It's Official: NWA and Delta Merger

All I can say is, I hope Delta decides to keep the Memphis hub...

Here's an e-mail I received this morning about the merger:

As a valued Northwest Airlines customer and WorldPerks^® member, I wanted you to be among the first to hear that we have announced a merger with Delta Air Lines. Subject to regulatory review, our two airlines are joining forces to create America’s premier global airline which, upon closing of the merger, will be called Delta Air Lines.

By combining Northwest and Delta, we are building a stronger, more resilient airline that will be a leader in providing customer service and value. Our combined airline will offer unprecedented access to the world, enabling you to fly to more destinations, have more flight choices and more ways than ever to earn and redeem your WorldPerks miles.

You can be assured that your WorldPerks miles and Elite program status will be unaffected by this merger. In addition, you can continue to earn miles through use of partners like WorldPerks Visa^®. And once the new Delta Air Lines emerges you can look forward to being a part of the world’s largest frequent flyer program with expanded benefits.

The combined Delta Air Lines will serve more U.S. communities and connect to more worldwide destinations than any global airline. Our hubs – both Delta’s and Northwest’s – will be retained and enhanced. We will be the only U.S. airline to offer direct service from the United States to all of the world’s major business centers in Asia, Latin America, Europe, Africa and around North America.

Both airlines bring tremendous strengths to this new partnership. Our complementary service networks form an end-to-end system that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. This is a merger by addition, not subtraction, which means all of our hubs – both Northwest’s and Delta’s – will be retained. In addition, building on both airlines’ proud, decades-long history of serving small communities, we plan to enhance global connections to small towns and cities across the U.S.

All of these positive benefits of our combination mean that we can:

• Offer a true global network where our customers will be able to fly to more destinations, have more schedule options and more opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles in what will become the world’s best and most comprehensive frequent flyer program.
• Continue to serve our current roster of destinations and to maintain our hubs in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Salt Lake City, Amsterdam and Tokyo.
• Improve our customers’ travel experience, through new products and services including enhanced self-service tools, better bag-tracking technology, more onboard services, including more meal options, new seats and refurbished cabins.

While we work to secure approval of our merger, which may take up to 6 to 8 months, it will be business-as-usual at both airlines. We will continue to operate as independent airlines and the people of Northwest will remain focused on providing you with the very best in safe, reliable and convenient air travel. At the same time, both airlines will be planning for a seamless integration of our two airlines, one that delivers to you the enhanced benefits that will earn – and retain – your preference.

As we work through this process, we will keep you informed at every step along the way. Thank you for your business and we look forward to serving you on your next Northwest flight.

Sincerely,

Bob Soukup
Managing Director, WorldPerks

Big Update

Okay- the last few weeks, if not the last few hours, have been a blurr. I've enjoyed it, but my life has swirled around me at such a rapid pace that I feel lucky to arrive anywhere on time, with my thoughts organized.

Here's a brief summary of the month:

--> visited LA (Santa Monica, Malibu, and Burbank)

--> visited Santa Barbara, California

--> visited Savannah, Georgia

--> worked a lot (end of Q1 coming up next week)

--> networked

--> spent time with friends

The past week has been extra exciting. Last Wednesday, I flew to Georgia to visit my brother and his family (thanks Robbie for dropping me off!). He is on leave for a few days from this current assignment in Baghdad. I got a chance to see my parents, brother and his wife, 4 kids, 3 dogs, 1 turtle, 1 hamster, and various friends and fish. Ha. :) It was busy! The nephew turned 8, so that was fun.

On Saturday morning, I flew back to Memphis (thanks Jessica for picking me up!). I went to see the final regularly scheduled RiverKings game in Miss. that evening. Of course, they won. :~) They're in the play-offs now.

Sunday was Easter. Unfortunately, the spa was closed, but fortunately brunch was open. I had a wonderful, music filled brunch at Boscos Squared in Midtown. Sunday night, I made ribs and watched The Waitress. :~)

Monday was very possibly one of the most random days I've had in a while. After work, I thought I would go home and have a quiet evening alone- possibly baking, or something else requiring little to no concentration. On my way home, a friend from the building called and asked me to meet him and 3 friends at the Westin for Monday night happy hour. How could I turn it down? So, I stopped by- for one hour. Determined to have a quiet night, I headed home. Before I made it into the elevator, I ran into another neighbor. He was just getting back from the airport, from a trip that had kept him out of town for over a week. He asked me to dinner and still in my suit and carrying my work bag, we took off immediately for India Palace in Midtown. Dinner was great! About midway through the meal, another neighbor called and asked to stop by and eat with us. So, he did, which was great. Almost finally back home, we get a phone call from two neighbors walking home who need a ride. We swing back around and pick them up. Before we've even made it back home, a plan has formed for cards and darts back in our building. Needless to say, my quiet night at home ended around midnight, when I finally made it home. It was great fun. Did I mention that I won at darts twice? :~)

Yesterday wasn't quite as random as Monday, but just as busy. I started off with meetings first thing in the morning at 8 AM. The meetings continued up until it was time to go home. After work, I went horseback riding in Germantown. After horseback riding, I visited a neighbor, cooked dinner, and showered. Then, I was off to a party planning meeting. Immediately following the party planning meeting, I went for drinks at Le Chardonnay in Midtown. Again, didn't get home until close to midnight. Wow!

Tonight, I absolutely must get more rest. I'm meeting a friend right after work for drinks. After that meeting, I'm going to have to go home and just lay on the couch. I'm exhausted!

Thursday, Ballet Memphis is having an open rehearsal at lunch from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM at 100 Peabody Place in Downtown Memphis. You should check it out!

Also on tap for this week:

* Wine event at the Memphis Zoo

* Happy Mexican dance club opening

* Trolley Tour

* Blake's Birthday

* The Spa...!!!

See you again soon. Hope your week is exciting...!

I'm Okay, Safe, and Sound.

Hi everyone,

Thank you for the many phone calls, text messages, and emails last night and today. As you may know, I was in Denver yesterday on buiness and flew back in last night.

Not long after flying in, the temperature in Memphis dropped from 75 to 45 degrees. That drop created a dangerous weather situation that generated at least 3 tornados in Memphis. One was right near my work and one came reasonbly close to where I live.

When I flew in last night, I was aware of the weather situation and drove home to work from here before the winds got up to a predicted 80 miles an hour. Horseback riding was of course canceled too.

Everything is perfectly fine. I wasn't even out in the rain, and my car was safe from the hail in my garage.

Thanks again for thinking of me. I'm safe and happy here in Memphis.

Angie

Thanksgiving Recap: Horses, Food, and Family

I just woke up, but before I jump back on the road to head to Memphis, it's time for a re-cap of the weekend. As mentioned previously, I've been in Oklahoma City this Thanksgiving holiday.

The first part of the weekend, I spent with one half of my family in OKC. We had Thanksgiving dinner, went shopping, and I went to the spa (see previous post).

Yesterday, I went to Shawnee, OK and spent the day with my family there. We started with lunch and then went to a farm to go horseback riding. I haven't been in quite a few years, so I had a fun time. After riding, we went to a cool new pub called Knuckles where I lost in pool against my little brother. My brothers were once so tiny that they'd lay across the pool table to take a shot, but no more. They're fully capable of beating me in almost everything now and it SUCKS! ha. After pool, we went to visit one of my brothers' friends who LOVES to play Guitar Hero. Together, they taught me to play, so now I'm ready to set up the Guitar Hero game that I got for my birthday. Looking forward to it!

Here are a few photos.

Thanks and Giving

To my surprise, I'm in Oklahoma City yesterday evening. At the last minute, I decided to come here for Thanksgiving with my family. I'm very much looking forward to it. I remembered to bring a bottle of wine, which hopefully I won't forget in my suitcase! (hint)

Anyway, the drive here was much more pleasant than normal-- significantly so. One of my friends from high recently moved to Arkansas, around midway between Memphis and OKC. I stopped at his place on the way and he drove the rest of the way. It was perfect!

More to come later...

New Year, New Goals

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a birthday recently. Thanks to everyone who made it out or sent their well wishes. It was one of the best birthdays ever!



In all, around 30 people joined me in my celebration which snaked along the Downtown Memphis trolley from Harry's Detour to Circa to EP's Delta Kitchen to Earnestine & Hazel's. It was wonderful!


Because I'm getting older this year, I've been thinking about the goals I'd like to acheive this year. My biggest goal is to try new things and to devote a significant amount of time to being happy. That's fairly general, I know. But, I've spent the better part of the last 10 years trying to "achieve." I'm finally to a place where I'd like to "enjoy!"


Along those lines, I'd also like to take more time to get back into things I haven't done in a while like horseback riding. I'd like to take more time to travel. I'm considering even trading in my practical car for something sporty.


And, after having fun and enjoying, I'd also like to document! In other words, I'll try to blog more and take and share more photos.


Along those lines, I'm going to go ahead and post photos of my early years to Facebook, and maybe here. For starters, here's me enjoying my first birthday and doing what I do best, eating!

Net Impact Rockstar Conference Registration Now Open!

November 1st to 3rd, 2007, Nashville, Tennessee

Join us in Nashville!

Rockstar Registration is now open for the 2007 Net Impact Conference, taking place November 1-3 in Nashville. Register before June 15th to receive $100 off the regular registration price!

What will you do next to make our world more sustainable? This November, more than 1,500 graduate business students and professionals will come up with an answer. The 2007 Net Impact Conference will challenge attendees to think deeply about current issues and trends in the business world, while engaging them to take an action-oriented plan for change back to their communities.

Comprised of keynote speakers, panel discussions, networking opportunities, case competitions, debates, and much more, the 2007 curriculum will feature cutting-edge business leaders from around the world speaking on the following themes:

• Corporate Impact
• Leadership & Career
• The Social Sector
• Business and the Environment
• The Business of Health
• International Development

Attendees will also have the opportunity to pursue their career aspirations by networking with over 60 of the top for and nonprofit companies at the 2007 Net Impact Career Expo

Clean Commuting Gets Creative

Molly Lavik (my MBA-school professor) and Jeff Rozic have come up with an exciting idea and they need your help!

They've created a new web site, StartUpTime.com, where you'll find an animated story about the "Commuter Pod." The Commuted Pod is a creative concept by Mentorography. It's the environmentally friendly car of the future and I hear that they're looking to actually manufacture it here in the US!

The way that you can help them is to submit your ideas for the next Commuter Pod webisode video. So, go to StartUpTime.com and check it out!

Travel Buddy-- Looks Like I Need to Travel a Little More!!