December 24

It was really important to me to have a Moravian Star for the house for Christmas. I love the glow, warmth and peace it brings me. And it usually is the first thing that puts me in the Christmas spirit. Ron did a great job hanging it, especially since he's never experienced the star before.

Something really called to me to attend a Moravian Lovefeast this year. I think it was more about "home" than it was God calling me to worship. (Though I'm not ruling out the latter.)

Thanks to Donna Hampton and her family, I experienced the Moravian church as a young girl and fell in love with its simplicity. I especially loved the Christmas Eve Lovefeast, holding candles high while singing "Morning Star".

Ron, the kids and I attended at the Unity Moravian Church, which, ironically is the same church Allan and I got married in. The kids were pretty good. Byron really enjoyed the orchestra and Alyssa the handbell choir. They did not care for the Moravian bun or coffee.

We all enjoyed lighting and raising our beeswax candle. It's my favorite moment of the entire service. I can't help but get teary-eyed. My heart is full of hope and love for everyone. 

This year Pride partnered with Positive Wellness Alliance and adopted a family for Christmas. We were able to purchase several items on the family's Christmas list.

The daughter wanted a Baby Alive. I had wanted a Baby Alive when I was little, so I was thrilled to go out and find the perfect one for her. She also wanted clothes and several Pride members purchased too cute outfits.

The middle son wanted a football, so Ron was all over that! In addition to clothes, he needed some shoes and a jacket.

The oldest son wanted a G-Shock watch. Allan and Cade had two that they wanted to donate to him. Like is younger brother, he also needed clothes and a jacket.

Through the generosity of our Pride membership, we were able to give the family a very lovely Christmas.

The house is warm with Christmas spirit.

The Experience Is A Gift

"Snowflakes pirouette lightly across the sidewalk. List in hand, a warm greeting welcomes you inside. With an eclectic mix of items to surprise your entire family, perhaps the best gift of all is your trip back in time."

An Evening at the Theatre, Becky's New Car

You know that if Kathy Cissna is in a show, it's going to be a great one! It's been such a long time since I've seen her on stage, and she was phenomenal!

Kudos to Ken Ashford and Michael Mitchell. Ken is always a pleasure to watch. I was surprised by Michael's performance. He needs to be on the stage more often! 

American Airlines Is The Best Place To Work

American has been honored once again by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) with the highest possible rating in the prestigious 2018 Corporate Equality Index (CEI). American was the only airline to achieve a perfect score when the CEI launched in 2002, and continues to be one of only a handful of corporations to do so every year since.

The CEI is a nationally recognized benchmark that evaluates America’s top workplaces and their inclusion of LGBTQ employees and their allies. Companies like American that earn the top CEI score of 100 percent also are named the “Best Places to Work” in the U.S.

“For more than two decades, American has been a pioneer in establishing fair-minded policies and practices for our LGBTQ team members and customers,” said Patrick O'Keeffe, senior vice president, People and a co-executive sponsor of the Pride Employee Business Resource Group (EBRG). “Fostering an inclusive work environment that embraces the diversity of our team members and the customers we serve is one of the keys to American’s success, and we are honored to receive this continued recognition from the HRC.”

American has a long history of commitment to the LGBTQ community in the course of doing business. In the last year, American has provided significant support to several LGBTQ organizations including: Astraea Lesbian Foundation in Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles LGBT Center, Ali Forney Center in New York City, Center on Halsted in Chicago and GLBT Community Center of Central Florida.

For decades, American’s Pride EBRG, which was the airline’s first EBRG, has championed LGBTQ travelers as well as diversity, equality and respect throughout the travel industry. American is a proud member and supporter of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, PFLAG and Lambda Legal.

The Human Rights Campaign is dedicated to promoting and ensuring public understanding of LGBTQ issues through innovative education and communication strategies. A complete list of CEI rankings is available at hrc.org.

For more information on American’s commitment to diversity and the LGBTQ community, visit aa.com/diversity.

Cowboy Stadium!

At AT&T Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play!

Thank Goodness The Director Is Pleased

I'm The Five of Clubs

You are extremely inquisitive, you love change and variety and you are never really satisfied with what you know. This leads you to seek new learning and life experiences. For you, "variety is the spice of life."

You are warm, friendly and playful. A laser-quick mind, you are intelligent and likely to take action with your ideas: following through is the secret to success. Good fortune often finds its way to your door, one way or another.

You mind works so quickly, sometimes you might act before thinking things through. Practice taking your time with your decisions. You are gifted with good communications skills and a highly creative mind.

You're not afraid of hard work and make a great employee or employer. Five of Clubs are good salespeople and also do very well as promoters.

Mental stimulation is important. Naturally charming, you are great in social situations, whether they are personal or professional. Expressing your creativity will bring you self-satisfaction and joy. You will benefit greatly from having some form of spiritual guidance or path of self awareness.

Re-charge the Spirit

I needed to re-charge my batteries and Ron knew just the thing that would help. We hopped on the FZ and rode to Pilot Mountain.

It was a beautiful day, the wind in my hair, my arms around my guy! And the view!

Priceless!

The Shepherd's Center Used Book Sale

I love volunteering at The Sheperd's Center's annual used book sale. I'm around people who love books just as much as I do!

“Strive to be all good, but know that you are not,” I said. “Try to enjoy every day, but know that you will not. Try to forgive others and yourself. Forget the bad stuff, remember the good. Eat cookies, but not too many. Challenge yourself to do more, to see more. Make plans, celebrate when they pan out, persevere when they don’t. Laugh when things are good, laugh when things are bad. Love with abandon, love selflessly. Life is simple, life is complex, life is short. Your only real currency is time—use it wisely.” ~ Michelle Richmond

New Kicks

 

I've never owned a pair of Converse.

That changes tonight!

Is This Me?

 You are a fighter and a perfectionist.

How rare is your personality? Only 1% of the population has your strong mind, soul and spirit.

You most defining traits: You set high standards and you achieve them (yet you don't see it), you are a control freak and you are flawless in everything you do.

Birthday Shenanigans

We began Chad's Birthday Extravaganza with brunch at the River Birch Lodge. As always, it was delish.


Before Part Deux of his BE, we made a pitstop at Target. We couldn't stop laughing at the items in the dollar section that matched his shirt! Fedora and tie, cap and bowtie. We were laughing so hard I was afraid they were going to ask us to leave!

We then popped over to The Grand Theatre. We both love Disney movies, so The Beauty and The Beast was a perfect birthday gift. And watching it in reclining theater seats was awesome! (Except for the kid loudly eating popcorn beside me.)

The last part of Chad's Birthday Extravaganza was milkshakes at Cin Cin Burger Bar. Chad ordered the Butter Beer and I ordered a Chocolate Strawberry. Mine was very rich and almost undrinkable. Chad's drink was much better.



All in all, Chad's Birthday Extravaganza was a huge success! It was a great fun day and he had a ball!

A Book Report, "The Lost Daughter"

I bought this book a couple of years ago during the Bookmarks Festival. I was sucked in by the book's cover and by Wally Lamb's endorsement. That it's been sitting on my bookshelf since initial purchase was telling. I think I intuitively knew the story wouldn't live up to the pretty cover.

The premise was simple. Teenage lovers Brooke and Alex deal with an unplanned pregnancy. An early delivery and resulting actions haunt them both for 15 years. The truth of that night is something they both have difficulty believing.

I'm not sure when it happened, somewhere around the middle of the book perhaps, but at some point I no longer cared. At some point the characters changed from ones I could empathize to being laughable. Alex's arc was just so unbelievable. I found myself skimming the last half just to get through the book. I would have given it up, but I try to finish all books I start. After this one, I might rethink that. Life is too short to read crappy books.

A Message From Doug Parker - Profit Sharing

Special Jetwire
Dear Team Members,   Today marks the first profit sharing payout of our combined airline, and only the second profit sharing payment at American Airlines in the last 15 years! These payments are the result of a program we put in place in March 2016 without any contract negotiations or trade-offs. We did it because it was the right thing to do for our phenomenal team members. It is a great time to be at American and we have a wonderful future ahead. We have the youngest fleet of our U.S. peers, and are taking delivery of another 57 new mainline aircraft this year. We are investing billions of dollars in technology and facilities that will improve the experiences of our customers and team members for years to come. Premium Economy is rolling out now, offering international customers a new choice between Main Cabin and Business Class. We are adding high-speed, satellite-based Wi-Fi that will bring the living room video experience to our aircraft. And thanks to all of you, we are running a great airline, having just completed one of the best operating reliability months in the history of American. The most important work we have underway is validating the trust each of you place in American and our leadership team: a trust that you have leaders who care about you; a trust that you are respected and appreciated; and a trust that you can go home from work fulfilled, knowing that you made a difference in people’s lives. We know that work is just beginning and will take time. We are committed to making it happen and to working together to build a lasting company for the future. One way we can validate the trust of our team members is through regular and consistent profit sharing. While we cannot undo that many are receiving only their second profit sharing check in 15 years, we will continually work to earn your trust for the future. And for the thousands who began their careers at American in recent years, we need to validate that you have joined a new, transformed American. Let’s set a goal that all team members, no matter when you started, never again know a year without a profit sharing check. We’re off to a good start, thanks to you. Congratulations on this well-deserved achievement! It is an honor to work with and for you.

Our State, March

Getting away can bring you together.

Let the magic find you.

Ignite something.

Drink it in.

A Book Report, "The One That Got Away"

I bought this book, along with others, last year at the Bookmarks Festival. Once again I'm trying to read the books I already have before I add more to my bookshelves. I was also looking for some frivolous reading (chick lit!) so this fit the bill.



I have to say that I really enjoyed the book. The book cover is eye-catching. The characters had enough depth to them to keep my attention. The "appreciate what you have" theme was entertaining. I found myself chuckling and smiling as I inserted the bookmark and closed the book each night.

All Leadership Conference

In Dallas attend the ALC in with some peeps!

A Message from Doug Parker – Celebrating a Phenomenal 2016

Special Jetwire
Dear Team Members,   Today Air Transport World (ATW) – the leading magazine for global airlines and the air transport community – announced its selection of American Airlines as its 2017 Airline of the Year. American has won this prestigious award twice before, most recently almost 30 years ago in 1988. Congratulations! This recognition is a testament to the mission shared by 120,000 team members of our mainline and wholly owned regional airlines. The ATW editorial board described the American integration as “practically flawless, despite it being the largest, most complex airline merger in history.” And while it is satisfying to receive accolades for our integration work, it is even more energizing to receive recognition for the work being done for our future. ATW cited our operational and customer service improvements, as well as the more than $3 billion in new customer products and services, including greater onboard connectivity, new entertainment and dining choices, upgraded lounges and new destinations. Lastly, they note that all of this is being accomplished while delivering profitable returns to our shareholders. American is setting a new standard for service, and that's thanks to the work all of you do. It is a noble calling to play a role in transporting the people who entrust their travel needs to us, and it is gratifying to be recognized when we do that well.  To celebrate this prestigious recognition by ATW and your unique part in it, American employees – including team members at Envoy, Piedmont and PSA – will receive two positive space, round-trip Main Cabin tickets anywhere we fly. These tickets will be available for use beginning this summer through December 2018. American Airlines was selected as Airline of the Year for 2017 because of all of you and the jobs you do so well for our customers. I hope you enjoy a special trip, and the memories you’ll create with someone close to you, as appreciation for all you’ve done to set American on its path to greatness. Congratulations and here’s to another great year.