When we first hit Arizona it was mid February, and I knew we wouldn't be around long enough to catch any spring training games. Then like so many times before Becky found a way for us to do something I dreamed of doing. She found seasonal positions at a park in Phoenix. We would work every other day, and I would take the kids to ballgames on my days off. It worked perfectly, in fact it worked better than we had ever hoped.
I was excited to go to Spring Training, but concerned that our trip may stall or get off course. We did get off schedule a little, which I think has helped us avoid some bad weather up north, but our course has stayed the same. We experienced something new, we met great new people and we figured out that although the Cruiser was sitting still we kept moving forward.
Having never worked in retail before, I wasn't sure what I had signed up for when I road Becky's coat tails into the team shop at Camelback Ranch. She had years of retail experience and I was with her when we interviewed so I got a job too. I found that it agreed with me.
All spring I stood outside and talked to people from around the country who were happy to be at a baseball game in the sun of Phoenix. I sold baby hats to happy grandfathers, talked baseball, dealt sun screen to red faced fans, and became friends with a dozen or so people that worked next to me.
In a months time, I learn their history, found out what made them laugh and how they ended up in the same place as me.
Becky and I met Debbie, one the sweetest people I've ever met. She worked hard everyday, and smiled long after everyone else had stopped.
We met Kent, he became a quiet leader and someone that drew on his years of retail experience to make everybody's job go smoother.
I shared jokes with Angel, a smart young man who graduated early from high school, but could still enjoy my immature antics.
Midway through the month, one of our co-workers, Skip, was in a motorcycle accident. We all worried about him and his wife who worked with us as well. He survived the incident with only bruises.
And we worked for great supervisors. Steven, Katie and Meagan made our jobs enjoyable. They laughed with us, made our mistakes seem minor, and convinced me that I looked good in a pork pie hat.
With time winding down on our great adventure, I know that I will look at our month at Camelback Ranch as one of our favorite stops. Hopefully we will be able to find our way back out there next spring to reunite with some of those same friends.
