Puppy Shoot

Hershey has found his love and I was there to capture the first sweet moments! Happy Sunday everyone!!

A Very Special Nephew

Happy Birthday to my very sweet and big - hearted nephew, Luke! (on the right). He has always been such a sweet boy to his brothers and sisters and a big help to his mama. He can bring a smile to any one's face with his bright expressions and the colorful stories he tells us. Luke,  you are growing up so fast! I wish we could live closer to see all of your new adventures. You are such a blessing to me and your family! I hope you grow up to accomplish all of your dreams; you are a very inspiring young man. I love you very much! Happy 8th Birthday!!

Aunt Jessie

Tough Times...

(James 1:2-4 ) Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.




After being on the DL (disabled list) most of last year, I was positive he couldn't get hurt again. But, sure enough my husband went from looking like this...

To this the night after a horrific collision in the outfield...

I moved to Memphis in April to be with my husband for this season. On the first road trip (6 games into the season), I was out with some of my friends for tacos and a movie when I got a phone call from one of the other wives. She was panicked! She said that Shane had been in an accident and was in bad condition, but didn't know anything else. The trainer had called her, but didn't give much information. He just said that Shane had run into another outfielder. I was actually super calm about it all at first. I figured he most likely had a concussion, but wouldn't believe it could be any worst. After talking to the trainer myself, I found it was much much worse than what I thought...

Shane was admitted to the ICU w several facial fractures, a broken hand, and unstable heart rate. I was able to talk to the trauma doctor at about midnight (4-5 hours after the accident). She told me he was being kept in the ICU because his heart rate was falling really low (20 beats per minute at one point). She said she would call me if anything came up. They put him on a morphine drip to control the pain. 

One of his teammates came to the hospital to check on him and was able to describe to me the injuries. He said that Shane's face looked like it was dented in and that he had been bleeding near his his eye. He tried to put the phone up to Shane so I could at least hear his voice, but Shane was unable to talk.

I flew to Des Moines the next day to be by his side. He ended up braking the zygomatic bone in his face which at the time meant it was sitting on his mandible. He wasn't able to open his mouth hardly at all. His hand was also throbbing and was later we were extremely disappointed to find out that his broken hand would keep him out of baseball for the next 2+ months. The knuckle was broken the same way a ping pong ball looks when it's dented.

We spent the next day and a half in the hospital waiting for him to be stable enough to leave ICU and later be discharged to fly back to Memphis.

This is video of the crash...  CLICK HERE

We flew back to Memphis and met with two specialist to schedule surgeries that would stabilize his hand and pull the depressed bones in his face up. These surgeons do not work together so the surgeries ended up being two days in a row. Each surgery required an awake intubation (so they could get the tubes down his throat). Two plates in his face, and three pin screws in his hand later and he was on the road for a long recovery...

A rare smile before the first surgery.

The surgeon used the incision to the left to pull the bone in his face back up and right below his eye to put a plate above his eyebrow.

He wore this club cast after surgery for the first two weeks.

After two weeks he was switched to a splint. This is the scar.

Luckily, I can now say that he is doing much better! He has just a couple more weeks of rehab before he can return to swinging a bat. We are so thankful it wasn't another season- ending injury. God works in very mysterious way. I truly believe that! Along this road we have learned a lot about patience, being content, and looking to Him to show what to do next. We are so thankful for the friends and family and for all of the prayers that helped us through this difficult time!

Birthday Wishes

My birthday is coming up in over a month and since my husband got me a new computer for my birthday which I am SO thankful for, I feel like I have nothing to look forward to (I realize how bratty that sounds - I don't actually feel like I deserve anything else trust me!) especially since I won't even see him on my birthday - which brings up an interesting fact. I have NEVER seen him on my birthday - since the beginning ya'll!

Anyways - we are in "savings mode" this year as we try to get ready to buy our first home after the season, so I am really trying to hard to convince him that I really really need these:

Hudson - Straight Leg

To replace the pair that I wore out. I have 2 big holes in areas that prohibit me from wearing them out of the house, but I could sleep in those jeans I love them so much!

And also (in case your listening hubby) I wouldn't mind these items....

Tory Burch!!

Louis Hill

Salvatore Ferragamo

P.S. Don't judge me on that last pick - a girl can dream right? That purse was made for me - seriously.

A choking dog & a trip to the vet..

Today was an adventure.... This little guy (see below) was licking his chops LOUDLY all night last night. I couldn't figure out WHAT his problem was. This morning when then the swallowing and licking persisted I took him to the vet to see what the problem was.... 300 dollars later we find out he was choking on something he had tried to swallow, but since little dogs have "frequent" collapsing trachea's he couldn't push it out of his esophagus... does that sound right? Anyways we also learned that he has a microchip! And ... the dog we all thought was 6 years old turns out only to be 3. Happy 3rd Birthday Hershey - sorry we skipped 3 years. Also, you will be learning new tricks, because you are not too old my friend!

The dress, the shoes, and the accessories..

I haven't really posted much on the details of our wedding so rather than putting it all in one post I figure I could TRY and do a little bit each Monday.  Sorry to my FB friends who have already seen all these - just skip me on Monday. :-)

This Whirlwind Called My Life...

So sorry I have been so absent lately! With the loss of Betsy - my old laptop, the husband coming and going, and the big transition from businesswoman to workless wife - I haven't had much time to blog.

I realize this post brings bigs news! I am currently finishing the last month at my job and going on the road with my husband this year. We are moving out of our Atlanta apartment and putting all of our stuff in storage for the season. Can you imagine life without ALL of your clothes/shoes/candles...ya know that stuff that you just need in your life on a day to day basis.

I asked my husband what can I bring this year...he answered, " As little as possible...." So here is what I am bringing for nearly 7 months on the road...

A few old kitchen items we don't mind leaving behind if we have to and a small bin of linens and towels...

A box of books...bc I'm still trying to read 30 of them this year...3 down 27 to go ;-)

1 box of "office supplies and 1 for our files...

My new computer

and, of course, the things I haven't packed yet - 1 large suitcase for clothes and 1 suitcase for toiletries.

I'm not so sure how I am going to do with this HUGE transition in my life. I mean it's hard enough to become a professional stay at home wife, but not having all my things seems a little crazy.

Fortunately, I have a lot of great friends who have done the same thing and they all say that I will get used to it and find my way. I am looking forward to the time off don't get me wrong, but I'm not a person who can just sit at home all day everyday. That's another story...

The reason we can only bring minimal stuff? Because in the "baseball world" you aren't necessarily guaranteed the luxury of staying in one city for the whole season. At any moment we could be moving and/or moving back so you have to be prepared to get up and go in a couple hours notice. I don't have to get up and go with him, but I also don't want to be stuck moving an apartment full of stuff by myself. It's not the glamorous life you'd think it would be, but it's our life. (Kate Gosselin anyone?) What would you bring for 7 months on the road?