But I’m not, and that makes me sad.

We go on a winter vacation ever other year with a group of friends.  This is our fifth trip, but S’s first with this group.  This year, we planned to head to Globe, AZ (east of Phoenix by quite a ways) and spend a week there.  There are 13 of us this year, coming from different parts of the country – mostly Chicago and Wisconsin, but also Ann Arbor and San Francisco.

Seven of the 13 are already there, having decided to go before Christmas.

Our saga started last night around 10:30, when we got a call that two of our group had their flight from Midway canceled and that they couldn’t get out until later (turns out to be Tuesday evening), and that they just were worried about the 4 of us coming from Milwaukee.  So, we get online and discover that our flight, too, had been canceled.  Then, I proceeded to sit on hold for 2.5 hours with the Midwest Airlines “help” service.  They couldn’t do anything for us, and couldn’t get us onto a flight until 1/6.

Um, no.  I have to be back at work on 1/5.

Fortunately, we had the foresight to retain our return flight, just in case something else worked out.

At that point (2 in the morning), there was nothing whatsoever we could do, so we slept a bit, and got up and started exploring options.  Two of us went online and checked every possible date, departure point, and arrival point within about 7 hours of Milwaukee and Phoenix, but airfare at this late of a date is prohibitively expensive.

Then we looked at other options, and decided on different paths.  S pitched a fit (he called it a “persuasive argument”) and said he’d be taking Amtrak, and I, being the dutiful wife **cough**cough** decided to go with him.  There was no room on today’s train, so we’re leaving Milwaukee tomorrow and will arrive in Flagstaff, AZ, on Monday late, and meet up with our friends on Tuesday.

The last two of our group decided to drive their Prius, stopping tonight in Springfield, MO, and tomorrow in Albuquerque, NM, before arriving in Arizona on Monday, hopefully.

Looks like our Christmas celebration is delayed for a few more days, but we’ll get there, come hell or high water!

And I?  Am extremely tired, and plan to take a nice long nap this afternoon.

Hopefully, all will go well tomorrow, and I won’t be posting for another week.  Fingers crossed!