How I Met My Husband on New Year’s Eve
Do you ever take flights on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day? It’s typically a great time to find light loads and cheaper fares. My husband and I traditionally love to fly on New Year’s Eve, ever since the day we met…
New Year’s Eve has never been that big of a deal to me. Still, I like the excuse for a celebration, so on New Year’s Eve 10 years ago I picked up a trip working from New York to San Diego. I brought along homemade brownies and the ingredients for pear mimosas for the crew once we got there.
That flight was a festive one, with the crew in party mode since it was New Year’s Eve. I was the Purser (lead flight attendant) on that flight, meaning I had the responsibilities of making announcements and taking care of any problems that might arise in flight. Normally that would mean I was mostly stationed in First Class, but again, we were in a festive mood, and I was often walking to the back of the plane to chat with the flight attendants back there.
Each time I passed through Business Class, the passenger in 9H smiled at me. I told my galley flight attendant, John, “9H thinks I’m cute, he keeps smiling at me.” John was himself married to a flight attendant and always liked to see fellow co-workers happily matched. He walked by 9H and came back saying, “He’s cute…go for it”!
Although the flight was relatively easy, I was kept busy and every time I stopped to chat with 9H I got interrupted. The seatbelt sign would come on so I had to make an announcement and check for compliance, a crewmember would need my assistance with something, the cockpit would want something, etc. So I barely got to talk to 9H.
Then, at the end of the flight, as I walked down the aisle, 9H was standing there waiting for the lavatory. We talked for just a few minutes, but enough for me to say I was planning to move to San Diego in 2 months and for him to mention an EX-girlfriend. I figured he was interested in me, but didn’t want for him to give me his number forcing me to be the one to call him. I jotted down my email address on my business card and as he deplaned, I gave it to him. (I thought he would be giving me his card, which he had planned to do, but since 8 of us flight attendants were festively at the door saying goodbye, he didn’t think it was appropriate timing. He had planned to wait for me in the terminal.)
Well, when I returned home from my trip, I had an email from him. (This was before we had email on our phones…can you believe there was such a time?) We began emailing for a couple of weeks, then started talking on the phone. It was the last trip of January when I finally got another trip to San Diego and we went out for dinner. We had developed a friendship by that time, and, as the saying goes, “The rest is history.” We dated long-distance for 1.5 years; I moved to San Diego, then 1.5 years after that we got married in November 2006.
“9H” is Wally Henry, professional sailboat racer, America’s Cup Champion, my wonderful husband, and father to Ella and John. He’s flown nearly 3 million miles. With that kind of meeting we were destined to be a traveling family. I love the travel opportunities we both get through our jobs. I am excited about all the adventures that await us!
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