Wow...almost an entire month since I posted something on my little slice of the blogosphere? Where has the time gone? Perhaps I will have another one of my great adventures to share with everyone? Listen up!
Since I've last posted I have been going nonstop...as usual. The entire week leading up to Mike and Kaelah's wedding was a whirlwind and I spent more time at "the barn" (which we have so appropriately named it) than I could have ever imagined. We moved hay bales 48,922 times, leveled out tables for food (three times), planned a wedding for the potential rain and one for the sunshine, hung thousands of lights (which thankfully I cannot take any credit for), filled mason jars with everything from candles to flowers to lemonade, rolled blankets until our hearts content, and made sure every single sandwich had a perfectly tied twine bow with a matching label. A very detail oriented bride makes for a lot of work. Work that I was more than happy to do, but I can tell you honestly....it almost didn't get done. Things were scattered from our house in Lawrenceburg, to their house in Nashville, to her parents' house in Hohenwald....to Mike's truck, Kaelah's car, my car, mom's car, her mom's car.....whew. It took an army just to get it all together. In fact, there were several things Kaelah kept mentioning and said they were somewhere in the pile of things at the farm...that I never found for their special day!! I hated it...but it turned out beautifully. The rain held out a couple of hours so Kaelah could have her much wanted ceremony out front...complete with vintage sheet covered hay bales and peach colored bridesmaid dresses. Unfortunately, the 50 degree temperatures moved things into the barn and people were wrapping up in those millions of blankets and huddling together trying to stay warm. Everything was incredibly beautiful, and we couldn't have asked for better friends and family coming together to celebrate such a wonderful occasion joining our two families.
 |
| Congrats you two!! I wouldn't have done it for anyone other than you!! :) Love you both. |
I was then enlisted to help with my cousin Melanie's wedding-seeing a trend here??? (For those of you reading-the next one is not free!!!!) It was this past weekend in Knoxville in her dad's backyard where she grew up. Complete with the 20 year old trampoline we use to jump on and all. It was smaller, about 40 people total, and much less work...although the last minute details did send us into a bit of a frizzle.
 |
| Was a beautiful drive to East Tennessee! |
 |
| Uncle Wade and Landon! |
 |
| Isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen?! |
 |
| Aren't they such a precious family? |
I had a very important date over the next few days....so I woke up Sunday morning at 1:45 am (Knoxville time) and drove in the night to Nashville International Airport. I had to be at the airport no later than 4:30 am, so I checked in at the Parking Spot around 4 am, changed clothes, and hopped into the limo to the airport.
I checked into the American Airlines counter around 4:20 am, and was notified that my name was second on the standby list. Why was I flying standby at 6:15 in the morning? Why did the lady at the check-in desk wish me good luck? Why did I have on the most uncomfortable flying outfit of a button down, dress pants and heels before the crack of dawn? Why did I have to produce my passport, social security card and drivers license upon check-in for an hour and half flight to Dallas? Well.........because I was going to an interview. A flight attendant interview at the American Eagle headquarters in Fort Worth. Nervous was an understatement. I was given a badge at check-in which allowed me to pass security lines and step right on through.
I received an email a couple of weeks earlier inviting me to Dallas, transportation paid-hotel not....and had been emailing with their head recruiter for a week or so trying to negotiate a time that I could come. I left for Knoxville on Wednesday of last week with just my things for the wedding weekend and as soon as I pulled into the driveway at my cousin Melanie's house in Knoxville I received an e-mail with the time and date of my flight. Turns out I was to fly the next Monday morning at 6:15 am from Nashville (too late to change it to Knoxville), interview on Tuesday morning and fly back Tuesday afternoon. I immediately sent a frantic e-mail to my mom asking her to bring my passport, transcripts, interview clothes and a carry on suitcase with her to Knoxville on Sunday-things that I don't normally travel with!
You would be surprised at the amount of people in the Nashville airport at 5 am. It was like the sun was up, the day was already starting, and people were already buying hamburgers from certain vendors. Time was not phasing a soul...except for me. I could barely hold my eyes open as I prayed passengers were stuck in traffic on the interstate or still in the security line so I could make this flight. I got on, fortunately, and I was that neighbor with my head cocked back, mouth wide open and drool dripping from my mouth until the wheels hit the pavement at DFW. I arrived in Dallas by 8:30 am on Monday, was able to check into my hotel room and immediately went to sleep. An hour of sleep in 40 hours is not ideal. I shut the curtains and slept for a few hours in my dark, cold room then got up to review my resumé, information, research American Eagle Airlines a little bit more and recite my interview questions and answers out loud. That evening I watched the last astounding Presidential Debate (still not convinced either one of them can run this country) of 2012 and went immediately to bed. I wanted to be as refreshed and ready as I could be for the interview!
I took the shuttle bus from the hotel to the AMR Corporate headquarters, building 2, along with 6 or 7 other applicants who were also staying at my hotel the next morning. We all filed in, suitcases trailing behind us, and showed id to get our security passes so we could enter the building. We were greeted at the recruitment center by a warm, smiling receptionist and a sea of blue and black dress suits paired with white button downs. I looked around and was immediately pleased of my decision to wear a Kelly green button down and nude colored heels.
After a review of our information submitted online, we were all herded back to a smaller, classroom type room with desks, a dry erase board, several television monitors, and a model Embraer ERJ-145 soaring overhead. Our recruitment correspondent, Dustin, who had scheduled all of our flights and interviews met us with a quick presentation and a Q & A session. He explained that American Eagle is strictly a regional airline and we would only be flying throughout the US and Caribbean...no international flights. We were told that they were interviewing that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday...and we would hear from them on Friday via e-mail whether or not we were to be hired.
Shortly after, we were joined by a previous flight attendant, who now works in the corporate offices for more questions and a group interview. We were asked 4 questions (Introduce yourself, What would you change about yourself, What is the number one priority for a flight attendant, etc.) and everyone was asked to answer one by one. I was worried at first...because I don't like interviews when its just one on one...much less with a crowd full of your competitors judging you. Turns out, it kind of broke the ice with everyone and got us laughing and talking very casually. We were then called up one by one to go to individual interviews, my name being one of the first three called. I was scared to death to be first....but then again, glad to get it over!
I had a sweet older woman who actually had family in Shelbyville ask me a few questions first. She jotted all my amazing answers down on her clipboard until we got to the last question. She simply asked me why I would be right for this job. "Well, I am the best person for the job. I am competent, fast-learning, service oriented, perpetually optimistic, a team player, extremely organized, and have over 5 years experience in the service and hospitality industries. You would be crazy not to hire me for this position." I think she was taken back by my confidence....but then smiled and said, "That's the best answer you could have possibly given." I went to meet with another recruiter in the next room. He wasn't quite as warm and inviting, and he barely cracked a smile but I answered his questions with as much brio and gumption as the previous.
I was then seated in a small waiting area amidst the small cubicles and computers in the offices. I waited about 5 minutes and was joined by a fellow competitor, Brittney. She was from a small town in Iowa and looking for a career change from her desk job at a local fitness center. Dustin called us up to his desk and asked to see hard copies of our passports, social security cards, licenses, and transcripts. Brittney then asked, "So, it will be Friday when we hear from you?" We were surprised to hear that he wanted to continue with the hiring process starting immediately and welcomed us to American Eagle Airlines.
We signed our release for a background check, and that we agreed to the measly hourly rate they would be paying the first year flight attendants that was agreed upon by the union earlier on in the year. Neither one of us could hold in our excitement as we busted out the doors back to the main lobby to the fingerprinting department. We were congratulated by everyone who passed us in the hallways, as it was pretty obvious we were just hired on. Scanning our fingerprints took about 10 minutes each and we walked back to the shuttle bus station together. I exchanged contacts with Brittney in hopes of us potentially being in the same training class, or perhaps even meeting her on a future flight!
I walked through the DFW airport with a new confidence and pep in my step. The heels I had been rockin' since 7 am didn't seem to bother me anymore and I wore my American badge with pride. Although being a flight attendant isn't as glamorous of a job as it once was...it is still a position people only dream of obtaining. Even just getting an interview was an accomplishment. I pictured myself with wings pinned to my lapel, bypassing security lines, my neatly packed navy blue suitcase rolling along behind me. Then I remembered the rude customers, unending layovers, and thousands of carbonated drinks I would be serving in the air....and the dream cloud was popped with a huge pair of scissors.
I have no idea what the future holds for me, and still have a few weeks to decide, but this seems like a wonderful opportunity. I hear the horror stories and know it will be difficult....but at this point it is better than being at home and think that my optimism and ever-smiling face will certainly get me through it....as it always does. Hannah and I are headed to Asheville in two weeks to scope out some potential opportunities, and I may try to get to a couple of more places over the next month or so. Until then, I am waiting to hear from American Eagle to tell me when I will be flying to Dallas or Chicago for my medical exam, then a couple of weeks later would potentially begin training.
Besides....wouldn't it make for great blog posts for all of my readers who are still hanging around?!
