One Whole Year

This past year has absolutely flown by! While in Jamaica, Eric and I were able to celebrate our first anniversary. As we sat on the beach reflecting about our first year of marriage, we were overwhelmed with gratitude for all of the amazing experiences we were able to have. Eric has worked so hard to get where he is today, and I couldn't be more proud. I love being able to spend so much time with him, and to share this journey together. We are SO thankful for all of our friends and family who continually support us in this crazy, fun baseball life that we live. Here's just a portion of what we did...

 {GOT MARRIED! Much thanks to Colleen Kerns for our beautiful photos}

 {Had an amazing honeymoon in Antigua}

             

 {Got scuba certified}

 {Played baseball with freakin' Manny Ramirez}

{Went to Tokyo, Japan}

 {Went to the circus for the first time}

 {Enjoyed the amazing Monterey Bay Aquarium}

{Helped throw two baby showers}

{Shot four weddings}

{Went to playoffs!}

 {Swam with dolphins-and scuba dived with them too}

 {Swam with a shark}

{And celebrated our one year anniversary in Jamaica}

We are so blessed and grateful to have all of these opportunities. I can't say enough how proud I am of Eric and all of the hard work he puts in, the long seasons he endures, and the amazing husband that he is. We know there will be many more great years to come :)

Jamaica Mon

I used to believe that "yah mon" was simply an over-exaggerated phrase that us Americans just assumed all Jamaicans used all the time. Well, I'm here to tell you that if I had a dollar for every time I heard it during the week we were there, I would probably be a millionaire. {I would also be a millionaire if I had a dollar for every time I was offered the authentic Jamaican drug of choice, but that's a different story}. 

Instead of having countless responses (yeah, sure, uh-huh, yep, yes...) Jamaicans have one phrase. Yah mon. What a simple concept. My favorite part of "yah mon" is that Eric now believes he is Jamaican, and uses the phrase whenever appropriate. And by 'whenever appropriate', I mean every chance he gets.

We had the most amazing time in Negril! Like our honeymoon, we did a little bit of everything! It was a great way to start our offseason and celebrate our first year of being married. We hated leaving, but it was such a fun trip. We developed such a love for the people of Jamaica while we were there. They were some of the most kind, genuine, happy people we have ever met. Jamaica was a very poor country, but these people appreciated were so happy and content with what they had. What a lesson it was for us. We loved them!

 {Our main man Ian. He worked at the pizza shop (where we lived), and became one of our best friends from the trip. LOVE HIM!}

{Jammed out with the guys on the beach. Just look at that smile!}

 {Paddle boarding}

 {Puffer fish}

 {Dolphins! I'm obsessed}

 {So cute!}

 {Scuba}

{8 ft. nurse shark. We're very hardcore}

Our favorite memory from the trip was from our second scuba dive. Unfortunately there wasn't a photographer on the trip with us, but we experienced the most amazing thing! As we were down about 60 feet, our dive guide motioned to us that he heard dolphins. We started listening carefully and could hear the adorable dolphin squeaks in the distance. We stopped hearing them, and continued on our trip. About 10 minutes later, we heard them again. Sure enough, 8, yes 8! dolphins came swimming around us. We just sat and watched as they swam all around and in between us!

I have always had a major obsession with dolphins. On our many Sea World trips, my parents would have to drag me away crying from the dolphin exhibit after staring at them for hours. So, you can imagine my excitement being able to interact with the dolphins in their natural habitat. It was honestly one of the coolest experiences Eric and I have ever had. Something we'll never forget. 

We had such an amazing trip, and are SO blessed to be able to have so many of these awesome experiences together. 

OFFSEASON

HAAAALLELUJJAAHH!

Man, oh man am I excited for this offseason! Don't get me wrong. This season was just great! We have experienced so many amazing things and are SO grateful for all of the opportunities we were given. I will definitely need to split up this post, as I have so much to write about! I've been slacking. I'll put a preview pic next to each of these future post subjects, just so you have an idea of what the sitch is (and so it's not as boring).

First, Eric and I had an absolutely amazing vacation! We spent a week in Negril, Jamaica, and had a blast doing all kinds of things. Are we spoiled or what? [Insert "Yah Mon" here]. We also refuse to grow up, and I LOVE IT!

While in Jamaica, we celebrated our first anniversary! I can't believe it's already been a year, it has seriously flown by. I guess that's what happens when you're having fun (aka traveling the world, living out of your car, watching a million baseball games, etc etc). We are so blessed not only to live such a fun, crazy, life, but to be doing it together.

I have so much to write about, but will spare your eyes a 20 scroll-down long post. We are so excited for this offseason and to be settled in one place for a while! We have a few plans, but are mostly ready to enjoy being able to relax in our house and enjoy our Arizona friends and family.

Kicks, Postseason Baseball & GJN

This season has been really, really fun! I have found so many ways to keep busy and occupied, and have just had a great few months. Aside from the ups and downs between triple A, and the injuries, Eric and I have really had a great season.

As if I wasn't busy enough, I recently took on a whole new endeavor. Shoes! I had a little online shopping credit, and decided that I was going to paint a pair of Toms for one of my friend's sons, just for fun as a little project. I painted one shoe with A's, and the other shoe with his dad's number, 2. 

Little did I know, these shoes became a big hit!! I immediately made an Etsy shop and had orders coming in left and right! I ended up making shoes for people from the A's, Reds, Orioles, and Twins, before I had to temporarily "close" my shop. We're in the process of moving out of our apt etc, so it was just easiest to wait for more orders until we're back home and settled. Here are a few pairs I made...

Lastly, THE A'S ARE IN PLAYOFFS!! We are beyond excited about this! Not only did the A's make playoffs, but they won the AL West. Incredible. When the team clinched playoffs, the guys did some major celebrating, and celebrated even more when they won the division. Boy was it fun! The fans could not be any more amazing, and the guys are having a blast. This team has worked so hard all year and definitely deserves this. Unfortunately, Eric doesn't get to travel with the team, but we are SO excited to be a part of this. Here are some pictures from the celebrations :)

{Celebrating in the clubhouse after the game}

 {Rocking our new Playoff hats!}

{Woo!}

{AL West champs, couldn't be more proud of this guy}

{#1}

I would like to share this video. 

In memory of Gehrig John Neshek. May your precious little spirit live in your mom and dad forever, and may they be comforted knowing that you will someday be together again.

Busy Bee!

Boy, have I been busy! So many things have happened since I last blogged! I think I'll have to spread it out into a few posts, just so this one isn't a mile of boring-ness long. My life has been full of babies, and weddings, two things of which I am quite fond. 

The first big event was another baby shower. One of Eric's teammates (and good friends) is pregnant. A few other girls and I hosted her "gender reveal" baby shower, and it turned out great! Everything was pink or blue and just looked adorable!

 {Boy?}

{Girl?}

 {We made a boy and girl diaper trike to go along with the blue/pink theme. They turned out super cute!}

 {Mason jars and cute straws are adorable for any occasion}

 {We asked each guest to bring a onesie to the shower, something that was relevant or reminded them of the mommy-to-be. We then had Brooke try and guess who brought each onesie. It was such a fun game, and made cute little gifts too!}

 {Wearing a mustache if you think it's a boy, and lips if you think it's a girl!}

{Cutting the cake! Pink inside! It's a girl!!}

Brooke has become a great friend, and Eric and I couldn't be more thrilled to meet sweet little baby Layla!

After the shower (literally, the next day) I helped shoot another wedding. Man, I'm a seasoned pro! Just kidding. But really, it's been so much fun this season getting my feet wet into something that I'm really passionate about! I have gotten to practice so much, and have loved every second of it! This was my favorite wedding yet. The couple recently opened a spice shop here in Oakland, and incorporated their love for cooking into their "spice favor place cards". They were a gorgeous couple and made our job really easy :)

 {I was obsessed with her gorgeous beaded cuff bracelet, so unique and beautiful}

 {Heading out to see her groom for the first time}

 {She was gorgeous, and he looked like George Clooney, perfect couple!}

 {After I do}

 {What a fun surprise, a mariachi band during cocktail hour}

{Their adorable spice favor place cards}

I've definitely been a busy bee, but have loved it all! 

Eric is still on the DL, but getting better every day. It doesn't look like he'll really be back playing before the season is over, but we have truly become the A's biggest fans. I love seeing him cheering on each of his teammates as we watch the games on tv. I know he misses being out there, but he has made the best of his situation and continues to support his guys as best he can. If you haven't been watching the A's...they're doing well :) Can't wait to see what the end of this season has in store! Go A's!

Camp Sogard

As Eric has spent the last few weeks (weeks? month? months? I don't know) on the DL, we have become pretty boring. Eric goes to the field for treatment, comes home, and we sit around watching tv, browsing Pinterest, adjusting our fantasy football teams etc. You know, the usual. We had gotten into a rut, and needed to change it up a little. 

So, Eric and I love to camp. We always try to squeeze at least a few days in at some point during the offseason. We usually travel up North in Arizona, pack up our tent and sleeping bags, build some fires, not shower for a few days, and just enjoy being outdoors. 

After dropping some food off for the McCarthy's one afternoon, I came home to Eric planning an impromptu camping trip for us. He had gotten a tent, camping chairs, lots of food in a cooler, and most importantly, smores ingredients. After driving around for what seemed like 3 hours (it really was 3 hours), we had checked every campground in the surrounding area, only to find that every single one was full. Ugh. We finished our drive watching the sun set over the golden gate bridge, out of our sunroof. 

As we headed home, we decided that there was no reason we couldn't still camp. We had everything we needed, including a porch that was the perfect size for our two-person tent. So, we picked up Chinese food, and we camped.

We set up camp using the light from our lantern.

Ate dinner.

Roasted marshmallows, and made smores.

Mine had cookies n' creme Hershey's of course.

Enjoyed our jumbo marshmallows.

Played cards until 2am.

And the next morning, I woke up to this.

Bringing this.

It was definitely one of my favorite camping trips of all time.