<p>Well D made it safely back up to school, so glad she left yesterday. Her last final is on Wed. and she’ll be back on Thurs. By then the roads should be clear. </p>
<p>In the meantime, we have a LOT of snow! Over a foot and still falling. I feel so bad for the retailers and others who will be hurt by this storm. With the economy, this is not what we need.</p>
<p>OK - gotta put a little storm/airline vent out there:</p>
<p>Would you believe I actually was on hold with US Airways for 2 hours and 48 minutes!!! I kid you not.</p>
<p>My son is flying home tomorrow (Sunday) and although the weather if beautiful where he is, we live on the east coast. It hasn’t even started to snow where we are, but they sure are predicting the worst.</p>
<p>On the home page of US Airways website, it says that because of the weather predictions, they are allowing you to change your flights into particular airports without any penalties. Well, the first 10 times I tried to call the number posted on the website that they tell you to call, you are not even able to hold. You just get the message that all reps are busy, and call later. They then disconnect you. When I finally got through, I got a message my wait would be 20 minutes. After about 15 minutes, I got a live person - yay. Unfortunately, it must have been her first day on the job!!! She couldn’t answer one single question about changing a flight due to the weather. She told me she would transfer me to someone who could help me. Yes, I then continued to hold (with my phone on “speaker”) for about 2 1/2 more hours!!! While I was holding on my house phone, I called my son on my cell, asking him if he had a preference to my changing the flight to Monday, or just trying to come in on the original flight on Sunday. As with most things, he really didn’t care - whatever I thought would be better. After holding for so long, part of me still didn’t want to hang up, but I started to think that I was in some kind of limbo where they were just never going to answer. I also realized that I probably wouldn’t be able to cancel his ride to the airport at this point 'cause it’s less than 24 hours. So, bottom line, I kept the original flight for tomorrow, and I’m just going to hope that the storm isn’t still raging in the evening or hasn’t caused so many residual delays that we get totally messed up.</p>
<p>We very rarely fly (we’ve driven all over the country) and now I think I know why. Grrrrrrr - that was a frustrating morning.</p>
<p>Moral of the story: Wow - it’s nice of US Airways to offer to “change” your flights without a penalty because of the weather. Too bad they make it totally impossible to actually do it. Grrrrrrrrr (again.)</p>
<p>D’s flight to O’Hare is delayed; she’ll miss her O’Hare to LAX flight. I tried to call United, but even on the Premier Executive line I can’t get through. I’ve told D to go find an agent at the airport and see if she can get rebooked on the next flight. Fat chance, I suppose.</p>
<p>Rats!!!</p>
<p>This has been anything but simple getting our kiddos home this break.
S waited in line for an hour to find NO flights the next day - he would have to wait until Sunday. Or he could get a flight to Yakima (about as far as Seattle) Ridiculous. No bus for these passengers. The train would not come until late tonight. So I was planning on trying to get a few hours sleep then heading out (3 hours drive over 2 mountain passes) when S called at 2:30 to say he was getting a ride with a kid he knew who knew a woman who was traveling with her daughter from a nearby town. The woman was able to rent a car and bring S home. He called at 5:30 am to say he was at the bottom of the hill so H went down and got him in the snowcat (we can’t drive our road come winter - very steep and unplowed) So almost 24 hours after he started out, he is home. We all went back to bed for a few hours and we are watching the last episode of Glee (that we had all missed) and then will go out and cut down that darn tree.
I hope those of you still waiting get to feel this sense of relief very soon.</p>
<p>D managed to get herself rebooked on later flight before I even got someone to pick up the phone at United … “EDM” …</p>
<p>any other kids trying to transfer for 2nd semester?? she knows it is a reach, so only tried 1, which she was WL at originally and does love but had decided not to stay on list. the thought of doing this for fall along with S1 is just, well overwhelming!!<br>
thanks for all the support!</p>
<p>4Giggles
Is she so unhappy that she cannot finish the year? If she could, she could have time to research her transfer schools and see what they would want her to have to transfer. Then she can work toward getting the courses in that the transfer would require.
This would give everyone time to breathe and make a game plan for next year</p>
<h1>TM - ok I just have to ask… when you need a snowcat to get to the end of the driveway, where the heck do you live??? :-)</h1>
<p>I went to the Mall of America for a few hours. Please shoot me now.</p>
<p>Let’s see. MOA, on the Saturday before Christmas… </p>
<p>a) Brave
b) Insane
c) ???</p>
<h1>TM – H says Snoqualmie is one mountain pass from Seattle … so not there…</h1>
<p>congrats on getting your kiddos home. D came home on tues, but her friend is stuck at school. Snow will start tonight. ON BF iss ues D has 2 problems, large gay contingent at her school, and she says most guys like to party alot and she does a little but is pretty serious about her work. Hard to find someone like her. She was always that way, likes to do it her way and doesnt change her mind. It actually has worked for her.
For giggles I hope it all works out. Praying all get home safe. TM glad it worked out</p>
<p>^^ Forgot today was Saturday, so I will vote for slightly insane. And actually, the store I will forever refuse to shop in again is Hollister. It is SO dark in there, the music is SO loud and they have two registers for a line of 40 customers. Can you say ridiculous? On the other hand… when did ski boots start costing a small fortune?</p>
<p>I was just looking at pictures my friends from the East Coast are posting on FB. OMG…I’m praying for all your kiddos to arrive home safely, warm and with minor delays.</p>
<p>I was in the stores this morning. I was surprised it was not as full as I thought they would be. Might be the economy because there were sales everywhere.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>well nowhere near a Mall of America or any mall for that matter.
Basically live <em>in</em> the mountains</p>
<p>And actually we plow our driveway, it’s the county road that is primitive and unmaintained. Luckily we are only a little over a mile up it</p>
<p>If I ever make myself get on Facebook, I’ll show you all</p>
<p>Both daughters are in the air, on their way here … one is 2 hours late, but at least she’s coming!</p>
<p>Yea! Zetesis!</p>
<p>Modadunn, the thing I hate about Hollister is the fragrance that they spray everywhere. That alone is enough to keep me from even entering the store. </p>
<p>Storm is still bringing snow to our area- 81 has been closed in several places during the day, many people stranded along the road. Just not used to this kind of snow in Virginia. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. Hopefully all of those en route have safe travels!</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>S is down in town (drove himself down on a chained up ATV) to hear (and bug) his former HS choir as they perform for town and its guests. I called to ask if he would be home for dinner, uh, I was kinda hoping to hang with some people
So I said that’s OK Have fun, just let me know where you will be if you go somewhere other than town. (so hard to stop playing the parent role)</p>
<p>Got the tree cut and up in the living room. Trying to steel myself to put the lights on (alone - and I hate this job) but that’s it, all I am doing. S said he wanted me to wait for him to trim the tree, so I am going to hold him to that tomorrow.</p>
<p>Sounds like he is planning (if his grades allow) to attend next year. He is talking about living in a house that will be all Glee Club members. Gotta love a total geek. But I think he has found his <em>crowd</em>.</p>
<p>I am happy because once one feels a part of something, the harder one will work to remain a part of it. Fingers crossed for grades.</p>
<p>TheAnalyst – a few pages back you’d asked if there were any kids “still out there.” McSon’s last exam is, by selection, Tues. afternoon. He could have written it last Wed. but wisely chose to give it the attention it deserved (its his major). Asked him online last night if he was sad that he’d decided to stay-- he said no way, very glad to have a few days to get ready for it since last week was so brutal. So we get him late Tues. night. Weather permitting. Although for once, the midwest does not seem as stormy as other parts.</p>
<p>Shawbridge – Our sons sound simliar in many ways, except yours has perhaps mastered what he needs and mine is winging his way toward figuring it out. S’s LD is Auditory Processing Disorder. He too needs to plan his time way ahead due to processing speed issues and extra things he needs to do to remember material (APDs have poor recall because all effort is on processing what’s heard). He also has a great need to “Talk it Out” by way of planning, and we did that every day he was in HS. Once he ran into trouble midterm with theory, we started doing it again, but less frequently. And it really seemed to help him get caught up. Your post made me realize he’d probably benefit from doing it more, and I will share that idea with him. So thanks for helping me clue in to something!</p>
<p>Moda, think you mentioned “forgetting it was Saturday” going to MOA. I had quite an unbelievable lapse in memory/attention yesterday: Made my famous cheeseball, had mani/pedi, put on my xmas party threads, chilled a mammoth bottle of pino grigio, insisted H. find his way home from office; drove out to the boonies for a party that was FRIDAY NIGHT. Imagine the surprise of the hosts. H. was convinced I’d had the address wrong b/c there WAS a party a few doors down. Almost went to that one. Managed to share a glass of wine before the Friday Hosts had to honor another commitment. Too funny.
So, in terms of aging/memory, I can see there are “good times ahead.” ; )</p>
<p>Lastly, I’m sending a little travel prayer out to all your returning kiddos. And warmest wishes to your regathered families for a fab holiday.
And in keeping with the dottery theme – when is the bus coming to Michigan and what was I supposed to bring ??? : )
Cheers,
K</p>
<p>I am feeling sooo lucky! Scrambled on Fri night, called Amer. Airlines, they couldn’t have been more helpful, changed S flights (Nashville-STL-NYC) to a direct (yes, direct) flight earlier yesterday (no extra $$) so he arrived in NY just as the flurries started. He said it was a very bumpy ride and he has a stuffy nose/ear BUT he’s home and I’m very happy! Woke up to 10 inches of snow and DS wide awake - it’s going to be a great day. 
Happy Holidays to all and here’s hoping all travel plans are quick and complete.</p>