UN-glamorous

Okay, okay...I'm not going to complain too much, but I do want to give you the other side of our baseball life. While Chase and I are having a blast and we know how much this opportunity is a blessing from God, it's not all fun and games. There is an 'unglamorous' side to being a professional baseball player...and his wife.

Last Friday, the 25th of June, Chase had an unbelievable game against the Batavia Muckdogs. He hit two home runs and we won big! After the game was over-around 10ish-the team took their showers, said their goodbyes, and loaded the bus for an overnight trip to Auburn, New York for their next series. The got in at about 4 the next morning and had a game that night. It is an exhausting schedule. There is no such thing as a 'travel day' in the minor leagues. They play a game, load the bus, and go to the next destination overnight. Chase gets 4 days off the whole time we are here. This picture was taken after his two- homer game-Jeanne, David, and I all went to give him a congratulatory send-off.

So...Chase is gone...again. Since we've been married, baseball has pretty much been in full swing. However, his college schedule wasn't nearly as demanding as this one is. He's here for a few days...he's gone for a few days. It's definitely less than ideal for newlyweds, or for anyone, I would imagine.

Jeanne and David are so sweet and try to think of things for us to do. On Saturday, Newton Falls had it's annual car show! I had never been to one before, so, of course, we went! The whole town shuts down for this event, and hundreds of old and new cars are lined up on main street, in the Arby's parking lot; anywhere they can find a spot. Even though I know absolutely
nothing about cars, I can still appreciate them for their beauty and the effort that someone has put into taking care of them. There were classy ones, crazy ones, and ones that I thought....'why in the world is that in here?' The picture to the left pretty much sums that up.We did stumble upon David's dream car...and it was purty :) It was a cobalt blue Mercury. I really wish Chase would have been home to go with us to that. I really think he would have enjoyed it.

Lucky for me, Britni was in Ohio visiting her grandparents this past week. So, on Sunday morning I drove to North Canton and went to church with her, her dad, brothers, and her Mimi and Papa. After church, we ate a nice lunch at Red Lobster and then went back to the house and rode bikes around their neighborhood. We felt like ten-year-olds. After we got tired, we came inside and her Mimi made us chocolate milkshakes and we fell asleep watching West Side Story. I left after a fellowship meal following church that night and was sad to go. It was the perfect summer day with a dear friend :) When I got back to Jeanne and David's house that night, they informed me that they were going to leave in the morning to go visit a friend in North Carolina. They recently found out that she has been diagnosed with Leukemia.

At this point, Chase's team had finished their series in Auburn and were heading down to Batavia, New York for their next series. We decided that I should meet him there and booked a hotel room in the same hotel the team was staying at. Talk about UNglamorous. Hands down the worst hotel I've ever stayed in. But it was worth it! Chase's coach was very understanding and allowed Chase to stay in the room with me...this is how that conversation went...

Chase: Coach, my wife has a room in this hotel and I was wondering if you had a policy as to whether or not I can stay in the room with her?

Coach: She's in THIS hotel? My wife came on this trip with me once and has never come again...sure, you're married. It's fine.

I was very grateful for that...it was nice not to have to sleep in a hotel room by myself.

So, I got to watch the series at Batavia. It was interesting to see what their field and stadium looks like compared to ours in Niles, Ohio. Our stadium is much bigger and we have a much bigger attendance than they did. And...it was cold!!! I spent the whole game Tuesday night shivering. It was in the fifties! In June! It's definitely a far cry from the 100s in Atlanta. I was smart enough to bring a light jacket, but I only had sandals. My toes were turning blue! It was a good trip, though, and I was so glad I got to go. I got back to Newton Falls at about 1 last night and Chase was an hour behind me. Today, the Scrappers kick off another home series...not sure who we're playing tonight. This series is a little different because there are some guys from the Indians organization that are here to help the players before the games. Chase said it's called a 'mini-camp'. I'm anxious to hear how that went today. I'm off to the game. Hope we win!



Lots of love,

Cait