Staging and Snow

Wow, it's really here isn't it?  I arrived in Philadelphia today for staging, which starts tomorrow.  Why is it always that when you're preparing for a big trip THAT is when TSA thinks they need to check everything and be stingy?  Who knows...but it's always those times where I'm not quite in the mood for dealing with it all that they decide to enforce the "3oz containers."  If it fits in a quart size bag, shouldn't it be fine?  All of Europe thinks so...Denver, eh, not so much.  Needless to say mom, dad, and I made it to Philly in one piece (with mom's famously delicious tuna fish sandwiches for lunch...I bet our seat neighbors loved us for that one!).  Phil (one of the other volunteers in our group) and I were scheduled to fly out of Denver on the same flight, so it was great to meet up again.  Arrived in one piece with all my bags, so first leg of trip successfully completed!

Went to have a delicious Philly Cheese Steak with "Wiz" for dinner with mom and dad.  I'm really "stocking up" for my arrival in Malawi with the food change.  "No, this isn't baby fat.  It is, indeed, my layer of fat to buffer me for a few months in Africa, thank you very much!"  But dinner was great, and a lot of fun to spend more time with mom and dad.  Dad has helped me quite a bit getting the more legal/financial stuff sorted out for me before I leave.  He's extremely knowledgeable in that arena, especially when I'm looking at a sheet I'm supposed to fill out and thinking "now where do I color?"  Without his help, I'd have turned all my important papers into airplanes.  Thanks papa!  Couldn't have done it without you :)

Hopefully in the morning the three of us will head out and see the Liberty Bell and wander around the city before meeting up with some volunteers and family for lunch before the PC stuff starts.  My staging schedule for tomorrow is as follows:

• 1.00 - Registration
• 2.00 - 7.00 - Briefings and information

We had a few people not arrive today in Philly due to the snow, so we'll see how that plays out with the briefings and information tomorrow.  It's funny though, because the snow wasn't bad (practically nonexistent) in the city when we arrived yet majority of the flights were canceled.  At any rate, ha, I hope this isn't one of those "hey!  We want your autograph!" which turns into signing my life away ;)  What an adventure that lies before me!  Starting to buckle the seat belt for this roller coaster that's about to depart.  Hands in the air, woohoo!