Travel & Transportation: American & Alaska Airlines
Our family traveled via the Alaska Airlines for the first time on our recent family trip. Alaska Airlines had us fly via American Airlines to Portland, Oregon then on Alaska Airlines from Portland to Anchorage, Alaska. On our way back we flew from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with Anchorage Alaska to Seattle, Washington and American Airlines from Seattle to Charlotte, North Carolina.
The only complications we had was checking in with American Airlines in Charlotte at the beginning of our trip. The person checking us in at Charlotte was busy socializing with her co-workers and complaining about how she still had another hour of work before she could leave and she already had too many people and luggage go through her counter that day she needed a break. We weighed all our luggage at home and it was weighing under 50 pounds, however, their scales had them weighing at 50.1 pounds, 50.3 pounds, and 49.8 pounds. She checked the first one which was the lightest suitcase, threw it on the conveyor belt, it missed, fell off so someone else picked it up off the floor and put it on the conveyor belt. Then she weight the 50.1 and the 50.3 suitcases and refused to allow them past the counter until we took something out. Both were 50 pounds just a hair over .1 and .3 over. We had to lighten them by .1 and .3 which basically meant we took out a pair of socks and the other a pair of shorts and added them to carryons. It was annoying, but we should have made them a little bit lighter before leaving home just in case the scales were off. She could have had a better attitude and more pleasant as it appeared that she did not enjoy her job and we were just another inconvenience to her at the end of her shift. We travel fairly often with our kids and family so we encounter a wide variety of personalities. We have flown American Airlines many times over the year but have not encounter this type of attitude so maybe she was have a tough day, who knows…
The American Airline pilots, stewardesses, and other crew members were pleasant. After we got checked in with the person at the counter who had a bad attitude the rest of the trip was smooth and enjoyable.
We arrived in Portland, Oregon had a little bit of time before our next flight so grabbed a bite to eat and stretch our legs. Portland was a nice airport with plenty of options to eat and seating while we were waiting for our next flight to take off.
We arrived in Anchorage, Alaska in the middle of the night. Anchorage had a beautiful airport. It was not busy at that time of day. Even though most of the stores and restaurants were closed it was clean and the people we did encounter while in the airport were pleasant. We had to ask directions to find out which luggage claim terminal we need to be at and it took the luggage a little while to get out on the conveyor belt. Since it took more than 20 minutes to be delivered the Alaska Airlines offered everyone that asked vouchers for $25 off their next flight or Alaska Airline Rewards. I guess they have a policy that if it takes longer than 20 minutes to deliver your luggage they compensate the travelers with Rewards or money off which was really cool. We have never had an airline do that before and actually we thought they were fairly quick compared to some of the other flights we had been on even earlier this summer.
Alaska Airlines seemed to have a great group of employees, high quality service, and a loyal group of travelers. It appeared that they treated their reward members based on the interactions we had with other travelers on our trip. It was refreshing to see an airline take pride in their work and provide quality service to those choosing to travel with them.
Our flights home were pleasant, smooth, and enjoyable on the Alaska Airlines again. We were only in the air for 28 minutes from Vancouver to Seattle, but we rode on a type of plane the kids have never been on before so they were fascinated by the ride. It was the only flight that I can remember that allowed the passengers to board both the front and back of the plane simultaneously (you went in the front if you were in the front half of the plane and in the back if you were in the back half of the plane) which provided for a quick and easy boarding for everyone! The plane arrived at the gate in Vancouver a few minutes later than planned but they gave us a heads up in advance and they still had us loaded and we took off basically on time because they made of the delayed time by loading rather quickly which was really nice.
We would definitely fly Alaska Airlines again if we have another opportunity. It was a great experience and a wonderful first impression of the beautiful state of Alaska. Flying the Alaska Airlines was a great experience for our family. We have flown a variety of airlines both within the United States and internationally. We would highly recommend you check out Alaska Airlines if you ever have the opportunity to visit their beautiful area!!
What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say?
Our fortunes!
Recently we had Chinese food and the following were our fortunes from the meal:
- Jake – “You will be traveling to distant lands for business purposes” (He travels a lot of places for work!)
- Bridgette – “You will travel to many exotic places in the next few years.” (I LOVE to travel. I have already been to many amazing places over the years and I cannot wait to see more of the world. Plus, sometimes I get to travel with Jake when he goes on work trips. Maybe our fortunes were suppose to be together, sounds like more fun for me though! 🙂 Already looking forward to these exotic places we are going to together!)
- Brina – “You have a flair for adding fanciful dimension to any story.” (She is definitely the more fancy of the two kids!)
- Karlie – “You will soon be involved in many gatherings and parties.” (I am curious about what she’s going to be doing!)
It was a fun evening of relaxing with the family, eating Chinese food, and laughing about silly fortunes. We have so much to be thankful for in our lives. We are richly blessed and take many things for granted every day. Let’s treasure the time with have with our friends, families, and those around us. It is not impossible to run into people that you know even if you are across the world. Our lives leave an imprint of each person we interact with whether it is only once or many times! Make each moment count for good!
Book: “You’re Hired” by Bill Rancic
A few years ago my husband and I watched the “reality” TV show “The Apprentice” with Donald Trump. After winning on “The Apprentice” he wrote this book “You’re Hired” by Bill Rancic. I received the book from a library sale and figured it may be something fun to read. My first thought was that it would be primarily about his time on the show and how he won. He did mention his time on “The Apprentice” and various factors related to that, however, the majority of the book gave you interesting insights into his life and entrepreneurial ventures (from buying junk cars to washing boats and more) . The book was a good reminder to always continue learning, being a “sponge”, and that your attitude makes an impact both personally and professionally.
Book: “Made to Stick” by Dan Heath and Chip Heath
I read Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Dan Heath and Chip Heath a couple years ago. I enjoyed the illustrations as well as the information they shared. It is a great book and whether you are a student, business person or professional it gives a lot of good insights. Below are six quick points they made in the book:
- Simplicity
- Unexpectedness
- Concreteness
- Credibility
- Emotions
- Stories
Loosening My Grip: No More Repairs…..Please!
Let’s just say 2010 was in some ways….painful…..at least when you look at it from a budget standpoint. Our budget was (ouch) way off after many unforeseeable major repairs and events. There are some things that happen in life that are completely out of our control and as a person that likes to plan ahead it can really catch me off guard. Many of the repairs were out of our hands and we were doing exactly what we thought God wanted us to do with our lives, however, there can be a turns up ahead in life that will guide us in directions that we did not necessarily expect. How we react and choose to move forward when we come to a crossroad is where the true test comes especially if we don’t like the direction the road is taking. The amazing part is God gave us peace and after many months of praying He gave us a very vivid answer to some of our questions. I am grateful everything continued working as long as it had, however, there for a few months it was like the domino effect around our house. I felt like anything I touched broke. We almost always buy used items and several things had been acting up for several months or years. Thankfully I have an wonderful husband who budgets and has planned ahead enough to have an emergency fund. Although we went over our small emergency fund during the last few months I know with God’s help, planning, sticking to the budget, and cutting back we can overcome these speed bumps.What type of items started this drum roll effect?
- Car Purchase – Jake was rear ended in November 2009 at a stop sign by the person behind him who failed to stop until she hit his car. His car was sandwiched between two cars and totaled. Thankfully he was wearing his seat belt. The insurance gave us some money to compensate for his car. Unfortunately his car was paid off and we had to adjust to having one car with business events, meetings, kids, school, and everything else for several months. We couldn’t find a car within the allotted price range so we continued to look. The market for used cars in our price range was low plus the “Cash for Clunkers” took additional used cars out of the market. Finally, in March 2010 we were able to locate a usable car within our budget that he could drive. I am thankful he now has a reliable car to drive.
- Business Expenses – several years ago we started our business as a way to help others and LOVE it, however, in 2010 the expenses were higher than anticipated and God showed us clearly the direction he wanted our family to take. It has been an amazing journey seeing His hand working in our hearts, lives, and the business.
- Jake’s Surgery – with the car accident from November 2009 Jake continued to have issues, we were hoping and praying that he would get better on his own, however, he had surgery in April to repair the damage. Thankfully, after the surgery and a few months of physical therapy he is doing better even though like any injury the damage is done and continues to have a ripple effect. We still haven’t been able to get the medical expenses covered from the person running into him (even though it has been over a year) but hopefully it will be done in 2011.
- Roof Repair – in August 2010 we after a pretty steady period of rain storms we had a tree fall on our house. It was a domino effect of insurance, adjusters, roofers, and many more people trying to get it repaired before it rained again. We were thankful to have an acquaintance do the majority of the repairs and roof. It is amazing that you are required to pay insurance on time every month to get coverage, however, when you have a claim on it takes months to get the issue resolved. We still have a few minor repairs remaining but we are thankful to have a roof over our heads and the majority of the work completed.
- Laptop – I have been fortunate enough to never have to purchase a new laptop. My husband has always been able to piece together a desktop or laptop for me to use from what he has available from doing work for others. This year the hand-me-down machine died and the laptop was slowly wearing out with a major crack in the screen. For my birthday I got my first ever new computer which has been a true blessing.
I will continue with the domino effect of repairs we had in the last few months of 2010 later this week. Thankfully we all made it to 2011 healthy and happy despite the adventure along the way.
Loosening My Grip is a series on areas in my life I am learning to let go of slowly. A couple months ago I was studying Jonah and one of the phrases that popped out at me was “Whatever you are holding on to in this life, hold it loosely so it won’t hurt when the Lord has to pry your fingers open to take it away.” I have found that in some areas God has had to pry my fingers off of whatever I am holding onto one finger at a time. There are areas in my life that I feel like I need control over and hold onto them tightly. I have been learning how to let go and hold loosely so God can do His work in my life.
Twin Sisters Productions
Our girls have enjoyed many of the Twin Sisters Productions CDs and products from the ABCs, relaxing, fun, learning languages (German & Italian) and more. Since we have fraternal twin daughters of our own we are thrilled to support a wonderful business started by fraternal twin sisters. To get an idea of what their songs are like you can listen to them prior to purchasing. Sing & Learn (Multipacks) by Twin Sisters Productions is a good mix that of songs that the girls have been listening to for several years even though they know their Alphabet, Numbers, and so forth. These make great gifts for little ones that like music and they have a variety of neat products for a reasonable price.
Reviving Relationships
As the days fly by you may not necessarily realize how long its been since reconnecting with certain people in your life. While at a family members house during a recent trip to the Midwest I was able to attend a local BBQ. There were multiple people at the BBQ that I hadn’t seen in years, a few it had been 20 plus years. When people get busy with their lives and you live across the country from each other you just cannot get together on a regular basis. The reunion was not planned but it was really neat that we all timed our visit right around the same time. It was an avenue to reunite with each other and catch up on the lives of those we have not seen for quite awhile.We are grateful to have so many different ways of communicating these days through phone, email, Facebook and other Social Media. Although even with distance between family, friends, and business connections we have more ways to interact with each other regularly. However, face to face interaction is definitely more personal and more memories can be created together. Having these multiple venues for staying connected in between the face to face reunions help us stay involved in the lives of family, friends, and business acquaintances. You may meet someone and get to know them first online before meeting them in person. Many great business relationships have been started via Social Media. We are thankful to have these tools available for us to both initiate and continue conversations with people in our lives.
How do you stay connected to family, friends, and business contacts?
Investing in Quality Moments
When life gets busy it can become even more difficult to find quality time with those who are important in our lives. It may feel like there’s not an extra moment to spare in your day between the busyness of your personal and professional schedule. Running a business and keeping up with the family takes a tremendous amount of energy. Even if an allotted time is placed on the schedule we may be too distracted by phone calls, projects and everything else that needs your attention to really focus on that person. It doesn’t have to be a large chunk of time but it does need to be valuable for all parties involved.Do you spend quality time with your spouse, kids, friends, clients, partners, and family members on a regular basis? How do you make sure the time you spend with the different people in your life is valuable?
- Clients – when is the last time you took a customer out to lunch and listened. Their feedback is valuable to your business and they know better than anyone else what your business is doing that makes them excited about working with you as well as areas where you can improve. Follow up with a thank you note and implement the changes immediately. Creating a community of loyal customers takes time to gain their trust and maintain the relationship.
- Spouse – go on a date night with your spouse. Talk about your relationship, dreams, and memories you have together. Hold hands, laugh, and enjoy each other like you did when you first met. Listen to what your spouse is saying. Take an interest in their hobbies and share the excitement.
- Friends – go out to coffee with a friend and catch up. Find out what is going on in their lives. Sometimes all they need is a hug and someone to listen. It is nice to have some time set aside to share the good memories, however, we all go through tough times as well. Having friends that are loyal in the good times and bad is a tremendous blessing. Consider it a joy to come alongside a friend throughout their journey to listen, laugh, cry, share, and have fun.
- Children – go on a date with one child at a time. Have a blast together. Let them speak freely, be creative, and create memories. Pick a place that is meaningful to them or let them choose between a couple options. It doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun. Go to a picnic in the park, swimming, or out to eat at their favorite restaurant. Take time everyday to read a book, play a game, color, or just share about your day with your kids. Treasure the moments and memories your create together.
We all have the same amount of time as the next person. The difference is how we choose to use that time. Take advantage of those quality moments and invest in the lives around you. Make it a priority to have quality time for those in your personal and professional life. One of the great advantages to having quality time outside of the house or office is you are more likely to focus on the other person. At home or work you have a lot of distractions that are important, however, they are not the priority at that time.
Give us an example of the types of activities you do while enjoying quality time with your clients, spouse, kids, and friends? Who do you spend quality time with on a regular basis and why?
Creative Initiatives – ZoobaLoobaDoo
It is our role as spouses, parents, friends, and business associates to stimulate the creative side of others. In our home we enjoy coming up with new ways to solve a problem, complete a project, or just have fun. ZoobaLoobaDoo is one of those creative family words we developed in our home to get the family excited about certain activities.What is ZoobaLoobaDoo?
ZoobaLoobaDoo is a fun and creative excursion with a purpose.
When errands need to be done and kids are in tow we go on a ZoobaLoobaDoo adventure together which always includes something fun along with the tasks to be completed. The fun activity could be as simple as getting an ice cream cone, playing a game, going to the library or another kid approved activity. When they girls were first learning the word they would tell me to “say that crazy word Mom so we can go with you on your errands.” Now when we tell our girls we are going on a ZoobaLoobaDoo adventure they get excited because they know that a piece of the activity is just for them. Having that element of surprise and creativeness makes it fun for everyone involved. I have the joy of coming up with a fun activity while they are excited to participate and discover what the adventure will be that day.
Stimulate creative conversation in the lives you touch. Encourage your family, friends, and business acquaintances to use their imagination and you may be surprised at the outcome. Creativity allows us to come up with better solutions to problems, helps us tackle projects and injects an element of excitement into our lives.
Life is too short to be boring, bring out the fun and creativeness first in yourself so it can spread to those around you. How do you allow creativeness to shine through in the people in your life – your spouse, kids, friends, family, co-workers, clients….? When you allow creativeness to shine through in your life what happens? Share with us your ZoobaLoobaDoo. If you don’t have a ZoobaLoobaDoo to share, start the excitement this week and you will be amazed by the results.
(Part II) Making Your Commitments – Well Done
Every day we makes choices on how to spend our time and energy. It is important to the people in our lives that we follow through with the commitments we make both personally and professionally. Great satisfaction comes from a job that is done well and wonderful feedback is given when a relationship is built on quality characteristics. We all have vital roles in life and you will make a huge impact on the people your life touches. The question is will your impact be positive one for the people in your life? What are some of the common the characteristics of people who keep their commitments to others:- Integrity – adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character (Dictionary.com) Someone who does the right thing no matter what especially when they make a mistake or miss a deadline. Take responsibility for your actions.
- Honesty – whether it is someone in your personal or professional life you will quickly learn who do and those who do not tell the truth. The truth can sting and be hurtful, however, it is the best way to handle any situation. You can try to cover something up but eventually the truth will be revealed. Make sure to always speak the truth in love. Be honest today in your relationships.
- Dependable – do what you say you will do and be where you say you will be. Be punctual as much as possible. A dependable person demonstrates to others that they are valuable and their time is appreciated. When you tell a friend you are coming, it’s pretty simple…..come. Unforeseeable things can happen and if that is the case contact them as soon as possible. Be considerate of the person who is expecting to see you or receive something from you.
- Trustworthy – when someone shares with you they are opening up their hearts and minds to you. Whether it is a client you are helping complete a project or a friend going through a tough time. Listen and help. If someone shares with you in confidence it simply must remain in confidence. When you make a promise follow through. It takes work to build healthy relationships with the people in your life.
We all desire to be appreciated and know who we can trust to be honest, trustworthy, and dependable. It is important to have people in your life you can count on to come through for you both personally and professionally. Life is short and we need the positive impacts in our lives. Take time to evaluate the characteristics that shine through in your life to your family, friends, business partners, etc… Make sure you have commitments that are – well done. What are some positive characteristics you have that help you build positive relationships and keep your commitments? Do you have areas you need to improve in as well?
