Pictures from Silver Dollar City

Silver Dollar City at Christmas has to be one of the best places on Earth. The lights are absolutely beautiful. The tree at the front of the park has lights that dance to Christmas songs every 15 min., there's a parade, good shows, and wonderful hot chocolate.

Our 1 Year Anniversary!

Travis and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary on December 12. It's so hard to believe that it's already been a year. It's been the fastest, best year of my life. To celebrate, we went to Branson, MO. Neither of us had been in years, and I have always wanted to see it at Christmas time. If you haven't seen Silver Dollar City at Christmas, I highly recommend it. The lights are absolutely incredible. We drove up Friday morning and stayed until Tuesday. It was a wonderful trip. We ate lots of really good food, did A LOT of shopping (luckily we hadn't really done much Christmas shopping for each other before the trip, or we would have been in trouble) and of course went to Silver Dollar City. We stayed at a hotel that has several different themed rooms. We chose the Aspen room which had a mural on the wall of a skier and snow covered mountains (still waiting for my snow this year). Our room had a jacuzzi in it, which was amazing. We really couldn't have asked for a better trip. It was a wonderful way to celebrate our first year of marriage!

Reds Fest

Travis was invited to attend Reds Fest in Cincinnati. It's a weekend where fans can mingle with past, present and future Reds players. Over 17,000 Reds fans came to the event that was held Dec. 4 and 5. The guys have photo sessions, autograph sessions, they read to kids, have a wiffle ball home run derby, and Saturday night there was a poker tournament with 500 participants. All of the proceeds from the event benefit the Reds Community Fund. This year they raised over $50,000! It was really an honor for him to be invited and it was such a fun weekend. The best part was getting to catch up with part of our extended baseball family.

Enjoy some photos from our trip. I was horrible about taking pictures while we were there and only got one picture of Travis and I from the entire weekend.

Walking around Cincinnati after we got into town (that's why I look so tired; travel days are always tiring). We didn't get to go ice skating because we think the Reds would frown upon that

:(

Travis accepting his Reds Minor League Pitcher of the Year award

Reds players-past and present

So much talent and history on stage, I got goose bumps, and that doesn't happen easily

A HUGE Reds jersey, I should have stood by it so you could see exactly how big it is, but it's covering the whole wall

Bike the 48

Today I met two guys that are trying to do something amazing, and some would even say insane, to help make this country a better place. They are dedicating one year of their lives to bike across the country (one is biking, the other is following behind him in a support vehicle). Below you will find their mission and their website so you can follow their year long journey, see when they'll be in your city, see what all good they've done along the way, and even help support their journey. They're only on day 7 of their journey, so your thoughts, prayers and well wishes will do them a lot of good.

"We are going on a mission to spread Christ's love throughout the country, and inspire others to do the same. JJ Kelley will be riding his bicycle through the 48 contiguous states followed by Rod Casey in a support vehicle. He will also be filming the events of the trip, and we will both be volunteering our time in every city to serve God wherever we can. We are doing this to show people that God is at work in our country and there is hope for our future. It's going to be a long arduous journey that will push JJ's body to the limits and test the bonds between friends and family. Although this trip is a dream of ours, the purpose of it is to serve others and bring glory to God. Our country is currently struggling with many problems and we want to find people and organizations that are making a difference and help out in any way that we can."
http://www.bikethe48.com/

P90X

I have become a P90Xer. I had watched the infomercials and the workout program peaked my interest. So one day two weeks ago I got on Ebay and ordered it. I got the complete (13 dvd system, nutrition guides, and calendar) for $75! P90X is a ninety day workout plan that has you doing a different workout every day, core, cardio, yoga, kenpo (boxing), legs, arms, everything. I started last Monday and let me tell you, there are muscles hurting I didn't even know existed. Muscles in my neck were hurting! I'm not so sure how I feel about that. I don't need a big, muscular, manly neck, but hopefully that won't happen. So far I really like it. I mean, I hate doing it and it takes some internal motivation to put the dvds in, but once I get started and afterward I'm very glad I did it. With P90X you get to do all sorts of different workouts. Kickboxing, yoga, everything. It keeps things interesting and fun. It's going to be a long ninety days, but I hope at the end of it all I'm a stronger, healthier person (and I would like to do one real pull up).

It comes with a nutrition guide with a very specific diet that I can't follow. I just don't eat that kind of stuff so instead I'm just trying to eat better. I say this as tonight I had McDonalds for dinner :), but that's the first fast food I've had in TWO WEEKS! That's really good for me.

I only have 78 days left!

New Additions to the Family

Maddy and Bella

A couple of weeks ago Travis and his dad went to do some work at the deer woods and on their way home they found to little puppies that had been abandoned on the side of the road. They of course picked them up and brought them home. They were covered in fleas and ticks and needed food. We gave them baths and got them some real puppy food. They had apparently been eating corn that had been put out for the deer. They are the cutest little things, both girls, seem to be a mix of lab. It seems that Travis's parents have decided to keep them both!!! I had been wanting another puppy, and just couldn't seem to convince Travis. So I'll take these two for now, and help his parents with them.

Trip to Orlando

My aunt had to go to Orlando for a work conference and I decided to go along to take advantage of the wonderful hotel her work was paying for, to keep her company, and to take advantage of the sunny, warm weather (Little Rock has turned into Seattle #2). We stayed a wonderful hotel, the Royal Pacific, one of Universal's resorts, so we were right by the two Universal parks and Citywalk (restaurants and shopping). We took the first full day in town to go to both of Universal's parks, which neither of us had ever been to, I spent some time at the pool while she was at the conference, we at a lot of really good food (including room service at midnight which my aunt could not believe she was doing), and we even made time to make it to the Magic Kingdom (you can't go to Orlando and not visit a Disney park). We had a lot of fun getting away and just hanging out.

A must see...

Last year when Travis and I were meeting with preachers to marry us, we were told we had to see Fireproof. With planning the wedding we didn't get around to it, but it was always in the back of my mind that we needed to watch this movie. I got it and watched it while Travis was on a roadtrip and decided it was something we had to watch together. It's a movie that reminds you not to take each other for granted. It reminds you that being in a marriage is something that you need to continually work on. We continue to grow as individuals, and in order to continue to have a strong, healthy relationship you need to remember to learn and care about how your partner has grown.
I highly recommend this movie to everyone. Share it with your parents, aunts, sisters, friends. It's a wonderful resource that just reminds us how important it is to work on our relationships every day, don't take anyone, or anything, for granted.

"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it."

Thoughts and Prayers Please

On Sept. 2 a four-year-old boy, Lucas Holko, was hit in the head with a foul ball at a minor league baseball game. He currently remains in a hospital in Akron, OH in a medically induced coma while they wait for the swelling of his brain to go down and they determine their next course of action. This young boy and his family need our thoughts and prayers. You can visit the website his family has set up(http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lucasholko), leave your well wishes, stay up to date on his progress and make donations to help with his families expenses. Please keep Lucas and his family in your thoughts and prayers, he has a long road to recovery.

So Lucky

As I was running by the river today in downtown Louisville, I was reminded how lucky I am that we live this lifestyle. A lifestyle where we get to live all over the country, and see some amazing, beautiful cities.
Being a Saturday there were lots of families out, playing baseball, flying kites, walking their dogs, having picnics, young couples cuddled up on blankets under trees, elderly couples that had to hold on to each other to be able to walk down the sidewalks. This crazy, hectic life has placed me in such a beautiful city. Now, I must admit, Knightdale, NC was not by any stretch of the imagination glamorous, but I really enjoy Louisville. It's clean, seems pretty safe, and we're right by the river which is gorgeous. I know that I take this life for granted sometimes, but not today. I was reminded how lucky I am. Though it is incredibly stressful, hectic, and can change at any minute, I am so thankful to be here and to see what the future holds.

*I promise to get some pictures of the river and the area before we go.

My Bucket List

"Life's too short not to live it to the fullest."

These are things I want to do before I die, in no particular order.

• Visit all 50 states and Washington, DC. I've visited 23, only 27 and DC left. Along with this comes visiting specific cities, monuments, etc. but I'll just leave those off or this list would be waaaay too long.
• Ride in a hot air balloon
• Go parasailing
• Run a marathon (I will do this within the next year or so)
• Visit: Venice, Paris, Japan, China, Greece, Bermuda, Tahiti, and oh so many more.
• Ride in a helicopter
• Go on an African safari
• Do charity work with a women's/children's shelter
• Have something published-article or book-maybe both
• Snow ski
• Ride on a dog sled
• Snow mobile
• Go to the Super Bowl
• Go to the World Series
• Attend the Olympics
• Go zip lining
• Swim with dolphins
• Own a beach house
• Learn to golf
• Take a self defense class
• Take up yoga
• I want to drastically change someones life for the better
• Take an Amtrak train somewhere for vacation
• Go on a cruise with lots of friends and family
• Have a BIG birthday party
• Take an RV all over the country
• Hold a monkey
• See a whale in the wild

*I didn't include having children, or things having to do with children because I think that would require a whole other list all together.

There are so many other things I'm sure I would love to do, but I just haven't thought of them yet or they slipped my mind at the moment.

How I've been passing the time...

Ok, I have come across the neatest website and I must share. You may already know about it, as Lisa did, but it's http://www.etsy.com/. It's a site where people that are extremely crafty and talented go and sell their items. They sell everything on there: furniture, quilts, clothes, amazing jewelry, scrapbook stuff, and the CUTEST baby stuff. Just look at these little shoes. I may have to order them and just hold on to them for my future baby.

Searching this amazing site has really helped pass the time of this road trip, and continued to keep me from updating the blog. I know, I'm slacking. I promise to update soon with all that we've been up to in this wonderful city and everywhere else we've been.

Game One is in the Books

Travis made his AAA debut last night in Syracuse, NY. He went 6 2/3 innings giving up 1 run on 3 hits, he had 5 strikeouts and 4 walks. It was a very good start and I couldn't be happier. I'm sad I couldn't be there, but I'll be there for the next one. I'm going to head to Louisville Tuesday night. I'm following another girl that is driving her boyfriend's car up. I absolutely HATE driving so I'm not looking foward to it, but it's what I have to do. I'm so excited to see what this next stage holds for us.

Article about Travis's debut:

To say Reds prospect Travis Wood has come a long way would be an understatement.
A year ago, the tall left-hander had one of the worst ERAs in the Southern League, pitching to a dismal 7.09 mark, thanks, in large part, to control problems and a limited repertoire.
When Wood toed the mound for his Triple-A debut with the Louisville Bats on Saturday night, the crowd at Alliance Bank Stadium witnessed the 22-year-old's astonishing transformation into Cincinnati's most promising southpaw.
Wood allowed a run on three hits over 6 2/3 innings, exiting before the Bats squandered a late lead and fell to the Syracuse Chiefs, 4-3. He struck out five and took a shutout into the seventh before a two-out homer put a blemish on an otherwise spotless outing.
"I had a little more adrenaline than usual," said Wood, who had a Minor League-best 1.21 ERA and 103 strikeouts when he was promoted from Double-A Carolina. "I was a little overexcited in the beginning and trying to do too much, but once I get settled in I was fine."
Wood's energy may have led to several early walks -- he issued four free passes - but it didn't stop the former second-round pick from handcuffing the Chiefs all night. He retired nine of the first 11 batters and didn't allow a runner to touch third until two outs into the fifth inning.
"At each level, the game itself gets harder, gets faster. And everybody's top shelf [at Triple-A]," said Wood. "So as a pitcher that just came up, you're a little cautious about your stuff. But it's just another game."
That mind-set explains why Woods breezed through the Syracuse lineup with the same relative ease he showed in dominating the Southern League. With the addition of a cutter and newfound confidence on the hill this season, Wood jumped out to a team-leading nine wins with the Mudcats, posting those 103 strikeouts while walking only 37.
"That's helped a lot," Wood said of the cutter, which he mixes in with an upper-80s fastball and changeup. "But mainly it's just going out and believing in your stuff and just having fastball command."
The heater isn't the only thing Woods has excelled at controlling. The lanky lefty hasn't lost since April 26, a stretch that includes 15 Southern League starts and his International League debut.
Saturday night's success could be the stepping stone Wood needs to extend the streak even further.
"It certainly helps, but it's still one start," he said. "I still have several more to start before the end of the year. [You] try to just keep your focus."
Brittany Ghiroli is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

Louisville Bound

I know everybody has anxiously been waiting for this news, and if you haven't heard it yet, Travis got moved up to AAA in Louisville, KY. He got the news yesterday when he got to the field. Right now the Mudcats are in Huntsville, AL till Saturday and a couple of us girls came along. So I'm here and Travis left this morning for Kentucky. It works out fine though because I can't do too much by myself anyway. I need help with the heavy lifting. We're still trying to figure out our exact plans, but I know everything will work out. It's very exciting and I can't wait to see what the next chapter of this baseball season holds. I hear Louisville is a wonderful city and I'm very excited to get there. Travis will have his first start on Saturday night in Syracuse, NY. Go to http://www.batsbaseball.com/ to follow the games.

1-2-3 Inning at the All Star Game

Travis pitched really well in the All Star game. He started for the North Division and we ended up shutting out the South. Travis threw 11 pitches, faced 3 batters, had two flyouts and a groundout. It was short, sweet and to the point. His teammate, Todd Frazier, placed second in the homerun derby the day before the game, and then had a sore shoulder and couldn't participate in the game. Travis's parents and grandparents made the trip to Birmingham to go to all of the festivities. It was fun, but it was a really exhausting couple of days.

Travis and I at a museum for a BBQ dinner

Warming up
The boys made the trip just to watch Travis

The Mudcats

(several others were named All Stars, but couldn't participate b/c of injury or promotion)

Travis Made the Southern League All-Star Team

As you all know from my many posts bragging about how wonderful my husband has done so far this season, he has had an amazing season. So I am very pleased to announce he was selected to participate in the All-Star game on July 13 in Birmingham, AL. I am so excited, proud and cannot wait to go and cheer him on. Below is the article that was written up about all of the guys that were selected to represent the North Division. Several of his teammates were selected, including Jordan Smith (our roommate), Zack Cozart, Todd Frazier, James Avery (though he is on the DL) and Chris Heisey (but he will be in representing the Reds in the Futures game, and he got promoted to AAA!) Congratulations to everyone and it should be a really fun couple of days!

North puts best arm forward in SL All-Star Game
By Bailey Stephens/MLB.com

The Southern League's top hitter and top pitcher will join forces on the North Division squad for the 2009 All-Star Game, the league announced today.
Carolina's Travis Wood (8-3, 1.36) leads the league in wins and ERA and will anchor the squad on the mound while West Tennessee's Ezequiel Carrerra (.354-1-22) -- the league leader in a number of offensive categories including batting average and on-base percentage (.473) -- will pace the North's offensive charge. Wood, the Reds' 2005 second-round Draft pick, is the only unanimous selection on the squad.
Fellow Mudcat Todd Frazier (.314-7-42) was also named to the roster. Frazier, the Reds' 2007 first-round supplemental selection, leads the league in doubles (28) and extra-base hits (36). Mudcats' utility infielder Zack Cozart (.287-8-36), a second-round choice of the Reds in 2007, also earned a bid to the game. In addition to Wood, two other Carolina pitchers were selected to the squad -- James Avery (2-3, 2.89) and Jordan Smith (4-3, 3.29).
Six members of the first-half champion Huntsville Stars were named to the squad, including pitcher Donovan Hand (6-1, 2.39). Hand's miniscule ERA is good for third in the pitching-rich Southern League. Joining Hand on the pitching staff will be teammates Casey Baron (4-3, 1.80) and Robert Hinton (0-4, 3.27).
Hand and Co. may be pitching to their own catcher as Huntsville backstop Jonathan Lucroy (.258-5-43) was named to the team along with fellow Stars Shane Justis (.307-4-38) and outfielder Adam Stern (.300-3-26).
After a third-place finish in the first half, Tenneesee will contribute six players to the roster, led by pitcher Casey Coleman (7-3, 2.80), who owns the league's fifth-lowest ERA. Smokies closer Brian Schlitter (0-4, 4.64) also was invited on the strength of his 12 saves.
Tennesee shortstop, Darwin Barney (.315-3-32) will join teammate Blake Lalli (.302-2-20) in the infield while James Adduci (.302-1-25) will patrol the outfield for the North.
Chattanooga followed next with four selections, including Matt Sartor (1-2, 3.02), who has five saves on the season for the Lookouts. Playing the field and representing Chattanooga will be Andrew Lambo (.267-7-27), Josh Bell (.278-8-38) and Lucas May (.298-4-11).
Diamond Jaxx first baseman Marhshall Hubbard (.282-10-38) will serve as the team's DH for the contest. Hubbard, who was also named a Southern League All-Star in 2008 has tallied 42 walks this season for his club.
Chris Heisey (CAR), Drew Anderson (HVL) and Scott Elbert (CHA) were also chosen to the squad but will be unable to participate due to promotion. Heisey, also unanimously selected) led the league at the time of his promotion, hitting .347 with 40 RBIs.
The All-Star contest will take place July 13 at Regions Park in Birmingham. The South Division's roster is expected to be released June 30 followed by starting lineups on July 1 (North) and 2 (South).
The North squad will be managed by Diamond Jaxx manager Phil Plantier while Birmingham skipper Ever Magallanes will lead the South Division.

Good byes and great friends

The Ladies of Mudcats Baseball

Our friends, and Travis's teammate, Derrik Lutz, his wife Danielle, and they're nine month old baby boy Ryder, left us last night to head to Florida. Derrik has to have surgery on his elbow (Tommy John) and will be out for the season. It's horrible to have to say good bye, especially when it's for something like surgery. After the game last night we went over and helped them finish up they're packing and loading everything up, and then had to say our good byes. It's amazing how close we all become. I was trying to describe it to one the guys girlfriends. It's her first season of the baseball life, and I was trying to explain how close we all are and why. Even though some of us probably never would have been friends in our every day worlds, we all have this common bond; we love guys that play baseball. It's weird how close that can make you, but when your entire world is basically centered around the baseball world and what may happen during the season, it is definitely a bond that only we understand. We have all become so close and I am so grateful to have made such good friends through this crazy world. The players and their wives/girlfriends/fiances become your family during the season. We celebrate birthdays, anniversarys, and even births together. They are the ones that already understand what's going on without explanation. I don't have to tell them why I'm stressed about certain situations because they understand and have the same issues and worries. We understand each other and we understand each other's lives. It's an amazing, crazy, stressful world but we get through it with the help of each other. Thank you girls for listening to me, being there for me, and supporting us. I hope I offer the same for all of you.

Pitcher of the Week!

Travis was named the Southern League Pitcher of the Week for June 1-7. He has done so well all season and I am so proud of him. He's worked really hard and absolutely deserves it.


PERFORMANCE OF WEEK: LHP Travis Wood (5-3) lowered his league-leading ERA to 1.22 with a three-hit shutout at Jacksonville, striking out a career-high 11 in his first professional complete game. The shutout came after he had pitched six scoreless innings in a no-decision earlier in the week. Wood, 22, allowed just six hits in the two starts, with 17 strikeouts and one walk. Opponents were batting .191, and he had given up just two earned runs in his past 29 innings.

First Career Complete Game Shutout!!!

Travis and the boys are on the road in Jacksonville, FL. After an hour and a half rain delay, the game got under way. It was an absolute pitchers duel. Zack Cozart hit a homerun in the seventh to get the Mudcats on the board, then Todd Frazier hit another homerun in the ninth to score the only other run of the game. Travis pitched 9 complete innings, gave up 3 hits, no walks, and 11 strikeouts to match his career high. His ERA dropped to 1.22. It was an amazing game and I am soooo proud of him.

Here is an article that was written on Southernleague.com:

Here it is, hit it.
When Carolina Mudcats left-hander Travis Wood took the mound Sunday, he went in with a simple objective. He knew he had control of all five of his pitches and planned on challenging the Jacksonville Suns all night.
The left-hander gave up three hits and tied a career high with 11 strikeouts en route to his first complete game as the Mudcats blanked the Suns, 2-0.
"Everything felt good," Wood said. "All my pitches worked. When they put the ball in play, the defense was backing me. We just played well today as a team and battled and battled and ended up pulling it off."
After going 4-9 with a 7.09 ERA at Double-A Chattanooga last season, he was frustrated. He knew he needed to find more consistency with his pitches, which would produce more strikes. He threw away a season squandered and started preparing for a new one.
"I just tried to come out and give it everything I can every start. And, so far, it's been working," said Wood, who has won his last five decisions.
The 22-year-old came into the season looking to challenge hitters, an approach that's yet to let him down.
"It's my day or yours," he said. "You don't second-guess yourself."
Here it is.
Against the Suns, he retired six of the first seven batters.
"It went by so quick," the former second-round pick said.
Then, all of a sudden, it was the fifth inning and he still felt good. When he took the mound for the eighth, he thought, "Woo, everything is still feeling good." And in the ninth, one inning away from his first complete game as a professional, he told himself, "Three more."
"It's amazing," Wood said. "Their pitcher was going right there with me, so it was a battle."
But Wood took a mental advantage into each frame. He knew he could throw any of his pitches -- fastball, cutter, slider, curve or changeup -- over the plate, no matter the count.
"If he hits it, he hits it and you move on," Wood said. "It's a nice array of pitches to keep the hitter confused."
He retired the final 17 Suns and has yet to give up more than two earned runs in any appearance this season. Through 12 starts, he is 5-3 with a 1.22 ERA that ranks in the top 10 in all of the Minor Leagues. To top it off, Wood has given up only three earned runs over 38 innings at road parks.
Here it is, hit it.
"It ranks up there at the top of it," said Wood. "There's nothing better than keeping your team in it and giving them a chance to win. I'll just move on from this and go to the next start and see if we can't go it again."
If he keeps shutting down opponents, a trip to Triple-A might be in the future. But he remains focused on the road ahead.
"I would love to, but that's not my decision, so I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and, eventually, I'll be where I want to be," Wood said.
Here he comes.
Mason Kelley

The boys were home for 10 days!

The guys were home for 10 days and it flew by, as usual. We didn't really do too much. Travis got a couple of golf games in. We grilled out Sunday night with a majority of the team because they had a day game. Chelsea and I witnessed Ryder actually get up on his knees and crawl for the first time in the clubhouse. Normally, he just does this army crawl, scooting technique that still gets him around, but isn't technically "crawling."
Abbi turned 2 on June 2. I can't believe we've had her for almost two years already, it's gone by so fast. We're going to have a doggy birthday party while the boys are gone. I'm going to make a cake, I got party hats, and lots of treats. I'm keeping Homer, the Heisey's puppy, until Sunday while Chris is on the road and Lisa's home for a wedding. Him and Abbi get along very well because they both of lots of energy.
The team has been playing really, really well and has won 14 of their last 15 games. We're one game behind first place in our division so every game counts. Between Travis's last two starts he's gone 13 innings, 2 runs, 1 walk, and 8 strikeouts. He continues to lead the Southern League with an ERA of 1.38. His last start he pitched 6 shutout innings, and got a no decision because noone scored until Juan Francisco hit the game winning walk off homerun in the bottom of the 10th.
The guys left tonight for Jacksonville, Florida. Hopefully they'll keep the winning streak up. They have an off day when the get back and it's really going to be the first real off day of the season that they haven't been travelling (even though they do come in at like 6 a.m. on that off day, we'll take it either way).

The guys jumping on Francisco after winning the game

Travis-I'm not sure when this was taken but it's a really good picture I stole off the Mudcats website
The Manager of the Tennessee Smokies-Ryne Sandberg, MLB Hall of Famer, he's kind of a big deal
Abbi in her new kennel, with her new birthday collar, playing with her birthday toy from the Cozarts

Leading pitcher in the league!

Travis is currently the leading pitcher in the Southern League. Following his start in Chattanooga on Saturday, his ERA has dropped to 1.38. I am soooo proud of him! Oh, and his batting average is .222.

The boys swept their first series of the year!

The boys left town Wednesday night for a 5 day road trip to Chattanooga. The girls and I layed out at the pool, did a little shopping, went to the Raleigh Flea Market, went to the Farmer's Market and got some fresh fruit, and then today we grilled out (actually grilled, not the George Foreman). I'm so glad I have all of these girls here with me. They make the away trips actually enjoyable and bearable. The boys get home late tonight (like 4 a.m) and will be home for 10 days!

Something crazy I'm considering

Sooo I may possibly be thinking about training to run a marathon. I've never done anything athletic in my entire life, and I think it's a little late in life to try and take up softball or gymnastics, so I think I'm going to try and take up long distance running. My goal is going to be to run a 1/2 marathon this off season and then take some time off and train to run a marathon either during the season next year, or that following off season. I'm trying to convince Travis to do the 1/2 with me. He says he promises to do one with me one day, but I don't know that I'll ever want to do it again by the time I get done. It will be very difficult and require a lot of discipline so we'll just see have to see how it goes. I will keep you posted on my progress. Right now I'm just working on running for 30 minutes straight with hills and stuff without wanting to pass out. So far it's going ok. It's getting hotter and hotter outside though, so we'll see how I do this summer.

Baseball updates:
Travis has continued to do really, really well. He pitches tomorrow night in our old home, Chattanooga.

So much going on

Let me start out by saying, Travis got his second win of the season!!! He went 7 innings, gave up 7 hits, 1 run, 7 strikeouts! He is currently ranked second in the entire league (but I count him as first because the other guy got called up to the bigs while he was pitching against us the other night, and then had his debut against the Reds last night, so he's not even in the league currently). I am sooooo proud of him and wish I could be there to see every game, but the trips are just too far, so I just listen on the computer, and yell at the computer.

On another note, we walked in the Walk to Defeat ALS on Saturday and it was amazing. There were so many guys that came from the team, wives/girlfriends, and even several dogs that participated. It was really an amazing turnout and I'm so glad we got to be a part of it. Thank you to everyone who donated. We actually doubled our goal of $500 and have raised over $1,000.

The boys left Sunday morning, Danielle and Ryder flew to Cape Cod early that morning, and Lisa left with her parents so Chelsea and I were left to suffer through this trip. Sunday we went shopping and to dinner with Heather before she had to head back to work. Then last night we went to dinner with David Bell's (the coach for the Mudcats) wife, Kristi. It was really interesting to get her insight as to how this life works further into it. It's crazy how you still have the same problems to deal with (the chance of moving at any time, moving a million places, how to deal with having a family in this business, etc.). Kristi wanted to try out a French restaurant, Coquette. Chelsea and I googled it to look at the menu because we were a little nervous. The menu was mainly in French which scared us even more, and then the mentioning of frog legs, escargot, and other strange things really freaked us out. We both decided to go with "Steak Frites with Maitre'd butter" and it was a very good choice (frites is fries and is pronounced like freets, they were very good and didn't even require ketchup luckily because I don't think they had any). It was amazing, definitely a place we will have to go again. Chelsea and I have had a really great time, going to the gym, eating out, shopping, but we've missed the other girls, and definitely have missed the guys. They come home Saturday morning, but will really only be home for four nights.

Prayers please:
Please pray for Casey and her family. Her father, Jerry Hitt, passed away in his sleep at the end of last week. His service will be tomorrow and they could really use every one's thoughts and prayers to help get them through everything.

First Win of the Season!!!

Travis pitched in the second game of a double header last night. He pitched 6 innings, had 3 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts, and allowed only one run. He walked the first batter of the 7th and was pulled, that batter went ahead and scored. We won the game 2-1. He has been pitching so well and finally got a much deserved win.

Picture of him pitching a few weeks ago I stole from the Mudcats website.

Hitting wise, he walked and had a sac bunt so he's still hitting .222.

Walk for ALS

Saturday morning Travis and I along with several of his teammates and their wives will be walking 2 miles to help defeat ALS. One of Travis's teammates, Chris Heisey, lost his father to the disease in 2007. We are extremely honored to be walking in his memory. There is a link below that you can click on to make a donation. Any help would be greatly appreciated and used to benefit a really great cause.

http://web.alsa.org/site/TR/Walks/NorthCarolinaWalk?team_id=122831&pg=team&fr_id=5400

Some Wedding Pictures