Offseason.. Where did you go?!

Holy cow, it is already January and we have left our offseason home in Alaska and are getting ready for spring training! I say this every year, but it seems like the offseason goes by faster and faster.

Okay so lets rewind. Towards the end of last season Cy was promoted to the Astros AAA team, the Fresno Grizzles. They spent most of the last month of the season on the road, so I just lived out of my suitcase and met up with Cy on road trips, and then spent the time in between split between my grandparents and in laws. It was a super fun whirlwind, but I was definitely excited to be DONE for awhile after so much travel haha!

Our offseason in Alaska was wonderful and all too short, as usual. We love our time and community there. A few highlights:
- My best friend gave birth to her perfect baby girl!
- We completed our first round of Whole30 and oh my gosh it was a game changer!
- Cy spent lots and LOTS of time in the mountains hunting. The boy loves him some nature.
- I spent lots of quality time with my quilting ladies and finished several quilts! We had a wonderful time at our quilters retreat at the Second Star in Homer.

- My mom and I had so many fun lunch dates

- I accomplished some projects for my business!
- Our family came to visit!!! Cy's mom, stepdad, brother, and my sister in law all came up and spent Thanksgiving with us. It was so fun and special to have them!

- We celebrated our 3 year anniversary!
- I teamed up with my sweet friends Becky and Carol to have a booth at our local craft fairs leading up to Christmas! We had so much fun together. We have some great ideas for next year, get excited ;)
- Cy took a trip to Idaho to hunt with his dad, brother, and grandpa
- We made a trip to Texas for some of our best friends weddings! We don't get to spend nearly as much time with all of them as we would like, so we treasure the time together.

- My mom, sister Hope, and I binged watched the first season of Stranger Things together (I love to binge watch. Mom does not. LOL)

All in all, it was so full of great things and we wish it wasn't over just yet! But baseball never stops ;)

Currently we are in Idaho for a few weeks visiting my in laws and for Cy to work out and throw in preparation for spring training. After this, we will head to Dallas for a bit and then it is off to Florida for spring training!

One of my intentions for this year is to get back to more regular posts here. I love looking back on my old posts, it is like a scrapbook of sorts for me. I need to get better about documenting these memories.

Thanks for reading!
xo, Han

The State of Our Season

Beautiful sunset in Springdale, AR this week

It is CRAZY that the season is just a few short weeks from ending! It feels like it has flown by so much faster than last year. We have a guaranteed spot in the playoffs because we won the first half, so we shall see how far into post-season play we will go.

I figure this would be a good time to share a little about how our season has been in general!

Hannah-
This season has been GREAT for me. I don't think I have shared much about it here, but last fall I started working as a personal/administrative assistant for two ladies who are high ranking Beachbody coaches. This has been a huge blessing for several reasons! First, it is beyond amazing to have a job where I can work remotely and be able to make money while traveling with Cy full time. Second, it is so nice to have my own tasks and responsibilities to focus on outside of baseball. I have my work, Cy has his work, we get to focus on our own things instead of all baseball on both of our brains constantly. Third, the nature of my work is SO social and community focused, which is so great for my social butterfly self! (If you're a baseball girl interested in a position like mine, shoot me an email!) Plus, I get to use a lot of practical skills and knowledge from my degree, which is great ;)

We are living with an INCREDIBLE host family (I seriously am amazed by how many truly wonderful people we have been able to live with in our past 2 seasons!!) and really they make baseball life doable. My host parents and I kind of accidentally started working out a couple months ago and now have a nightly group workout routine! It is really fun to do together, and I feel so great getting consistent exercise in- something I honestly have never really enjoyed haha.

I have been traveling a LOT. I've gone on a good majority of Cy's road trips, plus a trip home to Alaska for my best friends wedding at the beginning of August! It has been super fun but starting to wear me out, I am ready for the offseason to just be in one place for awhile!


Cy-
"This season has been good! There have definitely been some frustrating moments pitching wise because I feel like I haven't been quite as consistent as I was last season or as I am capable of. But all in all I am happy with my season. We have won a lot of games, which is always fun. I really enjoy the staff and the organization as a whole.

Our host family is awesome, makes life a lot easier. We have eaten a lot of great food and seen some fun new places this season- no complaints! It is really great to have Hannah with me full time, not everyone is able to make that work during season and I am thankful we can because it makes all the difference in the world.

This offseason is going to be good. I am excited to graduate in December and be DONE with school. Looking forward to doing manly stuff like hunting and chopping trees/firewood. Plus, getting to spend time with family and reset my mind and body to get ready for next season."


Us-
We are rapidly approaching our 2 year anniversary, which is crazy. Sometimes it feels like it was just last week that we got engaged, but at the same time it feels like we have been together forever. It's cliche but really, life is great when your spouse is your best friend! We are making lots of memories and enjoying the slightly crazy life that baseball gives us. Always an adventure ;)


So for our offseason, barring any crazy changes that baseball might bring, we are headed to ALASKA!! Yes, for real! All of the pieces just fell into place for us to spend most of our offseason up there near my family. We are really excited! I haven't been home for longer than like 3 weeks at a time since I left for college, so it will be great to spend extended quality time with our loved ones there.

Here's to the last few weeks of this season!!

xo, Hannah

Fun Q+A

You have probably seen the "answer questions about your significant other" copy/paste posts floating around Facebook, I think they are so fun and decided to pull two of them and post them here! I figured that would be a fun little mid-week post ;) Of course, I will give a little life/baseball update at the bottom.

First up, I asked Cy these questions and he responded about me:

What is something I always say? 

Can we stop at chickfila/panera/Starbucks/etc

What makes me happy?

Sleeping in, breakfast food, making friends, baby cows, Iced coffee

What makes me sad?

When you can't see your friends 

What was I like as a child?

Bossy

How old am I?

23, almost 24

How tall am I?

5'10"

What do I do when you're not around?

Work. Sometimes workout. Hang out with your friends. (Or Starbucks/target/chickfila.....) 

If I become famous, what will it be for?

Probably for your blog (my note: L O L)

What am I good at?

Cooking! Snuggling. Being sassy. Your job. Being a wife. Eating. 

What am I not good at?

Laundry. Folding it. 

What makes you proud of me?

When you graduated college. That you can sit through so many baseball games. You are always nice to people. You take care of a lot of situations so I don't have to. 

What is my favorite food?

Mac and cheese

What do we do together?

Pretty much everything. Laugh a lot. 

How are you and I the same?

Our values and interests

Where is my favorite place to eat?

Simon and seaforts in anchorage

How old was I when I met you?

19

If I could go anywhere, where would it be?

Probably Europe or Italy. 

Do you think you could live with me forever?

Yes

How do I annoy you?

When you make me eat healthy

What is your favorite thing about me?

That you're married to me and your last name is Sneed! (Fist pump)

When is our anniversary?

November 7th

And then I answered these about Cy!

He's sitting in front of the tv, what is usually on? 

Outdoor channel or NASCAR on Sunday's

You are out to eat, what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?

Ranch. And hold the tomatoes.

What's one food he doesn't like?

Anything oriental or with much sauce (aside from pasta)

You go out to eat and have a drink, what kind of drink does he order?

Water. With lemon if he is feeling wild. 

If he could collect one thing, what would it be?

Guns or classic cars

What would he eat every day if he could? 

Cheesecake

What is his favorite cereal?

Raisin Bran with cranberries.. Craisin bran lol

What is his favorite sports team?

Astros by default? Dale Jr's racing team probably?

What's his favourite colour?

Blue like the truck

What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't?

Go through drive-throughs and let the car idle

You bake him a cake for his birthday, what kind is it? 

Cheesecake

Did he play sports in school?

All baseball all the time

What could he spend hours doing?

Looking at, tinkering with, researching cars. Being outdoors.

What's his favourite TV show?

Anything on the outdoor channel

What's the expression he uses most often?

OOOHH IS THAT A HELLCAT?!

What's his favorite dinner? 

Asparagus stuffed chicken

If he had to pick one movie to watch over and over, what would it be? 

Lonesome Dove

What would he choose if he could have only one of these for a year? a. Unlimited movies b. Unlimited music or c. Unlimited reading material?

Unlimited music for sure

What is his "dream" of being able to do some day?

Live in a nice house on the edge of the wilderness where he can shoot animals off the back porch

. . .

 All is going well on the baseball front, we are really looking forward to having a couple days off for the all-star break at the end of the month for a little R&R together. The Hooks are currently in 1st place in our division, if we can hold on for about a week more and win the first half we will clinch a spot in the playoffs- super exciting! The team is on the road from now until the all star break, I will be heading out later this week to meet up with Cy and catch a little family time with my grandparents in between. This Friday Cy will be starting in Frisco against the Rough Riders, if any local friends want to come I would love to see y'all!

Thanks for reading :)

- Han

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.

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

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.

MiLB Married Life: Why I Travel

If I'm the only baseball wife you know, you might not know that there are a good amount of baseball wives who don't travel with their husbands during the season. For various reasons, for some couples the best choice is for the wife to stay at home and hold down the fort. For some it's for their career, others it's to provide stability for their kids. Every marriage is different, and there's really no one size fits all choice for everyone.

There are pros and cons to both sides of the coin. If I stayed home, I could have a full time job and help contribute to our financial stability. We could actually have a permanent address. I wouldn't have to be away from my friends and family, alone in a new city. But I would have a really hard time being away from my husband for half the year- no wife who stays home will ever say it's easy. Being here allows me to be present to support Cy in his ups and downs. I get to explore different cities all over the US. We get to experience new things together. I do spend a lot of time alone, but that gives me the chance to really grow and learn more about myself.

For us, the choice was easy. In fact, me staying home just wasn't an option. We spent 2 summers apart before we got married, and while we definitely did grow a lot as a couple through the extended periods of distance, they were really hard. Especially last summer when we were engaged. Long distance just doesn't work for us. Last year, I read this book by Julianna and Ben Zobrist (who plays for Oakland, and is the brother-in-law of Cy's college coach) and they shared the challenges they faced in their marriage in minor league baseball. They shared that for them, making their marriage the #1 priority was crucial, to the point that they made a rule that they would never be apart for longer than 6 days. We decided to adopt that rule for ourselves, because we know that being apart is really hard on us mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

More importantly than anything else, we believe that Cy is able to play baseball because God has a purpose in him doing so. It's not about Cy's success, it's about being obedient to the calling God has placed on his life. As his wife, my role is to help and encourage him. I can do that best when we are physically together. Cy is very vocal about how great of a help it is to him that he has me here, and I don't take that lightly. I also feel very strongly that God is showing me that I have a unique opportunity to show His love to the people around me wherever we are because of my role as a players wife, just by making friends and getting to know people. We are more effective together than we could be apart.  

Baseball life is anything but normal, so each couple has to figure out what is best for them. For us, home is wherever we are together. I am thankful that we have the ability to be together. 

Xo,
Hannah

All photos are by the incredibly talented Hannah and Preston of Cottonwood Road Photography

The Best Dessert of All Time in the History of Ever

If the title of this post has you expecting something amazing, GOOD. Because this will probably rock your world.

A little background info. Cy loves sweets. Like LOVES sweets. He would like to have a dessert with every meal. Unfortunately for him, I'm not much of a baker. I can cook anything you want, but baking has never been my strength- my sister Haley got that talent (and she frequently spoils Cy with a batch of cookies from scratch). I generally just bake brownies or cookies from a box and call it good.

However, now that we are living in a hotel room without an oven, poor Cy is left without any baked goods.  He has been content with a nightly Klondike bar, but the other day I came across this Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Oreo Pie recipe on Pinterest.... And, well, the picture pretty much speaks for itself. I saw it and HAD to check out the recipe.

image via Kevin & Amanda Blog

Lo and behold, this is one of the easiest recipes in the world. No baking required, and you don't even have to perfectly measure out ingredients. The hardest part for me was crushing the Oreos since I don't have a food processor here!

This pie is incredibly indulgent, absolutely decadent, and completely delightful. The buttery caramel paired with the rich chocolate and the hint of salt is absolute food perfection. Do yourself, your friends,  family, neighbors, etc., a favor and whip this up. It is THAT good.

Click << here >> for the recipe!

xo,
Hannah

MiLB Married Life: Our First Spring Training

Hello from sunny Arizona! Since my last post, we packed up our apartment, put most of our things in storage, and took the long 15 hour drive to Phoenix for Spring Training. (And the blog got a facelift, hope ya like it!)

I've decided to start a little series on what married life in the minor leagues looks like for us. Obviously it is different for single guys than it is for married guys, and it's also different for couples who travel together full time than for couples who don't. So over the course of the season, I plan to give you a little look into the slightly unusual lifestyle we live on the road. If there's anything in particular you'd like to hear about, please let me know! 

If you're not super familiar with baseball, Spring Training is when all of the players in each organization gather together for practices and exhibition games before the start of the regular season. Each organization has a training complex, about half in AZ and half in Florida, where their entire group of Major and Minor League players come together to prepare for the season and determine at what level each player should start, basically. 

Generally single players stay in a team hotel, and some in apartments or rental homes (especially those whose families travel). We are staying at an extended stay hotel, we have a small kitchenette and the front desk folks are super nice! Next week I'll share more about how I'm making this hotel room a home for the month we are here :) We are located in a pretty central area, so it's generally only 20 minutes in any direction to anywhere we would want to go, which is convenient.  

This week, Cy only has to be at work from 8am to about noon. A lot of the minor league hitters don't report for another couple days, so they haven't started playing games in the afternoon yet. This means that since he is just at the field for a few hours, there is no point in me driving him over there and battling traffic back, just to go pick him up again 2 hours later. When his schedule gets a little more demanding next week, I will start taking him to work in the mornings and then have the truck to run around and keep myself occupied during the day, but for now I'm hotel-bound. I'll be honest, the first 2 days I was SO bored and pretty pitiful, but yesterday I got myself on a little schedule including some exercise and I feel so much better! Cy's routine at the field is pretty low-key right now, just basic workouts and throwing, so I'll share more about that later when they really get the ball rolling.

Here's a rough outline of what our days look like (this week, at least!)

• 7am- Wake up (even though I could sleep in, its easier to just stay on Cy's sleep schedule)
• 7:20- Cy leaves
• 7:30- I get up and make some breakfast, then get back in bed and have my Bible time, then watch some Downton Abbey
• 9:30- Get up, get dressed, make the bed, tied the kitchenette, etc.
• 10:00- Youtube workout videos! 
• 12:00- Cy comes home, fix lunches
• 1pm-5:00- Pretty much chill- read, watch tv, play board games, run to the grocery store..
• 5 or 6- Dinner: We have a small kitchenette, so we will mostly just eat here. There are lots of cool restaurants around here we want to check out though!
• 9pm- get ready for bed! We are generally asleep by 10:30

The exercise time is great for me. I'm used to being pretty active (going for walks/running intervals while Cy did his offseason throwing and workouts, just being a busy bee in general) but our hotel isn't near a residential area where I could walk and it doesn't have a gym, so doing different workouts on youtube is a good solution for me right now. I'm trying to mix it up with yoga, cardio, dance, zumba, or p90x type stuff... Literally because it keep me from being bored- I never thought I would see that day haha! Hopefully starting next week I can find a park to walk and run in or maybe a gym to take a class or something. I'm reminded every day that this baseball life is all about being flexible and going with the flow, so who knows!

The big league teams are playing games already, but we haven't gone to any. I am so looking forward to Cy's games starting and can't wait to meet some of the baseball ladies I've made online friendships with already! The baseball wives and girlfriends "network" is really awesome, it's cool to interact with other girls who are in the same crazy lifestyle and understand its nuances. 

Anyway, I'm off to do some laundry and start getting ready for dinner- tonight we are meeting up with one of Cy's former DBU teammates who plays for the Angels :)

Until next time,

Hannah

Warby Parker Review

Hey friends!

So now that I'm all grown up and married, I've been thinking it's time to start doing grown up things like wearing prescription sunglasses (Is that actually a thing? I just always assumed that's what grown-ups do because my mom has them...) But mostly I wanted a pair because the majority of my time is about be spent either driving or at a baseball game. Generally, both of those situations call for both sunnies and corrective lenses, so why not combine! Since going to a store and picking out frames and lenses can be stressful and expensive, I decided to take my search online. I have previously had success ordering from glasses.com (same company as 1-800-Contacts who I love!) but they didn't have anything I particularly loved in my price range (MiLB budget, y'all.)

Enter Warby Parker.

Warby Parker offers designer quality glasses at a more reasonable price point. They also donate money for each pair of glasses sold to provide a pair of glasses to someone in need around the world! What really was the winner for me is that they offer a free Home Try-On service. Win win win.

So I hopped online and picked out 5 pairs of sunglasses, and a few short days later they arrived in my mailbox. And then my wonderful husband so kindly snapped some pics so I could share my experience with y'all here ;)

The box was so cute- I am a sucker for cute/fun packaging.

1. Haskell in burnt lemon tortoise

I definitely lean towards oversized frames, and these are a bit too trendy for my taste. They are super lightweight though!

2. Piper in woodland tortoise

These are the perfect lens size for me, and the slight cat-eye shape is so fun. 

3. Raglan in pearled tortoise

These are a great shape and size, and incredibly lightweight for being a large frame!

4. Reilly in whiskey tortoise

I looove the dark frame color and the lens shape of these!

5. Quimby in aurora

These are super lightweight and comfortable, but way way to trendy for me. 

And the winner is....... #4, Reilly! The dark understated yet still oversized frames were perfect for me. I sent back the trial box, hopped online and ordered my frames, and they arrived less than a week later. I love them! 

Overall, the quality and convenience of Warby Parker is awesome. I loved the ability to try on the sunglasses in my own home to get a better feel of what I like! All of the pairs I tried on were priced at $150 with prescription lenses (and since my insurance will reimburse $100, it's a great option!) If you're looking for a new pair of glasses or shades, see if Warby Parker has something you like!

xoxo,

Hannah

*Disclaimer: Warby Parker has absolutely no idea who I am, I was in no way endorsed for my opinions here :)

Off-Season Rambles

Hi friends! I know I know- long time, no post… But can ya blame me ;)

Our wedding was an absolute whirlwind of perfection, I will share pics and further details in a bit when our oh so incredible photographer finishes the editing process! For now, here is a sneak peek she shared.

Photo by Cottonwood Road Photography

After a blissful honeymoon cruising the Caribbean, we are enjoying the transition into what off-season life looks like for us as a married couple. Currently, I am taking 3 classes and working every afternoon, and Cy is in his off-season workout program. Since he isn't working, he has fully embraced his self-appointed title of "stay at home husband" and has been incredibly helpful with keeping the apartment tidy, getting groceries, and starting dinner most nights- what a guy!

At the end of the semester, I will finish my time as a nanny (cue tears) and we will head to OKC to see  Cy's brother marry his beautiful Jamie (YAY!) and then we will head to Idaho for a couple weeks, then to Alaska for a couple weeks. It will be a fun and busy Christmas for us, and we are so excited to spend it TOGETHER! I am so looking forward to sharing our adventures with y'all here.

To wrap up this very random, lacking in real direction post, I'll share a couple recipes I've whipped up this week! Feeding an athlete…That ought to be a whole post in and of itself! Good idea, stay tuned for that one ;) This week I tried two new recipes- and they were hits! I like to browse Pinterest for inspiration, and then adapt them to work with whatever we have on hand. Also, I promise we eat other vegetables besides just asparagus..

 Bacon-wrapped chicken- served with oven roasted parmesan and couscous
 This was SUPER easy, and Cy loooved it! I had chicken breasts, so I sliced them into tenderloin sized pieces for faster cooking.

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Wrap chicken with bacon, sprinkle with garlic seasoning, and brown sugar
- Place chicken on wire rack on foil lined baking sheet, stick it in the oven
- Toss asparagus with about 1T olive oil, a generous sprinkling of parmesan, and seasoning
- After 10 mins, add asparagus to oven (I added it to the same baking sheet with the chicken, or you can use a second if you need more space)
- Bake an additional 10-15 minutes
- Make couscous (or rice, etc) according to box instructions.

Oven baked chicken parmesan with spaghetti and sautéed asparagus
- Preheat oven to 400
- For each chicken breast, combine 1T mayo (or greek yogurt) with 1T shredded parmesan, and spread over chicken
- Generously sprinkle with bread crumbs
- Place in baking dish and bake until cooked through
- While chicken is baking, cook noodles according to package directions, drain
- Add spaghetti sauce and simmer (I used a jar, nothin fancy this time)
- Saute asparagus in medium/hot skillet with olive oil and garlic seasoning
- Plate and serve :)

Anddd Cy's specialty, breakfast for dinner! He had this all ready to eat when I got home from my first day back to work after our honeymoon, he is so sweet!

Until next time,
Hannah

Minor League Baseball (aka why I'm probably not moving to Milwaukee anytime soon)

Hi friends! Apparently a lot of you have checked out this little space of mine, which is simultaneously very encouraging and very intimidating ;) But truly, thank you for taking time our of your day to read my words here. It means a lot!

The subject of today is the oh so interesting Minor League Baseball (MiLB) life. Unlike in the NFL, when a baseball player gets drafted he doesn't automatically play for the Major League team. Instead, he has to work his way up through the Minor Leagues (also commonly referred to as "Farm System".) There are 5 levels: Rookie, Low A, High A, AA, and AAA. The difficult part is, there is no set timeframe or checklist to complete in order to move up to the next level. It basically all depends on if a spot above you opens up.  Making it to the big leagues can take several years, if you make it at all. 

Currently, Cy is playing rookie ball in Helena Montana. SOOO he is employed by the Milwaukee Brewers Organization, playing professionally on one of their minor league teams. Here is a list of the Brewers MiLB affiliates, via wikipedia: 

*edit- as of the 2015 season, AA is now the Shuckers in Biloxi, Mississippi and AAA is the Sky Sox in Colorado Springs

One common misconception is that MiLB guys are professional ballplayers, therefore they are rolling in money and living the high life. As fun as that would be if it were true, it is quite the opposite. The monthly salary is very low and they only get paid in season. Those big signing bonuses you hear about are just a one time thing, if you get a signing bonus, and it's smart to save that money for the future because there are no guarantees in baseball. The guys also spend the majority of their time on the road and living in hotels because they play almost every single day all season long. It is a pretty crazy life. 

So what is MiLB life going look like for Cy and me after we get married, you ask? Well for now, the plan is that I will travel with him. We will go to spring training together, and then live where he plays for the season. This might mean living in a hotel, maybe with a host family, or maybe in an apartment (maybe with other baseball couples/players). In the off season we will live in Dallas, at least until Cy finishes school by taking classes each fall. I am currently in my senior year, so I will take a few classes this fall, take next spring off, and finish up my last few credits and graduate next fall. 

There are plenty of articles out there that go into much more detail about MiLB lifestyle and whatnot, but I just wanted to give you a brief overview of it. If you have any specific questions, feel free to post in the comments below and I will try to answer as best as I can :)

As crazy as this life is, we are really thankful for the opportunity to live it. Baseball gives us an opportunity to glorify God on a broader stage, and that is the ultimate goal. 

Until next time,

Hannah