We are BACK!

Hello blog world!

After a 5 month hiatus from the blog, I am back!

I am writing this post from the comfy room of my new "home" for the next couple of weeks. We have moved to a place called Spring Training and it is time to get season 2012 on the road! I cannot express to you the gratefulness my heart is spewing with right now. I am literally full of joy and am so happy to be back in West Palm Beach, FL.

When I arrived (because I arrived before Jess did, due to having to fly on separate airlines) it felt so surreal. The last time we were here it was Spring Training 2009! Uhh yeah....3. WHOLE. YEARS. 3 whole, crazy, tragic, beautiful, terrible, shocking (the list could go on for days) years! I am happy to say it looks the same exact way it did when we left, except no construction on the highways :) Jess shares my enthusiasm of course, and couldn't be more happy to be back. He is in minor league camp which is a first for him but hey! you have to do everything once right?!? That's how I choose to look at it anyway. He, well....not so much, but in this sport situations like Jess' are all to normal. He will be back there one day, in the far away land of BIG LEAGUE camp that exists just on the other side of the building. He will, I, you, and everyone who knows Jess knows he will.

Changing gears a little, today was physicals day. This is where all pitchers and catchers get their physicals done, bullpens caught/thrown and a workout in. Kind of a routine type day that starts at around 6:30 and ends around 4. They have the guys come in groups so it's not just plain pandemonium with everyone coming in at once. Jess was in the 9am group but my husband was too excited to wait until 9 for his first day of work for the 2012 season. When 6am came around he was like a bull in a china cabinet ready to go! So he arrived a little early to his physical, better early than later right? Jess said he got in and got everything he needed to done. Later in the afternoon he said he threw a bullpen and he said he threw very well. Im so glad he did good since it was the first day!

There are a ton of young guys with a mix of who Jess came up with in the Cardinals organization in minor league camp. Jess said it makes him feel old but I tell him not to pay any attention to that. Easier said than done, Im sure! It is what it is though and I am just thankful that he is able to do what he loves to do for a job. It is hard and very trying on your mental and physical state, but in a blink of an eye careers are over. Ive spent the last 2 1/2 years wondering why Jess? Why did all this hardship have to happen to him? Im not doing that anymore, our lives are good, we are alive, healthy and have more than we could ever need. Its time to enjoy the ride and this is just the season to do it!

So here is to Season 2012, may you be the best, funnest, craziest, wildest ever!

Play Ball!

Love,
E

P.s.
Posts will be back to normal now that we are back in season!

It's OCTOBER!

It is OCTOBER! We are finally getting into the seasons I LOVE! Just a little over a month and I will be decorating for CHRISTMAS! Yay! My dad and I love this time of year, we have a "Griswold" gene that we inherited from my Grandma Emma.  We love everything about the Christmas season!

Anyways, I took this past weekend to get my Halloween stuff up. I still need to get some pumpkins and get my pumpkin that lights up out and my doormat. Here is what I have done so far.

I think Im going to put more candy corn in the hurricanes. They dont look full enough in my opinion.

For Tasty Tuesday last week Jess made dove wrapped in bacon and back strap on his new grill! It was so good!

This weekend I am going home to spend some time with my friends and family. I am super excited because my mom and I are going to pick up our Embroidery machine and I get to bring back to my house! I cant wait to start embroidering EVERYTHING!

Hopefully The Burlap Barn website will be up soon. We are almost done getting the merchandise ready. I hope yall are having a great week!
Love,
E

The Burlap Barn!

I would apologize for not posting in like 10 DAYS but Im sure yall could care less! Anywho, I have been so busy this week and I want to finally share with yall why!

My mom and I have been getting stuff together for a while now to start our own business. Fortunately for me my mother has a knack for interior decorating and antiques and I just love them as well. Most of my life I thought this was a curse because I always wanted to fix things up and decorate this or decorate that but we have turned this curse into a business and Im so excited! I really hope that it takes off! We will be selling antiques that we have re-done and different interior type things. I just love to this kind of stuff and really feel like it is something I was meant to do.

Thank goodness for my mom, I wouldnt be able to do this without her! I am scared but if it doesnt work out at least we gave it a try! Our business was originally going to be called Mellie Todd's Treasures, but we decided to go with something more catchy that people could remember. So.....we decided on The Burlap Barn. My mom, dad, Jess and myself went over it and that sounded the best to us! Hopefully customers gravitate to the name and we get some buyers! Once our website is up and at it I will let yall know!

Im going to go now, I have to get things ready for tomorrow! I hope yall had a great weekend!
Love,
E

What I've Done this week....

We have been home for exactly 10 days now. The first few days we were home consisted of un-packing and getting settled. Once all of our stuff was put away and felt fairly in order I had to hit the books. This semester is going to be a very busy one. 4 classes is a total beat down, let me tell you! If Im not working on one class or another I still have 2 others to be working on. Hopefully I can maintain organization and get a 4.0 this semester. I really really hope I can!

Our weekend was very low key, Friday night we ordered pizza and then Saturday night we watched football. Sunday I had my long run to get in and after that I worked on a paper all day. That evening Jess cooked steaks out on Tom and Kim's grill and they were so good! The weekend was just what we needed to recover from the season.

Monday Jess hit the trot line and got us some catfish! I baked some of them that night and served them cajun style with some boiled shrimp and red potatoes. Tuesday I hit the crock pot and made a roast. I found this new website that I love that is called "Skinny Crock Pot". It has all kinds of recipes that you make only in a crock pot and are completely healthy. The roast came out delicious and Ive decided to make one recipe a week off of that website. Dont worry though my number 1 go to is still The Pioneer Woman I just wanted to branch out a bit. Last night was our 22 month anniversary (which I know last month I said it was our 22 month anny but Jess and I miscalculated). We celebrated by eating one of our faves, Sushi! We had to go to Longview for it but it is completely worth the drive and the money! Its sooooo delicious!

Today we are spending the day getting ready for us both to head out tomorrow. Jess is heading out West and I am heading to Ennis. My cousin's little girl's 2nd Birthday party is on Sunday and I havent seen my family in a while so I will be spending the weekend with them.

I hope all of you have had a great week! Talk to you soon!
Love,
E

End of Season Wrap-Up!

And Im back! Sorry for the stint of absence but I just have been so busy wrapping the season up. School has started again for me and we have been on the road until this past week so I put the blogging on hold until I could truly give the time needed to post something worthy of your reading time.

Things that have happened during my absence are as follows: We were in Nashville for 5 days on the last road trip which was nice. I really like Nashville and it was nice to end the season of road trips there. I had to start training for my half marathon while we were there and it was perfect because they had a trail that you could run at right across from the hotel. I ended up injuring myself there and have gotten set back on my training schedule but hope to start back up tomorrow. My grandpa retired from his job in Dallas that he has had for well I dont know the exact years but its completely worth bragging about and Im proud of him and for him. I started school and have been swamped so Im already ready for December! Lol. Jess ended his regular season Monday and we drove home from Memphis that night. It was very nice to sleep in our own bed, something I miss but I wouldnt trade my life for a normal one under any condition.

As I sat at the game before the very last one of the season Nick Stavinoha hit a double to break a record league wise in the MiLB. As he stood on second and took his batting helmet off to wave to the crowd that was giving him a standing ovation the thought of his daughter came to my mind. I wondered if his daughter and future kids would ever know how great he was. The thought of my kids then came into my mind. I too wondered if my kids would ever know how great their daddy was at this game. My eyes filled with tears because the thought of my kids not knowing how great Jess is at this game broke my heart. The significance of him striking out A-Rod with the bases loaded in Progressive Field in July of 2010 meaning nothing to my kids left a pit feeling in my stomach. How could they possibly know if my friends and some family members dont even realize how great Jess is at this game. To most everyone, excluding our family baseball is just one of America's favorite past times. Its just something to watch on the tv for 8 months out of the year until football starts back up. What this game has given my husband and how it makes him feel noone will ever know. I probably dont even know how much this game has impacted him. This sport has impacted his life and our life together and that alone has baseball holding a special place in my heart forever.

As this season wrapped up I know my husband wasnt happy with the overall outcome. We moved 3 times in 1 month. He was on the roster of 3 different teams during that month. So lets just say that that month was long and HARD. When I look at him I cannot explain to you what it is that I see. Through my eyes I see a man who was broken down but built himself right back up. He is so strong and I respect him so much for how he never gave up when it was so easy to. I believe in him and will always stand behind him in the seasons to come. I know this is just the beginning of Jess' career. This season may not have been his favorite but I know there are many many many more to come and he will shine like he was meant to when its his time.

The work week is almost over! I hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day!
Love,
E

Happy Anniversary!

I just want to say Happy 22 month anniversary to my sweet husband! I love you so much!

Jess' team wore PINK jerseys at there game tonight. I found it fitting to wear pink and have our picture taken. Especially since I havent gotten a chance to get one of us in a Memphis uniform. Of course Jess loves taking pictures in front of his friends :)

Last week while Jess was on his 8 day road trip me and my family went to the Alabama Gulf Coast. It was absolutely amazing! We relaxed and had a wonderful time. My parents are workoholics so it was so nice for me to see them relax and get some sun. The beach we went to was called Orange Beach and I look forward to going back next year! I will post the family pictures we took later after I get them from my mom.

I have been completely wrapped up in reading The Help. It is such a great book I can hardly put it down! Since Jess has been back it has been so hard to read it but Im almost done! Only 8 chapters to go! Speaking of....Im going to read it right now!

I hope yall have a great week! We love and miss yall dearly!

Love, 

E

Sister, Sister!

This week has been a fun one so far! My sister returned from Round Rock with me and we have been having a great week! We still have so much fun stuff planned and I cant wait to do it! Jess was here for 4 days but left this morning at 4am to go out to the West Coast for 4 days then on to Colorado for another 4 days. My parents come into town late Thursday night and we will head to the Alabama Coast for a couple of days! Im so excited to get some beach time in!

I am excited to see my parents but part of me just wants to spend time with my sister. She is really growing up and it kind of breaks my heart a little bit. She is becoming more aware of things and turning into a young lady. I know that this is what happens but I cant help but to be sad about it. Growing up she has had so many struggles and I just want to protect her from all of the ones she is going to endure in the coming years of growing up and turning into a college student. Even though she is 5 years younger than me she has taught me and still teaching me so much about life. She has so much color and thrive for life, I admire her so much for that because the situations she has been thru are so trying and would get me down and out in a heart beat. I wish I could see life thru her eyes, she sees things so differently. There are so many things I want to tell her and wish she could know and I hope one day I can tell her. Until then I will say this....

Dear Em,
The past couple of days we have spent together have been great. You are fun, witty and totally underestimated. Those girls at your school have no idea what they are missing out on and if I were them I would be lining up to be your friend. You are so strong and even though I am older than you I admire you and wish I could be more like you. I know I have given you a hard time about things or been the "mean" big sister but if I could take it all back I would. You mean the world to me and the respect I have for you cannot be measured. I love you with all of my heart and know you are going to do great, huge, wonderful things in your life. You have already changed mine for the better and being able to watch you continue to grow up is going to be one of the greatest things in my life.
I love you,
Eri

I hope yall are having a great week so far! Only a couple more days until the weekend! We love and miss yall!
Love,
E