Blessing and Blessing!!

I'm starting to feel guilty seeing as I haven't exactly had a moment to update this. Let's take a small recap of this past week. Firstly, I got the new job I had been praying so hard for and I started this past Wednesday. I have also in the past few years gotten to the point where I was pretty squeamish when it comes to blood and needles. So.. I was needless to say, thankful to receive this job being that it was at a Retina specialists office. I was thrilled I was going to be able to work in the medical field without any school training because let's face it..some of us are just not cut out for college and I was part of that some. Anyways! So I was thrilled Wednesday morning knowing I wouldn't have to deal with any of that mess! No pricking, sticking, or drawing any blood. Well little did I know the retina specialists deal strictly with damaged eyes, meaning yes I would eventually be dealing with sticking and pricking (eventually after enough training...in someone's eye) ahhhh!! So I was speaking with a girl in the office about my watch I had on it had a few scuffs on it from last summer when I had fainted while hearing a girlfriend talk about her experience in the ER. So, the lady training me insisted I immediately go sit in on a procedure where the patient has some vegetable dye injected into their hand and it travels their blood stream eventually to the veins in their eyes and produces a pretty fascinating picture through this machine. So as I was observing, hanging on the wall I started to feel terrible. I looked for some paper, a book, anything I could use to fan myself. Well I had to step out of the room. And in doing so, as I went to shut the door I fainted and slammed the door mid fall. Great first impression, huh!? I thought so too. I was completely 100% against ever going back because I was determinded I couldn't make it there another day. But after speaking with Brandon, my parents, and many many prayers about it, a click in my head went off and I was greeted with a warm sense of comfort and the feeling that I can surely do anything through Christ. So I trooped my way through the rest of the week. After my last visit with Brandon we had gone back and forth talking about the worst part of taking on a new job, and that was not knowing when I would be able to return for a visit due to my being on a 90 day probation period. So that has been tough and quite a hard pill to swallow. Every night after I get off the phone with Brandon I always say my prayers, count my blessings, and beg God to guide me in the way he sees fit for us. But for some reason, I had Brandon on my brain Thursday night and begged God to please put me in the car with his parents to come visit this weekend if it was meant to be. But I had allowed myself a little room for the let down of not being able to go. Woke up, Friday morning and that feeling was so strong in my head that I packed a weekend bag to carry to work with me, just in case ;) anyway so I call his dad early morning asked when they were leaving, he told me right then (which was when I was on the way to work at 6:30) so I said..ok well y'all have fun I hate I will miss this one, I'd love to come. At this point I was thinking..well you know maybe that's what God didn't have in mind for me today so I was okay with it. Almost half way to work and by this time it is POURING DOWN. So as a heads up I call my office and warn them of the chance of my being tardy and something came over me telling me to simply ask them what the chances of me leaving early would be. So, aw what the heck I asked. And again, I was blessed by the answer on the other end of the line.. "sure I don't mind if you leave at 12 today" WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!! I immediately called Mr. Joey and it was set, they were to wait on me so I could go!! I was able to see my love this weekend and I a, just so incredibly blessed to have been able to do it! Thank you God!The power of prayer works people, and the sooner you realize it...the smoother your life will go and the more peaceful it will be! God is so good, all the time!! And all the time, God is good!

It's Been A While!!

Well hey there y'all! I just have been so overwhelmed lately with taking on a new job this week I haven't exactly made myself stop and post! However, I will do so soon ;)

It makes sense!!

"For I know the plans I have for you, 

plans to prosper you and not harm you, 

plans to give you hope and a future." 

Jeremiah 29:11

Okay so I was just bored and ended up stumbling across this beautiful bracelet on Pinterest tonight.. it was a leather strap in a coal color. In the picture you could tell it was a long bracelet and meant to be wrapped around your arm.. I could also tell that it had something written on there so I clicked to enlarge the picture. Little did I know, it would have the bible verse above posted on it. Reading this verse, on today of all days took my breath from my lungs. 

In the hectic, stressful, exhausting week I have gone through..yes I have been praying, checking my baseballchapel.com daily devotionals as well as praying to my Lord daily, but I haven't been really into my faith this week. There is so much hustle between working at my current job and getting prepared with a massive amount of paperwork in order to begin my new one that I haven't fully been connected as much as I should. This verse knocked me back to my butt and shows me that I am not in control, that HE is in control of me, and every thing I have going on. It was such a blessing to see.

Brandon has been doing relatively well this week in practice! Praise! Unfortunately, as many of you may have heard.. I often hear of how lonely and miserable being away from home can be. :( this is also very discouraging for me to hear. It makes me feel so weak knowing we are hundreds of miles away and there is nothing I can do to console him other than to tell him via phone, Skype, or text. I've been looking for a way to tell him just how proud I am and to also keep pushing him to succeed, but being that I now have this to share I will without a doubt be able to do so perfectly! I am so in love with God and how he constantly pushes himself in my face! He knows when I need it most, and I am so thankful for that. 

I am getting to bed now, if I can sleep..that is. Goodnight ;)

-Hope

Strike 3, YOU'RE OUT!!

Nothing but praises here tonight! We had some domination going on from the pitching end of this relationship!! WOOT WOOT! Brandon threw 2 innings today 1 hit, and 3 strike-outs! Proud lady here!

I am almost willing to bet money on how obnoxious I can be on Skype.. its something I just can't help. It's the only way I can see him, and it's helpful ;) However right now, we are on here and can I just tell you how big of an annoyance it is for me to hear crunching in my ear.. CANT HANDLE IT.. anyway, brandon is steadily crunching as we type.. killer, man. But I'm seeing that smiling face so I guess I can handle it. 

We are hoping that he will be staying in Lakeland, FL when ST is over.. and for us that would only mean progression!! Fingers crossed and putting it in God's hands because, after all.. that is the only person in control! I'm hoping he keeps his health up and kicks some booty like he did today and I'm sure that we will be on the right track! 

Keeping smiling, praising, and praying!!

With LOVE!!

-Hope

Appreciation!

Happy Tuesday, y'all!!

Ya know, that saying.. "you never know what you've got until it's gone" has always just been a sayin to me. Until, today especially! It's really starting to hit me that he's not around. I'm not so sure if it's the fact that I don't see him come into work to eat while I'm on shift, or the fact that I don't spend countless hours with him after I get off work. I have to admit I certainly did, in a way, take for granted that he would always be around. It made life easy.. because he always had a band-aid  for every boo-boo!

Today I am especially thankful for having a job that I can work out a 2-week with and make as much money as I can before I take on the task of this new 8-5. I'm excited though, I feel like I am moving up in the food chain! LOL!

As always, I am so proud of my boy. He makes me smile every day!! SINCE he has left, we have made a pact to always send one picture of ourselves each day- to the other of a smile on our face! This is helpful and allows you to see the other is happy!! It keeps you going, it has helped us so much! Again, I am so thankful for the blessings God placed into our lives. The fact that Brandon has the talent to play ball and thankful for his health! I am so blessed and excited to have such a great job opportunity opening up on my end that I can hardly stand it! And I am so glad to have such a sweet family helping me and supporting me!


HERE -- are our pictures we sent today :)

Thanks for reading, I pray for a great night!

God bless!

-Hope

Hearing this song makes me miss him so bad :)

Introduction, at it's finest!

Here, instead of hopping around and talking about Brandon and baseball, I can introduce you to us both. Brandon and I both graduated from the same high school! However, with him being 3 years older than me.. he was way out of my league! Brandon signed with the Detroit Tigers in 2007 straight out of his senior year in high school. He was drafted 60th overall!

I figured this may be a bit of informational post seeing as I haven't spoken any background of myself or Brandon.

I worked at a local restaurant, where Brandon spent quite a meals at! After months and months of flirty smiles and awkward hellos, Brandon took it upon himself to message me.. in which I didn't throw myself at him. I wanted to play hard to get, and little did I know.. he wouldn't appreciate that. I didn't hear from him again until I messaged him on his birthday, December 25th. God only knew that day would start the rest of our life!

He took me on our first date two days later to the local Firehouse Subs. I was so nervous I could barely eat! We had begun dating! Have been going strong since and wouldn't take back a single second! He means the world to me and knows me inside and out! I'm one lucky lucky girl :) 

As I view blogs, posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc.. about ladies being able to travel with their husbands/boyfriends/fiances.. I get jealous, but who wouldn't? Instead I have to sit here and think of ways to keep my mind off of him, and not necessarily keep my mind off him, but keep my mind off of being upset about not being there by his side! 

Brandon has thrown three bullpens since the beginning of spring training, and praise the Lord he has thrown well. He feels healthy, and he is throwing much better than he anticipated upon his return from retirement. Yes, retirement. We are thankful that he was able to keep his strength up while he was on this leave because little did we know he would be able to get back into the swing of things! 

Now we are just hoping he keeps his health, strength, and mind set up! 

This ^ is my sweetie doing what he loves doing!

It's exciting to see there is chatter going on about his return!

Former Tigers first-rounder Brandon Hamilton back in camp

• BY LYNN HENNING 
• THE DETROIT NEWS
 
• COMMENTS

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Brandon Hamilton, not pictured, is a hard-throwing, 6-foot-3, 220-pound pitcher whom the Tigers viewed as having upside to match some grand mechanical and strike-zone challenges when they drafted him 60th overall in 2007 out of Stanhope Elmore High School. (Elizabeth Conley/The Detroit News)

After a two-year layoff because of "personal issues," a former Tigers first-round draft pick is back in minor-league camp.

Brandon Hamilton, 23, and a right-handed starter from Deatsville, Ala., will attempt a comeback after a turbulent split from baseball.

"I feel good," Hamilton said Tuesday morning outside the Tigers' minor-league clubhouse. "Just happy the organization gave me another shot."

Hamilton is a hard-throwing, 6-foot-3, 220-pound pitcher whom the Tigers viewed as having upside to match some grand mechanical and strike-zone challenges when they drafted him 60th overall in 2007 out of Stanhope Elmore High School.

In his first two seasons with the rookie-laden Gulf Coast League Tigers, Hamilton had handsome numbers. In 2007, he was 1-1, with a 3.10 earned-run average and a .171 opposing batting average in seven games.

A year later, also with the GCL Tigers, he was 5-1 with a 1.86 ERA. He struck out 42 batters and walked 13 in 38 2/3 innings and held hitters to a .186 batting average.

But he had a rough 2008-09 stretch with West Michigan and later had problems with Tigers staffers.

"I had some issues at home," said Hamilton, who said he maintained a pitching regimen and competed while he was away, "and some people who I wasn't getting along with are no longer with the organization."

Al Avila, the Tigers assistant general manager who oversees minor-league operations, said Tuesday Hamilton would have an opportunity to make it back.

"He's had time to work things out, and we're gonna give him a chance," Avila said. "At his age, I would say (a long layoff) is not tough to overcome. It's up to the individual. We had to see enough of him to say he's worth keeping around, and that he's going to have the discipline and the desire to continue working at it."

Praising and praying!!

LOVE, HOPE