Still Here

Yes, we're still here {meaning, alive} and we're still here in the southeast. 

We've had our fair share of bad weather, but absolutely nothing compared to the disastrous tornadoes that ripped through our home state. My heart aches for the ones affected by them. Will you join me in prayer for those that lost loved ones and lost their homes?? I honestly cannot imagine being in their shoes. It tears me to pieces.

I have not blogged in over a week which is quite unusual for me and it's not because I've been traveling the open road. Due to a couple of unplanned incidences, we have had to stay home a few extra days but we will finally be on our way to Arizona in the morning. To tell you the truth, I'm not even going to feel secure that we are officially going there until we're halfway across the state of Texas. I've made at least three attempts to leave home and go out there and they have all failed... {not that I'm really complaining toooo bad}. Brad and Emily are on pins and needles anxiously awaiting our arrival in Scottsdale and we are very excited!

Since I am without my camera cord, I can't show you any pictures from Easter and other happenings just yet so these pretty items from the world wide web will have to do for today.

I'm really more of a coral, melon kind of person, but these shades of green and blue have really been catching my eye lately. I would say they are very "springy".  I love just about everything in the picture above- the color on the cabinets, marble countertops, farm sink, soap dish, etc. but my favorite detail of all is the gold faucet. I've never seen one like this and when I have a home of my own {one day} I am going to hunt one down!

And I've also never been one to paint any other color on my nails but red, pink, clear, and coral but this color caught my eye the other day... Although, I don't know if I'm "cool" enough to pull it off ... I've never been the trendy type, but I just might have to try it out and see.

Well, the next time you hear from me I will be in the SUNNY desert {hopefully} and I will have lots to catch you up on... Thanks for reading readers!

Photography by Bri

Bri {the nickname we call my mom sometimes} took some pictures of us today... She has a reeeeeeally nice camera and lens and we were her test subjects.

Aaron was a great sport... he made the most of it. He wasn't bored anymore when he found this sling shot type thing.

I'm so bad about always being the girl behind the camera and Aaron and I rarely get pictures together, so I'm glad we have these. And I'm going to try to get better at that- I know that at least our family members will appreciate seeing both of us while we're on the road!

Aaron's still going strong in his rehab and we go for our two week follow up on Monday. {I love how I say "our"... Heck, it is OURS! We're in this together.} And we get to spend Easter with our families... another bonus of this extra time at home. We greatly appreciate your prayers for Aaron's shoulder and we will be needing them next week when we head to Arizona. Thank you for taking time to stop by the blog. You are appreciated!

Playing Nurse

Well, obviously he had his surgery...

... and he's been my patient in this little home health clinic I'm running. He eats a big breakfast every morning, takes cat naps {pardon the pun}, and milks this thing for all it is worth... but I love being his nurse! He hasn't had to take the first pain pill I will say... He says, "My arm's just as sore as this after I throw a bullpen." Obviously, he was in a lot of pain at Spring Training and for the past two years. The surgery went very well and to make a long and complicated story short, the doctors {including Dad} are pretty confident that he will be throwing pain free in several weeks. {We pray.}

The kitties have enjoyed him being down for the count the past couple of days... that means they have someone to lay around with.  They feel for him.

He's three days post-op and doing his PT exercises like a champ. He has full range of motion in his shoulder, all of his strength is still there, and besides surgery soreness, he's pain-free. Only time will tell if he's completely pain-free.

And this has nothing to do with playing nurse or arm care, but I got some pink grapefruits at the grocery the other day and they are so good! I slice them in half, cover them with sugar {I prefer Sugar in the Raw-for texture} and take a knife and slice through all the little triangular sections and it makes the most refreshing {and healthy} little snack. If you've never eaten them this way, you should try it!

Last night we went to dinner with our best friends Courtney and Clay and though Aaron is favoring his right arm in these two pictures, he was feeling great. We had so much fun!

Like I've said before, we're just trying to make the most of our time here even though it's because of a surgery.  I would say we're making lemons into lemonade with these circumstances we're in and it tastes pretty delicious if you ask me!

From Gulf to Table

Well a few posts ago, I said I was "Soakin' it Up" and there's no doubt I am still savoring every minute at home before we have to leave for Arizona. However, our stay has been extended a couple of weeks due to another surgery Aaron is having and because of that, he has really been "livin' it up" these past few days {considering that his right arm will be immobile for the next few weeks}.  We went on a long bike ride, he's played golf, been turkey hunting, bass fishing, and deep sea fishing. Needless to say, it's been a full week and he's been well, livin' it up!

Mr. Andy {who is our friend who always takes us on these adventure-filled excursions} was once again the hostess-with-the-mostess and our whole afternoon of fishing was action packed.

Of course Snapper season is out... we caught the mother-load and couldn't even keep them!

And some of us {including myself} had to have a little help reeling them in...

They put up a big fight but it's so much fun being the winner!!

Trigger fish was the only kind we could keep and I caught the only keeper. She reminded me of Dory on Finding Nemo.

And as usual, these two tore it up, kicked butt, and took names.

And while I did catch my fair share of fish, relaxing on the boat is one of my favorite things about fishing... and eating cheetos on the beanbags.




... and watching the dolphins.

Despite a cloudy, foggy start to the afternoon, it cleared up beautifully and we fished until dark.

A few weekends ago, Mr. Andy took my Dad and a few other guys on an overnight tuna fishing trip. They tore up the Yellowfin Tuna AND the Wahoo and Amberjack. My Dad said this was the most fun fishing trip he's ever been on.

The main reason I bring this other fishing trip up is for one- they did unbelievable catching all these, and two- I think I'm going to turn into a fish pretty soon! I think I've almost eaten my weight in tuna and wahoo and I have been loving every bite. However, we've had to get creative about fixing it since we eat it so often.

I have come up with my favorite way to fix and eat this delicious fish and the thing is, it doesn't taste like fish at all! I make a simple marinade of lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and then mother throws it on the grill for a good searing while I concoct the hollandaise sauce.  Julia Child's Hollandaise is my absolute favorite and it is so scrumptious it would taste good alone with a spoon... {don't ask me how I know}. Here is the much more simplified version:

2 sticks of butter

3 egg yolks

1 Tbsp cold water

1Tbsp lemon juice

Big pinch of salt

1 Tb cold butter

Melt the 2 sticks of butter over low heat and set aside. Beat egg yolks in a saucepan for a minute and then beat in water, lemon juice and salt. Add in 1Tbsp of butter over low heat and whisk until the mixture slowly thickens.  {Make sure you keep the heat down... you don't want scrambled eggs!} After the mixture has thickened, remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the melted butter until you have gorgeous whipped hollandaise sauce!

It's not only delicious with fish, I serve it with lots of dishes- roasted asparagus, steamed whole artichokes, grilled steak, poached eggs... basically you can put it on anything and whatever you are eating will be delicious. Trust me!

I hope that you will keep this gorgeous hunk of an arm in your prayers because it's going under the knife in the morning at approximately 7 am. We have hope that this surgery will relieve his pain for good {even though it's uncommon in pitchers}, but most importantly we have FAITH that God's hand is all over his shoulder and that's the most comforting fact of all. Whatever the outcome, we're gonna be just fine! {and at least his arm will still be looking fine! Sorry I had to say that.}

Thanks for reading readers!

It's the little things

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to spend the whole day with my Grandmomma and Grandaddy... and it was bliss. There are not many things more enjoyable to me... the conversation, the food, the atmosphere, but mostly the conversation leave me filled to the brim. 

These "little things" I photographed are just a few of the constants every time I come to visit and I thought I would share them with you... {and I bet many of you can relate!} 

There are always baked "goodies" on beautiful platters and cake stands to nibble on...

...and a mile-high stack of home decor and cooking magazines for me to read... {She literally saves all her magazines for me and only enables my magazine addiction... The thing is, I certainly get it honest!}

Her home is adorned with all things dainty and lovely... We found these pretty little Jadite salad plates that will be gracing my future dinner table because she let me go home with them!

{My mother and I are Jadite collectors so she's just as excited about them as me!}

There are always thirsty hummingbirds to watch outside their kitchen window...

... while browsing through cookbooks and discussing recipes we've tried or want to try, and there is always fresh mint from her herb garden to grace my glass.

... and for their privacy {and Grandmomma's modest preference}, I won't post a picture of them but this is one of the beautiful rooms in their home... if my Grandmomma was a room, this would be her. 

This room makes me smile and so does spending time with my grandparents... I love them all so much it makes my heart hurt, and I could write a post like this about each of them! I am blessed because of their strong presence in my life and I cherish these days I have with them. Time is so precious and I thank God for such a meaningful gift!

Actually... hold that thought.

Well, my life is quite the roller coaster. I simply have to live it one day at a time because the next day is bound to bring change, highs, lows, good news, bad news... anything you can imagine. Seriously, I laugh because that is how it is. I always say God has a sense of humor by putting me in this lifestyle I live because I like to have a plan and stick to it... That, I absolutely cannot do being the wife of a baseball player... and it's only making me a more "go with the flow" kind of person and I am thankful for that.

Last Thursday, Mom and I were putting the finishing touches on everything we had packed and the phone rings. It was Aaron... He asked me what I was doing... I told him I was just finishing up packing... He said I might better stop... Huh? What? What do you mean?... He said he was coming home to see Dr. Andrews about his shoulder and that we might be home for another couple of weeks.

I really wasn't that flabbergasted. I kind of expected it, just not this soon... not two days before I was supposed to make the road trip to be with him. I'm serious, I really feel like I'm on a wild roller coaster... but I LOVE roller coasters so I'm not complaining too bad!

We haven't seen the doctor yet, so we're just thoroughly enjoying our time at home together until then. It's been exactly a month since I last saw him {in person} and life has been really really really good these past few days.

But today I'm here to blog about our weekend before I was reunited with my man. Dad, mom, Jessica, and I went to watch Jessica {and Emily} in their triathlon. I was supposed to be racing with them, however my compartment syndrome I came down with a couple of weeks ago booted me to the sidelines as the photographer/cheerleader.

I was one PROUD big sister.

Yes, she is a rock solid athlete... I mean, who is smiling at this point in this particular kind of race???

They swam, biked, and ran... and most of these are just of Jessica because Emily threatened instructed me not to put any of her on here.

We were SO proud of our Jessy Leigh! She was 13th overall in the women's division. Oh yeah, she SMOKED it!

Sorry Em... but you look so hardcore in this picture I just had to sneak it in!

I was so proud of my Em!! {fyi, we will be living in Scottsdale with her and Brad when we ever make it out there...}

After the triathlon, we made a detour to the cabin to "jerk some perch" with Papaw.

And that we did!

We are currently visiting the in-laws, and I got to spend this whole day with my Grandmomma and Grandaddy! That always makes for a good day... more on my little visit later.

We go to the doctor on Monday to find out what the final verdict will be... to do a second surgery or to wait and see... so until then, we are enjoying this time together, and with our friends and family.

I'll be back sooner than later! {I hope}