Day Two Hundred and Eighty-Seven

The Taste of Progress

After what seemed like 58 bajillion hours of desperate real estate hunting, we finally have our living situation nailed down. The only problem is that we still don't have a home until July 1st. That's next Saturday. A week. But that, we can handle. When the news came in of our future living arrangements, we smiled briefly and then quickly moved on to the next problem lurking beyond. Our current hotel room. Check out was at noon today and it wasn't until 11:30 that we realized it. Leaving the real estate office (with a lady that did her best to make our morning even tougher), we rushed to the hotel, packed our stuff, and moved it all into Jose and Alejandra's room (while the boys are gone for work, the two of us girls will share a room to cut down on the expense of hotel living). Next? Our stuff. The U Haul. It was noon by the time we rearranged rooms and finally got an idea of what to do with the rest of our things, but only had an hour before Adam had to be at work. So, we called our old friends, The Rickards (remember?!), and they offered us space in their second bedroom!!! We rushed to their apartment, gave out big huge hugs, and unpacked the U Haul in a hurry. I don't know how we could have done it without them...they made today every bit of a success. And saved Adam his head. I didn't end up biting it off after all! Haha. We certainly owe them! By the time we finished unpacking, Adam had a few minutes to get to the field. We jumped in the truck and headed straight for Roger Dean Stadium. With only our bed remaining in the U Haul, the drive went much faster. Arriving at the back of the complex with a few minutes to spare, Adam unloaded our bed into the garage of the Hammerhead clubhouse, where it will stay until we get our keys on the 1st. Whew. We said our sweaty goodbyes, and then, I took that U Haul straight to its home and never ever want to see it again. Ok, that's not true. I'm fine with the U Haul only if Jacksonville or Miami are apart of our destination ;) Exhale.

With the stress levels slowly inching their way down into human range, I took some time to myself at the hotel before wandering into the dream of Roger Dean. Well, it was at least a dream the last time I saw it. This time, not so much. Sprinkling the stadium were probably 200 fans and almost no crowd noise. No Guilford the Grasshopper. No Spaz. No Babe the Dog. No Spectacular Saturday or Thirsty Thursday. Deep breath. This is what they told us would happen and exactly why they sent us to Greensboro in the first place. There, the Grasshoppers are mini-celebrities with a crowd of 7,000 every single night. Here, the scene is different, and though the league is better, the life of the game isn't comparable to anything that the big leagues might be like someday. Not to worry, we love baseball. All the extra stuff just makes it that much more enjoyable. We're so thankful for his promotion and once everything settles down, will be able to thoroughly take in everything that this new experience has to offer. Slowly, but surely, I'll return back to normal, unstressed Kendall...I just need one day at Family Church and 6 more days of nomadic living. I think I can handle that! 

-AND-

HAPPY 46TH BIRTHDAY DADDY!!

Gosh, you're an old man! And praise God for that! It wasn't but 10 years ago that Dad was staring into the watery eyes of a little girl, explaining to her that he might never see her again. I remember the day he and Mom left for San Francisco quite vividly. I wrote about it in many classes growing up, and how it so uniquely changed my life forever. He said to me, "Don't worry, 'bout a thing, cause every little thing, is gonna be alright." I went to my room crying, listening, as Bob Marley sang to me, wondering if the cancer in his brain would take him away from me forever. His words were spot on though. It was almost like he knew he'd be back. And back he's been now, for far longer than any doctor imagined. And maybe it's because he never seemed to worry about what lay ahead of him. He couldn't change anything anyways. Only his attitude. And that's exactly what he chose to focus his energy on. I have a lot to learn from my father in that way. I've always been a worrier, and really, it never gets me very far. But him, he just lets it all roll off his back, and that's a characteristic I greatly admire. I look forward to the years ahead of us, Dad, as I continue learning from your example. I am so proud of your fight and the strength it's taken to come this far. Keep on keeping on. And please, don't worry, 'bout a thing.

Happy birthday, King.

Love, Rascal.