My Chaotic Weekend: Snow, Margaritas, and a Dose of Reality

A Trip Gone Awry

I thought this was going to be a simple four-day trip. But in the airline world? Nothing is ever simple. The first night? No captain on the last flight. Then, over the next couple of days, we switched captains four times. One Saturday night, we went to Chili's after a long day of flying, and our captain, oh honey, didn’t even know what MySpace was. Totally awkward, zero clue how to talk to women. He was literally the only dude on the crew—girl power vibes, obviously.

The Shutdown

Sunday, the airline shut down all the bases. Stuck. Monday, we woke up at 4:30 a.m. for a 6 a.m. flight that never moved. We literally sat on the plane for 11 hours in Cleveland. DCA runways were unsafe, and by the time they finally opened, it would have been over three hours before we could take off because they had to get all the other flights out first. So yeah, after 11 hours of sitting, staring, snacking, napping, and playing Phase 10, I ended up getting second. They finally canceled the flight. Ghetto doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Margaritas and Girl Dinner

After we were finally free, my First Officer and I were like, margaritas and girl dinner or die. So yes, we went to Chili's again. Snow in my Nike Metcons, face frozen, ears burning, sanity hanging by a thread, but those margs? Chef’s kiss. Honestly, I had enough snow to last me the rest of 2026, and mind you, it’s only January, and enough of Ohio to last me a lifetime.

A Day Off

Junior manned, I finally got home yesterday afternoon on my day off. Eight degrees, zero sleep, second-place Phase 10 finisher, margaritas in hand, and still somehow pissed at the airline. This trip was a chaos masterclass I did not sign up for.

The Bigger Picture

Sitting there on that plane, trapped in the middle of all that chaos, it hit me how little control we really have sometimes. And then I thought about the bigger chaos out in the world, like what ICE has been doing. I don’t fuck with ICE. I don’t fuck with the orange man in office. What went down recently? Disgusting. America, I don’t even have words. I’m ashamed. Is this really who we are?

People are literally losing their lives and being terrorized by a system that’s supposed to protect them. Watching it all, I kept thinking about control, or how little we have over our lives. On the plane, we were trapped for 11 hours with nothing to do but play Phase 10 and hope for the best. Out in the world, people are trapped in situations way worse than that, with no control over their safety or their communities. It’s horrifying, and exhausting, and honestly, it makes me want to scream.

The Icy Reality

This weekend was full of literal ice, snow, cold, frozen boots, and lots of margaritas. And then there’s this other ICE that’s been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. People have been shot and killed during federal enforcement actions, protests are blowing up across the country, and communities are terrified because the system that’s supposed to protect them is doing the opposite. So yeah, ICE, whether it’s the snow that nearly froze my soul in Cleveland or the agency that’s been involved in violent, deadly operations, has left a bad taste in my mouth. One made me cold and annoyed for a weekend; the other genuinely makes me ashamed and heartbroken for what it says about who we are right now.

Finding Strength in Chaos

Planes get stuck, snow piles up, margaritas are mandatory, and ICE in any form reminds us that chaos doesn’t care about anyone. But even in all that mess, we keep going, we keep playing Phase 10 like champions, and we keep speaking our truth. And honestly? That’s enough to get me through, for now.

The Importance of Community

We all need a little support, especially during chaotic times. Whether it’s friends, family, or even a community of like-minded souls, having people around you makes all the difference. It’s like that saying: “You can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends.” And trust me, I choose the ones who understand my chaos and embrace it with open arms.

Reflections on Control

As I reflect on my weekend, I realize that control is an illusion. We can plan, we can prepare, but life has a funny way of throwing curveballs. So, what do we do? We adapt. We find joy in the little things, like margaritas after a long day or a game of Phase 10 with friends. It’s about making the best of what we have, even when it feels like everything is falling apart.

Moving Forward

So, as I sip my margarita and look back on this chaotic weekend, I’m reminded of the resilience we all have. Life may throw us into unexpected situations, but we have the power to choose how we respond. We can either let it defeat us or rise above it. And I choose to rise, margarita in hand, ready to face whatever comes next.

xoxo,

dest

p.s. If MAGA had an opinion here, I really don't care :)