Southwest Airlines Community

I knew it would be fun when someone described the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festival in Austin, TX as "spring break for geeks."  They were dead on. There were tweets and Four Square checkins; Facebook status updates and iPhone scans; but most importantly, there were core conversations, keynote addresses (I got to see the CEO of Twitter!), and gobs of panels—I have officially been fully immersed in "geek culture."   Even better than that, about 100 of the 10,000 festival registrants immersed themselves in SWA Culture for an hour as they listened to me talk about "Beyond BBQs: the Future of Corporate Culture." After Spirit Junior (played by Lindsey Reynolds—we're both in the photo above) "flew" around the room passing out peanuts, I explained to them our Culture in a nutshell is all about our People, and that we ask our Employees to Live the Southwest Way each and every day. The audience was floored at the amount of Company Pride and LUV all our Employees seem to possess, but, being that the audience was full of self-proclaimed "geeks," they were really interested in learning how we would keep our unique Culture alive, thriving, and growing as we move into the future.  It would be an understatement to say they were thrilled to learn about the launch of SWALife Interactive—they couldn't believe that we would open up the lines of communication the way we are with this new Employee blog and share so much information.  It was fun to explain to the group that we work every day to keep our workforce of nearly 35,000 feeling like a family of 100 and that this new interactive site would enable Employees coast to coast to communicate better and more often, and have a major part in this "family reunion."   Throughout the rest of my weekend at SXSW, I met tons of people who were amazed at my title (Team Leader/Planner-Culture Ambassadors), LUV flying Southwest Airlines, and really interested in learning more about our Culture.  I got to attend panels on everything from Social Searches to an acting workshop with actor Jeffrey Tambor that was chock-full of business lessons! My badge was also good for the film side of the festival, so I was even able to attend a premiere that one of my friends from high school directed. But the Southwest LUV didn’t stop there. This was the first year we are the official airline of the SXSW Festival! Our “Bags Fly Free” signs, peanuts, pretzels, gate seating in VIP lounges, and other fun SWA tsotchkes can be seen all over Austin this week representing our well-loved brand. At the Auditorium Shores concerts Friday and Saturday night we had Spirit Juniors frolicking in the fields and a tent set up to pass out snacks and chat with our Customers and Employees. I think it’s safe to say we definitely had a “Southwest Effect” this year at one of the biggest and most innovative festivals around. I titled this blog SXSWhoa because that is exactly what any first timer (like me) at the event would say—I was overwhelmed, over-stimulated, and overjoyed for four straight days at the wonderful opportunity I had to make new friends, learn new information, and spread the SWA LUV to 10,000 geeks! This is a shot of me (on left) with some of the girls from Communications! ... View more

You are not seeing double in the title.  March 12, 2010 is an important day at Southwest Airlines. No, we’re not starting service to a new city today, and we’re not launching a new product; it’s a way bigger deal than any of that.  March 12 is the shared birthday of two of the most important men in Southwest Airlines history: Gary Kelly and Herb Kelleher!  These guys have a lot in common: they’re both really tall, they’ve both held the titles of President, CEO, and Chairman of our Company; and, of course, they share this special day.  They also have something else in common: their love of animals.  So when deciding what to get two guys who have done so much for all of us and the community, the Executive Office, Pass Bureau,  Culture, and Communications Employees decided to show them our LUV by holding a collection drive for a nearby pet shelter, Dog & Kitty City.  The shelter’s web site has a long list of needs and we did our best to collect items that will help them out, all in Gary’s and Herb’s names. Happy Birthday, Gary & Herb, we hope you enjoy this gift from our hearts!  To see a special birthday video for Gary, click here. ... View more

I never thought I’d see the day.  My New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl. I know I speak for every native New Orleanian (and even some folks who just love to root for the underdog) when I say I can’t remember a more joyous time in the city.  I’ve lived through 32 Mardi Gras and have never felt the pure love and celebration that I have felt during this entire football season.   I live in Dallas now, but anyone who knows me knows that my heart belongs to my hometown, New Orleans, and thanks to my Southwest Employee privileges, I was able to fly home for some games and be in the city for the NFC Championship...and of course the Super bowl XLIV.  I wouldn’t have missed any of these occasions for the world.  I lost my voice, hugged too many strangers, and cried tears of joy over the last few weeks, and I loved every second of it. I can’t describe what an awesome feeling it was to look out over Bourbon Street on a Sunday afternoon in February to a sea of black, gold, and fleur de lis-- with “Black and Gold to the Super Bowl,” “I Believe,”  and “Get Crunk” providing the soundtrack. I may be missing “Lombardi Gras” today, but I’m wearing my Super Bowl Championship T-shirt at Southwest Headquarters with pride, and I’ll be back home for Mardi Gras next weekend to jump right back in to the celebration I left yesterday with Coach Payton holding the Lombardi Trophy out the sunroof of his car as he left the airport.  I’ve been a proud Saints fan my entire life; we believed in the "Bless You Boys" and they did it!  Thank you Sean Payton; thank you Drew Brees;  thank you to all the players and the entire New Orleans Saints organization;  and thank you everyone who has supported our team and our city—the heart of New Orleans is beating strong again. I don’t think we had any doubt we would bounce back after Katrina, but this just seals the deal.  WHO DAT! ... View more

LUV is in the air.  Not only is Valentine’s Day right around the corner, but we have something very special planned in Harlingen, Texas--the first city we flew to after our original three (Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio).  To celebrate our 35 years of service in Harlingen, we’re awarding two lucky LUV-birds an opportunity to exchange vows in the Valley and fly away (on SWA, of course!) on a complimentary honeymoon.   Tell us your favorite couple’s “LUV Story” for a chance to tie the knot, Southwest-style! The grand prize includes: -Two (2) roundtrip tickets to Harlingen, Texas -Southwest Airlines-themed civil ceremony at the Valley International Airport on February 11, 2010 -Two (2) roundtrip tickets to honeymoon destination in SWA’s system (68 cities and counting!) -A two-night hotel stay at honeymoon destination   Imagine walking down the aisle, and then walking right on to a LUV Jet to celebrate your honeymoon!    Visit www.southwest.com/luvinthevalley for all the contest rules. And good luck! ... View more

It’s time again for Gary Kelly’s yearly identity crisis to come to a close.  You all sent your suggestions for his Halloween costume and he chose something that won’t let you down, but you won’t find out what it is until our SWA Headquarters Halloween celebration on Friday, October 30.  Southwest Airlines has once again partnered with Spirit Halloween Stores to make sure that not only our Employees get in to the spirit of the holiday, but also our Customers.  Spirit Halloween is the largest Halloween retailer with stores located throughout the United States, so you know they will use all their resources to make Gary’s 2009 costume better than ever!  [asset|aid=226|format=image|formatter=asset|title=3ColorReaperHandHS.JPG|width=262|height=118|resizable=true|align=center] Some lucky Customers received coupons for great discounts at Spirit Halloween stores on their flights last week, but the fun doesn’t stop there.  The company has given us decorations for the inside of our planes that you will be treated to if you fly October 30, and some cute giveaways that you can look for in the gate area before your flights that same day!   If you want to check out all that Spirit Halloween Superstores has to offer, go to www.spirithalloween.com or call 1-800-COSTUME to find a store near you.  On their website, you can join the Spirit Secret Society for even more discounts! ... View more

It’s right there in our Mission Statement: “The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit,” and let me tell you—we take that part about Company Spirit very seriously. In fact, we take it very literally. I know a lot of people who don’t work at Southwest Airlines, and I have never seen them wear their company logo on a shirt, let alone decorate entire rooms in their homes with company memorabilia. But here at SWA, it’s the norm.  A legendary SWA joke goes: How many Southwest Airlines Employees does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Two; One to change the bulb and one to make the t-shirt.  Yep, we make T-shirts for EVERYTHING.  I guarantee you that every SWA Employee has at least one T-shirt emblazoned with our logo; we are all well-equipped to show our SOUTHWEST SPIRIT.   The idea for this post came to me one morning when I noticed that almost every car I passed in the lot at Headquarters had something on it representing SWA, so I decided to ask around and see what was really out there--I’m not sure if what I found is a little disturbing or just plain awesome (or should I say “plane awesome”?), but there is no doubt that our Employees are truly proud of our Company. I now know of at least three Employees across our system with Southwest Airlines tattoos.  One Coworker had a SWA-themed wedding.  One of my Teammates has an entire room in her home filled with SWA memorabilia.  And there’s not a cubicle at Headquarters or a locker out in the field that doesn’t have some sort of SWA goodies on display…and some go WAY above and beyond. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I also hope that whether you are an Employee at Southwest Airlines or anywhere else that you have even a smidgen of the same sort of pride for your work as these folks (and all our Employees) do.  Because, just like superfans of sports teams that say their team colors run through their veins, I do believe that at Southwest Airlines, we bleed Canyon Blue!   ... View more

Imagine going to a Company event and walking out with the experience of a lifetime. That’s what happened to six lucky SWA Employees who won the grand prizes at our 2009 Messages to the Field--a trip for them and a guest to visit the Boeing factory in Seattle and accept delivery of a brand new SWA airplane! After being well cared for by the Culture Activities Team and our friends at Boeing for the weekend, our guests were ready for the main event.   The tour of Boeing’s Renton facility is always a treat—it’s amazing to see Boeing’s famous “moving line” at work; and especially cool to see a SWA plane in its formative stages on the line, like there was this time.   Once the tour was over, the group got to participate in the official call with the Federal Aviation Administration to transfer the titles of the plane from Boeing to SWA, and we watched the actual keys to the plane being given to our SWA rep. Then came the big surprise:  our newest SWA baby, N941WN, was officially handed over to the Message to the Field winners and the winning Employees all got to sign an official certificate of acceptance and delivery.  Those certificates will be lifetime keepsakes for all of them!  After cleaning out the Boeing souvenir shop, it was time to board our new plane and head home to Love Field.  You’ve heard it before, and maybe experienced it yourself, but there really is nothing like the smell of a new airplane. I don’t know what’s cooler--the fresh leather seats or the sparkly clean lavatories that smell clean as a whistle!  There were treats and surprises for everyone on board during fun the trip home, but most of the time was spent laughing about the trip and taking some last pictures with newfound friends.  I tried to catch some cool video clips of the weekend--keep in mind this was my first time out with the camera, I’m sure I missed some good shots along the way ;). After all was said and done, everyone parted ways for the SWA cities from where they came, and they probably slept like babies on their flights, dreaming about all the wonderful friends and memories that came out of the trip they were lucky enough to win just by attending a Company event. So, SWA Employees, when the dates for the 2010 Messages to the Field come out and you think to yourself, “I don’t really want to go to that,” just remember these six lucky Employees (your Coworkers!) who won the prize of a lifetime just by attending.  Did I change your minds?  Good. I’ll see you all at the Messages in 2010—and maybe even in Seattle!   ... View more

Ever watch those reality shows like Survivor, Fear Factor, and even I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here and think “there is no way I could eat those bugs and worms”? Well, look out Sanjaya, because I ate 3 crickets, 1 wax worm, and 3 meal worms, not to mention some cricket artichoke dip and mango waxworm chutney! I’m serious. See, I follow @AudubonZoo on Twitter.  I also go home to New Orleans several times a month to see my mom and grandmother (aka “Gogi”).   There had been a ton of tweets about people eating bugs at the Audubon Institute’s newest gift to New Orleans, The Audubon Insectarium.  I grew up going to the Audubon Zoo, and my name is on a brick outside the Aquarium of the Americas, so I wanted to complete the trifecta (not to mention I can’t resist a challenge; I HAD to eat a bug). So on my most recent visit to MSY, I talked my mom and Gogi in to taking a little field trip to what we thought would be something “for kids”; and it was.  The thing is, the age of kids that the Insectarium appeals to is not specified, so everyone from age one to a 100 will have a great experience at this place.  There are exhibits on beetles and bees; worms and butterflies; and a fantastic interactive exhibit on the pride of New Orleans: cockroaches.  There was a lot to look at and do, but my favorite attraction was in the back of the Tiny Termite Café, where local chefs whip up recipes so that we can practice entomophagy (eating bugs).  I had a cinnamon cricket, two cajun crickets, a taco-flavored wax worm, some mango waxworm chutney and, the piece de resistance, mealworm salsa (my bite had THREE worms!).  As you can see, Gogi thought I was crazy.  Everything was actually tasty and not gross at all…except the mealworm salsa.  Let’s put it this way, if you have “texture” issues with food, do not try the mealworms.  I did it once, and that is all I have to say about dining on mealworms. The crickets and waxworms, however, were sort of like eating flavored sunflower seeds.  Sadly, the chocolate chirp cookies (yep, crickets) were still in the oven; we’ll have to wait until our next visit to try those (although I do have the recipe!) Don’t be grossed out.  In some places, bugs and worms are a staple in the local diet, as they are a good and readily available source of protein, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, and vitamins.  There are some rules that you should follow if you want to cook and eat bugs in your own kitchen, just to be safe, but eating the little creatures—especially at the Insectarium-- is perfectly fine (and really FUN!) for us all.   ... View more

There’s no red carpet, no little gold statues, and-thankfully--no Joan and Melissa Rivers—just more than 2,500 Employees (who clean up very nicely, I might add) and guests at the Sheraton Dallas for an evening they will never forget.  This year 3,239 Employees are celebrating ten, 20, 25, 30, and 35 years with Southwest Airlines, and what better way to honor their dedicated service to our Company than with a night full of surprises and FUN at our Annual Awards Banquet.  In addition to honoring our longterm Employees, the banquet is a time to bestow one of our Company’s top honors--The President’s Award--upon deserving Employees who are nominated by their peers for truly Living the Southwest Way. Congrats to all the 2009 winners!  There were also some special surprise awards given during the evening, including the Founders Award, which was presented by you know who, our Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Herb Kelleher. After a Marilyn Monroe impersonator picked him out of the audience and he planted one of his famous kisses on her, Herb proceeded to deliver the Founder’s Award to Captain Jim Rice with a mouth full of red lipstick—classic Kelleher--the audience loved it! The audience also loved the entertainment—besides our own rock stars, Gary Kelly; Ginger Hardage; Colleen; Herb; and the rest of our Officers; Houston-based SWA Flight Attendants Jodi Wincheski and Christie Volkmer, who were contestants on the latest season of The Amazing Race were there to present the Kick Tail Trophy--and that just kicked things off.  There was music all night by The Signature Band, and the after party was rocking with the sounds of The Wonders.                    Of course, we had our newest SWA Celebrity in the house…our Rapping Flight Attendant, David Holmes.  He was a total rock star—he wrote and performed a special rap just for the banquet and posed for pictures with his adoring fans (who also happen to be his Coworkers—we really are the LUV Airline).  We were thrilled to have Season Seven American Idol finalist Michael Johns perform.  The ladies went wild for him--an Employee even rushed the stage for a kiss!  Michael’s CD, Hold Back My Heart, is in stores now--go out and get it and support this friend of Southwest Airlines!              The night was topped off by a surprise appearance from comedian Seth Meyers.  He’s the head writer and Weekend Update anchor from Saturday Night Live.  Seth did his homework and had jokes tailored to SWA--his set was hilarious.  Special thanks to the good sports in the audience who he got to--you know it was all in good fun!   I think it’s safe to say that a good time was had by all…we can’t wait to do it again next year!     ... View more

When our Team went to Vegas for our recent, awesome Spirit Party, we had a lot of fun…we also had a lot of work in the form of meetings with our Spirit Party Partners.  One of our meetings with Spirit Party Partner Celebrity Coaches just happened to be combined with one of the coolest things Vegas has to offer--a champagne tour in a chauffeured limo bus!  While we talked and finalized the shuttle details for our event in between stops at some Vegas landmarks, our tour guide chimed in with tidbits about Las Vegas that we never would have known!  Did you know that Elvis’ mentor was Liberace? Or that Redd Foxx was the best man in Elvis’ wedding?  Or that when Paris Hilton comes to town she is sweeter than pie to everyone she meets? The kind folks at Celebrity Coaches were so happy that we loved the night so much, they decided to offer a special rate to SWA Employees--or anyone who reads this blog!  We had such a blast--I PROMISE you will see and hear things you never have before, even if you live there!  Thanks to all the folks at Celebrity Coaches who were such a huge part of the success of our LAS SPIRIT Party!).  Check them out at www.celebritylasvegas.com   ... View more

By now you've probably read the articles, gotten the Twitter updates, or even seen a local news story about SWA bucking the current economic situation and going on with a huge Employee party in Las Vegas; and you are probably wondering how in the world this happened.  Well what happened in Vegas last week is definitely NOT staying there—the stories, pictures, and LUV will live on forever. The Southwest Airlines 2009 Las Vegas SPIRIT Party would not have been possible without the incredible generosity of our Spirit Party Partners:  Fremont Street Experience, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, The Golden Nugget, and Anheuser Busch.  Thanks also goes to:  Coca Cola, The Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Monster, Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, Celebrity Coaches, Republic Services, Bunzl, and Reddy Ice. Partygoers arrived in droves--would you believe that more than 7,000 Southwest Employees and guests attended? What a tremendous turnout! Those who attended had the privilege of enjoying the evening’s many festivities:  a laser-light show customized for Southwest; tasty BBQ and thirst-quenching beverages; and the evening’s highlight of Gary, Miss USA Kristen Dalton, Elvis, and a few showgirls all unveiling the Operation: Kick Tail trophy!  This beauty was presented to all Southwest Airlines Employees for achieving our 2008 Company goals.  Congratulations to everyone!  As usual, our SPIRIT Party was not all for FUN—we always make sure they are for a good cause too.  Everyone who attended donated one canned food item as admission to the party.  From those efforts alone, we brought in 4,489 pounds of food for Three Square—the food solution for Southern Nevada.  Thanks to your donations, we made a tremendous impact in the Las Vegas community. When all was said and done, a great time was had by all, and we seriously can not thank our Spirit Party Partners enough for helping us make this event one of our best ever.          ... View more

The Southwest Airlines 36th and Last* Annual Chili Cookoff took place in Dallas this past weekend--leaving everyone who came out to play with full bellies…and dirty fingernails. Although there is some serious competition every year, it’s not all about the chili at this famous SWA event.  Some Teams get way more into the other big award: Showmanship.  Such is the case for the Executive Office Team, which has won first place in the Showmanship category FOUR years in a row!    There were teams of chili cookers dressed as hobos and cowboys, carneys and amigos, but no one could steal the show from the cavemen.  Our theme was “Chilico…so easy a caveman can do it”, and boy did we ever.  Once we decided on the theme about two months ago, the costume and prop searches started—we ripped up bedsheets, glued fake fur to our legs and arms, covered ourselves in dirt makeup, ratted our hair (complete with twigs and dirt), and topped everyone’s caveman look off with fake unibrows!   But it didn’t end with just our costumes and awesomely decorated “cave” tent (which we covered in cave paintings throughout the day); no, these cavepeople were in character all day long:  We ran to the middle of the field to invent fire and roll our newly carved wheels.  The men chased the women and children with clubs all day (our apologies to any children we may have frightened); and all of us are still complaining about our sore abs from all the grunting we were doing.  Our performance when the judges made their rounds was classic as we sang from our cave, “It’s getting hot in here, we just invented fire…”--how could they resist?   We never thought we could top last year’s nerdy “Chili Squad” theme’s first place win, but, as we always do, our entire department (including our brand new chili chef, Brody, who made some awesome chili) brought our Fun-LUVing Attitudes out in full force and made this beautiful chili cookoff day into one of the best Teambuilders anyone could ask for! All the yummy chili at the event was good, but the People of SWA made the company even better…I know the Executive Office is already thinking about next year; hope to see all of you there!   *It’s always called the “last” chili cookoff because when we had our first, no one even knew if SWA would be flying airplanes in a year, let alone holding a chili cookoff, so it’s become a grand tradition!   ... View more

March 12 is a very big day in Southwest Airlines land....yes, it is the day that holds claim to two VERY important events--the births of Gary Kelly AND Herb Kelleher! We all want to show our LUV to Gary & Herb on this special day each year, but this year, the Executive Office, Culture, and Communications Employees decided to do something a little different. Instead of collecting money to purchase a group gift, we decided to give back by collecting non-perishable food items to donate in Gary's and Herb's names to the North Texas Food Bank! Our favorite boys have given all of us (and our community) so much, we figured this little food drive was the least we could do for them.  So, Happy Birthday, Gary & Herb, we hope you enjoy this gift from our hearts! ... View more

You all know that Southwest is the “LUV Airline”, and every year on Valentine’s Day, we really earn that title.  All Employees are encouraged to wear red or pink, many flowers are delivered to our locations, candy is free flowing, and one of our biggest SWA traditions takes place at Headquarters: Heroes of the Heart. (See video here.) “Heroes” was started 16 years ago as a way to honor a workgroup that has no contact with our external Customers.  Flight Attendants and Customer Service Agents may have several opportunities to be recognized for the outstanding work they do, but a lot of our “behind the scenes” Teams never get that chance.  And so was created this prestigious honor. Employees nominate Teams they feel deserve the award, and a committee holds several super-secret-double-probation meetings to select the winner---I’m not kidding about the secret part, everyone involved in the day, from Vice Presidents to our A/V Specialist, have to sign confidentiality agreements; part of the FUN of Heroes is the surprise when the winners are named.  Employees gather in the main lobby of Headquarters on Valentine’s morning-surrounded by thousands of gorgeous balloons and decorations. They are treated to cookies and beautiful music.  This year the music was provided by the Arthur Houff Brass Ensemble--made up of all SWA Employees. The show starts, a video showcasing--but not revealing--the winners plays, and everyone thinks they have it figured out.  I heard so many People during this year’s video whispering, “no fair it’s Technology AGAIN, they just won it a few years ago!,” and, “it’s definitely Purchasing”--and I just giggled (I’m on the committee).   Finally, the winners are revealed… Congratulations to our 2009 Heroes of the Heart: Corporate Facilities!  This well-deserving group of Employees is responsible for the planning, design, and construction of all Southwest Airlines’ facilities.  Just a few of their vast projects include the development of airport facilities, including opening new cities and bases; the Headquarters renovation and expansion; our Companywide recycling efforts; and our new enhanced boarding procedures. Not only do they hold one of the highest honors at Southwest Airlines, but our 2009 “Heroes” received several other gifts; the biggest (literally) being a plane!  Yep, check your plane as you board; it just might be the Heroes of the Heart plane, emblazoned with the winning Team’s name.  Oh, if you can’t see out the airport windows when your plane arrives because of lighting or something, don’t worry, we can get someone from Corporate Facilities to check on that!   ... View more

New Year’s resolutions are in full swing at Southwest Airlines-if I had a dollar for every Coworker that has said theirs is to lose weight and get healthy (myself included), I would be rich! One group that wants to make sure they stick to their promises sits right here in the Executive Office with me. This crowd is determined to be ready for their dresses at the SWA Annual Awards Banquet in June, no matter what it takes…including drinking the recommended amount of water (at least 48 ounces) every single day. For some, that’s easy; but for others, it’s a bit of a struggle; thus were born the twice daily water drinking contests in the SWA Executive Office Breakroom. Once in the morning and once after lunch every day an ever-growing group of health conscious Employees stands in a circle with their 16.9 ounces of water ready to go (16.9 oz x 2 contests=almost all your water for the day!)  An innocent bystander counts to three, and the contest begins to see who can finish their water the fastest.  Everyone has different techniques: the reigning champion, Aimee Oldenburg, throws her head back and holds it with her hand--she says it supports her neck; some play their first few rounds with a glass, but quickly learn that a bottle is easier; and it takes only one water drinking contest to learn that room temperature water is the only way to go less you run the risk of a brain freeze. Are we crazy?--of course! There was never really any doubt about that even before the water contests began.  But now we’re crazy and hydrated and ready for 2009 to be our healthiest year yet. If there is a lesson to be learned from this, it’s that having a support group can seriously help you stick to your resolution-even if you are competing with each other.  Are any of you out there doing anything FUN to help you stick to your New Year’s Resolutions?  P.S.- I beat Aimee this morning.   ... View more

When most Southwest Airlines Employees get together outside of the office, the word “fitness” doesn’t usually come to mind…until now.  Our fall semester Culture Activites Intern, Liz Dorris, decided to recruit Coworkers to form relay teams to run the 2008 Dallas White Rock Marathon.  Sure, as part of a relay team the most anyone would have to run was 6.2 miles, but remember that part about fitness not usually being a part of our social activities?  Four, five, or, heaven forbid, 6.2 miles sounded like torture when little Liz came up with the idea  to run back in September. Over the next couple months we had meetings and fought over who would get the four mile leg; we traveled SWA’s campus selling baked goods to help pay our registration fees (which were for a great cause-The Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Dallas); we swore off Sonic tater tots; and we even “trained.”  I put trained in quotes because the way we felt after the race made it evident that none of us had put in anywhere near the adequate amount of training that we should have. December 14:  race day!  Ten SWA Employees formed two relay teams- Team Peanuts and Team Pretzels—and we were ready to “Run the Rock!”  With our bodies fueled from a big group pasta dinner the night before, we donned our Canyon Blue Southwest Airlines Share the Spirit T-shirts and crazy war paint and set out to wow the crowds at the starting line with our inflatable Shamu One flying through the air (okay, it was taped to a sand wedge, but still, no one else had one). Before we knew it, our first relay runners were off and running; and so it began… Almost exactly five hours and precisely 26.2 miles later, all ten members of Teams Peanuts and Pretzels had finished their legs of the race-what a feeling!  We had worked together to navigate the streets of Dallas in our getaway cars (special thanks to our “superfans!”) to get to the relay exchange points where we screamed and yelled with so much support for our SWA Teammates that I think other relay teams were a little jealous.  As we waited for our final runners to cross the finish line, I know a couple of us were overcome with emotion from seeing folks that had finished the entire 26.2 miles, but also from thinking about how wonderful the day had been and what this amazing group of SWA Friends had accomplished together. We all decided to wear our finisher t-shirts to work the next day-we were so proud.  Of course there were several Employees who had run the entire marathon or half marathon—kudos to all of you, I don’t know one member of our relay teams who could have done that!  But for a bunch of folks who usually spend our time together drinking beer and eating Mexican food to have covered 52.4 miles of pavement (when you add the teams together), we couldn’t think of a bigger thrill.  This wasn’t about the pace at which we ran or about winning the race, it wasn’t really about the race at all. It was all about that thing that we Southwest Employees feel but can’t really put our finger on; and it was about our amazing Intern, Liz, who really “got it” during her time with the Company and fully embraced what SWA Culture is all about and brought a bunch of SWA Family Members together to do something they never would have dreamed of doing before—and, of course, having FUN the entire time! ... View more

It has been my plight for ten years.  I have been ridiculed and mocked and had to defend myself more times than I care to count for it.  Yes, I am a devoted Britney Spears fan.  On this day (Britney's Birthday!), as her “comeback” CD is released, I wanted to put it out there to the world--I love Britney.  I’ve felt connected to her since the beginning; a Louisiana girl like me, making it big singing and dancing and basically owning the world--she has lived all of my wildest dreams...including dating Justin Timberlake.  My adoration of Britney has always been just plain fun… until I had to start constantly defending her. It hasn’t been easy, trying to explain to people that I don’t agree with some of the things she does, but no one could deny her stage talent.  Then that awful VMA performance last year happened--why, Britney, why?  I had nothing left to back up my argument; her star had burned out…or so everyone thought.  Fast forward several months—her dad swooped in with what might go down in history as the best conservatorship ever granted by a judge and, voila!, my Britney is back!  She looks amazing, she’s taking her babies to a pumpkin patch, she’s back in the studio—her comeback has officially begun! But wait, why is this being called her comeback? Britney never went away, did she? Was I dreaming or were we all glued to celebrity gossip blogs and reading tabloid magazines to see her latest shenanigans, wondering if she finally got rid of KFed? When she shaved her head I got so many text messages and breaking news alerts on my e-mail that you would have thought a major world crisis had occurred. America became obsessed with Britney’s antics and we all formed our own opinions of the pop princess; but mine never wavered. Everyone thinks I’m weird for wanting to blog about this, just like they think I am weird for having such undying love for my favorite celebrity.  But think of it this way: if you had a friend you admired, wanted to be like, talked about all the time, and knew everything about, and that friend went through some REALLY hard times, would you stop loving them?  And when that friend finally seemed to get their act together and was about to prove it to the world, wouldn’t you be so happy for them that you would want to blog about it?  Okay, maybe not the blog part, but wouldn’t you be excited?  I know I am not the only SWA Employee that feels this way.  If I were, do you think there would be so many “Britneys” popping up in Halloween skits every year?  I think not!  I’ve heard rumors that KFed often flies Southwest Airlines to Vegas—hook us up, “Fed-Ex”!—tell Britney about the outstanding Customer Service you get on our flights!  And let her know that no matter what, she will always have a fan in this SWA Employee.  Okay, I need to get to Target to get my CD!   ... View more

I've written about Nunu; some of you may know my dog's name is Kookalaka Fettucini; but my favorite silly name of all is the one that makes Thanksgiving one of my favorite days of the year: Gogi. Gogi is my grandmother; but she is really my best friend.  She helped my mom raise me, she has sewn more costumes than I can count, and boy can my Gogi cook!  My mouth is watering right now even thinking about Gogi's Thanksgiving stuffing.  It's a really simple recipe; there's some croutons, some celery and, I'm pretty sure, some special Gogi magic in it.  It got to the point several years ago that Gogi started making two batches of her stuffing--one for the bird and one for me to eat for at least three meals after Thanksgiving dinner! So when I think of Thanksgiving, of course I think of family and all the things I am thankful for.  And, yes, I am very thankful for the yummy stuffing that she makes, but I hope she knows that in all the world one of the things I am most thankful for is Gogi!   ... View more

Three things I never wanted to see at work: Hannibal Lector reminding me of the time he had a friend for dinner…with some fava beans and a nice Chianti!; Jason from the Friday the 13th movies swinging his machete at me when I walked by; and Gary Kelly’s Executive Assistant, Gillian Kelley (no relation) wearing a full beard. Well thanks to our amazing holiday partnership with Spirit Halloween Superstores this year, I got to see all that and so much more!  And honestly, seeing all those things just made one of SWA’s favorite holidays more spectacular than ever before. You may have seen the decorations at the Southwest Ticket Counters in all 64 of our cities; or maybe you played some Halloween trivia with our Flight Attendants during your travels Halloween day and won a squishy pumpkin, a pen, or some Spirit Halloween sticky notes.  We’re hoping that everyone—Customers and SWA Employees-- put their 20% discount coupons to good use; judging by some of the costumes, wigs, and props I saw around here on Halloween, I’m guessing everyone did! You couldn’t help but get in to the Halloween “Spirit” (pun intended!) if you dropped by Southwest Airlines Headquarters the week of Halloween—the lobby decorations that Spirit provided, as spooky as they were, were amazing! There was a haunted castle flanked by a grim reaper, a spooky American Gothic-esque farmer and his wife, a cranky witch that stirred up her bubbling cauldron when you made noise, black crows hanging out on the balcony, and, of course, those darn scary movie characters that taunted you when they sensed even the slightest bit of motion.  It was the first Halloween that the lobby had ever been decorated, but I am positive it will not be the last--the decorations were a huge hit. Of course the most important part of our Halloween collaboration wasn’t to scare our Employees and visitors, it was to make sure Gary Kelly’s 2008 Halloween costume was top notch—and boy did Spirit Halloween deliver!  Check out A Sharp Dressed Man and Southwest Airlines Halloween 2008 to see Gary and his crew (Gillian Kelley, his Executive Assistant; and Nan Barry, his Chief of Staff) in all their ZZ Top glory!  If I didn’t know better, I would have thought the actual band was roaming our halls! Although it seems like Halloween just happened and we won’t need to worry about it for another year, I guarantee that the wheels are turning at SWA as well as at Spirit Halloween Superstores to make next year’s Halloween events even bigger and better. So in 2009 when you start thinking about your costume, your skit theme, or how you want to decorate your house, remember the LUV we were all shown by the folks at Spirit Halloween in 2008.   ... View more

File this under "only at Southwest." A few days ago a bunch of Employees faced that awful vending machine problem: their drinks were stuck.  Not to worry, their Coworker was sure he could save the day; after all, it was just a little door that wouldn't open all the way.  So when Crew Scheduler Dave Stonecipher marched down the first floor hallway to the breakroom, he had a plan set in place...he would simply stick his hand in the machine and get things moving again.   Do I even need to tell you what happened next? Of course his hand got stuck. Did you really think I would blog about things working out the way he planned? I'm pretty sure an e-mail like that wouldn't have made its way around Headquarters as rapidly as the one I received with pictures of Dave with his hand stuck in the coke machine! The kicker of the story is that when someone finally got a hold of our vending company they said they could send someone out to help--first thing the next morning! After fellow Employees tried prying Dave's hand out with spoons and using everything they could to jimmy the machine door open, help finally arrived. They actually thought they might have had to break the glass to help him out but, luckily for Dave, a quick turn of a key in the machine lock did the trick.  I asked Dave if he would mind me blogging about the story; Not only did he not mind, he was pleased as punch to become a celebrity on the blog. He just wants everyone to know that in his seven years as a SWA Employee he has learned a lot of things-he just hoped not to have to learn the lesson about not sticking his hand in a coke machine first hand!     ... View more

They’re staples in our halls and offices.  They bring tidings of good joy…and bills.  They are the wonderful Employees of our Distribution Services Team!  In non-SWA talk, they would be called “the crew from the mailroom,” but they mean way more to us than that. These guys—and a gal!—deliver letters and parcels with smiles, know everyone at SWA Headquarters, and are the go-to gang for all our Culture-related events.  If we need a group of helping hands, our friends in Distribution Services always step up to the plate. In any other office building, the mailroom folks probably walk the halls, barely speaking to their customers, picking up and dropping off the mail from their boring, run-of-the-mill mailcarts—not the case at Southwest Airlines. Six months ago a new associate was added to the Distribution Services Team—Sam Leyendecker, who started his SWA Career as an Intern in Culture Activities.  Our Team would like to take all the credit for Sam being so immersed in our unique SWA Culture, but this kid was born with it.  (He was actually born in to it, his mom is a Southwest Retiree!).  Sam hadn’t been in Distribution Services a full month before he started his pet project; one that we LUVingly refer to as “Pimp My Mailcart.” Sam planned carts based on the personalities and hobbies of his Teammates. He wouldn’t tell anyone whose cart would be “pimped” or when, so it was always a surprise when they got to work in the morning and discovered their new ride. Valesca, the only girl in the crew, was the first lucky victim.  Sam planned a pink princess cart for the princess of Distribution Services.  In no time, “V” was rolling around the halls in style and everyone was patiently waiting for Sam’s next creation. Since sports talk is what he loves best, Mat’s cart is a full-on ESPN mobile, complete with a basketball hoop with a sign that promised a dollar to anyone who could make the shot.  (*Mat finally had to take the hoop off—he couldn’t afford to keep giving out dollar bills!) Manny’s car was actually planned first, but it was such a big production it had to be done a little later down the line.  Manny is our original “lowrider”, and his cart is absolutely perfect—complete with engine sounds and a Cadillac emblem! Being such an aficionado of our airplanes, there was no question how Don’s cart would be decorated.  Sam, with the help of some of his Coworkers, designed Don’s own mailcart plane, with the paint scheme of SWA’s SPIRIT One.  This one would be called “Don One”—say it out loud, you know what it sounds like—yep, Don Juan, so this plane had a little extra flair! You’d think he would be worn out by now, but you don’t know Sam.  There were many more carts to design: Alan had just given up drinking Dr. Pepper, so of course he needed a constant reminder in the form of his cart being designed to look like a Dr. Pepper can; “Wild” Bill’s smaller cart looks like a Texas twister and is full of color; and there’s no mistaking who the “Three Stooges” cart belongs to- Ced, Jay, and, David (they share a cart)! People wait for these pimped-out carts to round the corner carrying the mail, but everyone wondered—why wasn’t Sam’s cart done?  In no time, the Distribution Services gang got Sam, and they got him good.  Sam is a huge Oklahoma football fan, so he was thrilled to come to work one day and see his very own “Boomer Sooner”—he can even sit inside it! If we let Sam loose too long, who knows what he might decide to “pimp” next…watch your car, Gary!       ... View more

     Halloween is always a big deal at Southwest Airlines.  Between the decorating and costume contests at all of our stations, our Flight Attendants sporting Halloween “flair” with their uniforms, and the incredible Haunted Headquarters celebration, this is one holiday that we really take pride in “owning.”  Maybe Halloween is so serious around here because all of our Employees are encouraged to be themselves all the time; so on a day when crazy costumes and outrageous personalities are the norm, we take our uniqueness to another level.      If you don’t know about what really goes on, you can check out last year’s Haunted Headquarters celebration on YouTube. (Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL87yTtX9b0  yep, that’s me rapping as SWAnilla Ice!) The video is titled “The Ultimate Teambuilding,” and that’s exactly what it is.  Some of the closest friendships at SWA started because we were dance partners in past Halloween skits, and in a Company this size, I don’t believe I would have even had a chance to really get to know them otherwise.         Our Employees rehearse for months to put on shows and create top-notch walk through shows for other departments and visitors, all in the spirit of friendly competition, and it is wild.  It's truly a day of fun, and you’d better be wearing a costume or you will stick out like a sore thumb.  Of course, the true spectacle on Halloween day is seeing our own CEO/President/Chairman, Gary Kelly, emerge from his office in the morning in his costume.  The costume is top secret until Halloween morning, and Gary tries to outdo himself every year; he has never failed.  Seeing this big guy walking the halls decked out as Gene Simmons or wearing a pink sequined dress as Edna Turnblad reminds us all that even though he is the head honcho, Gary is really just one of us!       This year’s celebration is going to be bigger and better than ever.  Southwest Airlines has partnered with Spirit Halloween Superstores to make sure that not only our Employees get in to the spirit of the holiday, but also our Customers.  Spirit Halloween is the largest Halloween retailer with stores located throughout the United States.  Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, Spirit is also involved in the communities they serve through a program called Spirit of Children, which benefits child life departments within children’s hospitals and rehabilitation centers across the United States.      In the weeks leading up to Halloween, look for coupons to be given out on some of our flights that will get you great discounts at Spirit Halloween stores. Also, the company has given us decorations for the ticket counters in all 64 of our SWA Cities.  For Halloween day, Spirit has provided some goodies to our Flight Attendants to pass out on flights to folks who are as much into the celebration as we are (maybe you‘ll wear a costume or tell a ghost story on your flight, or at least wear orange and black!)        The cherry on top of this sweet partnership is that Spirit Halloween Superstores will be providing Gary’s costume—so you know it will be fantastic.  What in the world is he going to be this year?  We had a blog posted a few weeks ago taking suggestions, but what do you think he decided on?           If you want to check out all that Spirit Halloween Superstores has to offer, go to www.spirithalloween.com or call 1-800-COSTUME to find a store near you.  On their web site, you can join the Spirit Secret Society for even more discounts!      I’ll post another blog about all of our Halloween happenings once the day has passed, but for now, I’m off to skit practice.  All Headquarters departments compete fiercely before our judges, and I am betting that the Executive Office will win this year!     ... View more

“When I grow up…” that musical masterpiece by the Pussycat Dolls, has been playing over and over in my head for about a week now…and I’m about at my wit’s end.  It’s not that it’s a bad song (or a particularly good one) but for some reason, the high pitched part of the chorus that goes “Be careful what you wish for cuz’ you just might get it, cuz’ you just might get it, cuz’ you just might get it,” has become for me the stuff nightmares are made of.  I spent the last several days traveling for work, the lovely Pussycat Dolls song playing in my mind the entire time.  On the flight home, I found a discarded copy of the latest issue of Time magazine, the one with a big picture of Barak Obama’s face on it in honor of the Democratic National Convention, the one that would surely in no way lead to yet another song getting stuck in my brain on repeat; boy was I fooled.  After scouring over articles on Obama, his family, his campaign aides, and opinion pieces on the party, there was one page—ONE PAGE—dedicated to typical Time content like current events and quotes.  Lo and behold, what did I see, but a piece about the definitive summer song of 2008.  It turns out there isn’t one particular song that stands out from the crowd like Rhianna’s “Umbrella” did last year (“ella, ella, ella…”), but the song that comes closest is Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long.”  You know the one: it mixes the hook from “Sweet Home Alabama” and the piano from “Werewolf in London” behind some sugary sweet lyrics that are impossible not to sing along to.  Yep, that one. How many of you right now are “Singing “Sweet Home Alabama’ all summer long…”?  Good, now I know I’m not alone.  Well, Pussycat Dolls, you have finally (thankfully!) been replaced.  But why were you even there in the first place?  I’m a big enough dork that I actually turned to google for the answer.  I found this great site: http://www.exploratorium.edu/music/questions/earworm.html.  It explains that there is actually a science behind this annoyance and these songs that get stuck in our minds are technically called “earworms.”  Gross.  I decided to blog about this for a few reasons.  One, because I am evil, and I know there will be a handful of you cursing me for getting that darned Kid Rock song stuck in your head for the next few days. Two, because I want to know what songs haunt you.  Don’t be embarrassed, according to that website it’s songs from our first fifteen years of life that seem to sneak up when we least expect it and drive us crazy. And, finally, I want to know if anyone has any good tips for getting these songs out of our heads! In the meantime, I’ll busy finding an ear “dewormer”.  Eww.   ... View more

I’m never prepared for this.  Three times a year, I find myself dealing with some really strange feelings—those darn “goodbye” emotions that I am just terrible at. You may have read about our Southwest Airlines No Limits Internship Program and all the incredible things the Interns get to do during their tenure at the Company. But today, I hope to shed some light on what the Employees go through with each new group of “kids” that come in and go out of our crazy Southwest lives. They arrive their first day all bright-eyed and bushy tailed, and everyone smiles and gives them a typical warm and cheery Southwest Airlines welcome, all the while waiting to meet the real personalities of these “youngsters” ; it’s not long before they come out.  Every semester, without fail, we get shy Interns, outgoing Interns, Mr.  & Ms. Popularity Interns, budding stand-up comic Interns, and every type of Intern in between.  It’s amazing to see the personalities develop within the group and to watch the strong bonds of friendship that some of them form as they learn about each others’ departments and use their flight privileges to travel like maniacs all over the SWA System!  It’s always a little more exciting when there are Interns around the office.  If they aren’t telling college stories that bring memories rushing back to us all, they are schooling us on the latest trends, amazing us with their stellar Excel skills, and teaching us how to use Facebook to its maximum potential.  And it’s only during Intern season that you can see a bunch of college kids sprinting through the halls of Headquarters trying to win the coveted title of Amazing Race Champions. This summer semester was a little different for the Executive Office; we had three Interns: Cody Conover, Taylor Trncak, and Paige Gonzalez.  Some of you might recognize their names; all three of them are true “Southwest Babies.”  I am here to tell you that, while their names may have gotten their resumes a second look, these three kids earned their way in to the cubicles (and hearts) here at SWA Headquarters.  When given tasks, they finished them with such SPIRIT (and with so much laughter), that it was hard to not want to jump in and work alongside them…so we all did.  As usual, our Interns quickly became part of our Family, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.  I am trying not to admit it to myself, but the last round of Interns is back at school and/or have gone on to successful careers in all sorts of different fields.  In my heart, and I know I am not alone, I secretly wish that all of them will come right back here where they belong.   Some of the Interns actually will be hired right out of the program, but the majority of them aren’t quite finished with college, so we have to let them go.  And here is where the hard part comes in. Their last week is filled with storytelling and picture taking, final trips to favorite lunch spots, lots of big hugs, and even a few tears.  (This goes on with every group of Interns that passes through.)  We can only hope that our “kids” take away as much from Southwest Airlines as they have left with us, that they continue to Live the Southwest Way, and, no matter what, that they always keep LUV in their hearts. So as hard as it will be to send them all out into the world,  our new crop of SWA Interns arrives today. But can we please figure out a way to avoid this whole “goodbye” thing next time?  To all our Summer 2008 Interns: Thanks for everything, you guys! It’s been a pleasure to work with you and we will miss you all! LUV, Your Southwest Family ... View more

The children of deployed servicemen and women sacrifice a lot when their parent (or, in some cases, both parents) leave home to serve our country.  So when it came time to plan this year’s Companywide Share the Spirit event, we didn’t have a very hard decision to make once we learned about Operation Homefront. Operation Homefront is an organization that works to provide emergency assistance and morale to our troops, to the families they leave behind, and to wounded warriors when they return home.  The organization serves all branches of the armed forces, including active duty, Guard, and Reserve. One of their major needs this year was new school supplies for the children of the families they support; thus was born The Southwest Airlines Backpack Brigade!  The call went out to every SWA location in all 64 of our cities asking for donations of three-ring binders, markers, colored pencils, ballpoint pens, highlighters, pencils, pink erasers, pocket folders, kids’ scissors, pencil sharpeners, and pencil cases—and boy did our Employees come through!  The donations came in by the truckload, and we were able to exceed our goal of filling 1,000 backpacks for some very deserving boys and girls! Once all the supplies were collected and sorted at SWA Headquarters, several of our Culture Committee Members volunteered their time to stuff the pink and green camouflage book bags. Once they were ready to go, a military cargo truck joined us on campus to carry the packed bags off into the sunset-- but of course we couldn’t let them go without a special, Southwest-style celebration! Representatives from the military and Operation Homefront joined Herb and Colleen** and Southwest Employees in one of our Maintenance Hangars to present backpacks full of school supplies to three very appreciative Operation Homefront Military Families.   (**The Backpack Brigade project was in honor of Herb and Colleen and their inspirational leadership of Southwest and their unwavering support for education and the military.)  Hundreds of SWA Employees lined the fence along the runway at our Headquarters behind Dallas Love Field waving red, white, and blue pompoms as Herb and Colleen led the Military Truck (filled with 1,000 backpacks!) to our Dallas Cargo Facility for shipping.  Within two days, Operation Homefront offices in Chicago, San Diego, Orlando, Phoenix, San Antonio, El Paso, Columbus, Nashville, and Portland received their backpacks and couldn’t wait to get them in to the hands of deserving families in their areas!  Since so many of our Southwest Employees have had family members in the military, and so many have served themselves, this particular project hit us very close to home.  But, no matter what the cause, when a call to action is sent out to our SWA “troops”, there is never a doubt that expectations will be exceeded and all needs will be met.  So, to all the Employees who donated supplies, wrote sweet notes to the schoolchildren, and came out to “back the Brigade”, the Share the Spirit committee sincerely thanks you. And to all the kids out there who give us your moms and dads so that we have the Freedom to Move About the Country, the entire Southwest Airlines Family sends our LUV and thanks to you!     ... View more

We wanted a dog, we got a baby sister; luckily she turned out pretty great, or we would have totally traded her in for that dog. As of Monday, July 7, 2008, at 9:05 a.m., my baby sister, Margot Ashton Messina, the “baby Nunu”, officially became a college graduate.  I was lucky enough to spend her last official weekend as a College of Charleston student with her in Charleston, South Carolina, and that’s when I decided to write this blog.  (**I flew SWA in to Jacksonville, FL, then drove a quick 3.5 hours to Charleston—so worth the drive!) I’m not really the weepy type, but for some reason, seeing Margot in her element just got to me.  I watched in awe as she and her best girlfriends Patrice (“Pat Rice”) and Natalie (“Nat G.”) walked around the great Low Country like they were government officials—they knew everyone on the street, at the beach, and, of course, in the packed college bars.  It suddenly hit me that Margot is not a baby anymore, and I wanted her to know how much I have enjoyed watching her get to this important turning point in her life. So, Margot, I was in third grade when you were born.  I remember being called out of Mrs. LeGrande’s class because I had a phone call in the principal’s office—8lbs, 8 oz, a healthy baby girl.  What I didn’t find out until I saw you for the first time was that babies are sometimes born with pointy heads and bad skin—I was worried sick but never let anyone know; you (and your many chins) were just awesome to me.  (Don’t worry, her head is normal and she has long since grown out of that skin and those chins, but that is my first memory of my little sister.) You sat there happily and let me dress you up and spike your hair with mousse. You were a very happy little kid, but seemed to cry louder than any other baby in the universe. Remember when you got sick at Callaway Gardens during the play?  As gross as it was, it’s one of my best Margot memories. I can still hear your raspy, pack-a-day little voice delivering those spectacular student council election speeches and belting out tunes from The Lion King soundtrack ; your love for Jonathan Taylor Thomas was just adorable—I love that you named your first dog Max because JTT had a dog with the same name.  You soon got over JTT and moved on to Leonardo DiCaprio.  Have you gotten over Leo yet?  Of course you have, you had to make room for Kevin from the Backstreet Boys.  For such a cool little kid-- one who wore Airwalks, one who could Rollerblade rings around the boys, one who met Hootie, one who swam right up to Sting to say hello while all the adults pretended he wasn’t there-- your teeny bopper side still shines through; I like to take all the credit for that.  Working with you at Ripples was one of my favorite times; only you and I can break into “At Ripples…” at any time and get such a kick out of it.  And I think you, Mimi, and I will forever startle at the first downbeat of “All I want for Christmas is You”—how many days of holiday camp did we wake to that? As you got a little older, and started growing out of your snaggletooth phase, you moved to Florida where you would finish high school.  I was concerned; New Orleans is in our blood, what would those beach dwellers think of Margot and her funny obsession with Rent?  As usual, I had nothing to worry about.  You fit right in, becoming a soccer star and hostess of some of the best parties those Niceville kids had ever seen.  When those snotty girls left you out of prom plans, you let it roll off your back in typical Margot fashion while your family was ready to kill.  Where did you come from? It’s like you took my silliness and mixed it with Mimi’s (our big sister) tell-it-like-it-is attitude and came up with this laid back, brilliantly funny, all around cool chick; the perfect balance for all the drama that has surrounded the family since before you were born.  (Would we spell it Margo?  Margeaux? Would people pronounce the “t” if we spelled it that way? Such serious issues!) So here we are today.  You blossomed the second you stepped foot on that campus in Charleston and met your friends.  I am not sure I will ever really get over you pledging Chi Omega (it hurts my Tri Delta heart!), but I know you found your place.  You have some of the best friends anyone could ask for.  I have never laughed so hard as when spending time with you, Pat Rice, Nat G, and the rest of the gang (when is Dave’s show premiering?).  You lived in Italy and were just a rock star all over Europe.  I’m not sure I could have done that at your age. You and I can now share clothes and shoes and have some of the funniest conversations on earth—there are not many other people  I can say are genuinely concerned about the well-being of Britney Spears the way we are, or who appreciate YouTube performances from Rent, Wicked, Kelly Clarkson, and Tony & JC the way we do-- and I couldn’t love it more.  I can now confess that I secretly loved when you would call and try to bribe me to write your papers for you; you knew I would have happily done all of them for you, but I knew you were perfectly capable and just had a raging case of college procrastination disease, so I had to practice “tough love”. I know you are thinking, “Why is Mallory writing a blog about me,” and the answer is simple:  I am so proud of you and can’t wait to see what happens next in your life.  I know you are at an age where you don’t want listen to life or career advice from anyone, but I will take this forum to shamelessly promote Southwest Airlines and to tell you that you are a perfect candidate to work for the Company.  If Colleen Barrett knew you the way I do, she would probably put your picture next to the definition of Living the Southwest Way—you have a huge Servant’s Heart, an unwavering Warrior Spirit, and the biggest Fun-LUVing Attitude on earth.  Just keep that in mind as you begin your search for a career path.  Even if you don’t end up at SWA, just remember you can do anything and that you possess those qualities that will help you ride straight to the top of any organization. You are a grown up now.  I don’t know if there are other older siblings out there that have gone through this when they realize the baby of the family is no longer a little squirt.  (It’s not helping me during my crisis over turning 30, either!)  I have a hard time believing you can drink legally or drive a car, let alone graduate from college.  If only dad were around to see this, he would be even more proud than I am, I just know it.  I’m sure he would be telling everyone about his girl graduating from college and beginning her takeover of the world. Nunu, you’ve taken everything life has handed you and made the absolute best of it, and I don’t think dad or any of us could have asked for anything more.  No, this isn’t your “official” graduation present, that will be a surprise, but I hope you know how much your big sister loves (and LUVs!) you and is on the edge of her seat waiting for your next move.  Xoxo, Mal P.S.- Margot, you can search for jobs at SWA here:   ... View more