Happy Birthday, Julie

Today is a very special day as the last Merryman child is no longer a teenager! Happy 20th birthday to my baby sister, Julie! Your spark for life is contagious and I am so lucky to call you my sister.  Can't wait to head back down to Athens and go to a game with you!!

Enjoy your day :)

Downtown Roanoke, VA

A few weeks ago, we hit the road for a day of exploring Roanoke, VA before the guys played in Salem, VA.  As we get further into this season, I continue to think about how thankful I am D.J. is playing in Virginia this season.  It amazes me that I have lived in this state almost my whole life and there are so many cities I have never been before.  Working remotely has given me so many great opportunities to see D.J. play, meet new people and see great places in this beautiful state we call home. 

We got to Roanoke around 2 p.m. for a meeting I had with an alumni.  We got coffee at a cute little place downtown called Mill Mountain Coffee Shop.  Downtown Roanoke has a cute little sitting area that we talked in for about an hour before I met back up with the girls to see what else we could get into in Roanoke!

The first thing we did was eat at one of the world's best hamburger place - Jack Browns.  Harrisonburg, VA was the first place I had Jack Browns and now it has expanded to Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke, and I've heard rumors of Nashville, TN and Norfolk! 

After lunch we decided to take a look at the Butterfly Garden.  It was so pretty and I'm so glad we decided to see what it was all about. 

We were told that seeing the Roanoke Star was a must-see while we were there.  So we got in the car and drove up the mountain to see the world's largest man-made neon star.  

The view from the top was pretty amazing.  

What an amazing city to stop by on the way to Salem, VA.  

Riverwalk Trail || Lynchburg, VA

Lynchburg surprises me more and more every time I go exploring.  Last weekend the girls decided to head to the game late and we set out to find this "tunnel" and "waterfall" locals had been talking about on Riverwalk Trail.  There are two entrances to the trail and I had been about two miles in on one entrance, but didn't see any waterfall or tunnel.  So we found out that there was another entrance and walked about three miles and saw some pretty awesome things on our walk. 

Lynchburg is filled with old buildings and pretty archways.  So I couldn't resist when I saw this and I knew Lauren had awesome dance skills. 

About half a mile into the trail, we found the tunnel! The history sign on the trail said that this tunnel was finished in 1865 and chipped away by hand.  Progress was measured in inches per day.  Could you imagine?

Then we found this creek and thought "maybe this could be a waterfall according to someone"?! And kept walking because we knew this couldn't be it.

I've said it a million times before, but having these ladies here for the summer has made all the difference.  As much as I would have loved to take D.J. on this adventure, I know the last thing he wants to do is spend more time in the heat walking around.  So these girls make everything so much fun! 

Then we found it! The waterfall/dam.  

As we kept walking, we came across bambi! 

Lychburg, I'm loving you more and more.  

Favorite Spots in Athens, GA

After a blog brainstorming session with my sister last week, we decided that since she is a self-proclaimed local in Athens, GA, she should share her favorite spots if you ever make it down that way. So please welcome my sister, Julie to the blog today! 

1. Sanford Stadium

To any dawg fan out there, this is probably the first thing that pops into their head. Us bulldawgs live for the fall days covered in red and black. I know that everyone says their school is the best, but I really believe there is nothing like being in Sanford jumping up and down, barking as if you alone can intimidate the other team, and singing Glory Glory to ole Georgia. It’s tradition. It’s pride. It’s hunkering down one last time. It’s Georgia Football.

2. Two Story Coffee

So unlike some college students, I did not fall into the coffee addiction. I was already on the path to addiction before I came here. It just increased! Two Story Coffee shop is one of my go-to study spots. So the idea behind Two Story is it’s a two story house (shocking right?!) that has the bottom floor as the socializing, talking allowed floor. The second floor however is the quite zone. Perfect for getting in the zone and getting your study on! Their coffee is so on point; my go to is a caramel latte. :)

3. Downtown Athens

I tried to think of one of my favorite places in downtown Athens and I just couldn’t. Downtown is such a unique place with tons of history and character. They have something for everyone from boutiques, amazing restaurants, coffee shops, and bars upon bars. 

Favorite boutique - Cheeky Peach

Favorite restaurant - High Wire

Favorite coffee shop - Walkers

Favorite bar - a tie between Boars Head and Magnolias, but there are tons (and I mean tons) to choose from! 

Also don’t forget to check out the Georgia Theater!! Tons of history here :) Downtown is such an awesome place to be from sunup to sundown. Its part of what makes UGA such a great place!

4. North Campus

From all of the greenery to the old UGA buildings, North campus is that picture perfect college campus. Walking through North Campus for class, taking a blanket out there and studying, Herty Field, the fountain, and ringing the bell are just some of the things we bulldawgs do. There is nothing like ringing that victory bell after we beat USC or Ga Tech! 

5. Milledge Avenue

Now this might sound funny that a street is one of my favorite places, but I have my reasons! My life here at Georgia started on Milledge. This is the street where the majority of the Sorority and Fraternity houses are found. At Georgia, recruitment for Greek life takes place in the fall before school even starts! Almost 2 years ago I was walking up and down Milledge (sweating like no other) going through recruitment! I am now a proud member of Gamma Phi Beta, aka the prettiest house on Milledge. I have walked, ran, and drove up and down Milledge thousands of time. That street is home. There is nothing like coming back after being in Virginia and driving down Milledge. It is such a sight to see all of the huge houses! It’s like no other.

#baseballwifelife | One for the Record Books

This weekend was another one for the record books - literally! 

In front of all our family, D.J. had a career high in innings pitched and strike outs! I could not have been more proud of him and the way he has been playing lately.  Over the past three games, D.J has pitched 22 innings, allowed 14 hits, only walked 4 batters, and had 15 strikeouts!

Saturday's game was a nail-biter.  Tied in the bottom of the 10th, our friend and the team's catcher, Eric, was up to bat.  I think everyone in the stadium has their own "I called that" story, but here's mine.  I was standing with Maria, Eric's wife, talking about how they always have to make the games interesting at the end.  We were saying how it could all be over if Eric just hit a homerun.  And not 10 seconds later the crack of the bat sounded and that ball was GONE! 

It was so great having all our family there to see the game.  Hope the rest of the season continues to go this way for D.J. and the Hillcats!

25 During 25 | June Updates

It's crazy that we are already in July and halfway through by 25 During 25 Updates! I really enjoy keeping up with this project and crossing things off of my list.  

1. Run a 10k - DONE! Boom.
2. Do a blog give-a-way
3. Write a guest post - YES!! Read more about Hannah and Cy Sneed right here! (Since this post, Cy and Hannah have started their next adventure in Florida at the High A level!)
4. Shoot a gun
5. Go on a spontaneous trip
6. See sunsets in 10 different cities - Athens, GA from inside Sanford Stadium |  Lynchburg, VA from the skyboxes at City Stadium | Myrtle Beach, SC from TicketReturn.com Field | Salem, VA
7. Do a girls weekend trip
8. Have a house party
9. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity - the other baseball ladies and I have been in touch with the Lynchburg H4H, so hopefully we will have this one checked off soon. 
10. Buy a camera and learn how to use it
11. Go to a new state - A while ago, I did this post and had Maryland crossed off, but I honestly can't tell you what I did in Maryland that I was quick to cross it off. But with our trip to the Frederick Keys stadium a couple weekends ago, I can confidently say I crossed this one off this month! If not, we are heading to Nevada in November for a wedding, so that will 100% be the new state of the year for me as well!
12. Host a shower for someone  Loved being able to shower one of my best friends! Hope more showers happen in the future - wedding or baby!
13. Run a 5k in every month of the year, at least 5 of them being a race - runs- Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May (I got a little behind on running, but was still active with other workouts.) June didn't happen either.  I've been focusing a lot more on strength training and working out with the other girls here that running has somewhat fell by the waist side for now.  That's going to chance in July! 
14. Buy a new computer
15. Write 5 thank you letters to companies that I use their products
16. Cash in a whole milk jar of coins to savings - this will happen in Jan 2016 when the jar is nice and full!
17. Tip 100% of my bill
18. Become CPR certified
19. Learn how to drive stick shift
20. Go to an NFL game
21. Do a 7-day smartphone detox 
22. Mail care packages to each of my siblings
23. Send my nana flowers out of the blue. 
24. Take professional photographs with D.J. and Stryker
25. Save $20 for every one of these that I complete - $140 in the milk jar with coins. 

2015 Fourth of July Weekend

Whew. What a weekend! The 4th of July is my favorite holiday and this year did not disappoint.  Having Friday off and not having to drive to Lynchburg was amazing.  The weather here was pretty overcast and rainy, so we spent the whole day watching almost two full seasons of Grey's Anatomy.  Yep, that's what us baseball girls do when the team is away and we don't travel. 

Saturday morning we got a workout in before the family came up to visit.  Every year our neighbor has a big July 4th blowout party and I was so excited that a few family members decided to come see D.J. play instead.  This is now the third year in a row that D.J. has played on the holiday and this year he did AWESOME! 7 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts!

 I didn't get any pictures of D.J. pitching because these little girls were loving on me the entire game and learning all about balls and strikes while D.J. was on the mound.

These ladies make baseball fun! 

I couldn't be more happy that these pretty twins are back in America for good!

And when they saw D.J., they were attached.  I think I heard "D.J." said almost as much as they say "mom!"

After the game, we watched fireworks on the field with the guys.

I had to beg the girls to get out of the photo so I could at least get one good one with him.

D.J.'s dedicated fan club.  My in-laws, my aunt, Nana, mom, and the girls. 

And while waiting for the guys to come out of the shower, we played with sparklers and figured out how to do this cool photo.  Now I know how to do it, so the next photos will be even better! 

 Hope you all had a fabulous 4th celebrating America with friends and family that you love!

Friday Favorites

The past three weeks have been great.  Being able to see D.J. every day and watch baseball games truly makes my heart happy! It's even better that we are in the cutest little town of Lynchburg, VA and there are so many fun things to explore here.

one | Historic Downtown

I haven't had much time to fully explore downtown Lynchburg, but these beautiful set of stairs have quickly developed a love-hate relationship with my legs.  I've been putting together some awesome workouts for the other baseball ladies here with me on these stairs.  Downtown also has some pretty delicious restaurants and beautiful views of the James River.

two | Lynchburg Sunsets
The sunsets here are stunning.  The view from the field looks right over the mountain range and I cannot get enough of it.  Ocean sunsets are great, but mountain sunsets add a whole new level to everything.

three | workouts with the ladies
I love being able to get my workouts in early and these ladies have joined in on the fun with me! Taking everything I've learned from working out at home and bringing it here is so fun and I love that we have each other to push harder.

four | Lexington, VA

Last week, I had the opportunity to drive across the mountain and visit a colleague that works for the VMI Foundation.  I have learned a lot about the non profit world in the past two years, but seeing how VMI does things was a great eye opener into how much more there is to learn.

five | Snowflex

A few weeks ago some of the crew went to Snowflex - a year round ski, snowboard, and tubing park! I saw a few kids try and snowboard and I'm not quite sure I'd like to try that.  It looks a little painful if you fall.  We stuck to the tubing side of the mountain and even then, it was a little scary! The views were stunning though and we had a blast. 

Hope y'all have a great 4th of July weekend!