let the fun begin

I arrived safely in Paris this morning. The beginning of the trip made me wonder if MK's luck had rubbed off on me. (He arrived in Germany last week after a harrowing adventure, and without luggage). My trip had the potential to start terribly. When I got to Will Rogers, they said that air traffic control had delayed my flight to Chicago by 2 hours. I had a connection to make to Montreal, so of course I was worried, but before I could say maple syrup the guy was already working on re-routing me. In no time, Canada was bypassed and I had a direct flight from Chicago to Paris. Towards the end of my four-hour wait in OKC, they announced that besides weather delays, Air Force One was in Chicago, so O'Hare would be temporarily closed to all incoming and outgoing flights. I started mentally working on a backup plan to stay the night in the windy city, but didn't need to call anyone to rescue me because I made it on time.

D rented a car and he and 22-month C met me at the airport. Good thing, because one of my two 45-pound suitcases was filled with clothes and shoes for him and his baby brother from their Yukon grandma. There's no way I could have managed all my bags on the bus. Getting home should be easier, especially since MK will be with me and, since he's a light(er) traveler than I, perhaps he can adopt one of my bags that will surely be filled with all sorts of culinary implements from my cooking immersion experience.