Namely the worst one to hit Colorado in over three years. Currently, it's stopping me from seeing people I love and complicating my life beyond belief... but it's really okay right now, because I'm still in a place I adore.
Because of these reasons, I hereby don this storm Blizzard Ribeiro.
Here's the saga as it unfolds:
Yesterday, approx. 3:15PM: Tom's mom, Linnea calls, asking if I want turkey or ham for Christmas dinner. She asks, "Are you still in LA, or out here in the blizzard?" Prompting me to think, "Blizzard?"
4:45PM: Lisa calls, asking very sweetly, "Soooo, how are you getting into Colorado tomorrow?" I answer, equally as sweetly, "I'm flying." "Yeah... I don't think so..."
6:10PM: I come back to Mitch and Kim's place to check my email, and find an email from Stacey entitled "BLIZZARDO!" Things start to not look up especially when I quickly call Frontier Airlines customer service line... and I get a busy signal.
9:20PM: Sitting down with one of Mitch's friends at the Christmas party, we discuss my travel plans, and I say I'm supposed to get into DIA at 10:20 tomorrow evening. She smiles with pity, and says, "I don't think you're going anywhere." (Now, this is kind of cool if she can predict the future like this, because she also informed me that as long as I keep working, I would have a great astrological year.)
Today, 12:45AM: Getting ready for bed, I give Frontier Airlines another call. Busy.
6:30AM: Lisa calls and leaves me a message instructing me to update me on what's going on by calling her cell phone. I didn't make her call, but since I'm up, I call Frontier again. Busy.
8:30AM: "Hi, I'm looking for Casey Bozell."
"This is she."
"Hi, I'm from the LAX branch of Frontier Airlines, and I wanted to let you know that your flight has been cancelled."
Due to my just waking up and oodles of signs from yesterday, this came as no surprise.
"Okay... what do I do now?"
"Well, the soonest we can get you out of LAX is December 26th."
I think it's here I start laughing uncontrollably. I can tell my friend on the other end is smiling, but she continues:
"We do have a flight out of San Diego on the 24th, if you can find a way to get down there, and a couple flights on the 25th out of San Diego and Santa Ana."
"I can figure out how to get to San Diego. When's the flight?"
"It departs at 8:10 PM and arrives in Denver at 11:25PM."
I'm still rediculously tired at this point.
"Okay... what should I do?"
"I can go ahead and book that flight out of San Diego for you."
"Sounds great."
I proceed to call my mom, the rental car company, my dad, Kellen, Lisa, Tom, and Stacey throughout the day, along with several more calls to Frontier (all busy). I also wander out to the kitchen, where Mitch is having breakfast. He has a look of knowing in his eyes, and I pitifully ask, "Can I stay an extra couple of days?" He smiles and says of course. I love these guys - and really kind of owe them for taking such great care of me.
5:00PM: Linnea calls saying that I could try to see if I could get another flight on another airline directly into Colorado Springs to get there earlier. I try three airlines, and all flights are sold out.
As of now: I may check with Delta to see if I can get into the Springs earlier on the 24th, but I've got to rest my head now. Tom and I have a goal to actually see each other before technical Christmas day. (It'll be tight, with me coming in at 11:25 Chrismtas Eve, but that gives us 34 minutes to find each other.) I'm going to head down to San Diego on the 23rd and try to find a hotel to stay in overnight so I'm closer to the airport. Of course, now I'm wondering if I'll even get there at all - they're so backed up, and DIA thought they would open today and they're STILL closed. It makes me feel lucky that I'm stranded here and not in that airport like thousands of poor people must be (apparently without rescue since they sent the National Guard in and closed Pena Boulevard down), but I still miss Tom and all the friends I was supposed to see. Unfair, Blizzard Ribeiro. Unfair.
And the Frontier phone line? Still busy.