Playing House

Yesterday, Jesse and I signed the lease and got the keys to our new place! Honestly, it is surprising how the whole situation still feels a bit surreal, even after we spent an entire evening scheming and planning about where things should go. The first thing we did was throw open the curtains, open the windows and stare at each other standing in the middle of the living room with huge blissful smiles on our faces. Then we hugged; hugged like there was no tomorrow and if we let go the world would somehow magically end. God it was an amazing feeling.

After grabbing the initial load of boxes stuffed full of our belongings and setting up the computer Jesse and I started existing together, really existing for the first time. He got a phone call and wandered off into the other room while I continued to check my e-mail. Gone are the days where we have to feel guilty for things like that. Our time isn't limited anymore and I can not even begin to explain how liberating that is.

Our neighbors already must think we're freaks. Here we were residents for not more than an hour and we were prancing around with giant goofy smiles on our faces doing random happy dances in the kitchen, living room, dining room, bedrooms, and anywhere else it pleased us. (We had forgotten the windows were open.) But that's the way it's supposed to be isn't it? You're supposed to be so happy that you forget all else, nothing could possibly have mattered but the two of us and our new home.

Oh Happy Day

I absolutely love when I am surprised by happy news. You know, when you wake up thinking it'll be just another day? A co-worker of mine has been sick a lot lately and I figured that she had caught something like the flu. I was wrong; she's pregnant! Her face just lit up with joy, real and complete joy when she said it, still a little embarrassed by the attention like she's not quite used to hearing it out loud. Mmmm, happiness.

Moving On

I am not quite sure how it is possible for my house to look simultaneously cluttered and empty, but it does. Two days ago I began the overwhelming task of packing my life away in order to move from a three bedroom house with a basement to a two bedroom apartment and honestly, I had no idea one human being could possibly accumulate that much stuff.

While we were packing yesterday, Jesse and I got to talking about how the whole process of moving is actually quite fun. You get to see everything you own, there's excitement about the new place and new places to put and arrange things. But this time it's even more exciting and different. This time I am moving in with the man of my dreams. Finally, after a year of juggling schedules, friends, work, and classes we get to start out lives together. Not that we hadn't already done that but from now on we'll be in the same spot. We're moving into another stage of our lives.

I suppose one of the most exciting aspects of this whole thing is that we are finally out in the world on our own, getting to make our own decisions about our time and how it's handled. And to be perfectly frank, we get to be a little selfish about that. No more "Oh but he's just your boyfriend spend time with me instead." No more guilt trips. From now on Jesse and I are top priority, everything else comes second. Granted, this will take some adjusting to but it's going to be worth it.

Secretly I'm a little bit nervous, but in an excited sort of way, for this next stage. I've always had an independent nature so being on my own isn't an issue. It's the having to share space with another person again with the added pressure of that other person being the love of my life. I just don't want to scare him off. Even though the ring has been picked out and I know that we are madly in love with each other, the ring isn't on my finger yet. If I am truly honest with myself then I must confess that that worries me a little bit, deep down in the crevices of my thoughts. Originally when we first started talking about getting married we had set a tentative time line for our engagement, knowing that despite my liberal tendencies I would be a little uncomfortable not being engaged before we moved in together. And here we are; a week and two days from move in and we still aren't engaged.

That hard part about all of this is that when we move in together we will be married in every way except officially. I love him. I wish money wasn't a factor. . .

Take Me Out to the Ballgame. . .

It truly is amazing to witness the significance on a small town of a simple concept - Baseball. In Sturgis, Michigan baseball isn't just a game; it a way of life, a mantra of sorts. People of all ages on one day of the year converge on Spence Field to eat drink and breathe baseball. To them, nothing else in the world could possibly matter, let alone exist.

Baseball. The word rolls off your tongue, conjuring images in black and white of legendary figures wielding two, three bats at a time. You can almost see the patriotic bunting fluttering in the breeze as the smell of hot dogs overcomes your nostrils and those famous lyrics creep into your thoughts. Baseball, America's past time. Never in my life have I seen such a love for the game as I did in Sturgis one hot summer day in July.

Months of preparations lead up to All Day Baseball. The event boasts six complete games and two home run derbies taking place on two fields with ages spanning from t-ball to grandfathers. Spence Fields are hallowed ground in Sturgis, steeped with tradition and hopes for glory.

Game Three: The Generation Classic is where the anticipation finally ends and the excitement begins, pitting the Old Timers against the athletic and determined Young Guns. Here, it is father against son with nothing to loose but a little dignity. Following, is the by invite only Home Run Derby where the power house sluggers battle it out for an induction into the prestigious All Day Baseball Hall of Fame.

It wasn't until the sun had set and those famed lights over Spence Field had turned on that the the real action everyone in Sturgis has been waiting for began. This time it was brother against brother in an epic battle for the trophy and title of champion. It was Game six: the Night Cap and the crowd that had gathered oozed intensity, forcing the already heavy air to thicken with anticipation, an anticipation that was felt in both dugouts. Who would be crowned champion? Would it be the four year defending champions, the Bad Guys? Or would it be the underdogs, the Good Guys? After coming from behind to win the game by one run, a dynasty was born when the Bad Guys hoisted the All Day baseball trophy for the 5th consecutive year.

I consider myself lucky to have witnessed such a spectacle, something that Sturgis will talk about on their front porches when they are too old to play, the stuff legends are made of; when children will tell tall tales of Jesse Fraim and Joey and Tyler Wood, and someone will say, "Hey I knew them. Remember that day. . ."