Well folks, the rumors are sadly true. You may have heard it on the streets or read about it in the tabloids, but yes, I am leaving AufderHeide Flying Service. On Monday I begin my new job in community development for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. I will be covering 20 counties in Southeast Arkansas and will travel frequently to work with elected officials and community leaders and assist them in building a better community and making Arkansas a better place to live. I am super excited about the position and am looking forward to this new chapter in my career. (And somewhat normal working hours! :) )
That being said... I sure am going to miss the ol' DeWitt Municipal Airport! ... When I began this little venture at the beginning of February, it was supposed to be just that, a little venture. I thought I'd help mom with dad, help mom a few weeks after dad passed away and help Matthew with the flying service. Well, that turned into a half-year career of Office Manager, Secretary, Scheduler, Meteorologist, Cleaning Lady, Mechanic (http://aufderheideflying.blogspot.com/2011/04/just-lil-airplane-mechanicin.html), Therapist, veterinarian,and 3-Ring Circus Leader all while working the hours of 5am-8pm and living with my mother 6 nights a week. Whew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it!
...And if that wasn't enough, somewhere along the way I got the bright idea to become a "blogger" and document all the craziness around this place for your amusement and entertainment! (And perhaps to help offset my ADD) I don't know exactly what I was thinking when I started all of these shenanigans. I've never consider myself a writer and still don't really... but I've sure had alot of fun!
I hope I've given you a little behind the scenes look at what goes on at a flying service and a little peek at the lives of the crop dusters, ground crew, and most importantly... their schedulers! I hope I've introduced you to some new faces. (http://aufderheideflying.blogspot.com/2011/05/business-in-front-party-in-back.html) I hope you've been able to see how hard we all work from before the sun goes up till after it goes down. I hope I've given you shining examples of the great friendships and wonderful comradery that develop around the hangar. I hope you've seen the love I have for everyone out here and especially the love I have for my family (http://aufderheideflying.blogspot.com/2011/04/airport-to-mark.html)... But most of all, I hope I've been a bright spot in your day and given you a chuckle or two.
One of my favorite compliments was from an old high school friend that said, "Ya know, I like reading your blog way more than I like reading the DeWitt Era Enterprise." Ha! I hope they don't tell Frank Scott that, he looks angry enough already. Then a lawyer friend of mine in Atlanta told me that I had some really great material and that I was kinda like the Rupert Murdoch of DeWitt. (Minus the billions of dollars & criminal investigations, I guess)... I've gotten so many words of encouragement and sweet comments about my blog and I want to thank you all for your kind words and for being loyal readers over the past few months.
And now to answer the question that I've been asked 7 times already today, "But what will happen to the blog?!?!?!" ... I plan to leave it online as of right now in case your having a bad day and need a good laugh! I also have hopes that one day my witty brother will rise above his fear of the written word and begin to do a few post! And who knows, I may even still contribute an occasional post when the mood hits me or I get some really good material! (Like that picture of Matthew flying without his shirt on yesterday after his air-conditioning went out! Good Stuff!) If you ask most members of my family they will tell you I can't keep quite for too long, so don't take me off your "favorites" list just yet!
And now to the people that have made these past 6 months so fun, so worthwhile and have done their best to keep my somewhat sane:
Shawn & Alex: Thanks for always keeping me on my toes and keeping me laughing. Thank you for introducing me to the new hip songs that all the cool kids are listening to, letting me eat your snacks, and teaching me how to drive a loader truck again. Thank you also for putting up with me and keeping the back-talk to a minimum. :) You both work incredibly hard and I'm so thankful ya'll are our employees!
Nikki Pippinger: Thank you for always being so polite when you answer the phone and for letting me vent on days that I was frustrated. Thanks also for the ice cream snickers & Diet Coke!
Shannon Bullock: Thanks for always making delicious & tasty treats and for being the only other female with me in this crazy world of agriculture aviation!
Mo & Corby: (Bullocks ground crew) Mo, thank you for always smiling at me with that gappy little smile and for waving at me in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot. You always so sweet to me. Corby, thanks for rocking that awesome ponytail and for always being so helpful anytime we need you.
Momma Margo: Thank you for putting food in my belly and being a great substitute when I went to play a little bit in the city. Thanks also for letting us get snazzy new shirts and hats! You're the best and I'm so blessed to have you as my momma!.Robert: (Mechanic) Thank you for being such a magnificent mechanic and helping us out at the drop of a hat and/or airplane part. You going above and beyond the call of duty late at night, early in the morning, and weekends is very much appreciated!
All my Farmers: Thank you so much for your patience and friendship over the past few months. It took me a little while to get back in to the swing of things but with your help we were back in the saddle and rockin' in no time. Thank you for always being kind and for swinging by my office and chatting whenever you got a chance. My father considered you all his closest friends and I feel privilege that after this experience I can call you all my friends as well. I truly believe we have the very best customers around!
G.W.: Thank you for trying to convey your knowledge to me about anything and everything. Although I can't promise that I remember it all now, your determination to teach me dimensional analysis and the inner-most workings of a carburetor is much admired! I always enjoy our morning coffee talks, your singing, and your stories! I sure hope I have as much energy and spunk as you do when I'm your age! (http://aufderheideflying.blogspot.com/2011/05/resident-genius-gr-whitcomb.html)Gabe: Thank you so, so much for letting me run off to Arkansas County for a little bit to hang out with all this riff raff. You were always sweet, loving, and patient even when I was sleep deprived, grouchy, and had a thousand things going on! You're my favorite!
Lonnie: Elonzo, thank you for being the jolliest fella around the DeWitt Municipal Airport! Your laugh, stories, and happy-go-lucky attitude always brighten my day! I also feel as if your fashion achievements have been one of my great accomplishments. The fact that I can persuade an old crop duster to wear a clean hole-less shirt is monumental and I will always be proud of you! Keep up the good work!
Cupcake: Thank you so much for providing me beautiful pictures and hilarious content for the blog. Your gorgeous pictures have helped regular folks like me see God's country through the eyes of a crop duster and what we've seen is breath taking. You're entertaining stories and jokes always make for a good blog posts and I think through them the good people of DeWitt have gotten to know you and hope you stay here for a long time! Thanks for taking me flying, not being afraid to let me take the reigns, and for always have a cold beer waiting for me at the end of a long hard day.
Brother Bear: Oh brother bear, where do I even begin. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your first year as the head honcho chief pilot. It's been so great to see you learn and grow over the past few months as the big boss man. You're doing an amazing job of carrying on the legacy of the AufderHeide name and continuing the hard work that Papa and Daddy put into this business. I'm so proud of you. I'm so happy we've had the past few months to work together and become the best brother/sister duo since Marie & Donny! I think we've made a lot of positive changes and we've certainly had a lot of fun. Seeing you're big smiley face at 5am always made me want to come back for more I guess... That and to see which brightly colored David Bullock shirt you would wear the next day!... Thanks so much for being one of my very best friends! And in case your forgot about this awesome picture, here it is again (http://aufderheideflying.blogspot.com/2011/05/brotherly-love.html) Love ya, brother bear.
I'm pretty sure once I graduated college I said I would never come back to the flying service. Well, lesson learned, never say never. These past few months have been crazy. I lost my daddy and I still miss him every day. He's now my angel flying to close to the ground. ..Yet, through all sadness, I think I've been able feel his presence while working at the flying service and it's incredibly comforting. I believe he would crack up at my blog and just absolutely love it. I think I've also renewed an appreciation for my family's business; where we've came from, the people who've stood by us, and how hard we've worked to get where we are today. ( http://aufderheideflying.blogspot.com/2011/04/godfather-calvin-benjamin-aufderheide.html)
I've made wonderful friends & reconnected with old ones, I've seen gorgeous sunrises & breath-taking sunsets, and I've made wonderful / hilarious memories that I will cherish forever. And although I'll be living back in the big city, I guess that old country saying just may be true... "You can take the girl out of the flying service, but you can't take the flying service out of the girl!!
