Day Fourteen Hundred and Fifty-One

The Miami Rest

Hair flippin.

Baby kissin.

Sunset watchin.

Baseball lovin.

Amelia and I are thoroughly enjoying our few days of down time and rest! But we're sure missing Daddy!

Speaking of Dada...he was just named to the All-PCL Post-Season team yesterday! Way to go Adam! So proud of him!

http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20150831&content_id=146465902&vkey=pr_t588&fext=.jsp&sid=t588

Day Fourteen Hundred and Three

The Family that Throws Together, Stays Together

Watching Mama and Dada toss the ball around turns out to be rather entertaining to Little Millie. She was all smiles as Dad got his work in after taking a much needed three days off during the AAA All-Star Break. Sheesh, Hun...just what would you do without me?! ;)

Adam was replaced by another pitcher on our team to represent the Zephyrs at the ASG in Omaha. They (I don't know who they are) told Adam that because he threw in Miami on Saturday that they didn't want/need him in Omaha anymore...which gave us a nice little break of our own at home. For that, I am thankful, even though I was really looking forward to seeing him pitch again in an All-Star game. In any case, he's still an All-Star and we're lucky to have had him all to ourselves this week!!

Day Thirteen Hundred and Eighty-Eight

The Rollie Pollie

Hey! Know what I did yesterday?

I worked on my tummy to back rolling!

And guess what???

I did it!!! 

Two times! 

I'm just so talented!

But Mommy only caught the last half of the second roll on accident. So, sorry.

Then I touched my toes while watching the USA Women's World Cup Semi Finals.

We won! Duh. And, actually, I enjoyed watching it too! My parents mostly hate soccer, but it wasn't so bad!

Well, it mostly wasn't so bad because we had such good company! I love all my aunties and uncles!

Especially when they hold me just right to make my back roll four times!

________________________

Daddy update:

Adam was selected to the 2015 AAA All-Star game as the PCL's starting pitcher on July 15th in Omaha, Nebraska!! Good work this season, so far, Papa!!! We love you!

http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20150701&content_id=134014072&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb

http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/sports/zephyrs/12804413-171/zephyrs-pitchers-adam-conley-nick

Day Six Hundred and Seventy-Five

The 2013 Southern League All-Star Game (and Luncheon)

It was a gorgeous day for baseball.

It was a gorgeous hotel for hungry baseball players.

Yesterday's festivities kicked off with a (scrumptious steak) luncheon. Each player was formally announced, given an All-Star recognition plaque, and had their photo taken in front of the hometown team backdrop. Ours :) 

It was a bit formal. The guys at our table had a small conversation about proper etiquette. Which fork? Which knife? Could we eat dessert first? We decided to stick with farthest to the left first. Dessert second. I think we got it right. Hey what do you expect of a bunch of burly baseball men (and their ladies)?! Where's the paper plates and plastic silverware?!

Hi.

You're not used to seeing us like this...

But sometimes, we like to play dress up.

And yes, I'm that crazy embarrassing wife: I matched us. Subtly. But definitely. Last year, for the All-Star game with Greensboro, Adam and I wore green. This year: yellow! And what's so wrong with matching anyways!? :)

Lefty, righty, righty, lefty.

Just a few Southern League pitching All-Stars (and their plaques)!

Then...6:00 rolled around and it got real. 

The home run derby!

(Each selected hitter was given 7 outs to hit as many home runs as possible)

Ok Grama. This is for you.

Since pitchers don't hit in the home run derby (only really good hitters do), Adam didn't compete in it. Instead, he got to sit on the field and watch his teammates hit home runs up close :)

And since these two boys are roommates and best friends, I took a picture of them sitting together.

Adam is saying to himself right now, "Ah c'mon guys. Let me try. I'll hit ten bombs."

Ok, maybe not ten. 

Because the winner of the home run derby didn't even hit five. Only three.

But, that hitter's in the South Division...and the Suns are in the South Division...so...we won!

And while I was snapping away at their celebrations...

Another photographer was on the field capturing our captures.

And somehow, my mom found this on The Florida Times Union.

(Credit to them...this is not my picture)

Then, 904 Happy Hour found us!

(Obviously not my photo either)

Aaaaaand, back on the field...

"Baseball's never been hotter with the Jacksonville Suns!"

(Our theme song)

A pitcher knows just what a pitcher needs.

Pre-game massages, baby.

The game's about to start!

Getting ready for announcements.

Jacksonville Suns left-handed starting pitcher: Adam Conley!!

(And the crowd goes wild....wooooohooooooo!!)

Adam said the other day, "Baseball is so America. Every day, we sing the National Anthem."

He's got that right.

Ok...so here's another little explanation:

This year, there were 24 All-Star pitchers total. Both teams combined. Because there's only 9 innings in a game (which means 18 different pitchers if each pitcher threw just one inning), each pitcher only throws one inning maximun. That way, they can get as many pitchers into the game as possible.

Adam got the whole fourth inning.

And boy does he look real good up there :)

He faced the minimum three hitters in his one inning last night.

No walks. One pop-up. One groundout. One punchout.

That's my man!

I could get used to this one-inning business....!

(Another note: Grama...some pitchers only ever throw one inning. They're called closers. They come in at the very end of the game and pitch just one inning if our team is winning - to try to save the game and make sure we get the win. Usually, they throw really hard and really accurate...kinda like Adam. And they normally get to throw more than just once every five days.)

Tim TeBull dances with the players.

One thing I do love about minor league baseball: the in-between innings silliness.

The crowd loves this stuff...and I do too!

The South won the home run derby...

And the South won the All-Star game too!!

6-0!

Good pitching. Good hitting. Amen! That's two All-Star wins in a row for this Conley family!

Post-game fireworks.

It was like being in a dream.

And then I think to myself...this life is a dream. 

My heart is full. And my God is BIG.

I love you Adam.

Praise the Lord for this game. For your talent. And for the platform we have because of it. We're so very grateful.

This year's All-Star break was such a joy.
There's a lot of talent in this league, and we feel honored to be apart of it.
_______________

Oh, and I mustn't forget...
Immediately following the game, the entire Suns team packed onto the bus and traveled 9 hours North to Tennessee to begin a 10-day road trip. They left at midnight last night...and got into the hotel at 9:30 AM. That my friends, is life in the minor leagues.

Day Six Hundred and Seventy-Four

The 2013 Southern League All-Star Gala

To open the 2013 All-Star festivities, a gala (not sure exactly what a gala is, but it was fun!) was held in the players' honor. 

Over dinner and drinks, the players (and their ladies) mingled with the public.

Your 2013 Jacksonville Suns All-Stars (minus Caminero...he was MIA)!!

We've got one manly group here in Florida.

Following dinner, we moved outside for the rest of the evening.

There, they had the MLB All-Star Game playing in the background.

So neat.

(And yes, I did intentionally photograph Mo. Because I'm a pitchers wife...and you're looking at the best closer of all time)

And then, introductions began...

Hello to the 2013 Southern Division All-Star coaching staff. And you betchya, they're all Suns!

The 2013 Southern Division All-Stars!! 

(Adam is the third head from the left. Peek-a-boo!)

After introductions, the boys pulled up chairs and signed autographs for their fans.

Located 5 blocks from our condo, this is the scene we enjoyed yesterday.

This property is called "The Jacksonville Landing." It's a priceless gem here in Jax.

I'll never tire of this.

At least I don't think I will. Or could. 

He's so special to me. And I love watching him make people smile.

My very own All-Star.

He doesn't need the title for it to be the truth.

But I sure don't mind it! :)

(Things have been hectic and really busy today...so I apologize for the brevity of this post. It's 2 AM...Adam just left for a 10-day road trip, and I'm exhausted.)

Day Two-Hundred and Eighty-Three

The South Atlantic League All-Star Game

I took 265 pictures today. I'll let them do the talking. As for now, Adam and I are headed back to Greensboro. It's 2:20 AM. We still have 2 more hours left! But what an incredible experience! We're so thankful for the opportunity that we've been able to enjoy. We had a blast today!

The All-Star festivities kicked off with a Hall of Fame Luncheon this afternoon. All players were in attendance, along with Brian Cashman (General Manager for the NY Yankees) and Bill Murray (Caddyshack superstar). Both gentleman were quite impressive. So was the food.

Inducted into the Sally League Hall of Fame today was Bill Murray. And yes, he really wore that. Matching his wild style, his speech was just as colorful and entertaining. I would expect nothing less.

The Hopper All-Stars! NINE in total: a Sally League AND Greensboro record for most players selected from a single team! Go Go Grasshoppers Go!

Following the luncheon, the players were paraded (literally) to the field behind a gigantically massive tank-thingy-majigger. They were truly treated like All-Stars today!

While Adam was off establishing his own celebrity, I posed with one of his favorites. Bill liked my dress. He commented on it twice. Clearly, he has good taste ;)

The parade delivered the boys to a huge tent, where they hosted a public appearance autograph session. Call me biased, but I'm quite partial to Adam's signature. It's pretty cool. And he got a lot of practice on it today, as hundreds of people asked him for his John Hancock. 

Yesterday, the Homerun Derby Preliminary Round was performed atop an aircraft carrier. From the sihp, the boys hit balls out into the water, attempting to clear the arc of boats that formed a pseudo-baseball fence line. Today, the Final Round was held at the Charleston Riverdogs Stadium. And as Adam looked on, I knew exactly what he was thinking, "Are you serious? Give me a bat. I can hit more Jimmys than these dudes." 

Adam was the first player on either team to be introduced. 

The National Anthem performance was among the best I've ever seen. Just beautiful.

(Sidenote: Adam had the nicest flow.)

And then, to our surprise, we saw this.

And this.

This.

And finally, this.

 Four parachuters fell from the sky...and for what? Why, to deliver the game ball, of course!!!!

In the fifth inning, Adam took the mound. All-Star games are completely different than a typical game. Each inning is pitched by a different All-Star, which enables everyone to showcase their skills and talents instead of just one or two guys. And Adam didn't disappoint! In just NINE pitches (6 strikes and 3 balls), he retired the side. Wow. Wow. Wow!!! He threw so well!

The Northern Division All-Stars took the game with a 3-2 win over the Southern Division! And yes, Greensboro is apart of the North Division! WINNERS!!! 

Adam said that the post-game firework show is the best he's ever seen! I can't argue!

I love my sweet man! So incredibly proud of him. This first half-season has been such an incredible journey and a sweet, sweet blessing. What a fun way to end a short but beautiful chapter of our lives!