From Russia...with snow

Hello dearest readers! I must first apologize sincerely for the lack of postings, I have my final one from travel week about ready and then I will work on catching you up on my last few weeks in Piter. They have been ridiculously busy, just to give you a preview. I am currently back in the US of A (back in the USS back in the USS back in the US of A just went through my head, not sure what that says about me) but not quite home. My flight from JFK (New York City) to DCA (Washington, D.C.) was cancelled yesterday evening on the account of Reagan National airport being closed because of the ‘blizzard of 2009’ as the Weather Channel was calling it this morning. So instead of heading to DC and my aunt and uncles and getting a pedicure with Katie today, I headed to the hotel that my mom had thankfully booked a few days ago just in case and collapsed to the Wizard of Oz after eating a rather ridiculous amount of New York pizza and watching Mamma Mia. We had booked a Southwest flight today that would (hopefully) get me to Baltimore in time for my original flight from Baltimore to Cleveland. As of this moment, my flight to Baltimore is scheduled for 4:35 – but there is really no telling what will happen since there is still plenty of fallout from the storm.

The blizzard dumped 26 inches on parts of Virginia, Reagan Airport had more than a foot when everything was said and done. More than 800 flights were cancelled in and out of NYC, and more than 1000 in and out of Washington D.C. airports. So we were incredibly grateful when the wheels of our plane from Helsinki hit the ground at JFK. The trip up until then had been uneventful, we stayed out late the night before so I actually slept for about a ½ hour on the first flight from Piter to Helsinki, but then of course couldn’t sleep at all on the next flight. Kelly and I switched with some people so that we could sit next to each other which was great, it makes it so much more comfortable when you’re sitting next to someone you know. Watched 500 Days of Summer, Four Christmases, and parts of Julie & Julia, Up, and Home Alone. Kelly and I also discovered some ‘learn a new language’ game on the entertainment console so Kelly started learning German and I tried to learn some French! It proved quite entertaining, and then we played buzztime trivia – same game as the one at BW3s which I rock at as part of team Taymor with the Newmaners. By then it was time to land, and we got the news that neither of us were going to make it to DC. But both of us got flights for today, and hoped for the best. I tried to stand in line at the American counter and ask about rebooking but by that point mom had told me that there weren’t any seats on the direct flights to Cleveland today on American and I was getting very frustrated at the guy in the front of the line who was trying to tell the American worker how to do their job when clearly he wasn’t going to be able to get where he wanted to go. So mom found the southwest flight, booked it, and I headed to the hotel to crash. Fell asleep pretty early – yay jetlag – and then woke up at 4 am – yay jetlag again – and took a shower with like 0 water pressure (wasn’t in a Marriott unfortunately) and then almost blew up the blow drier when I tried to use it. Oh well, hair is in a braid now instead. Cannot wait until I get to have Erica fix the terrible scene that is my hair on Tuesday. Seriously cannot wait.

Have been very grateful to almost everyone I have come into contact with since arriving in the US, from the airport worker who walked me to where the hotel shuttle would pick me up last night to the front desk worker who made sure I ordered real New York pizza to the shuttle driver this morning who told me where to find the bus to Laguardia from JFK to the Southwest check-in worker who was funny and incredibly helpful in getting my bags checked through to Cleveland to the waiter who DIDN’T CARD ME when I ordered a glass of white wine – despite the fact that my hair is in braids which always makes me look like a 5-year-old. I am also very grateful for the romaine lettuce and croutons that were in my Caesar salad for lunch (don’t laugh dad, haven’t seen real Caesar salad for four months) and the ice that was in my glass of water, and the real ketchup that was served with my French fries (Stef I wish you had been there so I wouldn’t have looked so silly eating a whole bottle of ketchup by myself!) and the friendliness of the wait staff. Maybe its that I’m returning from such an unfriendly and unhelpful place (with the wonderful exceptions of Irina Borisovna and my host mom of course) that I feel much better than I usually do when returning from abroad, or maybe its something else, who knows. I was definitely very frustrated last night regardless, bummed to be missing out on time in DC with my family and also that there was a chance I might not get home for a long time, but today has been much better. If these flights get cancelled my family will come get me, and I absolutely cannot wait until I am decorating the tree with them and my girls, even if its later than we’d planned. Thank you all so much for all the prayers, they have helped me realize I’ll get home eventually and that is what is important. I’m sorry I can’t bring you all the delicious New York pizza I had last night, but hopefully my smiling face will be a consolation prize soon enough ☺ All the very best to you and yours at this beautiful time of the year!

Update! I am now in Baltimore at BWI, where Google has provided free wireless internet through the holidays, until Jan. 15th! Yay! I am just hanging out waiting for my flight now, it has been delayed until 9:35 but as long as it says ‘delayed’ and not ‘cancelled’ after my flight number the time doesn’t really bother me! The bests are still coming over and dad just called while driving to pick up our cheese dip from Cozumel, so as long as this flight doesn’t get pushed back until tomorrow there will be a successful end to this little adventure! Thanks once again for all of the prayers, and keep them coming for all of the travelers still hoping to get on standby and make it home. Much love from Baltimore!