Chicago

Alrighty...it's been way too long since this happened to be just now writing about it...but here goes:

This is what was supposed to happen:
leave Wells at 7, get to the London airport around 10.
leave London airport around 11:50
arrive Chicago airport at 3 (local time)
leave Chicago airport at 6:30
arrive Nashville airport at 8.
go home. go to sleep.  (body clock says 2 am)

This is what actually happened (as far as I can remember...it's close):
Left Wells around 7
lots of traffic later, arrived at London airport around 11:15.  Said goodbye to the wonderful Paynes.

Checked in, walked what seemed like 5 miles to the gate, got on plane

Thought I was going to be next to an Indian-looking man, but he ended up moving to be with his kids and I was next to a lovely older lady from England who spends quite a bit of time in America (they have a house in both places, I think).  She was very nice.

The flight was 9 hours, and I read, watched TV, listened to the radio, looked out the window and the amazing sky, and took pictures.  :)  Alice in Wonderland was on, and I watched it (or most of it) three times.  I had never seen it before, and the screen was a 5 inch square, and it was hard to hear, so I watched it every time it came on until I actually understood what was going on.  :)

So...arrived at Chicago around 3:15.  Re-checked in, gave luggage to the right people, headed for the gate so I would know where it was, and then I would go get some food. 

Well, I got to the gate and got a drink, then they said my flight was delayed.  Okay.  Apparently there was a storm starting up.  Then they started cancelling flights right and left, and I was paranoid that they would cancel mine or that I would miss something important if I left the gate for long.  Every time someone would speak over the loud speaker, I was so afraid that they would cancel my flight!  But they just delayed it over and over.  It was supposed to leave at 6:30, then it was delayed to 8, then 8:50, then 9:30, 10:45, 11:50, 12:05...

All this time I was so paranoid that I couldn't leave the gate long enough to really get some food, so I was mighty hungry.  And my body clock was at 2 am...so I was super sleepy.  I had to keep doing something...keep moving...so I wouldn't fall asleep!  Luckily, the big board with info on my flight was right next to the gate, so I just sat by it.  I had read all of my book on the plane (and purposefully stayed awake so I could get to sleep when I got home), so I didn't have anything to do!!  I read my program from Wicked, played solitaire, doodled in my notebook and drew random mindless pictures.  My laptop battery had died (don't know why, since it was fully charged that morning), and I didn't have a way to contact home other than a pay phone or borrowing someone else's.  And I didn't want to borrow a phone and call home every time they delayed because I still didn't really know anything new. 

They changed the gate twice, and said that as soon as the passengers got off we could board.  And it was taking forever...and then they said our flight was cancelled.  This was about midnight.  Everyone rushed to the customer service desk, which then decided to close ("we've been here a long time and we're going home...see ya tomorrow...").  There was only one open desk, so I stood in line for it for about two hours.  I was actually pacing next to the line...body clock was on 6 am, so I'd basically stayed up all night, and night was just starting.  Sick.  I was literally falling asleep standing up.  It was awful.  I finally got up to the desk, and they said there were no seats free for a flight to Nashville, and all they could do was put me on standby for one leaving at 7.  I said okay, knowing I probably wouldn't get on, since there were 30 people on standby ahead of me. 

The desk actually closed  right after I got through.  One person behind me was helped, but after that everyone working just left.  they said someone new would be there at 2:30 (in 30 minutes).  Everyone was totally exhausted and grumpy...there were way too many angry people there!!  It was really crowded anyhow, but the fact that everyone was tired and grouchy made it worse. 

So, after getting through the desk and being put on standby for a flight, I actually saw the lady I had been next to on the plane over.  She was going to Atlanta, but got stuck in the same mess as everyone else.  She took me to the Starbucks down the hall and bought me a coffee (at 2:30 in the morning!), and then we parted ways.  I tried a "pay computer" (like a pay phone) to email home.  It was $5 for 15 minutes of internet.  It took so long to send (for some unknown reason) that I ran out of time and had to buy another 15 minutes (when I only needed 5). 

Then I found a chair at the standby gate and dozed for about 2 hours.  I woke up to a lady asking if I was going to Nashville, and when I said yes she said my flight was cancelled.  So...I got back in line!  With everyone else.  It wasn't as long as before, but not many people were back (from where ever they were sleeping) because it was 4:30 in the morning.  Someone said the desk employees should be there at 5, but it was 5:50 before anyone came. 

I think it was about 6:30 when I got to the desk.  They put me on a flight to Charlotte, NC, with a connecting flight to Nashville.  I checked in at that gate and they told me the connecting flight was only five minutes after the arrival time of the first flight, so I'd miss the flight to Nashville. 
So...back to the line.  It wasn't too long (about 30 minutes) until I got back up to the counter.  They kept me on the same flight to Charlotte, but gave me a different connecting flight.  Okay.
That flight was delayed, so I had time to get breakfast (yea for McDonalds!).  I boarded around 9:45 and left Chicago!!  :) 

I got to Charlotte around 11:30 (I think), got some Starbucks (love the marble pound cake!), and went to the gate.  It was a nice airport, especially after Chicago.  :)  I waited there for half an hour or so until boarding time to Nashville.

I arrived in Nashville at 1:29pm.  It was insane.  I was so tired, and hungry, and my luggage was who knows where.  We waited around to see if my luggage had come on the next flight (from Chicago), but it hadn't, so we left our number at the luggage desk and left around 2:30.  :(  That was sad because I had a bunch of gifts and stuff I wanted to show everyone, but it was all gone.  I knew I would get it back, but I didn't know when.  It made it really anti-climactic. 

So, we went to Taco Bell and got some lunch.  Then we went home, and I didn't go to sleep right away, because I wanted to wait for a decent time.  I think I lasted until 6:30...maybe it was later...I don't know.  I was falling asleep on the couch, so I decided to go to bed.  :)

The next day we went to a farm in Kentucky to shuck corn and have some fun seeing friends.  We left around 9, and dad called at 9:30 and said the guy who runs lost luggage home had brought mine.  Yea!

So...that's about it for my Chicago experience.  Can't say I'm longing to go back, although I'm sure Chicago really isn't all that bad, and there are great things in that city (if not in the airport!).