In The Alchemist, Paulo Choelo states: “The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” This quote stuck with me, as I do believe that when you're on the path to discovering your personal legend, the universe will indeed test you to see just how tenacious you can be in uncovering it.

The universe made it totally clear yesterday that it needed to check in about how committed I was to getting to Montevideo ...

Checking in at Phoenix, my bags were heavy. Mom luckily was there and we were able to shift things around and take a few things out to make them an appropriate weight. Then the flight attendant asked me if I had a visa for Uruguay. I replied that I didn't need a visa for Uruguay. Apparently you do indeed need a visa if your return date is more than 90 days after your arrival no matter where you're going... Cue mini panic attack. I told her that I was not going to be in Uruguay for more than 90 days but instead would be traveling throughout South America and that I did have visas for Brazil and Argentina. Didn't matter. I ended up paying $200 for a change fee to make my return trip on October 15 (90 days after my arrival). Crisis averted, I boarded my flight to Dallas.

Apparently all the tears I had been storing up over the last few weeks decided to finally break free and came pouring out throughout my first flight. I feel so bad for the dude sitting next to me! I was a mess. Watching Arizona fade out of the airplane window was hard. It's been so good to me and I am leaving so many gems behind. That flight was the first step towards my new life, and it was painful and scary.

Upon my arrival in Dallas, I learned that my flight had been delayed two hours due to weather. This was not good. I only had two hours in Miami and thus, I knew that odds were I'd be spending the night in Miami . Apparently, that city and I had unfinished business, as this was the EXACT same thing that happened to me last year on my way to Argentina. The flight ended up being 3 hours late, and I didn't get into Miami until 12:30 am. I stood in the rebooking line for about an hour, where they finally informed me that due to the fact that my plane was late because of weather, they were 1) not going to pay for my room in Miami, and 2) couldn't book me on another flight to Montevideo for a over a week (apparently NOW is the time to visit Uruguay - EVERY flight is booked solid! Who knew?!).

I had remained pretty positive up until this point. Learning that I may be stuck in Miami for a week, with no reimbursement finally broke me. I cried. I luckily ran into a supervisor who took pity on my and put me up in a crappy Holiday Inn for the evening. I showered (BLISSFUL) and poured myself into bed at 3:00 am. I didn't get too much sleep due to my nerves and the fact that the Holiday Inn was over a swamp filled with chirping frogs. They were happy little dudes and sang ALL night. Regardless, I got up early and got on the phone with American Airlines, only to find the same answer as last night - NOTHING was available. 

I clearly needed backup, so I promptly contacted the dream team: Gus (Tyler), and my mother. Tyler flies all the time and is dating someone that works for the airlines, and always gives amazing advice so to have him in my corner always feels good. Mom was an American Airlines Stewardess back in the 60s and her mamabear instincts are phenomenal. Miraculously, my Mooma's sob story and past affiliation with American GOT ME A SEAT. God bless Moms, and family, right? 

So here I sit, in the admirals club, with my boarding pass, eating hummus and thanking my lucky stars. I guess I only had six setbacks, not seven, but here's hoping that I get a break and make it to Montevideo tonight!