It’s a Beautiful Thing

I remember when Florida was relaxing. Early on in our careers, Jennifer and I would plan a couple of extra days after our concerts just to chill whenever we were invited to play in a Florida town. We didn’t have kids then, and since we were on the road almost all year, there wasn’t much for us to rush home for. Orlando has always been our favorite Florida city. Orlando’s Z88.3 was one of the first radio stations to play FFH, even before we were signed to a record deal. Back then, Scott Smith and Lisa Williams were there (both are now at K-LOVE) and we all became friends. (Jennifer and I seriously toyed with the idea of moving there in our twenties) And whenever we played a concert in one of the theme parks they would let us ride a couple of rides for free before the show. We have a lot of great memories in Florida, and in God’s kindness, we continue to get to make more. It’s different now though. Florida isn’t nearly as relaxing when you bring your kids, as we were reminded again this week.

Sara’s wedding was beautiful and we all had a special time, even though I messed up the words to the song I wrote for her and Vince. (I recorded a scratch version on my phone and included it at the end of this letter) Sadie-Claire found a friend at the reception and they danced all night long. Hutch was very handsome and mature as well. Jennifer and I got to reconnect with some old friends and had a genuinely nice time. The Bristol family is very generous, and when they invited us to be a part of the wedding they also offered to bless us with a few extra nights at the hotel and a couple of days at the theme parks. Rick is well connected so he asked a couple of his friends who work at the parks to comp us in. Where he didn’t have a connection he just paid for us. Hutch and Sadie made sure he got his money’s worth and Jennifer and I used the opportunity to have our new press picture taken…

I thought I might get a little time to think about the future this week and maybe get into the Clear Air that I talked about on Tuesday… Nope. When there are princesses to meet and a Lego park to get to there’s no time to think. I tried to read my Bible in the mornings when I took the kids to the lobby for breakfast, but It was nuts there too. It’s summer break in South America and much of the continent was at our Hampton Inn. Once breakfast was over we left for the parks and came home just before bed. So not-relaxing. But the kids loved it and that’s what matters now. I couldn’t care less about seeing Mickey or riding a ride, but when the kids light up, I light up and all of a sudden it doesn’t matter how bad my feet hurt or that I just bought a six-dollar soft pretzel. So this is what that feels like.

We’re starting our descent back into Nashville and back into our “normal” lives. It snowed while we were gone and I’m glad we missed it, but I remembered this week that the back window on my Jeep is unzipped and I’ll probably have to scoop slush out of it before I drive it. It’s going to get busy again but I’m thankful that God allowed us a few days of distraction from what has been a very heavy season for the kids and us.

Stay warm,
Jeromy

Here’s the song for Sara and Vince (recorded on my iPhone) Jennifer and I played and sang it right before the “You may kiss the bride” part of the wedding, then again at the reception; along with several other FFH songs that Sara has loved since she was in junior high school. Sara had sent me the story of her and Vin’s relationship and some of the specific things that they’ve been through and what they call each other, etc. That’s where I learned that Vincent was Sara’s first kiss, that he calls her his “Jewel”, that he’s a Fireman, etc. That will help it make more sense. Enjoy!

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