Snow Snow Snow

That was quite the weekend of the Mid-Atlantic states getting dumped on with many feet of snow, and more snow is coming.  Just because I live in Orlando doesn’t mean I can’t relate. I lived through years and years of tons of snow. I was born and raised in Chicago so I know what cold and snow and wind is! I had years of software projects all over Winnipeg, Ontario, Alberta, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana . . . so I KNOW winter!  I’ve seen more ice houses on frozen lakes in Ontario than I’ve ever wanted to see (how can they drive their trucks on the ice??)

I suffered through my share of rental cars that never had snow brushes (my credit card got used for scraping ice off of windows), getting extension cords with my car so I could plug-in at my motel, and hundreds of hours smelling the de-icing material used on the wings of my planes.

No, I’m not a martyr. Instead:

I’m a traveler who can feel the pain when a year’s worth of vacation plans get delayed because an airport is closed (and can see the relief on families’ faces as they finally disembark their Orlando-bound flight).

I’m a traveler who can feel the helplessness and tiredness that the airline gate agents feel as upset and angry passengers take their frustrations out on these gate agents them – like the weather is their fault!

I’m a traveler who knows how it feels to return to a car in an airport parking lot buried under several feet of snow that has to be shoveled out, only to get home and find that there is no parking spot open that isn’t covered in snow and ice.

So to all travelers affected by this major U.S. storm, I hope that you eventually get where your plans are trying to take you, that you get there safely, and your trip is all that you want it to be. I also hope that Spring is just around the corner, no matter what the groundhog says!