Day Four Hundred and Forty

The Unforgiving Rays

After a week in sunny Moorea, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that maybe our skin had become slightly accustomed to the intense rays. Right? So, we decided to forgo sunscreen for just 10 minutes while we played catch on the beach, and once the old arms were worn out, we hopped in the pool and submerged ourselves completely. We might have stayed like this for 20 more minutes before retiring to the shaded beach chairs. 2 hours later, we discovered the terribly terribly poor decision we’d made. The sun here doesn’t care about your skin. And in 10 minutes, it will scorch you.

So hand-in-hand, we walked our lobster skin back to the bungalow and swore to each other that we’d never do that again. Without the sun to entertain us and suffering the brutal effects that accompany burned flesh, we sat outside in the shelter of the shade and read. And read. And read. Even Adam! I finished Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling…the hubby finished an even better book: Saturday Nothing by our sweet friend Josh Martin. It’s the first book Adam has finished in quite some time…so it MUST have been tremendous (and having read it myself, I would be the first to agree)! Hey Josh, how’d you like Moorea? Cuz it certainly liked you!

With a completely drained supply of aloe vera, we needed desperately to stock up. (Lesson learned: bring TWO containers of aloe next time).  Thankfully, that little store at the top of the hill is close and the walk is shaded by a decent amount of shrubbery. So, we donned our caps, our long sleeves, and walking shoes and headed for the green goo. This is what the inside of the little Albert Store looks like.

We’re seriously red. Whoops. But that aloe never felt so good.

Although burned and wishing to do anything else, we had an annoying obligation to pack, as it was our last night in Moorea. In the midst of the whirlwind of cleaning, this is what we turned our beautiful and peaceful bungalow into. A disaster. I again did laundry in the bathtub and rinsed the soap off in the shower. Adam strung a line for me outside to hang the clothes on…turns out the rope we brought for floating came in handy in more way than one!

Adam and I are going to miss this paradise. We had an unbelievable time and soaked in every ounce of peaceful rest we could. Our honeymoon was everything we needed to reconnect, relax, and reflet on our first year of marriage together. It was incredibly beautiful and the two of us loved learning more and more about each other in this most special setting. Even if that did include a night at a foreign hospital.

Day Three Hundred and Twenty-Four

The Seventh Game and Last Day in Jupiter

We spent our last day in Jupiter on the beach this afternoon. Hunter is an official fan of the ocean and now recognizes that it's not so scary after all. When he was first introduced to the vast waters and weird ground, he was a bit unsure of what to think of it all. And sea shells? Forget about it. He wanted nothing to do with them that first visit. But today, the scene was different. He actually went searching for the shells this time! Precious. He absolutely loves playing in the sand, building castles, tearing them down, and ruining Mommy's creations. He's yet to learn that removing sand from his mouth with another sandy hand doesn't make anything better. Worse, matter of fact. Maybe next time we can teach him that!

Big Boy and Mama are the best of playmates. They laugh and laugh and laugh all day long. They're two peas in a pod and it's been just beautiful to see this relationship blossom.

We made our way to Viera, FL this evening to watch Adam pitch in his game against the Brevard County Manatees (That's why today was our last day in Jupiter). When we finally arrived in Viera, the rain was pouring and the lightning was striking. Of course, the game was delayed an hour, so to make up for lost time, we found ourselves the nearest frozen yogurt joint and chilled (haha) with our friends! Every single one of us is crazy about this special treat!

Alejandra noticed quite quickly that Ellie had spent a bit of time in the sun today. She decided to make a little comparison using her bright pink spoon and Ellie's bright pink shoulders. Youch! I know exactly how she feels :( Only, she actually did use sunscreen! I think she might have missed a few spots?! Poor girl. 

The rain let up and we were finally able to make our way to the field! This is the home of the Brevard County Manatees, an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. During Spring Training, the Nationals call it home. I've yet to see a set up like this, but it works I guess!

Adam pitched an outstanding 5 innings tonight. This picture shows the only hitter to really put a whack on the ball. And that hitter just-so-happened to be his old WSU Cougar teammate Shea Vucinich! I asked Adam how he felt about giving up a double to his friend and he said, "Of all the guys out there, I'd rather give up a hit like that to Shea. He's a good man, a good friend, and someone who deserves it. I just shouldn't have let that ball middle and belt-high!" Haha. I love my boy! His line looked like this in his seventh start as a Hammerhead:

5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K and a No-Decision.

He left the game with a 4-1 lead over the Manatees, but later in the game, the Hammerheads lost their lead and blew Adam's win. The lost in 11 innings, 4-5. Adam got up to 95 tonight and said that his changeup was "nasty." 

Hunter agrees with Uncle's changeup. And I agree with Hunter's shirt.

Remember how I said that Mommy would be forever enslaved to baseball ice cream? Well, tonight was no exception! Hunter knew to ask for it, and Mommy couldn't say no, so we found ourselves back at the Concession Stand for a special treat. Only, the Manatees weren't serving any ice cream. Instead, slushies. Well, when it's only 80 degrees out, your toes are wet in rain puddle, your booty is too, and your mouth has ice in it...you're bound to shiver. And that's exactly what Big Boy started doing! Shivering in the middle of Florida summer! Hahaa. So Ellie wrapped him up in his favorite fleece blanket and they warmed him right on up! We took the wet shoes and shorts off and tossed the slushie. For the rest of the night, he was perfectly warm.

And really flirty. I don't know what they're teaching him at home, but he was definitely curious about what was inside Alejandra's shirt tonight...oh boy. He love love loves his Ale and her crazy Spanglish songs :)

And I think he needs an answer to his question.

Day Three Hundred and Nine

The Tampa Travels

This was Adam at 3:00 AM. Yes, AM. We got lost in our show and didn't realize what we had done. Uh...whoops? (We really like Breaking Bad...like, a lot.) When we came to our senses and started getting ready for bed, we discovered the flaky truth of Adam's back. He took of his shirt and oh gosh...I wasn't expecting what I saw! His entire back is peeling off in snake-like chunks, which gives us plenty of reason to think that his 911 itchiness had something to do with his sunburn. He feels a lot better now. Lesson learned. If you've not been in the sun for 5 months, maybe put some sunscreen on before spending 2 hours on the ocean?!! I still need to make my dermatologist appointment. I might as well make one for him too.

While looking on in exasperation at his back, I might have cracked a few jokes. This was his retaliation. Hey, he's the one with the scaly back! At least I have super squeaky clean teeth! 

6:30 AM came quite quickly this morning. With only 3 1/2 hours of sleep, the two of us woke up slower than usual. I cooked Adam breakfast, he packed a few things, and left for Tampa on a charter bus at 8:00 AM. He's still required to ride the bus, which is normal for a minor league player, but that also means that I have to make the drive to wherever he goes...alone. (Except when I ride with Alejandra!) Today, at least, my drive alone treated me very nicely. God is so creative. I have absolutely no complaints about my 3 1/2 hour trip...because I was in the presence of the very best company. 

For me, all it takes is one glance. One look at the beauty of nature and all its intricacies. I could never believe that something like this could happen on accident. By chance. I just can't accept that.  

...After a long drive, it's always nice to walk into a hotel room and be met by an apartment instead...We have a living room, an office, a miniature kitchen (with a microwave...hello morning oatmeal!!), two TVs, and one gigantic bedroom. I shouldn't be saying this, but I will anyways...thank you, Yankees. Your farm teams are spoiled. Just like your big league team. Hehehe.

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Nine

The Day of Finallys

And so it continues. Two hours at the pool in 85 degree weather has this crispy affect on white girls. Especially defiant ones who don't use sunscreen. But allow me to at least explain myself. I can't remember the last time I actually saw the sun. Everywhere I've gone in the past month has been either rainy, cloudy, or dark. It was supposed to be no different this week in Delmarva. That means: I'm really white at the moment. Or at least I was. As it stands now, you wouldn't be wrong to call me red. The sun finally came out today, and sure enough, I was excited to soak in some rays. But they were excited to toast me. 

I'm pretty used to the stinging pains of sunburns; after all, I can't remember a summer without them. But c'mon...this is getting old! (Ok Grama, I know...I'll start using sunscreen. Ugh) And also, when I get back to Greensboro, I will make an appointment with the dermatologist...I think it's time they run a few tests...and yell at me a little, too.

I finally got a picture with my favorite Grasshopper!! I've been waiting quite patiently to sneak a photo with my man in uniform (they look especially good that way!), and after 10 long weeks, I got one! Now I want more. Haha.

At 11:00 PM, Adam finally got to enjoy his dinner. That's how life goes for professional baseball players I guess. And here in Delmarva, the only thing open that late and within walking distance is Denny's..which he's scarfed three nights in a row now. Yesterday, I took my laptop to "dinner" to write my blog, and tonight, I followed suit. Whatever you have to do to make it work!

And finally, a picture of my two favorite boys. Numero Uno y Numero Dos. Best pals and road trip roomies.