Home Sweet Home

"Home Sweet Home". There is just something about being "home" that can't be explained. I find it so interesting that we can be gone for months at a time, but when we come home, it feels like we never left. We were greeted in to California by my ultimate favorite meal ever, Spaghetti and my dad's homemade meatballs! That, with a side of green beans...I was in heaven! Remind you, since living in a hotel for the past 3 months, most of our meals consisted of chipotle, PB&Js, an occasional crockpot meal and more chipotle. So you can imagine my excitement for a home cooked meal. It was delicious!

The morning after we arrived home, we headed up to beautiful Santa Barbara to hit the beach, catch up with family and friends and celebrate the engagement of Daniel's cousin Jordan to his soon to be bride, Elise. We had a wonderful time and I was finally able to emerge my feet in that warm westcoast sand again.

The original plan when leaving Arizona is that Daniel would have 10 days off and would return back to Arizona after the break and finish his rehab assignment. Due to the fact that I am currently on the job hunt for the off season, we decided Daniel would head back there solo since it was only suppose to be 5 days, while I continued to apply for jobs back at home.

Well as we've learned before in baseball, things can change quick. In this case, we are grateful for this unexpected change and blessing. When Daniel arrived back in Arizona, he was actually informed that he would be playing in the AZ co-op League out there, which is a type of instructional league. It's probably not our ideal league at this point in his career, but either way it's an opportunity to play baseball and we'll take it! This will give Daniel an opportunity to play healthy and be able to be in front of alot of the upper regime with the organization. Also, Daniel is pretty anxious to get his feet back on a field again! I'm so happy for him.

So our original plan of Daniel heading back the Friday after he left has now been extended to mid October. I'm still planning on staying behind most of the time since I'm in the process of finding an offseason job. We are so thankful there is only a 4 hour drive between us and that it's a fairly quick trip to go out there if needed. Since Daniel has our car, it put us in a little dilemma at first because I didn't have a way to get around out here. But once again, the Lord provides! My brother and sister in law are in Hawaii for vacation for the next week and a half so I'll be able to use their car in the mean time. If we come to heart, please continue to keep Daniel in prayer as he begins playing again and for me as I search for a job. I have some good leads with a couple jobs with the school districts out here, so we shall see. We're trusting in the Lord and excited for opened doors.

Perseverance

Today is the official last day of the regular MiLB season. It's a bittersweet feeling leaving this season behind. As you all know, it hasn't been the easiest of seasons for us. What started out in Spring Training as a complete high, with a world of opportunity in sight, was quickly short lived when Daniel experienced his first injury in mid May. That would only be the beginning of what would end up being one of three injuries this season (2 of which required surgery). It has most definitely been a trying year, but once again, by the Grace of God, I can truly say we are walking away from this year stronger in many ways.

I am not going to lie. We've definitely had our ups and downs as we coped with the realities of this baseball season. There were days when we'd experience so much peace, joy and hope and would be so full of confidence of the bright future ahead in baseball. But there were also days when we would put our eyes on our circumstance and be filled with some fear and doubt. When I say "we", I really mostly mean "me". Daniel has been unbelievably strong through this entire thing. Obviously, he's human and is entitled to his frustrations and has been upset over the situation at times. But for the most part, he has really been positive and I've seen how all this has really just given him even more drive to keeping fighting and pressing on towards this dream of his. There are many words I can use to describe my husband, but one in particular that stands out is "perseverance".

It still amazes me how quick things can change in this game of baseball. As far as winter ball goes, chances of Daniel playing oversees are slim because he has missed so much of the season and doesn't really have stats for the teams to go off. It's a bummer that you can go from hot on the radar one season to pretty much on a back-burner by the next. Last season, after Daniel's successful year, there was different opportunities with winterball. This year, there are no offers at all. It is a business though and understandable that when you are out the game, the game continues on without you. I've kinda been struggling with this, but at the same time, I am reminded that it still only takes one season to get "hot" again. I have an unbelievable peace that if the doors are closed right now, it is for a purpose. It will give Daniel more time to heal this offseason and I will never refute having my husband home with me!

We know this means Daniel will have to work that much harder next season, but we know the Lord is His strength and always has the final say.  I 100% believe in the abilities God has given Daniel in this game of baseball and I know this passion to play is for a purpose. What I'm continually being reminded of though, is that the purpose is bigger then just the game on the field or making it to the Big Leagues. The purpose is the opportunities were exposed to outside the barriers of left and right field. The purpose is the people we meet along the way. When I look back on this season, although it hasn't been what we would have thought it would be baseball wise, it has been unbelievably productive outside the field. We have seen God's power in ways we never have experienced before and we have seen such growth in some of the guys we've gotten to spend time with. For that, we are so extremely thankful and will rejoice.

Looking back on this season, we will choose to grow from it and celebrate the victories we did experience. The calling we have on our lives with this game is still in our hearts and we will press on and fight through the tough times that come along with it. We're looking forward to being back home in California and spending time with friends and family. I am most definitely looking forward to some beach time! Thank you to all of you who have supported us through prayers and encouraging words this past season. We are blessed with such an incredible support system! Looking forward to more adventures ahead :)

Count Your Blessings.

James 1:2 

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,"

I don't know about you, but there are definitely those days where I can catch myself focusing on the bad, rather then the good. It is sometimes hard to see this "joy" James talks about when we face tough times. I've been realizing more and more though, that the choice is truly ours. It is a mindset. When those times and thoughts come, we can choose to focus on the positive, rather then the negative. We can choose to be joyful, rather then upset. We can choose to have a heart of thanksgiving, rather then a heart of bitterness. We can choose to trust the Lord, rather then trying to control the situation our self. Philippians 4:8 reminds us to focus on things that are "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, excellent and praiseworthy." I know easier said then done, but God has really been pressing on my heart lately to turn my negative thoughts into positive and truly trust Him with EVERYTHING. That includes, with life in general, with the unknowns we face in baseball, with our financial needs, with our hopes, with our aspirations, with absolutely everything. 

When I think of all the Lord has done for us thus far, I think to myself, I have no reason to doubt. Yet I catch myself being fearful of the unknown still. I was having one of those "downer days" last week and was quickly put back in my place when God met us in such a personal way that went above and beyond our expectations. As I was venting my fears to my best friend through a text message and asking for prayer for the unknowns we face this offseason, Daniel came home with a letter and a gift from some dear friends of ours. It literally humbled us in a way I've never felt before, it was a picture, once again, of the Lord's faithfulness, provision and heart for us. There I was, doubting, yet it was almost as if the Lord Himself walked through our door and said "Here, I will take care of you ALWAYS, Don't doubt my willingness to take care of you." It really brought a fresh perspective, once again, that He is truly faithful!

This weekend, there was some family events going on back in California that we knew we wanted to be apart of. Daniel has Sundays off, so as soon as Daniel was out of baseball on Saturday, we left right away to make the four hour trek to Cali. Daniel's cousin, Max, was having a birthday party in Long Beach and all Daniel's family would be there. So as soon as we got to Cali, we headed in the car with his parents and made our way to Long Beach. We had such an amazing time catching up with family. The next day, Sunday, my Tutu (Grandma) was throwing a family get together at her place in Anaheim. So we were able to attend that as well. It was so nice to catch up with our "blessings" this weekend. We had to head back to Arizona right after because Daniel had to be at the field again early this morning. So although, it was a quick trip, it was productive and well worth it! And we were once again reminded of how loved and blessed we are. My challenge to you and myself today is: Count your blessings & choose to be positive :) You'll realize you're a lot more blessed then you may think sometimes.

PERSPECTIVE:

Round Two!

So today was "Round 2" of getting cast off & stitches out! It definitely felt a little like deja vu sitting in that office for the second time. This time around, there was a new sense of relief we both felt and a refreshed perspective as well. Daniel kept saying "He is Free". Obviously, we don't what the future holds and we hope it means no more injuries, but fact is, you never know. What we do know though, is that the tooth sized bone chip that has caused so much discomfort and even mystery for years, is finally OUT and GONE! For that, we are thankful. We truthfully joked with the doctor and his assistant that we hope we never see them again. At least not under the same circumstances. I have said it before, but we really could not have been blessed with a more perfect doctor during this entire process. I sometimes wonder if we had been with someone else, if they would have been as supportive in listening to Daniel's needs and would have been as persistent in taking care of it. Many trainers even rode Daniel's discomfort off as just "inflammation" from his first surgery. Daniel knew it didn't feel right and I'm so proud of him for addressing it and pushing for it to be checked. The Mariners have also been unbelievably supportive through this process. Although our circumstances haven't been what we thought this season was going to be, there is so much to be thankful for. And we have again been reminded of our Lord's provision and peace through this entire ordeal. God does have perfect plans and can use anything meant for bad, for HIS glory! We are resting in that.

We have been told the rehab for this is very easy and Daniel should be able to begin all baseball activity again within 4 weeks. Right now, all is looking good that we should be able to head home to Cali September 6th. We are looking forward to being with friends and family again. Winterball is still up in the air and we should find out more within the month, depending on how Daniel is feeling. There is a possibility of Daniel playing in Venezuela right now from mid October to maybe mid December. Because we heard it is unsafe for wives to travel there, I will be staying behind this time and looking for a job for the offseason. We have a lot of unknowns ahead and ask for prayer and guidance for decisions that will need to be made in regards to offseason details. Thank you all so much for the constant prayers and support. We are truly blessed.

In Good Hands

Yesterday was Daniel's second surgery of the season. We were unsure going into it whether or not there would be damage to his tendons, so we prayed specifically for that and had many others join us in prayer. Well, not to my surprise, the Lord heard our prayers! The surgery went absolutely as perfect as it could have gone and there was NO damage to the tendons at all! Praise God! The doc said the bone chip was pretty smooth, which means it has been there for awhile so we are glad to get it out! We think it probably happened in 2008 when Daniel broke that same hand. We are very thankful to be moving forward. Daniel has a soft cast on for the next 10 days and the trainers told him that he should finish his rehab by September 6th! Which means we'll actually be able to go home sooner then expected! From there, Daniel will continue to train and then we will see if winter ball is a possibility. Right now, just taking it day by day and thankful to the Lord for being our constant source of peace, comfort, provision and so much more thru this entire process. We are definitely in "Good Hands" 

Game 1 Sports

This is what we do to kill time while rehabbing :) Our "Old Spice" Parody using a G1 Bat. Enjoy! And if you need some new wood bats, check out www.Game1Sports.com

MLB will have to wait a lil longer for the Carroll Debut

So after trying different routes in order to get answers as to what has been causing Daniel pain, we were finally given a verdict today. 


Daniel has a bone chip in his hand which was caused by a tendon chipping away at his bone (ouch!) This explains all the pain he has been feeling. We believe this is something that started back in 2008 and the doctor said by the way it looks, it has definitely been there for awhile. The problem is, is that it is not visible from an X-ray or MRI. The only way we were able to see it was thru the CT scan. We are very thankful for a doctor who was persistent and listened. Daniel will need to have surgery next week to remove it. So unfortunately he is done for the season. It is a 6 to 8 week rehab. He should hopefully be good by October 1st & could possibly be able to play winter ball after that. As disappointing as it is, we really have a peace about it & are just really thankful they figured it out and we can now proceed in the process of moving forward. This minor league journey has in no way been what we expected, but that passion in my husband's heart to play has not faded one bit! We will continue to fight thru these battles and I truly believe once Daniel is healthy that the sky is the limit! God is good! There are so many up and downs in this baseball life, but I am thankful that throughout it all, our consistency can be found in the Lord. Please continue to keep us in prayer as we begin to take another rehab assignment head on again. Will be sure to keep you all posted.
We love you guys! xo!