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 4th
round, 123rd 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 :)
