still going at a busy pace. . .

and it hasn't stopped since I got home
in the end of August!  I had one pretty
calm week when I got back from
Florida, and after that I jumped back
 into the busy, busy pace that
I left back in May!

So many things have been going
on and I am finally sitting down to
write about them.  This is just a little
update on the Amico happenings:

I have been homeschooling 2 days
a week, and the boys go to school
Wed-Fri. One of the first weeks of
school we had a field trip to the LA
County Fair.

I celebrated my Birthday (Sept 9) in
Virginia at Jennie Finch's camp. It was
so cute to have over 200 softball players
and their families sing Happy Birthday
to me. 

 We stayed at the cabin for the
3rd year and final year, and it
was so gorgeous!  We saw some
of the most beautiful sunsets!

That night I was supposed to
get home to my boys and Tommy but
we had a flight delay and that kept
me in Chicago for the night.  At least
I had good company (Toni, Andrea &
Jennie's parents) because we were
all stuck together.  I did get to celebrate
with family a couple days later at
dinner.

 The following weekend we celebrated
my youngest niece's Birthday:

Brooklyn turned 1 year old!
My sister, Amy, threw the most
adorable pink lemonade party
ever!

I also did a softball clinic with
some former Olympic teammates
and some other National Team
members.  This was a really fun
clinic because it was held at Angel
Stadium and was put on by
RBI Baseball.

Jennie Finch had another camp
in September, but
this time in Michigan.

The last weekend in September:

Tommy and I went to Texas for

a God & Country Event:

Wounded Warriors vs

FCA Softball All-Stars

 We had amazing sponsors:
Two:Five Apparel Jerseys
Ringor Shoes
STX Gloves
& more

 We even went to a Rangers
Game while we were there.

 We did get beat up pretty good
by the Wounded Warriors.
Despite the fact that it rained
the entire game, we had an
awesome time! These guys
continue to inspire me in such
a huge way!

 One of the most memorable
parts of the whole weekend came
after the game when one of the
Warriors decided to go head
first into the mud puddle ALL
around home plate.  Next thing
you know0 another guy goes,
then Charity Butler from our
team dives head first!  I somehow
got peer pressured into diving
too by head coach David
VanSleet!

 It was something I will never forget!

After we got cleaned up we

had a banquet and it

was a great end to a

memorable weekend.

One of the things that made us sad

being away on the trip, was that we

missed our boys getting awards

at school!  Both Drew and Luke

were named "Student of the

Month" for the first month

of school!

We are so proud of both

of them.

 We celebrated as soon as we
got back into town!

 It called for a delicious and
yummy celebration at
FARRELL'S!

 We also had them sing Happy
Birthday to Drew because he
was only a week away from
turning 7 years old!

We have been working very hard 3 mornings

a week with the 100 Mile Club.

This is a picture at the park

where we run.

This morning Drew became the first

person at the school to reach

25 miles and  he received a

shirt in his class!

I am so proud of him!!

And Luke has only 3/4 of a

mile and tomorrow he

can be the 2nd in the

school to get this

award and a shirt!

Somehow we've also squeezed in

a couple trips to the beach since

it has been so hot in Sept!

This past weekend we celebrated Drew's
7th Birthday!!  He wanted a Batman
Birthday and he got it :)

 We also took cupcakes to school
on Friday so he could
celebrate with his class

 The party included a trip
to Chuck E Cheese for
games and dinner

 Then the kids got their goodie
bags and turned into superheros!

 A couple of Drew's closest friends
spent the night

 And we had hot chocolate and
pancakes to keep the celebration
going :)

 That night we went to a local
festival with our close friends,
The Menashe's.

 The kids had a blast running around!

We woke up on Sunday and our house

looked like this:

 

Once I got to church, I found out a

couple other friends from church had

been t.p.'d too and we figured out the

culprit! :) paybacks soon :)

Luke thought it was the

funniest thing he's ever seen!

So that has been the last month

for us for the most part.

I've been loving my Beth

Moore Bible study

group, I was able to speak

at 3 local schools in the

past week & I've been mentoning

a wonderful woman Anna:

Please pray for Anna's husband,

Ryan, as he battles stage 4 stomach

cancer.  We are trying to focus on

the Lord and are praying for 

God to heal Ryan completely.

I've been able to feed the

homeless a couple times when

I have been home, and

Jake has started a comic

class and Drew and Luke

are learning how to play

the drums!  There is never

a dull moment around here.

I am so grateful and thankful for

all the blessings and opportunities

in my life!  Tommy has been super

busy with work and just got back

from his awesome sales

meeting with Under Armour.

They are such an amazing company

to work for!

And off I go to New York tonight

for another softball camp this

weekend and I will be in

Ohio next week speaking at

schools for SportsWorld!

That will be another update

with lots of more stories I'm

sure!

Jesus is still my rock, my focus,

and I am thankful for it all!

have a great day. . .

 One more thing I must not forget,
I have been able to cuddle baby
Keaton (my best friend's adorable
little guy), who just turned 3 months
old.  He is so precious. . .and I am
so excited that I will be an aunt again
in 3 short months to another baby
girl for my brother and his wife!

Bible Study has started again!

It was so good to be at my
Monday night Bible study
again last night.  I have missed
these friends and sisters in
Christ who strengthen and
encourage me to become
more like Jesus.  I love this
group of girls who are so
real and open.  We spend
time in prayer together and
we discuss what we are
learning together through the
study.

For this next study, we are
doing Beth Moore's study
on John: Beloved Disciple

I am so excited to start this new
study.  I loved the first video
with Beth teaching and reminding
us that God has something wonderful
for us. He asks us just like he asked
John: "What do you want?"  And it
was in a way that was loving and
kind.  God wants us to ask and
wants us to expect for Him to
answer us. 

Getting back in shape!

I had a lot of fun this summer, but
now it's time to get focused on
losing that extra weight I put on
during all that travel and all those
meals at 11pm after our games!

I always have good intentions, but
I needed to do something more.
So, I got an app on my phone to
keep track of what I'm eating-
I'm hoping that if I see how much
I'm consuming, it will be a visual
reminder to make better choices!
I also lose my self-control when
I get really hungry so I'm excited
to use my blendtec blender more
often with protein shakes and
green smoothies.  I'm going to
try to start taking more vitamins
and be more consistent with
exercising. 

This morning my boys started
the 100 mile club at school and
it was a lot of fun to run with
them.  Drew ran 1.75 miles and
Luke and Jake ran 1.5 miles!
I came home and jumped on
my treadmill to get more work
in the books and then started
an ab workout.  I realized how
week I am at all these different
exercises until I start doing it
more often!  It can be frustrating
but then I also remind myself
that it hasn't been a priority.
As I start to put the work in,
I will eventually see results.
The work must come first!

I leave for Jennie Finch
Softball Camp in Virginia
in the morning and I need
to make good choices on
the road too!  That is
something I need to work
on.  I just have to want it
bad enough, and at this
point, I do want to make
a change in my exercise
routine and eating habits.

New school year

The 2012-2013 school year has

begun!

Jake is a big 5th grader

 Drew is in 1st Grade

 Luke is in Kindergarten

 All my boys are officiallly in
school!  They are going to school
3 days a week this year and I am
teaching them at home the other
2 days.  They all really like their
teachers and have already made
new friends in their classes. 

Last week after I got back from
traveling we went to my sister's
house to celebrate my oldest
nephew's 17th Birthday.  Justin
was born when I was in college
at Arizona and he was only 1 year
old when I went to the 1996
Olympics.  He was so cute cheering
for me as a baby!  And now he's
a senior and so handsome!

 All the cousins were excited to
play together and they all love
Justin so much!

 I was also so happy to see
the youngest niece, Brooklyn.
She turns 1 in 9 days!

 We already took a trip to
the library.  The boys are
enjoying school so far. 
I'm crossing my fingers it
stays that way.

 I was also so excited to see
my puppy, Grover, but he
is attached to Tommy now.
I guess if he left me for 3
months, I might hold it against
him too :).  Hopefully I can
win his love back. haha

How the Pride Season Ended

I have been home for a week and a half
now.  It was so great to come back home
to CA after 12 weeks on the road.  I
think it's funny that the first few days
home all I wanted to do was clean.
The first day home I emptied out the
entire refrigerator and pulled out every
piece inside so I could clean it.  I also
went through each room and started
getting rid of stuff we don't use and
began reorganizing. 

Being away and living without so
much stuff made me realize how much
stuff I have that I really don't need.
Staying in a rental house that was
completely cleaned out made me
want to deep clean my own house.

That lasted a few days and I will
get back to it, but it wasn't long
before my schedule got back to
it's super busy stage.  I did want
to give an update on the way
the season ended for the USSSA
Pride. 

We went to Chicago and we
played the Akron Racers in the
best of 3 series.  We won the
first game, they came from a
4 run deficit to go ahead and
beat us in game 2.  In game
three, the Racers scored 5
runs in the first inning and
we had our backs against a
wall.  It was an unbelievable
comeback with Jessica
Mendoza coming up clutch
with a grand slam and another
3-run home run in the 6th inning
when they were trying to walk her!
We ended up winning 9-7 in
that game.

That put us in the Championship game
against the Chicago Bandits who
were 2-0.  We played a very tough
game on Sat night and lost 2-1.
Cat Osterman pitched for us and
gave a great performance.  She
only allowed 4 hits, but one was a
homerun and there was a runner on
who walked prior to that hit.  We
also had a home run and 4 hits, along
with 4 walks against 2008 Olympian
Monica Abbott.  We just couldn't
get that key hit but we felt good that
we had another shot with the best of
3 series. 

Then came the rain!  It rained almost
the entire day on Sunday.  We had a
TV slot for 6pm, and even took our
pre-game batting practice in the rain.
We tried to start the game, but after
one hitter, the umpire called a rain
delay because puddles were beginning
to get bigger on the infield and it was
not safe to play.  There was going to
be no let up with the weather and
we didn't have many options because
both teams had flights out (some girls
were flying to Japan) the next morning.
Our team said we would do whatever
it took to play the game.  The Bandits
said they would not have enough
players.  After a final decision was
made to announce that there would
be NO named champion for the 2012
NPF season, the Bandits players were
upset that they were not asked if they
would have stayed.  All players on
both teams wanted to play, no matter
what it took.  It was almost midnight
when we realized that in a few short
hours we would be heading to the
airport, going back to all our "other"
lives and the season was over.

I was excited to get home and
be with my family, but there was
an empty feeling about how it all
ended. We were the regular season
Champions, but the real prize is
playing for the Ring at the end of
the season.  It is a losing situation
for everyone involved: for the
players, the owners, for the league,
for the fans and for the sport to
some extent.  This will be a learning
experience and the league will
only get better and stronger
because of it. 

Here is a picture of our staff:

And the team:

On Tuesday prior to the Championships,

we went to a White Sox game

and they announced the 2004, 2008

Olympians on the field

One more week of "my summer"

I say "my summer" because my boys will
actually start school in 2 days but I won't
be home for another week.  I am very
sad I won't be there, but Tommy is doing
an exceptional job picking up what I am
not there to do.  He has completely risen
to the occasion and then some!  He took
the boys out for all their new school
supplies, he's taken Jake to his ortho
appointment "again", he took Luke to
get signed up for Kindergarten and he
went to orientation for the new school
year.

This year will be a little different in
our school situation.  The boys will
go to school 3 days a week and I will
help them with their work the other
two days each week.  It will be a
little bit of a break for me, but will
still give me time to help teach each
of my boys and have them home
with me.  I am excited to see how the
boys all do in their new classes with
their new teachers.  I have homeshooled
Jake for the past 5 years and Drew for
Kindergarten last year.

The summer has been a whirlwind.
I have traveled all over the US and
even to Italy.  It has been fun coaching
some of the best softball players in
the world on the USSSA Pride.
I am still so impressed with the
amazing careers that my former
Olympic teammates have had.  They
are now the veterans on the field
and still stand out in how they
play the game. I also have loved
watching the younger talent and
players just out of college compete
at this level.  I wish there was more
media coverage and visibility for
this league.

I have made some new friends on
the coaching staff (Beth Torina;
LSU Head Coach; & Matt
Meuchel; Univ. Nevada Reno)
and our "Medic" as Drew would
call her, Sonya.  It has brought
up so many  memories of my
playing days and our travel
schedules but I haven't been on
the road like this or been around
this much softball since the 2004
Olympics!  I am thankful for the
opportunities I have had.

At the Cubs game this summer


I am really looking forward to
some things when I get home:
sleeping in my OWN bed
& seeing my husband, hugging
my boys, hanging out with
my whole family &my girlfriends,
going to my group Bible study,
going to my home church, feeding
the homeless and watching the kids
in some new hobbies we are signing
them up for.  I also can't wait to
see my baby niece who turns 1 in
Sept. and my best friend's baby
boy who was born last month!
I will be home the majority of
the time but  will still be traveling
some this fall with Jennie Finch
Camps, Sports World, and another
God & Country Event with FCA
Softball vs Wounded Warriors in
TX in September.

I am in Ohio as I type.  We finished
our last league game today and
we have the Championships this
Thur-Sun in Chicago.  Last year I
was commentating for the televised
game and this year I'm on the field
coaching.  I have always taken one
year at a time and I am always
amazed at some of the opportunities
God has brought into my life.  I
am beyond grateful for how much
support I get from my family, and
especially from my husband.  He
knows I like to give him a hard time
but he is my biggest supporter!

We are hoping to finish strong
and bring home the championship!

Go Pride!!!!

Diamond Nation

Back in May, Jennie Finch,

Laura Berg, Mac, & I

shot video segments teaching

softball skills for Diamond

Nation.  We shot the video in

Lousiana near where Jennie lives.

 It was fun to be able to teach
with some of the games best
athletes and also to hang out
with friends!

 Jennie does so much for our
sport!  She is always in the
media and is such a great
example to all people.

 After shooting video, we went
to Jennie's place and had dinner.
It was shark and king mackerel
that Jennie's husband, Casey,
caught earlier that day and
prepared for us.  This summer
I have realized that I like fish
as long as it doesn't taste
real "fishy".  haha  I liked
the shark, but the mackerel
was my favorite!

 Then we went riding on her
land and we even fished in her
pond!  Too bad we didn't catch
anything.

 Jennie's pond

I always have a good time when I'm with these girls!

a few highlights

Through our travels this summer,

I was able to go to some

new places and meet some

new people.

We played at LSU and

I met head football coach,

Les Miles, and his

daughter, Macy

I also met Nolan Ryan's
granddaughter, Victoria.
She was our bat girl when
we played at a Minor League
ballpark in Corpus Christi, TX

 At the beginning of my summer
journey, I stopped by Texas to
speak at a VBS- the kids were
adorable!

 One kid told me how cool
I was because I had gold
medals and that he wished
his mom was cool like me
haha

The best story that I heard is

about the photo below.  The dad

of a girl I met at VBS wrote to

me on facebook and said that

after hearing me share, she

went to her softball team and

lead them in a prayer!

I love the hearts of young

children!

I was a color analyst again for ESPN
for College Softball Super Regionals.
Softball is it's own little world!
I did the game at Univ. of South
Florida where my 2004 Olympic
Asst. Coach, Ken Eriksen, is
the head coach.  It was fun to
see his family and visit with them
all.

 I also did the Radio Broadcast
again this year for the Women's
College World Series Championship
Games.  I love the staff with
Westwood One!  I was even
more bummed that softball
wasn't into the Olympics
this year when they told
me they wished it was in
the Olympics and they would
have taken me to London if
it was to be the analyst for
radio!

I'm grateful for all my opportunities!
I'm mostly thankful for the people
I get to meet along the way.  I want
to live out God's plan for my life. . .
no more than that, no less than that!

Celebrating Jake's 11th Birthday

We celebrated Jake's 11th Birthday

in Florida

at the USSSA Pride

Owner's House (Don Dedonatis)

in July

The kids swam all day

 They ate lots of food, cake & ice cream

 They hit the pinata (we celebrated
Don's grandson's Birthday, which
is why it was such a fun party, but
it just happened to be Jake's B-day
too, so we had lots of fun!)

 The got lots of candy!

 Jake got some presents and
he got a Nook from Tommy
and me.

And we ended the night with
the biggest and best home
firework show ever!  It
was like a professional
show right in the back yard!
The kids loved it and so did
the adults.

One thing I forgot to mention,
we went on an alligator hunt,
but came up empty.  But we
did see tons of creatures this
summer in Florida.  That was
definitely different than
being in CA!

Happy 11th Birthday Jake.
I love you so much!