Happy Halloween!
Well, the off season started out with a trip to the ER. I was about an hour from our house, driving home from St. Louis, when I got call from Brooke telling me not to worry but that she and Tate (our youngest) were in the ER. Tate had snuck into our pantry, grabbed a bottle and ran with it when Brooke tried to take it from him. You can guess what happened next...he dropped it on the tile floor, stepped on it while
still trying to run from Brooke and cut his foot wide open. He needed six stitches to close it up. Not a relaxing start...But, it is nice to be in my on house, back in our church and seeing all our family. With only 18 scheduled days off during the season, and some of those used as make up games, the off season is a time of rest, relaxation and then preparation. Getting ready for next season. More about that next time...
This was a LONG season for me for many reasons. But mostly because of all the adjustments from the trade off the field and from the struggles I had on the field. We felt we needed to leave this season behind us and a good way to do that was to get away. We sailed on a Disney Cruise last week for our first family vacation. Although we do A LOT of traveling, we had never been any where as a family that didn't involve a baseball game. We went with some good friends from church and needless to say, we had a great time. One of my favorite memories was spending time on Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. It was beautiful. They had the "Flying Dutchman"(the ship from Pirates of the Caribbean) shipwrecked on the island and a great beach. We spent some time snorkeling and had some time alone when the boys were in the ship's kid's club. We had a great vacation...i would highly recommend it!
I got unpacked...again... and got to work on my honey-do list. We are adding onto our house right now so I have been dealing with that nearly every day. Nolan and Tate are in school three days a week. It is nice to reclaim some of the time I lose with Brooke during the off season when they are at school. We have lunch together and hang out just the two of us. We can actually talk to each other without having to yell over the boys!
We just celebrated Nolan's fourth birthday this week. I can't believe he is four already. He is growing so quickly and I love watching him grow into such an awesome kid. He is my football and fishing buddy. He loves to go down to our dock and cast the line over and over. He is very patient and persistent!
Tate is our monkey and is an adrenaline junkie. He will be two in a couple of weeks. If we can get him to not climb on the coffee table and launch himself onto the couch, it has been a good day! :) He keeps us laughing though!
I watched some of the World Series and was hoping Colorado would make a run for it. I am always rooting for the underdog. No one expected them to make it to the series and it was great to see a team come together like they did and push through to get as far as they did. Overall, I think they were victim's of their own success by sweeping the D'backs and having those 8 days off. We saw it last year when I was in Detroit. Having all those days off when you are firing on all cylinders takes you out of your rhythm as a team and as individuals. They were up against an extremely talented team in the Red Sox and playing a seven game series doesn't allow you the time it takes to get back into that rhythm. They should still stand tall for what they accomplished.
So, here I am...a free agent for the first time in my career. It is a strange feeling , not knowing where I will be next season. It is still early but I am curious to see how this will all play out. I was formally released by the Cardinals last week. I enjoyed my time there, getting to know the city and especially my teammates there. St. Louis was a great place to play but in the end it didn't turn out the way they or I wanted it to. I didn't get my job done in the way I know I am capable and I am excited for a fresh start. So, we'll see where God takes our family now. That will be the hardest part, waiting. We have been praying for the wisdom and guidance we will need to navigate through free agency and to choose a team that is where God wants us to be. We are anxious to see him work it out and lead us in a new direction. We trust Him to protect us and provide for us just like he has always been faithful to in the past.
So, I am off to sleep. The boys have school tomorrow...waking up at 6:45 am is killing me. Is there a way we could get schools to start at about 1, like an afternoon game? I miss sleeping in...
Until next time, GOD BLESS!
