Keep the LUV Light Glowing

My wife Alice is a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines. She is amazing. I truly LUV it when I can fly with her and watch her dazzle the passengers. She is truly in her element. But, it was not always been this way. In 2007 our marriage was on some shaky ground. I was doing a lot of travel. I was gone just about the same amount of time as being home. Alice was growing weary of it and I was growing weary of her growing weary. We had our share of arguments about time away from home. She wanted me home more, I wanted to be home as well, but also knew I had a job to do. The job took me away. Our son John Jr. had just graduated high school and was on his way to a small Junior College in San Diego to play basketball. The tension was high. We both were thinking what we would do as a couple when Ashley, our daughter who was now 7 years from graduating high school, actually graduated. It was at the height of one of our verbal exchanges Alice decided that she would switch her career as a chief of the home to flight attendant.

She did not do this because she was bored at home, though I am certain she was. No, she did this to spite me. In her mind she would announce to me this career switch hoping I would rush in and stop her from doing such a foolish thing because of my LUV for her and my desire for us to be together. In her mind I would stop all the travel I was doing and put her first. In her mind she wanted to teach me a lesson. In my mind I thought, GREAT. This is something she can own. In my mind I thought she will see what it is like to be on the road with the desire to be home. And, in my mind, I really believed that if she did this flight attendant thing, she would have something to call her own. Alice put in a lot of applications and was eventually hired by ExpressJet a small Regional Jet Company which had broken away from Continental to pick up their shorter routes. ExpressJet flys the Embraer 175. Usually a 50-seat configuration with a crew of three. Pilot, co-pilot, and flight attendant. After Alice completed her training the entire family gathered around the dinner table.

We were trying to figure out how this was going to work. Alice going one way, I going another and Ashley 7 years from graduating high school. John Jr. was about to leave home for San Diego.Would you believe it. Alice duty station (I know it is called a base assignment, but I was in the U.S. Army so deal with it) was Ontario, California. So, here is what happened. We began to find out about flight benefits with ExpressJet. As family members we were able to fly standby for free! What? That is crazy. Every Friday when Alice had to work in Ontario, Ashley, I and usually one of her girlfriends would fly on buddy passes to support Alice. We would leave Colorado Springs around 4:30 and would arrive in Ontario, CA (because that was one of the non-stop destinations on ExpressJet from Colorado Springs) at about 6:30 pm.

I would rent a car and book a hotel room using the new online rental company called “priceline.”

Car $8 - $25

Hotel $25 - $50.00

Refuel $30.

Food $75

For less than $150 per weekend, which was less than what we spent in Colorado Springs on a weekend, we had an excursion.

The Uniformed Service members Organization, or USO allowed us to purchase family passes to Six Flags for under $180. And, a one-hour drive south allowed us to see John Jr. play basketball. So, Alice’s way of getting back at me for not being at home turned into a way for us to spend more time with each other on the road. We embraced this new normal mindset. Now, Alice works for the amazing Southwest Airlines. Our children are grown. We have kept the tradition of making the LUV last on the road.

I do my best to fly with her at least 6 times per year. After, being laid off from my last employer and working my own business full time, we are up to 12 times this year. So, this page is dedicated to those who continue to find ways to make the LUV last.Alice and I have learned to make home and carry our LUV wherever Southwest Airlines lands. If you see us in the airport, say hi! We would LUV to hear your LUV story and take a selfie with you.