Victorious Faith

Happy Birthday MOM. . .Suprise!!!!

2012-01-18T17:01:00.000-08:00

We threw my mom a Surprise B-day
party because she turned the big
"60"!!!!

Amy did a great job on the
decorations. My aunt, Kathi,
helped with all the details and
Jessica and I worked with
the menu for the night. It
all worked out great.

My wonderful friend, Kristi, and her
husband, Josh, graciously opened their
house to us so we could have the
party there!

My mom was completely shocked.

We had friends and family
there who have been a big
part of our lives at different
time periods. I love the fact
that all of us are friends for a
lifetime!

We were excited to do this for
her because she is always making
everyone else feel loved and special
and we wanted to return that feeling
to her!

Happy Birthday MOM.

We LOVE you!!!

a busy new year. . .

2012-01-11T22:17:00.000-08:00

I have hit the ground running here in
2012! We are only a week and a
half in and here's what we've been
up to so far:
*Celebrated our 13th Wedding
Anniversary
*Sent off Tommy's parents
back to Boston (we all miss
them already)
*I did a coaches clinic for
a local league
*the boys started back up
school
*Tommy worked a baseball
show
*We went to Ruth Chris is
Anaheim w/USSSA and
Don Dedonatis (I told Tommy
that was my anniversary gift
to him :)
*We threw a SURPRISE
party for my mom!
*I went to my Bible study
*I met with our President
of Sports World when he
was in town
*I went to Calvary Chapel
Bible College in Murrieta
w/Women's Care Center
for a few hours
*I've had meetings for a
girls event we are doing
late spring/early summer

So now I leave on my 1st
flight of 2012 to Tampa, FL
tomorrow
for the God & Country
Softball Game:
FCA Softball All-Stars
vs
Wounded Warriors

I know this is going to be a great
event. I already met a couple of the
guys we'll be competing against and
they were so cool. Not only do they
play as amputees, they have an
amazing attitude about life and they
are the ones who are the heroes in
our country!

Next week, I fly to Texas to tape
some video for a Vacation Bible
School I'm going to be a part of
in June. I'm pretty excited about
that appearance!

And the weekend after, it's time
for another Jennie Finch Softball
Clinic, but this time in Mission
Viejo! I'm hoping we get a lot
of girls to come- we all have such
a great time at these clinics.
http://www.jenniefinch.com/

Life is always busy, but I make
sure to slow down enough to
spend time with what matters
most: reading God's Word and
my family. It's been super fun
to read the One Year Bible
every day with Jake. He loves
listening and we always have
good discussions about what
we are reading. And I've been
trying to get some working out
back in my schedule, so I jump
on my treadmill when I can!
I gotta get back in shape one
of these days :)

Happy 2012

2012-01-06T09:16:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!!!! 2012

Hope you have a wild and
crazy year. . .in a good way :)

2012-01-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

13 years of marriage!

We believe marriage is designed

by God and although we still

have things to learn and changes

to make, we choose to love

eachother for life til death

do us part!

Every year we celebrate our

wedding anniversary, we

celebrate another birthday for

my mom on the same day:

Jan 3.

Happy Birthday Mom!

You are so loved!!!

Nana and Papa had to fly back

to Boston. We all enjoyed

having them here in Ca!

2012-01-01T22:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!! It's 2012
and another year means many
new beginnings for a lot of
people!

I think it's always great to look
back on the previous year and
reflect! Time goes by so fast
and it's nice to think about all the
struggles that we overcame or the
experiences we had with loved
ones and much more.

I love that we celebrate the birth of
Jesus at the end of the year because
if we can get focused on the birth
of the Savior of the world, that
should get our perspective in the
right place for a new year. I look
forward to what 2012 holds for
my family and me. I know one
thing, life is never boring in my
house!!!

We will start out by celebrating
my mom's birthday and my
13th Wedding Anniversary on
the same day: January 3. Then
it will get busy around here as
we continue to homeschool and
as I start traveling again and
doing softball clinics here in
So. Ca. God is so good! I
love what I do, but more
importantly, I love God and
the people He has placed in
my life!

I am reading the One Year
Bible ESV and doing the
Jesus Calling devotions with
my kids. I know if I will
spend time with the Lord,
then I will be much more
effective doing everything
He has placed before me!

Happy 2012!!!!

Here are a few pictures from
this Christmas:

And one last picture:

My husband spoiled me:

Year in Review 2011

2011-12-24T12:27:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas 2011
Love, Tommy, Leah,
Jake, Drew, Luke,
& Grover

This past year was another fun
and busy year! Here are some
highlights of 2011:

Nana stayed for 7 whole weeks
with us! It's hard living so
far from Nana and Papa, so it
was nice to have her here for
so long.

I stayed busy speaking for Sports World:
this year I spoke in Simi Valley/Ojai,
Bakersfield, Virginia,
Santa Ana, Corona/Chino Hills,
and State College, PA.

I also spoke this past year at

high school chapels, Christian

clubs, FCA President's Weekend,

Softball National Tournaments

Opening Ceremonies, FCA Banquet,

FCA Coaches Clinic, National

Coaches Clinics, HS Baccalaureate,

and to softball teams.

Tommy and I celebrated our 12th
Wedding Anniversary with
our whole family on Jan 3rd

We took a trip to the mountains
for some fun in the snow.

I worked at Jennie Finch Softball
Camps all around the country
(Michigan, Arkansas, Lousiana,
Oklahoma, Oregon, New York,
Virginia, and Georgia)

We took a family trip to
Lego Land for
Luke's 4th Birthday

Drew played his 2nd year

of baseball and this time

he was on the same team

as his cousin, Micah.

I went to Seattle with Kristi

for the Beth Moore Conference

(thanks to my husband

for my anniversary gift!)

Easter 2011

Tommy and I took my neice, Taylor,
to watch Arizona Softball
play against UCLA. She
had such a great time and
was able to get pictures with
the girls and also my favorite
coach ever, Mike Candrea

We went to the Angels vs

Red Sox game when they

were in town.Tommy

continues to be one of the

biggest Boston fans out

there!

We fed the homeless

every other week in Pomona

I was the color analyst for

ESPN with Holly Rowe

for College Softball

Super Regionals

(Houston vs. OK. State)

I also did the Pro Fastpitch

Championship Game on

ESPN in August in LA

I also did radio for the NCAA

Women's College World

Series (my first experience

and I had a great time)

Jake went to summer camp with

our church for his first

time ever and had a blast.

We went to Zion, Utah for

vacation w/family

and friends.

We went to Athletes International

Conference in Phoenix and

I was honored as Female

Athlete of the Year

Drew graduated from Pre-School

Luke finished his first

year of Pre-School

We found ways to have fun

and stay cool in the heat

We took the boys to the

circus for their first

time ever

I started homeschooling Drew

in Kindergarten in August

and Jake is in 4th grade

Tommy and Jake took a trip

to Boston to celebrate his

brother's birthday

Tommy took Jake to Comic Con

for his 10th Birthday

My niece, Brooklyn, was born

in September (my sister's

baby)

I went to New York City with

Toni, Mac, and Andrea

when we had our JFSC

Camp in New York

We had lots of beach days with

lots of friends

Drew turned 6 in October

We took field trips to

Sea World and

Safari Park

And we got a new pet,

Grover, in November

I was honored to speak at

the Fred Jordan Mission in

LA on Skid Row this

year. I spoke at the

Good Friday Service,

Thanksgiving Day Event

and the Christmas

Toy Giveaway. FJM is

helping so many people in

need all year long!

And the boys saw Santa so now

they are ready for Christmas!!

It was a year full of

God's blessings once again!

I pray that you have a

wonderful Christmas and

Happy New Year in 2012!

We are excited to have Nana &

Papa here for the holidays once

again this year. Remember,

Jesus is the reason for the

season! Merry CHRISTmas

Fred Jordan Mission Toy Giveaway

2011-12-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to Skid Row in
L.A. for the Fred Jordan Mission
Toy Giveaway. I have really
enjoyed the events that the Mission
puts on and have been so honored
that they have allowed me to share
a little at each event. I get so excited
to be able to proclaim the love of
Jesus to everyone around!

I took Jake with me for the day.

I love taking my kids with me

to help them see others that

have needs and how we can

help those people. Earlier

in the week we went to feed

the homeless at a park in

Pomona, like we do every

other Thursday. I took Jake

and Drew with me and we

brought blankets and flash-

lights that we wrapped for

all the people we served.

One of the guys said, "This

is probably the only gift I'll

get for Christmas." I was

a few minutes late since I

was wrapping the gifts, but

I knew it would be worth

being late.

Back to the Fred Jordan

Mission:

so many people come to

serve and even Minnie

and Micky Mouse came!

The kids loved it.

It's amazing how blessed you are

when you go out and desire to

bless others and love them with

God's love.

The Fred Jordan Mission is

blessing so many people who

are struggling in different

ways. To hear the people

come up to Willie Jordan

and tell her how thankful

they are and how they want

to help serve there is so

amazing! They are being

the hands and feet of Jesus.

They share God's Word,

then give food and gifts.

God provides the needs

of His children. I want

to be faithful to be someone

who helps bless others with

the provision God has given

my family.

Merry Christmas!

Santa Stop

2011-12-18T19:03:00.000-08:00

This week, we made a stop to see Santa
at Bass Pro Shop!

I realized that my boys are getting
so grown up. This is the first
year that they all just walked in,
told Santa what they wanted
for Christmas and nobody
gave me a hard time. Maybe
it helped to be at Bass Pro Shop
because the boys played until
it was our turn in line, and then
ran around the place finding guns
to pretend to shoot and tents to
play in.

I love the decorations and trees
too!

We also sat down and wrote out

the list for Santa and put it in his

mail box, just in case he forgets :)

We are checking off our list of

things to do during the holidays:

See Santa - Check

Go to Christmas Lights - check

Get and wrap gifts - check

Make yummy chex mix - check

Decorate house - check

Make Christmas crafts - check

This week, I will:

Decorate sugar cookies
Decorate gingerbread house

Take the boys ice skating

Other than that, we are ready

for Christmas to come!

Luke's performance

2011-12-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

Last Friday was pajama day for Luke's

class. He wore his Star Wars jammies.

It reminds me of the day last year (below)

when I sent him to his class in his

Toy Story p.j.'s. Drew's class was

having "pajama day" so I assumed

Luke's class was too. I realized once

I walked in that it was NOT pajama

day for Luke's class because everybody

was wearing their regular clothes.

I ran out of there so embarrassed!

Luke didn't know the

difference because he was only
3 years old. If he was in Jr.
High, he would have disowned me!
It all worked out :) and now I have
a good laugh thinking about it.

Where's Lukey? :)

Pajama day 2011

That same day, while Jake was working on

school at home with dad, I had to run and

get my ring fixed, so I made it a date time

with Drew. I love that "special time" as

we call it in our house. Drew cracked me

up. He asked me, "Mom, when I'm older

are you going to let me have friends who

don't go to church?" I never really found

out why he was asking that because he

didn't have an answer, but I told him,

"Of course you can. You will choose

your friends as you get older but you

also need to choose wisely because if

friends are making bad choices, you

might make those same choices." He

said, "I'll probably just hang out with one

person for the rest of my life." He was

talking about his best friend, his cousin,

Micah.

We had quality time together.

Our special time was at In-N-Out

(his choice, but my favorite too).

That night we all went to Luke's

pre-school Christmas performance.

Luke was the Inn Keeper!

He said his line perfectly:

"No you I do not (have room),

but you can stay in my barn."

Mary and Joseph in the play :)

One proud "Inn Keeper"

Grandma came to support his
big performance too

Luke was singing really loud with all

the other kids at the end. We've heard

the song, "Mighty Day", a lot in this

house lately, especially when he's

in the bathroom with the door closed.

I'm just being honest!

After the performance was over,
we celebrated with McDonald's
ice cream sundaes. And that
was all he could handle. This
actor was so tired he fell asleep
sitting up.

Don't Fear, Just Go for it!

2011-12-11T21:32:00.001-08:00

Today my pastor was telling a story

about when he taught his daughter

to ride her bike for the first time

after taking off the training wheels.

It brought back memories of when

Jake learned how to ride his bike.

And memories of teaching Drew

to ride his bike are very fresh

because he just learned this year.

Luke is still using training wheels on

his bike but to him, he thinks he's

the fastest rider there is!

As I was thinking about how I believed
my kids could do it, but they had to
try, it made me think about how God
has things for us to do that many times
we really want to do and we think it
would be cool to do, but sometimes
we are held back out of fear. My kids
were ready when we took off the

training wheels, but the process was
delayed a little because they were
afraid to take off. I would tell them
how to do it, I would hold onto their
seats and run with them and I

would give them instruction on how
to stop the bike. But I couldn't pedal
for them- they had to go for it. Once
they overcame their fear, they were off
and riding! Yes, there were a few
crashes when trying to stop because
all instruction went out the window
once that fear came back, but

lessons were quickly learned and fewer

mistakes were made. We need to be
careful to remember God's warnings as
well because we can crash and burn
when we refuse to listen to His Word.
But I am thankful God doesn't get
frustrated with us like I can get with
my kids. I do believe that He does
not want us to hold back from becoming
who He created us to be due to fear.
We need to go for it and trust that He
will be right there with us, guiding us
and instructing us the entire time.
Like my pastor said, that's when He's
the closest to us, right when we need
His reassurance! And once we

take off, there will be no stopping us

because God's ways are always better

than our ways.

2011-12-10T10:19:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas 2011
Drew (6), Jake (10), Luke (4)

2011-12-06T20:42:00.001-08:00

We are 2 1/2 weeks from Christmas
and I have not bought a single gift!
I need to take the boys to Target so
they can make a Wish List. It does give
me a little peace knowing that we only
give the boys 3 gifts for Christmas. I
think I'm better when the pressure is
on and the time is short for what I need
to do though! I will get it all done. . .
one of these days!

Tomorrow I'm speaking at Chino
Hills High School. At lunchtime, the
Christian Club is bringing people in and
a DJ in to speak and hopefully draw
others in and hear what God has done
in our lives. I pray that God will open
hearts of students who don't know
Him. I will share that I called myself a
Christian in High School, but it wasn't
until my 3rd year in college that I
understood what it reallly meant to
follow Jesus.

Last week I spoke at chapel at Upland
Christian HS and I shared about
Joshua 1. I love how God was ready
to allow the Israelites to cross the
Jordan and take over the land that He
promised to them.
He called Joshua to lead them and
there were some specific instructions
given to him by the Lord. To obey
God's law, to meditate on it, and to
be strong and courageous. I believe
those are the same key points for all of
us to still be victorious these days to be
all that God wants us to be. But a big
thing is to hear from God to move
forward and that's what Joshua did.
Heard. . .then obeyed.

I then spoke Friday morning in Las
Vegas for Fellowship of Christian
Athletes at the Softball NFCA
Convention where most college
coaches, softball vendors and anyone
else involved in the sport meets. I
saw many friends from the game and
also was able to stay with my college
roommate, Jenny Dalton (Hill).
I also met two athletes who play for
the Wounded Warriors Softball Team
that travels around and competes. We
will be playing against them in Florida
in January. These two guys, Josh and
Matt, were 21 yrs old and 23 yrs old.
Josh had one prosthetic leg and Matt
was a double amputee. I am always
thankful to meet the true heroes of our
country, but it was nice to talk with
them. They had such upbeat personalities
and were grateful for the second chance
at life they had been given.

Saturday morning a couple friends
and myself had a garage sale that
was raising funds for a girls event
we are having in May that will be
about sexual integrity. I know it
will touch a lot of hearts and there
will be powerful messages shared,
so we are hoping to get as many girls
as possible to come!

Well, that's what my last week looked
like. We are always staying busy in
this house. The boys are doing well
in school and enjoy the 2 days a week
that they take enrichment classes at
the charter school. Tommy is busy
with Under Armour and we are excited
that all the product keeps getting better
and better. Oh, and Grover is doing
well. I hate to admit it, but he is sleeping
on our bed right at our feet! The kids
love having a dog, and whenever we've
been gone for the day and we return
home, we have one happy puppy that
can't jump on us enough to let us know
how much he missed us. It's been fun! \
Always an adventure around here, just
wondering what's next. . .

Tis the Season. . .

2011-11-27T15:04:00.001-08:00

As we celebrated Thanksgiving and

were reminded to be thankful

for ALL that we have

and for All of our loved ones,

we now look forward to Christmas. . .

The time of year to celebrate the Birth
of Jesus Christ and to share JOY, HOPE
and LOVE with those around us!

The Season always has a REASON

and His Name is Jesus!

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!!!

Luke with baby cousin, Brooklyn

Busy Boys

2011-11-27T14:56:00.001-08:00

My boys are always moving

So, it's nice to go outside and let them
get some of their energy out

by riding bikes and scooters.

They love to go "fast" and race.

These kind of days make me smile.

Thankful for Water

2011-11-26T09:01:00.001-08:00

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with
your loved ones! We had a great day, first
at the Fred Jordan Mission in LA where
many who are homeless and in need come to
get a nice, warm meal and also hear from
people sharing God's truth. I was honored
to be one of the speakers and I shared about
Psalm 100.

But, today I am thankful for water in my home.
I told the people at the Mission, that I learned
to be thankful for warm water in showers when
I was in Guatemala for 12 days and had to take
cold showers. I also told them I am thankful
for clean water that I can drink. And today,
our water line from our house busted and we
have no water inside. And quickly I'm realizing
that affects going to the restroom (not being
able to flush), brushing my teeth, taking a shower,
washing my hands, rinsing dishes, doing laundry,
and more. I don't think about how thankful I
am until something like this happens and I
realize how important it is.

And I'm thankful for my best friend's husband,
Josh, who is a jack of ALL trades and came
over and is saving the day as we speak.
Since the water line busted, all the water
was flowing out into the street until we had
somebody come and shut it off. I'm thankful
for friends, and thankful for water.

Now I need to go find some bottled water
so I can brush my teeth :)

. . .

So. . . .

The problem was fixed by 8:30pm last
night. We had a whole day without water
and it was interesting. I went over to my
friend's house to take a shower and let's
just say that the boys were thankful they
didn't have to take a shower at all :)

Tommy worked hard and also, a worker
from the city came and helped us to unclog
the pipe once we had it connected again.

So, lots of mud later and a huge hold in our
yard, we now have running water again!
Thank you Jesus!!!

Thankful for so much, while many have so little

2011-11-23T11:05:00.001-08:00

"Generous hands are blessed hands because
they give bread to the poor." (Proverbs 22:9)

I was watching Life Today on TV and saw
the video of these children in Sudan. It
really breaks my heart and brings me to
tears to think about how much we waste
in America while others are starving to
death, literally. I can't see these images
and not respond! My heart is given to
God and because it is, I believe He breaks
my heart for what breaks His.

If I turn my eyes away and refuse to
acknowledge it, it doesn't change the
fact that it is happening. So as we
approach Thanksgiving and I go out
and buy exactly what food I want to
put on my table, I am COMPELLED
to GIVE money that just might feed
20 children for 3 months. They don't
choose what they want to eat, they
eat whatever they can get their hands
on. I am thankful for those who are
there giving out the food, but they are
also watching these children die before
their eyes for lack of food.

If God moves your heart to give (and
I know there are so many different ways
and places to give and times are hard
for so many), then check out
http://www.lifetoday.org/.

These are real faces, real people,
real situations that we cannot fathom
when we lightly use the words, "I'm
starving" if we haven't eaten in 3 hours!

I just have to share- my heart breaks
for these children who know nothing
but suffering. The Bible says that for
he who has much, much will be required.
I believe that call goes out to ALL in
America because we have been blessed
beyond measure.

Thank you Jesus for ALL your blessings,
but God, I pray that you will remind all
of us to be GIVERS and to pray for
those who have nothing.

Meet GROVER

2011-11-18T10:45:00.001-08:00

He's our new family dog. I went to the pet
store with my boys to get mealworms for
our pet gecko and somehow we ended up
coming home with this cute little guy.
My husband was out of town so I was
texting him pictures of this dog that
needed to be rescued. The things is
that he looks like a miniature version
of my mom's dog, Smokey, that went
to heaven earlier this year. He's 2 years
old and he's the perfect size: not too
big and not to small. The boys love him
and fight over taking him for walks
(just another thing for brothers to fight
about right!).

He loves to cuddle and also gets in a
playful mood where he loves to chew
at his toys. We'll see how this goes-
it's our first family dog ever!

Focal Point in Sports

2011-11-16T21:21:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine is writing a devotional
for softball players and asked me to
write about different ways we can
worship God through our sport.
Below is what I wrote for her:

I played softball for myself, my team,
and my own glory for a long time. In
college, when I began to live for God,
my entire perspective in life changed.
Romans 12:2 says to be "transformed
by the renewing of your mind" and
that began to happen as I learned what
the Bible taught. The more I learned,
the more I realized that God has
a purpose in our lives and wants to be
recognized in all areas, even on a softball
field. After all, God is the One who gave
me the talent and passion to play the
sport of softball.

When you are on the field, emotions
can get intense depending on how well/bad
things are going. I wanted to have a visual
reminder or a focal point to keep my
mind on the fact that I was playing
softball nfor God. The verse I picked was
Philippians 4:13, and it was the first verse
I ever memorized. It says, "I can do
all things through Jesus Christ who
strengthens me." I began to write "Phil 4:13"
on my glove, on my batting gloves, and
even put a little cross on the knob of my bat.
That way when I went to pick up my
equipment, I would quickly be reminded
that I was out there to play my best for
God's glory.

I believe those visual reminders
helped me when I was playing great
and also when I started to struggle.
When I did well, I would pray and
thank God for the opportunity to be
on the field and for the talent He
gave me. When I got into a slump,
I would pray and ask God to help me
to focus on Him and to continue to
be thankful to have the ability to play
softball. I quickly memorized another
verse when I was struggling: Joshua 1:9:
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong
and courageous. Do not be afraid; do
not be discouraged, for the Lord your
God will be with you wherever you go."
I leaned on that verse a lot when things
weren't going well and was thankful that
God was with me always. I know
how important those focal points were
because whenever I would get off track,
I would look at my glove and see
"Phil 4:13" and remember why I was out
there in the first place: to bring God glory.

Operation Christmas Child

2011-11-12T08:32:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year: time to bless others

and put a smile on a child's face!

Today we are going to the store to pick

up some goodies to add to our shoe box.

The goodies will go with a new pair

of shoes and a new shirt:

Under Armour of course :)

My boys and I prayed for the child who will

receive this shoe box and we wrote a

note and added a picture of our

family. Our hope is that they feel

the love of Jesus and we are so

thankful for the difference that

Samaritan's Purse

is making, along with others

just like you and me!

Click HERE to learn how

you can send a box and

put a smile on a child's

face across the world!!

Veteran's Day 2011

2011-11-11T08:32:00.001-08:00

Thanking God and praying for all the troops
and families who sacrifice so much for all of
our families here in America.

National Coaches Clinics: Dallas, TX

2011-11-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I was in Dallas, TX for
the first ever National Coaches Clinic.
My former Olympic teammate and friend,
Christie Ambrosi, has a passion to do a
coaches clinic that is different than all the
others out there. This clinic includes coaches,
players and parents. There are key note
sessions that everyone listens to, break out
sessions that they choose their topic, and
round table discussions where we get up
close and personal.

The staff was impressive:
Sue Enquist: 11-Time Natl Champion as
a coach at UCLA and gifted communicator

Julie Adams: UCLA All-American and
Pro SB player

Christie Ambrosi: Gold Medalist, UCLA
All-American

Deb Hartwig: Just Softball Owner and
Right View Pro (technology)

Greg Loveless and Linda Loveless:
(a powerful husband and wife team
that speaks on nutrition, coaching,
the mental game and more. Linda
is with Arbonne)

Chad Austin: strength coach

We are looking forward to the next
one in Phoenix, AZ : Dec 8-10

It was a great experience and you have
to start somewhere, but I would say they
started out with a bang! The coaches,
parents and athletes had such great
comments about the weekend and
can't wait to invite more to come next
year! Here are a few pictures:

Coach Sue Enquist: Kicking things off for the 1st ever
National Coaches Clinic in Dallas, TX

Dessert and Round Table discussions with attendees

Teaching Baserunning

Christie Ambrosi (2000 Olympic Teammate) and Julie Adams
(my teammate in 18U and friend)

The staff

On the Inside

2011-11-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

I just had to post this (sorry if it is hard to
handle). Even though this article is from
6 years ago, and I'm sure there are many
more current stories about Joel, I thought
this was powerful. I was listening to
a Christian radio broadcast today with
Pastor Bob Coy from Calvary Chapel
Fort Lauderdale and he was interviewing
Joel. Joel currently is on staff there as
well and is married and has at least one
child (they said that in the intervew).

Listening to him, you could hear joy in
his talk and he was very sacrcastic and
humble at the same time. The whole
message was a reminder that it's what
is on the inside that matters most. They
said many people look good on the
outside, but are a mess inside and he is
just the opposite: people see a mess on
the outside, but on the inside he is a
put together as anyone there is. I just
know that this was 6 years ago and he
was talking today on the radio about how
he shares and helps others. All the glory
goes to God and he mentioned that many,
many times. When you love Jesus with
all your heart, what matters most is
completely different than what the world
says matters!

Joel Sonnenberg Encourages Burn Victims in Korea

We now meet a survivor of a fatal accident.

Burned beyond recognition in a car crash when he was
almost two, Joel Sonnenberg overcame much of
his pain. Now, the 27-year-old man is spreading
a message of hope and encouragement while
letting us realize the importance of looking beyond
the surface.

Ever wish you were someone else? A little prettier,
smarter or richer? Or, wished you had it easier?
Well, meet Joel Sonnenberg, who doesn't want
to be anyone but himself because he's grateful for
who he is today.

"Willingness says a lot. I'd rather have willingness
than someone who has all the right answers, the
right talents and no willingness to do anything.
I'd rather be the opposite," Sonnenberg said.

Joel, at the age of 22 months, was diagnosed
with a 10 percent chance of living upon surviving
a car collision with an 18-wheel tractor-trailer.

Despite the life-altering accident which left 88
percent of his body covered in burns, Joel,
with the help and support of his parents and
community, learned to cope with his limitations.

"Those are just differences that I have to adapt
around. Just like you have differences, but yours
may not be as noticeable as mine," he said.

By focusing on his strengths and nurturing his
talents, he was elected captain of his high school
soccer team and was awarded with a college scholarship.

Although he has proved to the world and
himself that nothing is impossible, one thing
the 27-year-old hasn't adjusted to is the looks
he gets from people.

"It is a reminder every single day of why I'm living
and what focus I need to have. And that's not
necessarily always on myself. And that I can make
a difference in someone's life for the better," he said.

Currently visiting Korea upon invitation by a
Christian organization, Joel hopes to spread a
message of hope and encouragement by sharing
his life-story with those suffering physically or
emotionally.

But he's not content with being a role model
for the disabled. He wants to educate others to
look beyond differences, to see the people
behind the scars.

Halloween

2011-10-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween. We are excited to go to
our church, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills for
Family Fest tonight. My boys are getting
so big!
I'm so thankful for pictures because they
bring back many memories! Things are
always changing and that's why I love
pictures: they help me to remember how
things once were. For now, these are
our current memories :)

Pumpkin Patch 2011

My 3 crazy boys who I love like crazy even when they drive me crazy!

Luke: Art at Back to School Night

I can still remember taking Drew

to Family Fest when he was only

3 weeks old as a Dalmation!

And Luke at 6 months was already such a big boy!

Have a great night!

Who is that?

2011-10-27T22:40:00.000-07:00

Soldier Amico

We will Protect This House

Jake: loves his fiction!

Fall = Pumpkins

2011-10-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

The boys knew it was that time of year:
Time to carve a pumpkin. So they
begged me enough and we went to
work. This was the first year that
they did most of the work. We only
had one big pumpkin, so we made
something on both sides!

It's been nice to have cooler mornings
and to wear jackets at night. I"m looking
forward to the holidays. And I'll always
be thankful for these memories. . .

just getting started

digging out the insides

hoping mom will bake them one of these days!

teamwork

One side: Happy face

The other side: a Cross and a Fish

At the pumpkin patch at Luke's school

Showing Dad his work

Mom is so proud

Enjoying the fall season

2011-10-27T22:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was the keynote speaker at the
Reunion for the All American Girls Professional
Baseball League in San Diego. Tommy and I
were able to have a night out together and we
enjoyed it so much. These ladies are great! I
have met some of them in the past, but since
they played in the 1940's-1950's, they are all in
their 70's, 80's and 90's now. As the pictures of
their teams were shown on the screen, I could
hear them mention names of their teammates.
It's funny, because that's how I feel about my
college teammates and my USA teammates. I
know that when I'm that age, I'll still have
all the wonderful memories of when we played
together! I was so honored to join these ladies
and truly am thankful for the opportunities they
paved the way for athletes like myself!

Here are some pictures of the night:

With Tracy Reiner (actress and daughter of Penny Marshall)

Date night :)

Katie and me (we have met before)

Penny Marshall (Director of A League of Their Own)

3 of the "softball players" from A League of Their Own"

Speaking

Honoring the ladies who helped put on the Reunion and make it possible

Jan helped put together the event and did a great job!

With Shirley and Eme

Tommy enjoying talking with Maybelle who we have met in the past

Me and Maybelle

Pictures of one of the real teams

These ladies ROCK!

Thankful for a night away with my husband

JFSC New York

2011-10-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

We had camp a couple weeks ago in
Manhassett, NY for Jennie Finch
Softball Camp. The weather was
perfect (80 degrees) and we even
had a spur of the moment trip into
the city which was only a 20 minute
train ride away! It was so much
fun. We walked around for a few
hours and went to the top of the
Empire State Building. Here are
some pictures of both NYC and
also camp!

Salt

2011-10-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

"Salt is good, but if salt has lost its
taste, how shall it be restored? It is
of no use either for the soil or for the
manure pile. It is thrown away. He who
has ears, let him hear." Luke 14:34-35

"You are the salt of the earth, but if
salt has lost it taste, how shall its
saltiness be restored? It is no longer
good for anything except to be thrown
out and trampled under people's feet."
Matthew 5:13

Do you like salt? I like salt because it
adds flavor to something that might be
bland without it. I remember when I was
in Australia for the Olympics and the food
just never tasted quite right. We realized
that they didn't have salt so everything
didn't have much taste. Recently we brought
home food from our favorite mexican food
restaurant and when we got it home and went
to eat the beans, I spit them out. It tasted
horrible. I didn't know what was wrong with
them but my mom tasted it and knew exactly
what it was. You guessed it, they left out
the salt.

Salt makes a difference! And Jesus compares
believers to salt. He even gives a metaphor
(we worked on those this week in homeschooling)
and says that we are the salt of the earth.
But His words to us are pretty straight forward
and we need to think about what He was saying.

If we are not being salt, then we are
essentially wasting our life. We need to
examine our lives, find out ways that we
are living out our faith and if we are
not being salt, then we need to figure
out why. The contrast to this example
is that with the power of God, we can
become "salty" again as soon as we begin
to rely on Him and draw close to Him.

The moral here: "Don't waste your life!
Make it leave a good impression on the
lives of others!"

The Catch

2011-10-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

I played softball for 22 years

I played in MANY games and the teams
I played for lost some and won a lot

But still, one of my best highlights of
my career came when I was a sophomore at
the University of Arizona

We were playing in the Women's College
World Series against Fresno State

A ball was hit and I knew it was going
over the fence

What I didn't know was that I would have
a chance to catch it

I jumped up as high as I could (which has
never been very high)

I stretched out my glove

and to my surprise, I bent halfway over
the fence and caught the ball!

Here is a picture of the picture :)
(since they didn't have digital back
then!)

Softball brought me many memories in
my life. . .
and this is definitely one that will
always stand out to me!

2011-10-19T16:51:00.001-07:00

I'm still here, just taking one day at a
time with where I need to be and what I
need to be doing. I have pictures to share
and things that God has been putting on
my heart to write, but I just need to find
the time. I will one of these days- because
right now my "free" time is playing catch
with my 6-yr-old, looking up homeschooling
ideas on the computer, catching up on emails,
setting new appts in my calendar and more.

I'm finding out that the bigger the kids get,
the busier life can get. I'm just making
sure I never get too busy to spend time
with God. I'm thankful for every opportunity
I get and hope that encouragement is what
is being passed along when I speak. I will
post pictures soon!

Off once again. . .

2011-10-06T20:47:00.001-07:00

Where is the time going?

I can't believe how fast time is flying
by! It's already October! Two more
months and Christmas is here!

I know they say "Time flies when you're
having fun" (which I am) and "It goes
by faster with each year" (at this pace,
I must be really old haha).

Tomorrow. . .
I am off once again for another JFSC
(Jennie Finch Softball Camp). This
one is in New York and on Saturday,
I will be away for Drew's 6th Birthday.
We celebrated last night by going to
Denny's (his choice- and he is obviously
very easy to please). So we all had
breakfast for dinner along with hot
chocolate. It went great with the
cold, rainy storm we had. I also took
cupcakes today to his classes at Thursday
school, and that brought a big smile to
his face. He has a couple new toys now
so this kid is as happy as can be and
his birthday isn't for 2 more days.

Tonight I went to feed the homeless and
Jake and Drew came along. The past 2 times
we have gone out to feed our friends in
Pomona, there have been close to 30 people.
Most are homeless and some are really in
need, so it is such a blessing to give them
warm food, shampoo, soap, etc. and also
a message of hope that somebody shares about
the Word of God.

As I saw a group of my friends (some are new
just from serving together) preparing food
and handing it out to all these people, I
just felt in my heart that this is what it
means to be the "hands and feet" of Jesus
to the world. I know that can look many
different ways, but this is one way where
you get out of your comfort zone, take time
out of your already packed schedule, and
you hold hands in prayer and hug people who
never shower and yet are so grateful for the
food you bring and even the conversation they
get with you. There is also a family with
an 8 yr old boy, Christian, who comes
because his dad does not have a job. This
boy has the most beautiful smile and we,
along with others, have been able to give
him some clothes and shoes to wear. His
eyes light up when he sees what we give
him. It is those moments that remind me
that I can never outgive God. God has
given me SO very much, and this is a small
thing and yet I feel God's hand all over
it. Thank you God for the opportunity to
serve these people! I am the one who
walks away with the life lessons from
it.

Last weekend I was filled up (spiritually)
at our Women's Retreat. The title was
"Princess Warrior" and the messages were
given by Laurie Cole from Priority Ministries
in Texas. It was such a great reminder
about the battle we are in, and how we
will get beat down if we don't recognize
that we are in one and also if we don't
"put on the armor of God." I enjoyed
the time with my close girl friends who
I cherish and am thankful to have fighting
right alongside me in this battle! My
boys were in good hands (my brother's
family and also with my mom) as Tommy
was away for work. They always love
the time they get with their cousins!

We also had our 2nd meeting this week for
our latest Bible Study: Beth Moore's study
on Revelation: Here and Now, There and
Then. Only two weeks in and there is
so much wisdom and eye opening information
I have received. Staying in God's Word
by studying it and having discussions is
such an important part of staying victorious
as a Christian. I highly recommend looking
into a study group if you are not in one
already.

Well, that's all for now! Just some info
about my last week- I knew I felt like I've
been very busy! Have a great weekend- I know
I will!

Greg Laurie Devotional

2011-10-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

I had to share this devotional from
Greg Laurie with Harvest Christian
Fellowship.

Excuses, Not Reasons

And let us not neglect our meeting together,
as some people do, but encourage one another,
especially now that the day of his return is
drawing near. Hebrews 10:25

A reason is what we offer when we are
unable to do something, while an excuse
is what we offer when we don't want to
do something and want to get out of it.
And people offer a lot of excuses as to
why they can't go to church.

Yet I look at the commitment that sports
fans have—how they will go and support
their team, no matter what. No matter
what the circumstances or weather
conditions, they will root their team on.
They will dress in the team colors and
even paint their faces. And when their
team scores, they will yell in their
excitement.

What if people were like that in church—
never missing a service, never missing an
opportunity to worship? And what if people
offered the same reasons for not going to
sporting events as they do for not going to
church? Think how stupid it would sound:
"Yeah, I don't go to the games anymore. The
people who sat around me didn't seem all
that friendly. And it is so crowded. There
are just too many people." Or, "The seats
were too uncomfortable." Or, "It is too
hard to find a parking place." Or, "The
coach never personally came and talked
to me."

Or how about these excuses? "Well, I
read a book on this sport, and I think
I know more than the coach anyway."
Or, "My parents took me to a lot of
games when I was growing up, so I
just don't want to go anymore."

I doubt you would ever hear these excuses
for missing a sporting event, yet these
are things people say about why they
don't go to church. They may have a lot
of excuses to offer, but none of them
are reasons.

Mt. Sac Softball Clinic: October 15th: 9-1pm

2011-09-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

Don't Miss Out!!!!

Pass along the information to any softball
players who might be interested!

LA County Fair 2011

2011-09-29T21:32:00.000-07:00

Last week we took our annual trip to the
LA County Fair. The boys are getting so
much easier now that they are older. I
don't have to worry as much about them
getting lost! I can remember two years
ago when they would take off in different
directions and Tommy and I would have to
split up and start searching if they got
out of our view. They also are able to
appreciate all the different things that
that Fair offers and teaches. They even
smile for my pictures (even when they don't
feel like it :)

Here are some pictures from our Field Trip!

Jennie Finch Softball Camp: Medford, Oregon

2011-09-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

Another weekend and another JFSC!

This time it was held in Medford, Oregon.
The weather was beautiful and the girls
worked hard and learned a lot more about
softball. These camps never get old
because we are hanging out with friends,
teaching the sport we love and inspiring
young girls to follow their dreams!

Andrea Duran in the Jennie Finch "Store"

Jennie talking before her pitching demo

Lots of drills. . .

to work on our skills!

The sky was beautiful!

Saturday night we had a dinner where we
talked more in depth about our experiences

My awesome college helpers from
University of Southern Oregon

Our hitting demonstrations

I love working with these girls! We make new
memories every camp!

Baby Brooklyn

2011-09-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

As I was traveling to 3 different states
last week, my baby niece, Brooklyn, was
born! Luckily, I came home for one day
in between trips and was able to see see
her when she was still less than 24 hours
old! She was born Wednesday afternoon
as I was traveling home from Pennsylvania!

Here are some pictures of her:

6 lbs 6 oz

Me and my little sis

2011-09-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

I've seen this a couple times through
e-mail, but it's still powerful every
time. Pretty strong words and yet this
is the direction our country is headed.
I will stand for righteousness and truth,
I will stand for Jesus, and will not just
follow what our society is trying to tell
us is how we should do things. We have it
backwards!

Here is what I received about praying
at a school sporting event:

"Due to a recent ruling by the
Supreme Court, I am told that saying
a Prayer is a violation of Federal
Case Law. As I understand the law at
this time, I can use this public
facility to approve of sexual perversion
and call it "an alternate life style,"
and if someone is offended, that's OK.
I can use it to condone sexual
promiscuity, by dispensing condoms and
calling it, "safe sex." If someone is
offended, that's OK. I can even use this
public facility to present the merits
of killing an unborn baby as a "viable!
Means of birth control." If someone is
offended, no problem... I can designate
a school day as "Earth Day" and involve
students in activities to worship
religiously and praise the goddess
"Mother Earth" and call it "ecology.."
I can use literature, videos and
presentations in the classroom that
depicts people with strong, traditional
Christian convictions as "simple minded"
and "ignorant" and call it
"enlightenment.."

However, if anyone uses this facility to
honor GOD and to ask HIM to Bless this
event with safety and good sportsmanship,
then Federal Case Law is violated.

People have forgotten: We are given the
Freedom OF Religion, not the Freedom
FROM Religion Praise GOD that HIS remnant
remains! JESUS said, "If you are ashamed
of ME before men, then I will be ashamed
of you before MY FATHER.."

**I thought this was a powerful message.

Heading to VA on my Birthday

2011-09-08T22:39:00.001-07:00

I am flying out in the morning and it's
my birthday. I'm sad to be leaving my
family but thankful for the opportunities
I have to impact the lives of others.

I wanted to post a few pictures while I'm
gone. I'm going to miss these faces:

Happy for Gene

2011-09-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

Tonight a group of us went to our spot
at the park in Pomona to bring a warm,
homecooked meal to some who live on
the streets in that area. We have had
some new faces recently, and have been
able to get to know others who have been
coming for a long time now.

Well, two weeks ago, I was talking with
Gene, who we saw every time we went for
the past 2 1/2 years. He kept telling us
that he wanted to get back to Montana where
his sons lived. I took this picture of him
in June.

When we went to the park tonight, the others
told us that Gene finally got his wish and
had a one-way bus ticket to Montana. He is
home now! I have no idea what he had to go
through being on the streets and what happened
to make him be out there, but I am so happy
for him right now. I have to say, I'm a little
sad I won't see his smile and bright blue eyes
each time we show up. He would walk over to
my car and help with the food. I prayed for
him each time I left. This is the stuff that
makes me happy. I most likely will never see
him again, but am thankful for the time that
I was able to join others in bringing him food,
toiletries, and also was able pray for him.
He heard the Word of God shared and I pray
that I see him in heaven one day!

My Family

2011-09-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

Wild

Fun

Crazy

Entertaining

Challenging

Loving

Loud

Happy

Busy

My Family!

On the Road Again

2011-09-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

It's about that time to start traveling
again. This time I will be traveling on
my Birthday, Friday, Sept 9th. I will
be going to 3 states in the next week.

First, I will head to Virginia (Dublin)
where we will be doing a Jennie Finch
Softball Camp on Saturday and Sunday.
Last year we had 400 girls in Virginia
and we stayed in a cabin where we will
be staying again. This time Jennie will
have baby Diesel with her.

Then on Sunday night I will fly to
Pennsylvania to speak Monday through
Wednesday for Sportsworld. I had a
great time in August at the annual
conference. We took this picture:

These are the Pro Speakers for Sports
World. Click HERE to learn more about
this great group!

Wednesday is a big day because my
sister has a scheduled C-section with
my baby niece! I will go and see her
and this baby girl on Thursday when
I'm home. I can't wait!

Then on Friday I will fly to Arkansas
to speak at Greenwood First Baptist
Church for a Girl's Event on Friday
night. This is my passion! I'm
excited to see God show up!

It's going to be a busy week- I know
I will have amazing experiences and
meet new people. I'm praying for
flights to be on time so I can make
all my appearances. I also can't
believe this Sunday is the 10th
Anniversary of Sept. 11th. I am
so thankful for those who have given
their lives for our freedom and for
those who are serving now. We need
to always remember what happened 10
years ago- and to continue to be
grateful for all we have in this
great country. Above all, God is
in control! I want to be in the
middle of His will and pray that
you will experience that as well.

Back to (HOME) School

2011-09-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

It's our 3rd week back and things are moving
along. Every Tuesday and Thursday, Jake and
Drew are taking classes through our Charter
School. They are taking classes like Spanish,
PE, Computer, Art, Book Club, Lego League,
and more. At home we are working on the
main subjects: Bible, Language, Math,
History and Science.

We have our little work table where Jake
and Drew do most of their work.

Luke likes to watch his brothers do their
work.

Sometimes Jake brings out his gecko, Spots,
to hang out.

Drew is my little baseball player, and Jake is
my book worm. He LOVES reading. This is what
he had read in a month in a half, and he just
read the final book in 2 1/2 days (he finished
this morning). I'm very impressed!

Rejoice. . .

2011-09-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

Our first memory verses for this school year
were Philippians 4:4-7. Although verse 7
is frequently quoted, I really enjoyed having
Jake memorize the verses prior. I memorized
them as well and Drew just had to memorize
verse 4.

Here is what we memorized:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it
again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be
evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not
be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God, and the peace
of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus." Phil 4:4-7

As I was memorizing these verses, it stood
out to me that Paul is telling them to
first and foremost: Rejoice in the Lord.
You see, in order for us not to be anxious,
we must 1st set our eyes on Jesus. We need
to draw near to God because when we do that
weare reminded that He is in ultimate control.
He also says to let your gentleness be evident
to all. I don't know about you, but unless
I am walking in the Spirit (God is helping me),
I am not going to be real gentle when things
aren't going well. His next statement is:
"The Lord is near". What a great reminder
that whatever is happening in our lives is
not a surprise to God and He's not watching
from a distance and saying, "I wonder what
Leah is goingto do this time."
No, instead, God is near and once we realize
that, He comforts us by putting His promises
and truths in our hearts and minds. After
"rejoicing", and remembering that God is
"near", then we will be able to "not be anxious"
and we truly will understand that "God's peace"
really does "transcend all understanding."

When God brings comfort in the middle of hard
times, we truly grasp "how wide and deep His
love is for us". I hope you are encouraged
by this. I was encouraged by memorizing all
these verses and in the future, instead of
just trying to quote verse 7 like I have in
the past, I will have a much better starting
place by beginning with "rejoicing in the Lord"!

1st Time Playing Catch (for real)

2011-09-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am so excited!!!!! Tonight while I was cleaning
out the garage, Drew asked if we could go out
and play catch. He played T-Ball last spring,
and this past spring he played Coach Pitch
Baseball. But tonight was the 1st time he
was able to really catch the ball (most of
the time) and throw it back right at me.
It was the first time we were really playing
"catch"!

I didn't know I would love it so much but
I was in heaven! I know this is just the
beginning, but I want him to be the one
asking me to play with him at this point
and then when he's a little older and needs
a little pushing, I can do that then :)

Motivation for Softball Players in TX and CA

2011-08-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

This summer I had the chance to speak at
ASA 14U Nationals in Midland, TX. 14&U
is the first time I ever won a National
Championship and it was fun to be able
to talk to these young athletes coming
up in our sport. I can remember the
fun times I had with my teammates on
and off the field when I was that age.

I signed autographs for a couple hours
before speaking to 100 teams at the event.
I also took a few pictures with some of
the girls.

I was watching the teams parade in and saw
one of my teammates from the 1996 Olympic
Team: Michele Granger. Her daughter was
on the team she is coaching (she was
pregnant when she pitched the Gold Medal
game in Atlanta, GA but we didn't find
out until later). Now her daughter is
a top player in 14U.

There was a great staff behind making this
tournament happen: and here are some of
the super stars who are volunteering their
time. They were so fun to hang out with!

And Freddie Ezell: ASA has benefited by
having him run all these tournaments. I
have been out to speak at 4 tournaments
through the years for him and enjoy
seeing him each time I go to Midland.
He has done a lot for these young
softball players and I am thankful for
mena and women like him who allow others
to follow their dreams because they do
all the behind the scenes work!

The day after I got back from Texas, I went
to speak in Huntington Beach at the Opening
Ceremonies for Premier Nationals. There
were teams in 18U, 16U and 14U.

The ceremonies were in a cool spot:
Right on the BEACH!

Afterward I ran into Amy Stewart (I played
against when she pitched at UNLV). We
played together when I was in college in
summer ball. She asked me to talk to her
team and afterward I took a picture with
her and her daughter, Taylor. She is
also an up and coming star in softball.

I love that this sport makes the world
so small! I see old teammates who are
now coaching their daughters, I get to
know people who are running tournaments
and I meet new people each time I go to
speak. I'm so thankful for all the
opportunities God has brought my way!

Luke loves his new pre-school

2011-08-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

He is so excited to be back in school

And we are excited for him too!

His class is the "Monkeys"

Luke already has lots of friends! And he
always tells us that "he is very good" at
school.

NPF Championships

2011-08-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Sulphur, LA for
the NPF (Pro Fastpitch Softball) Championships.
The Chicago Bandits ended up winning it all
after beating the USSSA Florida Pride in
2 games. There are a bunch of superstars
playing this sport and I love that they have
a place to showcase their talent. I hope
our sport can support this league so that
it grows and young softball players have the
chance to keep playing after college if they
continue to have a passion for it!

I was able to be a part of it by doing Color
Analyst Commentating along with Jennie Finch.
Bernie Gunther was our Play by Play Announcer
and he was great to work with again. I have
enjoyed the opportunities in the past to do
TV and this was one of my favorite experiences
yet. It is such an honor to call the game
with such great athletes on the field (and
nice when some of them are good friends and
former teammates!).

I was able to travel with my good friend, Robyn,
which made it that much better. I am so
thankful for my friends!

But first, last week I received this book in
the mail:
Sharing the Victory: Being your Best for God
by Jill Ewert with FCA

It features 30 athletes including me and
devotions for each story. Other athletes
included (and much more recognizable) are:
Josh Hamilton, Tamika Catchings, Albert
Pujols, Colt McCoy, and Bethany Hamilton

Jennie Finch also just released her book:
And I bought the 1st copy ever sold! She
is a great role model for young girls!

Back to the softball game: Natasha Watley
is still at short stop! She is still one of
the best in the entire world in Softball!
She played short stop when I played 1st base
in the 2004 Olympics!

A couple other friends: Andrea Duran and Jessica
Mendoza (former teammate) at the Press Conference

The Bandits celebrating:

Jennie and I also interviewed a couple
players after the game: Jennie interviewed
Monica Abott, and I interviewed Stacey May-
Johnson and Megan Wiggins

After the game was over on Sunday, Robyn and
I drove to Jennie Finch's house. I had heard
about the "land" they lived on and the "land"
that her in-laws have where they hunt on their
own land and have ponds where they fish. It
was definitely more land than I've seen before!
We even got a tour on Casey and Jennie's golf
cart. On Casey's parents property, they have
these:

This was also what we saw:

It is so beautiful there

I am thankful for Cheri, the NPF Commissioner for
the opportunity to be involved with the league
for commentating!

Catch the World's BEST Softball on ESPN2 Sunday at 11am Pacific

2011-08-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

The BEST players in the World are competing
in the NPF (Pro Fastpitch) Championships
this weekend. They played tonight and will
play until the Champion is named on Sunday.
I will be flying to Sulphur, LA tomorrow
to be a part of this event. I can't wait
to watch these athletes compete tomorrow
night.

Saturday I will be working at Jennie Finch's
Softball Camp and then Jennie and I will
be Live streaming Saturday night's game
at 5pm Pacific: WATCH HERE.

Sunday, the game will be televised on ESPN2
and Jennie and I will both be color analysts
and Bernie Gunther will be Play by Play.
Don't miss it:

11am Pacific (1pm Central): ESPN2 Live!

Here is the full schedule for
the Championship Series (best 2 out
of 3):

Saturday August 20th

Game 7
Final Series 7:00 p.m.

Sunday August 21st (Televised live on ESPN2)

Game 8
Final Series 1:00 p.m.

Sunday August 21st
(Tape delayed airing on ESPN2 Monday, Aug. 22nd)

Game 9 “If Necessary”
Final Series 4:00 p.m.

Family Time

2011-08-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my nephew Justin's 16th
Birthday at San Clemente Beach with
our whole family. We didn't get
to the beach until 5pm, but the weather
was still gorgeous.

Justin is over 6' tall, and ALL his
younger cousins look up to him.

The boys love the water, no matter how
cold it gets.

The whole gang

We started eating our chips and thought we
weren't going to be able to cook our
hot dogs and smores, but we landed a
great spot and pit right near where
we were at the last minute!

Loving life!

Happy Birthday Justin!

Beach Days...

2011-08-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

are quickly coming to an end. . .

at least the ones where a group of us
plan a day and all head to Newport
Beach. The kids love to play together
and us moms love to talk and get
tan in the warm sun.

The beach is the one place that I have
found that I can do absolutely nothing
and be so peaceful! Then again, maybe
that's because my friends are usually
with me and that is one of the best
parts about it! Either way, school
starts for all 3 boys next week (Luke
started Pre-school this week).

I have been very busy cleaning, organizing,
throwing stuff out, and preparing for
this school year. It will be my first
time homeschooling 2 of my boys. Jake
is going into 4th grade (he tested very
well this past year!!!), and Drew is
starting Kindergarten. I'm going to have
a little more free time because they will
go to classes 2 days a week with our
charter school. They will take classes
like: Spanish, computer, writing, reading,
Legos, P.E., Art, Kid Town and more. I
get to tackle the fun stuff (not really):
Math, Language, Spelling, Science, and
History. I am excited to see what this
year brings. . .

God's Will: Shine for His Glory

2011-08-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a few thoughts from my
prayer time today:

The will of God the Father is to do the work
of the One who sends you. His will is to
help others: to pray for them, to give to
them, to teach them and to share with them.
God's purpose for you is to shine with such
a bright light that everyone will notice
and be impacted by that light. Eyes get
attracted to light. When people see God's
love in action, then their hearts can also
be drawn to His light. You are a witness:
SHINE your light!

These verses come to mind :
"For I have come down from heaven, not to
do My own will, but the will of Him who
sent Me. " John 6:38

"And this is the will of Him who sent Me,
that everyone who sees the Son and
believes in Him may have everlasting
life; and I will raise him up at the
last day." John 6:40

"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying,
"I am the light of the world. He who
follows Me shall not walk in darkness,
but have the light of life." John 8:12

A Baby Girl is Coming. . .

2011-08-09T22:59:00.000-07:00

for my sister in ONE more month! The
baby might even be born on my birthday (9/9)
if they induce Amy a week early. We had
her baby shower this past weekend. It was
so much fun to see family and friends that
we rarely see these days. My niece, Taylor,
is excited that we will finally have another
girl on this side of the family!

My mom decorated for Amy's shower-
she is so gifted in this area! It
was simple with just the right
touch!

Amy's friend Rachelle hosted the shower
at her house in San Clemente. She recently
remodeled her kitchen and it was gorgeous!

Rachelle's daughter, Bella, loved showing
off her dog to the rest of us. She is
her baby :)

More decorations and yummy homemade
Velvet Cupcakes (by my mom)

The party favors were little jars with
pink jelly bellies. . .

My mom, my sister and me

Amy got LOTS of pink for her baby girl!

One more month. . .we are all excited!

Busy Summer

2011-08-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

Summer is flying by! We have been super
busy and I can't believe that the school
year is almost here again! Luke starts
his new pre-school in 14 days! Jake and
Drew start in 3 weeks. I'm so excited
for some of the classes they will take
through the charter school: computer,
Spanish, Art, PE, Book club, and more!

I will continue to teach them at home
3 days of the week. Jake just got his
test scores back and he tested very
well! I am so proud of him and thankful
that we are in a position to homeschool
and have him learn in a really good
environment. I'm looking forward to
teaching Drew this year too.

Jake just got back from his first
time at church camp last Friday.
It was a big step for him to be
away from home for 5 nights and
to have no contact at all with us
during that time. We were so proud
of him when we picked him up from
camp because his counselor said that
Jake was such a great kid. He said
that Jake has the gift of encouragement
and that he was so helpful the entire
time.

I went to Florida a couple weeks ago
for the 4th Annual Under Armour All-
American High School Softball Game.
ESPN Rise puts the event on in
Orlando, FL and it was my 4th time
coaching in the game. They also
televise the game on ESPNU. It's
fun to see the upcoming stars before
they head to the top colleges in the
nation for softball. My team FINALLY
won in the 9th inning! My team lost
the past 3 years!

I was in Midland, TX this past weekend
speaking to 104 Softball Teams from around
the nation competing in the 14U ASA
Nationals. The 1st Nationals I ever
competed in was 14U and we won it all
and I was the winning pitcher, so it
brought back a lot of memories to speak
to this group. I even saw one of my
Olympic Teammates (Michele Granger).
She is coaching her daughter's team.

Last night I was in Huntington Beach
speaking to more softball teams (ages
14-18) competing in Premier Nationals
this week. These Opening Ceremonies
were right on the beach so it was a
fun place to be! Today I spoke to
a group of Chinese students who are
visiting the United States for a
couple weeks. It was the 3rd group
of students I have spoken to this
summer. I spoke about the Olympics
and shared my medals with them and
also told them that God is the
most important part of my life! They
love to take pictures with the medals
even though most of them have never
watched softball before.

We have been busy! We have also been
spending time swimming with friends,
going to the beach and just hanging
out. We also have continued to feed
the homeless and be blessed by helping
others. I am so thankful for my life-
for my family first of all, and for
every opportunity I have to speak!
One thing I love about traveling is
that I get so much uninterrupted quiet
time on the plane reading my Bible
and doing my Bible study. I have been
reading the Old Testament this year and
one thing that stands out is how people
were known for either following God and
his ways, or for doing evil in the eyes
of the Lord and not following Him. In
the end, we will also be known for one
of those. If we are not following God,
many times we are doing evil in His eyes
and don't even realize that we are
following the ways of the world. We
need to know our Bible so we can know
truth. I encourage you to pick up your
Bible today if you haven't lately. It
will encourage you!

So cute!

2011-07-29T17:28:00.000-07:00

I was looking through old pictures and just had
to put this up! This kid can be so darn cute!

Luke (2 yrs old)

Zion, Utah: Vacation 2011

2011-07-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

I love vacation in Zion. There are so
many different things to do and it is
so beautiful there!
We spent time in the river just cooling
off, tubed down the river, had ice cream, had
a picnic, played cards, rode bikes, hiked,
went sight seeing, hung out in the trailer
and somehow we still found time to relax!
Here are some of our pictures:

I still can't believe we hiked to the
top of this mountain! It's called Angel's
Landing and it is a 5 mile hike roundtrip.

This is at the top!

It is so fun to go camping with family and
friends. God is so good!

You have it all

2011-07-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

"Hss divine power has given us everything
we need for life and godliness through
our knowledge of Him who called us by
His own glory and goodness." 1 Peter 1:3

Do you know Jesus? Is He your Lord and
Savior? Have you accepted His death on
the cross for your sins? If so, you
are promised eternal life in heaven!
There is no greater gift we could ever
receive in life. I finally understood
what it meant to have a personal relationship
with Jesus in college and it changed my
life completely! Before that I prayed
and believed in God, but I finally gave
my life over and surrendered to God. It
was then that my eyes were opened in new
ways and my life was filled with more love,
joy and hope than it ever had before.

In 2 Peter 1:3, Simon Peter was
writing and reminding those of us that are
children of God that we have EVERYTHING
we need for life and godliness. We have
ALL we NEED through Jesus. We can deal
with everything in life, good or bad, if
we will cling to the promises of the Bible
and God's Word to us. We also can be
godly in a time in our culture that calls
bad things good. We have everything we
need- the Bible tells us that and the
Bible is truth! Who has this? Those
who know Jesus personally.

Many people know this next point already,
but there are also many who don't know
it or don't believe it:
God has a standard to get into heaven-
and it has nothing to do with how good
we are. God's standard has to do with understanding
that you are not good enough and therefore
you accept what Jesus did on the cross. It's
all about who you know and not what you have
done. When we read our Bible and ask God to
reveal Himself through His Word, it becomes
very clear. The problem is that many people
don't read their Bibles.

I just spoke yesterday to a big group of
Chinese students and none of them have Bibles.
They receive Bibles before they go back to
China from the family that is hosting them,
but after telling them how much I love God
and what He means to me, some of them were
asking for a Bible right now. They want to
read and learn about this God they have
never heard about. Something we take for
granted, others want to take in and learn.
God is moving all around us and He wants
His truth to be shared with others. Pray
and ask God to give you the boldness to
share a truth from God's Word with somebody
this week. When you step out in faith, you
will be amazed at how God meets you. And
remember- He already has given you everything
you need for life and godliness so you can
take that step remembering this truth!

Little Update

2011-07-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone- I hope you are enjoying your
summer as much as we are. It seems to be
flying by! I have been enjoying more free
time and running on my treadmill a lot
lately. I'm trying to get in shape and stay
in shape, especially after not really doing
any type of exercise all last year! We
had a great vacation in Zion, Utah a couple
weeks ago:

Last week we celebrated Jake's
10th Birthday, went to Raging Waters, and
went to the beach. Like I said, we are
ENJOYING our summer vacation! I almost forgot,
we also went to urgent care and Luke had
to get stitches in his chin because he fell
off the stairs and onto the tile and split
it open. I had to get stitches twice in my
chin growing up, so I guess Luke is taking
after his mom :).

Jake is 10 years old!

I have to throw in this picture from
the Athletes International Conference:

I recently read a book by Becky Tirabassi:
Let God Talk to You: When You Hear Him, You
Will Never Be the Same. I highly recommend
it for anyone who wants to hear God speak to
you intimately. I have had amazing experiences
as I have learned to "Be Still" before the Lord
and listen to Him speak to my heart directly
and many of the things that she wrote about,
I have experienced. I do have to say that
I was convicted and have been committing more
time to God because I know that when I get too
busy, I am missing out on all that God wants
to teach me. I am always so blessed and
refreshed after spending time in prayer, reading
my Bible, and letting God talk to me!

I also read the book: Reshaping It All: Motivation
for Physical and Spiritual Fitness by Candace
Cameron-Bure. It was a good book and I love how
bold she is about her faith. I don't know that
I can be as disciplined as her in what she eats,
but I am just as motivated as ever to keep working
out hard and speaking out about my faith.

Next week I'm heading to Orlando, Florida for the
Under Armour All-American HS Softball Game. This
will be my 4th year coaching in it and it has been
a lot of fun every time. Tommy continues to work
hard for Under Armour and the boys are getting
tan from all the time in the sun. God is good!

On a sad note, a friend who I met while speaking
in Virginia a year and a half ago lost her mom
to cancer last week. I had prayed with tears
many times for them, but thankfully she knew
Jesus as her Lord and Savior and Norma is no
longer suffering but is now rejoicing in heaven.
I cannot imagine Bridget's pain, but know the
only One, God, who can bring her any peace
and comfort. I am so glad that this is not our
true home. Heaven is what we look toward- there
will be no more pain and no more sorrow, no more
tears and no more fears, but there will be
the King of all kings and Lord of ALL lords,
Jesus Christ!

4th of July: God Bless America

2011-07-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

Make sure to take some time to thank God
for the freedom in our country! We are
beyond blessed and live in the greatest
country in the world. Many men and
women died for our freedom and today
many are still giving their lives for
it. I pray that God will bless our
great country!

Happy 4th of July

Athletes International Ministry: Phoenix, AZ

2011-07-03T19:34:00.000-07:00

A week ago, I was honored to be recognized
by AIM at their 27th Annual Conference. They
gave awards to different athletes in
different sports, but it is a Christian
ministry so the athletes are not only
recognized for their athletics, but also
for their faith. This was the award I
received: (It was hand-painted for all 8
athletes honored).

2011 Athletes International Ministry Award
Recipients are Jared Allen, Minnesota
Vikings - Jana Morris, Cowboy Mounted
Shooting - Nosa Eguae, University of
Auburn - Hakim Hill, UFL Las Vegas
Locomotives - Leah Amico, U of A &
Olympic Softball - Kurt Sauer, Phoenix
Coyotes & Randall Harris, World
Champion Powerlifter.

Larry and Wendy Kerychuk run a wonderful
ministry! Larry was in the NFL and has
lots of connections with Pro athletes.
God is using them in huge ways. During
the conference, there were different
speakers and in the mornings, they held
a football camp for the youth. These
athletes came to the talks and all of
them accepted the Lord as their Savior
after they heard what it means to follow
Jesus!

It was so great to go to an event and
be able to take my boys! It was a
great weekend for the whole family.

During the day, we had lots of time
to swim and enjoy the Pointe Tapatio
Resort at Lookout Mountain: we had to
be in the water in the 110 degree heat!

A couple of the speakers were: Bill McCartney
(Promise Keepers) and Aeneas Williams (Cardinals).
It is so encouraging to meet others who love the
Lord passionately and were so successful in
sports. I am a firm believer that if you
use the same passion toward what you love
and turn that passion to Jesus, there is
no stopping how much God will use you!

The last morning there we attended Phoenix
First Assembly and Bill McCartney spoke.
Kurt Sauer and I gave short interviews.
Pray that God will continue to change hearts
and minds for His glory through Athletes
International!

Proactive Parenting Network Appearance

2011-07-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

I wrote a couple weeks ago about Proactive
Parenting Network (PPN) and my trip to
Allentown, PA.
Here are some pictures:

We went to the Iron Pigs Game:
Triple A Baseball Team for the Phillies:

PPN's CEO: Bill Thompson

They had some cool marketing materials

We met lots of people and shared the medals
and some information about PPN with them.

I threw out the first pitch. The game
ended up being packed- I Loved the
stadium and the atmosphere.

This picture was in the restroom:
It's the All American Girls Professional
Baseball League (it's what the movie,
A League of Their Own, was based on).
I took a picture
and am excited because I am going to
their Reunion in October. I have met
a number of those ladies in the past
and they are so fun!

Pool Time to beat the Heat

2011-07-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

I love the summer! And my boys do too.
We don't have a very big back yard, so
sometimes you have to just find creative
ways to have fun and cool off at the same
time.

Thankfully it's not hard for boys to have
a good time as long as they can JUMP
around!

The higher they can jump the better :)
Note: they did not get hurt doing this.

We even had friends over to join the fun

Luckily we have friends with real pools too
so we were able to swim with a bunch of
friends one day. Then afterward they
enjoyed a cool treat.

This is Luke's friend, Morgan

I am grateful for our friends and for the
friends my boys play with. We are definitely
blessed!

I hope you are enjoying your summer and staying
cool too!

Old Town Temecula

2011-06-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

My mom is renting a room in Old Town
Temecula and when we went to visit,
we found out why she loves it so much.
It is an old hotel that has land and
so many great places to take pictures.
The town is so cute too- we walked the
streets and went to lunch with her.
I couldn't help but make my boys pose!
These pictures are all on the property.
I will definitely have to go back with
my good camera soon!

Be a "Doer"

2011-06-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

Most people will admit that they know right
from wrong. Most people will say that they
are "good" people. We all tend to compare
what is good and what is bad in our eyes.
As Christians, the Bible is the foundation
to which all other things must be compared
to so we can truly understand what God
views as right and wrong. But it's more
than "knowing" what is right and wrong, it's
about "doing" what is right rather than
what is wrong. As we read God's Word and
as we pray for God to change us from the
inside out, we begin to make choices that
line up with God's truth. This only happens
through time spent with God and focusing on
His truth. It is summer and I am enjoying
not having the same busy schedule with school
for my boys and am looking forward to
some pool, beach and camping, days ahead,
but I can very quickly push time
with God aside and then I'm sure it's going to
be much harder for me to be a "doer" of God's
Word! It's also easier to be a "doer" when
you have other "doers" around you encouraging
you! Read God's Word from James below:

James 1:22-27
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so
deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone
who listens to the word but does not do what
it says is like someone who looks at his face
in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself,
goes away and immediately forgets what he looks
like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the
perfect law that gives freedom, and continues
in it—not forgetting what they have heard,
but doing it—they will be blessed in what
they do.

26 Those who consider themselves religious
and yet do not keep a tight rein on their
tongues deceive themselves, and their
religion is worthless. 27 Religion that
God our Father accepts as pure and faultless
is this: to look after orphans and widows in
their distress and to keep oneself from being
polluted by the world.

Key points:
*You will be blessed if you read/hear God's
Word and then act upon it.

*Look into God's Word like you look into
a mirror: you see and remember what you saw.

*If we are truly following God, we will
work on words that we say.

*True followers of God help others and
don't compromise

Happy Father's Day 2011

2011-06-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

My boys are blessed to have such a great
Daddy! They get so much quality time with
him all the time and we know that we are
blessed by that. Nothing can replace
time together. These boys adore their
dad and it makes my heart happy to see it!
Love you Tommy and the boys love you so
very much.

And Happy Father's Day to Papa, all the
way in Boston. We love you and hope you have
a wonderful day!

2011-06-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

I love the book of Philippians in the
Bible. If you have never read it, get
your Bible out and check it out. It's
a short book with only 4 chapters, but
what Paul shares is very powerful. The
verse that I write when I sign autographs
is from Philippians:

Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things
through Jesus Christ who gives me strength."

As I was reading this morning, these verses
stood out and I wanted to share them:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable- if anything is
excellent or praiseworthy- think about
such things. Whatever you have learned
or received or heard from me, or seen in
me- put it into practice. And the God
of peace will be with you." Phil 4:8-9

Thinking about what is true, noble, right,
pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or
praiseworthy is what we are to do. I
think Paul is showing us that thinking
about these types of things lead us right
back to God. I can't think of anything that
is praiseworthy without knowing that God
deserves the final praise.

What stands out to you about being true,
admirable or excellent? I think about
a family that is solid and loving, or
being honest even when it's hard. I
think of a newborn baby coming into this
world and God has given life to that
baby. I think about helping those in
need and praying for them regularly.
I also think about sharing God's truth
to people who are hurting and don't know
the love and peace only God can give to
them.

Paul, who was beaten, thrown in jail,
shipwrecked and much more, knew how
important it was to set his mind on
God's truth or he would have lost hope.
He suffered much more than most will ever
suffer and yet these were the words of
wisdom He passed along. What is so
amazing to me is that the very next
words were: "whatever you have: learned,
received, heard or seen from me, put it
into pracice."

Those are powerful words! I desire to
follow God and be what He wants me to
be and I fall short many times! God
knows that and gives us His grace, but
the key is to being more Christlike is
to do what Paul is talking about- think
about what is right, and then do it. I
want to be a person that says, "Whatever
you saw me do, say and teach you, do those
things." In some ways, I believe I can
say that, but in other ways, like with my
boys when I lose my patience, I cannot say
to follow my example. I will take these
words to heart and meditate upon them.
If I first can get my mind to think about
what is true and right rather than what
is bugging me or making me angry, I know
my response will change.

I love what Paul shared after those two
points:
If we do these things:
"the God of peace will be with me."
(and you too).

Proactive Parenting Network

2011-06-10T20:41:00.001-07:00

I speak at schools and events around the
country and after getting feedback from
the students, I realize more than ever
that our youth needs examples and more
encouragement! They are faced with many
temptations and many find themselves in
situations that they don't know how to
get out of. As parents, we need to be aware
of what our children are dealing with and
PPN will be a safeguard when trouble starts!

Click HERE to learn more about
Proactive Parenting Network!

A few keys to why I am so excited
to join with this great company:

*This is a social media monitoring
tool which analyzes children's
conversations on Facebook and Twitter.
It doesn't just highlight a key word
and send out an alert.

*PPN's technology looks at the use of
the word or phrase and the words around
it and extracts meaning or behavior.

*It only sends parents alerts when there
is concerning behavior, such as cyber
bullying, sexting, or online predators.

*The website provides parents with
educational materials with the resources
they need to come up with a solution and
start a dialogue with their children about
the issues in question.

*80% of the content on the PPN site is
avaiable for free!

Life is like a puzzle

2011-06-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a little analogy God put on my
heart this week:

Life is like a puzzle, but we have to let
God put the pieces in place. When we try
to do things our own way, then we are
forcing two pieces to fit that don't
really fit and the picture is not what
it could/should be. When we don't obey
God, we are making a puzzle that has no
pieces that fit and trying to say it still
looks good. The puzzle will never be what
it is supposed to be- kind of like trying
to put a puzzle together but missing the
main pieces!

The great thing is that when
we let God put the pieces together for us,
even if we've messed it up, He will use
those pieces and make the picture turn
into what He wants us to be for His glory.

Romans 8:28:
"And we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to His purpose."

Stopping In. . .

2011-06-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

to write just a few things before jumping on
yet ANOTHER plane tomorrow headed to the
other side of the country: Allentown, PA
to be exact.

I had a great time in Oklahoma City at the
Women's College World Series! Here's a
little recap:

Sunday: Was at the Hall of Fame Stadium
ALL day for 3 different games watching to
find out who would end up competing for
the National Championship. I was taking
notes and getting to know the radio
personel I would be working with.

Monday:
Morning:I went to the stadium
to do radio interviews with athletes
and coaches for both Arizona State
and Florida.

Midday: I rushed over the the Marriott
where the Champions Festival was going
on and joined MANY of my former Olympic
Teammates and other top athletes/coaches.
This was a great event where we shared
about what makes a champion and how they
can become one too!

Evening: I went back at the Stadium for Game 1
where Arizona State beat Florida 14-4
and I announced my first ever softball
game on Radio as an analyst. I worked
with superstar play by play commentator
Kevin Kugler who does all the other
championship sports as well as the
Olympics. He made it easy and fun!

Late evening: Ice cream and great talks
with my former teammates. Catching up
is so fun to do! I love these girls!

Tuesday: I had the chance to go to lunch
at Jim Gasso's house (husband of Oklahoma
University Softball Coach, Patti Gasso).
They are on the FCA Softball Board with
me and Bob Pinto (FCA Softball) and Dot
were there as well. It was great food
and even better fellowship. We talked
all about God and how He is moving and I
wanted to leave there and go out and
change the world.
That night I headed back to the field and
Arizona State won the best 2 out of 3 in
two nights but beating Florida 7-2 and
were crowned National Champions.

I was able to fly home on Wednesday and
have a couple days at home and now I'm
flying out for the weekend.

I'm so excited to be teaming up with

Proactive Parenting Network

This is an online safety tool that every
parent needs to know about to keep our
kids safe! I will be sharing more about
this but this weekend I will be attending
the PPN night at the ballpark at the
Lehigh Valley IronPigs Triple A Baseball
Game. I will be throwing out the 1st
pitch and getting a chance to share
about Proactive Parenting Network on the
radio and TV Broadcast along with PPN
Chaiman and CEO, Bill Thompson.

The boys are almost finished with school
and had little Promotion Ceremonies today.

I'm looking forward to the summer! And I
can't wait to share some things God has
been putting on my heart.

NCAA Radio for WCWS: College Softball

2011-06-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

I'm flying to Oklahoma City tomorrow for
the Women's College World Series. I have
so many memories from that stadium: from
winning 3 National Championships at Arizona,
to taking our pictures after making the
1st ever Olympic Softball Team, to taking
a picture with the Olympic Torch there
before the Atlanta Games, to wearing the
USA in front of cheering fans from all
over the country!

Next week I will make new memories as
I will have my first ever experience
being an Analyst for NCAA Radio for
the Championship Series for College
Softball (Best 2 out of 3 Series).

The Games are on Monday, Tuesday, with
a possible game on Wednesday @ 7pm Eastern:
4pm Pacific.

For the best opportunity to hear:

Go Here:

Sirius/XM Channel 91
or

NCAA.com on the home page and the
softball page (there will be a listen
live link)

Feeding the Needs. . .

2011-06-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

"He who oppresses the poor reproaches his
Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on
the needy."
Proverbs 14:31

This next verse is how I want to live!:
Proverbs 31:20:
"She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she
reaches out her hands to the needy."

We went out to the park in Pomona (every
other Thursday night a group goes) and
now that it's warming up and staying light
later, we are getting a bigger crowd again.
We had over 20 people that came. After we
feed them a warm, home-cooked meal, we
share a message from the Bible and then
we pray with them.

A couple of them have dogs and when we went
this time, one of the dogs had puppies.
They were so cute and my boys loved it!

Here are the boys with the puppies and
Chris and Kevin (two of the people we've met)

The boys were so happy to hold them and
were begging to bring one home!

This is Eugene (another man we've met)

Jake really wants a dog!

Larry explaining parts of the Bible to
Jeff. Jeff spent time at U-Turn for Christ
getting off his addictions. He is doing much
better but still struggles a bit. Lift him
up in prayer please. God is doing a work.

More one on one encouragement

This is "Big Mike"- the kids call him the
"Cookie Man" because when they first met
him and offered him cookies, he jokingly
grabbed the whole bag and the boys didn't
know what to think. He shared with everyone
about a couple miracles God has done in his
life recently. He was spitting up blood and
had cancer and after going to jail for giving
the cops wrong information in identification,
he was able to get the treatment he needed.
He believes God spoke to Him in his darkest
moment. We are praying that God releases
all of these men and women from addictions
and bondages. Jesus loves them as much
as He loves us and wants every person to
know Him as Lord.

After going, I ALWAYS am encouraged and
blessed. I was overwhelmed last time the
group went and didn't make it, but realized
that it was probably the very thing I needed.
When you go serve others, God ends up blessing
you in return! I also was so blessed to see
my boys sitting there with these men who
live on the streets and treat them like they
were just another person. That is what Jesus
would do and I want to raise them to be like
Jesus!

Just wondering. . .

2011-06-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

How this cute and happy,

funny,

and silly boy. . .

can turn into this little wild man:

who is so mad, that he's trying to grab my hair,

and he finally does it!!!!

Luke was throwing a tantrum (a common
occurence in the car) for no reason,
and I gave Jake the phone to take pictures
because a lot of times that will make
him stop. But not this time! He was
mad! I finally told Jake to put the
camera down and grab his arm off of
me so I could see the road while driving.

You never know what you're gonna get with
these boys!!!

Oklahoma State Super Regional

2011-06-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

Normally I am a picture fanatic and do
a much better job, but not on this trip.
I only got a couple pictures (and by
the way, I am LOVING my new iphone!!!)
with my phone. I'm bummed I didn't get
any of the players. It was fun seeing
and talking to Jennifer Klinkert for
Houston because I coached her for 2
years at Chino Hills HS. Also, I was
able to go to dinner with Alison McCutcheon
(formerly, Alison Johnson). We played
at Arizona together and she was one of the
fastest players ever and one of the best
slap hitters. Her husband and her (they
have 3 kids) are on staff with Athletes in
Action at Oklahoma State. It was great to
catch up and hear all that God is doing.

I did get a few pictures:
Michele Smith's Jersey
My former Teammate in the 1996 and 2000
Olympics and she is the ESPN announcer
at most of the college games and the
Women's College World Series going on
now. She is an alum of Ok State.

Oh ya - the Dodge Challenger Sports Car
they gave me at the rental company. They
told me I couldn't get this car if I tried
to reserve it, that's how popular it is!
It made me laugh to drive it around, but I
did get compliments :)

I had to stop at Eskimo Joe's: the famous
sports bar right near the campus of OK. St.

I even brought home a few cups for the boys and
picked up a cute hat for me! We had dinner there
on Friday night and yes, we had to get their
famous cheese fries!

I worked as the Analyst for the games and
Holly Rowe (sideline reporter for ESPN in
all sports) was Play by Play. It was great
to meet her and work with her.

Fun Family Updates

2011-06-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

Where is the time going? So many fun and
exciting things are happening in our
family. My neice, Anna, and my nephew,
Robert, are both graduating from High
School.

Anna was our flower girl in our wedding
and in a few months she's heading off to
college. We wish we could see Tommy's
side of the family more! It's hard
with them living on the other side of
the country. We miss them! But we
are so proud of them!

Anna's Senior Picture:

Robert:

Also, my sister is having her 3rd child,
and it's a

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, another little girl to spoil!
She is due in September.

And last but definitely not least, my
mom is engaged and getting married to
Jim. We are so happy for her!

College Softball on TV!!!

2011-05-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again:
the battle for the opportunity to
take your DI Softball Team to the
Women's College World Series!

This weekend is Super Regionals.
16 Teams will compete at 8 different
sites and the winner (best 2 out of
3) will advance to Oklahoma City
next week!

All 8 Super Regional Games will be
televised! I will be commentating
for these two teams:

AT

The games are being aired on ESPNU

on Friday at 4pm Pacific (7pm EST)

and Saturday at 11:30am Pacific (2:30pm EST)

The if-game will be at 2:30pm Pacific if
necessary!

I hope you can tune in! It's going to be
a fun-filled Softball TV Weekend with ESPN!

Red Sox vs Angels

2011-05-23T09:39:00.000-07:00

Last month we went to watch the Red Sox
play in Anaheim against the Angels. My
husband is from Boston and therefore, is
a HUGE Red Sox fan (and any other New
England Team for that matter). The
boys are told they can cheer for the
Angels when they are not playing
the Red Sox :)
Somehow we ended up with an Angels
Hat

At one point, Jake was wearing his
Red Sox shirt and the Angels hat.
I wore an Angels Hat because I am
a So Cal girl.

It was a perfect night at the Baseball
Field

We had good seats for the boys right
at the railing but we had to tell them
not to lean over it!(we kept them busy by
getting food for them constantly)

Tommy was just happy to be at the game
and was even happier when the Red Sox
won.

Me and my boys

Fred Jordan Missions Event

2011-05-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I had the honor of
being a part of the Mother's Day Event
held in LA by the Fred Jordan Mission.
I attended the Good Friday Services
but this event was held in the street
with tables set up for people to come
and eat a home cooked meal and to
hear about God's love for them.

It's been fun getting to know Willie
Jordan who runs the Mission (her
husband Fred, passed away 24 years ago),
and her son, Tom, who goes to the same
church as I do (pictured below).

People were lined up early waiting to
get a good seat. We met a bunch of them
as they entered the seating area.

The Evangelical Covenant Church partnered
with the Mission to put on this event. They
brought worship singers and a Pastor gave
a message. Click HERE to read more details
about the entire event and the people we
reached that day. I shared a short message
as well at the beginning of the day.

It is always so humbling to share about
God's love and grace!

A little girl who was excited to see the
medals:

The seats were filled.

Meeting others who spent the day serving
those in need:

At the end of the Pastor's message, he invited
people forward who would like to ask Jesus to
be the Lord of their lives. Amazing grace is
received and my heart was so happy as I watched
these people go forward. They don't have much on
this earth, but the Bible tells us that if we have
Jesus, we are the richest of all!

With one of the pastor's daughters

Willie Jordan and her son, Tom Jordan

After the event, they interviewed different
people for a video they are putting together
for the Fred Jordan Mission. This is the
videographer/producer and his wife (he also
does workfor the Harvest Crusades and Greg Laurie)

It was another great day: speaking/sharing/
loving on and praying for those in need.

Washburn Rural HS Baccalaureate

2011-05-19T18:09:00.000-07:00

On May 1st, I spoke at the Baccalaureate
for graduating seniors from Washburn
Rural HS in Topeka, KS

The group who runs this event is very
committed and diligent. They have
hearts for the Lord and want the students
to all have an opportunity to be encouraged
by God's truth at this event before they
graduate and enter a new chapter in their
lives.

After I spoke, the seniors and their families
went to a small reception and I was able to
take pictures with some of them.

I hope they were all encouraged!

The is Jay T's Family: his daughter,
Rachel, is the youngest of 3 girls.

This is the group of prayer warriors and
hard workers that put everything in place.
I walked away feeling like I have a bunch
of new friends! I think I might have to
take a road trip across the country one
of these days and visit all the wonderful
people I meet on each of my trips!

Earlier that day I attended Westen Hills
Baptist Church. I did a Q&A with the
Pastor and heard a great message. It was
nice to be able to attend church even
though I was on the road.
I also met some of the softball players
from WRHS when we met for Frozen Yogurt!

Randomness:
When I got off the plane on Saturday night
and mentioned to Jay T that my teammate from
the 2000 Olympics, Christie Ambrosi, lived
in the area, he said I should call her and
we ended up stopping by her house for 2 hours!
Jay T knew Christie because his daughter who
is in college now used to take pitching lessons
from her. It's a SMALL softbal world!
It was so fun to catch up and talk about
everything from kids to softball to coaching
clinics that she is putting on this winter
and I will be speaking at!

Ardmore, OK; Jennie Finch Softball Camp

2011-05-19T17:19:00.000-07:00

Another great camp with the best camp
crew ever! This was the last camp for
a few months because Jennie is due
June 27th with her 2nd son! I am
so excited for her and Casey!!!

But seriously, this little girl,Hadley,
all decked out made me want to go adopt
a baby girl right now!

She just turned 2 and is the cutest
thing ever! She's got blue eyes and
knows all about softball already.

What do we do when we are not running
drills?

We had the clinic on Sat and Sun and on
Saturday night we had a dinner in the
same arena that we held the camp in.
I had to take a picture with this
girl and her father because he was
stationed at Fort Benning, in Columbus,
GA when we stayed there for the 1996
Olympics. He remembered when we were
there and said we probably had a
picture together somewhere (we all
took photos with the guys who were
our security during the Olympic Games).
He just came back from Iraq recently
and said his daughter could go wherever
she wanted and her dream was to come to
Jennie's Camp! Such a cool story!

Kari (who was in charge of running the
camp and is MVP of all camp directors :)
and her daughter Ceanne (they are
like family to Jennie!) & adorable Hadley
is Kari's niece

At the dinner, they had a tribe come
and perform a dance that they do. Next
thing you know, they start coming and
grabbing people from their seats to
join them.

We found out the name of the song is
something like this:
"Steal a wife and make sure she's not ugly."

After we ate, Jennie spoke and then
Andrea shared about winning back to
back NCAA Championships at UCLA and
I spoke about winning 3 Gold Medals.

It's a time for them to get to know
a little more behind the scenes info
from us.

On the field (or in the dirt in the
arena :) )

Outfield stations:

Mac's Hitting station in the corner

One of the groups:

My college helpers:

Tommy's Birthday was on Saturday while I was
in Oklahoma, and he flew to Baltimore that
day for work, so we celebrated with cake
on Thursday night before I left:

May 21st. . .

2011-05-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the Billboards like this:

Or the Bumper stickers that say this?:

I hadn't until this past weekend while
we were driving from Texas to Oklahoma
for JFSC. Andrea Duran (2008 Olympian)
told me how these billboards are all over
in LA. I hadn't heard about all of this
but when I started checking it all out,
I immediately thought about the verse
in the Bible that says "no man knows
the day and not even the Son (Jesus)".
Here is that verse:

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My
words will by no means pass away. But of
that day and hour no one knows, not even
the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but
only the Father. Take heed, watch and
pray; for you do not know when the time
is." Mark 13:31-33

This man believes he is warning people
and I do agree with him that Jesus will
return, but the problem is that he is
claiming to know WHEN and says it is
this Saturday. The rapture is what the
Bible talks about and says that Jesus
will come and take up (rapture) His
children. These verses explain it:

"For this we say to you by the word of the
Lord, that we who are alive [and] remain
until the coming of the Lord will by no
means precede those who are asleep. For
the Lord Himself will descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of an archangel,
and with the trumpet of God. And the dead
in Christ will rise first. Then we who are
alive [and] remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air. And thus we shall
always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort
one another with these words."
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

So, I do believe it will happen one day
and like Jesus said in Mark 13, we
are to watch and pray. I don't believe
this man knows the day and hour like
he claims. We need to be ready at all
times, but it is something we are to
encourage eachother with. We should
live as godly examples and share our
faith when the opportunity is there,
but we need to keep our focus
on Jesus at all times. Know Jesus
and there will be no fear!

Laughing at myself right now. . .

2011-05-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

I don't know what got into me, but I am
laughing right now about what I just did.
I received an email about somebody needing
money and how he will repay me when he gets
back into the US. It has S.C.A.M. written
all over it but what's so sad is that some
kind-hearted people fall for this sometimes!
Well, this time, instead of ignoring it, I
wrote an email back to them. Here is what
they wrote and my response:

Hello

How are you doing? i made a visit to London
(United Kingdom) unannounced some days back,
Unfortunately for me,i go mugged at gun point
last nights. All cash,Credit card and cell
phones were stolen,It was a terrible experience,
Thank God i still have my life and passport saved.

i have been to the embassy they are not helping
issues so i concluded that returning back home
will be the best option,i also have limited
means of getting out of here,as i have canceled
my cards so i won’t get a new card till i get
back home.I really need your support &
assistance as my flight leaves in few hours,
but i have problems checking out of the Hotel,
as i need to sort out some bills,I need you
to loan me ($2,380.) to sort out the bills
and get a cab back to the airport,i promise
to pay back and brief you in full as soon as
am back home..You can have the funds wire
to me Via Western Union all you need is my
name and present location...

this is all you need in sending the money
via western union

Receivers Name:Tim Maxwell
Location: 5 Hamilton Terrace London
NW8 9RE, UK
Amount:$2,380.

As soon as the transfer is done i will
appreciate you get back to me with the
money transfer control number MTCN so i
can use that in picking up the money
with my passport ID. I'll def refund
your cash as soon as i get home.

Hope to Read From You Soon.
Regards
--
Tim Maxwell

My response:
I am sorry for your misfortune, but
I do have some advice for you.
You need to know Jesus and can ask Him
to be the Lord of your life and to help
you. He is the true Provider, and if
you truly know Him and pray to Him,
then He can help you more than anyone
else can. You can meet Him by opening
the Holy Bible and praying to the God
who createdyou. He will help you through
all your troubles, not just your money
troubles. The best part is that Jesus
already paid your debt by dying on the
cross for you. And you don't
have to worry, because you never have
to repay Him! I hope you will call
out to Him while you still have the
chance.

Jesus Loves You

I don't know what got into me, but
maybe they just might feel a little
conviction for trying to take money
from people. . .at least I'm hoping
God convicts them :)

Happy Birthday to my hubby!!!

2011-05-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to the Love of my
Life: Tommy Amico

Have an amazing day my love!!! You
are the best husband and daddy to our
boys. I love you!