Done with this semester

This semester has been a true beast for Derek. As we were in California he was feeling confident that in the next 3 weeks of actual classes he would be ok, and then it would be over! Well he came home yesterday from classes to find out that his hard class just got a lot harder. He does a class summary every week for this class as homework. The summary last week was 3 pages long and Derek said he felt good about it. He got it back yesterday and got a 70% on it...... a class summary that is 3 pages gets a 70% oh man I for sure would have failed this class! Then the teacher asks the class how they did on the last test. It was a 2 hour timed test and Derek didn't finish 3 questions because of the time limit. He knew he did bad on it but he hoped the teacher would understand because of the time limit. Many of the other students said the test took them 4 hours or so, but my husband honest Abe stopped at 2 hours. Well the teacher got up in front of the class yesterday and told them that everyone got a C or less on the test and that everyone would be retaking it!!!!! Derek found out that he got a 64% and the girl that took 4 hours to do her test got a 62%..... Absolutely CRAZY! I guess we can know say that we feel the stress of being grad students. I hate seeing Derek like this! He felt he was almost done and now more and more things just keep piling up. Last night he stayed up super late and then this morning I got up at 7:22am. I looked and Derek wasn't in bed so I thought maybe he took the light rail to school. I thought just incase i should go see. Sure enough Derek was asleep on the couch still. It takes us about 10 to 15 minutes to get to school and his class was at 7:30am. I swear he can not caught a break! As we were driving to school I asked him what happened to his alarm. He said "I have no clue I set 3 alarm times to wake me up"  Yikes! I am so grateful this is his last semester of classes. We just have to make it past these 5 weeks!

Fun Spring Training Morning.

This morning I went to Spring Training and got a ton of signatures all thanks to ....My signature book. I put together a book of pictures of the players that I took last year at spring training. This year i took it back and had the guys sign it. It was a huge success and I think i got a lot more signatures because the guys all grabbed my book wanting to see their pictures. It was funny because there was a sea of people trying to get Ethier's signature and I was about 2 rows back just holding out my book with his page open. The minute he spotted it he reached over the crowd to grab the book and signed it! Derek was able to go with me this morning because of school. When he asked me how many signatures I got I told him.... Don Mattingly, Jerry Snads, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Ellis, and Clayton Kershaw Derek was surprised and asked how I got that many and I was proud to say....Because of my book! My book does not have all of the signature I want it to, but if I didn't get any more this season I would be a happy girl. I was at Camelback Ranch from 11am to 1pm and let me tell you it has to be in the 90's today because I got fried in the two hours I was out there. Welcome summer!!!! Seriously though, Derek and I realized he has about 5 weeks till he leaves for Fresno. This is going to be the fastest 5 weeks and then the slowest summer, I can already tell!

Here we go again!

The summer has been decided! Derek will be selling Pest Control in ....Fresno, Ca. While I will be living here in Mesa, Az. Yes that means that we will be apart for 3 months. It will be crazy, annoying, sad, lonely, and probably very sleepless. But we are very unsure what our future holds after this last year of school and the extra money is good to have in the bank!!! So I sit here and take a deep breath e writing this knowing that it is now reality.

I am grateful that Derek and I have such a good relationship. Many people ask us how we can be apart for that long, or how we do it. I think it is because we know it is best for our family, and we have such a deep love and trust for one another that time apart grows us closer! I love Derek and am so grateful for the sacrifices he makes for our family!

Head Residents in Robey

When we lived in Virginia we were head residents over a boys dorm hall. The hall was called Robey. There were many of the baseball boys in our dorm and I loved having them around everyday. I always thought it was so fun to make baked goods and the boys would smell them and come knocking on the door to get brownies or cookies. I loved those boys and kind of felt like there college mom. Well one of those boys is here, home from his mission and playing baseball for Utah State club team. Rob was always one of our favorites and it was great to see him again playing baseball! I seriously miss all of our Robey guys!

Golden Corral

On Saturday night we went out to dinner with some friends of ours. We decided to go to Golden Corral the buffet place. The food there is always ok, but everyone can get anything they want. As we arrived we waited in line o pay and I saw something that made me think...Remember when.... Seriously it was only two years ago that we were this kid that I saw, but at the same time i can't believe it has been two years. I saw a college baseball player all dressed in his warm-ups like he had just finished a game. Often times when SVU (Derek's college team ) would win they would be able to go some place nice for dinner and that usually meant Golden Corral. I think the majority of dinner I sat there and remembered the great, and simple life we had on the east coast. We have just been so busy lately that it made me think about how much I want this semester to end so we can have us time again!

I know that Virginia will always hold a special place in my heart and I will remember it as the time that Derek and i just got to live simply with each other!

Tryout 2

On Saturday morning Derek took off while I was still in bed to go to the White Sox open tryout. I had to work early on Saturday and I was unable to go. I waited a long time for Derek to call or text. Finally he text me at about noon and said he was finished. I was already at work so I told him to meet me for lunch. So Derek came to Costco and we ate lunch in the food court together as he explained the day.

He said that at this tryout things were a lot different. You warmed up and tried out at pretty much the same time. He said there weren't too many people at this tryout. Derek then went on to tell me that he got on one mound to warm up and the mound next to it was the tryout mound. As Derek was warming up there were 4 men standing off to the side. Derek wasn't sure who they were, but they started watching him. Derek then got up to the tryout mound and the 4 men went behind the cage so that they could watch the balls movement. Derek started pitching and he said his knuckleballs were the best they had ever been! They were moving everywhere. His catcher was having a super hard time catching them. After about 5 pitches one of the 4 men said "wait one second pitcher" the scout then walked over to the catcher and started teaching him how to catch Derek's knuckleballs!!! Seriously this might seem like nothing, but it is huge!!!!! The scouts then started talking, laughing, and Derek started pitching again. The scouts moved their way out of the fence and off to the side to get a different angle on Derek pitching. The one scout with the radar gun asked Derek if he had a fastball. Derek said yes and threw it. After he threw it he looked back at this guy and the guy was looking at the 4 men and nodding his head yes at them. He then looked back at Derek and told Derek "again". Derek threw his fastball one more time and the same think happened and gentle nod yes. Derek was done. This tryout is and was way more frustrating then the dodger one because they didn't have a tryout game. They told all of the guys that their minor league teams get here in Az this week and they would call people to fill in the holes. So it stinks because we have no clue what they thought.

Out of this whole try out experience I have realized that yes Derek could play at least minor league ball, yes he has a very unique interesting pitch that is a huge attention getter, but I have also realized that for someone to take him is a huge risk. Do you take the guy who can throw 95mph who is inconsistent (other guys), or do you take the guy that throws a pitch that is inconsistent consistently (derek)?  Also someone once told Derek if he took Derek on his team he would have to get a knuckleball catcher, trainer, and coach....

Seriously I just wish someone would take a chance! We are not getting our hopes up for a call because they are so far fetched, but that would be amazing!

Crazy Semester

As predicted this semester is crazy busy, and going by so fast. Seriously I can't even believe it is March. Every year March is the time to freak out a little and start thinking about the summer. Summers have been easier for me to decide because there is only one choice.... stay here and keep my job at Costco! Derek on the other hand has four choices to choose from and only one of those consists of him staying here with me, and it is the least likely to happen. Here I am hoping this semester goes by quick because it is a hard and stressful one for the both of us, yet I don't want it to end because Derek will most likely be leaving me for the whole summer!

I just have to say that I am grateful for the love and support that Derek and I have in our relationship. I am glad that even though it will be EXTREMELY hard to be apart, we love each other and trust each other enough to know that the sacrifice will bring a better future for us.

So like I said before I hope this semester ends soon, but not too soon!

Defending my family.....

Isn't it funny.... when someone puts your family down you just want to go on rampage and tell them how rude the comment they made was. Whether they do it intentionally or not your motherly instincts turn on and you just want to do something about it! 

Well here is my something. They say if you write done how you feel you can get it off your chest. Well the comment was written on facebook yesterday and it still bugs me this morning! So here I am getting it off my chest. 

I love my parents more then ever right now in my life. I think I am finally at the stage where I am realizing how much my family does for Derek and I everyday. There isn't a week that goes by that my mom doesn't call to see how we are doing and what we are up to! I actually think I talk to her two or three or four times a week!  They have made trips to visit us out here or meeting us half way. My mom has done so much. She is constantly offering her house to us and has offered it to others as well. Every time she throws a birthday party or event of some kind she likes to make sure everyone feels invited even if it means she is paying extra to invite those extra. It just hurts me that someone would write something on facebook to kiss up to someone else, and in doing that threw my family under the bus! I think this might be the reason why I hate facebook. I love posting my pictures and  sharing my life, but I hate the dumb comments it brings. People just post stuff all the time without thinking about it. Or thinking about how it will affect everyone else. I know my parents are old school and don't have facebook pages, but it kind of makes me happy that they don't and they aren't part of it! Now that I think about it neither does Sam or Shauna.....I should be more like them! 

Well I feel a little better knowing that I have written this down, vented it out, and hopefully just get over it! 

I just have to scream.....I LOVE MY MOM AND DAD and am glad to have them for eternity. 

Dodgers Tryout 2012

Today was basically an amazing day at the ball field. We got up at 6am. We left to get to the Camelback Ranch fields at 7 am. We actually got to Camelback at 7:40 am and the sign-ins were at 8am. The minute we got there Derek and I started picking out all of the guys he and I remembered from teams he has played on for the past 2 years. It was pretty neat to see familiar faces.  At 9am the fun began. Now Derek and I both went to this tryout for the Los Angeles Dodger team very open minded knowing that he might get up, throw a bull pin, and get told to leave. That is what we were pretty much guessing would happen when we got there and found out in minutes of it beginning. There were over 130 guys at this tryout and they all had at least minor league experience. It was very discouraging to both Derek and I, but we were not expecting anything so we were ok. 

Derek warmed up and he was the fourth guy to throw. As he got to his catcher he told him "Knuckleballs only". The catcher did a double take and said "Sure...." At first Derek warmed up with the catcher by just throwing a gentle knuckleball. The main scout then came up to Derek and started asking questions.....this is how their conversation went....

Scout: Knuckleballs only

Derek: Yes

Scout: What's your name

Derek: Derek

Scout: How old are you

Derek: 26

Scout: What teams you played for

Derek: College and independent

Scout: If I look up your numbers will they be worth a crap

Derek: I just started pitching all knuckleballs, my numbers back then include 80mph fastballs

Scout: Well you have our attention

Now mind you this conversation happened BEFORE he even really started pitching. So it began. Derek's knuckleballs were great. The catcher had such a hard time catching them and he had lots of people watching him. They then told him two more and he finished his bullpen with two last pitches. The 3 scouts talked with Derek and I told my friend Chelsea who came with us that this was so so so good! They talked to him before and after his pitching. As Derek walked away from them I just started crying! They acknowledged him! That was so much more then we were expecting. Derek came up to me and told me that they had invited him to stay and be part of the tryout game after tryouts. Out of the 130 guys trying out my husband was one of the 40 that was asked to stay, WHICH IS AMAZING!!!!!

Seriously we were so excited just for the chance  for him to pitch in the game. It took about 3 hours in between for them to do all of the try out stuff for the rest of the players. They then got the game started. Derek was told, just like ever other pitcher he would see two batters. Derek was the fourth pitcher. Derek's first batter was an asian man. The first pitch came in and .....the batter just watched it come in for a strike! IT WAS CLASSIC! The second pitch and ......the batter swung and whiffed at it! Seriously I think I might have cheered! Chelsea and I were so happy. The guy swung so hard and just above Derek's dropping ball and he completely missed it! The 3rd pitch was a pop up to right field for a foul ball and the 4th pitch the guy grounded to second base and was tagged out at first. Then Derek's second batter....Which I think was a little unfair because he was someone who Derek already has played with and pitched in a summer league. Derek did good against him but he got a hit to left field and the outfield let it drop off his glove. 

 At the end of the game they called out 6 guys names to stay and talk....which doesn't even mean they made a team, and Derek was not one of them. All and all it was a great experience and we had so much fun doing this today! I just have to say how proud I am of Derek. He isn't a professional baseball player and he might never be one, but I AM proud of the person he is and how he is still doing something that he really enjoys. Like I said.... to me he might never be a professional player, but he is an amazing athlete and that is what I love about him!