Anniversary Trip

In the madness of the trade a couple weeks ago, I totally failed to mention the trip we took for our anniversary! We celebrated 1 year as Mr. and Mrs. on November 7th. My oh my how time flies when you're... traveling across the country multiple times for baseball ;) But really, it's crazy how fast our first year flew by. We have laughed and loved and grown so much together.

To celebrate our anniversary, we took a little 2-night getaway trip to Wimberly, TX in the beautiful hill country. We stayed at the Three Graces Cabin (totally recommend!!) and enjoyed some quiet time to just be together and relax.

We got in pretty late Sunday night, and since we were still pretty full from lunch (we got together with family to celebrate my Granny's 80th birthday!) we decided to just stop at HEB and get some snacks and dessert. And when I say snacks, I mean I got fancy crackers, cheese, and salami, and Cy got a Lunchable ;) We soaked in the hot tub for a bit, and then settled in to watch a WW2 documentary on Netflix. Married life!

The next day, we had a light breakfast of farm fresh eggs (left by the property hosts from their very own chickens- so cool!) and some fruit, before walking around the beautiful property the cabin is located on. The cabin is located on 10 acres, and the owners have an adorable airstream trailer and the cabin that we stayed in available for rent. There is a creek that runs through the back of the property, and it really is just so peaceful!

We headed down the road into town for brunch at Mima's cafe, it was so tasty! Then we had a leisurely walk around the town square and enjoyed walking through all of the adorable, unique shops.Throughout the town area, there are tons of these giant, decorated boots, they are so cute.  We headed back to the cabin, took a nap, and watched a movie. Yay vacation!

That evening, we made the beautiful drive to Driftwood to have dinner at the famous Salt Lick BBQ. It was SO GOOD!! We went early enough that we didn't have to wait for a table at all. We love trying new BBQ places, and this one might just top the list. Also, we got a piece of the blackberry cobbler to-go and had it with coffee the next morning, it was out of this world. 

We started a fire and roasted marshmallows for s'mores when we got back to the cabin, and then soaked in the hot tub for awhile before we went to bed. It truly was so peaceful and quiet.

The next morning, we had a tasty breakfast at the Wimberly Cafe and grabbed coffee and Maui Wowy before hitting the road back to Dallas.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip! Sweet, quiet, and relaxing. It was great to have a little time by ourselves to just enjoy each others company and reflect on our first year as a married couple.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!! As always, I really appreciate that you take the time to follow along with our little adventures on this blog. It means a lot!

kiss kiss, Han


* If you're interested in staying at the Three Graces Cabin, we couldn't recommend it more highly! It was a great location, super quiet and private, and adorable. We booked through AirBnB, but just google "Three Graces Cabin Wimberly" and it will pop up.

Traded!

In baseball, we all live with the knowledge that everything can change at any moment. Injuries, moves, trades, getting released.. It's all possible, and all beyond our control. But just because we know that it is possible certainly doesn't mean we are prepared when it does!

For the last couple weeks, I had been feeling really content that our offseason has been so low-key and quiet. Cy didn't have to go to instructs or any mini camps, so (aside from his workouts and such) baseball was kinda off the brain.

Thursday afternoon, we were sitting on our couch doing homework. Cy got a phone call from a Milwaukee number, which isn't unusual- he has to report on how his workouts are going and stuff. But this call sounded different. About 15 seconds in, I figured he was getting informed that he was selected to be drug tested haha! But then he pulled the phone away and said,

"I just got traded... Astros!"

WHAT?! Traded?! We were both completely shocked! We didn't know any details of who else the trade involved, and it hadn't been made public yet, so we were really curious to find out more.

But... My heart fell to the floor when it hit me that this trade wouldn't just take us to a new team, it also take me away from the girls I had built friendships with this year. The first person I texted was Catherine, my baseball wife BFF. We were the only wives who stayed full time at High A this season and spent nearly every day together. We were already looking forward to next season, so the news that we wouldn't be together anymore hit hard. But that's the nature of this game, it forces you to grow roots quickly even though you know they could get ripped up even faster. I wouldn't change it though, it is so worth it to be open and build these cherished friendships, and I look forward to meeting the wonderful women in the Astros org!

We texted our families to tell them the news, googled where the Astros MiLB teams and spring training are, and shortly thereafter word of the trade came out. The Astros traded one of their big league infielders to the Brewers in exchange for Cy, which is pretty cool! He got some calls from a few of the Astros staff throughout that day and the next, and it is so cool and encouraging to hear how excited they are to have him joining their organization.

So, here's a breakdown of what this trade means for us. (You can refer back to this post for an overview of the minor league system) Cy is now employed by the Houston Astros, and is working his way up through their minor league system. He isn't on the big league team, so don't go buying season tickets just yet ;) Here are the MiLB teams that comprise the Astros system:

We don't know what level he will play at next season, and likely won't until Spring Training (he ended this season in Advanced A, for reference). The Astros spring training is in Kissimmee, Florida- quite a change from where we were last year in Phoenix (which I will also miss, particularly my sweet friend Aubrey)! BUT we are SO excited we will close to our dear friends/host family from this past season in Viera :)

We truly loved the Brewers, they gave Cy his start in professional baseball and brought us some incredible friendships. But, their minor league is filled with lots of good arms, and their prospect list is deep, so being in a new organization could mean more exposure for Cy, and greater opportunities to move up faster. The Astros have an incredible pitching program (hello, Dallas Keuchel just won the Cy Young award!!), so this is a great fit!

Change can be hard, but this is a wonderful opportunity and we are excited. I am so thankful that Cy gets to play the game he loves, and that it keeps us on our toes. Here's to a new chapter in our baseball adventure- Let's go Astros!

Welcome to My Frontier!

If you know me, you know I love the Pioneer Woman. She is cute, hilarious, and makes great food. If you are looking for a good recipe, she's  your gal.

Thanks to Cy's aunt Sugar, I get to pretend I'm a pioneer woman myself sometimes. Sugar lives on a cattle ranch in East Texas. It is absolutely blissful out there, and we love getting out to visit and relax. She recently took a couple of their bulls to the PBR Finals in Vegas, so Cy and I headed out to the ranch to stay with his 15 year old cousin and enjoy some quiet time.

Cy's Grandma Brenda flew down from California for the second half of the trip, and my sister Haley even drove down from Dallas for a night, so we had a great time all together! We all enjoyed the fresh air, peaceful country life, plenty of good food, and family time.

We also got over 20 inches of rain, thanks to Hurricane Patricia.... Crazy!

One of the best things about visiting the ranch is it forces me to be still. I can easily get wrapped up in the distractions my own agenda and get burned out on being busy and not putting time into my own spiritual health. A few weeks ago, Bethany (Dillon) Barnard sang her song "To Those Who Wait" at church, and it really stuck with me. Often I focus on all of the things I need to do- things at home, schoolwork, investing in relationships, writing, etc., and I forget that the most valuable thing I can do is simply wait, because when I am quiet and slow down enough to listen, that is when I can hear what God is trying to say to me and see what He is doing in my life. Listen to the song below, and take a little time this week to be still and wait. It is so refreshing!

Have a great week!

Kiss kiss, Han.

A Litte Hiatus

Well hello again! I guess I accidentally took a little break from blogging, and it's been pretty nice. After the long season, I was just tired. Getting back to Dallas and having time to rest and simply enjoy our time together and with friends has been the priority, so once I finish my classwork I'm usually ready to not touch my computer for the rest of the day. I do plan to get back into the swing of posting regularly within the next couple weeks, so bear with me!

A quick update:

- We are back in Dallas for the offseason, and living in an apartment with two of Cy's college buddies who play pro ball now too. It's fun!

- We have kept pretty busy making trips to visit family, we have missed our tribe.

- I have been doing a good bit of wedding related activities, 3 of my best friends are getting married in 2016!

- We left my car in TX for the season, and it got totaled by a hailstorm. So we are currently looking for a replacement. Cy is super specific on what he is wanting, so its a process ;)

- Cy is taking 17 hours of school with plans to graduate next December. He is busy for sure, but very good at managing his time and getting everything done. Proud of that guy!

- I'm taking my final 3 classes and will graduate in December!!! So close!

- I finally took the plunge and got rid of the rest of the blonde that was lingering in my hair (I'm a natural brunette but went blonde for my first 2 years of college... holy upkeep haha)... Now I'm back to the dark side ;)

- Cy has been taking a full rest to let his body recover after the season, he will start back into working out and stuff very soon though to get the ball rolling for next season. (It never ends!)

Short and sweet ;) I've gotta get back to my homework now, but I will be back on the blogging grind before too long.  I really do have some fun ideas for posts... I just haven't felt like getting it done yet haha.

Thanks for following along on our little baseball adventure!

xo, Hannah

Happy Thursday, Y'all

Oh hey there. Long time no talk! At least it seems like it haha. With the seasons end rapidly approaching, I haven't felt very motivated to blog. I do have some fun offseason post ideas rolling though, so stay tuned ;)

Another gorgeous FL sunset

Not much new to report here. Cy has continued to throw well, our host family continues to be awesome, Florida continues to be hot, humid, and lizard-filled. Cy and I did start classes last week though! I am taking my last 3 classes required to graduate in December.... whaaaat! After an extra (almost) year of taking just a couple classes at a time in order to stretch my senior year as long as possible... the end is finally in front of me. Cy is taking 17 hours this semester, and will do the same next fall to graduate in December 2016. S/O to DBU for having such flexible online programs!

Catherine and I had a fun little change of pace on Tuesday night, during game 2 of (yet another) doubleheader, the radio broadcast guys had us come join them on air for an inning! We had fun sharing a little bit of what baseball wife life has looked like for us this season. Unfortunately, I can't find an archive anywhere. But my mom was listening so that counts ;) **Side note- check out Catherine's jewelry business on Facebook and instagram - she makes incredible pieces!**

Dorks

It's crazy how fast this season has flown by! I'm sure I will sit down and give a full recap once we get back and settled in. The final game of the season is on Sunday, and we will be heading back to good ol' Texas next Tuesday for the offseason. We are renting an apartment with two of Cy's former teammates from college, so I'll be putting my mom/housewife skills to the test for sure! It will be a lot of fun though, we are pumped to be living with our friends :)

That's all I have for now. Hope you are having a great week! Here's a little music to get you through to the weekend- I am loving this song lately.

Love as always, Han

#WAGSinreallife

I've mentioned before that "wags" is a term used to reference wives and girlfriends of professional athletes. This week, a show called "WAGS" aired on E... It features some women who are married to or "associated with" (whatever that means) various athletes. The promos for this show talk about how it's all about fame, diamonds, black cards, glamour, and drama... Well if you know me or any other baseball wife, you know that is NOT our reality! Even in the big leagues, yeah there are certainly perks but it still is far from the lavish lifestyle that this show portrays as "normal." We aren't in this life for the perks, we are in it because we choose to support our men 100% while they work for their dreams each day because we LOVE them- not because the prospect of fame or money drives us to. My friend Deirdre said it best "...baseball is such a tiny part of our lives in the grand scheme of things. Right now it takes up a large part of what we do and who we are, but I sacrifice and support him because I love him as a human. Not as a professional baseball player."

On one hand, it's definitely funny how stupid and unrealistic the show is. On the other, it's really frustrating to be so inaccurately portrayed. An anonymous NFL wife wrote a post for Thought Catalog that talks about the discrepancies between reality and Reality TV's portraying of football culture. Baseball fiancee and owner of Home Run Sitters Ashlee Rowe wrote a post chronicling where the E show went wrong. Women across sports got upset about the stereotype that this show is reinforcing.

As a fun way to rally together and show what our reality looks like, baseball wife Alysa (check out her blog she posts tons of cool recipes and such) came up with a great idea, posting about our own experiences. Overnight, the hashtag was used by dozens of wives and girlfriends, and at this point in time has reached over 32,00 75,000 twitter users! Check out #WAGSinreallife on twitter to read our funny tidbits of life in the game.

It's amazing to see so many women come together to laugh and share stories and lessons learned from this crazy life we lead. I've said it before and I will say it again, having the support system with baseball wives and girlfriends is what makes it possible. I would be so lost if it weren't for the other women who have been in the game far longer than I have who came alongside me and showed me the ropes, with kindness and encouragement. There is no hierarchy or drama here, just genuine support.

On my sidebar and under the "Baseball" tab here on the blog, I have links to blogs written by other baseball wives/girlfriends. If you want to read about what life is really like as the spouse of a professional athlete, please take a minute to check them out! Y'all know me, and you know that while this lifestyle is a blessing and we don't take it for granted, it does have its fair share of struggles. Hopefully people will see the reality instead of the "reality" of television.

XO, Han

On the Road Again

This past weekend I hit the road and went to Dunedin for the weekend series! I usually don't go on road trips, since hotels and eating out gets really expensive really fast. However, there was an extra room for this trip due to an odd number of people traveling with the team, so Cy got to stay in the empty room which means I could come along without us having to pay for an extra room! (yikes how many times do I need to say "room" in one sentence?!) Anyway, it was nice to have a couple nights away together.

The left for Dunedin on Friday morning, and I headed out later in the afternoon in order to get to the game a little after it started. On the way, I drove right past Disneyworld. That was the closest I have ever been, and not stopping was tragic. One day!! Once I arrived in Dunedin, I stopped at Five Guys for a quick dinner before the game... I was craving a burger, and ballpark food generally just not the best (unless you're at the Timber Rattlers stadium, then go upstairs to the Fox Club where everything is delicious). At the game, I fortunately ended up sitting by a couple girlfriends and fiancee's from the other team who were super friendly, it was great to meet some other baseball girls and not sit alone!

On Saturday morning, we slept in nice and late, then walked a couple doors down the road to Lenny's, a fun little local breakfast joint. The food was good and the place was hopping, worth a try if you're in Clearwater! We came back to the hotel and just relaxed, our usual pitching day routine. After Cy headed to the field, I got some off-season planning done and ate a bite before heading to the game.

Cy had an incredible start! He pitched 7 innings, and only have up 1 earned run and 3 hits. He also tied his career high 8 strikeouts. He also got to pitch to his former college teammate, Boomer Collins, which was super cool. It is really fun to watch Cy in his element, super focused and intent on giving his absolute best! Being able to experience this season with him has been really fulfilling for me.

Sunday I headed back to Viera, I decided to come home earlier in the day instead of drive late at night after the game. Side note, if you're driving in Florida, make sure you have change on hand to pay for the toll roads! Anyway, it was a fun little trip and I'm thankful I got to go along and see Cy pitch.

He comes home tomorrow, YAY, and then next week they have another 6 day trip, and then just a few commuter series' to end the season... I can't believe it has gone by so fast!!

Hope y'all are having a great week :)

xo, Han

PS- Baseball girls, check out a project I have been helping a fellow baseball wife with, newgirlinthestands.com - A resource for baseball women to help get connected in any city baseball brings you to!

The Article

The title of this post makes it sound so dramatic. But hey, I'm not dramatic at all..... ;) Anyway, the ballpark here puts out a program each month that lists all the players and coaches bios, advertisements from sponsors, and includes an article or two. Cy and I were asked to be the featured article for August! This is the first time anyone decided to ask for my input on anything like this, so I was super excited for my 5 minutes of fame.... ha! Since this is a print feature and not online, you'll have to bear with me and read it from these (admittedly low quality) pictures. Hope you enjoy getting another perspective on our journey this season!

xo, Han

The Baseball Sisterhood

So on the 16th I turned 23, woohoo! Conveniently, that same weekend 8-ish other wives, fiancees, and girlfriends came to town for a visit- there is nothing like spending time with other baseball girls! Catherine and I are the only "full timers" here, but we do have a couple others who have made more extended visits, which is really nice. But having soo many girls come to town for the same weekend?! What a treat!

The girls started arriving on Wednesday, so between ball games and beach trips everybody had a great start to the weekend, but Friday night everyone arrived so we planned for the big fun to happen then! A local restaurant (Uno's) hosted a special ladies night for us before the game- great food and drink specials, and even fun DIY wine glass painting, such a treat! Uno's also donated a portion of our total to St Baldricks, since the team was doing a charity event with them that weekend. From there,  we headed to the game where the GM had set aside a suite for us that night. We had such a great time laughing and joking and cheering on our guys together over the weekend.

I feel like a lot of people probably think that every day in the life of a baseball wife looks like our big weekend did, but it really doesn't. We share the fun moments on social media and life looks like one big fiesta. The reality is, most of us spend most of our days alone, no makeup, in shorts and a tshirt. And the girls who are long distance and have careers have a totally different lifestyle too, being apart for weeks at a time and having to hold down the fort at home all alone. Plus, there is the constant fact that an injury, trade, move up or move down could happen at any time, so it can be hard to let yourself feel settled. That's why community is so important, to have those people you can open up to and be honest and vulnerable with when things aren't so fun, and celebrate with when things are great! This really applies to everyone, not just baseball girls- make friends. Value community. Don't let yourself be isolated.

It is amazing how there is an instant bond between us when baseball girls meet, simply because we *get* it. Even with girls I've only ever "met" online via twitter or the Facebook page have become such great sources of support and friendship, it is truly amazing and such a blessing. This lifestyle is weird and can get lonely, but being in community with other people who understand is so valuable. My advice to any girls new to the baseball life- just put yourself out there and connect with other wives and girlfriends! (seriously email me let's be friends) It makes SUCH a huge difference.

xo, Han

*PS- go to the "Baseball" tab at the top of the page, I have linked some resources for baseball ladies.

Here, There, and Everywhere

So if you didn't know by now, we are in Florida! Cy got promoted to the Brewers High-A team, the Brevard County Manatees. It has been a whirlwind!

Last Monday morning (a little over a week ago) I got a twitter notification from another Brewers girlfriend saying congratulations to Cy on the move up. And subsequently saw several tweets confirming said move up.

".....Uhhh babe... Looks like we need to start packing....?!"

The night before, Cy had been told it was possible that he would get the promotion, but there is nothing certain in baseball until it *actually* happens, so we didn't really think too much of it. So needless to say, we were pretty surprised- especially seeing as how we found out the news on twitter before the team actually even talked to Cy!

We scrambled to start packing up all of our stuff, and then headed to the ballpark for Cy to get his locker cleared out and get instructions on meeting the team in Florida. While Cy did that, I said goodbye to the wonderful friends I had made with the front office staff who was there at the time. (Still so sad I wasn't able to say goodbye to everyone, boo baseball)

When Cy finished up at the field, we headed home and finished packing, said a very bittersweet goodbye to our incredible host family (such a hard goodbye), and hit the road around 6pm. We stopped for the night in Terre Haute, IN and then drove all the way to Valdosta, GA on Tuesday, and met up with the team on the road in Dunedin, FL on Wednesday afternoon. Talk about crazy.

We arrived at our new home in Viera on Friday night, and got checked into the Holiday Inn, where the team would pay for us to stay 3 nights while we searched for housing. Boy oh boy, that was an adventure. Finding affordable short term housing in Florida is no easy feat. But since we were looking during the weekend of the 4th, we were at a bit of a standstill. Cy had his debut on the 4th, and we both had a great time experiencing our new home team!

Meanwhile, I sent an email to the pastor of a local church that is part of the same church planting network as our church in Texas and see if he might know of anyone in their congregation who might have interest in being a host family. 2 days later, he and his wife had invited us to stay with their family for the rest of the season! They are so nice, and we are so thrilled to have had our prayers for housing answered in such a wonderful way. Host family living is the best. We will be moving in next week!

Right now the team is on the road, so Catherine (the other full-time wife here) and I are having a week-long sleepover filled with chick flicks, beach time, and tasty food :) It's crazy to think about how much has happened in the past week, but that is the fun of baseball life! Every day is an adventure.

Thanks for following along with our crazy life!

xo, Han

The All-Star Classic

After a loooooong 12 day road series (during which I went to Alaska to meet my perfect new godson, more on that later!) and an awesome game at Miller Park, Cy finally came home just in time for us to head to Peoria, Illinois for the Midwest League All-Star Classic this week!

It is SUCH an exciting honor for Cy to be named to the All Star team. Basically, the managers (coaches) across the league vote on players who have performed well in the first half of the season to be selected for the team (voting happens differently in different leagues/levels- in some places player and fans get a portion of the vote too). Then the selected players from the East and West divisions of the league get together and play a game. Two players from the Timber Rattlers were selected, Cy and Carlos Leal, one of our catchers.

Each year a different team in the league host the Classic, and this year the Peoria Chiefs took their turn. Peoria is about a 5 hour trip from Appleton, so Monday morning we hit the road. A big group of the staff from our front office went, so we had a nice little caravan of rental minivans cruising down the highway ;)

via TRats marketing directer @hilarybauer7 on twitter

We arrived late in the afternoon and got checked in. Boy oh boy was it a great change of pace to stay in a nice hotel! Most of the time on the road, Cy's team stays in some pretty...interesting... places (think bedbugs) MiLB glam, y'all. So we were absolutely thrilled to stay somewhere nice, clean, and comfortable!!

That evening we headed to the CAT Museum for a pre-dinner cocktail hour. It was so cool to see all the Cat equipment and dozers and motors and stuff. If you know how much of a gear head Cy is, you know he was in absolute heaven. From there, we were shuttled over to the ballpark for dinner. The original plan was to have dinner at a restaurant on the riverwalk, but the rover was flooding so the riverwalk was shut down. The Chiefs did a good job of pulling together a plan B at the last minute! We ate and hung out for a while, then headed back to the hotel for the night.

Tuesday morning we slept in and walked to a little cafe for breakfast. Cy had to head to the field at noon, so I basically spent the rest of my afternoon doing pretty much nothing. It was really relaxing though! I met up with Carolina (Carlos' girlfriend- love her!) at the field at about 5 for the home run derby.

The derby was interesting. They decided to have the hitters hit in towards the fans instead of out like normal. Great idea in theory, but in practice it was kinda boring because there weren't a lot of home runs hit into the stands AND the players were way out in the outfield and hard to see. The game started after that, and it was different than your typical game because they switched pitchers at least every inning so that everyone got a chance to play. This made it kiiiinda drag out a bit haha! Cy threw the first 2 outs of the 6th inning with 5 quick pitches. After the game there was an awesome fireworks show, and then we headed to the post-game street party at a nearby pub. By the time the day finally ended we were exhausted! The next morning we headed back home to Appleton and enjoyed the day off.

It was a whirlwind of a trip, but a very cool experience! All in all though, Cy and I are boring creatures of habit, so we are glad to be back to our "normal" after over 2 weeks of crazy ;) We are playing at home pretty much until the 7th (with just a quick 1 night trip in the first week of July) and I am so glad. Right now 2 more girlfriends are in town visiting (along with the now THREE of us who are here full time!!) so our little group is having a blast.

Hope your week has been wonderful!!

xo, Han

Baseball Wives - Meet Cayte!

Today we're mixing things up, I'm doing a blog swap with another baseball wife! Cayte is introducing herself and sharing about her baseball adventure here, and I am doing the same over at her blog, so make sure to head over Cayte's blog to read my interview when you finish here!

..........

Hey y'all! Thanks for letting me take over your daily readings from Hannah today.  My name is Cayte and I blog over at www.blogwiththebrowns.blogspot.com about everything from home DIY projects to the crazy minor league baseball life my husband and I live.  My husband got drafted with the Cleveland Indians back in 2012 and is currently playing in the Carolina League Advanced-A level with the Lynchburg Hillcats.  This is the first season I have been some-what able to travel with him, as my job is allowing me to work remotely for the summer! It's only been a week since I started working from home, but it has seriously been the best thing for both of us.  Being able to still work and see my husband everyday during the season is such a blessing. 

Some of my friends think its so weird that I have blog friends and that we have never met in person, but I truly think that Hannah and I would be two peas in a pod together at a baseball field! Before Cy got drafted, Hannah and I connected and I have enjoyed seeing their life change over the past year and a half! I hope y'all stop my my little blog and check out our crazy MiLB life!

1. How many seasons have you been in baseball, college and pro ball?

D.J. has been playing baseball forever, but I have been around since 2010, when I met D.J. as I was hauling his dorm room bedding into his room on the first day of his freshman year! We started dating in 2011, got engaged in 2012 at married in 2013! So in total, I have been with D.J. and baseball for about five years- college and professional ball.

2. How did you and your hubs meet, and when did you realize that he was “the one”? 

Pretty funny story actually... My sophomore year in college, I was chosen to be an orientation guide for the incoming freshman.  Of over 25 dorms at James Madison University, the school paired me with good ole' Ikenberry - which just so happened to be D.J.'s dorm.  JMU is known for its friendly people and exceptional move-in experience, so as I was dragging in loads of his baseball stuff from his parents car, we met each other.  Now, at the time I had a boyfriend and thought "oh great, I have the athletes and they are going to be a pain in my back." But - it was just the opposite.  D.J. was so sweet and participated in all the freshman activities.  Long story short - we started dating the end of my junior year in 2011 and the rest is history! The story on how he proposed to me is quite hilarious also. Check it out here.

3. How do you make the time pass when yall are apart?

D.J. and I spent the last three seasons apart.  I have a full time job in Norfolk, VA where we own a house and live in the off season.  So keeping busy during that time may seem hard, but between work, exercising, hanging out with family and friends and listening to the games on the radio, the seasons went by pretty quick actually!

4. What is one thing you have learned about yourself through life in baseball?

I will admit- I am a "long-term" thinker.  When I knew D.J. was "the one" I was mentally planning our wedding.  When we got engaged, I was mentally thinking about our wedding day.  On our wedding day, I was mentally thinking about having kids.  You get the point. With baseball, I have realized that living in the moment is the only way you will be able to enjoy the experience.  I have learned to be happy with where we are in the organization and to not compare our relationship or baseball experience to anyone else.  This is our journey and it may be different than someone else's, and I am fully embracing that.  I have also let go of planning things because I have learned the hard way (read more about that here.)

5. You recently were given the opportunity to travel with DJ in the summers. What has that been like so far?

So far traveling with D.J. has been great! I love being able to see him every morning when I wake up and give him a big kiss before he leaves for the field.  I have a great little set up in the apartment as my work station and I've been so productive every day.  One of my favorite things about living with him this summer has also been the experience I have had with the ladies here.  Right now, there are eight wives or girlfriends here full time and it is so awesome having girls around to balance out all that testosterone the boys bring home! 

6.  Baseball certainly has its’ highs and lows, but what is one of your favorite game-related memories?

Oh, yes it does.  I would say one thing that D.J. is incredibly good at is maintaining a healthy balance between the highs and lows.  He's big on having a positive mental attitude, so that really helps in times of lows.  The top two moments of D.J.'s career for me is when (one) his college team one the CAA Championship in 2011 and (two) when he struck out his first major leaguer, Jayson Werth earlier this season! Talk about a high!

7. What has been the most fun place you have traveled to see DJ play?

Hmm, most fun place...I would have to say Myrtle Beach, SC.  The stadium is beautiful, the hotel we stayed at was within walking distance of great restaurants and the field, and who doesn't love a beach town?! We have been so blessed to live so close to all of the teams that D.J. has played on the past two years.  Being from Virginia, all of the teams he plays right now are within five hours from both of our parents homes.

8. When and why did you start blogging?

Before I worked at the job I am currently at, I traveled the country as an Educational Consultant for my sorority, so I started my first blog when I was working for them.  When I stopped, I needed a new blog, so I began Blog With The Browns.  I love being able to connect with other bloggers, near and far, and to keep everyone updated on the insane life that D.J. and I live day-to-day.

9. When you go to starbucks, what is your order?

Confession: I'm not a coffee drinker. But a girl can always find a way to become a gold member at Starbucks right?! I'm either a Mocha Frap with skim milk (keep the whip ;)) or a peppermint mocha in the winter months!

10. If you had to describe yourself in 5 words, what would they be?

Outgoing, driven, affectionate, talkative and friendly. 

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I hope you enjoyed getting a look into another baseball life! Head on over to Cayte's blog to read my interview and more adventures with the Brown fam :)

XO, Han

Happy Birthday, Little Blog!

I published my first blog post on June 12th of 2014, which means that a few days ago this blog turned 1! When I started, I really didn't know if I would stick with this for more than a few posts. But 30 posts and a year later, here we are, just truckin right along.

I started this blog for two reasons- 1) To keep our sweet friends and family up to date on what's going on in our lives and Cy's career, and 2) to be a resource for other girls in the baseball life. Before Cy got drafted, I had a lot of questions and concerns about what our life would look like as a married couple in minor league baseball. I came across a few blogs written by baseball wives that really helped me get a grasp on what to expect, and it was a huge relief. I decided that if even one girl saw my blog and was encouraged by it, that's all that mattered, and I took the leap. And now a year later, I have made connections with so many girls who have read what I've shared here! It is really an honor to enjoy friendships with other women in baseball, and to share experiences through this online space. The internet is pretty cool sometimes.

In the past year, I married my favorite person in the whole entire world, we have lived in 4 states and traveled over 17,000 miles (collectively), I have made some amazing friends, we survived our first season and a half of professional baseball, I've seen some of my best friends get engaged (next year will be FILLED with weddings!), my very best friend had a beautiful baby boy, and we've had many more adventures along the way. It's been a big year!

Here on the blog I've written about being engaged, married life in minor league baseball, putting together our first home, some products I have enjoyed, shared some struggles, and just talked about life in general. Close to 20,000 page views later, I am blown away by the fact that people are enjoying what I share. It means so much to me that someone takes time out of their day to interact with what I put out here in internet land. Thank you for giving me a place to share my (sometimes rambling) thoughts and interact!

Big shoutout to Aubrey , whose blog I have followed for close to 4 years, for being so genuine and showing the positives of doing this crazy thing, and to my fellow baseball wife Cayte for encouraging me to take the leap and helping me figure this thing out along the way! It has been so much more fun than I expected. If you're reading this and thinking about blogging, holler at me. It's been a great way for me to stay busy, process some of my thoughts, chronicle our adventure in baseball, and make some really great friends.

So to wrap it all up, thank you. I love writing and sharing part of our lives here. Thanks for following along, sharing comments, and being my friend along the way. Baseball is crazy, but having a place to share and interact with y'all has been a great point of stability. Hopefully the next year brings some more wonderful adventures that I can blog about along the way ;)

Xo, Hannah

If Your Heart is Hurting

During Spring Training, I had the privilege of attending a luncheon put on by Baseball Chapel and Pro Athletes Outreach for players wives. It was a fantastic, refreshing time. I learned a lot and had some great fellowship with other gals in this lifestyle! They also gave away tons of great goodies, one of which was a book! There were a few to choose from, and I ended up with "Every Reason to Leave: And Why We Chose to Stay Together" By Vicki Rose. Her book chronicles her story of how God restored her broken marriage, when she really did have every reason to leave, and shows that the effort is worth it.

I learned a lot from this book. Don't get me wrong, our marriage is great right now! But the principles Vicki shares for married couples to follow, along with the lessons she learned throughout her 35+ years of marriage, are so great to understand and prioritize. 

The Biblical truths she shares don't just apply to marriages, they apply to everyones life. I have a friend going through something really difficult right now. It sucks. It doesn't make sense. But that is life, we are thrown curveballs and have to do the best we can to handle it and persevere. Fortunately, we have a God who cares and doesn't abandon us in our darkest hours. The trials and struggles we face in life can be a beautiful opportunity for growth. If you are hurting, take some time to look up these verses and consider how they can apply to your life. 

Draw near to the Lord in your day to day life
- Pray in earnest amidst your spiritual battle (1 Chronicles 5:20)
- Pray constantly  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
- Spend time in Gods word daily (Matthew 6:33, Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119:97)
- Pray Gods word (1 John 5:14-15)


God has promised his children:
- Righteousness and His kingdom (Matt 6:33)
- The desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4)
- Overwhelming blessings (Malachi 3:10)
- A future (Jeremiah 29:11)
- He will be near you (Psalm 145:8, James 4:8, 1 John 5:14)
- With God, all things are possible (Matthew 10:26)
- He rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6)
- He will never stop doing good to you (Jeremiah 32:40)
- When you trust Him, He will make your path straight (Proverbs 3:5-6)

If you are hurting, going through something hard, you are not alone. You are not abandoned. Take heart, you are loved. If you need some encouragement, shoot me a text or email, I would love to chat.

xo,
Hannah

Note: Obviously I am a Christian. I know not all everyone who reads my blog holds the same beliefs as me. My faith is important to me though, so I don't hesitate to share it.

#RoadWives

I haven't been a very dedicated blogger lately. I really got on a roll there with posting at least once a week, but last week got away from me! Why, you ask? Because we are on the road! The team is currently in the last series of an 11 day road trip. They started in Burlington, IA then headed to Kane County, IL and now we are in Cedar Rapids, IA for a 3 game series.

Cedar Rapids, home of the Kernels - Minnesota Twins affiliate

The exciting news is that I'm not traveling solo! If you follow me on twitter or instagram you have probably noticed that I've been running around the Midwest with another baseball (almost) wife! Ashton is engaged to one of our infielders, Tucker Neuhaus. She has a break between spring and summer classes, so she is here visiting through the month of May! We've been having such a great time hanging out, seeing new places, and cultivating a friendship while cheering on our guys.

It is so fun traveling with another gal. Ashton and I connected before she came and had been texting back and forth, and got along great right off the bat. She goes to school and plays volleyball in South Carolina. She and Tucker have been dating for about 5 years (!!!) and are getting married this January- super exciting! She has two years of school left, but plans to travel with Tucker during summer breaks and then full time as soon as she graduates.  We have had a blast talking about marriage and life in baseball as Christian couples. We also keep matching unintentionally, which is pretty hilarious. 

We decided to skip the Burlington series and meet up with the team for the last 2 chunks of the trip.  Kane County is about 3 hours from Appleton, just outside of Chicago. Every night there was a pretty good crowd, which is always a lot of fun for the players!We split the series, winning the first 2 games and losing the last 2. Cy pitched the first game of the series and did an INCREDIBLE job, throwing 8 shutout innings for the win! The ballpark had a fireworks show every night after the game, so that was a lot of fun too. After the game on Monday afternoon we hit the road and headed about 3.5 hours east to Cedar Rapids.

Cedar Rapids has been quite interesting thus far. The ballpark is really nice, but the hotel is kind of in an odd location and we just feel slightly out of place! As fun as it is to travel around and see new places, I think we are pretty ready to get back home to Appleton on Thursday night.

just goofing around, happy to be together!

In other news, yesterday marked 200 days since Cy and I got married! It really has been a blast, we have so much fun living life together. Through the ups and downs of day to day life, we have had the joy of figuring things out and growing together. It isn't all sunshine and rainbows, sometimes the days are hard- but it is ALWAYS worth it.  I am so thankful for marriage and for the treasure of a husband that Cy is to me! 

That's all for now! I will do my best to get back to the regularly scheduled programming next week ;)

xo,

     Han

PS -  

Don't forget to check the "Baseball" section at the top of the page to keep up on the latest in Cy's baseball news!

Cy- Road Trip Life

It's that time of year again! Cy is taking over the blog today to give you a little firsthand look at the finer details of life as a minor league baseball player ;)

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When the bus starts pulling away from Appleton on the way to a road series somewhere in the greater Midwest area there is always one strand of thoughts in my mind and the minds of many on the bus: "Did I pack everything?  I know I brought my jersey, but I bet I forgot my belts.... I know I have my coat and cleats but do I have all my hats? Ehh... oh well, too late to worry about it now." A movie is generally playing on the small bus TV's right away to help kill some time.  Baseball movies are common, as well as comedies.  About half the guys watch and the other half either sleep, listen to music, or watch a show or movie they brought along.  Once the movie is over the bus usually quiets down... but not always.  This is why I bring along a pair of headphones and ear muffs.  Sure, the ear muffs are designed to protect ones hearing while shooting guns or working around jet engines but when the bus gets rowdy they do the job just fine.  Most guys have a similar idea but opt for the noise canceling headphone version, which look a little cooler but also cost substantially more.

Generally we have been stopping to eat along the way at this little truck stop diner joint that is pretty good.  Most of the time I sit with some of the boys and we shoot the breeze over some french toast, chatting about who is being loud on the bus or recounting funny stories from the last few games.  After we eat it's back to the bus and the headphones come back on.  I usually crank a little country music through them, and recently have been playing Aaron Watson's new album The Underdog very regularly the past few trips.  If you haven't heard that album do yourself a favor and look it up, the guy has some good stuff with just enough twang for my liking.

Finally we arrive at our destination. The way we do it on this particular team is to head directly to the field when we get into whatever town we are playing in, play the game, and then check into the hotel that night.  This works very well because often hotels can't have all our rooms ready for us to check in to right away (because we require so many with the amount of people we bring) so instead of rolling the dice we just check in late.

Once you get to the field and enter the locker room you had better have your wits about you.  The locker you pick that day will stick with you for the remainder of the trip and a bad choice can mean for a rough weekend.  The ideal locker is one that is located close to food, showers, and bathroom as well as power outlets and, if possible, empty lockers.  These are usually located in corners but it can be a double edged sword.  Guess the number of lockers available wrong and you could be stuck sharing a corner with a larger, sweaty, hairy individual which, lets be honest- few dream of doing.

On the field, a good stretch and conditioning session are in place to wake up your stiff limbs from the bus ride.  After that we play catch, and depending on the day, I might throw a bullpen.  One thing that cannot be dodged is shagging fly balls in batting practice (BP).  This is where pitchers like me are really unsung heroes.  Without all of our athletic ability chasing down fly balls outfielders could only dream of catching, and starting pitchers running a bucket full of balls back into the hitters every so often, hitters wouldn't get a chance to hit.  And if hitters couldn't hit the team wouldn't be able to score runs and if you don't score runs you can't win games.  So pitchers shagging BP causes the team to score runs, its that simple.  Where would they be without us? (This is mostly sarcasm)

After BP is my favorite activity of the day, crushing the pre-game spread!  It usually works out where pitchers come in a little before the hitters after BP where we all grab a plate and crudely slap together a PB&J with a side of animal crackers and/or gold fish.  It is a minor league meal and its the kind that fuels the team when we take the field each and every day.

During the game if you aren't keeping a chart (game statistics) you get to have lengthy in depth conversations with other pitchers about almost any topic under the sun.  From these conversations I have come up with one of my favorite sayings regarding getting to the big leagues: Take all your natural talent, things you learn, development, and anything else you can acquire, learn, or steal that'll make you better and throw it in a pot.  Heat it up with your work ethic and stir it together with a minor league lifestyle.  If it comes out good enough, ride that concoction like its a $2 pony to the big leagues.  Get every ounce you can out of it and throw new things in whenever you get the chance. 

After the game, we head to our hotel for the night. Hotels can be very hit or miss, you might be at a nice hotel one trip and the very next you are trying not to get bed bugs at some rundownplace in the bad part of town.  What I have learned from this is to always check the hotel name before you leave, so you know if it would be beneficial to bring along some type of antibacterial spray, extra sheets, a sleeping bag, or all of the above.  The moral of the story is you don't want to be the guy that everyone talks about for getting some type of disease from a hotel (even though it was years ago), trust me it happens...

So far this season, all of our road trips have only been 3 game series. Since they are so short, Hannah hasn't been coming on the road trips with me. On longer trips, she will come for part of the time and be able to stay with me at the team hotel. She can't stay in my room with me, but I am allowed to book a separate room at the team rate and stay with her since she is my wife. I just have to let the team manager know ahead of time.

So that's kind of what a minor league roadtrip is like.  It can be a little rough at times but a good amount of fun as well.  There is nothing quite like getting a paycheck every 2 weeks for playing baseball. Even if it technically puts you under the poverty line, it is something that can be oh so worth it if you are one of the lucky few that plays in the big leagues. 

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Hope you enjoyed hearing from the bearded guy himself :) Pretty interesting huh? The Timber Rattlers are part of the Midwest League, and all of their road trips are bus trips. The team will travel 9,447 miles over 13 road trips this season to play teams in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan. Some trips are just 3 days, while some are close to two weeks long. What a life!

xo,

Hannah

So... What Do You Do All Day?

Cy has his job, I travel around with him while he does that. So, I get the question "What do you do all day?" a lot. Or sometimes it's more like "It must be so relaxing not having to do anything all day."

Well, kinda. 

I think sometimes people assume that Cy makes big money playing baseball so I just don't need to work, and since I don't have a career I just live a carefree life. That's not quuiiite the case. I briefly mentioned in this post that minor league baseball salary is definitely not anything to call home about. Realistically, it's just kinda hard to get a job when you're only in town for a few months and you might have to leave at any given moment with no notice, and your availability revolves around your husbands game schedule. (I'm still on the job search though, hopefully something works out! *update for clarification:  I am a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant and love that, but I am referring to an actual job to go to during the day.) 

It's definitely nice being a "stay at home" wife. I enjoy having the time throughout the day to do laundry, or get dinner in the crock pot for after the game, or go to a yoga class or for a run. I get to explore around town, visit local shops and attractions, and spend time visiting with other girlfriends when they come to town. It's so awesome to be able to meet new people all the time at games. I have plenty of time to work on this lil blog ;) 

But honestly, it's hard for me to not have a role that I can use to define myself. Saying "Oh I'm a baseball wife" doesn't make me feel very credible most of the time. I have always been really involved in several things at once, so transitioning to my main responsibility being in the home is a bit tough- especially since we live with a (wonderful) host family and so it's not my home to run haha! 

However, it has been really good for me to have to really look at where I find my value and what I place my identity in.

I'm learning to be confident in who I am and in my role as a traveling baseball wife. These are things I have to remind myself: Having a job doesn't define my worth. I am not any less valuable to society because my role isn't in the workplace. The fact that I travel around with my husband doesn't make me any less smart or driven. Being my husbands #1 support is an important role in this crazy baseball life, and I'm glad I am able to be that. 

As a Christian, my greatest priority is to know God more and to spend my time and effort growing closer to Him, and helping others to do so as well. 1 Timothy 5:10 talks about biblical womanhood, that a Christian woman should be "well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lords people, helping those in trouble, and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds." Having so much free time right now really frees me up to do that. I love that I have the schedule flexibility to listen to podcasts, take part in different activities with a local church, and just spend time getting to know other people here. One day I will have kids, and having all kinds of time to spend doing bible study or investing in other people will be a luxury and not just part of my regular routine. I am learning to cherish all the free time I have right now!

So to wrap it all up... I try to keep myself busy. I try to make the most of my time. It's not quite as fabulous as it may seem. I'm learning more about myself each day, and I'm learning that I am in exactly the role that I am supposed to be, and I am so thankful that my identity is in Christ regardless of what is happening in my life. 

Thanks for hanging with me through all of this word vomit. Getting my thoughts and feelings written down really helps me to process what I am figuring out!

Xo, Han