Beach Run

Yesterday I ran on the beach for the first time.  Why have I waited 23 years to do this?!  It was one of the most amazing experiences I've had.  I couldn't wipe the smile off my face for the first ten minutes.

Blue Skies.  Sunshine.  Cool Ocean Water.  Good Music.  Warm Breeze. 

I debated wearing sneakers or going barefoot, I chose the latter.   Good Choice.

I love my "running playlist" on my iPod. 

I  a l w a y s  start with Dave Matthews Band Old Dirt Hill.  The best.

Other songs on my playlist:

Pump It  Blackeyed Peas

Slow Wind (Remix)  R. Kelly

Billionaire  Travie McCoy

Make Her Say  Kid Cudi

Swing  Savage

Ants Marching  Dave Matthews Band

Bonnie & Clyde  JayZ/Beyonce

My friend Sara was once talking about how lucky she was to be able to run along the Erie Canal in Syracuse, and just last year she was in Japan (her husband played baseball there) running beside the Tokyo Bay.  And here I am, in Florida running in the Atlantic Ocean.

Yes, baseball throws you around a lot, but if you try to amplify the positives, it makes things a lot easier.  (Remember what I said about making Lemonade... :)

*Side Note: Beware, I will admit my toes are a little raw, and may be blistered.  Yet, still worth it!

Spring Training Round Two

Spring Training round two...

Waking up at 7:30 AM, Florida sunshine, group exercise classes, 85 degrees, afternoons + evenings free... You don't see me complaining!  Collin on the other hand is very antsy to get out of here.  I can't exactly relate to how he feels (why can't he just enjoy laying in the sun hours on end with a tropical smoothie and a Body + Soul magazine?) but he often says he feels like he is chomping at the bit trying to get out of here.  And he should be, it's the middle of the season right now and the last thing any player wants is to be back at the spring training facility, away from the team, away from games, away from the daily routine.

Today will be his 3rd time pitching in a game.  His first two outings were successful and he's really starting to like the idea of coming out of the bull pen.  He wishes the process could be expedited, but the reality is that it will be another week or so, so in the mean time, I'm going to take his lemons and make lots of lemonade :)

My parents, who live near Tampa, drove over last Thursday and spent the day with us at the beach.  As I was chatting with my mother about her recent find of La Blanca swimsuits on sale, I was interrupted by Collin asking me if he looked like an amputee.  Always a kid at heart.

  We went to dinner at Pizza Gallery (you can order a pizza that has a portobello mushroom for the 'crust'-yum), and had dessert at Melting Pot.  My parent's had never been to Melting Pot so it was a fun experience for them. Can you say sugar high? (Yes, my relationship with the gym here is growing deeper).

One difference from Spring Training, besides it being 20 degrees warmer and living in a hotel room, is the LOVE BUGS.  What on Earth?!  Growing up in Ohio, I don't ever remember experiencing this plague reminiscent of the flies in ancient Egypt.  Does this phenomenon only occur in Florida?  Whatever the explanation may be, it's SICK.  A car wash owner's dream.

Oh, for those of you concerned with the overgrowth of Collin's beard stunting the progress of his mustache, rest assured he has trimmed it up and is currently in search of a better mustache wax.  The kind we ordered before was white and left his mustache looking like it needed a good scrub with Selsen Blue.  Any suggestions and tips are welcome!

Oh Baseball, you never cease to amaze me!

A lot of strange things have been  happening over the last several days...

First

Let the records show that on May 9, 2010 (Mother's Day) I woke up at 8:09 AM to SNOW outside my bedroom window. Not just freezing rain, but actual snowflakes that accumulated in patches on the ground and left a thin blanket on our car.  The double-header even got canceled... (I'll take it!)  Maybe Mother Nature was a little peeved no one wished her a Happy Mother's Day.

Second

Several days ago Collin got called into the office to have a chat with the manager and pitching coach.  This is usually associated with either good or bad news, and when you haven't had great outings lately, you can only expect the latter.  However, the news he received was expected and almost relieving (pun intended).  They told Collin they think the best thing for him right now would be to pitch out of the bull pen (a relief pitcher).  Collin has been a starter his whole life so this "reassignment" will require an adjustment, physically and mentally.  We are both really excited for the opportunities this could bring to him, and Collin is anxious to try it out.

 [For those not familiar with baseball, a starter pitches every five days and usually throws approximately 5-7 innings per game.  A reliever never really knows for sure when he is going to pitch.  It's sometimes every 1-3 days and 1-2 innings per game.]  

To aid in the transition from a starter to a reliever, the team is sending us to the Spring Training facility in Viera, FL on Tuesday for about 12 days.  I'm glad that this is all happening relatively early in the season.  I'm also looking forward to warm weather and sunshine for a little bit, especially after the aforementioned snow episode!  The Nationals also give us a membership at the best gym on earth, I had a love affair with Health First Pro-Health during Spring Training, and I can't wait to go back and rekindle the flame...  And maybe get my thighs a little slimmer while I'm at it ;)

Third

The Syracuse field was sold out for Stephen Strasburg's first AAA start Friday.  

There were more people here than there were when Dave Matthews played at the field!

Other interesting news within the Nats realm:

• Congrats to the Chicos who went from AA Harrisburg, PA and made a spot start in DC Saturday.  Then got sent back to AA for one day and will join us here in AAA Syracuse today!  
• Looking forward to seeing the Maxwell's (and their new baby girl) who started the year in AAA, got called up to DC shortly after, and will be joining us again in Syracuse!
• Congrats to one of our roommates Doug Slaten who pitched impeccably in Syracuse, getting called up with a 0.00 ERA!

People are always coming and going... keeping us all on our toes!

Bon fête des mères!

Happy Mother's Day to my Beautiful Mother.

Becky Sterling

Cancer Survivor.

Multiple Sclerosis endurer.

Encouraging wife.

Sweet Sister to five.

Fun Aunt to 19.

Energetic Grandma to one.

Mother of three.

Best Friend to many... including ME:)

My mother was always known for dressing me in the most girly beautiful dresses from birth... to my wedding day.

She is always supportive of me through college, marriage and in baseball. I love teaching her about the rules of the game, she seems interested, but I really just think she's in it for the pizza and ice cream!

If anyone ever needs a pick-me-up they can always call my mom and she will have them laughing in no time! Conversing is a true talent of hers.

Betty Lou Vegh

Rebecca Lou Sterling

Ashley Rebecca Balester

I'm proud to share her name :)

Happy Mother's Day to my Mother-in-law,

Sally Balester.

Mother of 3.

Selfless and Loving <3

Grace Video for Mommy

I took this video in March when I went to Perrysburg for a weekend during Spring Training. Grace and I were taking videos on my iPhone for different people like Collin, Grandma Becky, Grandpa Gail, Uncle Stephen, me, and Mommy (Rachael). This video is "for Mommy" and every single time I watch it I can't hold back the laughter. She's such a sweet little munchkin! Oh, and don't mind the fact she's just lounging in her undies, she decided she didn't want to put back on her leggings after her potty break, and when Aunt Ashy's in town, what she says goes! ;) Enjoy!

 On a side note, today me and some of the other wives/girlfriends/fiancees did a fun little commercial for Time Warner Cable, promoting the Ladies of Summer fan club for the Chiefs. It was pretty fun! And we were also given cute pink Chiefs jerseys t0 keep! It's my first jersey from a team Collin has played for:) Well I'm off to the game... I'm kind of looking forward to seeing the field sold out since Stephen Strasburg is pitching tonight, I don't even think it was sold out on Opening Day!

Lunch Variety

I am sitting here eating my lunch while watching Planet Earth DVDs (cable still isn't hooked up)... I looked down at my spread and kind of chuckled to myself.  For those of you who know me, I don't eat the typical Ham and Cheese sandwich for lunch, no no that is quite too simple and monotonous for me.  This is what my spread consists of today:

About 2 oz salmon, a scoop of roasted cauliflower puree, a little sprinkle of quinoa, sauteed broccoli rabe, a dollop of whole grain mustard, a scoop of roasted red pepper hummus, 4 celery sticks, and a spinach/herb goat cheese/strawberry/almond salad dressed in apple cider vinegar.  (and I snuck a couple of bites of split pea soup from the fridge while searing up the salmon).  THIS is why I suffer mild anxiety when forced to choose just ONE entree from a restaurant menu.. "What? You mean I can't just have a scoop/slice/bite/dollop of everything on the menu!?".  It's not the quantity of food, it's just the variety that I love!

I will also try any new type of food, and chances are I will like it.  I can honestly say there is not one food/spice/herb that I do not like.  Although for the past year I have avoided red meat and pork, I still have respect for grass fed kobe beef, and other clean meat.  Why can't I be one of those people who hates chocolate?  or sweets?  or carbs in general :)

Off Day!

Since I have just started this blog, I have a million ideas running through my head about what I want to write about next, and when I think about each different topic, they are all intertwined and somehow relate back to: Baseball.  Road trips we take (because of baseball), restaurants I've visited in different cities (because of baseball), different friends I've met (through baseball), the trials and tribulations (via baseball)... the list goes on.  From someone on the outside of the 'baseball world' I may appear as an empty shell just following my husband around and surrendering to his schedule.  I am sensitive to the fact that I am a college graduate and do not have a full time job and that I cannot just simply "get a job" as easily as many have suggested I do.  Let me ask you this, would you hire someone with my conditions?:  Must have at least 1-2 weeks a month off to travel (the team is on the road approximately half the month), would prefer working the afternoons and no later than 7pm (with one car I often have to take him to the field at 1pm, and game time is 7), I can only work for 6 months at the absolute most (season ends in September), Oh and one more thing, at any given time I may have to quit, sometimes with less than a day's notice (incase he ever gets called up to the big leagues).  Yeah I wouldn't want to hire me either! ;)

I am defensive to those who judge wives/girlfriends/fiancées for not working, mostly because if I wasn't married to Collin, I would most definitely be searching out jobs all over the country and/or world, and I am a teeny bit jealous of those who have the freedom to do that!  Now, some may be saying, "well I know so-and-so who works and is married to a baseball player..."  and I think that is GREAT!  More power to them for being able to work full time at home.  For me however, I need to be able to see my husband more than one weekend a month (been there, done that), and I know he appreciates my support, company, and work that I put into living during the season.  For now, I sacrifice put my career on pause while I support him while he lives out his dream.  I do keep myself busy with different community events and signing up for various 5K runs.  One day when he retires from baseball I will have my time to pursue whatever it is that I want, until then, I have the blessed off-season (I plan to substitute teach-gotta put that B.A. to use right?!), and the sporadic OFF DAY!

Yay Off Days!  Yesterday was the second day off of work Collin has had since Spring Training started in February (not counting the days off we used to drive from Florida to NY).  So I was very anxious to plan something fun to do.  Collin, being the sweet guy he is, told me that off-days are for me and that I could plan whatever I wanted to do... so I made arrangements to go horseback riding!

We started the day with coffee and breakfast at home and made a quick trip to Yogen-Früz for some tart frozen yogurt before we headed out to the ranch.  (I have been DYING for some good frozen yogurt, we miss Yogurtland terribly and Yogen-Früz sufficed).  The ranch is on 300 acres of beautiful wooded hills and it's only a few minutes from our townhouse.  My horse's name was Legend, and Collin's was Hidalgo, they were both mares and very good horses.  The trail was an hour long and was a very relaxing and peaceful experience.

Since it was Cinco de Mayo we went to lunch at an amazing little mexican inspired restaurant called Alto-Cinco in Syracuse.  They have great vegan options and everything is made from fresh and local produce.  We met up with the some friends for dinner at Papa Gallo in Fayetteville for Mexican dinner (round two).  They had a skinny margarita made with agave nectar and fresh squeezed lime juice for 250 cals:)

Overall, it was a perfect off-day... only 20 more days til the next one! (not that I'm counting.....)

Road Trip... Home

Last week was one of the few weeks (if not the only week) I would pick being in the minor leagues over the big leagues.  Collin's team, the Syracuse Chiefs played the Toledo Mud Hens for four games and the Columbus Clippers for four games.  Having grown up in the suburbs of Toledo, and attending college at THE Ohio State University, this road trip didn't feel like a road trip at all, it felt like being home!  For starters, we were able to opt out of the hotel in Toledo and just stay with my brother and sister in law.

My three year old niece was able to stay home from pre-school a couple days and we had her all. to. our. selves.  She is growing up so fast and I could just sit there all day and listen to her talk.. she's SO funny!

Our time in Perrysburg went by fast, but I was equally, if not more, excited for Columbus.  Our Columbus stay was over the weekend which enabled A LOT of my friends to all meet up.  About 14 of my friends all went out to eat Saturday night at Typhoon (suggestion: Lychee Martini) and continued the night at Bar Louie.  Collin was pitching the next day so he just met up with us after the game was over for about a half hour before we called it a night.  I'm pretty sure the fellowship continued to the wee hours of the morning without us;)  It was so nice to be able to be back with all of my friends again!

Collin made his 5th start of the season Sunday in Columbus.  He has had a shaky April, but we know things will turn around.  I am just thankful he is healthy and feeling good.  All we can do is stay positive!

I just about completed my checklist on places I needed to get my fix of while in Ohio... the list included:

• Jeni's Ice Cream (Any and Every Flavor)
• Northstar Cafe (Black Bean & Beet Burger)
• Happy Greek (Spinach Feta Dip)
• Mr. Freeze (Wow Cow)
• Haiku (I guess I could substitute going to Typhoon for Haiku- both sushi!)

I did pretty decent... and I even added a new favorite to my list: NORTH MARKET.  Oh my if I could only live there- no, not live in Columbus.. in North Market.  I had the most delicious Indian and Mediterranean food.  And SAMPLES, oh my, samples.  For all who know me, I must try everything, and the North Market vendors set out samples of everything from fresh fruits smoothies, ice cream, fresh waffles, breadsticks, caramel corn, salsas, the list goes on... Like I said, I would honestly consider renting a space just to coexist with the products.

So the road trip was a good one!   Now we're back in Syracuse for about a week and a half, then off again!