My first time earning status the hard way
 

As of today, I am a Delta Silver Medallion.

While I have had status with various airlines since 2002, I never had to earn in the hard way. My first time was in 2002 where I earned AA Gold via the Gold Challange and of the seven flights I took, five were in First. After that, everything earned was via a comp or a short cut.

This year I flew 26 segments on DL/NW plus 5 on CO, all of which were in coach, for 25,206 BIS miles. There were no 2x EQMs or other quick fixes. It's been a long ride and now I get to reward myself with a ~30% chance at an upgrade in 2010!

Congrats. BTW, the thread title has to be a reference to this classic film moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dgxzItaQzw