The Loyal & Elvie Bag’s Maiden Voyage ✈️
When the very first Loyal & Elvie prototype arrived, I couldn’t wait to put it to the test. (Well after I stopped avoiding it, that is... ) I pulled out bins of toys, packed it with all the little things kids need on the go, and even had Eleanor and her friends try it on for size. Then the timing worked out perfectly , a family reunion meant a trip to Nebraska. We were going to fly with the Loyal & Elvie bag almost exactly a year after the trip that first sparked the idea to create the carry-on bag.
Packing for Takeoff
Eleanor helped me pack, and we even made a little reel of everything we tucked inside. She was so proud — and I was too. We headed to the airport, ready for the bag’s first real trip: Birmingham → Atlanta → Omaha.
Of course, it happened to be College World Series week, which meant Omaha flights were jam-packed. As we sat at the gate, Delta began calling for volunteers to give up seats on our oversold flight. The bids went from $500… to $800… to $1,000 per seat. that's times 2!
I couldn't do it, we would miss the reunion, the whole reason for the trip.
Then $1,200. Then $1,500.
That was my breaking point, we were in. $3,000! I'd catch the next reunion!
Rolling With It
Delta gave us hotel and meal vouchers, and we piled onto the shuttle. Just as the doors closed, I realized Charlotte’s blanket was still on the bench outside. Panic. Before I could say another word, Eleanor held it up with a grin: “No mama, I grabbed it!”
My girl! The same kid who once needed me for everything had become the helper, the one watching over her sister. It was such a full-circle moment.
We got to the hotel, tired but relieved. And then it hit me: We left the bag. We left THE bag on the hotel shuttle! THE BAG. The one-of-a-kind, very first prototype. The culmination of a year's worth of work - left on the hotel shuttle!
Trusting the Universe
I wanted to panic, but instead I told the girls what I’ve always believed: the universe has our back. My ADHD has meant a lifetime of misplaced, forgotten, and left-behind things, but kindness and good karma always seem to circle back.
Sure enough, after a string of calls (and discovering we’d taken the wrong hotel shuttle altogether 🤦), the bag was found. It just wasn’t where we were. Another round of waiting, a mis-delivery to the wrong hotel, and an Uber dash later… I finally had it back in my arms.
And because kindness begets kindness, I even shared my Uber with a stranger desperate to make his flight. Karma bucket, refilled.
Chaos, Kindness, and Karma
By the time we finally got to the airport, we were cutting it close. But once again, kindness showed up: families and strangers waved us ahead in line, TSA Pre-Check was a lifesaver, and the family line sped us through security. We made it just in time to board.
That first trip with the Loyal & Elvie bag wasn’t smooth, but that’s exactly what travel is. A mix of chaos, kindness, and karma. A reminder that things rarely go as planned, but if you stay flexible and keep your heart open, it all works out.
And through it all, the bag did its job beautifully. That’s what matters most.
Coming Home
Oh, and we made it to the tail end of the family reunion. Ragged and smelly, but we made it. I unpacked the Loyal & Elvie bag in a room full of cousins and folding chairs and potato salad, and something in me softened.
My grandparents, Loyal and Elva (or Elvie, as her friends called her), passed five years ago. But having the bag there, stitched with their names, felt like bringing them home. Like they were part of the gathering, part of the story. (read our brand story here)
I got to share the bag, my work, with the people who knew them best. The ones who remember Elvie’s laugh and Loyal’s quiet, yet big presence. The ones who understood, without needing explanation, why this brand matters.