New Beginnings

Wow! What a beautiful whirl wind the last seven months have been. Now, I know I am still riding that “newlywed high”, but marriage is the most incredible journey one could ever embark on. It is so exciting to share and experience life with the person you love so dearly. I continue to thank God every day for blessing me with such a strong, supportive, God-fearing man to be my husband. 

Let’s be honest, our marriage has not started off in the most typical fashion. After getting married in December, I moved into an apartment with three guys.  Yes, three college baseball players…. WHOOHOO…….Not going to lie, I was a little hesitant on how this may turn out. There was never a dull moment, and there definitely was never a quiet or clean one either! However, it ended up being such a blessing. I loved our roommates, and because they were on the same busy schedule has Jeffrey, it worked really well. 

Here began the juggling of classes, work, studying, and baseball, all while continuing to set aside time for each other.   There were definitely days that felt overwhelming and exhausting to say the least, but we did our best and managed to enjoy every moment. It was such a blast being back in Oregon to experience a full season of baseball and cheer Jeffrey on in person rather than through the internet like I had the two previous seasons. 

As the month of June approached, and the school year was wrapping up, we were on the brink of making another important life decision. An event of both excitement and uncertainty was approaching – The Major League Baseball Draft. If you are not familiar with how the MLB draft works, let me tell you, it is one heck of a process. For several months prior, Jeffrey spent countless hours on the phone with teams, meeting with scouts and filling out questionnaires and medical history forms. The teams literally take every aspect of a player’s life into consideration during this process. 

When the draft eventually came along, Jeffrey had been projected to go anywhere between rounds 3 and 5. As comforting as that may sound, that range consists of more than 120 picks… A.K.A… sit anxiously by your phone for several hours and wait. After eagerly waiting, yes, the phone call did come! Jeffrey was selected by the New York Yankees in the 4^th round, 123^rd overall pick. His dream that he had worked so hard for and sacrificed so much for was becoming a reality - A professional athlete - Is this real life? OBVIOUSLY, I could not be any more proud. 

Not even a week after receiving the phone call, our apartment was packed, and we were on a plane to Tampa, FL for his physical and contract signing. Within 12 hours of signing the contract we were on another plane, this time to New York, a new temporary home. 

So now what?

This summer, Jeffrey is playing for the Staten Island Yankees, a class A short season team. Because he is on the road so much, I have been traveling back and forth between visiting him in New York and being with family/ working in Santa Cruz. It has been so fun to experience New York together. Riding the subway, walking through Times Square, and dodging masses of people are not exactly things we are used to experiencing every day in Oregon. Talk about culture shock.

And so begins another new chapter of our life together…

The life of a Minor League baseball player can be a bumpy one, and it probably will not be the most glamorous at times, but we are so thankful for this opportunity God has laid before us, and we are so happy we get to do it together. 

Jeffrey has been working so hard, and I know he will continue to do so. Regardless of what level he plays, or what team he is representing, our prayer is that God will be glorified. It is already so easy to get caught up in the fast paced, competitive lifestyle of professional sports, but it is so important to remind ourselves what the whole point really is. As God continues to open new doors for us, our desire is to seek His will above our own. He is opening the door to a whole new platform of ministry, and we trust He will give us the strength as we begin this new adventure. 

We have felt so loved throughout this entire process, and we could not be more thankful to have such amazing people in our life. Thank you for all of your prayers and support! Keep them coming.. I'm sure we will need them :)