It's catch up time! Part 1

The season has practically come and gone, and let me be the one to tell you, it has never, ever flown by this fast! Only one more week left of regular season, unless we make play offs of course!! Let's play catch up...

I left off letting yall know our season would be starting out in Clearwater, Florida. A little disappointing at first, but Tyler and I kept ourselves positive and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. (Stay tuned for Part 2)

Our living arrangements in Florida fell together very fast and consisted of the following: one apartment, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and six people - five of the players and myself. Not too crowded, right? Honestly, it wasn't at all and it led to some hilarious times! Two of the players each got their own bedrooms, while the other two slept out in the living room; one on a pull out couch, the other on an air mattress. Tyler and I got the master bedroom/bathroom. Since we had the extra space in our section of the apartment, we shared our closet and bathroom with one of the guys who slept out in the living room. He appreciated that a lot, but "since uh...you guys are married and all... " it also made him nervous. "Maybe you guys could put a sock on the doorknob as a signal, you know? That way I won't knock, I'll just know I can't brush my teeth at that moment." Oh gosh. It made me blush just enough, but mostly, it made us laugh. Thankfully, we never had to use a sock and we never ran into that kind of situation. (Insert sigh of relief here.)

Also while we were living in Clearwater, I got a job at the field. It was so great for me and such a blast! I scanned tickets, passed out programs, and helped with promotions, all while still being able to watch the games and see my husband pitch. (It also gave me the opportunity to go on the road trips, because when the team had away games, I had days off!) Tyler and I were both getting paid to be at the ballpark and nothing could top that. It was perfect... well close to it anyways. Word spread rather quickly about who I was, or should I say, who my husband was, and that was very new to me.

At the field, I like to be incognito. I'm way more relaxed and comfortable when no one knows who I am except for a select few, aka: the parking lot attendant, the person at the ticket window, the usher in my section, and maybe a couple season-ticket holders; all whom recognize me because I'm the girl that comes alone to a baseball game every single night. (I hope they realize I'm a wife and not just a poor, bored soul with no social life...or am I? ha!) Now just because I only like to be known by a select few doesn't mean I'm snobby. I actually love to smile at everyone and I say hi to most people I make eye contact with; what I love even more though, is knowing that all those people have no idea who I am. If, however, they find out "my secret" and approach me about it, I don't mind talking at all (for an inning or so), but I am not one to go around bragging because I do not want to bring any attention to myself at the stadium. Some might think I'm a bad wife when I say this, but I don't even cheer for my husband at the games. That's because one, I know how well he "clears the mechanism," so he won't hear my voice in a crowd anyways, and two, since I know he does that, it would only be bringing attention to myself by doing so. This, of course, is solely my opinion. I've met other girls who will yell and cheer on their "babe," or "baby," or "sweetie," or "sexy," or "insert pet name here." You get the point, it's very supportive, just not my style. Don't worry though, when we have kids of course I will let them cheer on their daddy. :) But until then, I sit rather quietly, rooting for Tyler in my head, listening to the fans around me, and clapping along with the rest of the crowd. I've become such a fan of the game by just sitting, watching, learning, and eating every night. :] Now back on topic...

I am fully aware that people are curious about our life behind the scenes; that's why I started this blog in the first place, hoping to fill people in on questions they might have, or circumstances they just don't understand. One thing that I'm learning quickly though, is how repetitive questions are becoming and how fast I have memorized my replies to every single one of them. Rarely do I get a new question, and if I do, pat yourself on the back because you have clearly just caught me off guard. Working at the field in Clearwater kept me busy answering the same questions over and over again. I absolutely loved working there and would do so again in a heartbeat, but you'd be surprised how many times I would overhear someone saying, "She's the player's wife," or asking around "Which one is the girl that's married to the player??" I really didn't mind it, but I was definitely not incognito anymore!

One time in Clearwater I remember being really caught of guard when Tyler was pitching and gave up a home run. A man came over to me and asked,

"Hey, isn't that your husband pitching?"

"Yes, it is." I replied, smiling with no teeth.

"I don't know why you're smiling after you just watched him give up a home run. He won't make it to Double A, let alone the majors giving up home runs in single A ball," he stated.

I thought quickly, smiled again and said, "Home runs are a part of baseball, even the best pitchers in the majors give them up."

The man looked at me stumped and walked away.

Idiot.

At first I was kind of taken back and got myself worked up about it in my head. Who did that guy think he was for searching me out and telling me that? If only I could find his wife and tell her that her husband is awful at his job and that he will never get promoted. I knew though that this was something I'd have to deal with in baseball. Once I told my husband about it, he had me laughing again. He brought back my confidence and helped me remember not to worry about what people say. That man's remark actually became our inside joke for a few days. We were out for dinner one night, and Tyler and I had both completely missed our mouths trying to eat. "Well," Ty said, "We're not going to make it to the majors eating like this!" We laughed so hard together. Little did that man know we would get the call to AA within two weeks of his conversation with me. It was June 1st...