April Showers bring new blog layouts!

Happy Thursday Y'all! 

Today is the day I have been waiting for.  I officially have worked with a blog designer to get the look I have always been dreaming of for Blog with the Browns.  If you have been following along for the past few months, you may have seen that I bought and installed my own blog template that was pre-made and seen on other peoples blogs.  I loved that I could teach myself how to install it and loved the crispness of that design.  I am so happy to have worked with Erin from Love, Fun and Football on the new, improved, and SO ME blog design.  Erin and I went back and forth on a few things and after I was finally able to verbalize what I had in my head, I think it turned out exactly what I wanted.  I was afraid of it being "too colorful" compared to what has been on my blog, but I think that this is the perfect time for a bright and fun blog design.  Spring and summer call for more exciting times for Blog with the Browns!

I am so excited to see this design up and active.  It obviously looks different when it's not actually on the blog.  I am thrilled to say that I am obsessed with the new look and I hope you all are too! 

Anyways, today at work was a big day! After I started to blog about what happened, I realized that I have not ever really blogged about what I do and how I got into this job.  So be on the lookout for that post to come soon! Briefly though, I planned our annual Alumni Awards Breakfast and it was a huge success.  We gave out awards to very successful alumni, heard a keynote speech from Barron Segar, VP of Development for the U.S. Fund at UNICEF who also happens to be an alumni of our school! He has truly made an impact in this world and being able to hear his story was inspiring and very impacting.  More on that on another post!

And to make today even better, it's my Friday! I am getting ready to head down to MiLB Opening Day with the Carolina Mudcats to see my man and my in-laws! I cannot wait to spend the long weekend with them and take in some nice weather and great baseball! 

Thank you all for being loyal readers and I cannot wait to continue to see this blog grow!

What is a Mudcat?!

Here we come Zebulon, NC!

Well really, here comes D.J! But seeing how from my door to Five County Stadium its about 171 miles (to be exact) and about 3 hours, I will be making my fair share of trips to North Carolina! 

I am so proud of D.J. for making the jump from Low-A to High-A ball and I know he is so happy to be in a league that is close to family and friends!  If I am not able to travel with D.J. this season, the best possible situation for us was to have him in Carolina.  All the other affiliated teams with the Indians are in Ohio, so this is nice! Playing from locations like Myrtle Beach and Wilmington, Deleware, we are going to have so much fun making memories in new places as well as getting better at baseball! There is a pretty cool map that shows where all the teams in the Carolina League are located here.

I did a little prep work in case he would be in Carolina, and thank goodness I did! The apartment is all set and we have a plan to get his car down there next weekend! I am so excited to be able to make the trip down Thursday after work to see the opening game.  Being so close is going to be great! Although we are thrilled, I am a little sad to know that some of my girlfriends won't be in the same place as us.  I am just so thankful that all of D.J.'s friends are still able to chase their dream playing baseball no matter what level they are at. 

 

I cannot wait to see my man in #26 with the Carolina Mudcats! I am so proud and honored to be the woman standing by his side and traveling this crazy #baseballwifelife together. No matter what, we are so thankful for what baseball brings to our lives and the opportunity to make dreams come true is priceless. 

 For all my baseball ladies out there, the months ahead are sure to bring some ups and downs, but stay positive and have fun!  If any of you are in the Carolina League, please message me, I would love to meet up whenever I am in your team's stadium!

Happy End of Spring Training and Opening Day!

s.i.x. m.o.n.t.h.s.

Today is our six month anniversary.  I figure that if parents are allowed to track their kids by months, then I am allowed to track my marriage by months... at least till we hit the twelve month mark!

Since we partied the night away on September 28, 2013, D.J. and I have been busy with life, baseball, and everything in between.  We have bought a house, traveled to St. Lucia, visited friends and family, celebrated marriages, and spoiled Stryker rotten. The past six months have flown by but at the same time seem like we have done so many exciting things. Deciding to commit myself to D.J. for the rest of our lives has been the biggest decision of my life, but the easiest of all.  I had nerves about certain things, but I was the bride that was saying "LETS GO!" when I was about to walk down the aisle.  Just ask the groomsmen that were waiting in the back with me! We were pumped! Over the last six months, I know that we both have learned about about each other and our marriage as well as ourselves. So today's 5 on Friday goes out to my loving husband of six whole months! :) 

one. keep it funny. 

We both love to have fun and make each other laugh.  I feel like the key to a happy marriage is to at least make the other laugh once a day. 

two. be spontaneous

Everything is better when you don't plan things. Date nights, trips, or even something as simple as dinner.  We have found that just being together really makes things more special. This also rings true for our baseball life as well.  Even though I am a planner, it proves to be true that whenever we plan something, another thing happens. This upcoming baseball season (which I will have news about on Monday!!!) is going to be very spontaneous for me!

three. remember to make "us" time

Often we found ourselves having every weekend planned and no free time to just do whatever we wanted.  In the next few months, I plan to enjoy the time we have together and relax.  Even though it will be filled with trips and baseball, we are excited to spend us much quality time as husband and wife!

four. make memories

One day you will look back at the first six months of your marriage and think, "wow, that was so long ago!" Spend time now making memories that will last forever. 

five. spend time with family and friends

Since baseball seems to be married to my husband for half of the year, I am so thankful that we have such great friends and family.  So to everyone in the picture below, thank you for helping us make lots of memories, take lots of trips, and spend quality time with each and every one of you! We cannot wait to continue our friendship with you all and thank you again for standing by our sides while we made the best decision of our life!

Cheers to six. And many more fabulous months, year, and decades to come!

Happy Friday Y'all!

Week 7: Baseball Vases + a few

Not too much has been going on in the Home Improvement section right now, but I did get a few things to spruce up the living room that I have been wanting to get for a while now.  I finally purchased two lamps for the side tables from TJ Maxx.  They worked perfect with the stand up lamp we have on the other side of the room.  

I also added a few touches to the mantel in honor of baseball season starting in 8 days!! I haven't decided what I am going to put in the smaller hurricane vase, but something will be coming soon!

And who doesn't love tulips! When I bought these, the weather was spring.  Tonight we are expecting snow.  Get it together mother nature!! I love that I was able to use these mason jars as vases! They were the perfect size for a single tulip and cannot wait to test out my flower skills and make some arrangements in them!

Happy Hump Day everyone!

 

#baseballwifelife: "that" time of the month

With the month winding down, tons of baseball ladies are saying to each other it’s that "time of the month".  Yes we are moody and we get headaches and although we are happy to see it come, we never look forward to it.  Most women (and even men) would assume that I am referring to starting my period.  Nope, not that time of the month- spring training camp is getting ready to end!  Talking to lots of other baseball wives, I can speak for all of us that we are excited the time is here, but it brings out so much anxiety and lots of not knowing in the next few days.  We knew coming into it that only God knows where the next move is going to be, so we try to be calm and let whatever comes our way hit us so we can take our base.

I am in this Facebook group titled "MiLB Wives and Girlfriends", and over the past few days there have been countless posts about living suggestions all across the country.  Even though I am not traveling with D.J. this season, whatever team he makes when ST breaks will make a big impact on our lives.  A 2.5 hour drive to North Carolina is a helluva (go UVA!) lot closer than driving up north to Ohio. 

We have all come to a time in our life when everyone

asks us "that" question.  When you are a senior in high school the question is "have you decided where you are going to college?" In college it turns to "have you chose a major yet?" Come senior year, it's "do you have a job lined up after graduation?" For baseball ladies the question throughout March is always "does he know where he is going to be playing this season?" We have a lot of those questions.  But to make the answer short, NO, we are not 100% sure where he will be. We have ideas and hopes of where, but that's the beauty of it all.  Fellow blogger and baseball wife Chelsea posted something that struck a chord with me a few days ago. Be joyful.  There are plenty of things in this situation that can bring us down.  Bad outings, the unknown, releases...lots of things can impact how the next 6 months pan out.  If you look too much into those things, you will lose precious moments that you will never get back.  As a wife that does not travel with my husband, I am going to focus this season on really being thankful for the opportunity and being joyful of what baseball has brought to our lives. 

Sending all my positive thoughts and prayers from Virginia to all the players and their families that are getting ready to break from Arizona and Florida this weekend.  In a few days we will all be able to answer that question and the month of March will officially be over. 

This weekend I....

.....gave all three dogs a bath (because they were bad and got on top of the pool cover!!!)

.....went to TJMAXX and did some retail therapy because the dogs pissed me off.  We got some of our tax money back so I figure I might as well get a few things that have been on the list for a while now. I got two lamps for the living room, a few dresses, a mirror for the wall in the living room, and a pretty vase that was on sale for the bedroom!

.....played with Liam, Caroline, and Ameila

.....watched Liam's soccer game.  Little kids running around attempting to play soccer is by far the cutest thing ever.

.....met up with some new friends that I met on the plane to Arizona and took our dogs to the beach.  Stryker was pretty good but was a little too frisky with her dog, Madden.  He loved getting in the water and chasing the ball.  There were tons of dogs out since it was so nice on Saturday. 

.....gave Stryker another bath

.....attempted to do some yard work.  Needless to say that was a huge fail.  I quit.  I need some guidance!!

.....mopped the kitchen.  Paw prints are going to be the death of me. 

..... went to dinner with Carolyn, Clare, Katie, and their friend.  They treated me to Catch 31 and it was delicious! We got The Atlantic, which was plenty of food for all 5 of us.  The wine was delicious.  I did feel a little guilty since I am in the middle of the Advocare 24 Day Challenge.  I went off track a little Saturday night, but got back on it Sunday morning!

.....worked out hard on Sunday

.....drove to Costco to get gas and dog food.  The 50 pound bag was $10 off so it was so worth it!

.....went to the mall to look for a new pair of tennis shoe, but no such luck.  I took my ring to Helzberg to be sent off and get re-dipped.  My finger feels so empty!

.....ordered a new vaccumm from Target.  Great way to spend money.  Not. I went with what I know works and got the Hoover Anniversary WindTunnel. 

.....purchased my first bath bomb from Lush! I was looking for something to relax my muscles after hard workouts and the lady suggested "Big Blue".  I cannot wait to test this baby out in the next few days.  If you haven't heard of Lush, I would check it out if I was you! Lots of cool bath and shower things!

.....watched basketball (of course, its March Madness)

.....ended the weekend by sitting on the couch reading the new Nicholas Sparks book, The Longest Yard.  The sooner I finish this, the sooner I can start Divergent!

Here's to the single digit countdown till I get to see D.J!

5 on Friday!

Excited to link up with the ladies this Friday! This weekend my family is heading up to Blacksburg to watch UGA LAX take on Pitt and Virginia Tech.  Since I already have committed to something on Sunday, I decided to stay home and take care of the dogs and I am so excited I did because the weather is going to be great! 

If you missed my post on the Top 10 Things to do in Hampton Roads, take a few minutes to check it out! Lots of great things to do if you are coming to the area soon!

/////

one. essie "DJ play that song"

Something about this color really brings out the spring in me! I typically am an OPI lover, but some of the essie colors I just can't say no to. Especially if the title is DJ play that song!

two. taxes

HALLELUJAH! Our taxes are done! If it wasn't for my awesome co-worker Jon, D.J. and I would be screwed! Trying to file taxes in Arizona, Ohio, and Virginia with the purchase of a house and a new last name thrown into the mix got super tricky.  I am so thankful they are done and Jon was able to help us!  Thanks to his expertise, we will be getting a nice refund this year! Looks like I will be doing lots of babysitting for him!

three. catch 31 and new friends

When I was on the plane to AZ, the lady that was next to me asked where I was from because I said the word "y'all".  Long story short, her daughter who is 24 is moving to Virginia Beach this weekend! We have been and touch and they were so sweet to invite me to dinner at Catch 31 on Saturday! I am SO EXCITED to meet a new friend my age and introduce them to the area! 

source

four. march maddness
In case you care, here is my bracket! I have always loved college basketball and making a bracket is always a must! So far I am 13/16!

five. t-shirt quilt
My very talented Nana has put so many hours of love into this t-shirt quilt that she made me. I am so excited to have something that she hand made for me with so many great memories in every single t-shirt. She made sure to make the quilt long enough for D.J! How sweet! I will be doing a post next week on special shirts that are in the quilt!

Happy Friday everyone! Update- 13 days till MiLB Opening Day!!