NOTE: When sleeping on a plane, be aware of your surroundings- you might wake up with your head on some black guy's shoulder

Finally, some time to blog.

Currently, I"m sitting on the couch at my Aunt house, watching Psych on Netflix and hearing screams coming from the cousins playing Wii upstairs. It's 10am and breakfast is finished.
I still haven't adjusted to Cali time...it's so weird being 3 hours behind the majority of my friends. I always have to think about what time it is in PA if I want to text someone.

The weather...chilly! It hasn't even hit 80 degrees! The day we arrived - it was warmer in PA than it was here! WHAT?! Usually it's in the 90s by Easter!

Wednesday...our day of travel started out early. 2am early. We boarded our plane at 6:30 for the bumpiest ride of my life. I have never felt so sick! I almost barfed...yeah...it was bad. When we arrived in Chicago, we were informed that our connecting flight was delayed for an hour. What better way to pass the time then to sleep on the airport floor. I've wanted to do that, and now I HAVE.
9:30am central time we got on the plane for a 4 hour flight to Sacramento, CA.  A much smoother flight than the previous one. BUT this flight was completely packed! The downside to flying Southwest is that you don't have assigned seats and every open seat happened to be the middle seat by the time we were allowed to board(for future-they board business class first). I chose the middle seat between a middle aged lady with an amazing smelling salad for lunch, and a man about 30 bald and dark skinned. I never got to ask him what nationality he was, but he had somewhat of a Spanish accent. Quite the character. I didn't have much space to move around, or even write in my journal. I did however somehow find someway to sleep the majority of the flight. The only problem...although...it is the highlight of my flight.....is that there isn't much space for sleeping and SOMEPEOPLE.....just might wake up with their head on a tall, dark man's shoulder.  :) Yeah..that'd be me..and it was pretty embarrassing, awkward..and hilarious!

We arrived in California around 12pm pacific time, were picked up be grandpa and headed to his house. Finally a bed, my legs and body was so sore...and grandpa's bed was just perfect...with built in massage. :) :)

We've spent the majority of our time here hanging out with our family. LOTS of walks to the park and school and anywhere really. I do enjoy walking everywhere! I've played Tennis for the first time in real life! Pretty fun, except I hit the ball too hard and it flies out of the court completely! Haha!
Yesterday, we got to visit mom's old neighborhood and a friend of hers from high school. I quite enjoyed the trip and hanging out people I've only heard my mom talk about. The houses in North Highlands reminded me alot of houses in the Dominican....and alot of the landscape around here does as well. No banana trees, but lots and lots of palm trees. I even found a BRIGHT yellow plastered house! I was so excited! I even cooked a Dominican style meal for my family last night and need to get some more plantains so my cousins can try them. :)
The most exciting thing around here.....OH MY GOODNESS...they have ICE CREAM TRUCKS!!! I was beyond words excited about this, that I stalked outside GG's(mom's friend from H.S.) house until they came down the street the second time so i could get a picture. The one-a dark grey/black, old van...no way would i buy ice cream from that....it looked way to sketchy! The other one is a big white van that doesn't look as scary, BUT the guy driving looked like Osama Bin Laden!  I don't know if I'll get ice cream before I leave or not.

Well, now that I have actually updated ya'll, I'm gonna go. Photoshoot time for my cousins! :) And more walking!

Till later....
God Bless!
♥

What starts as a passion, can become a ministry.

Britt pitching at a JBHS Varsity game vs. Northern 3/30/2011

With the grass beginning to turn green...


Actually yesterday as I was driving, I smelled that all to lovely smell of fresh cut grass! I was so excited! 
But grass is not the topic of this blog entry. Baseball is - sort of.

As any of you who are my friends on Facebook have by now realized by the abundance of pictures of my brothers caught in random sports like poses....Baseball season has begun! Baseball has been part of the family for about 7 years now. From Little League to High School  ball, we've done it all! I find it fascinating that the boys can still vividly remember a game from 5 years ago. Right down to the pitches and where they came across the plate, how they swung at it, and what went right...or wrong...in the seconds after it was thrown. Sheesh! I can remember a couple games, but nothing like that. I just remember being there and that they won. The score or how they won I do not recall. 

When I say Baseball is a FAMILY sport - I mean it. I remember last summer, coming home from working a tiring week at camp and finding out that I had to bring Daniel to Smithsburg, MD at 9am Saturday morning. And on a day that I just wanted to sleep and prepare for the next week at camp. Everyone in the family does their part. Making sure the boys have enough water and carbs. CLEAN uniforms. And of course...support on the field and personal photographer(even if it's 30º outside with blizzard like conditions).

Josiah batting in at JBHS Varsity game vs. Northern 3/30/2011

Until a few weeks ago, I saw baseball as a passion, but my view has since changed.


 Sometime in the past month I had a crazy dream where my family met a MLB player and started a baseball clinic/ministry type thing in a 3rd world country as well as here in the states. We got to travel ALL OVER the world doing what the boys love most...playing and coaching baseball. Naturally, I told my family about this and we all got a good laugh.


   But it's not too far off actually. Last night I went to practice for the team dad is coaching, which also happens to be Daniel's ball team. I was getting video footage of the boys batting so they could pick out what needed improvement. As I sat there listening to the boys chatter both behind me and on the field, I was struck with an overwhelming sense of the ministry opportunity my family has in this sport. 
    When you have a group of 13 boys ages12-14, you can imagine the conversations that go on. I was so proud of Daniel, who always seems to be the quiet one at home that nobody pays attention to, unless it's to yell at him for coming in the house covered in mud(which I for one am trying harder to always be encouraging to him). Quietly, but sternly, he kept telling the boys that what they were talking about was inappropriate. I sat there smiling, and so proud of him for standing up for what's right! :)
  
   I also got to watch dad as coach. What patience it takes with boys that age! Boys of any age for that matter. Mom kept rolling her eyes at how embarrassing he was, making corny jokes and doing the dumbest things to keep the kids focused on practice. The kids love it! But at the end of the day- he is just as real with them as a coach should be. Most of these boys, we've watched come up through Little League. Daniel's played with them and against them. We know most of their families at least by sight. You can tell which kids come from families that are closer knit, whether christian or not. It was interesting as I watched each boy come up to the plate. Body language tells so much and to see all the insecurity they have made me think twice about just blowing baseball off as only a 'sport'.  It is a ministry. Dad has the opportunity to encourage and strengthen lives of all those boys. Who knows, they might always remember him as the one person that showed them Jesus, whether it was by a smile, or taking time to listen to them. 


Britt, Josiah and Daniel have a different, but similar ministry. The teammate ministry. They play, practice, breathe the same thing as the other players. They see the game from the players perspective, they are looked at, not as a coach, but a brother. A Teammate. They have the opportunity to minister right where they are on the bench, in the field, stealing second base...who knows how God is using them this year as they use their passion as a platform for their ministry.




So what's your passion? What do you love? Because that can very well be the platform to your ministry.


Dios te bendiga
♥