The part I will miss....

Spring Training is almost over. Leaving Florida will be strange.

There will be parts I will miss.

I have complained about Florida for sometime now but didn't realize how good I had it.

I am not talking about being a minority in a rude at times(lots of times)city.

I am not talking about the blistering hot and humid summers.

I am not talking about the 5 mile/30 minute drives in traffic.

I am not talking about the 10 fans at the stadium either.

I am talking about the relationships that changed my life.

I am talking about the family away from home.

I am talking about 9 inning Bible studies.

I am talking about knowing everyone's name.

Josh was drafted in 2000 by the Florida Marlins. It is very, very strange not to be traded. Josh was with the Marlin organization for 8 years. We have been married for 6 of those. Over the years I have developed some amazing friendships. Some of these have been traded away but they will forever leave a footprint in the journey we have taken.

In '06 several of us were all pregnant together. In '07 we had our babies together. They all watched opening day together.

We also all lived in the same condo together. When the guys were on the road we would cook breakfast and supper for each other. Summer lived one floor right below us. We spent many days letting our boys play together.

These kiddos spent every single day together. This means the Mommies spent every night together as well. They become your family. We know no one else and our families are hundreds of miles away. You really depend on these girls, especially when the men are on the road.

Our wonderful nannies were especially helpful! They were lifesavers and such wonderful women. I developed relationships with these ladies and they loved Rhett.

And I will not miss the bad haircuts from the Spanish-speaking hair "Stylists"!

I will never forget when I called Summer late one night because Rhett had been sick and was having an allergic reaction to Penicillin. Josh was gone for 10 days and Rhett was sick the ENTIRE time! His ENTIRE body was covered within an hour of taking his amoxcillin.

Then, when the guys played on the west coast, Vanessa called me at midnight telling me to get to the hospital she was having an emergency c-section and I was her "Mike". After I dragged Rhetts pack N play(with him sleeping in it) down the hall,up the elevator and to another wife's condo, I quickly left. An hour later tiny twin girls were born. What a night! I will remember that one forever!

Rhett and Hudson are forever friends! They are 3 days apart in age. Rhett loves Hudson so much and asks about him every single day.

We did manage a couple of trips to Jupiter. One, was when baby Haven (Hudson's new sister) was born. The other day was just a day off planned to hang out one last time for spring.

Isn't she BEAUTIFUL?!

I will miss my friends so much! Some friendships were just beginning(Meghan and Jenn) and some we had been friends for years(Summer). I will miss so much about these girls and what they will always mean to me. God has blessed us tremendously over the years. I truly thank God for these women that played a huge and vital part to my life. I believe with all my heart that God sends people into your life because he knows exactly what you need at exactly the right time.

I will miss our Bible studies and what they meant to me. I thank God for Wendy(chaplains wife) and all the wonderful studies she challenged us to. I thank God for her friendship. She helped me grow more than she will ever know! I also thank God for Wendy's ability to be a Godly wife to Chris and mother of 4 beautiful boys! I only hope I can be half the example she is to her boys! They(Wendy and Chris) are a perfect example of the impact you can have on your kids lives. They are an example of how children can be like Jesus even at a young age.

Thanks for sweet little Hudson, he is Rhett's first best friend!

My wives friends: Summer, Meghan, Lauren, Heidi, Meredith, Jenn Mac, Jenn Brown, Lindsay, Tonya, Vanessa, Erin, Natalee, Jane, Wendy, Stephanie, Katie,Tatum, Tara....I know I am leaving out a host of girls from the past couple of years...None the less all important!

And thanks to anyone involved with the Marlins. Thanks:

Parking lot guys and gals

The attendant that gave me my tickets at every game.

The security guards in the tunnel guarding the locker room, opening the doors for our hubbys and the ones opening the doors for us.

Worth- one of the sweetest men ever- always smiling

David the usher

The nannies

The man in the scorching non-ac elevator

Boomer- for scheduling all of the road trips

Wendy and Chris Lane

ALL of the fans that chanted "What time is it? HAMMERTIME!"

Doug the super fan- for standing in parking lot with a thumbs up after every game greeting every player!

Larry Keller- the scout that drafted Josh.

The list could go on and on and on!

Maybe this blog will let you guys at home understand a little bit about how it is for me 8 months out of the year MINUS the baseball part and how important ALL relationships are. You all know, I couldn't do it without your support and prayers either!