All Shook Up

So this morning we got up at 5 a.m. and returned to O'Hare. I'd had a sleepless night, not due in the least to the fact that the room's previous incumbant had thoughtfully set the alarm for 3 a.m. and then 20 minutes later in case I overslept.
Not only were my dreams of Christmas with Elvis dashed, but the weather was so bad it looked like we'd be lucky to make it back to Naperville, let alone Memphis.
Overnight frozen rain had turned all the local highways into skating rinks. We'd missed our weather window.
I was surprised when our flight left not only with us on it this time, but only 30 minutes late. When I say left, I actually mean left the gate, not the ground. You know how scary it can be when you car skids, well you try doing it in a plane!
Eventually the pilot gave up and waited for the de icer trucks to come out. A mere hour later we were off! Memphis is under two hours away by plane, yet somehow it had taken us nearly 24 hours to get there. Good thing we brought all those winter clothes with. It's 70 degrees here....