JUST IN CASE

Just in case you have not heard, there is a massive delay in processing passports. Suggestion for anyone who thinks that they want to leave the country within the next six months or even year- get your passport expedited! Worst case scenario, you could end up like me which I now have to make special trips to Chicago to get my passport made.
The gentleman at the post office advised me to save my receipt for my passport JUST IN CASE something happens (ie. my passport doesn't arrive on time, it gets lost, etc). I remember at that moment thinking "yea right, nothing is really going to happen," but I filed my receipt away, JUST IN CASE. That was about three months ago. One should allow about 10-12 weeks for passport processing. My passport should have been at my house by July 10. After I was unable to view the status of my application online three weeks before its projected arrival date, I decided to call the passport agency. Ok note to self: unless you are calling from a home telephone or it is after 9 PM (whenever minutes are free), do not call the passport agency. I called three times the first day before I actually spoke to someone after being on hold for 45 minutes. The representative told me that he found my passport in LA and he would put a note for them to expedite it so that it would arrive in time for me to go to the consulate. No sight of my passport two weeks later, so I decided to follow up and touch base with the agency. It is really frustrating calling the agency, determining which buttons to press after listening to a long message about the obvious delays, waiting on the line for a customer rep (with an automated voice that says "your phone call is very important to us, please stay on the line"), to be told that all of the customer representatives are assisting other customers and are not able to get to your call-please hang up and try again... after waiting 30+ minutes! Finally I reach another person who tells me the same thing "I am going to put in comments to expedite your passport...rah rah rah).
So my passport is not here, I called the passport agency again on Tuesday. This is when I finally spoke with someone who knew what was going on and told me what to do. She informed me that I won't be getting my passport by the 23rd of July, so I need to cancel my appointment with the consulate. She also told me that the other agents lied to me to get me off of the phone. I am one person of 30,000 who needs their passport and they have to deal with everyone else so they are going to tell me anything to make me happy and she was going to tell me what I needed to do.
So now I have to go to Chicago-two weeks or less before I leave for France, get my passport made that same day and then go to the consulate the following day to get my visa! Not to mention the passport agency has my only original birth certificate, so I have to get a new one made and have it overnighted to me for $50. Thank God I saved my receipt, because I would have to pay close to $200 to have a new passport made and expedited. So I am now aware that the JUST IN CASEs do happen and to always be prepared.
So while I have been dealing with the stress of my passport, I completely forgot about the deadline for my study abroad final payment! This was due on Sunday- yesterday, I received a phone call from my advisor who left a message for me saying that I was about to be withdrawn from the program because they haven't received payment. I frantically called her back and after running around campus for 3+ hours, I got everything straightened out!
All of this stress has got to be preparing me for something big! I know they are obstacles that are thrown in the way to wake me up! I leave in less than FOUR weeks- 27 days to be exact!!!!! I cannot wait!