#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