Well, it LITERALLY took an act of congress (or in our case the Michigan State Senate) but my husband's bill passed (he is a lobbyist) and we were able to leave on time. I didn't find out until VERY last minute, but we left as scheduled on Thursday AM. It seemed like we had good timing, they got 4 inches of snow, and it was blowing everywhere, creating blizzard-like conditions.
We are here now and having a great time. Thanks for the support everyone!