57 Easy Steps for Preparing the first Competition of the Year - the week before.

1. Look at the competition’s website for a schedule.
2. Check Dance Competition Hub for complaints about how long it takes the competition to put out a schedule.
3. Compose packing list.
4. Clean out last year’s costumes from Dream Duffel.
5. Pretend like you don’t care about how much money you are packing into a rubbermaid container, never to be worn again.
6. Get on Amazon to order new hangars because there is not a single costume on a hangar in the bag.
7. Email teacher to find out if costume was supposed to have two gloves.
8. Look at the competition’s website for a schedule.\
9. Run to drug store for eyelash glue.
10. Find full tube of eyelash glue that you just bought last fall  in side pocket of Dream Duffel.
11. Google how to clean 3 ounces of smashed 5 month old deodorant out of a canvas bag.
12. Look at the competition’s website for a schedule.
13. Taken inventory of make up.  If you have everything you need, you’ll be ordering a different brand this year.  If you are out, so is the store where you buy it.
14. Check the jewelry box.  Note that one earring is missing.  Email teacher to order a new pair.
15. Remember that you do not yet have a hotel. Spend approximately 4 hours on the computer researching prices, proximity of hotel to the venue, and availability of a continental breakfast that you’ll not even be able to eat because you have to leave the hotel so early each day because your dancer manages to have a 7 am call time both days.
16. Get on Twitter to complain about hotel prices.
17. Priceline and hold your breath.
18. Look at the competition’s website for a schedule.
19. Email teacher to see if she has a schedule yet.
20. Wonder why your emails to the teacher are suddenly bouncing back as undeliverable.
21. Drive to rehearsal.
22. Write a check larger than your car payment to cover entry fees.
23. Claim the “lost” glove from step 7.
24. Return home and realize that the costumes are still laying on your bed.
25. Throw costumes on top of your dresser. You’ll finish in the morning.
26. Look at the competition’s website for a schedule.
27. Get on Twitter to complain that there is no schedule.
28. Morning is here.  Get packing.
29. Look at the competition’s website for a schedule.
30. Carefully place each costume into its own garment bag. 
31. Label each garment bag with the name of the number and your child’s name.
32. Lay each costume neatly into the Dream Duffel.
33. Put make up, tights, earrings, and accessories each in their own little pocket.
34. Take a picture of your masterpiece because an hour into the first day, nothing will be in its place. 
35. Look at the competition’s website for a schedule.
36. Check your team’s Facebook page.  Read that the competition has not put out a schedule, but they would like for you to bring a 10X12 float for a spirit contest and would like you to follow their very strict guidelines for entry.
37. Look at the competition’s website for a schedule.
38. Unpack Dream Duffel so that you can recount the costumes to make sure you have everything.
39. Ask your dancer (even if she’s 17) to make sure every shoe has a right and a left.
40. Fill your car with gas.
41. Count costumes again.
42. Look at the competition’s website for a schedule.
43. Begin packing snacks for 14 hour days.
44. Realize that you have no snacks and go to the store.
45. Return home and pack the snacks.
46. Play a round of Tetris to remind you of how to pack your clothes, the Dream Duffel, the snacks, the shoes, the dancer’s bag of clothes that aren’t costumes into a trunk that is only half of the size of the items you are bringing.
47. Count the costumes again.
48. Pack the trunk
49. Look at the competition’s website for a schedule. It’s there!
50. Realize that your child’s first dance is at 7 a.m.  Her second one is at noon.  Her third is at 8 pm.  Awards are at midnight.
51. Buy more snacks.
52. Put the venue address into your GPS.  Realize that three blocks from your house, your GPS has updated to the latest version and it’s driving you in the wrong direction.
53. Arrive at venue only to realize that all of the roads around and leading up to the venue are closed because of a street fair. 
54. Obtain detour map from helpful volunteer.
55. Drive in circles for approximately 45 minutes.
56. Arrive at venue in a rush, thinking you are late, to find out that the competition is running two hours behind, despite having only started an hour ago.
57. Have fun and be prepared to do it all again in a few weeks!

*Yes, I know.  Not everyone does all of these steps and some of you do other steps.  It’s ok.