Cancelled?..... What do you mean my flight's been cancelled?

So, those who've been reading for a while know that...... Aunt P and I kidnapped my mother (Granny) and whisked her off to Vegas for a pre-60th birthday celebration. I was brave, I left the 'lil Duby behind, as I know that despite the fact that he's been there before.... Vegas is no place for the 'lil man. In fairness, it would have been easier on me to bring him along.... leaving him killed me -- but would the long plane ride and hotel stay be the "right" thing for him?...... after much deliberation and discussion with the Big Dubya -- we came to the conclusion that leaving him behind would be for the best. I struggled with the decision, but came to the conclusion that I wasn't leaving him with strangers -- I was leaving him with his father and that it really was the best thing to do..... so, on Wednesday of last week..... off I went.

Granny was shocked by the surprise...... she cried when we told her where we were going..... little did she know, the surprises would keep on coming. Uncle Ro-Ro met us there about an hour after we landed..... my cousin Duphis, who lives in CA, met us there and treated us all to a fancy dinner on Thursday night. She was Queen for a few days and it was worth every minute. We had a wonderful time and then Saturday came and I was the happiest girl ever.... I was coming home to my men. There really is no place like home..... and nothing like a few days away to make you appreciate it. We noticed that the news was reporting that a snow storm was expected in Boston, but that wasn't until Sunday..... I naively thought that I'd fly into Boston and drive to CT just in time to spend Sunday afternoon playing with my 'lil man in front of the fire.

Imagine my shock and dismay when we learned on Saturday afternoon that our flight home was CANCELLED in anticipation of this puny little snow storm expected to hit the northeast. I couldn't believe it..... WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? I asked Aunt P, the seasoned traveler of the group....... oh, don't worry, she reassured me, we'll just get on a later flight.

Aunt P called the airline only to learn that not only was our Saturday flight cancelled, but all flights for Sunday were also cancelled. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? I asked again. She chatted away to the representative on the phone and I started to hear something about TUESDAY......

TUESDAY????? Are you f'ing kidding me.... I'm stuck here 'til TUESDAY????

Aunt P got off the phone...... basically, the soonest they could get us on a flight was Monday evening. Of course, it would not be the direct flight we had booked.... oh, no..... first they'd fly us from Las Vegas to California where we'd loiter for a few hours (yes, I consider "layover" to be an airport euphemism for loiter) and then we'd get to fly to Boston..... at which point I'd get to jump in my car and drive the 2 ½ hours home to CT arriving home around lunchtime on f'ing Tuesday.

This was unacceptable to me, but what could I do? I tried calling the airline myself and despite the very courteous woman on the phone who promised that she'd love to help me get back to my tiny little baby..... there was nothing she could do.... there were no flights to be had. I cried, and whined and cried some more..... the Big Dubya had a hard time hiding his disappointment on the phone -- it sounded like he was ready for me to come home too, but it was not in the cards.

We tried to make the most of it.... we spent a day downtown where my brother actually convinced my mother that she should try a deep-fried-twinkie! Aunt P & I stuck to these.... and more than just one.

We finally got a flight out on Monday evening.... we were to fly from Las Vegas, NV to Long Beach, CA (yes, the opposite direction of CT) and then from Long Beach to Boston. We arrived at the airport only to learn that our flight was delayed and we wouldn't be leaving for another 4 hours.......

Eventually, we managed to leave Las Vegas and when we arrived in Long Beach I got to see the smallest airport ever built.... I mean, this place was smaller than my living room...... there are 3 gates.... and our flight left from gate 4 -- I only wish I was joking........ I soon learned that gate 4 amounted to a shed behind the double-wide that housed the other 3 gates. Once onboard I pledged to never leave home again......

We landed in Boston safe and sound and I was thrilled to know that in 3 short hours I'd be holding my precious baby boy....... we collected our bags and Mr Tall Guy picked us up.... he was kind enough to bring a shovel so he could help me dig out my car. I was shocked to see that there was hardly any snow on the ground...... THIS puny amount of snow kept me in Las Vegas for 3 extra days???? UGHHHH -- we got to my car and the clearing wasn't too bad.... I could drive over it easy enough..... that is of course if my car would start -- you guessed it dear readers..... I had a dead battery.

Mr Tall Guy was kind enough to take one for the team and go get the Massport guy to come over and give us a jump..... I got back in Aunt P's car and just laughed like a mental patient..... there was nothing more that could go wrong, right?

In the end, I did make it home and the 'lil Dubya did remember me..... and I swear, I'll never leave home again.