A Plan Bigger Then Our Own

Hey Everyone. Daniel here.

So we are officially in Arizona now getting ready for the season. We also have some great news to share with all of you. On our way out here mid way into the drive I got a call from the Mariners Minor League Director. He made some small talk at first and just about the time I was wondering what he was calling for...he told me he wanted me to jump into mini camp starting the following morning. For those of you who don't know what mini camp is. It is a one month work out prior to spring training for top prospects in the organization.

That is why this is such a big praise report. I hadn't been invited initially, there is only about 30 position players and 20 of them are this last years top picks from the draft, which didn't leave much room for invitation. A few guys I know who were on my team last year got invited, so I was feeling a little like I was falling through the cracks. But Chelsea and I stayed positive and knew God was in control and really have been whole-heartendly trusting in Him. As I'm sure most of you know, these last two baseball seasons have been tough for us. Mostly due to the injuries I have faced. Because of them, I know both of us at times have had thoughts of doubts about my career in baseball. Which was stupid cause #1 We should be trusting that God has a plan for my life and that everything that happens is for a reason, "For those who are called according to His purpose".

So when we got that call we were both so excited, but right after that something even more amazing happened. Within ten seconds of hanging up we both saw an amazing rainbow in the middle of the desert. It seemed as though it just appeared right in front of us. It was so beautiful and majestic. We both immediately started praising God for such an amazing gift. We knew that rainbow was just for us. Rainbows are an emblem of God's promise in the Bible and we both knew what He was saying to us loud and clear.

He was saying I have a plan for your life and don't forget it or ever doubt it. WOW!!!! We were both amazed. I mean to have gotten that call with such good news that I never expected and have that rainbow all of a sudden appear right after was supernatural. That is just so amazing to think that we serve such an amazing God, that would give us such intimate moments like that with Him. Its crazy to think that the same God that put the stars in the sky and planets in place is watching over our lives. And to know that the same power which created all things and put our solar system into motion is at work within our lives orchestrating all things is incredible beyond words. Whether they be triumphs, failures, hardships, or victories to ultimately and inevitably bring us closer to Him in love.

How I Met My Hubby

For those of who never heard the story of how Daniel and I met-I'd thought it'd be fun to share. In light of our recent anniversary celebration, seems like the perfect occasion...

I was 15 years old. Daniel was 14 years old. (I know, we were young) I was just entering my sophomore year of high school, while Daniel was entering his freshman year. My friend and I decided to attend our church's high school youth group on a Tuesday night. It was a really neat night of worship and fellowship. They decided to make it an open night mic that night, in which anyone who felt led to talk could speak. Well Daniel got up there and was sharing his beautiful heart for the Lord. I thought he was the cutest thing. He had this bowlcut type haircut (not as bad as it sounds haha), full set of braces, and a cast on his right arm. But I remember thinking he was so handsome. But it wasn't so much that I was drawn to his appearance; I was honestly drawn to his heart. Even at the young age of 15, I was enticed by his love for the Lord. I leaned over and told my friend Elise that night (in which she would vouch for) that I; in my exact words; "was going to marry that guy one day". I mean, at 15, I honestly wasn't thinking marriage, but I saw a quality in Daniel that I absolutely loved and was completely drawn to. It was the fact that he was so on fire for Jesus! I remember thinking how rare and beautiful it was to see that kind of passion in such a young guy.

As time passed, we would see each other at church and slowly began to build a friendship. I still remember the day he came to church after he got his braces off, I couldn't stop staring at his gorgeous smile! To be honest, I don't think I paid too much attention to the study that night because I couldn't keep my eyes off him. We later exchanged phone numbers and really began to start 'liking' each other. We both had never had a boyfriend or girlfriend before and decided we really just wanted to be good friends before 'titling' ourselves as anything other. We truly began to become best friends; constantly encouraging eachother in our walks with Christ. Even though we both began to develop stronger feelings for eachother, we decided instead of telling them to each other that we would write down the things we felt on paper, put it in an envelope and give it to each other at the time we felt it was right to do so. Looking back, even at such a young age, I see so much maturity that we had in our friendship and then later into our relationship. The Lord was truly at work in our hearts and was preparing our hearts for each other. During this time we decided to put all feelings aside, we made up this rule for ourselves called the 'No Touch Rule'. Which was a basic promise to each other and to the Lord that we would not get distracted by our feelings for each other and solely focus on Jesus. We decided we would not hold hands, hug, or kiss at all and really just be encouragers to each other. It honestly was one of the neatest times in our friendship/relationship. During this time is when we both actually discovered that we were truly in love each other. We both felt that strongly revealed to each other at distinct different moments.

During this time we were both 16 years old... I know it sounds young and sounds crazy to think two 16 year olds can really know what love was, but we really did. I still remember the night that Daniel told me he loved me. It was March of 2005, I was dropping him off at home (yes, I got my license before him, so sadly I was doing all the driving-but he made up for it)..Well like I was saying, I was dropping him off at home. And before he got out of the car he told me that there was something he wanted to tell me. (Reminder:this also was during the time of our 'No Touch Rule' so we hadn't been really having any physical contact). He then grabbed my hand and began to tell me that he was in love with me and that he knew that this was true pure love because our relationship was built on the Lord and that God is true love and the creator of love. It was soooo sweet! He then leaned in and kissed me and it was amazing!! I remember after he got out of the car, that I screamed with excitement and began to call my girl friends up to share in my excitement!

We officially became boyfriend and girlfriend June 23,2005 and the rest is history! Ha ha. I think that pretty much sums it up. I feel so blessed. Looking back, I really just see how the Lord was apart of it all and orchestrated everything perfectly into place in His timing. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd be in love and married at 19, but I can only praise and give God all the glory for that!

Two Years

It's hard to believe 2 years has come and gone since Daniel and I recited our own written vows on that sunny yet cold Saturday afternoon. We were blessed to celebrate our anniversary this past Tuesday (Feb 2nd) in Big Bear at Daniel's aunt & uncle's gorgeous cabin! It was so nice and such a blessing!.. But wow; 2 years...I still remember getting ready and having those butterflies before walking down the aisle like it was yesterday.

What a whirlwind. I feel like time has just flown by. It has most definitely been a learning experience for Daniel and I. But one well worth the lesson. And I know one not yet fully conquered.But it has been so exciting to be on this journey with my best friend. I can honestly 100% say that I am more in love with Daniel now then I've ever been before. Marriage has definitely had it's challenges, we truly do have to die to self and be a 'selfless spouse', yet our flesh constantly continues to get in the way. But it is so rewarding when you're in the state of being that selfless spouse. God pours out His blessings more then imaginable. I know it will always be a constant battle between flesh and spirit, but it is so worth the fight! I once heard a quote by author Gary Thomas and he said that he believed that "God didn't design marriage to make us happier;He designed it to make us holier." Let that sink in. What a neat quote! I mean with marriage, of course comes the happy times. But like I said before; we must die to self and love like Christ loves- which is something I need to be reminded of daily.

Welts and Warfare

Hello faithful followers. Daniel here. A lot has happened since our last blog. Hmm... where to start, well lets start with my birthday. That's right as of this last January 6th, I officially am 21. Wooo Hooo!

Chels is such a sweet heart and took the initiative to plan a paintballing day with all the guys for me. We went to SC Village in Chino Hills bright and early. We were there from 7a.m. till 4p.m. LONG DAY, I know, but it was so awesome. I had so much fun and I know all the guys did too. I was running around in an awesome hunting Gillie suit Chel bought for me for a birthday present. For those of you who don't know what that is, its a camouflaged outfit that is supposed to really blend you in with nature. If you ask a few random people that were there that day, they'll probably say they saw a big bush running around the entire day. Ha ha. I was so grateful to all my friends that went, they are such an awesome group of guys. So after an eventful day we ended up tired, full of welts and our God given manly desire to fight was satisfied.

Christmas has come and gone...

It amazes me that all the anticipation that leads up to Christmas day can come and go so fast. I think Christmas should be celebrated all year around. Yeah, it's nice we have a designated day to be with family and friends to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but Jesus is worth a celebration all year long! And then as soon as Christmas ends, we start anticipating for the next event coming; New Years! It's still hard for me to believe that we are already approaching 2010. It feels like it was just the other day we were counting down to 2009. Like I've said many times before; time just seems to fly by so fast and it's so easy to get caught up in the 'hectiness' and fast pace to life. That is why I think it is important to just slow down sometimes and really appreciate the moments.

Anyways, Daniel and I had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve at his parents house with all of his family. There were about 32 people there. We had a great time. The next day (Christmas day), we spent with my family. My mom made a delicious brunch, then we all went to see the movie Sherlock Holmes. It was a pretty good movie, but definitely has it's slow moments. And to be honest, I actually even dozed off for about 10 minutes. First time ever doing that in my life in a movie theater. The ending was good though. Speaking of movies, have any of you seen the movie Avator yet? It is Daniel's new favorite movie and he can't stop talking about it, haha. Anyways, later that day, Daniel and I drove up to Big Bear Mountain to spend the weekend with his family, cousins, aunt and uncles and one of his aunt's cabins. It's a gorgeous cabin! And the snow was beautiful! We went sledding on Saturday, which was so much fun! Just getting the chance to spend time with family is a huge blessing and I've learned you can't take it forgranted.
Hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Christmas! :)
Here's some pics from Christmas:

It's Almost Christmas...

Good morning, it's Saturday and as I laid here in bed, it struck me that I am probably the worst 'blogger' possible. When I started this blog, I really thought to myself that it would be an easy daily task to get on here and update you all. But I realize I have probably left many of you with sheer disappointment after checking to 'keep up with the Carrolls' and realizing there hasn't been too much to keep up with. Who knows, maybe no one even reads this thing besides our parents and a few of our close friends. So for whoever may be reading this; I apologize, yet once again, for my lack of commitment to this blog.

I realize I have yet to bring this blog to life. But like I have said before, I am going to try to do a better job of 'blogging'... this I promise you. This needs to be somewhat of my journal, it's so easy to go through our daily routines and forget about the experiences we have faced that day or just the works God has been doing in our lives. A blog; or a journal; is definitely a keepsake we all should strive to have. And it's always fun to read back on them and sort of re live the moment in a sense.

Anyways enough of that; so what has been happening since my last entry of 'forever ago'. Well, Daniel and I are still home in Cali. The weather has been gorgeous, sandals and a tank top in December; only in California. We have really just been enjoying our time here with family and friends. But as usual around this time of the year; Decemberish; Daniel and I start craving the baseball season again. We are both just so excited for this next baseball season. We've had a couple of rough last 2 seasons (with injuries, slumps, moving around...) but even though it is hard to say- I honestly don't think I would have traded it for anything. During a time, there would have been no way I would have even been able to utter those words from my mouth. I mean, yeah, it would have been nice to just have had healthy easy seasons and just enjoyed the ride; but we would have missed out on the lessons the Lord has showed us and taught us and the way He's worked in our hearts through these situations. It's been rough and was definitely a huge struggle at times. But I realized how big the God we serve is! And I've only seen a glimpse of it; WOW!

Daniel and I were recently blessed to be able to go the PAO (Pro Athletes Outreach) Conference held in Texas. It is sort of like a 'retreat setting' where major league and minor league players, as well as their spouses come together and are able to have just awesome fellowship and hear amazing studies. We even got to meet Josh Hamilton and his wife (which I'm not going to lie; Daniel and I were kinda star struck at first), but they were so down to earth as well as so many other of the 'well known' players there. I have so much admiration to see these players using the pedestal they have through baseball to make a stand for the Lord. There are no words to describe the impact that ministry is having on so many people who are able to be apart of it. We were beyond blessed. And each and every one of the teachings we heard was impacting and moving and definitely touched our hearts deeply. It definitely left us with a refreshing feeling going into the next baseball season.

I think the biggest lesson we've learned through baseball throughout these last couple years that Daniel and I have been striding on together is that; ultimately God is in control. And His kingdom needs to always be our ultimate goal. It's so easy to get caught up in the 'baseball scene' and let our sole focus be only on 'moving up' in the minor league system and making it to the big leagues. But the reality of it is that it can all be taken away in an instant and what matters in the end is the impact we make for Christ. I feel so refreshed having that mindset going into this next baseball season; it gives me so much peace and I praise God for the hard lessons it took for us to learn that. So that's my heart and I'm excited for the journey the Lord has ahead of us.

Thank you so much for the constant prayers I know many of you have had for us, we truly covet them beyond words.Anyways, I am most likely not going to get on here before Christmas, so I want to conclude this by wishing you all a very Merry and Blessed Christmas!

I want to leave you with a quote from Max Lucado's book 'A Love Worth Giving To You',
I know it's kind of long; but it's so REAL and such a huge reminder to be thankful for the true meaning of Christmas. Its says:

"Consider the gift for a moment, what Jesus really did. He swapped a spotless castle for a grimy stable. He exchanged the worship of angels for the company of killers. He could hold the universe in His palm but gave it up to float in the womb of a maiden. If you were God, would you sleep on straw, nurse from a breast, and be clothed in a diaper? Christ did. If you knew that only a few would care that you came, would you still come? If you knew that those you loved would laugh in your face, would you still care? If you knew that the tounges you made would mock you, the mouths you made would spit at you, the hands you made would crucify you, would you still make them? Christ did. Would you regard the immobile and invalid more important than yourself? Jesus did. He humbled Himself. He went from commanding angels to sleeping on straw. From holding stars to clutching Mary's finger. The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier. Why? Because that's what LOVE does. It puts the beloved before itself. Your soul was more important than His blood. Your eternal life was more important than His earthly life. Your place in heaven was more important to Him than His place in heaven, so He gave up HIS so you could have YOURS."

Life is Good

I know... I know... there has been another pretty big gap between my last posting and now. I am not very good at keeping up with this blog, as I am sure many of you have concluded. Anyways, Daniel and I have really been enjoying our 'off season'. It's refreshing to be able to spend time with family and friends again. And boy, has time flew? Sometimes I look back and am not even quite sure what our days have consisted of, but time sure does seem to be going by fast. We have already been home for a little over 2 months now and only have about 2 1/2 months left. Whew! Well like I said, we have been keeping busy. Daniel recently got a part time job at Staples and has also been doing private hitting lessons as well as coaching a little league team. As for me, I am currently working for my dad's business, Dove Glass & Mirror, doing receptionist type work for him. It's been nice.
Taking a break from our busy schedules, we were able to visit our good friends Stacie & Jared in Summerland this past weekend. And we also got to see Daniel's brother, Ryan and cousin Jordan this weekend in Santa Barbara. We had such a blast with them! Stacie is a wonderful hostess! I've known Stacie now for probably a little over 4 years and she is such a joy to be around. She was also one of my bridesmaid. She is a dear friend and we were so blessed to spend time with her and her husband. They have the cutest apartment in Summerland with an ocean view! It was such a treat! And it is always so good to see Ryan and Jordan too! We had such a wonderful time!
Well I better wrap this up.. I have some things I need to get done. Oh, the joys of being an adult and having responsibilities. Ha ha. Just kidding. Life is good and the Lord is so great and always faithful, I have so much to be happy about and praising Him for! :)

Be blessed!