Rejoice. . .

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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. . .

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!