Elise is a S-E-N-I-O-R?!?

Luckily for Chase and I, Elise rode back to Kinston with us after Niki and Chandler's wedding to spend the week. It's hard to believe that she is now a senior!  As a means of celebrating that accomplishment (and trying to keep from being bored) we had some fun around town taking some senior pictures. Elise is so special to me and I loved getting to spend time with her doing this. She is so sweet, generous, and absolutely BEAUTIFUL inside and out--the best little sister ever! I love you, Elise! 

Here is a preview of some of the pictures we took--enjoy!

 

Busy Bees

Well, it has been a busy couple weeks for us! Visitors, trip home, and Niki and Chandler's WEDDING!

In May, the Crafts stopped by to see us on their way to the Outer Banks. It was truly wonderful to see them! Holly came prepared with her cameras (Yes, camerasss) to take pictures-she is a wonderful photographer! We have missed them and all of our Chestnut Drive family so much! Thank you for coming to see us!

Also, Chase's grandparents came up for a spontaneous visit a couple weeks ago. We really loved getting to spend some time with them and enjoyed our talks! We are so glad you decided to come up!

I got to come home for a little over a week prior to Niki and Chandler's wedding. It worked out perfectly because Chase was going to be on a road trip for most of that time anyway. It was so nice to spend lots of time with my Quinn and Burnette families. I wish I had taken more pictures, but there's nothing I can do about it now... : ) One day while at home, we met my Mimi and Papa and cousins, Aaron and Austin, for a picnic lunch. Even though our original plans for a picnic by the pond were dashed by construction work, we still had fun.

Then, the highlight of the week at home was (of course) the wedding! It was absolutely beautiful and I am so honored that I got to be a part of it. Chase and I are just overflowing with happiness for Niki and Chandler. We love you! Again...wish I had taken some pictures....




You will just have to use your imagination when reading this post : )


And I wish I had gotten some pictures of Chase and I in our wedding attire...I believe that's the only time I've seen Chase in a tux (the men wore suits for our wedding)...not sure how long it will be until that happens again.



I know I have been bad about posting. I will try to be better, I promise!

Love to everyone,

Caitlin

The 'stache

 

Yes, we are in the middle of Mustache May.

Pretty? No.

Outdated? Yes. 

Necessary? Depends on who you ask.

Just another sacrifice that a baseball wife has to make--my preference and input concerning my husband's facial hair are surrendered 'for the cause.' Serious conversations are no longer possible (laughter is inevitable).

Let's all hope that Mustache May doesn't extend into 'Stache Season!

A Weimar-who??

My mom, dad, and Elise got to come up this past weekend to spend time with us. It was so nice to have them up here for Mother's Day, and it just so happened that there was a big BBQ festival in town, too. The only thing missing was Ian!

On Saturday, we went down to the festival by the river and got some good food. Molly got to come and she was a big hit! She has lots of admirers wherever she goes. Whenever we take her out like that, we have to be prepared to answer lots of questions. A typical conversation goes like this: 

What kind of a dog is that?

She's a Weimaraner. 

A what? 

A Weimaraner.

A Weimer-who? 

A Weim-a-ran-er. 

A Weim-a-ram-er? 

At this point, I usually say, "Yep!" Haha. They will normally follow that with saying how pretty she is, or inquire about her name or temperament. She is definitely a good conversation starter : )

Later that evening at the games, the team wore special jerseys to be auctioned off to the highest bidder to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer. In the first game of the double header, Chase hit is first home run as a Kinston Indian!

In front of the CSS Neuse at the BBQ Festival

Chowing down on some good North Carolina BBQ. Yum!

Molly trying to sneak some : ) She got plenty, don't worry.

Downtown Kinston

At 'Historic Grainger Stadium'

With Chase wearing his special jersey and after his first home run as an Indian!

Minus mom, plus me

Taking off their jerseys after the game to sign and give to the winners

And Dad won Chase's : )

We take Molly to the dog park almost every day. She has lots of energy that she needs to get out. Luckily for us, the park is pretty close to where we live. Molly loves to play ball. The only problem we have is trying to get her to drop it so we can throw it again! She can be quite stubborn (not unlike her daddy). Haha.

Rub my tummy!!!

Thanks for reading! Love,

Caitlin

The Beginning of the End

Friday night marked the beginning of the last season for the Indians in Kinston. There was a great crowd! And the opening game couldn't have been more exciting. The Indians won in the 10th inning on a walk-off hit by second baseman Ronald Rivas. Chase will wear number 12 this season. It looks like he will be splitting time between first base and dh . He has started 3 out of the 4 games at first and is batting in the four spot.

Chase and I are mostly settled into our two bedroom townhouse (with a washer and dryer!). We have more room than we really need, but it's nice for Molly. Thanks to the Burnettes, who came up to visit for opening weekend, we have furniture to put in it, too! Haha. They were so wonderful to bring us up lots of stuff and were a GREAT help in getting everything situated. THANK YOU!!! 

On Sunday, we went to the local church of Christ and they are so welcoming and friendly. Counting us, their attendance was 34 in the morning and around 12 that night. We were sorry to miss out on their afternoon potluck, but we had to change, take the dogs out (Addie's dog Spencer came to visit, too), and get to the field for the game. I'm sure it was delicious!

Here are some pictures from this past weekend:

Thanks for reading. Will update again soon!
 Love,

Caitlin

Drumroll, Please!

Well, it looks like we will be heading to (with 99.99% confidence)....

...play video for the full effect...

KINSTON, NORTH CAROLINA!!

God is SO good. Chase and I are absolutely thrilled. Not only is this much closer to home, this is the next step up from where he ended last season. This also means we will be expecting visits from everyone!

Kinston is about 7.5 hours from Atlanta. The Kinston Indians are a member of the Carolina League and are the High A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians (for those who aren't as savvy with the baseball terms, like me, the levels of the minor leagues go like this:
Rookie League
Short Season A-Chase started here last year
Low A-He got moved up to this level at the end of last season
High A-He is starting here this year
Double A
Triple A
BIG LEAGUES).
They will play teams in the Carolinas, Virginia, and even Maryland. This is actually the last year that the Indians will be playing in Kinston. Next year, they will move to Zebulon, NC.

Chase and the rest of the team will travel to Kinston on Sunday, April 3rd, from the Spring Training complex in Goodyear, AZ. I will be going up on Monday (YAY!!). Please keep us in your prayers as we look for a place to live and travel. We are so ready to be together again. I can't wait!

Here's some additional info for those who are curious:

City of Kinston website:

http://www.ci.kinston.nc.us/

Wikipedia's take on Kinston:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinston,_North_Carolina

The Tourist Guide (for when you come to visit):

http://www.visitkinston.com/

Link to the Kinston Indians website:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t485

Kinston Indians Schedule:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/schedule/index.jsp?sid=t485

Love to everyone! More updates will follow once we get situated.

Caitlin

The Class Clown

Well, it's official. Molly is the WORST student in her puppy class.

I never thought I would be embarrassed by my dog. Children, yes, absolutely. But, dog?  I guess it is good training for when we do venture into the world of parenthood.

There are three other puppies in her class. One, a 10 week old Black Lab, Riley, is already the "Teacher's Pet." He already knows how to sit and shake besides being ridiculously adorable. AND, he is already barking at the door to be let outside.

Meanwhile, Molly (now 4 months old) won't sit, is constantly barking, and is trying to play with the other dogs. The teacher classified Molly as a "jumper." In case you were wondering, that's not a good thing. She's so excited that she doesn't want to perform for the treat, she just wants to jump up and get it out of your hand. So....we have to stand on her leash so she can't jump. She does NOT like it. Needless to say, we have a longggg road ahead of us, but Molly is a very sweet dog and very smart. She caught onto "Sit" very quickly and we are working on the not jumping.

But isn't she cute?

On another note, my mom, Elise and I have been working on starting an online business to sell products that we have hand-made. We will be selling from a blog, as well as on Etsy. We are very excited about getting it up and running because it's something that we will all enjoy. We love being crafty and creative. Final tweaks are still being made on the blog, but look for the link on Facebook soon!

Thanks for reading and love to everyone,

Cait