Tuesday, January 24, 2023
You all were so sweet and complimentary about my last story time that I thought I would do it again. Did I ever tell you that I got the Teacher Superlative last year for “Most Likely to Have a Talk Show”? Ha!
So, this story is a little different than last week’s that highlighted my sister’s thoughtful and touching gesture to me.
And, I can’t believe I found photos from this very day!
My Dad was a pilot in the Air Force and then flew for a private chemical company in my hometown. The owner of the company was also a pilot and liked to fly his salespeople and engineers to different places where they did business. My Dad had so much fun with this job after retiring from the military and everyone felt so confident with him at the helm as a former fighter pilot.
One of the perks of the job was that my Dad got to use the plane for personal use sometimes. On this occasion my mom was teaching in China for a semester with a special program, but the rest of my family at the time was heading to a family gathering about 45 minutes away by plane.
Tom was co-pilot for most of the flight because he had dreams of flying, too. My sister Molly and her boyfriend (now husband) Jason were in the plane, Kate and her first ex-husband (sorry, Kate!) were in the plane, and I think I brought up the rear. I think the plane was a 6 or 8 seater, so it wasn’t very big.
We had packed food for the family gathering that consisted of cookies, dips, and several bags of chips. The food was all behind the seats of the plane.
It was a very turbulent flight and I was white knuckling it. I think it was winter and it was very windy. I’m a nervous flyer. There was no flight attendant to bring me alcohol and I hadn’t provided my own.
I guess I was chatting with my sisters and suddenly we heard a loud pop. I thought for sure a wing had been hit by something or the engine had blown. It was that loud. I looked up toward the cockpit and my Dad and Tom looked normal and were not panicking. My sisters and I looked at each other wide-eyed but nothing seemed amiss.
I happened to turn around and could see that all the bags of chips were open at the top. That was what the loud pop was! The air pressure opened them all at the same time! Whew! It was a bit embarrassing arriving with opened bags of chips swearing that we didn’t eat out of them on the plane. But, luckily there was no aircraft emergency.
And I will leave you with a dip recipe. I know I had a dip to take to this gathering because I’m a dip girl!
Easy Taco Dip:
2 packages of cream cheese (can use light)
16 oz sour cream (can use light)
I pkg./envelope taco seasoning
Blend together and top with chopped tomatoes, shredded Mexican cheese, and bell pepper, olives, and jalapeños if desired. You can really top with anything you like.
Serve with tortilla chips.
I think you will be surprised by how yummy this combo is!
If you are still here, thanks for listening to my story time!
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
OH that is too funny; that would have freaked me out too!
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Ha! Thank you!
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What a fun story and the pictures are fabulous, I bet it seems like just yesterday sometimes but so much has happened since.
How cool to be able to just fly somewhere like that and that is hysterical that all the chip bags popped open!
xo,
Kellyann
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Thank you! It does in a way and in another way it seems a lifetime ago.
I know – it was pretty cool!
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Look at how adorable you and Tom are! I love his long hair…I see a lot of him in your sons, now that I’ve seen younger Tom. This was a great story to read about! Thank you for sharing it with us…so in the picture with all of you, which sister is which? I love knowing things like that so I can put faces and names together. I love learning about people’s families! That dip sounds amazing…I will have to try this. We LOVE Mexican food!
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Thank you! I always went for guys with long-ish hair. Yes, they look like a mix of both of us I think. I should put more younger pics of them because you will really see it. I love Mexican food so much!
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Oh that’s a funny one! You guys seriously look like Barbie and Ken 🙂
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Ha! I haven’t heard that before, but I will take it. Tom’s hair was so long! See why he has hair issues now?
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I had to take a small plane from Ohio to Michigan once and that loud pop would have scared the crap out of me!!
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I know, right! Small planes make you feel every little bump, too!
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Your dad was so cool! This story is the best lol! I love all of the photos
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He was! Thank you so much.
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OMG, a Cessna Caravan! I love that plane! My husband flew skydivers in a Caravan when I met him, and I always thought that plane is so cool. They use it as a bush plane in the jungle, did you know that?
You look so young all of you! I love it!
And then you end it with a recipe… I just love it!
btw… one of you videos showed up in my daughter’s tik tok feed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3rd time: I love it! ❤ ❤ ❤
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I always forget that you know your planes! Did you share the story with your hub? I didn’t know that. My Dad enjoyed that plane. We did look so young. Can you get those ingredients in Sweden? You might have to make your own taco seasoning.
Do you have street cred since you know a viral TikTok star? Is your daughter impressed? Hahahaha
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Of course I told my husband about your dad flying the Cessna Caravan! It was actually he that identified it when I showed him the pictures. Here you go under the name “My Kentucky Lady”. 😀
Oh yeah, we have that ingredients here. Fun fact: a huge part of the Swedish population eat tacos on Fridays! Taco Friday!
Of course everyone is impressed that I know you! 😀
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This is such a fun story! It is so crazy to look back on pictures from the 90’s. I hardly have any pictures, and of course we all look so young. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you! I was pretty much the group photographer. I think I have more pics than the average person because I always had a small camera with me I think. I was a newspaper reporter in high school and college for a year, so maybe that’s why!
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Okay, the loud pop on a plane would absolutely have freaked me out!!!
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Right? I was so scared!
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One of the missionary pilots that I grew up with had a similar story, but instead of bags of chips his cargo was another missionary that had recently passed away but needed to be transported from his station to the city. Halfway through the flight, the dead body in the back sat straight up from the changes in pressure!!!! Can you even IMAGINE?!? You’d better believe that story went down in missionary infamy!
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