Oh to fly again with Kip Moore

So imagine you are starting up a new online entertainment magazine based in Nashville, TN. You spend a week doing interviews with new and extremely talented musicians, and in one split second decision you miss an amazing opportunity that you will likely regret for the rest of your life! Yeah. That was me on September 15th, 2015 flight 2498. How on earth could I miss such an amazing opportunity? Why did I choose to look Country Star Kip Moore in the eye knowing the seat next to him was empty and not ask to sit down? Instead we shared a smile. UGH... was this a good move or bad move? I blew it. I blew what was the only chance to have a 4 hour and 25 minute plane ride with an incredibly HOT country singer! Just think of the possibilities for an interview. GONE! Oh the shame. Did I mention how good looking this man is? 

As you can imagine I immediately turned to Facebook, where I was ridiculed for this EPIC fail. My fellow journalists were screaming at me in disbelief. My friends were shocked by my actions, or lack of, and it was as if I could feel them shaking me, trying to get me to work up the nerve to fix my mistake. Sadly, it was too late. How could I let this moment get away? How could I be so...idiotic? Well...if you truly know me and know my passion for life, you know that this was all for the sake of being a considerate human being.

As soon as we exchanged smiles I am sure he had the thought, "Thank GOD this girl didn't ask to sit down". Right away I was filled with regret. I could have kept it together and not gone fan girl crazy, but no. I had to walk by. Yeah...it was pretty stupid. I mean seriously, KIP MOORE! Haha...maybe one day he will hear this pitiful story and agree to do an interview with me. Who knows? For now I will just tell you what took place on this extremely memorable flight.

As I kept walking down the aisle looking for an available seat to sit in, I realized there were only middle seats left. I saw a young man that had very nice eyes, so I asked if I may sit with him. He looked up with a smile and said "Sure". I found myself wanting to know who this guy was. His name is Joe Schmidt. Of course we started chatting and began laughing as I confessed the mistake I had just made. He laughed with me and shared stories with me. We talked about music and travel, what brought us to where we are and where we have been. This Sophomore at Cal Poly San Louis Obispo sure has inspired me. He is a fellow So Cal native from Long Beach and avid music lover. He began telling me about his schooling to be a civil engineer and the heavy course load he is taking. I then gave him what may have been unwanted advice, but he smiled and listened intently. 

As time passed, the flight crew began passing out snacks. The woman behind us started cackling over the "Cheese Its", although they were actually the "Cheese Nips"! It was very funny. Joe and I could not help but laugh. Not long after that I noticed that Kip started walking towards us to use the lavatory. Again, I just looked up and smiled. He then gave me this "You know that I know that you know who I am look". PRICELESS. And then I was all dear in the headlights. Joe and I laughed some more, but he kept encouraging me to say something or ask for a picture. Everyone on Facebook did as well. You see, I just had to buy the WiFi service in order to keep everyone abreast of the situation. At this point, I just felt like a big loser.

This is when things changed. Joe and I started taking selfies to see if we could get a "sniper selfie" with Kip on his way back up the aisle to his seat. LOL...don't judge me! So that is what we did. Mission accomplished. That is what I thought anyway. I got my selfie with Joe and a man behind us, that obviously knew we were taking his picture, but it didn't matter because no one else would know it was him! It was dark and grainy. Now while waiting for him to walk back up the aisle we had to take a few selfies, as Kip decided to hang out at the back of the plane for a bit. Great...now I look like a stalker. 

We definitely had some great in-flight entertainment as we read funny comments and messages from my friends and fellow journalists. Plus we had "Cheese It" lady behind us. It really did turn out to be a great time. The woman sitting on the other side of me joined in all of our fun. She was a riot. Her name is Joy. She was on her way from Florida to see her dad and her sister as it had been years since they had all been together. The closer we got, the more excited she got. At two and a half hours to go it seemed unbearable to her, and all I could think about was at least getting a good picture with Kip Moore. Oh I am just a hot mess at this point. My best friend was teasing me and cracking jokes about my situation in an effort to make me smile and reassured me that my actions were professional and I did what was best. Maybe, but I was determined to get a picture somehow. 

As our flight started to descend, I thought that was it. I wasted the entire time. I was never going to get off the plane in time to catch him. That thought became evident after we landed and the rows of passengers that were in between us were moving at the speed of snails. COME ON PEOPLE!!!! Joe was laughing at me. I give up. It was now time for the walk of shame. Or was it?  My phone battery was at 15%, but I thought maybe just maybe I would see him at baggage claim. NOPE! I think even Joe was bummed. Wait a minute....I see that hat with Hawaii on the back. It's him!!! KIP MOORE! Without another thought or word I just walked up to him and asked for a picture. He smiled, said "Yes" and put his arm around me for a moment. He let me say "Thank you" before he left and then he was gone. Joe looked at me and said "You got your picture!". It was a great way to end the night, but the best part was that I made a new friend, he hugged me goodbye, and we wished each other well. Immediately I knew we had a great story to tell! 

See you on the next adventure! ~Missy Wolf