All right everyone, after the most stressful two weeks of my entire life, the rosters have been posted! FINALLY! Think I'm exaggerating? Okay, you're right, I am; but man did I have a lot of work cut out for me. We all know I'm a rookie at this whole baseball wife thing, so I definitely have a lot to learn still. However, from what I've been figuring out on my own so far is that, all I am really supposed to know is enough to know that I really know nothing at all. Still with me? :) That's because when it comes to baseball, nothing is ever a guarantee.
Last year, Tyler ended the season in Reading, PA, the AA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies; we were hoping to start the season off there again. With that mindset, I began my search for apartments in Reading. I searched high and low and near and far, well, not too far from the field that is, in hopes to find quality housing. I spent hours doing my research and getting in touch with contacts the other baseball players kindly referred to us. I've realized referrals are really the only way to go, as it's not easy finding an apartment complex that will offer us everything we're requesting. I mean, the following doesn't seem like too much to ask for... right?
Location - a safe neighborhood, minutes from the field, shopping, restaurants, shopping, hotels, attractions, shopping, etc. Did I mention shopping?
Security - gated communities, controlled building access, parking security, etc. Basically as long as it's safe for the girls that stay behind during the dreadful eight-day road trips.
A pool - oops, how did that get on the list? That's just my own personal preference. :)
Short term or month-to-month lease - it seems almost unusual in the minors for a player to stay with the same team for a whole season. Even if that were the case, I would politely reply, "No, we don't want to spend the entire year in your town, thank you." Believe it or not, we actually like to get away from the field during the off-season!
Fully furnished - if not, we sleep on an air mattress and live out of a suitcase for six months. No big deal. Other options are Craigslist, Goodwill, and furniture rental companies, most of which I've found out give the baseball players discounts! Thank you to those companies!
Lastly and most importantly, all of the above as long as it is...
Affordable - aka as cheap as we can get it! What typically happens though, is that players will pack as many guys into one apartment together as possible. Think I'm kidding? Last year, I knew of eight players living in a three-bedroom apartment together! Yeah, insane! It's also pretty common to find three, four or five guys living together in a two-bedroom apartment. It might not be the most comfortable living situation, but it makes rent super cheap for each of them, which is exactly what they need. Remember when I mentioned all the sacrifices they make in order to make it to the big leagues? You can add living arrangements to that list.
After all the hours I spent researching, calling, and emailing places, I finally found two apartments that were perfect and willing to work with our unique situation! I also got in contact with a furniture rental company that was so good to us too! We then found players that actually wanted to live with a married couple, probably because they knew I planned on cooking for them, and things seemed good to go. Don't worry, we only planned on living with two or three other guys, not eight! Ha! I received the apartment applications and spent so much time filling them out. I decided I wasn't going to send them until we knew for sure where we would be going this year, because I didn't want to throw any money away via application fees. Good thing I'm so smart, kind of...
Turns out Tyler's name did not show up on the Reading roster, but instead on the Clearwater one. The Clearwater team is a step down from Reading, as it's only the High A affiliate of the Phillies. All is good though. Yes, Tyler was disappointed to be starting with a team lower than where he left off last year, especially since he just had the best spring training of his career, but we know it's just part of life in minor league baseball. We know to never lose faith when we encounter bitter disappointments, because they are simply the price we will have to occasionally pay for our willingness to take risks as we follow our dreams.
Tyler and I had a serious conversation the night before final cut day, and decided that wherever we end up this year is exactly where we are meant to be. We know that God created this world ready to unfold according to His own timetable, and not ours. Temporary setbacks might leave us feeling uncertain or doubtful, but we have to remember that God will always reveal Himself to us! In time, we might find out that a temporary setback isn't actually that at all, but just a different path for us to take. It can still be hard seeing that sometimes though when we find ourselves becoming impatient for the reasons behind things. We know to continue to trust in God because He will never fail.
Now, I'm not much of a preacher, I'm just trying to give you all a peak into our actual married life in minor league baseball. Truth is, things won't exactly be luxurious, serious conversation will have to happen, and low points are going to be unpredictable. With all of that said however, Tyler and I will continue to dream big! We've been having such a blast together and I can already tell I'm going to have the most amazing memories from traveling around with him. We have so much faith in God and I also have so much faith in my husband, that I know we have nothing but an intensely bright future ahead of us. I am so proud of Tyler and we are very thankful he still has the amazing opportunity to do what he loves to do! I am so excited for season to start this week, so Clearwater, here we come...I mean stay? Ha! And so, my search for apartments begins again! :)
