#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

Life Lately + Food

Happy Monday! I am that weird person who loves a fresh start each week (though I was having an emotional morning watching those heartwarming pieces on the Today Show/GMA/Kelly & Michael..)

Anyway, since last week I got a little personal and shared about why I travel during baseball season, I didn't share what we have been up to! So without further ado, here's our life over the past couple weeks in pictures. Also, lots of food is included. I can't help myself.

A couple weekends ago, sweet Chandler came to town for a few days! She is dating David Michael, who Cy rooms with on road trips. We had such a great time hanging out, visiting coffee shops, chatting about baseball life, and even got some delicious macarons! She is planning to come visit again this season, and I am SO excited. 

Cy has had some great outings!! If you click on the "Baseball" tab at the top of the page, it will give you some links to his stats and some recent articles. Also, the Timber Rattlers mascot Fang has started wearing a mustache when Cy starts, too funny!!

Cy and the girls, Greta and Belle. We sure lucked out living with such fun and sweet pups this season.

Last Monday Cy had an off day, such a rare and much needed treat! One of the local golf courses lets the team play for free, so we spent the afternoon working on our swings. We are HORRIBLE golfers but hey we sure had fun!

These pictures are unrelated but they fit side by side.... ha. During games, I usually sit next to the guys who chart/take game stats. The other day, they let me run the velo gun for a little bit. I felt so incredibly useful ;) And on the right is a picture of the sunrise over the lake a few nights ago, super peaceful.

This one is pretty self explanatory. For almost the past week I have been dealing with a miserable head cold. I am finally feeling better but gosh it was not fun.

And my favorite part... the food. Perkins has 1/2 price pie slices after 9pm, makes for a cheap date night after games! We also love that no matter where we are, we can enjoy the lunch specials at Buffalo Wild Wings. I usually try whatever limited time sauce they have out with my wings and a salad, and Cy always has lemon pepper wings with fries. On Thursday night Cy came home from his road trip early enough for dinner, so I made my famous (infamous?) "Diabetes Alfredo" for all of us for dinner, he was thrilled! And Saturday night we had grilled pork chops with homemade applesauce and asparagus. When Cy has day games, we eat dinner at home with our host parents, which is SO fun. We just love them!

Thanks for following along with our life! It means so much to both Cy and me that our friends and family keep up with our adventure. I say that every time, and I mean it!!

xo,

Hannah

((( ALSO, Cy wrote a guest post that I will be sharing later this week or next, stay tuned! )))