Our {Summer} Family

A lot of y'all have hobbies - things you get wrapped up in from time to time throughout the year.  You make friends with people you meet at said activities.  Other soccer moms, nerdy CPAs (sorry Gares,) fellow gym rats, etc...  But these are usually casual friendships, and passing acquaintances - you might even be friends with them on Facebook or follow them on Instagram.  But, generally speaking, these are people you're not going to go out of your way to stay in touch with once the season or activity is over. 

You may have noticed, John and I like baseball.  A lot.  (Duh - unless you have been living under a rock)  But this is not just a hobby.  For good and bad, to some extent, it defines who we are.  In the movie Fever Pitch, Jimmy Fallon's character references the "summer family" he has at Fenway.  John and I have made numerous jokes the past several years about our similarities to that character, but really it's not just about baseball.

I spent part of this past week texting with one of our valet drivers about our usher who is in ICU.  So you see, to us, it's not just a summer family.  It's true friends and it's honorary grandparents.  Honorary grandparents who have adopted us into their family.  It's pretending you're immediate family so you can go visit.  It's breaking down in tears because other than praying incessantly you don't know what else to do.  It's thanking God that He has put all of these people in our lives for one reason or another, whether we think we know why or not. 

So, the next time one of y'all says - geez, those Vittas' are a little obsessed with the Rangers.  I will have to bite my tongue to keep from telling you to shut up.  It's not just baseball for us.  It is so much more.