One of the main reasons I began blogging is to recount our travels. Well, I haven't traveled as much to away games this season as I had originally thought. So far I've only been to one away game! Can you believe it? Therefore, I hereby dub thee June Road Trip Month! This is the B-Mets schedule for the month of June. What's most exciting is that it looks like Logan will have three off-days this month! That's more than he's had all season combined! We might take a trip to Niagara Falls or to Cooperstown for the Baseball Hall of Fame. The possibilities are endless! Disclaimer: That is, of course, unless these "off-days" are actually "travel days," meaning they spend the whole day on the road to the next destination. Today we leave for Manchester, New Hampshire! This is actually the one place I've traveled to, that I mentioned above but... We have some very close family friends that live nearby in Massachusetts and I can't pass up an opportunity to see them! Live Free or Die, y'all.
-E
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It's Wednesday! And what a fantastic Wednesday it is. Happy Birthday to my stunningly beautiful SuperMom! I was on a plane ALL day for last week's WUW, so, to make up for it... this first artist is my favorite singer-songwriter in the entire world!! Phoebe Hunt - Walk Away. This. This right here is my crazy talented cousin. She's currently traveling the country as a solo artist. It's tough to choose just one song to show-off her lovely, angelic voice and creative, unique music. The video I've attached is a live performance, but you can buy her entire EP on iTunes for just $5. Do it!! In the meantime, be sure to check out Good Blood and a live recording of Sugar too! Phoebe, along with her sister, dad and boyfriend, were the musicians at our wedding ceremony. Every song they played- Ave Maria, Be Thou My Vision, Canon in D, Bridal March... - was the most beautiful version! Jake Bugg - Two Fingers. I am loving this English singer-songwriter's Beatles vibe. Only 19-years-old but his music sounds very worldly. If I had to guess I'd say his inspiration comes from Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan. Jake's busy traveling across Europe, but comes to the USofA for a short tour in September and is on the list to play at Austin City Limits. Laura Marling - Where Can I Go? Another English singer-songwriter with a relentless sound. Interesting fact: Laura and Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons were together for a few years. Some of her lyrics are rumored to be referring to the "freewheeling troubadour." -E When you step out of your comfort zone and take a risk into the unknown, a range of emotions comes over you: excitement, fear, anxiety, happiness, independence, confusion, doubt, peace... It's just craziness! Driving toward Florida this February, I had my lovely mother riding with me. Every once in a while I'd tell her how excited I was. Then a couple hours later my stomach was in knots! I was looking forward to a new adventure and a new life as newlyweds, but I had no idea what the next 7 months would hold. I've had that new adventure feeling before... Going off to college, leaving to study abroad for 3 months, taking my first job... All life-changing events! I was confident in all those decisions, yet, anxious as to what would come of them. If there's anything I've learned it's to have faith. Have faith that where you are is exactly where God wants you to be at this very moment. Have faith that whether it's a good experience or a bad one, you will learn something and become a better person because of it. Have faith that God is with you in all that you do. In Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts, she makes a point to write down 1,000 of God's perfect gifts within her life. God is all around us. But sometimes we get caught up in our emotions and don't take the time to seek him. I started reading her book one year ago. I never finished it (oops... new goal!), but since then I seem to take notice of the craziest, most insignificant beauties in life. For Example:
With all the random acts of violence in the world, I find it hard to see the best in everyday, passer-by kind of people. {I have no problem finding beauty in nature, family, close friends, or material things.} So begins A story of those strangers that make a difference in my life. My angels. 1) Newspaper Clippings: There's a sweet man that works at the B-Mets field, Dan. The very first game of the season was freezing (like below 32 degrees freezing), so there were probably 100 people, including employees, at the game. It was easy to spot me and the other fiancé - what other girls would sit through an entire baseball game in that kind of weather? Dan spotted us and introduced himself. Logan had a good game that night, and a couple weeks later at the next home game he pitched, as I walked into the stadium Dan handed me a cut out newspaper article. It was an article all about Logan's opening day start! I was SO thankful. He now gives me an article after every single one of Logan's starts - home OR away. If it's printed, he finds it. In college I would collect all "LARIAT" clippings that mentioned Logan and kept them in a box to eventually make a scrapbook. I finished the book the night before he was drafted by the Mets and used it as a "Congratulations" gift. Since he moves so much now, all the articles I read are online. At some point I'd like to print those out, but it is so special to have articles from the local paper to add to the book. I think it will be an incredible keepsake to look back on in the years to come. What a thoughtful person to take the time to cut out each article mentioning his name. Everyone is so busy these days, time is all it takes to add joy to someone's day/week/life! Especially someone you barely know. All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us. - J.R.R. Tolkien -E It's a rainy day here in Binghamton, but Logan is coming home tonight from a 6-day road trip! We've seen each other a total of about 12 hours in the past 3 weeks. He went away on a road trip. Once he got back I saw him for 2 hours then I left for Texas. When I got back we spent half a day together before his game. Then the next day he left for another road trip! Love spending time with the dog and all, but... So since it's a little gloomy, this first song is absolutely perfect to kick-off this week's Walk-Up Wednesday! At this point you're probably thinking to yourself, "What the heck is Walk-Up Wednesday? That's an odd name..." This explains it all. Hear each song by clicking on the picture. Joshua Radin - Your Rainy Days. This man's lyrics are so sweet and romantic. His sound, even though the lyrics may be heartfelt and sad, is so uplifting and positive. This is his first self-released album and I'd say it's doing pretty well considering most of his shows around the country are sold out! Uncle Lucius - Keep the Wolves Away. Uncle Lucius is an Americana band out of Austin, Texas (woo TX!). This is a husband find that I've really grown to love. Their sound is different and soulful. They'll be at Gruene Hall this Friday and then head to North Texas for a couple more shows. Let me know if you make it to a show and tell me how they are live! The Great Gatsby - A Little Party Never Killed Nobody. The entire album is... Awesome! Amazing! Spectacular! I love how they've incorporated 20's, flapper vibes with modern-day artists and sounds. I am so excited for the movie (gotta finish the book first...)! This Fergie song and Bang Bang (album only purchase) are my top picks. Which is your favorite? Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines. BEWARE: YOU MAY BREAK-OUT INTO RIDICULOUS DANCE MOVES WHILE LISTENING. So groovy! Thicke actually started out as a songwriter for artists like Christina Aguilera, Usher, and Jennifer Hudson. His dad, Alan, played the father in "Growing Pains," so he's always had a foot in show business. He's had a few other albums that are good, but this song is much more fun and poppy than usual. Love it! Make it a great day!
-E I'm a dreamer. Always have been, always will be. Throughout my life I've wanted to be
^^^Pretty big dreams, right? ^^^ I was raised to "Dream Big" and "Go Big or Go Home." Therefore, I've always been in the middle of doing something completely outrageous. Around this time last year I started dealing with a huge internal battle. Have I given up on my dreams? I was talking to another baseball fiance just the other night, and come to find out I'm not the only one that's struggled with this. Our generation has us believing that as women it is our responsibility to no longer be a shadow behind our husband. Unlike 50 years ago when cooking & cleaning were supposed to be our main priorities, now I feel as though becoming a supportive wife and nothing more is looked down upon. Prime Example: During Spring Training there was a girlfriend that came to visit. During one of our first conversations she gave me the, "Soooo what do you do?" She was pursuing another degree. I felt so inferior. After all my endeavors and successes, my new "non-busy" lifestyle was overshadowing the fact that I was the happiest I think I've ever been. Of course I tried to explain how I'm working part-time and training for a marathon... does it matter? I don't need to explain myself. God simply led me in a different direction from her and I felt judged because of it. I’m tired of being judged. For 20 years I was judged and that’s what my success was dependent upon. Dependent upon the opinions of others. In dance they line up 5 or 7 judges to watch you, then write down what they think you should be scored, in their opinion. In pageants they choose several people, some that have never been to a pageant, to decide who takes home the crown. So go ahead society. Judge on. I'm used to it. :) But throughout all that judging I realized this: (prepare yourself for a super-duper cliche) Winning is not about taking home the trophy, {Okay, so I never complained when I got one} because in my experiences, you can win because you were second all across the board, or lose because one judge scored you in last place. Winning is about the process. It’s the discipline and hard work you put into something and being able to look back and see all that you got out of it. Life is about the process of reaching that ultimate goal, eternal life through Christ. Being able to look back and know that you did your best to live the way Christ intended. The hardest part is figuring out what Christ intends for you to do with the life you've been given.
Either way you’re faced with the fear of regret. If you don’t follow your dreams will you forever wonder “what if?” If you don’t follow the one you love will you forever think about “what could’ve been?” Obviously I chose the one that I dream of. The thrill of auditioning is incredible, but I get more of a thrill watching Logan pursue his dream. I find more happiness knowing that we’re living it out together. I have more satisfaction in knowing I’ve found the love of my life. Maybe I don't have a law degree. Maybe I'm not as career-driven as society expects (or as my 15-year-old self expected me to be). When I look back at my life 50 years from now, I want to see all the time I put into my family and friends. I want to remember the smiles they put on my face and all the crazy moments we had together. I want to relive the time Logan and I spent Easter Sunday driving from Florida to NY looking like the Beverly Hillbillies hauling my car. Go ahead and pursue your career. Heck, become CEO of a Fortune 500 Company. You go girl! Like I said before, I'm a dreamer and I support all other dreamer's dreams! But don't look at a woman that has made the decision to follow her husband or quit her job to stay at home with her family and think she gave up on her dreams. That's not what happened. She considered her options and her dreams changed. So accept the life God has led you to live. It might not be what you always dreamed of, It may be something even better! -E
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Erin Verrettwife of a pitcher. mother of a golden. daughter of the lord. FOLLOW @erinverrettCategories
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