What a Turkey I am...

2011 World Championships - Istanbul, Turkey - September 9, 2011

I went to the airport this morning to get on a plane to Istanbul, Turkey and found out that my passport was expired. Apparently, they don't let people fly to other countries without a valid passport...who knew? Well, after hours and hours of deliberating, I got a new passport and a new flight to Istanbul for tomorrow morning.

I can tell you this as a matter of fact: your attitude is a choice. Last night at practice we talked about it and a good attitude has been my biggest contributing factor to the world team this year. It can be difficult to stay positive, but I assure you it is easier to keep a good attitude than it is to regain it.

I was supposed to be on an airplane en route to Turkey, instead, I spent the morning and most of the afternoon in Minneapolis at the passport renewal office, re-booking my flight, doing some damage control with the responsibilities I missed out on in Istanbul, and getting some quality time with Liz and the boys. It's actually quite amazing how well it went and how helpful everyone was. It's refreshing to see others reach out. I'm going to lie, I was overly optimistic and determined so I had a very positive attitude the entire day. I brown-nosed my way up the chain of commands and got everything expedited and had numerous fees waves. This undoubtedly made it easier for me to stay positive because, even though I made a mistake, I felt like I was in the middle of a move a God. Of course it was "bad luck," but my "good luck" far outweighed the bad.

I did miss my flight today so I'll be in Turkey one day later than originally planned, however I got a surprise free day with my family; it all became a bonus. I ended up getting to have a nice meal at home, chat with some friends and watch Lemonade Mouth with my beautiful bride. Tomorrow, I'll be in Turkey.

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