Day Two Hundred and Seventy-Six

The Plastic Bins and Surprise Guests

This is what my husband looked like at 2 o'clock this morning. Beer in hand, backwards hat, and packing up the remnants of our life at Madison Woods Apartments. He decided last night that the best thing we could do for our marriage at this point was to move out of our current living situation. And so, he packed. Until 3 AM.

When we woke up, it was more packing for the Conley duo. I haven't seen Adam more determined in his entire life. Ok, that's a complete lie. But he was definitely on task, and constantly asking what he could do "next." We got all of our things packed up in less than 3 hours. Pretty good. 

And then my man left me. With an apartment full of bins. So? Alejandra and I moved them. In the pouring rain. And it was cool. It's always cool when I'm with my sweet Uruguayan friend. I can't get over how wonderful she is. I'm a lucky girl. Really lucky. She hauled half of those bins up the stairs right alongside me. As if they were hers. I'm so thankful for Ale!

And Adam informed me that next time, maybe we won't bring as much stuff. I'll have to think about that. 

Our things will be boxed up for a little while until we find another place to stay. Fortunately, Alejandra and Jose were kind enough to let us park our things in their living room! Here we are after moving 25 pound bins in the pouring rain! Stinky and sweaty, but still managing smiles!

Look who Adam found!!!! Surprise!!! 

Damon and Malia made the 8-hour drive from Montgomery, Alabama to Greensboro today...a pitstop on their mission of cross country driving over the next few weeks. From Alabama to Washington! Adam was so happy to see two of his best friends. It's not often that familiar faces make an appearance on this side of the states, and it was quite the needed refreshment. Adam lights up whenever he's around Damon. And Malia is irreplaceable. They're wonderful people, and friends that will forever remain by our side. We love you two and are so happy you're here!!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-One

The Good and the Bad

Well, the day at least started off on a high note. Adam arrived safe and sound...at 5:30 this morning. He slept until 1:30, got up, enjoyed a big breakfast, then left for the field. I thought he was rather deserving of his favorite meal, so I collected all the best ingredients, stirred them together, and let them sit for 8 hours. Gosh. I was so excited for him to come home and see what I'd done for him. 

And then this happened. Night: ruined. Ugh! In a shocking turn of events in the 9th inning with two outs, down 1-9, our short stop hit a grand slam, making it 5-9. The crowd went nuts. Apparently, so did I. In all the excitement, my phone must have slipped my mind (and my fingers), and next thing I knew, it was lying on the ground, 7 feet below me, face up in a pool of glass. Oh for Pete's sake! Did he have to hit that bomb? Why couldn't he have just struck out? We didn't even win anyways! Hahaha. Kidding. I suppose the best way to ruin a completely perfect phone would be in celebration of a grand slam. I mean, its' not like they happen regularly. But for real? Why did I have to be on a ledge then?!! Booooo. 

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Four

The Inexperienced Maryland Packer

I suppose I should get better at this part of life. It's called packing. And by the looks of it, I'm  clearly not up to speed. This trip is my fourth in four weeks. You'd think I'd be great at this by now, but of course, my indecisive nature has kept me at bay instead. I mean, c'mon, you have to pack for all weather conditions over here: hot, humid, cold, rainy, windy...the list goes on. And as the list grows, so does my suitcase collection. I'll learn. Someday.

 I really thought about staying behind on this one, but couldn't muster the strength to say no. And I'm happy about that. Though I could certainly use a few days "off," one whole week alone just didn't seem appealing to me. And I already missed my sweet man. So, Addi and I packed up the house, cleaned, and headed for Maryland. 

Virginia is beautiful. It reminds me so much of home...green, lush, gorgeous. We traveled through the center of the entire state today after leaving our precious Greensboro. In five hours, we passed through NC, VA, WV, and MD, although, the latter two were only seen through a rain soaked windshield after dark. It seems that the rain especially likes to dump on me when I'm touring unfamiliar territory. I don't appreciate it one bit! But we arrived safely and enjoyed the drive together. Hello Hagerstown!

Day Two Hundred and Five

The Humble Greensboro Abode

In a single day of living in Greensboro, I’ve learned more about life in the minor leagues than I thought possible. When you hear the horror stories of long bus rides and cramped living spaces, you tend to shake them off .They just don’t resonate completely. It can't be that bad, right?! Well, no, not for the two guys living in apartment C. But the others? I don’t know how they’re managing something as simple as a shower. Let me explain.

This morning, when we woke up for breakfast, we knew exactly where we’d get our food: in the refrigerator, of course. I cooked the boys up some professional-style goulash; I’m getting pretty good at breakfast foods. I don’t think the story was comparable to any other players on the team though. Our apartment is a two bedroom, 1 ½ bath, with a decent sized master. The building was probably built in the 70s and furnished with very reasonable furniture. Actually, I’d take the couches here over our Wal-Mart one in storage back in Jupiter. Each room has two used twin beds, and four guys usually share the apartment. Not so bad, right? Well, here’s the other side of the story. Since the boys’ residence is so temporary, and they’re without anything other than clothes, dependence lies solely in the boosters for living supplies. Here’s what was in Adam and Charlie’s forest green mesh laundry bags:

4 used towels

4 hand towels

4 sets of used sheets

4 plastic, bright green plates

3 wine glasses

3 cups

7 mismatched bowls

2 mugs (one with a heart handle)

4 knives

4 forks

4 spoons

2 rolls of toilet paper

1 paper towel roll

1 comforter (only 1)

1 1950s pot

1 1960s pan

1 spatula

2 bags of top ramen

2 boxes of macaroni

Some crackers

At first glance, definitely do-able. The things they were given are appreciated greatly and will find their use daily in our apartment. At second glance, though, uuuuuhhhh? Charlie is 6’3” 240 and is sleeping on a twin mattress. I feel slightly guilty with our Cal-King. There was only one comforter, so if hadn’t brought ours, we’d be shivering all night. No pillows. Charlie borrowed one of ours. And showering without a shower curtain is a skill I’ve yet to acquire. No hand soap, no kitchen soap, no trash can, no knives, no plunger, no toaster, no coffee pot, no cutting board, no hangars, no internet, no washer, no dryer, no kitchen towels. And that macaroni they were given? I don’t cook it ever, but I’m pretty sure you need milk and butter to make it? Haha :) The air conditioner doesn’t work, and the toilet seats slide off every time you sit down.  Only one or two guys have a car down here, so even if some boys wanted to go to Wal-Mart, they’d have to walk 2 ½ miles back with grocery bags hanging over their arms. Hey, that kinda sounds like what Adam and I did the first month in Florida! It’s very safe to say that Adam and Charlie are living it big in Greensboro. Definitely. Because I brought almost everything we weren’t given from the Jupiter apartment! They have it good: a shower with a curtain and floor mat, and a little wife/mom to prepare their meals. Its definitely much different than I envisioned, but we’re doing great, and loving the experience! Adam says life in the minor leagues is the best motivation for life in the big leagues. I think Ill take his word on it!

In other news, and this certainly is news, Adam is starting on Thursday, the first game of the season and opening day in Greensboro!!!!! He’s honored to have been given the ball on such a special day, and excited to get back on the mound. Oh and the local news stations today interviewed him and some other guys too! Here’s one write up:

http://www.news-record.com/content/2012/04/02/article/pitching_rich_grasshoppers_hold_first_practice

Ah! So fun.

Oh, and sorry the text looks different. I had to type it first on Word and then copy/paste it onto the website because we don’t have internet in our apartment. Currently, Adam and I are sitting in the truck outside of a closed-down Home Depot, using their free wi-fi to upload the blog. It’s 11:32 here. Hahaha.