The Adventures of Traveling to Wisconsin in the Winter

Oh boy did we have fun in Wisconsin over Christmas. But getting there and coming home were quite exasperating!

We left last Wednesday and were going from SF to Vegas to Chicago and finally to Wisconsin. When we got to Vegas we were informed our plane was delayed several hours, and our flight from Chicago to WI was canceled completely, due to "winter weather." When we finally got to Chicago we tried to fly standby, but that didn't work. Then we tried to rent a car because the O'Hare airport was only 3 hours from my grandparents' house. But being 2 days before Christmas there were no cars to be found. The O'Hare airport was insane and it took us hours just to figure out there was nothing that could be done for us. Finally, we gave up and called some of Dannon's family friends. They picked us up and gave us warm beds for the night. By the time I went to sleep, though, I had been awake for 23 hours! Plus my bag had gone on to Wisconsin without me so I had nothing.
The next morning we woke up super early and headed back to the airport at 5am to try to fly standby again. They told us we both got on the first flight and printed up tickets. We were so happy! But when we got up to the gate they said they only had room for one of us. I reluctantly said goodbye to Dannon not knowing when he would be coming and hopped on the plane. Luckily he caught one a couple hours later.
We were so sleep deprived and starving and smelly, but we finally made it!

Then on Sunday when we got to the airport to head home I was told my flight to O'Hare was once again delayed and I was going to be missing my flight to SF! And once again when I got to Chicago there was nothing they could do for me. I said goodbye to Dannon {he was flying on to Florida to see his family} and hoped for the best. I was on the standby list for 4 flights to SF that night and for every flight I was about 4oth out of 80 people. I finally had to call Dannon's family friends so I could sleep in a bed instead of curling up in the airport {been there, done that, it was awful}. And once again I had to wake up super early to get to the airport and try standby at 5am. And once again I had nothing because my bag had gone on without me to SF. Finally, FINALLY, I got on the first morning flight home and even got to fly first class! I got a delicious free breakfast and a nice comfy seat. Maybe that was a little karmic payback for all I'd been through. And the other little ray of sunshine in all this mess was running into an old college friend who was also stuck at O'Hare trying to get home. How wonderfully random is that?!

So now I'm home and recovering from my traveling adventures just in time for New Years! My actual time in Wisconsin with my family was awesome and I'll post some pretty pictures from Christmas in the snow tomorrow.

{Me on our first day feeling very very tired, but happy to finally be with my family!}