Another year has come and gone, but 2014 was not at all just another year for me. 2014 was life altering, and the most inspiring chapter of my life thus far. I can't just go into 2015 without reflecting on some of the BIGGEST moments that took place over the last 12 months.
In January 2014, I got THE call that would change my life forever. American Airlines called me on January 9, 2014 at 2:00 PM to give me Flight Attendant Training dates. Training would take place in Fort Worth, Texas for two and a half months, starting on March 17th and graduating on May 7th. I will never forget seeing my phone light up at my desk and running to a conference room to hear them say, "Cassandra, we have training dates for you..." and dropping to my knees in tears in a conference room at OPM. Imagine going the rest of the day knowing your days in that very space were numbered. After 4.5 years, and spending crucial impressionable years as a teenager fresh out of high school to a young adult in that building and in a matter of seconds that all had an end date. Now at that point I couldn't wait to move on to bigger and better things. Never in a million years could I have told myself just how much I would love and adore my new job. I dropped my notice in February while working at the State Department running my last set of PMF Assessments with a team that I had shed, blood, sweat, and tears and experienced such deep frustration together.
On March 17th, 2014 at 4:00 AM I snuggled my pups one last time and headed to at Ronald Reagan International Airport and at 5:30 AM I hugged, kissed and had a very tearful "goodbye" with my Mom, my Dad and Nicholas. I will never forget going through security and looking back one last time and thinking "This is it. This is what I've prayed for. I'm really leaving home, permanently." Around 9:00 AM Kyle picked me up at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. I ran to him with so much excitement. I was finally in Texas, we were no longer long distance, everything was working out in our favor (cue hysterical laughter and keep reading). I checked into FSU, and upon getting to the hotel I met my soon to be sister and roommate, Alejandra. My first roommate EVER and we were so hesitant about saying "yes" to living together (see we both have strong personalities and have crucial "Resting Bitch Face" so we both knew this could be interesting). We hit it off and became fast friends.
On April 5th, the Easter Bunny came to 14-10s class extra early! And a classroom of 60 some peoples lives changed and we all received our bases. Our classroom was filled with shock, tears (both good and bad), I remember crying hysterically, "DFW" came out of my egg, I was never going back to live in Virginia, that was it. After a year of waiting for God to send me else where, it had all finally happened. Shortly after, on April 8th, I said "enough" to the person I thought to be the "love of my life" in the midst of the hardest two months of my life. This didn't at all make anything easier, but it had to happen. As much as I loved and will always love Kyle, we aren't each others future. He's an amazing person, he's just not my person. With that said I pray for the very best for him and whomever God has planned for his future; and I whole heartedly mean that. He will forever have a place in my heart. I spent three years learning so much about myself, about love, about traveling, what it took to be in a long distance relationship, what it means to compromise, how to communicate, what I do and don't want in a relationship, as well as what I will and won't tolerate from a partner. Not to mention, I will never put my family on the back burner ever again. Most importantly I met my best friend, Carly Tynes, and so many other beautiful women that have become my friends.
On May7th 2014 I graduated from American Airlines Flight Attendant Training and 2 hours after having my beautiful brand new silver wings pinned on by Kimi Oaks, my family and I drove over to Crest Centreport and I signed my very first lease! And on May 8th I had indoc at DFW while my parents and my brother moved me into my very first apartment. I finally went home to Virginia almost 3 months of being away and I saw my girls and I snuggled the heck out of my pups. IT. WAS. AWESOME.
I started actually flying on May 14th, I was called out with 3 classmates for a Newark, NJ turn (out and back). The next day I went to Mexico and I got stuck there. Womp.
On June 14th, my birthday, I lucked out and had a DCA layover! I wore a tiara during our trip and landed in DC to my moms homemade carrot cake and partied with my crew in my room with my family. Best 23rd birthday EVER.
In September I started a second job at Massage Envy. It was necessary at the time but I am SO excited to announce that at the end of this month (January) I will be blowing that popsicle stand and moving on to bigger and better things. Like traveling for fun! SEE YOU SOON SAN DIEGO (EHHEEEM CAMACHO, I'M COMING FOR YOU) AND EUROPE!
In November I officially made it off probation. Which in airline terms means I am cleared and I am in fact a good fit and I know how to watch my Ps and Qs (bahaha!). So now I wear my hair down and my skirt a little tighter and shorter.
Thanksgiving! I actually had three of them! I spent lunch with my family in Southlake/Grapevine, then I went over to Coppell where my second family, Kaci and her amazing Family (who has now become my own), had another amazing feast going on, and then I spent the night watching what was left of the Cowboys game with another wonderful friend and his family! Talk about a blessing of a day! If I couldn't be home, why not have three with amazing people!?
For Christmas Eve, I flew in at 5:30 and made it over to my families house in Southlake and watched their little ones open one Christmas present each, baked cookies, drank poinsettias, and prepped carrots for the reindeer and cookies for Santa! And then I went home and Kala and I got to exchange Christmas gifts and spend time together before flying the next day. It was wonderful. Christmas Day I flew, we had amazing passengers and I flew with a wonderful crew. I flew with the same girl all month and we had so much fun goofing off in the cockpit. We received so much appreciation from our passengers and had an absolute ball with the Christmas version of the safety demo. I laid over in Oklahoma City, which was fine. I face timed with my family and we had Christmas dinner that way. Well, they had dinner and I ate assorted chocolates. I lead a pretty glamorous life folks! On the 26th I finished up my tried and threw myself on a flight to spend a late Christmas with my family in Virginia. They made Christmas so special, I almost forgot that it was a day late, they literally put the entire day on hold. HOW BLESSED AM I!?
And last but certainly not least New Years Eve... I had NYE off, and I wanted to do something (duh) but I was on call, so I knew I would end up getting called out, so I just decided to pick up my own trip and pick where I would go. I found a trip that laid over in Indianapolis (where moms family is) so I decided to pick that up not even realizing initially that it was with one of my best friends, Grace, WIN! So, I ended up spending my New Years Eve playing Nickle Nickle with my Grandparents and my 93 year old Great Grandmother. It was by far the best, most sober NYE I have had in a while, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Those are moments I don't get often, and I will hold so close to my heart for the rest of my life.
This year has brought me so much closer with all my family members. Between being able to see them more frequently because of my job, and bringing a whole new meaning to spending precious time together. I've grown in Christ and I have found and become a member of an AMAZING church. Texas has officially become home, I changed my residency in August to the point I've taken up 2 Stepping and Line Dancing! I have become far more independent, those that know me know I've always been in long relationships, I've finally learned how to be on my own and I don't hate it. I've made amazing friends and reconnected with long lost friends. I have learned how to deal with crappy management at apartment complexes (hard side eye at you Crest!), and I have learned the importance of a budget. Most importantly, this year I learned who I am, I've stepped so far out of my comfort zone, what is most important to me, and my self worth. I've never been so proud of myself and who I am, I've also never been so in love with a job, nor did I know it was possible to never feel like I'm working at work.
I am SO looking forward to 2015. I already know this is going to be a huge year of continuous growth and Texas becoming more my home than last year. I am so ready to embrace all that God has planned for me!
In January 2014, I got THE call that would change my life forever. American Airlines called me on January 9, 2014 at 2:00 PM to give me Flight Attendant Training dates. Training would take place in Fort Worth, Texas for two and a half months, starting on March 17th and graduating on May 7th. I will never forget seeing my phone light up at my desk and running to a conference room to hear them say, "Cassandra, we have training dates for you..." and dropping to my knees in tears in a conference room at OPM. Imagine going the rest of the day knowing your days in that very space were numbered. After 4.5 years, and spending crucial impressionable years as a teenager fresh out of high school to a young adult in that building and in a matter of seconds that all had an end date. Now at that point I couldn't wait to move on to bigger and better things. Never in a million years could I have told myself just how much I would love and adore my new job. I dropped my notice in February while working at the State Department running my last set of PMF Assessments with a team that I had shed, blood, sweat, and tears and experienced such deep frustration together.
On March 17th, 2014 at 4:00 AM I snuggled my pups one last time and headed to at Ronald Reagan International Airport and at 5:30 AM I hugged, kissed and had a very tearful "goodbye" with my Mom, my Dad and Nicholas. I will never forget going through security and looking back one last time and thinking "This is it. This is what I've prayed for. I'm really leaving home, permanently." Around 9:00 AM Kyle picked me up at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. I ran to him with so much excitement. I was finally in Texas, we were no longer long distance, everything was working out in our favor (cue hysterical laughter and keep reading). I checked into FSU, and upon getting to the hotel I met my soon to be sister and roommate, Alejandra. My first roommate EVER and we were so hesitant about saying "yes" to living together (see we both have strong personalities and have crucial "Resting Bitch Face" so we both knew this could be interesting). We hit it off and became fast friends.
On April 5th, the Easter Bunny came to 14-10s class extra early! And a classroom of 60 some peoples lives changed and we all received our bases. Our classroom was filled with shock, tears (both good and bad), I remember crying hysterically, "DFW" came out of my egg, I was never going back to live in Virginia, that was it. After a year of waiting for God to send me else where, it had all finally happened. Shortly after, on April 8th, I said "enough" to the person I thought to be the "love of my life" in the midst of the hardest two months of my life. This didn't at all make anything easier, but it had to happen. As much as I loved and will always love Kyle, we aren't each others future. He's an amazing person, he's just not my person. With that said I pray for the very best for him and whomever God has planned for his future; and I whole heartedly mean that. He will forever have a place in my heart. I spent three years learning so much about myself, about love, about traveling, what it took to be in a long distance relationship, what it means to compromise, how to communicate, what I do and don't want in a relationship, as well as what I will and won't tolerate from a partner. Not to mention, I will never put my family on the back burner ever again. Most importantly I met my best friend, Carly Tynes, and so many other beautiful women that have become my friends.
On May7th 2014 I graduated from American Airlines Flight Attendant Training and 2 hours after having my beautiful brand new silver wings pinned on by Kimi Oaks, my family and I drove over to Crest Centreport and I signed my very first lease! And on May 8th I had indoc at DFW while my parents and my brother moved me into my very first apartment. I finally went home to Virginia almost 3 months of being away and I saw my girls and I snuggled the heck out of my pups. IT. WAS. AWESOME.
I started actually flying on May 14th, I was called out with 3 classmates for a Newark, NJ turn (out and back). The next day I went to Mexico and I got stuck there. Womp.
On June 14th, my birthday, I lucked out and had a DCA layover! I wore a tiara during our trip and landed in DC to my moms homemade carrot cake and partied with my crew in my room with my family. Best 23rd birthday EVER.
In September I started a second job at Massage Envy. It was necessary at the time but I am SO excited to announce that at the end of this month (January) I will be blowing that popsicle stand and moving on to bigger and better things. Like traveling for fun! SEE YOU SOON SAN DIEGO (EHHEEEM CAMACHO, I'M COMING FOR YOU) AND EUROPE!
In November I officially made it off probation. Which in airline terms means I am cleared and I am in fact a good fit and I know how to watch my Ps and Qs (bahaha!). So now I wear my hair down and my skirt a little tighter and shorter.
Thanksgiving! I actually had three of them! I spent lunch with my family in Southlake/Grapevine, then I went over to Coppell where my second family, Kaci and her amazing Family (who has now become my own), had another amazing feast going on, and then I spent the night watching what was left of the Cowboys game with another wonderful friend and his family! Talk about a blessing of a day! If I couldn't be home, why not have three with amazing people!?
For Christmas Eve, I flew in at 5:30 and made it over to my families house in Southlake and watched their little ones open one Christmas present each, baked cookies, drank poinsettias, and prepped carrots for the reindeer and cookies for Santa! And then I went home and Kala and I got to exchange Christmas gifts and spend time together before flying the next day. It was wonderful. Christmas Day I flew, we had amazing passengers and I flew with a wonderful crew. I flew with the same girl all month and we had so much fun goofing off in the cockpit. We received so much appreciation from our passengers and had an absolute ball with the Christmas version of the safety demo. I laid over in Oklahoma City, which was fine. I face timed with my family and we had Christmas dinner that way. Well, they had dinner and I ate assorted chocolates. I lead a pretty glamorous life folks! On the 26th I finished up my tried and threw myself on a flight to spend a late Christmas with my family in Virginia. They made Christmas so special, I almost forgot that it was a day late, they literally put the entire day on hold. HOW BLESSED AM I!?
And last but certainly not least New Years Eve... I had NYE off, and I wanted to do something (duh) but I was on call, so I knew I would end up getting called out, so I just decided to pick up my own trip and pick where I would go. I found a trip that laid over in Indianapolis (where moms family is) so I decided to pick that up not even realizing initially that it was with one of my best friends, Grace, WIN! So, I ended up spending my New Years Eve playing Nickle Nickle with my Grandparents and my 93 year old Great Grandmother. It was by far the best, most sober NYE I have had in a while, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Those are moments I don't get often, and I will hold so close to my heart for the rest of my life.
This year has brought me so much closer with all my family members. Between being able to see them more frequently because of my job, and bringing a whole new meaning to spending precious time together. I've grown in Christ and I have found and become a member of an AMAZING church. Texas has officially become home, I changed my residency in August to the point I've taken up 2 Stepping and Line Dancing! I have become far more independent, those that know me know I've always been in long relationships, I've finally learned how to be on my own and I don't hate it. I've made amazing friends and reconnected with long lost friends. I have learned how to deal with crappy management at apartment complexes (hard side eye at you Crest!), and I have learned the importance of a budget. Most importantly, this year I learned who I am, I've stepped so far out of my comfort zone, what is most important to me, and my self worth. I've never been so proud of myself and who I am, I've also never been so in love with a job, nor did I know it was possible to never feel like I'm working at work.
I am SO looking forward to 2015. I already know this is going to be a huge year of continuous growth and Texas becoming more my home than last year. I am so ready to embrace all that God has planned for me!
