match point, set, love

I flew to Alabama. i have not been back since Christmas. Just stepping off the plane was refreshing. The weather here in Chicago has been topping off around 40 degrees. It was a beautiful (and shockingly not humid) 80 degrees in Mobile. I never thought I would be so happy to walk down the tarmac of the mobile airport/post office. I was actually supposed to arrive in Mobile early in the day, but due to factors ( I would like to blame on other things than me, but lets be honest) I missed my flight and did not touchdown until 4pm. I still just got to chill and hang out with my parents before the festivities began.
Friday morning was the first part of the Tournament. Let me start from the beginning. In honor of Kerri and to benefit St. Judes, the Kerri Castello Foundation, consisting Kerri's parents, my parents, my friend Hallie, and some other rock stars, put together this fundraiser. It was a three day tennis tournament, a big party at Felix's Fish Camp, and a silent auction. I was hoping that there would be more people from our graduating class to support Kerri, but only a handful showed up. That being said, there was still about 350 at the party Saturday Night. Some people were flashy givers and some did not want to be recognized at all. Either way it didn't matter. The most important thing is that at the end of the day, after costs, the foundation sent St. Jude's a check for over $80,000! Can you believe that?! I had complete confidence in the committee and people's willingness to give to a worthy cause, but I would have never guessed that in three days time, in little ole Mobile, Alabama, we could do something like that!
It was an amazing weekend, and I was on a high all weekend. I loved seeing my family, even though it was a short trip. My parents worked their butts off. They made sure everything was in place for the Castello's and no one had to stress. My dad even became bartender for awhile. I got to spend some good quality time with Hallie, whom i totally admire. She deferred med school for a year to work on this fundraiser and at Camp rap-a-hope. Plus, she's just fun to hang out with and shares my same appreciation for red wine!
All in all the weekend was a success, and yes it was in fact a whirlwind trip, what do you expect.