North Texas Visit with Family

• Current Location: Seat 11C, US Airways 396, Boeing 737-300, FL360, Over New Mexico
• Current Music: O.A.R. - Lay Down



After a fun weekend of friends visiting in St. George and a friend's wedding in Vegas, I had three more days off, so I decided to fly to Texas. My grandmother is having surgery next week, so I wanted to visit with her. I hitched a jumpseat from SLC to DFW on one of our CRJ-900's (N822SK for those of you keeping score at home...that's her center console above). I was due for yearly observation time, so killing two birds with one stone was nice. It was a good ride down to DFW and, hopefully, we learned a little for each other while we were up there.

I got to spend about 40 hours in Gainesville. I managed to get to visit Sammy & Tambra, Paige, Laura Otts (missed Barry, once again), my parents, and, of course, Nanny & Papa.

Nanny has always been the one person in the family that I turned to when I was on trouble. I get my stubborn nature and my love of current events and politics. As much as a tend to credit my Aunt Kim for it, I sometimes think I to get my wicked (and, at times, sinister) sense of humour from her, as well. Throughout my life, when the going gets tough, I head to Nanny and Papa's. So, you can maybe imagine that, as much as I hold it together when I'm with her, I'm scared to death of this latest surgery she's about to have. I have no doubts in the abilities of the doctors and the plan...I guess I just worry about the normalcy of life afterward for her and Papa. Despite my concerns, I know they're gonna be just fine.




As I type this, I'm sitting by myself in the exit row of a three-quarters empty B733 to LAS. We've been bobbing and weaving around the tops around FL360, but the ride has been smooth. I just tossed back an Arnold Palmer and a snack box. I figure buying the snack box is the least I can do for the free rise home. I booked a seat on the SGU Executive Shuttle and I'll get home to my lovely bride around 2215L.

It really has been a fun day of Trains, Planes, and Automobiles to get home to St. George from Gainesville. My itinerary has looked like this (all times local):

• Amtrak 821 GLE-FTW (1130CST - 1315 CDT)
• Trinity Rail FTW-DFW Airport Station (1347CDT - 1410CDT)
• DFW Airport Shuttle (1415CDT - 1445CDT)
• US Airways 396 DFW-LAS (1715CDT-1755PDT)
• St. George Executive Shuttle (1915 PDT-2215 MDT)

Three time zones and roughly 12 hours of travel...but, I love and live it. Travel, to me, is just as much in the getting there as it is the destination. Yeah, I know, I'm weird.



One of those nice clouds we deviated around.



White Sands, NM

Anyhow, I'm comin' home honey! Speaking of...here's one of me and the little lady. Our engagement pics turned out quite nicely...




Yeah, I don't know what she's doing with a schmuck like me, either...

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Headed to the Swamp

Current Location: Somewhere over central Utah.
Current Music: Steve Earle - Galway Girl
Current Mood: Happy mixed with Non-Rev Anxiety

Greetings from FL230.

Headed to Salt Lake City on another Brasilia. Happy to have made it on; had to use an S2 priority, though. Still much traveling ahead of me.




Lindsey and I are going on a cruise that departs from Miami tomorrow evening. Since, in typical non-rev style, I decided to get a head start...I'm trying to get to FLL through ATL. The likely 4-hour jumpseat ride on a B757 doesn't exactly appeal me, but a free ride is a free ride and it will be worth it in the end. We've both needed a vacation...and it's finally here.

We're taking Celebrity's Century from Miami to Ocho Rios, Jamaica...then to Grand Cayman,where we will put on our "Super Tourist" shirts and swim with the Stingrays (I'm not complaining...it should be a blast!). All in all, it should be a ab awesome and relaxing trip...

Much going on in life...Linds is 3/4ths of the way through the school year. I'm working tons, but the fact that I'm gainfully employed right now outweighs any complaints I may have about working as much as I have been lately. Things are still better in comparison with last year's "Work+SADA" insanity. ;)

It is warming up in SGU, which means it'll be scorching hot sometime in the next few weeks. So glad we have a pool at the condo. Can't wait to trade in the gym with after-work swimming.

Life is good, I'm the happiest I've ever been. Now to lose that pesky 50 pounds & win the Powerball and life will be perfect.

Seeya!


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Five Years Into The Rest Of My Life

Five years.

This morning, I found myself realizing that it was five years ago today that I started my airline career as a cross-utilized agent for AirTran Airways at DFW. It has flown by so quickly.

I'll be honest. It was never my intention to stay in this business. I was leaving behind my dream of working in radio broadcasting and looking for employment. I had just quit my job as a salesman at North Texas Nissan. I was there about two weeks when I decided that I wasn't willing to sell my soul along with the Xterras I was pushing out the door. While searching for jobs, I found several airlines hiring and I applied with all of them. I figured I'd work at the airport, travel a little, and move on to something else. Things didn't really go that way.

As a kid, I loved going to the airport. I loved when we drove through DFW on our way to the Metroplex. I always wanted to work around the airplanes...this was my chance. I never knew I would get bit by the bug.





I worked at AirTran for a couple of years, then got my Aircraft Dispatcher certificate and moved on to SkyWest. I've been here for three years. In the last five years, I've traveled like no other, seen places I never thought I'd see, experienced things I never dreamed of, made friends from so many different backgrounds, and found the woman I plan to marry someday.

It's been an incredible ride and I look forward to what then next five years in this crazy business will bring.


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Another new year...

I've got a pretty solid feeling about 2010. Nevermind the fact that I spent the 1st morning of the new decade in the emergency room with an extremely painful eye condition. Oh well, right? It at least pushed me to go to the eye doctor and get new glasses and whatnot.




Christmas and NYE was a blast. Spent New Year's in Vegas with Linds, her brothers Blair and Dylan, Dylan's girlfriend Jess, and our friend Sydnee. We spent the days leading up to NYE hanging in Vegas...wandering the strip, checking out Penn & Teller's awesome show at the Rio, and gambling small amounts of money. Great time, really.

Now, we're back at home, being domesticated and whatnot. Loving 2010, thus far. Here's to keeping it together.

Downtheroad...


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