”. Yessiree, my Uncle Jay inherited the Gaffney funny gene, too. I was ecstatic. Dinner with my Aunt Cathy, Uncle George and Uncle Jay was going to be stupendous. Take that layover gods! My Uncle George was in the car waiting for us to come outside. I like to think he was waiting in the get-away car. Get away we did! We were off to Pornos for Portuguese food. Wait. What?! No, the restaurant isn’t actually called Pornos. It’s Fornos. My Aunt Cathy told me a story about mistakenly calling the restaurant Pornos after she had gone there for the first time. I thought the story was hysterical. So, of course, I now call the restaurant Pornos Fornos. Which I really shouldn’t do because it’s a phenomenal restaurant. The wait staff was impeccable. I like to think I am an attentive Skytress. But, the wait staff at Fornos made me look like a chump in comparison to them. Eduardo was our primary waiter. We actually had three waiters. Fancy. I know. Eduardo rattled off the numerous dinner specials so fluently, I was flabbergasted. Heck, I usually only have two meal choices in first class. I’m now embarrassed to tell you this,…..but, I have to write down the entree selections and a description of the side dishes on my departure report. And….I constantly refer to my notes as I manifest. I know. Egads!

I know we gave Eduardo and his crew a run for the money. My Uncle George is a self-described foodie. His special talent is making everyone in his presence foodies, too. I love it! We enthusiastically enjoyed an assortment of marvelous cuisine. And that was before our entrees arrived! I barely put a dent in my seafood paella. Not because it wasn’t delicious. No. It was huge! Yes, my seafood paella could have feed 20 hungry people. I was officially stuffed. I had no intention of eating anything else. But,….I couldn’t resist taking a few bites of the Tres Leches cake dessert. It was AMAZING! Then our waiters served us churros and individual cups of melted chocolate. Oh my! I think the layover gods gasped with this unexpected surprise. I know we all did. We didn’t want to be rude so we tried the churros, too. Needless to say, we left Fornos with an assortment of left-over meal containers. It was a miracle the car didn’t tip when my Aunt Cathy put them in the trunk.

The churros with the individual cups of chocolate weren’t the only surprise that evening. No, I learned a few family secrets as we sat around our table with Eduardo and his crew diligently standing by. I have no doubt the layover gods were listening, too. I’m positive they were being thoroughly entertained by my relatives. I know Eduardo and his team were. The first family secret was revealed as we were eating our appetizers. I learned my Uncle George eats his corn beef with ketchup. In all my years knowing my Uncle, this little news has never come to light. Please don’t tell the Irish authorities. We may be forced to relinquish our Irish ethnicity. My Uncle claims it isn’t weird. But, rather delicious. His explanation concerning the ketchup is very convincing. He definitely convinced me to try it this St. Patrick’s Day. I’ll report my findings in a few months. It will be under an assumed name, however. Just in case the Irish Authorities are reading my blog.

My Uncle Jay had me and the layover gods on the edge of our seats as he revealed he is now an actor. Yessiree. My Uncle Jay has officially acted in one production. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any lines. And he has yet to see his work on the big screen….uh, television. But, he got paid. So, that makes him the highest paid actor in our family. Bravo Uncle Jay! I’m sure my niece Jamie will have him star in her next film. My guess it will be a comedy. After all, he is, “that funny man”. Then again, it could be a musical. Yep. My Uncle George spilled the beans about my Uncle Jay being in a musical group with his buddies when he was younger. Yes. My Uncle Jay and his buddies were the Jersey Boys long before the Tony Award winning musical “Jersey Boys” came to Broadway. Again…Bravo Uncle Jay! However, I don’t know who was more gobsmacked….me, Eduardo or the layover gods,….when my Uncle Jay told me about his new hobby of being a horse owner. Actor,…singer, ….horse owner? How could it be Eduardo, the layover gods and I never heard about these things? Yes. My Uncle Jay and his son Derrick are part of a racing group that invests in race horses. Have you heard of the 2020 Kentucky Derby winner, Authentic? Well, my Uncle and his son are part owners. My Uncle Jay jokes that he owns one testicle of the horse. Well, that is one testicle much more than I own. So he wins in my Kentucky Derby book. Obviously, I am going to use my Uncle Jay’s name to get myself some prime seats at next years Derby. You all know how I love the Kentucky Derby! When that doesn’t work, I’ll throw my Uncle Jay’s name around the table as we enjoy our Kentucky Derby themed dinner. Everyone in my family adores “that funny man”.

There weren’t many unexpected revaluations at Pornos Fornos when it came to my Aunt Cathy and Uncle George. Well, except for my Uncle’s ketchup disclosure. My Aunt and Uncle have always been an integral part of my life. My parents always said growing up if anything happened to them, my Aunt Cathy and Uncle George would take care of my sisters, my brothers and me. Thankfully, nothing happened to my parents. But, my Aunt Cathy and Uncle George have always been there for us….spoiling us with their love. They have a uncanny ability to lift our spirits beyond the Heavens. When Ron joined my Dad in Heaven, I wasn’t sure how I could live, much less, go back flying without him. It was my Aunt Cathy who lifted my deflated Skytress spirits with the most perfect imagery. My Aunt Cathy explained when I flew my Dad would be on one airplane wing and Ron would be on the other wing. Together they would keep me balanced and safe. I cannot tell you how many times when I fly I look to one wing and then to the other. I know my Dad and Ron are with me. An overwhelming sense of peace surrounds me and I smile. See, my Aunt Cathy isn’t just funny. Nope. She exudes an abundance of love and inspiration.

When we first sat down at our table, my Uncle George jokingly asked Eduardo what time they closed. He explained to Eduardo we were going to be there for awhile. Then, without skipping a beat, he invited Eduardo to join us at our table. Eduardo was very quick witted. He said we could stay there until 5am and he would join us. Oh, how I wished we could have stayed there until that time. I was hearing family secrets that fascinated me. I learned my Uncle George was told by his daughters he shouldn’t tell waiters and waitresses his name when they introduce themselves at the table. I humbly disagree with my cousins. Especially when it comes to my Uncle George. My Uncle is someone people should remember by name. Yes. My Uncle has a special knack for instantaneously making people feel valued and respected. Heck, maybe if we all start introducing ourselves to everyone we encounter, the world will have a few less problems. Hello world, my name is Eileen. Another golden nugget I learned as we chatted the evening away was divulged by my Uncle Jay. Yep. I learned my parents wedding was the first place my Uncle Jay ever saw stars shining on a ceiling. He was only ten years old and he was mesmerized by them. I was intrigued how the stars made such an indelible impression on my Uncle. Later when I got back to my hotel room, I thought about my brother Sean and I placing glow in the dark stars on our brother Brian’s ceiling. I remembered how we all loved going into Brian’s bedroom at night to look up at the stars. Just like our Uncle Jay, we were mesmerized by them. I didn’t know it then, but, I know now. Being mesmerized by stars on the ceiling is just another wonderful family trait we all share.

I’ll share one more family secret from our dinner. I know as we sat around the table at Pornos Fornos my Dad was in Heaven belly-laughing with us all. I don’t know if my Aunt Cathy, Uncle George and Uncle Jay noticed the lights dim in the restaurant. But, I certainly did. I always notice on special occasions when my family is gathered around a dining table laughing and sharing memories, the lights in the room always dim for just a brief moment. I sometimes joke my Dad is there with us dimming the lights. Only, I know it isn’t a joke. I know it’s my Dad’s sign for me from Heaven that he is with us. I’m positive my Uncle Tommy, Grandpa and Grandma Gaffney were there with my Dad, too. I know they were enjoying my layover as much as I was. Sure, I get to travel the world as a Skytress and explore amazing cities. However, given the chance to go anywhere in the world…or hang out with my family on a layover, I will always chose my family. Yes. My heart is the most full when I gather together with the people I love the most. I try not to say this too loud though. Remember, the layover gods have impeccable hearing. It’s best we just keep this information a family secret.

Skytresses and Skyters have the best job. At least most of the time. Usually I fly 3-day trips. Lately I have been flying trips with 30-hour layovers. Yessiree…I am only working two out of the three days. I’m not going to lie….it’s a pretty sweet deal. I’m not aware of any other companies that actually build an employee’s schedule with a paid non-working day. I’m sure years ago a sweet-talking Skytress convinced an airline CEO that this was a perfectly acceptable plan. Then they convinced the airline CEO that it was a perfectly acceptable plan for the Skytresses and Skyters to take a nap while at work…..and get paid for taking the nap, too. What other professions do the employees actually use a sign-up sheet to schedule their rest time during working hours? Yessiree….it’s a pretty sweet deal. I should clarify this statement by saying this only applies for international trips. Unfortunately, no one has convinced the airline CEO to let Skytresses and Skyters use a sign-up sheet to take a paid scheduled nap on domestic trips. Well, at least not yet!

I prefer to fly Tuesday through Thursday. Unfortunately, so do many senior Skytresses and Skyters. So, I don’t always hold the 30 -hour layovers that I want. Sad. I know. However, this past month I held several 30-hour layovers. They may not be the most exciting trips. But, I was excited to hold them. One trip was a 30-hour Little Rock layover. The other was a 30-hour Cincinnati layover.

Ah, Little Rock. Early in my career I had so many Little Rock layovers I thought Little Rock was my second home. In those days, downtown Little Rock was a ghost town by 5pm. Restaurants were nowhere to be found. TCBY, “The Country’s Best Yogurt” shop was really the only eating establishment close to our hotel. We stayed at The Camelot Hotel in the 1990’s. The hotel decor hadn’t been updated since the 1970’s. Or so it seemed. The hotel had burnt-orange, dark-brown, yellow-gold decor everywhere. The hotel even had shag carpeting. It was actually more funny than gross. Okay. I’ll admit it. It was pretty gross, too. Fortunately, Little Rock has improved immensely since those days. Now there are a plethora of restaurants and shops in downtown Little Rock. One of my favorite restaurants is partially owned by a Delta pilot. I like to think he built it because he was tired of eating TCBY yogurt on his layovers.

I know I’ve written in a prior blog post about the Little Rock Airport having the best ice in our airline system. Yessiree….I still get giddy every time I think about it. I, also, love the KCM security line at the airport. Do you remember KCM stands for “Known Crew Member”? Silly question. Of course, you remember this! The thing I love about the KCM in Little Rock is their doorbell. What? A doorbell? Yes. A doorbell! A doorbell with the happiest chime. Yessiree….I get giddy every time I think about this, too. There is a sign that informs crews to ring the doorbell if a TSA agent isn’t at the KCM security podium. This way the TSA doesn’t need to have an agent permanently stationed there. The doorbell is loud and it alerts an agent to come over when crews are utilizing the KCM checkpoint. It’s genius! Unfortunately, this trip we didn’t need to ring the doorbell. I think next time I’m going to “accidentally” lean against the doorbell….just so I can hear the happy chime. Shhhh…This will be our little secret.

We no longer stay at The Camelot. No. The Camelot is no longer in existence. Instead we stay at a hotel that is smack dab in the middle of everything. It’s a lovely hotel. They have a Starbucks in the lobby which makes it airline approved. But the most coveted thing about this hotel is the night light that turns on when you step on the floor next to the bed. I could kiss the brilliant designer that thought of this detail. I, like so many of my airline family members, usually keep the bathroom light on in the hotel room at night. We close the door over just enough to have a wee bit of light. The wee bit of light is great if we need to get up to use the bathroom. The wee bit of light is annoying if you don’t have to use the bathroom. When I layover in Little Rock I can sleep in the dark. If I need to use the bathroom the light turns on when I step on the floor. I cannot tell you how much this tickles me.

I had grandiose plans for my Little Rock layover. I was going to walk around the city and explore. The first snag in my plans came when I got in the elevator. I pushed the button for the lobby. Nothing happened. I pushed it again. Nothing happened. I pushed the door close button. Nothing happened. When the door finally started to close I had a bad feeling I was going to get stuck in there. I immediately thought of Ron. He hated elevators. He feared he would get stuck in them. So, I jumped out of the elevator. I waited a few minutes and eventually took another elevator down. When I got outside I was shocked by the oppressive heat. I walked a wee bit until I decided it wasn’t any fun sweating. What was fun…I walked by a donut shop. The shop is known for their creative donut creations. So, I went inside and purchased a couple….Only because I heard it’s a scientific fact that donuts help stop you from sweating. Okay. It was the voices in my head that told me this. But, they seemed pretty believable. So, I believed. They also told me to purchase a Starbucks Chai Tea Latte when I arrived back at the hotel. So I did. That my dear friends was the highlight of my Little Rock layover. When I met up with my crew the next day I discovered I had done more on my layover than anyone else. They all walked outside…felt the heat…and went back up to their air conditioned hotel rooms.

I definitely had mixed feelings about my 30-hour Cincinnati layover. I had been based in Cincinnati for years. I loved flying with my incredible friends in Cincinnati. But, things have changed drastically in Cincinnati. Our company doesn’t utilize the airport like they used too. It’s hard for me to go in and out of there now. I remember how it used to be. It makes me sad to see how it is now. I miss seeing all the familiar faces. I still have many friends that live in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. I had planned to reach out to them and tell them I was in town. I only reached out to my friend Jennie Lou. Yes. THE Jennie Lou! My dear sweet friend. Unfortunately, Jennie Lou had to go to Lexington to get her haircut. I completely understood. If we learned anything from the pandemic…..hair appointments are essential. Then I decided I really need a day to do nothing. My body needed to rest. I knew the following week would be emotional for me. It would be the anniversary of Ron’s passing. Then two days later it would be his birthday. My long Cincinnati layover was going to be the perfect layover to be by myself and catch up on sleep. Or, so I thought.

We were supposed to arrive in Cincinnati at midnight. Unfortunately, our plane was late coming in to Atlanta. So, we arrived in Cincinnati at 3am. Ugh. It wasn’t all bad. My friend, Darlene, was on our flight to Cincinnati. Darlene and I used to be based in Cincinnati together. Darlene transferred to Atlanta this past year when our company downsized the Cincinnati base. Hopefully, Darlene and I will fly together soon now that she is based in Atlanta. One other thing that made the long day bearable….. I received two pennies from Heaven in the Cincinnati jetway as I was walking off the airplane. I put them in my left pocket with the other two pennies I received from Heaven earlier in the day at the Atlanta airport. Ah, pennies from Heaven. They definitely are my favorite kind of pennies!

Even though I was flying with Skytresses I knew, my layover plan was to spend quality time with me, myself and I. That plan changed when I agreed to meet up with my crew for lunch. Me, myself and I agreed this was a much more fun plan. I was still steadfast with my plan to sleep-in, though. I closed my eyes to go to sleep at 430am. Then I abruptly opened my eyes at 7am when the jackhammering started outside the hotel. It continued until I left to meet up with my crew for lunch. Me, myself and I were not happy about the jackhammering. Nope. Not one bit!

When I was younger and my family lived in Cincinnati, my Dad worked downtown. His office overlooked the fountain at Fountain Square. The fountain is a bronze sculpture of a woman. Water pours out of the statue’s out-stretched hands. I was mesmerized by the fountain when I was younger. Sadly, The Square has lost some of it’s magic for me. The fountain is now lost amongst all the restaurants and shops surrounding the Square. I barely noticed the fountain as we crossed the street. What I did notice was the Graeter’s Ice Cream shop on the corner of the Square. I will admit my eyes did light up when I saw the shop. Anyone who has ever lived in Cincinnati knows about Graeter’s Ice Cream. It’s iconic. And delicious! Even before we turned to head towards the restaurant I told my crew I was getting ice cream after lunch. They never lived in Cincinnati. So, they didn’t understand the joy in my voice or in my heart.

Our lunch was marvelous. And so was the weather. My crew and I sat outside and watch all the people that were going back to work after their lunch break. Yessiree,…these people were scheduled to work and were actually working. Unlike us, who were scheduled not to work…. while we were at work….getting paid not to work. That wasn’t confusing, was it?! When we headed back to the hotel my Skytress friends almost forgot about my plan to get Graeter’s Ice Cream. I didn’t. They stood back as I proudly walked up to the register and ordered my Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream. The sales clerk was flabbergasted when my Skytress friends declined to get any ice cream. He knew immediately that the Skytresses weren’t from Cincinnati. They even declined a taste of the ice cream when he offered them one. What?! I know. I was incredulous, too. Yessiree…..I can hear the moans from my fellow Graeter’s Ice Cream lovers as I write this.

I opened my curtains when I got back to my hotel room. I was afraid I would fall asleep once I sat on the bed. My plan was to go to bed early since we had a 450am pickup the next morning. Oh, there is that plan again! I looked out the window and I studied everything within my eyesight. Yes. I lived many years in Cincinnati. But, now everything I looked at outside was all foreign to me. I was a visitor now. It definitely was an odd feeling. I confess…..Many nights when I go to sleep I have a reoccurring flying dream. I am in the Cincinnati Airport. But, it’s more like a mall. A super-sized mall, to be more specific. I walk all around trying to find my departure gate. Only, I keep turning into stores that have no reason to be at the airport. It’s exasperating for me. I feverishly look for a connecting gate monitor. I know I have to get to my gate before I get in trouble. However, I only find regular TV’s. I spend most of my dream going up and down escalators trying to get to my gate. It’s all very confusing. This is how I felt on my layover. I knew I was in Cincinnati. But, nothing was the way it was supposed to be. I found it all very unnerving. Later that night when I tried to fall asleep my mind was flooded with memories of my days living and flying out of Cincinnati. Then memories with Ron swirled around my head. Yes. Time had changed so many things. I was becoming anxious. I couldn’t sleep. I turned on the 11pm newscast hoping to see a familiar face reporting the news. I flipped from station to station. I didn’t recognize anyone. I could feel myself becoming panicked. I turned off the TV and just laid in bed. I repeatedly took deep breaths trying to calm myself. Sadly, it was all for not. I eventually got up at 330am. I figured if I couldn’t sleep, I might as well start getting ready for work. Yep. You guessed it…..I made another plan.

I was relieved when we finally got to the airport. Amazingly, I was more exhausted than I had been before I left for my 30-hour layover. I was definitely counting down the hours I had left until I got home to St. Louis. I only had 17 hours to go. Ugh. Yep….I regretted counting the hours as soon as I did it! When we entered the airport I had to show my crew how to get to the KCM security line. Sadly there isn’t a happy doorbell at the KCM in Cincinnati. Instead, there was a nice TSA agent sitting at a podium. This nice TSA agent informed me I got the random security check. Yessiree,….I was the dreaded “selectee”. This means I was selected to go through the regular security line. One of my Skytress friends asked me if I wanted her to go with me. I told her I would be fine. Then, of course, I had trouble finding the designated line. I feared my reoccurring dream was about to come true. Ironically, there were two escalators to choose from after I passed through the regular security check point. I’m not going to lie….My heart sank. I couldn’t believe it! My nightmare WAS coming true. Fortunately, I could see my crew waiting for me. My Skytress In-Charge informed me of our departure gate number. What?! I didn’t have to find a gate monitor. Whew! I was definitely relieved when she told me this information. We all decided we would take the passenger train to our concourse. Ah, the Cincinnati Airport train. It’s been the same passenger train going between concourses for years. It’s definitely a happy little train. At least it is for me. I smiled as I stepped inside the familiar train. Yessiree…I was excited. Happy memories of filled my Skytress brain. At that moment, I knew without a doubt,… my 30-hour layover was worth every sleepless minute.

I have no words to write this week. Instead, I shall fold my hands in prayer as I look towards Heaven.

I remember the first time I went to Sioux Falls. Half my crew thought we were going to Fargo. Ah, city codes. We don’t always know them like we should. Luckily we have crew briefings before our trip and we can sort these details out. In the long run it didn’t matter if we were going to Sioux Falls or Fargo. It was cold and dark when we landed. It was cold and dark when we departed. That trip was in stark contrast to my latest Sioux Falls trip. I had a 30-hour Sioux Fall layover and I was extremely excited. I was so excited, I did some research before my trip. Well, maybe “research” is a bit of an exaggeration. I watched a couple YouTube videos of Sioux Falls. But, it was more research than I have done for other layovers. So, I felt well-prepared. Well-prepared might be an exaggeration, too. I knew I was going to go see the Falls…..and get a tea at a local coffee shop and maybe get a macaron. I decided I’d figure the rest out once we got there.

I was, also, happy about my trip because I was flying with a Skytress friend, Darnell. Darnell was excited for our Sioux Fall layover, too. The Skyter that was originally on our trip was replaced with another Skyter. No, it wasn’t our Skyter friend JJ. This Skyter was named Orlando. Orlando was really cool. He, also, conducted some Sioux Fall research. He found a restaurant that overlooked the Falls. I don’t know how I missed this restaurant in my YouTube research. But, I immediately knew I wanted to go to there. I said a silent prayer that we made it to Sioux Falls. Skytresses and Skyters know if you get really excited about a layover, the reroute gods can hear it in our voices. Before you know it, your anticipated layover is rerouted into a junk layover. Fortunately for us, the reroute gods must not think too much of Sioux Falls. Heck, we even landed twenty minutes early.

The one thing I remembered about my prior Sioux Falls layover was the hotel lobby. Nothing else. I didn’t even remember the tall bronze Pilot sculpture in the airport. It was huge! Nope. I just remembered the hotel lobby. Weird, I know. It’s a peculiar Skytress trait of mine. Remembering hotel lobbies. I didn’t remember if the Sioux Falls hotel had a map of the city. So, I asked. Fortunately, the hotel had a marvelous map. The gal at the front desk circled the hotel on the map, too. I love when they do this for me. Yep, just another peculiar Skytress trait of mine. Darnell, Orlando and I exchanged cell phone numbers before we headed up to our rooms so we could meet up the next day and explore Sioux Falls. I barely got inside my hotel room before I started to study the map. I felt responsible for coming up with an action plan for the next day. After all, I was the only one that had done the YouTube research.

Darnell and I met in the lobby the next morning at 11am. Orlando was already out and about taking in the city. Since I had done my YouTube research and Darnell had not, I was the designated tour guide. Our first stop was a coffee shop I saw a couple on YouTube visit. They raved about the shops specialty drinks. I threw caution to the wind and instead of ordering my regular chia tea latte, I got a lavender and matcha iced tea. It was a pleasant surprise. It was like drinking a cup of lavender potpourri….but, in a good way. There was a sightseeing sign on a lamppost outside of the coffee shop. Darnell and I studied it. Then we immediately headed out in the wrong direction to the Falls. This would be the first of many directionally challenging moments for me in Sioux Falls. Yes. I did have my map from the hotel. I didn’t look at it once that day. In retrospect, maybe I should have. Oh well. Thankfully, a kind police officer on his patrol bike came to our rescue and directed us down the right path to the Falls.

I can’t explain how surreal and exciting it is to see water falls in the middle of a downtown city. But, there they were. They we mesmerizing. And beautiful, to boot! Darnell and I decided to head to the lookout tower first to take it all in. There was a lovely breeze when we walked outside. The breeze and scenery were euphoric. Although I was looking right at the Falls, I still couldn’t fathom the oddity of it all. All I knew was I was happy. Darnell was happy, too. Heck, as I watched the people milling about the park, it seemed everyone was happy. Yes, it was… Sioux-weet to see this!

There was a gift shop inside the lookout tower. We were about to exit and head down towards the Falls when I remembered to ask about a Christmas ornament. Ah, yes. Me and my Christmas ornaments. The lady in the gift shop told me they didn’t have a huge selection of ornaments. Well, actually she said they had one Christmas ornament in stock this time of year. She walked me to the back of the gift shop to show me the ornament. It was a beautiful etched-glass ornament of the Falls. It was perfect….or rather, I should say it was ….Sioux-weet! Sorry. I couldn’t stop my fingers from typing this again! When I went to the counter to pay for the ornament I asked the sales clerk about the Falls. I wanted to know where the water source started. I swear she told me it started in a pond. I looked this up later and I couldn’t verify the pond source. I did discover the Big Sioux River starts in a low plateau known as the Coteau des Prairies and eventually flows southward miles around the city and meets up with the Missouri River. Still as I watched the water flow slowly around the park area I liked to believe I heard the sales clerk correctly and that the water started in a pond. I like to think it started in a farmer’s pond. That makes a much Sioux-weeter story. Don’t worry folks. I’m not done with my new saying!

Darnell and I knew we had to get closer to the Falls. More importantly, we needed to get some pictures taken in front of the Falls. Talk about a Kodak moment. The crazy thing about the Falls is you can get very close to it to get a fabulous picture. Heck, dogs actually frolic in the water. The best thing about the Falls. There are several beautiful water falls to stand in front off to get a Sioux-weet picture. Fortunately, Darnell and I got some really Sioux-weet ones!!

The only logical thing to do after getting your pictures taken in front of the Falls is to walk over to the Falls Overlook Cafe. You can order lunch and sit outside and look at the Falls. Or you can do what Darnell and I did. We got ice cream! Let’s all say it together, shall we? Sioux-weet!!!The ice cream is produced from the milk of local cows. The lady in the gift shop said there are a thousand cows that help produce milk for the ice cream. I don’t know if her numbers are as accurate as the pond source story. But, I’m all for supporting local cows. Especially if they are in the business of making ice cream. I got the cherry ice cream. It was delicious. I highly recommend it. Yep. Those local cows know how to produce great cherry ice cream! I’m not sure if they picked the cherries that went into the ice cream. The lady at the gift shop didn’t tell me this. What I can tell you though is… My cherry ice cream tasted even more spectacular as we sat outside looking at the Falls.

Darnell and I decided to walk around the city after we ate our ice cream. There were eclectic shops and restaurants in the downtown area. There was a cupcake shop that infused it cupcakes with booze. The shop is called, Intoxibakes. How Sioux-weet is that name? We didn’t get any cupcakes. Heck. I already drank a lavender potpourri ice tea and devoured a local cow cherry ice cream. I didn’t need a cupcake with booze in it. Oh, I wanted it. I just didn’t need it! Plus, Darnell, Orlando and I were going to have dinner together. At least that was the plan. Darnell and I walked all around the city several times…. because I was directionally challenged. Thankfully it was a beautiful day for walking. We estimated we walked a million miles. Then again, Skytresses don’t like math. So we could have walked even more than that. We did get a Sioux Falls tan in the process. Which really means we got sunburned. We did try to meet up with Orlando later in the day. But, we got the distinct feeling he wanted to do his own thing. Which was fine by us. We were on an adventure. Yes. A directionally-challenged Skytress layover adventure. Eventually, Darnell and I decided where we wanted to have dinner based on the TripAdvisor recommendations for Sioux Falls. Don’t laugh. TripAdvisor is a go-to source for airline people. The TripAdvisor didn’t mention the restaurant specialized in huckleberry fare. No it did not. But, all the dinner specials included huckleberry. So, of course I chose to get a hamburger with huckleberry sauce. Well, actually it was a huckleberry and jalapeño sauce. Need I say more? I highly recommend this meal, too. It was yummy, yummy…in my tummy! Admit it. You’re a wee bit sad I didn’t say it was Sioux-weet….aren’t you?

I realize Sioux Falls isn’t the biggest city out there. Ironically, it is the biggest city in South Dakota, though. Yes. Darnell and I walked a million Skytress miles around the Sioux Falls. However, there are still some interesting shops I want to go back and check out. World champion Pastry Chef, Chris Hanmer, has a patisserie shop that I long to eat a macaron from on my next visit. And the outdoor amphitheater beckons me to come sit a spell and watch a show. I, also, learned on Saturday in the summer there is a downtown farmer’s market. I can only imagine what marvelous items they sell there. Incredibly, there is a lot more to Sioux Falls than I learned about in my YouTube research. I definitely need to go back. Yes, Sioux Falls may not be on the list of cities our international Skytresses and Skyters want to fly to. That’s okay. This just means it will be easier for me to bid Sioux Falls trips again and hold them. Paris in the springtime is undoubtedly special. However, Sioux Falls in the summer is a surprisingly Sioux-weet secret. Come on….I had to say it!!!!

Two Saturdays ago I walked into my local gas station to buy a PowerBall lottery ticket. I had my face mask in my hand ready to put it on to wear inside the shop. The day before we finally had our mask mandates lifted in St. Louis. The mandatory mask mandate sign was no longer on the door. I could see the attendants inside working without their masks on. I clutched my mask and walked inside and bought my ticket. When I walked outside I smiled. It was the first time in over a year I have walked into an establishment without wearing my face mask. It was a small victory for me. I’m always looking for the small victories in my life. The funny thing about small victories, though….sometimes when we look at them more closely….they were huge victories. Yep. Our minds just didn’t comprehend the magnitude of the victory at first.

It was a small victory for me when I stepped on the aircraft after six months of not flying. It was probably a small victory for my family to see me go off to work, too. Hey, I’m just keeping it real, folks. You may recall, at the time, our planes were empty of passengers and supplies. Yessiree, not falling asleep while I was working a long- haul flight with very few passengers was definitely a small victory in my book. Thankfully, our planes are full again. So, now it’s a small victory every flight when we get everyone in their seats. As one of our agents said the other day, “These passengers have seat numbers on their tickets. Yet, they don’t seem to know it.” Thankfully, there are skilled Skytresses and Skyters that figure it all out for everyone. It’s one of our super powers! You may, also, remember another super power we possess is conducting several beverage services without the proper catering. Yes! We still can’t seem to right that catering ship. It’s an amazing feeling when the crew returns to the galley and we have completed several beverage services with meager supplies. We know it’s a small victory. But, darn it. It sure feels like we have won the Super Bowl.

I had a couple wonderful small victories on Tuesday, May 18th, when I headed off to work. First, my coach seat was changed to a first-class seat. Woo hoo! I slept extremely well on my way to Atlanta….Thank you very much. I knew I would be flying with two delightful Skytresses on my trip. I didn’t know the Skyter on our trip. I hadn’t flown with him before. But, cue the victory dance music. When I signed in for my trip I saw my friend JJ was going to be flying with us instead. You can’t have a bad trip if JJ is on it. It’s simply impossible. JJ was a friend of Ron’s. I’ll admit. It’s always special for me when I fly with someone who knew and loved Ron. I told JJ I was going to write about him in my blog post. JJ wanted to know if I was going to write about the time he opened the door to his hotel room and there was a couple already inside the room. The couple was,…well, we shall say…in a compromising position. The gentleman was not happy JJ had opened the door on them. JJ said he turned, hightailed it down three steps and flew down the hallway. The naked man came out into the hallway after JJ. JJ said his plan was to get to the lobby before the naked man got to him. Since this blog post is about small victories, obviously I had to write about this story. After all, JJ did indeed make it to the lobby long before the naked man got to him. Hail, JJ….the Skyter Victor!

JJ and our two fellow Skytresses had a delightful time swapping stories at dinner. Wait, what?! Yes Siree Bob! We ate in an actual restaurant. It was the first time I went to a restaurant with my crew in over a year. What did I have for dinner, you ask? Well, I had shrimp and grits. This was a delicious small victory for me. I love shrimp and grits. No one in my family likes them. Their New Jersey taste buds won’t accept this cuisine. Sad. I know. I proudly make myself grits when I am home. I eat them out of sight from my family. Otherwise, they look at me like I am a Martian that landed in the family room and decided to eat the couch. They just don’t understand grits. Ron used to say one should never make shrimp and grits at home. Nope. You could make grits at home. However, he said, …if you wanted shrimp and grits,…you had to go out for them. I think it’s a southern law or something like that. Ron made fabulous grits. So, if he said you had to go out for shrimp and grits,…we went out for them. Who am I to question a southern boy that loved to cook? My crew and I went to a restaurant called “The Southern Kitchen”. They had every southern cuisine highlight on their menu. The shrimp and grits were phenomenal. If I was in the privacy of my own home I would have literally licked the plate clean. I controlled myself at the restaurant. It had been a year since I went out with my crew. I didn’t want it to be the last time I went out with my crew. I don’t care how wonderful a Skytress or Skyter you are….if you lick your plate clean in the presence of Skyters and Skytresses, ….well, you are going to end up on a few people’s no-fly list.

Another small victory of mine happened a couple weeks ago in Charlotte, NC. How appropriate right? Charlotte is synonymous with victory lane. Heck, there is the Charlotte Motor Speedway. And if you end up in Victory Lane enough times, well you’ll eventually end up in The NASCAR Hall of Fame. Which, if you didn’t know, is also in Charlotte. My small victory actually involves a NASCAR driver. No, I didn’t race a NASCAR driver and win. That would have been an epic victory! No, I had NASCAR driver Ross Chastain on my flight from Charlotte to Atlanta. You may be saying, “Ross who?”. I, on the other hand, was saying, “Woo Hoo Ross!” Ross Chastain is one of my favorite NASCAR a drivers. He’s got spunk. Both on the track and off the track. When he wins a race he smashes a watermelon in Victory Lane. No, Ross Chastain isn’t a Gallagher impersonator. Ross doesn’t use a Sledge-O-Matic to smash his watermelons. No, he simply hurls the watermelon to the ground in sheer delight. His nickname is, “The Watermelon Man”. It sounds weird. But, he comes from a family of watermelon farmers. So, it isn’t weird. It’s actually genius.

I started watching Ross Chastain drive a few years ago. I happened to catch an interview of his after a NASCAR truck race. He told the reporter he wasn’t at the race track to make friends. Nah. He had enough of those. He was there to win races. He said it with a great big smile on his face. It cracked me up. Like I said, he’s spunky. I’m a huge fan of spunky. I was captivated. So, I started to root for him when he raced. Then I saw his crew chief, Mr. Hubba-Hubba. That’s obviously my name for him. His actual name is Phil Gould. Needless to say, Mr. Hubba-Hubba’s handsome looks, also, captivated me. I know it’s a girl thing. But, I became a bigger fan of Ross Chastain because of his good-looking crew chief. V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! For me!

The night before we left Charlotte I was trying to update my Skytress phone. It was taking FOREVER! So, I amused myself by looking over the passenger name list on our flight the next morning. I was gobsmacked when I saw the name, Ross Chastain. I wondered if it was THE Ross Chastain or just someone with the same name. This Ross Chastain was going to Albany, NY. I know. Eh,…Albany. My visceral reaction was it was THE Ross Chastain. So, I just believed and knew it to be true. The next morning when I was heading to our departure gate I received another penny from Heaven. Ooh, another small victory in my book! I took this as a confirmation that THE Ross Chastain was going to be on my flight. And he was!

I’m sure most of our passengers didn’t recognize Ross Chastain because he was wearing the obligatory face mask. Well, the First Officer recognized him as a NASCAR driver. He just didn’t know his name. He gets half credit for that. I was helping passengers when Ross sat down in his aisle seat. I could tell he was listening to messages on his phone. So, I didn’t disturb him. My Skytress duties kept me from socializing anyhow. I know. It was utterly annoying for me. Before I knew it, it was time for me to read the safety PA. I barely got the last sentence out before our Captain told us to get ready for take-off. Gee whizz. He wasn’t helping matters, was he? Then he made those engines purr so much that Ross Chastain fell asleep right after we got airborne. Dagnabit! The flight from Charlotte to Atlanta is so short we don’t offer a service. You guessed it. Time was not on my side. But, do you all remember what I’ve told you for the past year?….What do you bring to a deserted island? A Skytress!….Because we have everything you’ll ever need to survive! Well, well, my dear readers. I reached into my Skytress bag and I pulled out a passenger thank you card. We are supposed to use these cards on our flights to recognize our premium passengers when we can’t speak to them directly. The truth be told, I rarely use these cards. But, dagnabit,….I was going to use the card that morning to write Ross Chastain a spunky note. It was hard to write a spunky note on the small card, too. I literally had to write between the lines to fit it all in. But, by golly, I did. I even wrote his connecting gate information and thanked him for flying our airline, too boot. It was a hurried handwritten Skytress masterpiece. Yes. It was a small victory on my part. Fortunately, on our final safety walk through before we landed in Atlanta, Ross had his tray table down. I nonchalantly touched his arm to tell him I needed to raise his tray table for landing. Then I discretely handed him the card. I have no idea if he read it. It didn’t matter. I spent the entire flight trying to muster up the courage to hand him the card. Writing this note was so out of character for me. I have never done this before. However, I knew it was something I had to do for myself. I knew having Ross Chastain on my flight was a God wink. I knew I couldn’t let this blessing slip through my hands. I was conscious of my luck. I needed to cross the finish line to get to victory lane. Yes, I understood handing my card to Ross Chastain was a small victory. It was later that my mind comprehended the magnitude of the victory.

The odds of me having my favorite NASCAR driver on my flight are astronomical. I didn’t actually do the math because I hate math. But, I know the odds makers in Vegas wouldn’t have taken the bet. Yes, Ross Chastain being on my flight happened for a reason. The odds of JJ being on my trip were significantly better. After all, we are both based in Atlanta. Still, I know JJ was on my trip for a reason, too. I know they were answers to my prayers. No, I didn’t specifically pray to fly with JJ or to have Ross Chastain on my flight. What I did pray for was some excitement to come into my life. You see, I’ve been in the dumps lately. Sadly, I’ve felt disheartened with life and my Skytress career. Say what? Shocking, I know. Yes, lately I’ve been feeling as if my hopes and dreams are slowly drifting further away. I’ve been questioning everything. I’m pretty sure everyone can relate to the fact that sometimes we all wish for a sign confirming that God is listening. Well, JJ and Ross were my signs. More importantly, for me, they both made me smile when I needed a smile. To some this may seem like a small victory. However, I clearly comprehend the magnitude of this huge victory. Yes. God sent me some very powerful God winks. They came right on time. God never ceases to amaze me. To say I’m eternally grateful is an understatement. I know it’s a small victory for God to make me feel better. Yes. It’s true. God specializes in God winks. Eileen winks aren’t as powerful as a God wink. Still, I’m winking right back at him. I like to think I have made God smile in Heaven. Ah, yes. Another small victory for me!

Sometimes my heart and soul know something long before my brain figures it out. For a few days I felt sadness and loneliness slowly seeping through my body. On May 3rd I remembered. May 3rd was the day Ron and I headed off to fly together. It was his first trip back flying after his Mom’s passing. It was the last trip Ron and I would fly together. I wondered if I would get a Heavenly sign that day. I did. As I was going through my email, I received a viewing suggestion from Netflix. It was for the movie, “Greater”. Ron loved this movie so much he rented it twice just so I could watch it with him. The movie is based on Arkansas Razorback football player, Brandon Burlsworth. After Ron died I rented the movie again. The beautiful movie reminded me of a special time Ron and I shared together. This past May 3rd, I went to bed knowing when I came back from my trip I would watch the movie again. My heart, soul AND brain knew it would help me feel Ron’s love from Heaven.

May 3rd I went to bed nervous about the storms that were predicted in St. Louis and Atlanta. I checked the status of my airplane and crew before I climbed into my bed. I was relieved to see they had landed in St. Louis. So, I closed my eyes and wished myself to sleep. My dog, Finley, needed to go potty at 2am. When I climbed back into bed to get two more hours of sleep, I looked at my cell phone. I could see a message about my morning flight. I struggled to read it without my glasses. I saw the words “delay” and 9:40. Oh, no! My flight was scheduled to leave at 6:10am. I put my glasses on and read the message to make sure I was understanding it. Yep, my flight to work was delayed. My body went into shock. My brain seized up. I couldn’t think of what I needed to do. Should I call in sick? Should I list on the jumpseat for my backup flight? I panic searched the weather forecasts for St. Louis and Atlanta. I knew I had one hour to make my sign-in time with my back up flight. Ugh! This was not good. I decided I had to list on the backup flight and hope for the best. I tried to recalculate my wake up time. I didn’t need to get up at 4am now. But, for the life of me I couldn’t count time backwards while I was in panic mode. It didn’t really matter what time I set my alarm for, though. I wasn’t going back to sleep. No. There is no going back to sleep when one is in full-blown stress mode.

When I stepped into the shower I was still worrying about my backup flight. I worried something would happen to the flight and I would miss my trip. As I washed my hair, I prepared my speech for the reliability review panel I was POSITIVE I would have to sit before. Yep. A stressed Skytress thinks like this. Well, at least this stressed Skytress does!Obviously, I would remind the review panel of my 31 years of being a model Skytress. I would remind them of the years I never called in sick. I would remind them of the times I flew to support the operation when I didn’t have to. If I have to say so myself, …it was a riveting speech. Amazingly, a few minutes later when I stepped out of the shower, I decided I didn’t care what happened that morning. I was tired of worrying. Yes. I apparently washed the stress away. And I didn’t even shower with one flake of Calgon! Crazy. I know! Amazingly, my mindset turned to “whatever happens…..happens”. So, I got dressed and headed off to the airport.

I drove to the airport and prayed to God. So much for my plan of not worrying, right? I needed God to know I was stressed. Hey, we were in this together. I saw an employee shuttle leave the parking lot. I wondered how long it would take for another shuttle to come around. Well, I didn’t have time to even worry about that. Another shuttle was pulling up as I was getting out of my car. Of course, I now had to rush to get my crew bags out of my car. Because I was in panic rush mode, my bags were tumbling over. Yep, I couldn’t get one bag to hook on my suitcase. I started running with my bags dragging behind. The driver started to pull away. I thought, “Really?!”. Then he stopped. He opened the door. I anticipate him saying good morning to me. Instead he told me I needed a mask to get on the shuttle. As I tried desperately to untangle my bags, I told him I had a mask in my hand. He told me it didn’t do him any good for me to have it in my hand. Really?! I was flabbergasted. I knew he had just watched me struggle to get to the shuttle so I wouldn’t delay him. Now I was stressed AND irritated. Fortunately, a pilot from my airline got on the shuttle at the next stop. He was supposed to be on the 6am flight, too. He told me he got a call from our airline reservation system at 3:15am stating the flight was delayed. Yes, he got an hour less of stress time than me. Lucky guy. When we got inside the airport I told him what the shuttle driver said about my mask. He told me one day he was running for the shuttle and forgot his mask in the car. The driver begrudgingly let him on the employee shuttle. He said the shuttle driver angrily told him he was going to kill them all because he forgot to wear his mask. This made me laugh. Gosh, I needed a good laugh.

My crew to Atlanta could not have been nicer. They calmed my nerves when the Captain said we would be 35 minutes late into Atlanta. You guessed it…..We had to fly around the weather. Fortunately, I didn’t have to sit on the jumpseat to Atlanta. Instead, I sat in the last row of passenger seats. I immediately prayed to God that we landed in time for me to make my trip. Remember,….God and I were in this together. You may recall I joke that Ron is working in reroute Heaven. Yes. Ron, my Dad and my other angels are faithfully working in reroute Heaven. They, along with God, ensure I am taken care of while I am flying. So, I called on my Heavenly team to help me. They heard my plea. They really are the best angels ever. Instead of landing 35 minutes late, we landed just 10 minutes late. I, also, noticed on our flight tracker that we were rerouted over Birmingham. This made me smile. You see, Ron and I layed over in Birmingham on our last trip together. I thought,”Nice touch Mr. Paden.” Yep. Ron is forever surprising me in reroute Heaven.

I thought about my Birmingham layover with Ron as my crew and I finally headed off on our 3-day trip. I, also, recalled how we layed over the next day in El Paso. We went to dinner at one of Ron’s favorite Mexican restaurants. We sat outside in the patio area. We were surrounded by angel sculptures. It made us think of Ron’s Mom in Heaven. When we got back to the hotel, Ron and I walked down the hallway holding hands. I jokingly asked Ron if he would like to skip down the hall. Without hesitation he started to skip. I couldn’t stop laughing. To see a six foot- three inch, muscular man skipping down the hallway holding my hand, was priceless.

The next day when my crew and I took off from New Orleans to Los Angeles, I stared out at Heaven from my Skytress window. I wondered if Ron missed me in Heaven. Crazily, I even prayed for a penny from Heaven as a sign he missed me. I didn’t think about the penny again until I was heading back to my Skytress jumpseat to sit down for our landing in Los Angeles. My, oh, my! There on the floor in the last row of passenger seats was a shiny penny. My heart skipped a beat. No one had been sitting in the row the entire flight. I would have noticed the penny at some point in the flight based on where I found it prior to landing. I put the penny in my left pocket like I always do. I said a prayer of thanks. I said another prayer of thanks a short time later when I found another shiny penny in the Los Angeles airport. Yes. It was raining pennies from Heaven.

The next morning my crew and I were in Atlanta waiting for catering to come to our aircraft. I struck up a conversation with one of our In-Flight supervisors that was waiting in the jetway. She was there to make sure we had our proper catering for the flight. Yes, we are still having hiccups and glitches with the new catering system. She asked me if I head read the USA Today story on our company Facebook page about the model in one of our advertising posters in the jetway. The young woman had unfortunately passed away shortly after the picture was taken. I told the supervisor I had read the article. The young woman’s mother was flying our airline to Florida after her daughter had passed. As she went into the jetway, she saw her daughter’s poster. Her daughter’s poster says, “ I will see you soon.” The mother felt her daughter’s spirit with her in the jetway. When she returned home the mother saw another poster of her daughter in the jetway. Now mind you, not all of our jetways have the same pictures in them. The mother was definitely getting her Heavenly signs her daughter was with her. The supervisor and I both started to cry as we talked about the article. When we departed for Fort Myers I sat on my Skytress jumpseat and thought about the mother and her daughter. When we landed in Fort Myers, there was the poster of the young woman in the jetway. As I stood in the jetway talking to our deadheading pilots, I stared at the photo. I understood how simple things could mean so much to someone who was grieving. Heavenly signs are….well,…just Heavenly.

I stood at the boarding door with our Skytress In-Charge as we boarded our flight back to Atlanta. I handed out Purell hand wipes to the passengers as they boarded. We laughed and joked with the passengers. A lovely woman boarded the airplane midway through the boarding process. She wanted us to be aware of one of our passengers. She explained the young woman in 28A had just lost her Mother. The woman explained she heard the young passenger crying behind her in the gate area. She said it was a troubling cry. The woman said she turned around to comfort the young passenger. That is when she learned the young woman’s mother had passed. The young woman was flying to Atlanta and then had to drive two hours home. The woman started to cry as she told us the story. Needless to say, my Skytress In-Charge and I started to cry, too. We assured the woman we would take great care of the young passenger. After all, Skytresses and Skyters excel in comforting.

I went back into the cabin when the boarding process started to slow down. I met my fellow Skytress in the aisle. I told her about the young lady in 28A. She updated me that the young woman was now in 21A. The passenger in 21A had moved his seat so the young woman could sit next to the couple that had been consoling her in the gatehouse. Yes. We really do have the best passengers! The passenger who informed us about the young woman wanted to buy the young woman and her seat mates a cocktail during the flight. Again, …we have the best passengers. The woman thought maybe they could use something to calm their nerves. I thanked her. But, I told the kind woman her money was no good on our flight today. It would be the least I could do to comp the drinks if anyone wanted something.

The young woman and her seat mates were touched when I offered them a cocktail. However, they all declined. The young woman started to tear up when I spoke to her. I told her my heart was breaking for her. I couldn’t help myself….I started to tear up, too. As you can tell by now, laughing and crying are two of my best Skytress qualities. I walked back to the galley. I explained to my crew the young lady had a two hours drive after we landed. I told them I was going to go back and see if she needed anything for the car ride. So, I walked back to 21A. I asked the young woman if she would like anything for her drive back home. I offered her water, soda, and snacks. She held back more tears as she said, “Maybe water would be nice”. Without hesitation I headed back to the galley to place some water bottles and snacks in a bag for her. When I opened one of our carts my fellow Skytress saw some snack boxes. We weren’t supposed to be catered with the boxes. Yes. It was another catering hiccup and glitch. But, for us, it was also a catering blessing. My fellow Skytress wondered if the young lady would like one. We weren’t sure which box she would prefer. So, we put both boxes in the bag. Like I said. Skytresses and Skyters excel in comforting….. Even if all we have to work with are snack boxes. I walked back to 21A and handed the young lady the bag. I told her I put water and some snack boxes in the bag for her drive. I knew from experience she probably didn’t feel like eating. But, I hoped something in the boxes would appeal to her later, if she did want to eat. She started to cry tears of appreciation. The woman sitting next to her started to cry, too. Yes. Grief is hard. Even when it isn’t your grief. I told the passengers I would be right back. I went to the overhead bin that holds our extra lavatory supplies. I grabbed a new box of tissues. I brought the tissues back to 21A. I explained they weren’t the softest tissues….but, they still work in a pinch. The passenger in 21A smiled and said thank you. She offered the woman sitting next to her some tissues from the box. This truly touched my heart. I took a deep breath and turned away. When I got back to the galley I grabbed a cocktail napkin to dry my tears. Our cocktail napkins aren’t the softest….but, they still work in a pinch.

I thought of 21A as I sat on my Skytress jumpseat while we were preparing to land. I said prayers for her. I said prayers for her seat mates. I said prayers for the kind passenger that told us about the young woman. Ultimately, I prayed for everyone on the plane. I knew there were others on the plane that needed prayers that day, too. I knew God heard my prayers when I was overly stressed getting to work. I definitely knew he heard my prayers for the passengers. Just like Skytresses and Skyters, God excels in comforting.

I helped one of our wheelchair passengers off the plane when we landed in Atlanta. When I walked back into the airplane the passenger in 21A was walking up the aisle. Our eyes met. I told her I was so sorry her heart was breaking. I told her again that my heart was breaking for her, too. Sweetly, she reached out for a hug. I know without a doubt we both needed it. My Skytress In-Charge and the Captain stood at the boarding door as the passenger in 21A deplaned. They both commented on how the young woman and I had bonded on our flight. I wanted to tell them grief has a way of doing this. Instead, I thought of Ron and my Dad in Heaven as I wished the rest of the deplaning passengers a beautiful day.

I was anticipating waiting a couple hours for my flight home to St. Louis. However, out of habit I checked to see if the earlier flight home was delayed. Yes. Flight crews loathe flight delays. Except when a flight delay gets them home earlier. I was elated to see my early flight home to St. Louis WAS delayed. I laughed at the thought of Ron and my reroute angels working their magic in reroute Heaven. I was going to have to put some pep in my step to get to the gate in time. But, something in my heart told me I was going to make it. And I did. The crew working the flight was absolutely delightful. I handed the Skytress In-Charge my official jumpseat paperwork. Then I checked in with the pilots. When I walked out of the cockpit, the Skytress In-Charge told me she had a spot for my bags in the first-class overhead bin. Then the Skyter told me about a seat in the main cabin that was open. Alleluia! I didn’t have to sit on the jumpseat. I was so appreciative for my unexpected blessings. Especially, for the open aisle seat. Peace and gratitude filled my soul. I sat down quietly in my seat. While the crew prepared the aircraft for departure, I closed my eyes. I prayed again for the passenger in 21A. I, also, prayed to my reroute crew in Heaven. Of course, I thought of Ron.

The song, “ Make You Feel My Love”, kept bouncing around in my head the entire flight. Of course, I couldn’t remember most of the lyrics to the song. I know you all remember from my Lenten blog post that I wasn’t born with the gene that remembers song lyrics. No. I was born with the Google gene, instead. So, while I waited for the employee shuttle in St. Louis, I Googled the song. Unknowingly, I thought I was singing the song for Ron. When I read the lyrics, I knew the words were meant for me ….from Ron. He did everything this trip to show me his love. When I got in my car to drive home there were more songs that spoke directly to my heart. There was only one explanation for this. Ron had apparently left the reroute Heaven department and had made his way to DJ in the SiriusXM Heaven department. Hey, if Skytresses and Skyters can work magic on the airplane,….then there is no doubt in my mind that an angel Skyter can definitely work some DJ magic in Heaven. I couldn’t help but think of the quote, “Love is learning the song in someone’s heart and singing to them when they forget”. The last song I heard before I turned into my subdivision made me cry. Whenever I hear this song, I feel like Ron is singing it to me. Darn you, DJ Ron! Later when I headed out to grab dinner for my family, Florida Georgia Line was singing, “H.O.L.Y.”, on my car radio. Ron was excelling at his Heavenly DJ skills. I couldn’t help but smile. I knew “H.O.L.Y” was on Ron’s Lenten list of songs. When I looked at the list later that evening, so was “Make You Feel My Love”. Of course, I felt Ron’s love even more when I watched the movie, “Greater” before I went to bed.

I’m sure it won’t surprise you that every day I think about Ron and my beautiful angels in Heaven. It may surprise you that every day since I met the passenger in 21A, I have thought about her and her Mom, too. The likelihood that our paths will ever cross again is very minuscule. However, this won’t stop me from thinking about her. Yes, I will always think about the passenger in 21A. I will, also, continue to pray to God for her and her family. Yes, it’s true. Sometimes my heart and soul know things long before my brain figures it out. Other times, though, my heart, soul and brain are in sync with their understanding of things. My heart, soul AND brain know the passenger in 21A will forever have a special place in my heart.

Something old is new again at 35,000 feet. Yes, we are serving beverages again on the airplane. We started our new beverage service on April 14th. Oh it’s still the old carts we drag down the aisle. But, what is inside is new to everyone. So new in fact, we have had glitches every day to get the catering right. I confess…No two beverage services have been the same for me. Which isn’t good since everything should be uniform. If variety is the spice of life, well things have been quite spicy for my fellow Skytresses and Skyters these past few weeks.

April 14th was the first day our airline started catering the airplanes in -house. For years we have been using a contracted catering company. Eventually, it will be easier for my airline to be in control of the catering system. Eventually. I confess…Right now things are a wee bit out of control. My airline likes to talk about the hiccups and glitches that are happening. Fortunately, Skytresses and Skyters are hiccup and glitches magicians.

The first day of our new beverage service my crew and I were deadheading to Chicago. We all thought it was a wee bit odd that the working crew was handing out cans of soda without any plastic glasses. Actually, we thought it was a wee bit gross. Skytresses and Skyters don’t drink directly out of the cans on the airplane. Oh, we will drink directly out of cans at other places…just not on the airplane. On our flight to Chicago, the Skytresses only took out one beverage cart. Another Skytress handed out snacks from a different cart. When we deplaned and started walking to the hotel shuttle pick up area, my crew and I talked about the service. Our ultimate conclusion was the crew was just trying to make the service work. The next day when we were faced with a hodgepodge of supplies, we ABSOLUTELY knew the crew was trying to make the beverage service work. I confess…At first we were frustrated we didn’t have the correct supplies boarded on our airplanes for the new service. Eventually, though, we just laughed about it.

Unlike our service prior to COVID-19, we are currently only offering a small selection of beverages. We are serving single-size cans of soda and juices. This way we don’t have to serve multiple drinks out of one can. This helps us have less touch points. It also keeps us moving in the aisle so we are not near the passengers as they remove their face coverings to eat and drink. Everyone is aware of how cumbersome the face masks can be to understand one another. Thus, our company designed a big beverage display card so the passengers can clearly see what we have to offer. The idea behind the cards is that the passengers can point to the card and we can clearly understand what they want to drink. Ummm..the problem with the cards….the passengers like to grab them or they like to point directly onto the card. Which isn’t the best thing when our company is working so hard to eliminate touch points. Yes, it slightly defeats the purpose of the cards. I confess…We quickly learned not to use the cards. Instead, we ask the passengers what they would like to drink. It’s old school. But, it works. New school that doesn’t work so well…..all the cans are either red, green or silver. Yes, the cans look alike. Unfortunately, the contents are completely different. I confess, ….It’s a wee bit aggravating that all the cans look similar. I must, also, confess,…..If a passenger asks for an alcoholic beverage I tell them the price before I press any buttons on my sales app. The alcohol prices have gone up. I’m pretty sure some airline tickets may be cheaper than the new prices of the in-flight alcohol.

Here is a major confession. We are supposed to wear our plastic gloves when we are conducting our beverage service. I wore my gloves for one trip and then stop wearing them. What!? I know. Please don’t tell anyone at The Mayo Clinic. I stopped wearing them after I observed my fellow Skytresses and Skyters not wearing them. Yes. I am a conformist when it comes to certain things. Thankfully, I have had my vaccinations shots. I confess….I got frustrated with trying to separate my cocktail napkins while wearing my gloves. Especially, when I had to wear a pair of gloves that are too big for the Jolly Green Giant, himself. I lost count of the number of passengers who grabbed my gloves as I handed them their napkin and snacks. It was awkward for the passengers and for me. I confess…I also hated the feeling of the gloves when they got wet from the water bottles. Unfortunately, we have Old Faithful water bottles right now. The water inside is filled up to the bottle cap. Yep, we quickly learned to pour out some water in bottles before we put them on the beverage carts. If we don’t, when we go to pour a glass of water, the water shoots out like Old Faithful is erupting. Just like watching Old Faithful erupt in Yellowstone,….watching the water bottles erupt while you’re in the aisle is quite the spectacle. Unfortunately, when my plastic gloves got wet from the water eruption, they stuck to my hands like a wet Hefty bag clinging to my body on a hot summer day. Egads!! I know….I shouldn’t have confessed this last image to you all.

I confess, too, that I had to keep taking my gloves off in the aisle to tap on my sales app. Oh I could have kept them on….only the flight would have been over long before I got my phone to accept my password while wearing my gloves. My Skytress phone refused to accept the number 8 with my Jolly Green Giant gloves on. I confess…I tried to nonchalantly take my thumb out of my glove to hit the numbers on my phone. But, something very interesting happens when you are wearing gloves while serving from the beverage cart. Passengers become fixated on them. No matter how discreet I tried to be, the passengers would see me slip my thumb out of the glove….and then slip it back inside the glove after I tapped on my sales app. No, I wasn’t fooling anyone. This was another reason I stopped wearing my plastic gloves. Don’t worry. I wash and sanitize my hands thoroughly when I get back to the galley. Yes, I confess….I don’t like the gloves. However, I also don’t like germs. So, I always wash my hands for two rounds of the “Happy Birthday” song like it states on the sticker on the lavatory mirror. I confess,….I actually sing the song when I wash my hands. I sing my name, too!

There are several other things we are supposed to do while working from the beverage cart. We are supposed to keep the ice scoop out of the bag of ice. Yep, we are supposed to place the ice scoop on top of the cart in a plastic glass between serving drinks. We can, also, keep the scoop in a plastic glass in the ice drawer….as long as it is outside the bag of ice. I tried putting the ice scoop in the plastic cup for one flight. Then, I confess,….I gave up and threw the scoop in the ice drawer like I have been doing for years. I quickly discovered I was not the only Skytress or Skyter to revert back to our old serving ways.

We are also supposed to ask the passengers if they would like ice or no ice with their beverages. Remember,….our airline wants us to have less touch points. So, if the passenger doesn’t want ice, I touch less things on the cart. I believe I only asked passengers on one flight if they would like ice or no ice. Yep, the rest of my flights I gave them their can of soda or can of juice with a plastic glass of ice. I confess…It was just easier and more efficient. Usually passengers tell me if they don’t want ice. I found out my fellow Skytresses and Skyters beat me to this old way of serving. Hey, I try to be a rules follower. I confess…I just can’t follow all the new serving procedures. After all, some new procedures were created by teams from The Mayo Clinic. I’m pretty sure some people on the team have never conducted a beverage service in-flight before. Don’t worry. I promise to never tell someone from The Mayo Clinic how to perform surgery. This is called even-steven in my book.

I confess… I’m still trying to learn the new mileage standards for the in-flight beverage service. The service standard for my flight to and from Atlanta has changed. I confess…I actually had to look up the serving parameters the other day when I got home to St. Louis. I’ve had crews serve cans of soda and juice on previous flights from St. Louis to Atlanta. Then on my flight home the other day the crew was setting up for our express service. This service consists of only coffee, tea or water. I confess…. I actually thought the crew was conducting the wrong service. Unfortunately, I had to sit on the Skytress jumpseat in order to get home. As I sat on the jumpseat, I could see the Skytresses didn’t have any ice in the beverage carts. I could also see they only had a hodgepodge of snacks for their round trip. Sadly, I thought they were just trying to be magicians and make the service work by offering the express service. I confess…As I watched them pull out every cart and every carrier looking for supplies, I was grateful I wasn’t working the flight.

I know my company is working extremely hard to get things flowing smoothly again for us all. They are listening to feedback from the Skytresses and Skyters. They even have people from different departments coming together to help support the new catering system. I confess….we have the best employees at my airline. Everyone works extremely hard every day to make our airline the best one in the air.

On May 1st we discontinued blocking the middle seats on the airplane. Yep, the middle seats will be filled with passengers again. Inevitably the overhead bins will be full with luggage, too. Much to everyone’s disappointment, we will have to go back to checking bags again. Oh, it’s definitely going to be a rude awakening for some passengers that have been flying with us for months now. They have gotten used to the middle seats being empty and the overhead bins having plenty of room for their baggage. I confess…So have I. It’s going to very different when I go to work on Tuesday. I confess…I’m not sure I’m ready for these new changes. But, I know I will adapt. After all, I am a Skytress magician!