Hail in May…

Wednesday, May 30 - A hailstorm blanketed Denver yesterday, closing the airport for several hours. To those who live in Denver, the hail made for a beautiful sight. For those of us attempting to connect via Denver International Airport, the hail was nothing but evil. I missed my connecting flight. Although, I must admit there is a silver lining to this dark cloud that hung over my afternoon, but more on that later.

Missing a flight is nothing but a royal PAIN in the caboose. I raced off my first flight with the hopes that I may get lucky and just barely make it. Scanning the TV’s I anxiously sought what gate I needed to sprint towards and then I saw that dreaded word – CLOSED. Immediately a thousand things start rushing through my mind – how am I getting home, where do I get my bag, maybe there’s another flight. Ironically, my one reoccurring thought was about the cute South African who invited my to dinner if I ended up getting stuck in Denver: ahhhhhhh…the silver lining. Being single and traveling definitely has its perks. Unfortunately, the hassle of rebooking my flight and finding a hotel room, coupled with the fact that the Denver airport is quite far from the city, made it impossible to catch up with the South African. But, just the thought of it helped me take the inconveniences in stride.

I am quite surprised this is the first flight I’ve missed. I’ve come close in the past. I will never forget sprinting through the Madrid airport with Josh after spending 3 weeks in France and Monaco for the fall boat shows. Then there were the spur of the moment trips to go see Wes where I’d only have an hour or so to pack, drive to the airport, and catch my flight. So in the scheme of things, I am actually quite lucky. There is nothing I am missing by coming in a day late. I just hope this one experience doesn’t trigger some more bad luck. I have quite a few trips coming up over the next few weeks.