Spring Flowers : Volume I

There is something special about spring time and seeing new growth all around you.  Even though the allergies kill me every year, it's worth it to see the beautiful flowers, trees, and fresh grass to mow! Last year was our first spring in the house and it was so exciting to see what was popping up under all those weeds I needed to pull.  I blogged about it here and here  and this year I have decided to do a few different posts on all the different flowers and plants I have growing.  I would say my thumb is getting greener and greener each year :) 

I have three different azalea bushes in the front year and I totally swoon over these pretties every year.  I have two deep pink ones and one bright pink tree that are the main eye catcher in the front yard. 

We have this awesome tree that looks pretty bare during the winter months, but in the spring it blossoms into one of the pretties trees on the block.  These dainty flowers are starting to bloom all over the tree, but I especially love how this single flower is holding its own closer to the bottom of the tree. 

And my absolute favorite are all the lilies that surprised me last year with their arrival! I had no idea what they would be, but this pretty green plant is going to turn into one of the most beautiful flowers I have. Stay tuned.

We did plant a few things last year that are starting to come back, like this pretty knockout rose bush.  This lone pink rose is the only one that has decided to bloom so far, but I know the others aren't far behind.

Carleigh's Bridal Shower

This past weekend between baseball games, I spent some time showering the bride-to-be, Carleigh, at her shower! With the help of her little, Jilly, we were able to pull together a pretty amazing shower with some of Carleigh's closest friends! 

We did bagels, fruit, cinnamon rolls, and these cute donuts for food.

 We used lots of pinks and pastels in the decorations and Jilly's house was the perfect setting for the shower.  So open and airy - I loved it!

 The mimosa bar was to die for.  I got some blueberry pomegranate and I was impressed with how delicious it was. OJ was the most popular, but everyone seemed to love the mimosa bar!

Carleigh got lots of special presents, but my personal favorite was the selfie stick for her to use when they go on their honeymoon in Hawaii! 

Then we played some pretty funny games - Carleigh had to answer questions that we asked Conner and if she got them wrong, she had to stuff her face with a marshmallow! We ended up tearing them in half because she was missing too many questions! 

 I had such a great time meeting all of the girls and cannot wait to celebrate again in May at the bachelorette party! Carleigh, D.J. and I are both so lucky to have you and Conner in our lives.  I cannot wait to take Disney vacations with y'all, plan our babies together, and of course celebrate your love at your wedding in June! LOVE YOU!

#baseballwifelife 2015 is underway!

What an amazing weekend for the Brown's! Now that the first four games of the 2015 season are complete, I can officially say the baseball itch is gone! I took Friday off of work so I could fully enjoy the long weekend in Woodbridge, VA with friends and family watching D.J. play baseball. 

Thursday after work I got on the road around 4:30 and it took me about three and a half hours to get there.  Luckily I wasn't missing much (besides our friend Dylan pitch) because the weather was GROSS! Misty, cold and windy the whole night.  Good thing I brought my blanket and warm shoes. I didn't snap any photos that night simply because my fingers were numb. 

Friday we met up with D.J.'s sisters at IKEA and spent the day pretending we were remodeling our homes and wishing for everything in the store.  We grabbed lunch at Potomac Mills and walked through the mall.    

Jayden had a blast playing in the play area and it worked out well because we all got back to the hotel room and crashed until around 5:30 p.m.  D.J. had to leave for the field around 3:30 p.m. and we all got up and started getting ready to go....then D.J. called and said the game was cancelled because the lights at the stadium wouldn't turn on??

#typical #milbproblems

So we ended up having an unexpected date night with the in-laws and our bestie, Dylan Baker. 

Saturday morning I hit the gym while D.J. got his beauty sleep because the coaches called when we were at dinner Friday and informed him that he would be starting the second game of the double header on Saturday.  

It was a big day because Jayson Werth, outfielder for the Washington Nationals, was rehabbing with the P-Nats, which means D.J. would be pitching against him!!!! I am normally a very calm fan - I cheer and do the occasional "here we go Hillcats!" but this was a different situation. I was SO nervous for him and wanted nothing more than for D to strike him out. 

AND HE DID! This was probably the biggest day in D's career so far.  I know it may seem small to some players who have seen big league players in games before, but this was his first time playing against someone like this, so it was a big moment! 

On a side note - it has taken some getting used to seeing the guys in green and gold compared to the Mudcats black and red.  We were a hodge podge of Mudcats/Indians/JMU gear this weekend, but the one thing we all had in common was 22.  So glad to see that number come back to D.J. 

We had to do whatever it took to keep the littles occupied during the games! Thank goodness for toys and bottles!

Attempt #1 at taking a cute photo...

 #2 is much better!

 

So glad Kendall and Brad were able to drive down and grab dinner with us after the games on Saturday.  Going to miss them when they move to NY in May!

My attempt at making D.J. closer to my height.  It's a lost cause y'all.  I'm short - he's tall. I gotta embrace it!

We had lots of friends visit for the game on Saturday, including this little boy, Cameron, whose parents are friends with my brother and sister in law! I'm obsessed with this picture!

My love. 

Isn't he going to make the best dad one day?

Sweet Myla.

What a great weekend with friends and family! It was so good to see D.J. do what we loves for a living.  I love being able to stand by his side and we are so fortunate to have him so close.  I cannot wait till June when I can be a full time employed wife by day and full time baseball wife by night! 

Lynchburg, Here We Come!

It's official - D.J and I will be living in the same state this season! 

That's right - D.J. will be starting the season with the Lynchburg Hillcats! Even though we are in the same state, this team is actually an hour further than the Carolina Mudcats, but it will do! This is one of the four stadiums in the Carolina league that I didn't make it to last year so I am excited to check this off the box.

In the off season, the Indians switched Advanced A affiliates from the Mudcats to the Hillcats, so D.J. is starting at the same level that he ended at last season.  We couldn't be more excited to have him close again this season so we can all see as much of him as possible! So just a reminder, for all you non-baseball addicts like myself -

Short Season A - Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Low A - Lake County Captains
High A - Lynchburg Hillcats
AA - Akron RubberDucks
AAA - Columbus Clippers
Majors - Cleveland Indians

It's not just a walk in the park people.  Baseball is hard work.  It takes time.  It takes determination.  So this is our story and I hope you stick around to follow how this season will play out!

Easter 2015

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weekend filled with love and happiness!
Having Friday off was AH-MAZING! I got my workout in early, mowed the neighbors and our yard and then drove out to the beach to go on a bike ride with Ryan.  We grabbed lunch at Taste Unlimited and then did some sight seeing on the way home.  The beach has some amazing houses down there.  I ended up babysitting Friday night.

Saturday morning, my uncle and I got up early and drove D.J.'s car to Richmond for his parents to pick up later that day so he will have his car this week.  More on where he will be for the season tomorrow :) We got back home around 10:30 and I treated myself to a mani and pedi! It was so relaxing and I loved it.
We celebrated Easter on Saturday night because my cousin Heather was getting confirmed into the Catholic church.  It was a different experience (that lasted 3 hours), but it was very cool to see her and all the others get introduced into the church.  The kids both fell asleep and thank goodness the littlest stayed at home with their grandma.
Bobby and Julie stayed in Georgia for Easter this year, so it was just me and the parents, so we snapped these pictures before church!

 Could they be any cuter?! This is "their" picture pose that they always do and sometimes it's hilarious, but this time it turned out precious!

 She wanted to do whatever he was doing even though I insisted it was guy thing! Too cute!

Sunday morning I slept in till around 9:30 and had some pancakes at my parents house before heading to my aunts for our annual Easter Egg Coloring Contest! Each year we decorate eggs and have the neighbors come judge them based on categories that we make up and some home seem to add more categories each year! Everyone gets into and it's such a great tradition that makes our family who we are!

I decided to do a variety of eggs this year.  The M&M's are for the judge - all growing up she would give me m&m's whenever I would come over to their house, so this was specifically for the judge! The bee was something I saw on Pinterest that I knew I could easily put together.  I colored the black with a sharpie and dyed the egg in yellow and then used glue in one of the color boxes to glue the cotton ball wings on! The purple glitter was a last minute egg to add a little bright color.  And of course, the baseball team logo that D.J. will be with this year, if you were following on Insta, you know where!! Tune in tomorrow for more deets.

Little Liam wanted to take a selfie and this is what I got!

Around about 4pm, the kids were worn out and it was time for everyone to head home! But before we did, the judges announced the winners and I took home Most Creative for my bumble bee.

It was such a great weekend and I cannot wait till next year when the kids double and we have the other Wilson clan back in town. Now if only Bobby, Julie, and the hubs could be here too...

Happy Monday!!

25 during 25: March Update

Here's this months 25 during 25 update! Slowly but surely coming along on this list! Can't wait to check more off this month!

1. Run a 10k - DONE! So proud of myself for knocking this one off the list! 
2. Do a blog give-a-way
3. Write a guest post
4. Shoot a gun
5. Go on a spontaneous trip
6. See sunsets in 10 different cities
7. Do a girls weekend trip
8. Have a house party
9. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity
10. Buy a camera and learn how to use it
11. Go to a new state
12. Host a shower for someone - So excited to throw my sweet friend Carleigh her bridal shower in just a few short weeks!
13. Run a 5k in every month of the year, at least 5 of them being a race - runs- Jan & Feb races - March.
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 
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 - $80 saved so far in my coin jar I'm planning on cashing in on Jan 14, 2016!

#Baseball Lifestlye - The Tomato Stake

My typical morning routine begins with a workout, followed by a shower, and then I sit down to eat breakfast.  Either oatmeal or a smoothie.  When I'm sitting there, I go through my emails and delete all the junk and read my dailies - The Skimm and Women's Daily Baseball Devotionals.  If you haven't heard of the Skimm, you are missing out big time.  They take the news and put it into terms that non-political people can understand! 

The Women's Daily Baseball Devotionals are passages written by baseball players and coaches wives and family members.  I found out about this through Betsy, the chapel leader we had last year at the Mudcats.  I get an email in my inbox every morning and sometimes I read them and sometimes they are simply too long and I just skip that days.  

Last week, I opened the email based simply on the subject of the email.  

How Important is a Stake. 

A stake in a company? A stake in the ground? I didn't know, but I wanted to find out.  The first part of the email is always a passage from the bible.  This particular email started with a passage that I have heard many times. 

The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’ Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man   Genesis 2:18/22 

The woman writing the article goes on to say how she always thought of herself as her husband's shadow.  She was always holding his gear while fans asked for pictures and autographs while she thought to herself "He is the star, I am just here to hold his drink he brought out from the clubhouse." But when in reality, she was his rock.  He treated her like his rock, but she had thoughts creep into her mind that told her otherwise.  It wasn't until she met with someone that explained this image to her that she realized she wasn't in the shadow - she was the stake.

She goes on to write, "Jeanie, the word used to describe Eve is similar to the idea behind the word ‘stake’.  The stake we put by a tomato plant is used as support.  That tomato plant grows straight up and blooms and bears fruit.  At the same time it leans on the stake to keep growing as God intended it to.  In the same way, you are a ‘stake’ in your marriage.  You support your husband so he can stay focused on his career and be successful, and you are there when he needs to lean on you for encouragement, failures, joys and sorrows.  Therefore, you do not stand in front of him or behind him but always by this side - because a tomato plant without a stake will fall to the ground and die."

She is his stake.  He is the tomato. And the tomato plant needs the stake.  Just like a husband needs a wife.  Especially in this baseball lifestyle.  Having someone to talk to after a bad outing or cheer you on during the game is something that these guys are so thankful for. 

Thank you Jeanie Velarde for this sweet, touching, inspiring daily devotional from last week!