We woke up early, trying to make a flight scheduled for 7 AM. Up at 530, out the door, and on our way to the subway with time to spare. The entrance to the subway is locked. It's got to open soon, right? Its almost 6. I checked the website for upcoming trains on my phone. None listed. That can't be right. . . Dig a little deeper. Nope. The station doesn't open until much later. Grrr. Finally, at 7 am, the gates open, and we rush to catch a train. To make matters even worse, the train that is most direct to National Airport isn't running. We have to take the long way. Could things get any worse? Actually, yes, but that is a personal issue, and doesn't advance this journal.
We finally arrived at the airport, got checked in for the flight, and made our way to the gate. Pour salt in the wound, the earlier flight went out with seats available, and we weren't there to catch it. I started second guessing myself. Not really worth it, but I did it. We missed two more flights before catching a flight to Newark airport. This was the heart of the first winter blizzard. The East Coast was getting pile-drivered. New York was overwhelmed. While sitting in Newark's airport, eating dinner at McDonald's, we got news that both our schools cancelled for Monday, relieving the stress of missing a day. Flights to Kansas City were cancelled, but we tried for something in to Chicago. One flight, delayed from 8 pm, kept trying to figure itself out. Finally, right around midnight, the flight cancelled. The masses had a fit (no surprise). By this time, the boy was fast asleep under a bank of flight monitors. Perfect skill: To sleep anywhere you need to sleep.
Next flight to Chicago: 6 am. I slept a rough sleep, tossing and turning. He slept very well. About 1 am, a flight headed to London ended up transferring to where we were resting. The masses showed up, having already been delayed multiple times, and about an hour in to that chaos, the flight cancelled. What an adventure (that he slept right through). The masses were rightfully upset. They were traveling internationally, they had plans, and now the airline was telling them it would be days to get out. Wow. One woman tried to start a chant, something about evil big business. She demanded attention, but really was ignored. She had energy, but no followers. It got ugly quickly, but diffused after about a half hour. What do I have to complain about if I am flying for free?!
Morning came, and we made our flight out to Chicago. Was that a good idea? I don't know. The list of flights out of Chicago that cancelled outnumbered the scheduled at least five to one. I have never seen so many flights cancelled. The airport was so incredibly cold, as the air seeped in. The outside temperature was well below freezing, and actually, well below zero. Then, add the wind chill. We waited for the better part of the day for a single flight that would be going to Kansas City. If w missed the flight, there would be no idea when we would be getting home. After using one snow day to get home, I didn't want to miss a day on Tuesday. . .
Another McDonald's visit, a lot more sitting and movie watching (thank you Netflix, and thank you airports with free WiFi, of which O'Hare is not one), we got on a flight to Kansas City. On our way home! Made it in the door around 6 pm, ad found out that I would have a late start on Tuesday. Perfect, I'll have time to figure everything out in the morning, as I am tired! Good night, and good luck.
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