Yes. After.
As we went into this season, I had all kinds of high hopes and expectations of how it was going to go. We were going to have a great first baseball season living together as a little family, Eric was going to have the best season he's ever had, Saydee was going to continue to grow healthy and happy **spoiler alert, this part actually comes true**, and it was all going to be great. [insert fairy dust and prancing unicorns here]
Well let me tell ya. God pretty much lifted us up by the necks, slapped us across the face with his large perfect hand, and set us gently back down in our not-so-perfect reality.
Eric struggled through the first half of the season. Eric has had such an amazing career thus far, so it was something that he/we had never dealt with before. It was hard. Hard on him. Hard on me. And hard on us. The season is grueling and exhausting as it is, so when it isn't going your way, everyday just seems to get longer and longer. Boy were these days getting long. Of course I never for a second doubted him or his abilities, and my faith never wavered. I knew it was just a matter of time before he would find his groove again, we just had to let go and let Him take over. And that's exactly what we did.
By the time the all-star-break rolled around, we could not have been any more excited. A break was exactly what we needed. Saydee and I traveled to Seattle with Eric for the few days right before the break. We planned on leaving the day after the series ended, and were looking forward to spending some great baseball-free time together as a family. While we were in Seattle, we received a call from one of the A's staff telling us that our house in Oakland had been robbed. Long story short, they didn't get too much (besides my laptop, our gun, an iPad, tv, and a few other small things), we are all safe, and we spent the all-star-break packing up our house and moving out.
The icing on the cake was a quick reminder to us that there is nothing in this life that is more important than family. My grandma was one of the most amazing ladies I've ever known. Sassy? Oh yes. Feisty? An understatement. The most giving, self-less person that I have ever met? Without a doubt. Her health had been declining for the past few months, and I had hoped and prayed that she would be able to pull through. During the all-star-break, we got news that my grandma had passed away. My heart hurt (and still does every day), but I had peace in knowing that she and my Papa are reunited and smiling down on us. She was able to see Saydee just a few short weeks before she passed, and I will continue to tell Say about her GGB and how much she loved her.
Now, to the calm after the storm.
The past few weeks have been nothing short of amazing for Eric and I. The A's had a great long home stand, and we were able to spend lots of much needed time together. We have had a few visitors and enjoyed seeing some of our Arizona friends. *Shout out to Nick for coming to get Winnie and taking her back to Arizona for us. We were so sad for her to leave, but she just wasn't happy in our tiny new hometel* Eric has once again found his groove on the field and we just know that this second half of the season is going to be great.
I know it's cheesy to say "our trials have only made us stronger"...but, for real. For real for real. It was one h-e-double-hockey-sticks of a first half, but we have only become stronger individually, as a couple, and as a family. I am as proud of my husband today as I was 3 months ago, and I am so thankful to have him as we venture through this crazy life we live. To the rest of the season: let's do this.
