And the Journey Continues

Hiya!
I feel better now that I've brushed my teeth and had a shower.  But, no.  I'm not home.  I'm in Chicago for the night.
The plane from Rome to Munich was late, and a bunch of us were in danger of missing our connection.  The airline told us--no worry--you'll have an escort.  The escort did not materialize, so we Chicago bound travelers banded together and cheered each other on.  We found our gate and were allowed to skip security, so we all got on board.
I was in a middle seat, but it was premium economy, so not bad.  I dozed a bit off and on.  The connection time at O'Hare was tight and I had to clear customs and go to another terminal.  I was a bit worried.
I was even more worried when our flight into Chicago arrived twenty minutes late!  I went through passport control, retrieved my bags, and cleared customs.  I was supposed to recheck my bags, but by that time it was clear there was No Way I was going to make the flight to LAX.
I got in line at the customer service desk.  There were a whole bunch of us who were missing one flight or other.  The airline was doing the right thing and rebooking travelers and getting hotel rooms for those who had to leave the next day.  When I got to the head of the line, I overheard the customer service guy ask for twenty more rooms.  I had to laugh.
So I'm booked for LAX tomorrow at 7:30 and was given a hotel voucher and a meal voucher.  The next step was waiting for the hotel shuttle.  One of my fellow strandees called the place, but we had to wait some thirty minutes for the shuttle, and let me tell you Chicago weather late at night in late October is no joke for someone dressed for Southern California.  It was 37F and rainy.
But I'm warm, safe, and dry now, and I hope I can get some sleep, too.
California, here I come!