Mother's Day

So after enjoying a perfect 80 degree night of baseball the other night here in Adelanto, the sun just wanted to tease me and we are now back to windy, colder, jacket layering nights again. With complete disappointment in the drop of temperature, my agonizing desire to want to whip out the summer clothes will have to wait a little longer.

We enjoyed our second off day of this season this past week. We had plans to go to the beach, but again, the sun didn't want to come out and due to it being overcast, we decided we'd wait until it's warmer and try to go our next off day. So instead, we got to spend more time with our families. We had a wonderful time celebrating mother's day/my brother's birthday this past Sunday. Daniel had a day game that day and we were done in time to meet up with my family for dinner at this awesome Japanese steakhouse near home. It was so much fun and felt so good to spend time with family. (I'll post pics below).

Today, we are back in Victorville. The manager of Daniel's team decided to give the guys a "show and go" today, which means Daniel didn't have to be at the field until later then his usual 2:00 showtime. We got to sleep in longer, which Daniel loves. He's played every game since opening day this season, which is a blessing because last year he was fighting for playing time. So while we are thankful for this opportunity, it does take a toll on Daniel's body. So when we get some 'down time', he loves to take advantage of it and recuperate.

We are so thankful and praise God for the fruitfulness this season has brought so far. We are only barely a month in, but have seen the Lord's blessings overflow more then we could have imagined or hoped for. We praise God for the production Daniel's been able to put up so far this season, but know things can always change in an instant and are still taking it day by day. Beyond the stats though, and more importantly, we want to be able to be a bigger impact off the field. My prayer is that our lives and attitudes always reflect that of Christ. That is the biggest desire of my heart. This life is only temporary. The statistics prove that-one out of every one person will die. I want to leave this earth having made an impact for my Lord. In the end, it doesn't matter the stats Daniel leaves or the places we've been or the level my husband played at...it matters what we did for the Lord wherever He had us.

Greeted into Nor Cal with Flashing Lights

Woke up at 6:20 am yesterday morning to the sound of our alarm. My mind wrestled with the idea of continuing to lay in our cozy bed and stay warm or get up to get things going. With little time to spare, the latter won. I got up and got our things together to hit the road for our first road trip of the season.  Daniel had to be at the field at 7:15 to meet up with the team and catch the 6 hour bus ride to Modesto,CA.

I decided that I would leave ahead on my own this time instead of following the bus like I have in the past. I left about 30 minutes before the bus left and was on my way. I know 6 hours seems like a long time to be in a car alone (Daniel isn't allowed to ride with me and has to ride with the team), but I was actually excited to just have some alone time to listen to music, catch up on some podcasts and have some good prayer time.

The beginning of the drive went smoothly. Besides hitting some traffic a few hours in, I was really enjoying the California scenery. I stopped mid way through to fill up gas again and was back on my way. All was good. I had driven successfully for 5 and a half hours and only had 15 minutes left before reaching the hotel when I saw the dreaded flashing red lights behind me as I looked in my rear view mirror.

My stomach filled with dread as I slowly pulled over to the side. I have never gotten pulled over or have had any type of ticket in my life so I was a bit shaken up. I heard a pastor tell a story before on how he had got pulled over once and when the cop approached his car he told them he had no excuse for speeding. The cop was impressed with his honesty. since he probably hears countless excuses all day and ended up letting the pastor go. That story fled my mind moments before the cop came to my window, so I thought I'd try to go for it. He came up to my window and I quickly told him that I was sorry and that I had no excuse for speeding.....he had no mercy, so at that point I told him I had been driving for the past 5 hours and was only 15 minutes away from where I was heading, so I must have just lost track of the speed. Again, no mercy! After that, I just began crying because I was freaked out by the whole situation and even then...the cop still had no sympathy.

Although I was super bummed about it and shaken up, Daniel was so sweet to encourage me and make me feel better. I realized a speeding ticket is not nearly as bad as getting into an accident or having car trouble along the way. I was thankful to just make it out here safely. With that said, last night was the first game of the 4 day series against the Modesto Nuts, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

Daniel went 2 for 4 last night (Praise God! He also went 3 for 3 the night before so he is 5 for his 7 last at bats)! And I was finally able to enjoy a baseball game without wearing layers of jackets! It's been freezing at night at the home games in Adelanto so it felt so good to enjoy the gorgeous weather and be able to wear sandals and a tank. I was a happy girl!

A blog I had written for the Baseball Wife Blog site (that I love!) was posted today. If you want to check it out, along with other amazing stories by the girls behind the plate go to:
 http://www.baseballwifeblog.com/

Proud Wife :)

Things have been off to a great start so far this season, Praise God!

We are all settled in our apartment and have just wrapped up the first homestand of the year. Tonight Daniel is playing in Lake Elsinore (which is about 30 minutes from our hometown) so we're expecting a bunch of our family and friends there which will be fun! Daniel is feeling healthy and is off to an awesome start. He's hitting .333 so far in 54 at bats, with 2 HRs, 5 Doubles and 6 stolen bases! As you can tell, I'm a proud wife. Beyond the stats though, I am just so proud of the man Daniel is. He has carried himself so well through the ups and downs this career has brought. I admire the faith he has had in our Lord through it all as well. It just brings me so much joy as his wife to be able to be on this journey with him as he chases his dream. It's not always easy, but we look at it as "our adventure" and I am so proud of Daniel!

I started my job at the ticket office this past homestand and I've really been enjoying it. The people there are great and I love the opportunity I get to know the people "behind the scenes" of the game. I am so grateful that I was able to get a job with the stadium this year and it's been working out really great.

Well I better wrap this up, got some things to do before I head off the Lake Elsinore. Thank you to all our prayer warriors out there. We appreciate and covet your prayers more then words can say.

Our Home For The Season

So we're all moved in! Here's some pics of our place this season.

BEFORE

AFTER :)



And we're back!

And we're back!.... in California, that is!

We made the drive back and followed the bus out here on Monday. The team puts us up in a hotel for 3 days and during that time we are suppose to figure out our living situation. 3 days seems pretty crazy, I know. Especially since you don't really "officially" know where you'll end up each season until the end of spring training. We had a pretty good idea that we would end up out here in California since Daniel finished here so we began looking into different options ahead of time, but had nothing set in stone.

In the past 3 years that we've been married, we've had several different living situations. We lived in our own apartment, we've lived in hotels, with host families, with friends. Baseball throws you in interesting situations, but it's a total adventure to us. This time around, I was kinda stressing about where we would end up living this season. The Lord has proven to me over and over again that He ALWAYS provides, so I don't know why I ever doubt or worry about it. Well after looking into different options with host families, we decided to get an apartment with a couple of the other players on the team. The living situation in Adelanto for the Mavericks is always tough because there is nothing really close to the stadium. With gas prices the way they are in California, it would have been crazy for us to be driving back and forth from the field so much (we only have 1 car so I'd be dropping Daniel off everyday). With that as a factor, we figured it'd be best to team up with some of the players so Daniel could carpool. We got the keys today to the apartment and will get to move all our furniture in tomorrow.

The nice thing about being close to home is that we are able to bring all of our OWN stuff to the apartment. I will finally get to sleep on our own mattress this season, which I'm excited about because in that past we've done air mattresses since we've never been close to home. Also, I will finally be able to use some of our wedding gifts!!! I know that sounds crazy, but with the way we've been living on "the go" the last 3 years, we really haven't settled down long enough to unpack and use our wedding gifts. So I'm looking forward to that.

Tonight was the first game of the season and since it was an away game (about a 45 minute commute from Adelanto) and it was going to be 30 degrees out, we decided it would be best for me to come home to my parents tonight to pack up our things. We rented a trailer and will be bringing everything out tomorrow morning. So tonight, I listened to the game from the luxury of my parent's couch in the warm house. Daniel went 2 for 4 tonight, which was super exciting! Praise God! We're looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us this season and praying for a healthy year. Let the baseball begin......

Spring Training

Finally getting around to blog again! We've been so busy lately that I've barely had time to just sit down, relax and write down what's been happening with us this past month.

As I write now, I am currently sitting on the rocker swing in the backyard of the house we've been living at. It's probably about 80 out and the sun is getting ready to set. There is a nearby park and I can hear the sound of people laughing and playing in the distance. Pixie is cuddled up next to my leg and I got a nice glass of ice cold lemonade.....This is what I call relaxation. All that's missing is sand in my feet and ocean waves, but for now, I'll settle for the clear water of the pool right in front of me.

Where do I begin? This last month has literally flown by for us! We arrived out here to Arizona a few weeks ago for spring training and have been pretty non stop since. Every day has consisted of baseball games. I drop Daniel off at the field about 7 each morning. In past spring trainings, I've gotten a job. But since our time out here was so short this year I wasn't able to. So my mornings have consisted of catching up with my baseball girls that I haven't seen in awhile. It's been really nice. We've also have had many friends and family coming in and out of town, which has been a total blessing as well.

Baseball wise, Daniel has been doing really well and is feeling healthy. Praise the Lord! He got called up to 3 big league games this spring and got to play in one against the Rockies the other day. He went into centerfield in the bottom of the 6th and got 2 at bats. The game was featured on the MLB network that night, so it was exciting for us to watch it and see him on there. He had a blast and we are so grateful for the experience and opportunity.

Camp breaks this Sunday and all is looking good for us to be starting the season in the California League with the High Desert Mavericks. Daniel played there for a lil while in 2008 and finished the season with the team last year, so we're excited to head back and be close to home. Looking forward to having lots of friends and family at the games cheering him on! :) We're taking it day by day and are so grateful and feel so blessed that Daniel is getting to do what he loves. We're also so grateful that I'm able to travel with him while we're on this adventure.

We head out Monday for the 5 hour drive to Adelanto. The Lord is so good and provided a job for me already working in the office at the Mavericks Stadium. We're excited for what the Lord has planned for us this 2011 season. I'll be sure to post along the journey.

Dance Time

Some really exciting things have recently come up in our lives so we felt it'd only be best to share it with all of you: 


1. We've been working on and perfecting our dance moves
2. We've gotten so good that 'Soul Train' called us up and asked us to be featured on their show 
3. We concluded together that BIG HAIR always makes our dancing look even greater, so we decided to grow out our hair and got perms
4. Oh, and all our skin on our body except for our faces turned black!

CHECK IT OUT!

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