We had a blast. I am not sure we have ever spent so much money on baseball...ever. We dropped a lot of money on just one ALCS game (whiiiiiiich was completely worth it...we were only a few feet away from some homerun balls and we won...which is always nice) And I think we have bought more spur of the moment fan gear than ever. (Yeah, Cory has that hat already...but this new one has a World Series patch!! We need it!) We went to more games than we have in a single year (we normally go to plenty...but there were just too many nail-biting moments this year, we needed to be there!)
My dad blogs. And I think that's where I get this side of me from. It's always really weird to think about the traits that I got from him...long before I ever even saw his face when I was 21. (ahem, speaking of nail-biting! Merp) I always read his posts on Royals Review and Arrowhead Pride when I know that he has made one. And this last one got to me, so I thought I would share.
http://www.royalsreview.com/2014/10/29/7088677/this-ones-for-you-mom
I read it with tears in my eyes the whole time. I was heartbroken (the same way I have felt for years at holiday parties when everyone shares old family stories that I was not a part of) I read about this wonderful grandmother that I never knew and will never get to know. And it reminded me of how absolutely shitty it all was for me. It brought me right back to the place that I don't think about anymore. The parts of my life that I have all but forgotten. It's been easier the past 6 years or so, now that I have Cory. He has changed my life in so many ways...one of which is that I don't feel sad like I used to....and I know that I can find comfort with him on the rare occasion that I do. I don't feel like I even think about this stuff as much. My heart is so full of love and joy that there isn't much room for anything else.
When I got to the paragraph about my Grandmother seeing her grandchildren graduate...I stopped reading. And feared what would be said next. I didn't know what I would read...but I was sure surprised when I found the courage to read the rest.
"Mary Dixon died in 2006. She lived to see her grandchildren Susan, Ellen and Tim graduate from high school, but she never knew her granddaughter Chyleina. I'm sorry for that, Mom. You would have loved her. You would have loved Cory - the wonderful young man that she married - and your first great-grandson Jack. And there is no doubt in my mind that there is no one who would have better appreciated the way Chyleina and Cory announced the upcoming birth of your next great-grandchild on Facebook:"
I was mentioned! Not at all saying that I assumed I would be left out of it entirely. But he said it. Out load. For everyone to read. Which brought a strange sense of relief over me. We talk about things, we don't act like it never happened, but for him to open up that side of us for all of the Royals fans to read was special to me.
Then today, Cory sent me the link again...and told me to read the comments. And it somehow surprised me more than that paragraph.
Just one technical question that is piquing my curiosity...
Why didn’t your mom get to meet Chyleina? Sorry if that’s too personal of a question.
Just kidding.
As a matter of fact, it is too personal of a question.
But I will answer it anyway. Chyleina is the daughter of a woman with whom I had a relationship while I was separated from my first wife. Like most people, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. The biggest one I ever made was believing my parents wouldn’t be able to handle the knowledge that I had another daughter. It wasn’t fair to them. But more importantly, it wasn’t fair to Chyleina. She came through it as a strong, beautiful woman, and I couldn’t be prouder of her.
That’s all I have to say about it – except to say something to any young man who might find himself in a similar situation: Listen to this old man. Give your family the credit it deserves. Don’t trade an awkward hour for a lifetime of regret.
And there it was. My day was made. And nobody even meant to do it. I don't know who 5thStarter is, but I appreciate his curiosity. It was what I needed.
Which brings me to my next point of business...and the only people who read this are already well aware...but this is how we announced our pregnancy (EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!)
People seemed to like it. Haha. And we even got a little blurb on the morning news about it. And as a side note, none of these names are in the running. We have names picked out...and they are not Royals-related. (Sorry boys, we love you...but this has already been planned in my head for a while!!)
Hokay, I am sure Bud will be waking from his nap soon, so I shall disperse.
Toodles.
Just an amazing post.