HO HO HOme sweet home

Merry Merry Christmas to all of you!!! Beau and I have been home for about 2 months and it's been so crazy busy--but a very GOOD busy. Lots of people to see and things to do...Beau got a job on a dairy and I have been nannying and working for my papa. Our house is even better than we remember it and we love hosting and having people over...Beau has been hunting OFTEN. He shot a bear and now we have a freezer full of bear meat and a bear rug. Coyotes, duck, geese and dove are also frequently shot by my husband; not gonna lie, I think he looks mighty nice in his camo gear holding a gun : ) We celebrated our first year of marriage in November and a great year it was. He surprised me with a trip to the coast and a stay at a bed and breakfast--such a great hubby I have! We leave tomorrow with the Mills clan for a week stay at the coast--one of our favorite parts of being home. Sorry I have been so SO delayed on this blog, I didn't think many people would follow when I was home buy my dad told me I should start it back up : )

general mills at your service!!!

this is one of the new nicknames that could be sticking to dad as he was hired as the astros manager on tuesday!!!! this is HUGE!!! dad, you are a stud and we couldn't be happier!!! no longer is our favorite team (besides the cleveland indians) the boston red sox, we are officially houston astro people ; )

home sweet home...finally

so sorry for the "non-blogging" lately. we were in arizona where, to be honest, nothing remotely exciting happened. BUT we're home now and i'm sure lots of thrilling things are going to start happening all around me...no, not really but i can hope...i unpacked and have been working on putting up pictures and decorating what i hadn't last time we were home. beau has been watching football and at 5 am this morning, went on his first of MANY hunting adventures with his buddy brian...mom, dad and papa bern left yesterday morning for michigan where they'll be for a week so, i'm takin' care of the girls (packing lunches, laundry, mail/bills, dinners, and other random things that need to be done around the parentals abode). but i am beyond estactic to be home and to see pumpkins and a little fog and my breath in the morning...yeah for being home!!!

back to arizona

first off, i tried and tried to change the color of this post to anything BUT red but it wouldn't do it for me!!! so i made it as big as possible to all you out there can read it...i apologize!...we are back in arizona and have been here for about a week. and we only have a week and half now until we are back in visalia, back in our home for good!!! we're pretty darn excited...this weekend, we went out with steven and shannon wright (she was my big buddy and only other wife in ohio with me). the piano bar found us and we were sucked in for hours-those places are such a good time! i feel very sad for shannon, however, because yesterday morning she had to drop off her husband steven at the airport because he flew to venezuela for a month and a half to play in a league over there. she gets to go see him for their one year anniversary but she'll be missing him badly. i need to make a big effort to keep her busy with coffee and shopping dates ; ) beau and i are missing a family member as well; we left miss sadie lady with grandma and grandpa vannette and i must say, i think she's having a great time with jackson and a backyard. but we miss her cute saggy face and those eyes you just can't say no to...and everyone tune in this thursday and friday and the boston red sox take on the angels in the first round of playoffs..go get 'em dad!!!

Home Sweet Home

And so, in light of the current situation, Beau and I drove from Arizona back to Visalia for the funeral which will be held tomorrow at 10 am...It is such a treat to be home! Some pictures that have captured our time here:
1) Beau, with his Cardinals jersey on...First thing he did was turn on his flat screen tv, get his jersey on and enjoy his newly purchased NFL package...men and football...wow
2) Sadie meeting up with her old buddy Shamus...Last time they were together, Shamus was bigger than Sadie! That's not the case any longer...
3) Dadda Babba sportin' his 'Marty Malo' sweatshirt next to his new MASSIVE tv...It is absolutely AMAZING-way to go dad, you done good.
4) Mr. Carter Philip and my hubby are reunited once again. They just might be the cutest thing ever...

What A Woman

As most of you know or have heard, Grandma Harry passed away. She was battling stomach cancer. Grandma Harry was amazing: such a love for life, such a blessing to be around her, she had such a huge impact on so many people. What an amazing role model she was for all who knew her: kind, joyful, so full of love and life and so generous. She will be greatly missed. But we know she is at peace and is with the Lord in a much better place. She lived for the Lord and as my dad said in his prayer at dinner last night, "She has been told by the Father, 'Well done good and faithful servant.'"

we survived our trek cross country

our trip began at 8 am. after a couple egg mcmuffins and coffee, we were on our way! beau was on a mission to get to arizona in 2 days, no more. from when we left to the time we stopped for a couple hours of sleep, i'd say we drove in 10 hours of straight rain. and the most incredible lightening storm for 3 hours. it was gorgeous and lit up the entire night sky. beau drove for 20 hours straight. here, for your pleasure and enjoyment, is a photo of beau that i snapped after about 18 hours in the car. he had 3 monster energy drinks within 1 hour. wow...this is quite possibly the funniest picture ever ha ha ha we stopped at 3 am and got 4 hours of sleep and we were off at 7:30 am the next morning! we drove about 15 more hours and FINALLY made it to arizona! we even caught the beautiful arizona sky and sunset...the house is fantastic and in a great area. we couldn't be happier : ) one month to go and we'll be home sweet home. we are SOOOOOO excited to be back at our own house!

2009 Eastern League Champions

And the Akron Aeros defeat the competition in 4 games Saturday night!!! We Are The Champions!!! I caught some great moments with my camera and will give you guys a taste of the boys' victory last night.
Good good times! Great memories this year. We survived our first year in baseball together!

i predict a championship in the near future...

2 down. 1 to go! the akron aeros are looking to sweep connecticut tomorrow night and take home a ring. then it's off to arizona. good times on the road. and as dad suggested, i just may have to hunt down a drive-in, diner, or dive to stop at and grab a bite on our long journey back toward the west coast.

Another picture of Beau rounding the bases last night. Carlos Santana hits before him and Beau was supposed to be on deck. Instead, he and his manager were trying to get a bug out of his eye. They couldn't get it so he went to the plate only seeing out of his one eye! That's why he has a bit of a grin on his face; he and his teammates couldn't believe he hit a home run : ) oh if anyone is curious about the facial goin' on it's because everyone grew it out for playoffs. beau looks like a rugged mountain man.

dear ol' dad:

i would like to comment on dad's comments. dad, your little tid bits make me smile and laugh and make me very very happy; every single one of them. i love you so much!!! can't wait to see you : )

WE WIN GAME ONE!!!! beau played very hard and played quite well. yep, he's pretty much my hero and a huge stud muffin. how'd i get so lucky huh? God must really love me : )

the championship series begins!!!

the game started tonight at 6:35 pm. i hope ya'll are listening out there!!! i think all of us, the wives and all the players included, are all hoping we sweep connecticut so we can all go home ha ha ha so cheer loud through the computer and send some good luck toward our boys!

picture of the hubs

mom sent me a picture of beau that she found on ohio.com...thanks mom! great picture of your stud of a son! : ) this is from last night's game.

that caption reads:"Akron Aeros' Beau Mills high fives coach Mike Sarbaugh while rounding third after hitting a two-run homer in the first inning."

we win!!!

and we have won the eastern league pennant for the 5th year in a row!!! we beat the reading phillies tonight 9-3 and now we're headed to the championship series!!! go aeros!!!

the boys are still away and will be until early thursday morning. tonight at 7 they have the opportunity to win the first round of playoffs and make it to the championship round. they got rained out yesterday so let's all hope the rain stays away tonight! shannon and i are going to pf chang's for some lettuce wraps and ahi tuna...yummy...and here are some more cute pics i got from natasha from our altoona trip. we won a free pizza! good times, great friends : )

playoffs begin

today will be game 1 of a possible 5 game series against the reading phillies. the aeros play 2 games home and then go on the road to reading. if we win this series, we will be playing either new britain or connecticut for the championship...we are trying to pack up the apartment that we have spent the last 6 months in. weird! paying last utility bills, sending boxes home, trying to find a place to live in arizona. i'm trying not to get overwhelmed; beau's always pretty relaxed so it's rubbing off on me. we'll get it all done in time ; )

we're back!

good times in altoona, pa! our trip over was great; lots of good convo and laughs with shannon, tasha and her chihuahua t-bone. the boys swept the altoona curve and we saw some great games. it was in the forties during the games! cold cold cold for september! and dadda babba made sure i stopped by the malo factory, an old school (i mean OLD SCHOOL) candy factory that makes very good candy. i stopped by the giftshop and picked up dad a marty malo sweatshirt, as shown...and us sampling some of the malo cups at the game...yummy! now we're home and have 3 home games to go before playoffs!

and we're off!!!

a fantastic couple of days at home with the hubby and the gals. but now we are all off! even us ladies. we leave early tomorrow morning for a 3 day road trip in altoona, pa. miss sadie lady will be staying at the wag-on-inn once again. she doesn't know it now but i'm thinking she'll be pretty jazzed when we pull up and drop her off: she was quite popular with the other dogs ; ) and now only 7 games to go in this season (not including post-season playoff games). we've almost made it! i think it's safe to say that we have survived the year!

Yay for Akron!

Congratulations to the Akron Aeros!!! They have secured a spot in the playoffs tonight with an 11-5 victory of the Bowie Baysox!!! If we make it to the end of playoffs, we will be here until September 19th. And now the six hour countdown begins! The boys should be getting in around 6 am. We'll be a bit sleepy : ) But the last long road trip is officially crossed off the list-WOO HOO!!!

nothing like a good friend

it seems that the "wive's sad streak" is on the move! shannon was attacked with this streak early yesterday morning and had a horrendous first part of her day...one thing, of the many, that she found out is that her car hasn't been insured for 4 months! so, steven really didn't want her driving anywhere. and so i got to be her chauffeur for the day! we beep bopped over to the mall and killed an hour or two there. there has been this fabulous looking wine bar near our house that we have been dying to try so once the clock hit 5, we were there! it was the cutest darn place and i'm sure it won't be our last visit. after our wine and cheese we skedaddled over to beau's grille, a fantastic restaurant with the most relaxing and inviting outdoor terrace. we enjoyed dinner and each other's company and then headed back to our apartment to listen to steven pitch and to the end on the game. such a fantastic day! the countdown is on: 3 days until our men return home!

thank you

i can't tell you how grateful i am to have so many wonderful people following beau and i, praying for us constantly and for all the encouragement we receive from all of you. thank you thank you thank you, every single one of you for being behind us and rooting us on during our exciting and crazy first year.

no more baseball blues

thank you for all your encouraging words : ) i am feeling much better!!! after a minor sad/lonely lapse (in which my mother completely freaked out with worry and was seriously considering flying to see me to make me feel better), i took a long walk and went shopping and ***BAM!*** just like magic, i feel like a new woman! all you men out there, when your woman tells you that shopping can make us feel better, i promise you, it's true. and this morning shannon and i went to church, grabbed a bite to eat at panera bread, went to look at the puppies and kitties at the pet store and went shopping some more. it's been a lovely day so far!

i'm lonely...

yep. i'm very lonely...

a tease of a home stand...

beau came home early monday morning and we had a wonderful day off celebrating his birthday. he opened some of his gifts and we had a piece of cake i had made (it was surprisingly good for a cook that is so out of practice) we went shopping with some of his birthday money, saw a movie and went to pf changs, one of beau's all-time favorite restaurants (lettuce wraps and mojitos...YUM!!!). such a good day we spent together...it will be his last off day until playoffs so we had to milk it for all it was worth. the team leaves again early friday morning for a seven day road trip : ( : ( : ( : ( lots and lots of sad faces...BUT it's their last long road trip. anything under 4 days is pretty easy now-i've adapted quite well to this baseball life. i'm not too lonely anymore-i've grown a thick skin as all baseball wives eventually learn they must have to survive! but i do have my moments. the season has been long but it has been great. it is not over, however. beau and i will be headed out to arizona for another 4 weeks after the season is done. i'm guessing a week or so back in visalia and then on the road once more to arizona. but it's close for most of you so anyone who needs a weekend away, come see us!

happy birthday my dear husband

i didn't even think to post about my husband's big day!!! so although i am late, it is no less important. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BEAU BEAU HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! all my love, hugs and kisses every single day of the year, but extra on your birthday : ) (i even found this cool fishing birthday wish in your honor)

saturday morning escapades

i searched the internet for events going on this week in akron and lo-and-behold, there was an art fair happening in downtown akron at a local park! i made my way over this morning at 10 and got a fabulous silver necklace and some bobby pins, because as we all know, i am the queen of bobby pins...i putzed around for a good hour and had a very enjoyable saturday morning. there was live music, dancers, really cool knives (i almost caved and got one for beau) and even hand made dog collars!!! (i also almost caved and splurged on one for miss sadie)...instead, i splurged and bought stuff for myself : )