I am in my late 30s, and by late, I mean 39. As late as it gets. So, we can just say that I have had some wonderful people in my life and been looking for love for a long while. Earlier this year on a Southwest flight from Denver, CO, to Austin, TX, my life was forever changed.
As I always try to book with my favorite carrier whenever possible, it is no coincidence that I was on Southwest Airlines when I met Jesica, the girl of my dreams. What was coincidental was the person in the middle seat that welcomed me into the row soon before the doors were closing. It was such an amazing coincidence that I will now spend the rest of my life with her!
As I walked down the aisle, hoping to not be climbing over guests that were already seated, I could not believe I found an empty spot in the aisle! After noticing a 2-year old in the window, I figured this must be the reason for my luck, and excitedly, I sat down. It was about that time I noticed the beautiful girl in the middle that seemed to intentionally look away. As we took off and everyone settled in, things got fun!
Now realize, this is only a two-hour flight, but in those two hours, I really did fall in love. After conversations about her time in Wyoming working on a dude ranch, her incredible past experiences at work, and also about traveling abroad, we found we had a lot in common. Just beyond the work chat, we realized there was a spark!
Now, I can’t tell you the exact moment I fell for her, but I can tell you that as we arrived in Austin, we departed the plane together--me, my new friend, and her nephew that was in the window seat. All feeling close at this point, as cheesy as it sounds, there was an exact moment that I felt full of joy, almost as if we were walking off the plane as a team! I know I fell in love on that flight, and the following Monday, we became inseparable … even though we lived almost an hour apart.
Exactly one year later, I booked us on a round-trip weekend to Denver to enjoy the mountains of Breckenridge and celebrate our anniversary of that momentous flight. On the 6:25 a.m. departure from Austin back to Denver, while she was asleep in her chair, I made my way to the front of the plane to rally my team of helpers (the Southwest Flight Crew) to call Jesica to the front of the plane. She awoke to an announcement summoning her to the front of the plane. Right then, with everyone watching (some others sleeping) I came out into the head of the isle and asked her to marry me. She said yes!
I can not wait to see her walk down another isle this fall, as we both say I DO, and remember that flight in February (or rather those two flights in February) that will shape the rest of our lives.
Thank you to everyone from Southwest for making travel so great, and for changing my life in the best way possible. It was truly love at first flight.
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