Back at it again

Hi guys! 

I am thinking of blogging from here again. 

I will still keep my Facebook blog for a while. 

I have some amazing trips coming up. I want to share every moment of my travel with you, here. 

I am blessed to be able to travel this beautiful country and world. 

I realize not everyone can do that. But how great would it be to get to live it through this blog. 

Traveling has educated me more than college or any school ever has. I am so inspired by all the travel IG accounts. 

In January I made an intentions list. 

My intention for 2015 is to see more of the world, spread more love, create more space, enjoy baseball, pursue yoga, and inspire-inspire-inspire! 

I plan on making this blog the space where all of that lands. I am real bad with technology and blogging that's why I switched to Facebook in the first place. But I'll learn, right?! 

Maybe I'll meet someone who can HELP me. 

Anyway. Meet me here and follow this blog to go on this journey with me! 

I love love love you guys 💕

BAR

I hate this stupid blog!

I hate this stupid blog y'all! I really do! 

I don't like it. I always forget to write. I don't know what I'm doing. I can't figure out how to make it look the way I want. So whatever. I've decided that instead of trying to mush myself into the blog box I'm just going to make a Facebook page. So much relief! Because I really love blogging. I love writing. It doesn't even matter that I'm no good at it. Facebook is much more accepting of misspelled words any ways. So I've created a Facebook page and everything and everyone can move over there! It would mean a whole lot to me. 

The reason I started this blog was because to be quite honest y'all scared the crap out of me. The first time someone tweeted me was in spring training. And they said, "Brittany ross is on twitter!" And that really freaked me out. People that I didn't know wanted to follow me on Twitter.... Insane! So what do you do when you are scared?! You lean into the fear. And that's what I did. With this blog- sort of. It is supposed to be a way to connect the fans to the sport, for women to understand women, my friends and family to keep up, and for everyone to laugh at my hilariously ridiculous life. I do a down right horrible job at blogging bc I hate it. So Facebook is the answer!!! I love reading y'all's comments and emails and tweets. Using Facebook will be like building a small community where I'll actually know how to resound and add pictures and videos. This is a revolution to me. 

All Things Ross is the Facebook page name. So, Here's the deal. If y'all would go over to the Facebook page and LIKE it!!! And if the page seems to be catching on then maybe I'll do a giveaway. Some people have been contacting me about supporting there brand or products so I will be able to share that with you guys too! 

I still suck at complicated things so be patient with me:) 

See ya on FB

HE>i

B 

Outside your zone

  I've been somewhat silent on social media. I believe in the Golden Rule. I don't obey many rules but the one I stick to is, "If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all." That's where I've been. Nothing nice to say. 

Us baseball people(wives, finances, girlfriends) try to pretend like baseball doesn't consume us and for the most part we do a good job at not letting it. But then all the sudden your husband gets sent down, traded, released, injured.. It's nothing you've ever planned for and it turns your world upside down. 

I've always admitted to being a slow learning. I used to be ashamed of that in school. But now as an adult I like it better this way. It's like eating your food slow so you can taste ever bite. 

I went to Haiti a week ago. I worked at a mission sifting dirt and moving rocks. In the afternoon we got to play with babies and love all over them. Haitian baby kisses and snuggles are the best. Haiti was one of the hardest things I've ever done. While I was there what I'm about to tell you would have been complaints but now it's just a description. 

I slept in a concrete room that's about the size of my kitchen. There were 30 women sleeping in bunk beds. The breeze (if there was one) through the windows was our air conditioning. The bathroom- I can't even describe that thing. There was a sign taped to the wall that read, " If it's yellow let it mellow. If it's brown flush it down." We were lucky to get all 30 women showered in cold water. I've never been so thankful for a cold shower. We could hear the voodoo rituals at night howling over the mission. 

When I came back to America I had a deep appreciate for life. God put things in perspective for me and humbled me. My worldview changed instantly. If your like me and it takes you a while to learn the lessons of life then I have the cure. Move outside your comfort zone. Any direction will work really. Financially, spiritually, emotionally, or physically. If you are really risky you could do two at once. Haiti rocked my world. Physically I worked hard and felt like I was suffering from a heat stroke every second of the day. There's a spiritual warfare going on in Haiti right now. Voodoo is ever present. God took my baseball worldview of being sad about Robbie's demotion and stretched me. My worldview doesn't consist of me, myself, and I anymore. I'm sure that feeling will end as most do and I'll need to be stretched again. But as for right now in this moment I can feel God. I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be. And so are you. 

Right here on the lake with my family enjoying the water and the moment. Every moment is completely and only responsible for itself. Indulge in it. 

As always, HE>i 

B 

  

Day Changers

Right before I write anything I like to let out a big sigh. I cleansing breath. Ya know, to get rid of all the junk before I write anything down. Because words are powerful weapons and they can give life or destroy life. I feel like a breath is good before you expose your soul. 

This morning I took ten deep breaths. Ten long slow deep breaths. I'm shaky. And teary writing this. Not because I'm sad or stressed or an emo wreck. But because I'm loved. And I feel it all around me. 

 I would presume that the majority of people who read this blog are friends, family or Rangers fans/family. Maybe some fellow baseball wives scattered on other teams and throughout the minor leagues. If you don't fall into one of those categories then you might not know that yesterday Robbie was optioned to Triple A. 

What I thought would be a devastating phone call has turned into the exact opposite. I wanted to tweet everyone back. I wanted to respond to everyone's text message and voice mail but this is the best way for me to express me deep appreciation for the love I've been shown. 

Being optioned to Triple A is a sucky blow to both of us but really minor in the grand scheme of things. Richard Durrett passed away yesterday and it doesn't seem right to mourn the loss of a job when there's a death to mourn. And that got me thinking that death is all around us. There's a staggering statistic that death is always on the rise. Women and children are being mistreated and horrible things are happening in the world. I don't find it right or okay to make any complaints about mine and Robbie's situation. I am going to Haiti in a couple of days and those sweet angels are the only thing on my mind. Yes. It does suck. Don't get me wrong but I believe it's temporary. I believe my husband is better than this. And I believe we will be back. 

I even believe that this is exactly where God wants us. 

I have peace about going to RoundRock. But what is really really hard for me to accept is : Love. The amount of support and love that rolled into my iPhone yesterday is really overwhelming. It makes me wonder if I even accept love well? If any of us do. That's a real hard thing for me.... To accept love. Pinterest taught me that "We accept the love we think we deserve". Now I know I don't deserve Robbie but I accept his love. And I know I don't deserve Jesus but accept his love. But you guys!!!! 

If you are one of my family members who sent me videos saying you're here with me, or one of my friends who txt me saying you don't know what to say in situations like this but that you are here, or one of the people who tweeted me Bible verse after Bible verse, or called me and sat in silence and cried with me- if you are one of those people then THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. I wish there was a more intimate word to offer my gratitude. I've read every tweet, message, and email. I am extremely grateful. 

If you are one of those people who asked me what you could do for me. I told you there wasn't anything you could do... But I changed my mind. 

Richard Durrett did something for me an the airport one day. I was living in lala land and didn't realize the ticket counter had been calling my name for thirty minutes. Richard came up to me and told me they'd been calling my name for a seat upgrade. I had only met him once before and wasn't sure how he knew my name. All day that day people had been calling me and wanting and needing things from me. I think I had checked out for the day. Richard probably never knew how much that sweet and simple moment meant to me. When people take time out of their day to do something sweet and simple that might go unnoticed by the world around them- that is when the world really changes. Changing the world isn't all about advocacy or fancy mission trips. Yes all of that helps but changing someone's day... Those people who have the capability to change someone's day by something as simple as a tweet or advice at the airport they are the world changers. And we all have that capability. So thank you for changing my day yesterday. And thank you Richard for changing my day at the airport. 

Now today it's my turn to change some peoples day:) hopefully it will start with my husbands as I pick him up from the airport and maybe it will end with one of you. 

A smile, a chat, a hug, a note, an email, tweet, paying for someone's food behind you at McDonalds, a random conversation, buying someone's gas, leaving a gift card in someone's mailbox, my favorite- finding out someone's story(maybe even a homeless persons story) those are the day changers. I encourage you to change someone's day today. That's what you can do for me.  I'll be doing the same. And if the moment requires it then snap a photo. So you can always remember how short life is, how precious it is, and how easy it is to brighten. 

Love and peace to Everyone

HE>i 

B

Abort Adulthood

Every so often I stop and listen to nature. I think the birds and trees and everything living and breathing in nature have got it right- they're all working together in one perfect unison. I heard in church one time that if you break down the sound waves of a tree its whisper sounds like "Yahweh". That has stuck with me for years now. The trees are constantly worshipping God.... How amazing!  I think there are hidden mysterious just like that all around us. But very rarely are we spending time hugging trees to notice. 

 

Mostly I'm too busy being busy that I forget to stop and breathe.  Baseball season usually consumes me like that.

I've been surrounded by baseball for the past 8 years now. Three of those years I've been traveling with Robbie. I've not been a straight a student when it comes to learning lessons in life. But I've finally got this one figured out. Breathe. Soak it all in. Be fully present. 

It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in my hotel room with my sister waiting for Robbie to call me and say, "Big Leagues", "Triple A", or "Double A". 

It was April Fools day when he got the news. I think the Rangers purposely waited til that day just so they could trick him. Of course he tricked me too. He called and told me Round Rock was where they saw Robbie for the beginning of the season. My heart sank. That was the first moment in all of baseball when baseball wife mode kicked in. Baseball wife mode is when all your fears and anxiety and stress is shoved to the side for a moment so you can figure your crap and your husbands crap out.  In one flash of a second I had our entire day, week, and baseball season planned out. That's my job. In one moment I had arranged how I would get myself and three dogs packed up and flown to RoundRock, how I'd get my sister in law to help me and get her back home, how I I'd pack two cars and get them shipped, and where we would live for the next six months. I'd figure it out. I had to. Id also be fully present and listen to my husband melt down in disappointment. Triple A wasn't what we were hoping for!

 In the midst of all the chaos in my head I heard the words, "April Fools". I am the prankster of all pranksters and somehow those two words had no meaning. I looked at my sister in law and said it out loud. "April Fools". It was her lit up expression that brought me back to real life and I realized what that meant. We were going to the Big Leagues. And we were going today. Another plan had already set into motion. A much sweeter, nicer plan. 

From that day on it has been a blur. There have been moments where I've snapped in and out of reality but mostly I don't know what is going on until it's already happened. 

We moved into a high rise apartment because our financial advisor told me that's what most people do who live in big cities. We've always lived in KY and there ain't no such thing as a high rise there. Robbie's always lived with 5 friends in the minor leagues in a small three bedroom apartment where at least one guy sleeps in the kitchen. Three dogs and two humans on the 14th floor in the middle of Dallas was the worst idea I had ever NOT had. Grocery trips were excruciating and I basically I never left our apartment. I went to games, took my dogs to the dog park and fully emerged myself in Katniss, Peta's, and Glales love life. The shock of baseball and transition from being a college student and nanny to a MLB traveling wife was more than i had prepared for. 

The off season couldnt have come quick enough and the Big Leagues wasn't all it was cracked up to be. 

I think I assumed there would be a big Grand welcoming party from all the wives. Ya know, like a sorority. We would all cook dinners together and hang out at each other's houses. It was far from home my first year of MLB. I was happy but I was a grown up. And no one told me growing up is a dirty joke. It's a scam and I'll never do it again. 

I learned more that year then I ever learned in highschool or college. There's these things called unwritten rules that people buy into when we grow up. There's a picture in all of our heads of what life is supposed to look like. News flash. Life never looks like that. But we get really torn up and panicky when life takes turns we didn't know about. And that causes fear. So we stop living. We stop doing the things that really mean something to us. Like dancing, writing, painting, singing, digging in the dirt, running because the wind feels good in our face. Instead we are running to fit into our jeans by Friday. We are in zombie mode. I know this because once I started talking about how I was feeling as a traveling Baseball wife other wives were saying the same thing. Any not just baseball wives- all wives. Life dumped a load of responsibility on us one day that no one warmed us about. For me it came in the form of a white ball with red stitches. For you it might have been a first job, college, a raise, or kids!!!! Holy Cow-kids!!! You moms out there are unbelievable. I just become an aunt and feel worn out from that so I can't imagine. 

But regardless of what form of dump life laid on you we've all been there. If you haven't, then I envy you. For the rest of us we can't stop living! We can't let the fear of striking out keep us from playing the game⚾️⚾️⚾️

Our lives shouldn't look like this: 

Wake up. 

Get ready

Get others ready (children/husbands) 

Scamper through the day working, cooking, cleaning, going, going, going!

Go to sleep

Repeat!

Remember when you were a kid and woke up with your head at the foot of the bed? Remember in college when you randomly bought a dog you couldn't really take care of? 

Remember that time you had such an amazing night you forgot to Instagram it?

That time you said, "Frick it. Let's do it"! 

That time you lived outside your comfort zone? 

Those are the moments you remember. Because life really happens in the details. We can make millions of excuses for our boring little lives but the only person that's screwing is ourselves! I made a 1 year bucket list for New Years and forced my family to do the same. I add a few things to that list as my imagination grows. The list is made up of things that will keep me from being an adult. It's a list of things that make you smile. 

 I'll share some of my list with you and you can share yours with me if you want. The key is to write down all the things that freak you out and do them anyways. 

 

Abort Adulthood List

Color outside the lines (for my sisters Ahlai and Jordyn) 

Go to Haiti. 

Fall in love with as many people as I can 

Practice yoga 

Light candles every single day. Even if you have to pack them in your suitcase 

Eat cookies for dinner and don't feel guilty about it 

Listen to your body. Swim. Run. Sleep. Eat. When you need it and forgive yourself when you fail. 

Dance. At a studio. 

Model 

Get a freaking massage. As many as you need. 

Buy more candles

Practice sign language like you used to 

Pray for your husband. 

Random acts of kindness 

More tatoos 

Go to the beach 

Befriend a homeless person in every city you go to 

Start writing your book 🙈

Always-always pull over when you see a lost dog. 

Forgive yourself for being late 

Accept that your always going to be late

Start spell checking 

Buy a hammock 

Cry! As often as you want to. 

Forget about the spell checking thing 

Write. 

Go back to Ethiopia 

Ride your bike

Spend every last free second in nature. Allow it to restore your soul. 

Ready. Set. Your turn:) always allow the moments in life that break you to change you as well. 

Namaste

I'm back home in Ky for the week waiting on the birth of my nephew, working a little, and doing lots and lots of yoga. I'm sitting here in the waiting room while my sister goes back for what could be her final check up before she gives birth. I'm reminded of how precious life is. What an absolute miracle it is. Her unborn baby (baby Grey) brings life to us everyday. I believe God intended life to be enjoyed. Every single day I want to find as much joy and peace and love as I possibly can. 

I've been reading all of your tweets. I am beyond blessed and encouraged by them. Robbie was moved back to the bullpin a few days ago. This might seem like devastating news but I'm not convinced it is.  I'm not going to lie when I found out I cried for a second. But you should know that's nothing new. I cry like six times a day. Sometimes for no reason at all. But just as quick as the tears came- they also went away. 

Because who flippin cares!? Rob and I are extremely blessed and he still has a job. I hope he gets another chance to start. But I have nothing to complain about, be sad about or get stressed over.  Joy is a choice and I think you can choice joy even in your trials. This is just a bump in the road. Rob and I are happy to be alive. I really can't help but fall more and more in love with life everyday. Life is an adventure and a journey and a miracle!! I used to not be able to see that. I used to not be able to see beyond my own circumstances. And I still struggle with that from time to time- I think we all do. But life is an amazing gift filled with miracles and dreams that come true. Life is a dream. It has nothing to do with baseball and the glitz that baseball brings along with it (well maybe it has a little to do with that). Its about finding joy wherever you are in life. Because the more you find joy the more it comes along. 

Baseball isn't our entire life. Robbie has always said to me, "If baseball ended today we would be just fine". For some people you might not understand that. Baseball is a large percentage of our lives. There are days, weeks and months I feel like all I've breathed is baseball. Us baseball wives have a theory that during baseball season we don't know the days of the week. It's true. Hoping from plane to plane makes things fun, interesting, and sometimes confusing. There are times I can't remember what city I'm in and I think I see someone I know! And then remember "oh ya! Im in Seattle and I don't know a single person here"! 

And for some people that saying, "if baseball ended today we would be just fine" might be a little offensive. Some people believe you need to commit your entire life to baseball in order to succeed. Baseball will end one day . For everyone who plays, watches and coaches- it ends!! So if baseball is all you give your heart to then when it ends you will end with it. Our entire identity would fade when baseball exists our lives. I've seen it happen to lots of people on my side of the industry. Robbie's rooted in God and in the journey that we are going through together. So the challenges that are thrown our way will be welcomed. We won't always welcome them gladly I can assure you that. But this little challenge is just what I like to call growth. 

Robbie and I are very thankful for all the people who take time to stay positive. I'll never be able to express how amazing it is to receive your comments on Twitter. 

My girlfriend, Rachel asked me this morning if people tweet me mean things on Twitter all the time. I told her that it does happen sometimes but the good far outweighs the bad. Most of the mean comments I find so funny I actually like their sarcasm. (Please don't tweet me mean things now) The key is to learn from all of it. And to not take life too seriously. If I believed everything that was said to me then I would have a huge head and be really insecure all at the same time. We can't live our lives that way. We all have to be rooted in something - someone much stronger than baseball, or Twitter, or other peoples opinions of you, or your job, or whatever it might be. I think our strength comes from within. And I believe we all have that strength within us. 

Namaste 

The Divine Light in Me honors the Divine Light in You. 

Ps I don't have time to spell check this (not that I ever spell check) because I'm getting bad tan lines from sitting outside writing so please forgive all the misspelled words, incomplete, run on sentences. If you take nothing else from this just take the Namaste part. 

HE>i 

B 

You asked. I answer!

Hey Yall
 I have gotten a few encouraging emails this week. (Is gotten even a word??????) And just want to say thank you! It really makes me smile knowing we can relate and that you appreciate Robbie playing for Jesus. That has never been anything he or I would hide even without the recognition but non the less still is great. This week I just want to answer some of the questions y'all tweet me but I really cant answer on Twitter because of that silly 140 character limitation.

 The most common question I get is "What race are you?" I love it when yall try to guess what race I am:)!  When we were in the DR all the locals spoke Spanish to me because they thought I was from the Dominican. Same with Ethiopia. All the Ethiopians thought I was an Ethiopian doctor and spoke Amharic. I have gotten everything from Chinese (seriously), Persian, Africa, Brazilian all the way to white with a really great tan. White with a great tan is the most common. My mom is white. She has American Indian, Irish, and German in her. Robbie looks like my mom because of the red hair and red beard thing. She is strawberry blonde head with green eyes. And my Dad is black. Maybe there is some Ethiopian in me?! So white and black is your answer. I just say I am mixed. I check other on paperwork. My mom says biracial because she is fancy like that. I'm a mutt. The absolute best race to be:) All of the above. But regardless of race- I'm just me. I try not to fit into a categories.

Second question: What are all of mine and Robbie's tattoos and what do they mean. This is going to be long! Robbie has BORN AGAIN on his back. That symbolizes the day he was Born Again in Christ. A brand new creation. He has his two favorite verses on his wrists. And I always forget so I'm about to google it....... James 4:10 and Mark 9:23. And his arm is covered!!! He is working on a half sleeve type thing. It has roses, a clock, and some other scribbly things. He also designed a family crest thingy with Rebels For Life and the number 108 in it.
I have Jesus and Christ on both my wrists. I learned sign language in college and the sign for Jesus Christ is pointing to your wrists or the palm of your hand. When I accepted JC he tattood my name on the palm of his hand so I thought I'd return the favor:). I have baseball bats and rebels for Life on the back of my neck. The bats are obvi. My love for baseball. And I think one day Robbie will be the best hitting pitcher in baseball. And Rebels For Life is our Life Motto.  I have the sign for I love you and HE>i on my forearm. I have a small heart on my foot. (my first tattoo)I got it with my mom. Because she's my best friend and always in my heart. And the roman numerals of our engagement date on my foot at an angle. It was a free tattoo. And I got the engagement date and not the wedding date because gosh the engagement took forever. Once I got him to on one knee I knew I had him locked in! I think I might get more but not right now. Robbie will probably look like Bird Man by the time he's 30.

Third question: What does 108 mean? We have 108 in our emails, twitter names, on our bodies and everywhere we can stick it. Robbie's dad, Chuck created the 108 Club. And once I tell you about it you will be apart of it forever. So STOP reading NOW if you are not prepared for such responsibilities. There are 108 stitches on a baseball so obvi the number is HOLY! (insert happy emoji here). Why don't computers have emojis?
Anyways. in some translation of the Bible (who knows which one) Psalm 108 is the center of the Bible. There are 108 beads on a rosary. There are 108 beads on a Mala strand. For all the Yogis out there. My personal fave. 108 has always been a number that has followed our family. It started right around the time I came into the family 8 years ago. The Ross side of the family. We named our charity Mission 108. And once you know about it- you too will be followed by it. Robbie's first year playing in the MLB he played in the 108th playoff game. 108 is the best number known to man!!!!

What does Rebels For Life mean?
Rob and I both have that tattooed on us. The meaning of that has kind of developed over the years. In a way that saying chose us instead of us choosing it. Its our life motto. Anyone who knows me knows I love to sing! I would be a professional singer but there was just one small hiccup on my road to stardom. I can't sing worth a lick. Now I'm not tone deaf like Robbie likes to tell people. Because I can hear how bad I sound. I just don't care. And I also have a really bad habit of making up my own words to every song. And that is how Rebels for Life came about. I was singing the words to a song wrong. Robbie told me I was saying the wrong words. But we both liked my version better so it stuck. That is how it started but the meaning is much deeper.

 When Rob and I first started dating all these people had all this "good" advice for us. People told us things like "You have to go to college" and "You need to travel with Robbie if you want to stay together" and "You need to work while Robbie plays baseball so you don't lose your identity" and "You need marriage counseling before you get married" and all this stuff was always being thrown at us from well meaning people who had no clue what they were talking about. We didn't know what we were doing either but we wanted to figure it out on our own. And we needed to figure it out on our own. As we all do. I'm not a huge believer in giving unsolicited advice. I learned a lot about that from yoga. In yoga, you learn that all the answers we need need are already inside of us. We just need to be still. Be silent. And Be rebellious to find out what they are. Turns out those yogis have it going on because that theory lined up with what we already believed about Jesus. When we accepted Jesus he placed the Spirit of the Law in our hearts. Therefore if we were still, silent, and rebellious we could access all the knowledge we need. Being rebellious has never meant what you might think it means. To be rebellious in this world means being still. The world is constantly telling us to go harder, faster, stronger. It is telling us only one person can reach the top, chase your dreams. And all that stuff is great but without being still we wont know where we are. Being rebellious is tuning out what the world has to say and tuning in to what you have to say to yourself. Being a Christian is a bit of a rebellion. I think so. So yes. Rebels For Life has a deep and important meaning to Robbie and me!
We apply it to everything we do. It keeps us grounded.

And the last one I get asked on Twitter is: Whats up with the JR this year?
So Robbie's name is Robert Charles Ross Jr. His father is Robert Charles Ross Sr. That is how it works. Y'all keep saying why all the sudden is he going by Jr? Listen, his birth certificate says Jr. It is his legal name. He didn't just pull this out of his crapper. When he came up from the minors the announcers just called him Ross. And that is his name too. He isn't going to correct anyone for calling him Ross. If any of y'all have anything autographed from him- go look at it. He signs everything with Jr in it. He wants Ross Jr to be on his jersey and announced on the field because it is FREAKIN COOL! They wont allow it on his jersey. And one day he will have it. I hope. Its not allowed for reasons I do not have. But one day he will have it on the back of his jersey. Mark my Words.

I hope yall could keep up with my answers. I get a bit off topic sometimes but you gotta get a feeling for who I really. And now I really gotta go shave my legs and clean the house because the hubby guy is coming home tonight.
Peace and Love
HE>i
B

There's a fire Inside me!

Hey y'all,
Just got to the OC. I've been traveling a lot lately and using that as an excuse for not writing and blogging. I sat next to a writer on my flight today. Things were just magical. He was asking my opinion on a lifestyle architect book he is writing. I eventually found out he is the father of a minor league ball player. He came up with this idea that I should write a book. After two hours of picking his brain we came up with some great ideas and I think I'm going to try it! But before I do I have got to get better at blogging and sharing. Turns out I don't have to be that good of a speller to write a book either. Obvi- that was my first concern when he suggested it. Can you believe that? Who would of thunk!?

Ha! I laughed. I am no writer, I said. You should see my blog. Spelling is not my favorite thing to do. He told me it didn't matter. His sons girlfriend who is just as lost as I was being a minor league girlfriend and fiancé needs a book written by someone who has been through it. And so do all the other minor league girlfriends and wives. And the fans want an insight into the players lives and sometimes... Well most times the wife is the closest thing they will get.

I love love love this idea. All I ever wanted to do was inspire people. I want to offer a piece of myself to the world and hopefully at the end help everyone, myself included see that we are all the same. That the walls we build, the snarkiness we use, the b.s. we hide behind is all just a waste of time. I want people to connect with each other and live a full life and along the way share apart of my insanely weird baseball life.

 My airplane/writer friend told me that I need to blog once a week. And eventually my blog entry's will get easier and those entry's will become my book. This is very scary for me. For lots of reasons....

 1.) Because I don't know what to say. It's hard to write about your own life. Especially when you are very very politically incorrect (all the time) in a world where being politically correct is insanely important.

2.) I am so bad at commitment. Writing a blog entry weekly is like dieting on water and ice. I can prob do it for a minute and then I'm going to fail horribly! But then I remind myself how amazing it is when I get feedback. The good and bad. It's a learning expiriencd. I always learn from everything y'all say. And that's what it's all about. Learning. And Teaching. 

If you are a blogger or writer or just a smart person feel free to send your wisdom my way!

 
The vulnerability it takes to write and pour your heart out into a world that sometimes isn't very careful with other peoples heart is a whole lot of pressure! Too much sometimes. But when there's a flame burning inside you it's impossible to put it out. I feel the flame inside me to write and to share. 

My goal is to be open and honest. There are lots of things to share. There are some things I can't and won't share. You understand that. When it comes to robbie and his career- that is my first priority. I want minor league wives to connect with each other and fill the huge gap between minor leagues and big leagues. I want to give you an insight on what my life is like. I'll do this by sharing my stories. And sometimes hopefully the lessons I've learned along the way. I am a slow learner but lots of times I learn better on my own. So please be patient with me and let me learn those lessons. Don't feel the need to email me everything I'm doing wrong in life. I can make you a promise that the majority of the time I don't know what I am talking about. I will never claim to know it all. Never trust a person who can't spell. 

If you are here looking for perfection LEAVE NOW. Otherwise, stay! And maybe learn from me and most definitely laugh at me and with me because my life never lacks excitement.

And one last thing. I am so blessed by all of your feedback. When I get emails from strangers telling me their stories about  how they relate to me that is my favorite thing. When I get to tell Robbie about you guys that makes me so happy. I want your emails! I like emails better than comments especially if you want a response but both are great!

I have just a few rules. Be kind. Even if you disagree with me. One of the hardest thing to hear is when people tell me I have no right to care about the mean things people say on twitter or Instagram or on here. For a long time I believed that. I am so blessed with an amazing life. I felt a lot of shame and guilt for a long time because of it. But I've learned that is wrong. When people are mean and they try to use and abuse me or my family, I am allowed to feel sad and angry and hurt and confused. Those aren't feeling to run from but to sit in and feel and to eventually in my own time work through. 

"Telling someone they can't feel sadness because someone else has it worse is like telling someone they can't feel happy because other people are happier" - someone really smart 

I love that. That saying helped me work through a lot the last two years. I know lots of my baseball wife friends have deleted social media because of the shame and guilt they've felt from being attacked on social media. One day when we can all laugh about it I will share some of the comments I've received on twitter:)!

My second rule is to use this blog as a way to embrace the beauty in your own life. Sometimes people message me and tell me they wish they had my life. At first my reaction is to tell them all the bad things about this life and to let them know there's more to it than what they see on my Instagram. But that's not right either. Every life has beauty and triumph. Some more than others but you can always choose the beauty. God gave you your life and he trusted only you with it so live it to the fullest!

I'm going to spend the next few entry's talking about the minor leagues, what is was like when robbie got drafted, having a long distance relationship with a pro athlete while going to college. 

HE>i 

XoB

Ross' RoundUp

Robbie and I are starting a fun Friday activity called Ross' Roundup. On specific Friday home games when the Rangers let off Fireworks I will be up in the Upper Sections looking for 4 people to move down to better seats to continue watching the game and a better view of fireworks! 

Some people have asked how to get chosen for this. There is no drawing. I will simply be up in the upper section looking for people that stand out! Last Friday I had tweeted out I would be doing this but there was an oversight and I will be starting this Friday! 4/18. Someone made an amazing sign that would have drawn my attention. So if you decide to do something creative you will likely be chosen;) 

Robbie has signed a few things in a goodie bag I will give you if you are the group chosen. This is our way to say thank you for being such amazing fans! 

The section you will be moved to is 14-17. I will be in the Upper section around 30 minutes before start time.

The dates for Ross' Roundup are:

4-18

5/16

6/6

7/11

8/15

9/5

9/26 

These nights are also the nights for Fireworks so even if you are not chosen stay after to see the magic! 

Help spread the word about this for me by tweeting it out. I will post something to remind everyone. 

See ya at the Ballpark! 

HE>i

 R&B 

Social Activsm

Hello beautiful people!
I am going to start blogging again. I took a little break in the off season because I think its too easy for me to get caught up in the computer when I should be soaking up family and friends. And a lot of me thought I really had nothing to write about and I am not good at expressing myself with written words because of that thing called spelling. So there was that. And I swear I have an education. If you follow me on Twitter you probably wouldn't guess that. But I went to a private highschool and attended college. I didn't graduate but still... I know how to spell. I just think its overrated. You would rather have the raw unedited version of me.
A lot of people (2) have asked me why I haven't blogged lately and I took that as a sign. So here I am at my computer typing away in my pajamas wondering what in the world I can offer this world.
Yesterday I ran into two media people after Robbie's game. I wont say their names but WOW! Such nice guys. One of them shook my hand and said, "I really appreciate what your doing on social media. Keep doing it. You're like a social activist". So naturally I Googled what that meant. And yes!!! YES! Yes I want and accept that title. Helen Keller was an activist and I studied sign language ya know?
I learned many things from that small little conversation last night. So let me share.

1.) Make friends with the Media.

2.) When you are true to yourself you inspire others. That is all I ever want to do in life. I used to get frustrated with God because I wanted to work so bad. I have so many dreams that I felt couldn't be met or had to be put on hold because of baseball. If you talk to a lot of baseball wives they will tell you the same thing. And I felt guilty about that feeling for a long time because what a beautiful life I have. But at the same time I couldn't really truly be filled up if my desires and dreams weren't met too. My number one goal has always been to support my husband no matter what that means. That could mean being the best hitting pitcher in the MLB or that could mean Robbie wakes up one day and decides he wants to deliver newspapers at the butt crack of dawn. As long as our bills were paid I would buy a bike and ride right along side of him signing joyfully.  The guilt and shame I carried for having feelings of resentment changed me. For the better. I told myself if you cant have a paying job then make a job for yourself. And do it to the fullest. That is way unless I am traveling for something else then I am at every single one of Robbie's appearances. I speak and greet and hug the fans with opens arms. I realize the people want to see and meet and hug Robbie but are only given 5.3 seconds to get their picture and autograph so I give them second best. I am an extension of Robbie and I can give them a piece of THE REAL ROBBIE ROSS JR:) Plus it lets all the girls know HE IS TAKEN!

3.) I have started to pursue those dreams I had as a child and wont tell you what they are because they are still very scary and volnerable for me. Every one has dreams. And I believe God gave them to us for a reason. We should pursue them. We can't offer this world much if we aren't LIVING OUT LOUD.

4.) Social Activist or maybe even love activist will be my new job description. I will find a way to make that official. And thank you media man who will remain nameless for saying those kind words to me. You might not have known how crucial those were to me that day. Ive always said that for every negative person I encounter God always gives me three positive ones to balance it. I am the type of person who gets really hurt when someone is mean. Weird, right? But early in the day someone fairly close to us sent a message with some passive aggressiveness laced with anger and insecurity to one of our phones and at breakfast when I read it I busted out in tears. Because the message (which I wont expose the person or situation so try to follow) hurt me. All because Robbie and I believe differently about God than they do. And people want to try and "fix" us and tell us we aren't good enough Christians because of how we love others. And to that I say BUG OFF! Not really I just cry and Robbie holds me and tells me I am an emotional mess but that he agrees and some people are just plain lost. We all are. We are the blind leading the blind. We cant fix each other. But that day God still showed up. He sent me three positive people for the one Negative Nancy. Robbie who was there to hold me and put me back together. A young girl on twitter who sent me a tweet thanking me for doing the NOH8 campaign and the two nameless media men. I am learning to look for the beauty in every day and yesterday I found it in them.

5.) Back to blogging. And I am not really sure how this connects so just go with me. A girl named Jessica just wrote a blog post about some of the wives in baseball and she copied something I had written in one of my blogs. Flattering.... until I read what I written. She was being very sweet and encouraging but after I had read my own words, I thought to myself, "WOW Britt you really don't make a lot f sense when you write. And then I said to myself, "Self that is not good. Not good at all. If you can't even understanding what you wrote then who the heck else will?"
But I changed my mind. Who cares if anyone likes it or cares about it or understands it. As long as you are following your heart and offering a piece of yourself to this world someone will find it beautiful. So thank you Jessica Kleinschmidt (wow your name is hard to spell) for reminding me and everyone else that beauty is within. Beauty has everything to do with your heart and nothing to do with your body. Beauty is felt and not seen.

And my little tid bit about Robbie: I love it that you are asking me if "they" have made a decision about Robbie and starting. Keep asking! Just don't keep asking me. Ask "Them". Well you can ask me I just can't give you an answer because I am the last person to find out about anything. Usually my grandma gives me baseball updates. How this is possible is beyond me. I have heard a rumor "they" are making a decision soon which I would hope because we only have two more weeks of S.T.

HE>i
xxx
B

GET THE F HOME NOW!

Hey yall,
Funny story. This is just a glimpse into a day in the lives of Britt and Rob. Today I woke up with my head at the foot of my bed and my hubby was gone. That should have been the first indication that today was going to be well, today.
12:00pm rolls around when I realized I had already forgotten to pick up the cake for my sisters gender reveal party and I still had to hand-make all the decorations and food. T minus 6 hours until party time and I haven't even showered. So I attempt to recreate those beautiful banners you see on etsy, hop in the shower, clean up and go.... It took me a little longer to get out the door because I couldn't find my phone. I decided to go pick up the cake without my phone but I am in full on panick mode fully accepting I would either get pulled over with no phone or wreck into a cop car, get taken to jail, and not get my one phone call because I have no phone therefore I have no numbers because who knows anyone's number nowadays? But I go on merrily, grab the cake and get home. When I get home I still cant find my phone and I am beginning to get more and MORE angry at myself and at Robbie because he is STILL MIA! I sent  Robbie an email pleading with him that whatever he was doing was not more important than helping me. My emails to Robbie started out sweet and then five emails later the subject simply read, GET THE F HOME NOW!!!!!!! Followed by some not so nice wifey things like, "I cant find my phone. I need your help. I can't do this without you. Get home. Get home now! This is all your fault. Find my phone!" I was in Full on Meltdown mode. I was now blaming him for me not knowing where my phone was and taking every ounce of anger I could muster up on him because it was 100% his fault that my phone was missing. like duh...
Long story short. Robbie came home after speaking to little kids about minor league ball all day. The food and decor was all done by party time. I found my phone. My sister is having a BOY! A BOY!!!! we are so excited! And here is the funny part: Robbie tells me he didn't read my 300 emails and come home because he saw the title and thought it was a blog post. So the lesson of the day is, BE MORE CLEVER when you are freaking out. Take deep breathes. And remember there has never been a meltdown that didn't end in a laugh so forget the meltdowns and laugh it out.
Never a dull moment
Gotta go find a way to bribe Robbie into rubbing my shoulders from all the stress Ive caused myself.
Peace
HE>i
B

Scales, who needs em?

I wrote this message to my two best friends this morning.  Then I realizes it was way too long so I turned it into a post. We have accountability day on Wednesday where we text each other our weight, and the work outs we've been doing or not doing. I did a cleanse this past week because I had been shoving anything and everything I could fit into my mouth. And was sort of feeling horrible. My cleanse made me feel amazing but also made me crazy. Here's what's up:

Hi loves! 

This morning and every morning actually,  I weigh myself and I think about that .5 of a pound I could have lost if I didn't eat that brownie. My phone rang this particular morning and it was mama jean. (Robs grandma and the sweetest lady alive). She called and interrupted me nagging myself about how I needed to be at the gym like now. She called just to tell me how much she loves me and is proud of me and for ten minutes found different variations to say, "I love you". After two minutes I was thinking, "oh em gee. She is looney!" And then after five minutes she had worn me down and I was actually listening to her  sweet, angelic voice! And I was hearing her tell me to stop all the worrying. That I was perfect the way I was. And at that point I realized I am the looney tune. I'm the one who's been talking to myself all morning and not even saying nice things! 

 Mama jean has reached the peak and stayed there. The peak is the point in life you realize what life really is and stop caring about all the nonsense. The peak is balance. 

When I hung up the phone it was like God had sent me an angel in mama jean this morning. She had stopped me mid-thought on my way to self destruction.  And she had filled me up. It made me realize maybe, just maybe thinking is not my strong suit and doing is much, much easier for me. Go workout and feel better instead of thinking about how working out and eating healthy is so unbelievably not fair.  

A healthy lifestyle is so important for all of us but it's all about balance. 

We have to feed ourselves with positive and encouraging thoughts. We have to especially do this if we plan on loving others. If we don't love ourselves we can't accurately and fully love others. There's a good balance between a healthy number on the scale and getting on the scale three times a day to check and see if your latest dump made a difference. Your either on one side or the other mostly. Your either not caring enough about yourself and forgetting that health and food and exercise are amazing tools to a better life OR you care so much every app on your phone is a weight loss app. I know there's a balance. Just like everything in life there's a balance. 

Maybe admitting I can't stinkin find the balance is the first step. 

I hate assumptions therefore I am assuming it's more than just me and my two best friends fighting that New Years Resolution slump right now. And so I think we need some encouragement. 

dear Meg and H, (insert friends name here) 

I am so happy we are accountable for each other. I am thankful I have both of you to tell me the brownies and the chips will not make me feel better. I am thankful that you still love me even when I don't listen to that. I vow from this day forward and forever more that a healthy lifestyle will mean exactly that. Heathy. And healthy means positive in positive out. Healthy means being a looney tune like mama jean and embracing it. Because just like money, you don't take any of that with you when you leave. Thank goodness. Let's forget the New Years resolutions and focus on finding the balance. Let's be Mama Jeans today. And in her words - "I love ya honey. I love ya so much. I just love you and I'm proud of ya. I love ya. You'd never know how much I love ya. I love you more than Yankees baseball. We just need to soak up the love and forget bout all other things because I just love ya so much."

I have to go now because robbie just walked in and said, "was my appointment at 1:30 yesterday or today?" It's 1:49 right now. So. Ya. 

Xo 

HE>i

B 

Ask and You Shall Recieve

 I think its funny when people ask me on twitter what my opinion is because how I could possibly get that out in 140 characters is beyond me. A while ago I came up with the idea that my opinion doesn’t keep the world spinning.... who knew? I went 20 something years believing it did. So spewing it out all the time doesn’t really work. I think I learned this from being a wife but who really knows. But in the same breath, “Ask and You
Shall Receive.” So this is what I came up with:

People are funny. When I think of the world and the culture we live in I think of magic. We are under a few spells. One being that we believe we have to choose a side. A&E or Phil. Republican or Democrat. Christian or Not. Pro choice or Pro Life. Pro Obama or Anti Obama. We also believe that we need to be very very loud to be heard. Loud meaning screaming our opinions at dinner, on the news, at work, or in school. Being loud can also mean pictures on Instagram or Facebook, comments on twitter or in emails. Loud just means IN YOUR FACE. We see it everyday and we are forced to make a choice. I tend to like people who see beyond the choices given and come up with a different answer. Thats the person I want to be. I feel like choices are like a filter. Choices filter out uninteresting, lame, boring, judgmental people out of my life so I can focus on the cool weird people with possessions like brains. 
 All week on Facebook, twitter, emails, Instagram and in person we have been talking about Phil Robertson’s comments and A&E’s decision to suspend him. Most of the things I have seen were clearly marked “I am PRO PHIL or PRO A&E.

Why cant we see both sides? Why aren’t we respecting each others differences of opinions? Why do we believe freedom of speech doesn’t mean lack of consequences? Why do we think our personal voice keeps the world going round? Even if we don't understand both sides we could put ourselves in the other persons shoes and realize we are all fighting a different battle. Isn't that always an option?
 In the entire article I didn't really mind any of Phil’s comments. Nothing made me angry because I look at the world like this: We are all different. Which gives us at least one thing in common. Which makes us all the same. We are all different. We are all the same.

 Out of the whole interview what stood out to me was when the interviewer asked him if he went to repent to the bar manager that he beat up. His response was interesting to me. It made me smile because it was like a confession of sorts. I felt like he was confessing to the world that it is a lot harder to do the things the Bible teaches us to do then we say it is. It is a lot easier to say the world is a better place with Jesus than it is to go and be Jesus to the world.  

 When we spend more time focusing on what the world should be doing differently, I think we are spending our time wrong. We can't fix the world. We can fix ourselves though. I've found that when I get irritated with the world its because I am spending too much time in the world and not enough time with God.


 

  Jesus’ name has the power to inspire entire countries to base their beliefs off his teachings. It is because of His name we have things like the Red Cross, In God we Trust on the dollar bill, crosses on buildings, hospitals, churches etc. His name also has the power to tear apart churches and start silly arguments. It has the power make networks drop people from their shows. It has the power to hurt people and make them feel less than. It has this power because we were given this power. It is all in how you use His name. To create Peace or turmoil. The email I told you I received said, “You always have to ask yourself, Does this help?”

 Sometimes we forget that celebs, presidents, athletes, our friends, and ourselves are people. We forget they have hearts, feelings, emotions and souls. We forget that our words and pictures and emails all have a lasting affect on others. That even though you might not be talking to Phil Robertson or Obama the type of things that you say about them doesn’t define them. It defines you. I think apologies are a great tool for when we forget those things. I never want to forget that each individual is a soul with a heart and feelings. Even though Obama may not hear or see the things I say on the internet someone else does. And because we are such influential people our opinions spread. They spread like wild fires. We all know that adding fire to fire only makes the fire bigger. I can only imagine how Phil and his family feel right now. We are all fighting a battle. A tough tough battle. I know this because as I write to you about peace and love, I turn and yell at my husband. But we are all trying our very darndest.
 My brother in law recently asked me why I chose to love gay people so much? My husband told me later that I should have told him, “because God told me to” But I don’t like churchy answers like that. My answer is this: Because whenever someone is being made less than, whenever people use their power to persecute or tear down or demolish another person or group an impression is put on my heart. I don’t like seeing or hearing mean things. For some reason I believe instead offering something mean in return that maybe, just maybe a little kindness will do the trick. I have got too much garbage of my own to toss for me to start picking threw your trash cans.  Plus I don't really know what I am doing anyways. People, lets be kind today. Lets stop choosing sides.  We are all different which makes us all the same.
Love
b

Ethiopia SMILE

Hi Everyone!
I am so excited about this post. Ive written my thoughts and feeling about Ethiopia for this blog post a few times. Ive come back to it in the morning and just not been satisfied. My goal the whole time is for you to feel and see and hear what I did while living in ET for ten days. That is just not possible. Instead of trying to explain it all I came up with this instead. I left apart of my heart in Dube Bute, Africa. If you have ever been on a trip like this you may have felt the same way. Pictures, videos, words, essays, explanations- None do it justice.
It is like falling in love. When I fell for Robbie it was a love that couldn't be explained. You don't understand it until you yourself have it. You won't know what it feels like until you find the one whom your soul loves. I believe there are very few things in life that give you certain feelings that are unexplainable and Africa is one of them. Love is one of them. It is felt by few and desired by many.
 From the moment I stepped foot on the plane to Addis Ababa, the capitol of Ethiopia, I knew it was different. I was at peace in situations I normally have anxiety. Nothing unusually usual happened to me like it does in America. On a typical day in the states, I trip and fall at least ten times, lose my phone and keys, forget to do the other half of my makeup, and get lost for a good thirty minutes. Mine and Robbie's life is a perpetual hilarious disaster. Nothing like this happened in Africa. Everything was smooth and perfect.
There were about a million jaw dropping miracles everyday we were there. But one thing that sticks out to me is this:

 This little boy is on my mind everyday. His brown eyes, purple lips, and torn, dirty clothes are forever in my heart. This second picture was seconds before his father held him tightly in my direction. His father lovingly and boldly motioned for me to take him with me. He didn't speak the same language or even know who I was. But there is a universal language in pain. Our eyes connected and he motioned to me with his hands to leave while offering his baby boy to me. The first picture is the boy moments after I stared blankly back at the father speechless. I had nothing to give him. I couldn't give him an answer or a smile or even a deep breath. I had nothing to offer. At that moment my heart was ripped out of my chest forever. I wanted to take him and his dad and the man standing with them (probably the mans other son) and I wanted to run. I wanted to run far far away from Dube Bute. I wanted to give them a hug and a bath and a home and a rich full life. But all I had was a blank stare and emptiness. I caught my breath and felt the weight of my husband and the world pulling me back to our van as tears ran down my face. I wasn't the only person this man had offered his son too. He had a desperate and willing love for his baby boy. The walk back to the van was a long and dreary 20 seconds. I was heavy and whole and empty and lite all at the same time. I had been through Hell and back. As I sat in a van for the next 45 minutes into the center of the village millions of thoughts ran into my mind.
  None of those thoughts are clear to this day except these: I will never know a love like that Father had for his son. He was willing to give him to a perfect stranger all for the sake of a chance at happy and healthy life. He would give him up to give him life. And I couldn't give it to him. I couldn't take him away with me. I wanted to but I couldn't. And I couldn't even explain why to him. My other thought was in all of my days serving in Ethiopia I have never seen a clearer picture of the cross. We focus on so many things in life and very few of them are important. There are tiny miracles available to us everyday. My little purple lipped, brown eyed boy is one of them. He is a gift. He stole my heart but offered me life. I am softer today because of him. In a world where school shootings, rape, poverty, cancer, and bullying still exist it is a beautiful to become softer inspite of the world.
 The patch of hair you see on top of my little baby boys head is a gift too. Ethiopians leave this patch of hair on the top of children's heads until they know they will survive. The belief is that an angel will reach down and grab that little patch of hair if they die. This is a REAL picture of how real death is for Ethiopia. Children are dying everyday.
 When I came back everyone's question was, "What was the saddest thing you saw in the medical clinic?" My answer wasn't the leprosy or AIDS we treated. My answer was the saddest thing was just seeing them dying. Knowing a patch of hair meant the possibility of death for them.
 I couldn't blog about my experience yet because I hadn't found my miracle. I need a happy ending and telling you that I stood their looking at that little boy speechless and nothing else happen just didn't seem right. Too sad. I was waiting for the lesson. For the happy ending.  Even in the midst of all the tears I cried there has always been hope. Yes, they are all dying. But aren't we all? The difference we make is how we live. Inspite of all their circumstances they all had JOY. The most beautiful gift. Leprosy, AIDS, tumors, and so much more might be invading the country but nothing has stolen their Joy. My little brown eyed boy still has joy. No matter what happens to him an angel will come get him everyday until the day he is taken Home.  The Joy of Africa is teaching me and you and others that no matter your circumstance you can still choose joy. Look for the tiny miracles in everyday. Life is a beautiful and short gift. Lets use it this Christmas and New Year. Lets stop wasting our time hating our jobs, and our friends, ourselves and our enemies. Lets love the unlovable. Even our in laws. God doesn't say it but I am sure he means them too. Lets love everything about ourselves. When you start loving yourself you have enough love to start loving others. And this is where the world begins to change. We have got a lot of work to do so we better start loving now. Today. Africa needs us. A small village in Ethiopia called Dube Bute needs us. Our neighbors need us. Our families need us.
It always comes back to love. Never let the world steal your joy. Never let the world make you harder.
People can't do great things but we can all do small things with great love. I found healing in the JOY of the Ethiopians. Here is apart of the joy they gave me:

 Ill stand with arms high and heart abandoned in awe of the One who gave it All.

 "The tragedy of life is not death but what we let die inside of us while we live". -Norman Cousins

 "Lets go with Jesus. Not the gay hating, war making political tool of the Right, but the outcast, Subversive, Supreme Adept who preferred the freaks and lepers, and despised and doomed to the rich and powerful." - John Cusack

HE>i
B

More from the DR!

I am FILLED UP

  Y'all have been hearing me say how I am horrible at vacationing because I am not filled up. I was filled up today and yesterday and the past week! Our best friends came down to visit us for five days. We take an off season vacation every year together. Because we both live in different cities and travel so much they were nice enough to come here!
  After they left we were able to get together with SCORE International. Keith Madison, the former UK baseball coach, and his wife allowed us to go into the orphanages and baseball facilities with them. If you would like to learn more about SCORE visit there website at http://www.scoreintl.org/#all or shoot me an email. I would love to tell you more about how life changing it is. There website is super easy to navigate. We were on the baseball short term mission trip in the DR.

  I fell in love with every single little baby girl I laid eyes on today. You will too if you ever go! These little babies are not always orphans. Some have no parents, some have one maybe two parents on drugs, prostitution or simply just can't afford to take care of their babies. Prostitution is legal here. No one has ever told them what they are worth. SCORE international comes in and provides education, a safe place for these babies to eat and sleep. They get women off the street and teach them a trade. These women can then go and use what they have learned to earn money to support their babies! Wow!! Such a miracle.
  These babies are precious. These women are learning. These men are being prayed for. We are all children of God. No ones wrong is worse than anyone else' wrong. We are all wrong. We are all loved by Jesus. And those of us who FEEL the LOVE need to SHARE the LOVE!

  Each and every face you see in these pictures has a story. A beautiful encouraging story. A story that I hope fills you up. I want to say something to all of you reading this! If you feel like going on a mission trip GO! It doesn't even need to be out of the country. Just go downtown to an impoverished area. So many people have talked to me about wanting to go but they don't have money or they feel like they aren't strong enough in their faith or even have a faith. Let me tell you this. 1. You don't have to be a Christian, Catholic, Budhist or whatever to serve. If you want to serve oversees then challenge the Christians who are leading the groups. They (WE) need that. They will let you go. The good ones will. And you don't have to go oversees. Missions are right outside our doors. Go downtown, look for homeless shelters. I can give you plenty of ideas. Just email me!
I hope these pictures light up your world like they do mine!

So many of you emailed me asking how you could help with mission 108 and I just couldn't give you a great answer. Mission 108 is my baby but we just aren't big enough to accept nationwide donations right now. I am slow but will eventually have a 501 C and a place to donate on the blog. For those of you who ask or those that are looking for a place to give and don't know how or where this might be the place. No one has asked me to do this so please don't think I am advertising for the group. But if you fell in love with some of these faces you can go https://scoresponsor.org/childsponsor/product/pasitos-de-jesus-2/ here and make a donation. The money will go straight to them and you can actually see some of the same faces you see here on this website! Robbie and I are honored to have met these beautiful souls.
Here's a note from Rob:
"It has been amazing being here in the DR and playing baseball. But today I got to experience it at a whole new level. I got to see how Dominican kids play baseball. It was truly a blessing to get to be with that group of people who went to help further these kids lives. It was fun to connect with the kids. It was a blast. I was so excited to be with the kids. It was cool to see the joy on their face no matter what we were doing even just drills. They appreciated everything. It made me feel grateful for what we have been blessed with in America. It was cool to see how natural they were. They were all very natural athletes. When we pulled up the kids were out throwing rocks in the air and hitting them with bats. It was cool to see because I remember doing that when I was a kid. It made me think of my childhood. You don't see that a lot in America anymore. Even though some of them didn't have gloves or even tennis shoes they were outside ready to roll. The whole time I have been here there hasn't been a day I have driven down the street and not seen at least 7 or 10 pick up games. I can't remember the last time I saw a pick up baseball game in America. Boom. These people love the game and it is very inspirational. These kids play in fields with dirt spots where the positions are and five feet of grass around them. The mound is made of a rock. They use a rock for a mound. All of them just want (desire) to play baseball".

Baseball is life here. If these kiddos don't make it in baseball a lot of times they just don't make it. They drop out of school around 13 to come play in hopes to be signed at 16 years old. A lot of the DR players in America come from these same cities we went to.
I am happy to share this experience with you. We have seven days left in the DR. We are then off to Ethiopia! I am sure a chunk of our hearts will be left there as well. I have learned the only way to allow your heart to grow is to leave pieces of it with others. Forever my heart will be here. #FEELtheLOVE #SHAREtheLOVE
Tweet me/email me pictures and stories of your experiences in other countries or own back yard. Its all about TOGETHER!
Peace and Love
HE>i
xoxo
R&B