Going to Charlotte's Web

McKenzie wants to go to Charlotte's Web. Not because she wants to see the perspicacious spider, or the gregarious pig, but because her daddy is there. Before I utterly confuse you, let me explain where Charlotte's Web is and why Josh is there.

Josh left on July 4th for a 3 day road trip to Altoona, Pennsylvania. The Eastern League selected him a few days earlier to be All-Star and play in the All-Star game in Trenton, New Jersey. We were humbled, excited, and honored. So off he went to Altoona while McKenzie and I had a little Baysox girlfriend/wife 4th of July party at our apartment. The weekend flashed by and before we knew it it was Monday afternoon and we were looking forward to be seeing Josh late that night.

At 4 in the afternoon my phone started ringing. It was Josh. Josh NEVER calls me once he is at the field, particularly in Altoona because they don't get any reception in the locker room. I knew something was different. After our usual "Hi. What's up. Not much" prelude, he told me that the Orioles had just moved him up the triple-A Norfolk Tides.

Hurray!!! I'm so proud of you!! came tumbling out along with a lot of "Oh, wows!" interspersed with all the other things you say when you are happy, excited, proud, and nervous and don't really know what to say, while at the same time your mind is racing about moving, apartments, schedules, travel, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

So getting down to the facts...he would come home with the team that night as planned and then fly out of Baltimore Tuesday to meet the team in Charlotte, North Carolina. He got in at 2 in the morning and we all went home and collapsed in a complete state of exhaustion.

Morning and laundry and getting him ready to go came quickly, but we were so thankful that we had a few hours together as a family. Josh and McKenzie wrastled around laughing and howling. They snuggled and read books and were silly. Crumbled in a heap together on the couch, Josh told McKenzie that he was going on a BIG AIRPLANE to Charlotte.

"Kinda like Charlotte's Web," he told her.

"I want to go to Charlotte's Web," she said.

"No. Just me. You are going to meet me in Norfolk on Thursday."

"YouNorfolk?"

"Yes. Norfolk."

"Oh..."

So after we took Josh to the airport and throughout the rest of the day, she kept asking to go to Charlotte's Web to see daddy and play catch with the guys. I kept explaining that we weren't going to Charlotte but that we would see daddy in a few days in Norfolk, which was followed by a lesson in how to pronounce it.

Last night we went to the game here in Bowie to see our Harrisburg friends who were in town playing the Baysox. McKenzie had a fabulous time playing with the kids and I had a fabulous time letting someone else chase her. There is nothing quite so refreshing as seeing friends you have known for more than a month who know who you are and where you are from and what you do the rest of the year. We left in the 7th inning to come home and listen to Josh's game in Charlotte.

Not more than 10 minutes after I turned on the radio at home, the announcer in Charlotte began to analyze the literal Charlotte's web that a homely spider was building in front of the press-box window. He was so entranced by the web that he occasionally got behind in his pitch count. Pun-manship is practically de rigueur in the world of sports broadcasting. No self-respecting sports announcer can resist the opportunity to capitalize on a pun.

Looking past the web, we finally found out that Josh was warming up in the bull pen and would most likely pitch the ninth. The Tides (that's us now) were up 8-4. As expected, Josh came on to finish the game and as the announcer so colorfully said "fanned the side," which in normal English means that he struck out the three batters he faced.

McKenzie and I fell down on our knees and thanked the Lord for such a great start to this next phase. We know this promotion is entirely from Him and according to His plan and we are just praising Him completely for it.

All season I prayed that if and when we got moved-up that the Lord would shepherd the timing. He has, completely and entirely. We signed a three month lease on our apartment. It is up July 15th. Josh will now have three days off for All-Star break and will not play in the Eastern League All-Star game. He is ineligible because of his promotion. That will allow us to pack and move-out together, which is a first in our married life. We have family friends in Norfolk who are helping us find a place to live.

We are blessed beyond belief and are just in awe of God's graciousness. We know that this has nothing to do with us and everything to do with the revelation of His glory, which we pray is magnified through us.

Thank you for all your prayers and support and please continue to pray that we are a blessing and light and that the Lord strengthens us as a family for this next phase. Also pray that Josh continues to be faithful and steadfast in his work and that he is able to efficiently and effectively accomplish what he is asked to do.

Off to Charlotte's Web