ALLISON: Baseball Season v. 2016

108 days. That's how many off-season days we reveled in here in the Plutko household. Don't worry the irony is not lost on me that 108 is the number of stitches on a baseball.

Over our short but sweet off-season, Adam and I fell in love with CorePower yoga, we attended two baseball weddings (because ya know, baseball weddings happen all at the same time), had my in-laws visit Dallas for Thanksgiving and had a very California Christmas. We also celebrated our first wedding anniversary this past November which, was an amazing milestone! And y'all, if the first year of marriage really is the "hardest," then we are GOLDEN.




















Our precious off-season was officially over starting on January 2, MUCH earlier than usual. Adam was invited to attend a performance camp at the Indians' complex for the month of January. This camp focused on strength and conditioning as well as baseball related activities all the while being on a spring training like schedule. I took a short visit out to AZ to see Adam for a few days and it was such a nice reset in a month+ of not seeing each other. The awesome thing about this camp is that the guys were completely off during the weekends so we got to spend some quality time together! We even did a 9.5 mile hike through the Estrella Mountains.

We also got some FANTASTIC news in finding out that Adam was invited to his first big league spring training! It's an incredible feeling watching your husband's dreams come true, and although he obviously hasn't reached the pinnacle just yet, being invited to big league spring training was yet another stepping stone that we happily hopped on. It was unbelievable to watch him in an actual big league spring training game; it was also unbelievably nerve-wracking… for me. He was as cool as a cucumber and I was a freakin' wreck. Good thing he is the professional baseball player, huh?

Thus far in our baseball journey I have stayed home for the duration of spring training so that I can continue to work, work, work, work, work  (thanks, Rihanna for the absolutely applicable yet uncreative lyrics). This year was no different, but Adam and I try to live by a "two week" rule. The rule is pretty self explanatory: don't go longer than two weeks without seeing each other. Fortunately flights from Dallas to Phoenix are not terribly difficult to come by! Spring training is always such a fun time too since the atmosphere is much more laid back and we get to be reunited with so many of our friends.

We found out on a Thursday afternoon where Adam was being assigned to start the season (AA Akron!) and by Friday afternoon I had us locked into an Akron townhouse and rental furniture, had a U-Haul trailer hooked up to our truck and loaded with all of our season stuff AND treated myself to a yoga class. #NamaStaySane. Sometimes living this lifestyle makes me feel like freakin' Superwoman, it really does. My mom, the real superhero, and I took off that Saturday morning, with our over-sized fur baby in tow, and 17+ hours of driving later we made it into Akron late that Sunday afternoon.

We stayed in a hotel that Sunday night, moved in to our townhouse on Monday, had furniture by Tuesday and Adam was gone by Wednesday since the team kicked off the season with a week long road trip. Such an immediate reality check that his work requires him to be gone a lot! Meanwhile, back in Akron we had several consecutive days of SNOW. Full blown winter days with lows in the teens. Totally seems appropriate for baseball season, right? Northeast Ohio really gave us a swift kick in the pants letting us know that winter wasn't completely gone. This state doesn't seem to understand the meaning of a warm welcome, but it's cool. Pun fully intended.

This is the first season that we have started back in the same city that we finished the previous season in and lemme tell you, things were just a little easier to anticipate and a little bit more comfortable since we were coming back in to familiar territory. The ballpark here is absolutely beautiful, we live close to a legit grocery store and Starbucks (both crucial, duh) and thankfully the Akron lululemon gang welcomed me back with open arms- so, within a week of moving, I was back at work in my yoga pants world, we were settled into our townhouse and season had gotten underway with Adam as the Opening Night starter!*

I think everybody involved in professional baseball will agree that season can easily sneak up on you and newsflash, people- we move A LOT right now and that means packing and unpacking several times a year. Say it with me: "lather, rinse, repeat." Luckily, we have discovered a handful of things over the last couple of years that are now crucial to our easy(ish) cross country moving. Did I just use the word "easy" and "cross country moving" in the same sentence? Yes I did and it's because I'm now at pro at what's absolutely necessary to pack and what can stay home. Now, a lot of this came out of sheer trial and error; our first season I ended up shipping two or three boxes home because they literally hadn't been opened two months into season. I'm not saying I reinvented the wheel here but, I figured this list could be interesting for people and who knows, maybe it will help a fellow baseball WAG or two :)

1. AIR MATTRESS: Inevitably we end up spending AT LEAST one night on the floor of our new apartment while waiting for our rental furniture to be delivered. Having an air mattress prevents us from having to just sleep on the floor which, is especially clutch if the hubs happens to have a start before our bed gets delivered! We have needed to utilize our air mattress anywhere from one night to an entire week. Our moose dog also loves that we bring an air mattress because god forbid he sleeps on the floor like a *gasp* dog. 

2. SHOWER HEAD: I don't know if this is as big a deal for other people as it is for us but in the Plutko household there is nothing worse than poor water pressure. Y'all know what I'm talking about, that trickle of water that is supposedly a sufficient water supply to wash your hair and your entire body but is barely enough to wet your toothbrush. The biggest key to bringing your own shower head: don't forget it when you move out! 

3. PLASTIC DISH SET:  Who wants to carefully bubble wrap breakable dishes that granted, I'm sure are beautiful, but can easily be broken during a move while packed in a box or a tub? Not me, that's for sure. We have a great set of sturdy plastic plates and bowls that we travel with during season. They are lightweight, virtually indestructible and easy to clean. And let's face it, we aren't entertaining anyone while eating dinner past 10pm every night, so no need to break out the good stuff while on the road.

4. TV CORD: This is a new addition this season. In our previous seasons I had been traveling with a small plastic tub filled with our "must have" DVDs- and by "our" I mean my must have DVDs (see: Friends, Will & Grace, Entourage) since I'm home exponentially more than Adam. But, I got to thinking about how many TV shows and movies are easily accessible online these days so I hopped online and bought a lightning --> HDMI cord and POOF! I eliminated basically any need of traveling with DVDs. Shoutout: Netflix, Apple TV, On Demand etc.

5. TOWER FANS: We always bring our two tower fans with us, no questions asked. Yes, they can be somewhat cumbersome to carry/pack, but they are 100% essential for us. Adam and I can both be categorized as relatively light sleepers so the familiar sound of the fans helps to drown out unfamiliar sounds that come with living in new digs as well as maintaining a comfortable temperature! That's what they call a "win win."

6. HAND TRUCK/DOLLY: You neverrrrr know how far you're going to have to lug your stuff from your car into a new apartment (and back at some point). A small hand truck has made all the difference in the world at times, especially if I end up moving tubs full of stuff by myself! We have one that was relatively inexpensive and lightweight and it easily stores in a coat closet or a laundry room.

Here's to a successful, happy and healthy season for all! Welcome back to Life in the 10th Inning!
Xoxo,
AP

*He killed it on Opening Night! #proudwifey