Day Thirteen Hundred and Fifty-Two

The Same Ol' Same Ol'

Oh, it's pouring rain today and tornado warnings are being issued?

Must be another Adam Conley start-day.

Duh.

Yesterday went as per usual for the Conley clan. Dad's game was cancelled - I think that's three this season now. In 9 starts. Awesome odds, Adam! Sarcasm. And it's really probably not a good thing, but it's quite possible that he's either been rain delayed, rained out, thrown on a travel day or during a day game more than any other pitcher...in the history of professional baseball. Ok, likely that's an overstatement, but that's how it seems to me...hence the frustrated and annoyed face I wore all night. Gosh darnit! Now, when he throws in Tacoma, it's looking like a Friday start instead of Thursday. Pray for no more cancellations...otherwise, Adam won't end up throwing in Tacoma at all!!! Uhhhhhh <--- totally me whining.

At least you're like, the most fun thing to look at ever.

(Ok, you and Dad tie...since you're identical twins and all)

And you make suffering through lame game cancellations better than ever. 

I love watching you play with your rings and learn new things!!

Day Thirteen Hundred and Twenty-Five

The Tall and Spotted Crowd

Daddy went to the field early yesterday for an 11 o'clock game.

So me and Mama stayed home and played with our tall and spotted friends. They're so cozy - just like Mom. And they look like her too. That must be why Auntie Kim made me that onesie...and why Auntie Holly gave me the one on my right arm...and Grandma Pam the one on my left!

Day One Thousand One Hundred and Fifty-Five

The Trip that was too Short

Dads on duty.

Life doesn't get much better than this.

Except when you're in Georgia with some of your best friends. During autumn. With a belly full of southern food. Blue Ridge, you have spoiled us more than we deserve!

Build me a house here, Adam. Cuz I ain't leaving!!

Well, as long as they stay too. I could hang out with them always.

Love you, my friends. Thank you for the loveliest of weekends in the coziest of cabins. Sometimes, being so far away from family makes my heart ache, but God has surrounded me with all of you - who've become like family to me - and for that, I am forever grateful. Until next year, my people!! Can't wait to come back!

_____________________

Last night, we left dinner (and our friends) from Mineral Bluff, GA, filled up the tank for $2.79/gallon, and drove 5 hours North to Lexington, KY…where Aunt Kim (Adam's Dad's sister) was waiting for us with a smile...

...and this!!!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!

And homemade?! Aunt Kim, Baby Conley Girl is kicking with more excitement than I know how to handle! An unbelievable surprise! Thank you times forever! Can't wait to pop her out and dress her up!

Day One Thousand One Hundred and Fifty-One

The Polar Bear Finds His Giraffe

Looks to me like Whit found a friend. 

Her name's Raffe. Raff-eeeee.

She's tall. And really spotted.

And likes my side of the bed apparently.

Day One Thousand and Ninety-Nine

The Spotted Two Seven

All I care about on my birthday is…that there's a cake.

You can't have a birthday without cake! I don't care how old you are!

I demand cake!

So, the man made me a cake.

Without a single bit of help!! 

And when he finally finished, I feasted my eyes upon this masterpiece. He melts my little heart. A spotted giraffe cake, just for me. Aw shucks. So far, 27's treating me quite well, thank you very much! I think this has potential to be the best year yet! Partay!

(Also, I realized tonight that maybe some don't have the inside scoop on me and giraffes. So here's the abridged version: when you're a kid, the question usually comes up, "If you were an animal, which would you be?" Lions, and tigers, and bears, not me! But a giraffe…oh that's good. Yes, I'd be a giraffe. Definitely. Tall and spotted. Just like Kendall.)

Day Nine Hundred and Forty-Two

The Second Zephyr Start

Adam's second start was almost as pretty as the sky last night.

And that's pretty pretty.

He cut his ugly ERA in just about half.

And that's pretty good too. Ha! 

Since he's only pitched in two games this season, his numbers are crazy inflated…and that's because of his forgettable debut five days ago. Forgettable because I'm working on forgetting it, people! It's almost gone away from my memory by now, but then I saw his ERA before the start of last night's game and I remembered again. Doh! Not to worry, we have a lot of season left and a lot of time to continue slashing that ERA right in half…basically until it's mostly invisible ;) Yeah, I like the sound of that. Invisible ERA. I'll take one for my man!

His line:

5.1IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 6K and a No Decision.

Three more things to note:

1) Both the guys he walked…scored. NO MORE WALKS ADAM!

2) The Zephyrs are on a 7-game losing streak. SNAP IT BOYS!

3) Adam left for an 8-game road trip at 6 AM this morning. NOOOO!

I MISS YOU ADAM!

And…...

Day Eight Hundred and Fifty-Four

The Kendall Shadow

If I were a better wife, Adam wouldn't have to use a fence to throw his slider to. But because I'm not well-versed in the skills of catching a rapidly improving slider without getting my shins, face, and chest crushed, I got replaced by an inanimate object. I'll take it though. I think there's a reason I can't catch his slider anyways…something about me not being a professional baseball player maybe? This time, I'm giving myself a break ;) 

If you will notice, however, even when I'm feeling poopy about not being able to help my Adam more…he goes ahead and shows me just how much I'm actually involved in all this. Look at his shadow and tell me that doesn't look EXACTLY like a giraffe! Me! That's me! Tall and spotted, just like a giraffe! And every time he pitches, his shadow makes a giraffe. Oh yeah baby! He must love me. Haha :)

Day Seven Hundred and Fifty

The Six Months are Up

(Time to Relocate)

This is probably the simplest - and fastest - way to describe yesterday...

It was a dangerous mixture of high emotions, long flights, packed apartments...and nowhere to call home. 

Momentarily, these Space Noodles brought smiles.

They're sure making me smile now though. How adorable, Seattle?!

We flew red eye from Seattle to North Carolina to Jacksonville yesterday.

We left Seattle at 10:30 PM Sunday night and landed in Jax at 9 AM Monday morning. Boy was it a long night...and the proof lies here. Literally. This was Adam during our one-hour layover in Charlotte, NC.

Like the Space Noodles, finally seeing Florida again gave us both instant smiles.

Once home in Jax, we had a lot on our plate. But first, we took a three hour nap - it was absolutely the most necessary item of our whole day. Because when we woke up, we needed that rest in so many ways. Not only did we have to pack up the whole apartment, load the truck, clean, and drive four hours to Jupiter, but we also had to SEARCH FOR ANOTHER CONDO. Say what?! It was 2:30 PM when the news that our apartment contract offer was outbid and won by someone else. And the place we were planning on calling home, wasn't in fact, going to be home at all. We had to be out of Jax on the 30th, but suddenly, we didn't have anywhere to go on the 1st. Problem. Big problem. Wife-freak-out-crying-like-a-baby-problem. We then had 2 1/2 hours to find a new home, 300 miles away, at a time of day that most realtors are already gone from work. Awesome...not. Long story short, we finally signed another lease at 7:30 PM, 13 hours before we needed to move in.

Moral of the story: Trust - first - that God will provide. And save the freak-outs for something more serious. Also, be wary of shady real estate agents.

Anyways...above is Adam, packed and ready to start loading in Jax.

But first, he had to get it all from the 19th story to the 1st. That calls for shopping carts, wardrobe carts, and elevators of course!

And then, loading at the loading dock.

We finally filled the truck - to the brim - and left Jacksonville (for good?) at 9 PM.

That got us to Jupiter around 1:30 AM, where this beautiful sight awaited us. Yes, complete with a giraffe. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, Sondra and Dennis for opening your home and gorgeous bedroom to us. We're grateful for your hospitality and example of what living like Jesus really means.

HEY JUPITER...WE'RE BAAAA-AAAAACK!

Day Seven Hundred and Twenty-Eight

The First Gift of 26

.September 14th came early yesterday.

Happy 26th birthday to me

Ok, so I'm not overly happy about this upcoming birthday. For some reason, 25 just seems so...youthful...vibrant...young. Now, I'm staring 30 right in the face without any kids to speak for. Sigh. I just started using wrinkle cream this past month...and skin firming lotion too, just to be sure. My body aches like it shouldn't and my immune system is already tapping out. Old age...it's coming for me! HAHAHAHAHA

I'm kidding.

Well, except for...most of it. I really am using wrinkle cream. And my body really does ache like it shouldn't (possibly from my previous collegiate athletics days? Yeah, I'll stick with that). Oh, and I don't have any kids yet. Probably should talk to Adam about that. Hahaha ;)

In any case, the 14th - and year 26 - is coming for me.

And Nina treated me to an AMAZINGLY THOUGHTFUL birthday present yesterday, just a few days early!! The bottle of wine - our favorite - is one we drank together the night she slumbered over. The bracelet - made out of baseball leather - has the most beautiful cross charm stitched onto it. And the wine glass...need I comment?!!!!!!! Oh my gosh, GIRAFFE!! Hahaha it's so perfect. Nina is one in a million. I am so grateful for her friendship and heart. Thank you for this most perfect gift, Nina. It makes me smile every time I see or think of it! XOXO

Day Six Hundred and Eighty-Four

The Balcony Oasis

Sometimes, Saturdays are a bit hectic at the pool.

And this little oasis ain't a bad second option. 

I love sitting on my balcony while listening to the sounds of busy people below. I wonder what life is like for them. I wonder over their struggles. I wonder over their successes. I wonder where they're going and what they're doing. I wonder if they're mad. Sad? Happy? Hopeful? But most often, I wonder about their heart. And then, I can't help but to pray to Jesus that one day, they'd find Him, accept Him, and love Him.

(And yes, that is a giraffe towel. Just is case you were wondering.)

And for my random randomness of the day:

Call me crazy, but this is SO COOL!

If you're a Harry Potter fan (like me), dial this number.

You'll be smiling the rest of the day (it's Hogwarts)!!!

 

Day Six Hundred and Twenty-Five

The Universal Experience

Mom and Dan weren't about to come to Florida without a little visit to the center of it. That's right: Orlando. So we packed up the truck and headed Southwest. We eeenie-meenie-minie-mowed it and Universal Studios was winner of day one (Disney was super busy, and we wanted to see Harry Potter anyways!).

Not even into the park yet, and I had already met my twin. It was going to be a good day.

Traditional Universal Ball photo. Duh.

Hard Rock Orlando and Dad on my mind.

Thought my siblings might appreciate this image :) Love you redheads.

And we're going in!

First stop: Minion Mayhem. 

Mommy: overflowing with excitement!

Post-Minion Mayhem dancing photo op.

We had to work for our picture!

(Dan, Minion's face...that's for you. Hahaha)

I was 11 years old when I last visited Universal (California). 

And this exact photo exists of me at that age.

Had to recapture it!

Mommy was a BAD GIRL!

She was having too much fun!

("Too much fun, what's that mean? It's like too much money: there's no such thing. It's like a girl too pretty, with too much class. Being too lucky, a car too fast. No matter what they say I've done, I ain't never had too much fun!" <--- Daryle Singletary lyrics...one of Adam's favorite songs!)

Three happy people.

(And pretty ones too!)

We like SpongeBob.

(A lot)

There was a time in my life that Barney ruled.

There was a time in Dan's life that beer ruled.

It's no coincidence they happened simultaneously.

Saved the best for last.

Could it be? Really? Truly?!

HOGWARTS!!!

(More than) Happy in Hogsmeade...

And doing it right with my ButterBeer. 

(You Muggles just won't understand)

HARRY POTTER LOVERS UNITE!

Oh my heart! So so much fun!

Then Mommy got pulled over again.

And suckered Dan into trouble too!

Why are they so happy?! :)

Don't worry, we found Gru's dog, Kyle! He was out chasing that pink dog's tail!

(Did I ever mention how many times I've gotten, "Oh, I thought she was your sister!" from people? I didn't? Well, a lot is the answer! My mom's so pretty!)

CHEERS to Universal Studios Orlando.

What a day!

And just as a final side note for future reference...

DO NOT WEAR the following (if you want to maintain the integrity and comfort of your feet and back) to any event that requires at least 6 miles of walking:

1) Sandals.

2) Flip flops.

All of us made that dire mistake yesterday...and paid for it. Ouchie!

Day Four Hundred and Forty-Nine

The First Evergreen

Our tree! Our tree!! I begged Adam to let us begin Christmas season, but he was being quite Ginch-y about it. He tried telling me that we'd get our tree in two weeks. Uhm, what?! Two weeks and you might as well just skip Christmas altogether! So, I Cindy-Lou-Who'd him (whatever that consists of), and he caved in! I'm SO excited! Our first REAL Christmas tree (we had a palm tree last year). It's perfect!  

We stopped by Home Goods on our way back to the apartment in search of a tree skirt. We didn't find one...but we did find each other :)

Turns out that our apartment is really small. Ha! We figured that out even more so when this 7-footer entered our home. But we don't care! It's so much prettier in here now! No decorating last night though...instead, we watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Adam was one happy boy!

And best part of yesterday: It was Grama's birthday!!! Happy birthday Lovely. I love you so much!

Real quick: I've been asked about Plasti-Dip before and after pictures. This is before he painted the badges and top tail light.

And this is after. He also did the handles to the toolbox, but I haven't taken any pictures since then (I keep forgetting). Specifically for my uncle: this stuff isn't spray paint, rather, it's plastic. It does come out like spray paint though. One coat gives whatever you spray a light tint. The more and more coats you apply, the darker it becomes (Adam applied something like 5 coats). Also, if it turns out poorly or you hate the look, it just peels right off. 7 bucks will get you a can at Home Depot...and they have many colors to choose from too. It's cheap, easy, and looks good. Can't beat that! 

Day Four Hundred and Forty-Three

The Missing Taco Bell Packets

Finally, a home cooked meal. After a week and a half of eating out, our bellies were begging for some Conley prepared food. On the menu tonight: tacos, of course. Adam's convinced that he's Mexican. We eat some type of Mexican-inspired dish at least 3 times a week. And that's not an exaggeration. Our fridge was (and is) just about as bare as it's ever been, so we made a quick stop at Publix for the necessities (I wasn't about to go "big" grocery shopping our first day back). I browned up 2 pounds of beef (Adam wanted me to make extra tacos tonight...leftovers are always the style in our home). But when we went to grab the Taco Bell seasoning packets, they were nowhere to be found. This, I swear, has never happened. We're NEVER out of those packets. Ever. They're a life source around here and we were dumbfounded when we came to the horrible conclusion that we were out. With a very limited stock of other ingredients, the next best thing on the list was spaghetti. We love spaghetti. But somehow, for some reason neither of us will ever understand, the only spaghetti sauce in our cupboard was mushroom and green pepper. Ok, gross. We hate mushrooms. Never in my life would I have purchased that sauce. No way. We like the meat sauce. Or three cheese sauce. Anything but mushroom and green pepper. Ugh. But, that's all we had...so we decided to give it a go (Adam didn't want to go to the store again. He'd already been 3 times!). Well, it's safe to say that we'll be sure NEVER to make that mushroom mistake again. It was totally edible. But after about 7 minutes, the taste was just too strong. Now, I have about a pound of spaghetti sauce in the fridge and hoping that Adam will suck it up and eat it for lunch tomorrow. Fingers crossed. Darnit!!!

Also, I don't know how Adam managed to make me look like an actual giraffe in this picture. Holy long neck! Ha!

Day Three Hundred and FIfty-Three

The Giraffe Comes to Her Senses

Adam drew this for me last night while I was in the process of throwing one of the biggest fits of our nearly one year of marriage. Me: crying like a baby in bed, angry at the world. Adam: (probably) giggling at my childish tantrum, thinking about how much he loves this crazy, passionate, and emotional woman. I am very sensitive. It's no secret. And when someone hurts my feelings or abuses my trust, I don't take it easily. That's what happened last night. And so, I cried about it. While I was crying, Adam (who was upset as well), found a way to channel his feelings into something positive and ended with this result. 

When I made my way into the kitchen after Adam served me dinner, I saw his little project and immediately, a smile crept across my face. I wasn't in a smiling mood, but he found a way to brighten my world in that moment. What I saw when I looked at this was:

Griaffe + Polar Bear = <3

Which to me, meant:

Kendall + Adam = Love

He's so sweet, I thought. He's so genuine, I thought. 

I went to him after seeing this and offered my apology. I asked him to forgive me for disrespecting him and for taking my anger out on him when he, in fact, wasn't the person I was upset with. He accepted my apology, forgave me, and made sure I knew how much he loved me. 

This morning, after mostly laughing off what happened the night before, I went to make myself and Adam breakfast and once again, saw the drawing. I laughed, grabbed my camera, and took a photo. 

Tonight, I again told Adam how much I loved his long legged drawing. But I was curious,"Why did you make the polar bear stand like that?" I asked. He laughed. "You don't get it, Kendall?" He said. I shook my head. The whole time, he thought I got it. I didn't know what I was supposed to get. "Kendall, the polar bear is the number 4." And that's when I hugged him like crazy, professing to him just how much I love the man I married.

Sure, the picture said:

Giraffe + Polar Bear = <3

But it also, more importantly said:

1 + 4 = 3

143 is Adam's way of telling me he loves me. 143 means "I love you." 

The word "I" has one letter. 

The word "love" has four letters. 

The word "you" has three letters.

The license plate number on Adam's truck reads: 1432476.

That means: I love you so much Kendall Conley.

It's just "our thing." It always has been. Since the very first time we told each other "I love you."

Now look at the drawing! See it?! Ah! He's so wonderful! And I'm so blessed.

Ok, enough of that mushy stuff. Onto Isaac. 

I'm not sure if this exact storm above is a result from Hurricane Isaac, but I've never seen such an alien-type rainfall in my life. So, I'll chalk it up to Isaac. I captured this image while on my way to Channing's house for a much needed girl's day.

Isaac is currently making land contact right now in Louisiana. It's classified, as of now, as a category 1 hurricane, but it's moving painfully slow, which is very bad news for New Orleans and the surrounding areas. A slower hurricane movement means that it'll stay in the area for a longer amount of time. Not good. Hopefully, the preparations to rebuild the levees and infrastructure around the city will save those in Louisiana from the devastation that Katrina brought 7 years - to the day - ago. 

Channing is a 3rd grade teacher in a city 20 minutes North of Jupiter. Today, they cancelled classes because of the storm. And so, we got to hang out! She invited me over, and mostly, we talked, and talked, and talked some more! Like always! And then, we went to the store for some dinner grocery shopping. Meatloaf and twice baked potatoes were on the menu and I was so excited to bring Adam this special dinner between his doubleheader. Here, Channing is teaching me how to select the best potatoes. Truth: I've never purchased single potatoes like this before. Always in the 5 lb bag...because let's face it, Adam will eat every last one of them!

Channing showing off her chef skills! A secret family meatloaf recipe to die for! Mmmm. So good!

I've never made meatloaf on my own before, so she showed me the ways. There's no getting around this part of the preparation. You've gotta just get in there, get your hands dirty, and mush up those ingredients! She mentioned how cold her hands got. Gosh, I never considered that! 

In the nick of time, the meatloaf came out of the oven, we plated it up nicely, and I rushed out the door after a wonderful day spent with a girl that I absolutely adore. I got to the clubhouse with a few minutes to spare, and when my handsome man came out to my surprise, he was excited, happy, and thankful that he didn't have to eat another clubhouse meal! And he loved it! Success! Thank you, Channing for such a nice day. You're the perfect company and I cherish every moment we spend together!