Ya don't weigh in, ya don't wrassle.

So just like any physically abusive sport, before any event can begin there are certain preparations that must be made. For an international journey, step one is obtaining a passport. Then for me steps numbers two through 713,239 are losing the passport (more accurately, trusting a parent not to lose it) and driving all over the country trying to locate it/obtain a new one. I returned home to VA Saturday night only to drive back to Cincinnati with my mother and grandmother for a desperate ransacking of my apartment. Upon conclusively proving that the document was indeed lost, we then drove to Philadelphia, the location of the nearest passport agency with emergency appointments available for obtaining an expedited passport. After a stay in a hotel downtown we arrived to our 9 am appointment a little before 8. The incredibly gracious staff there were able to print my passport individually, rather than waiting to noon to print it with the rest of the morning's applicants. We traveled to BWI airport outside of Baltimore, arriving around 11:30, moved to an earlier flight (to insure my checked luggage had enough time to make the connection in Atlanta) and had a tasty lunch (mmm crab soup). Slight delay on the runway, but the flight arrived on-time and as-advertised. A brief walk, a short snack and a 4 hour layover later I boarded the plane to make the trip down to Monterrey. No difficulty getting through customs, had a VERY friendly taxi ride to the hotel and checked into my pretty freakin sweet room. Now to settle in and get some rest before the first rehearsal tomorrow...