Are You Ready?

I can never say enough about how wonderful it is to get to know women who have been in baseball much longer than I have, to learn from and lean on when things get hard or frustrating.  One such woman is Taffee, the wife of Cy's former pitching coach from the Timber Rattlers last season.  Taffee and I got to be good friends during our time in Wisconsin, and I am so thankful for all of the wisdom she has and continues to share with me and the way she immediately welcomed me and made me feel at home.

The other day, Taffee and I were chatting about our offseason and what we had been up to, when she asked if I was ready for the upcoming season.  I told her I was as ready as I would ever be, laughing since really there's no way to truly be prepared for what baseball is going to throw at us next ;)

It got me thinking about how different I feel approaching this season than I did last season.  Now that I have my first season of being a full-time traveling baseball wife under my belt, I feel so much more at ease with the quirks that come with it.  Last spring I was anxious, not knowing what to expect or how to really prepare for the season ahead.  There are SO many possibilities and unknowns, and it can be hard to wrap your head around that and let go of the need to have everything under control.

Last year we had no idea what level we would be starting at until a few days before we left spring training.  We had no idea if we would be able to find a host family once we got there.  We had no idea if I would be able to find a job.  We had no idea if there would be other wives on the team to be friends with. Lots of unknowns! Having never experienced any of it before, you can imagine how that could be rough for little newlywed me ;)

But it all turned out great, despite the stressful times and the learning curves! I learned to just roll with what each day brought, and to be content with taking each day as its own without worrying (mostly...) about the next step.  My faith plays a huge role- I truly believe that there is a purpose and an opportunity for me in every season and situation, so it is best for me to trust and embrace that. Knowing that I do NOT have to be in control of every detail is so freeing! All I have to do is embrace each day and do my best with where we are.

So going into this season, I am at peace. I know a little better what to expect (anything and everything!) what is worth getting concerned about (nothing!) and how to stay content. Although we are with a new team, which brings a whole new set of things to learn, everything has been great so far! We aren't 100% sure where we will be this season yet but we have a good idea, and either way things will be great.

So yes, I'm ready for this upcoming season. It's hard to prepare for a season when I can't really plan ahead, but it's much easier now knowing that everything will work out one way or another- just gotta roll with it :)

My Favorite ST Event

Spring training is fun. The days are shorter than the regular season, and they start in the morning instead of at night- I love that schedule! You get to see friends and meet new people. You get to hang out in a warm sunshiny state ;)

My very favorite part of spring training is the annual Women's Luncheon, put together by Lisa Weston of Baseball Chapel and Rene Taubensee of Pro Athlete Outreach. They host 3 luncheons throughout Florida, and one in Arizona. The purpose of this event is to give wives/fiancees/girlfriends a day to come together and refresh and refocus before the start of the season.Last year my sweet friend Jackie invited me, and it was so amazing to realize that there are so many other christian women in baseball who experience the same challenges that I do, and to learn and grow together!

My friend Tessa, whose husband KJ played at DBU with Cy and is now with the Yankees, drove over from Tampa for the day to come to the luncheon in Orlando with me. It was so fun to hang out!!

This year, the main speaker was Jackie Kendall. She spoke about the principles in her new book Surrender Your Junior God Badge: Every Woman's Battle with Control. This was a great message to hear, since in baseball there is SO MUCH that is beyond our control, no matter how hard we try! Each woman in attendance was gifted a copy of the book, and I am so excited to dive in and start reading it!

After lunch we had small group breakout sessions, hosted by Gari Meacham and Vicki Rose. I went to Vicki's session, I was given a copy of her book "Every Reason to Leave & Why we Chose to Stay Together" at least years luncheon and loved the chance to her her share her story in person. It is incredibly encouraging to hear personal stories from godly women who have been in baseball for decades and can teach from experience!

I also got to meet 3 other Astros wives at the luncheon! They were big league wives and they were beyond nice and friendly to me- I am so thankful for that! I have only met 2 other minor league wives so far, so it is such a blessing to meet women who know the ropes and welcome you in.

There are two more luncheons this year!! This weekend in Jupiter (3/18), and the following weekend in Scottsdale (3/22). If you are a baseball girl around either of those places and haven't registered for the luncheon yet, send me an email and I will get you the link!! It is SO SO good and worth going to even if you have to drive a little ;) There is more info on resources for baseball girls listed at the bottom of the "baseball" tab here on the blog.

In other news, minor league games start this weekend! I am SO excited to get to see Cy throw again :) Alsoooo, if you didn't notice I did a little update on the blog and changed up my URL and title to "Simply Hannah Sneed" to be a little more fitting, since I was a bride well over a year ago haha!

Hope you have a great week!
xo, Han