Friday, July 20, 2012

Papa Kroko Comes to Austria and Brings the Rain with Him.

My Dad came to visit this past week. He got here last friday and flew back home this morning. It felt like forever ago that we were talking about him coming. I was so excited for him to get here that the morning He got here I woke up at 6 and just decided to leve then. I got to the airport a hour before he landed. He brought me lots of stuff I have been missing from back home. He had a few surprises for me also. I am so blessed to have the father that I do. He is my bestfriend, it scary sometimes how well that he knows me. He can tell from the tone of my voice that something is wrong. We have a special relationship that is for sure. Since I can remember we have gone hunting and fishing together. We have had some great times together. I have learned so much from him over the years. Everything from how to be a good Christian man to life descions to things in the business world. One thing he has always done for my family is provided for us. I know I am the man I am today's because of him. I think that my Dad brought the rain with him. For our game Saturday it was sunny for all of pregame. But you could see the rain was coming. About mid way through the first game it started to drizzle and didn't really stop till we were done playing. In game one we just played bad. There really isn't any other way to say it. I was not going to lose with my Dad coming all the way to Austria to see me play. Needless to say it wasn't the best conditions for playing baseball. The mound was a mud pit. When my foot would land it would slide about 6 inches. We actually had a rain delay at one point. If it would have picked up any they would have called it and we would have won since we had completed 5 innings. But it slowed just enough to resume play. In the 9th inning with a two run lead they loaded the bases with two outs. As I stood there on the mound I thought "just don't think about the mud or rain just make three quality pitches and we will win. I struke out the guy to end it. It was a great win for us and helped us stay in the play off race. The president of my team was nice enough to let my Dad and I borrow one of his work cars to go fishing. With my iPhone in hand as our gps we headed west for about 3 hours to go fishing. It rained the entire drive which isn't good when your going fly fishing. So when we got there we met our guide at our hotel and got our fishing liences. We got to the river and it looked like chocolate milk which isn't good. We tried it there for a while and had no luck. So he made a phone call and there was another stream about 100 km away that was in great shape. So we headed that way and it was well worth it. The drive was beautiful. We got to see a lot little towns with lakes in front of them. It seemed like something out of the movies. The stream was perfect, so we got to fish for a few hours before going to our hotel. When we went out to eat we just started walking to see what was open. When we sat down we told the waitress we didn't know German and asked if she spoke English. So the cook came out and asked what we wanted, he asked if we wanted a plate of meat. That sounded perfect to us being half carnivor. So he brought us a plate with a chicken breat, a steak, pork chop, and fries. The next day was a good day. The weather was perfect and we got to catch some fish. We pretty much caught every kind of fish that was in there. I just love being on the water and standing there hearing nothing but the water running. No cars or planes making noise. We drove back to Vienna and hung out there most of the week. My Dad really enjoys looking at different architecture. I tried to be the best tour guide I could with what I had learned. We had a blast together just hanging out and eating. I started to get a little home sick this past week. My Dad came at a perfect time to help that go away. Now it's only two weeks till my sister and brother in law come. I am excited to see them since it's been 3 months since I left. To everyone back home thanks for all the prayers and support.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

FIrst Loss and Bouncing Back

Last weekend we played the Metrostars and it was hot. It was one of the hottest days they have ever had here in June. I got to play firstbase in game one. Which means I got to hit also, I was 2-4 with 3 RBI. We didn't play our best baseball that day. We made a few errors, both mental and physical. After game one I was drained, they came in with a great game plan and it paid off for them. I got my first loss of the season. I have never been one to make excuses for not playing well, somedays you just have off days. It is how you handle the lose that matters. I really hate losing, I'm not one to throw or hit things but you can tell I'm not the same. Yesterday we played the Tigers who are in last place. In game one we came out swinging and kept it up the whole game. We put up 20 runs against them. I think we used all of our hits in game 1 though. In game two we couldn't score a run till the 12 inning. I pitched the whole game again. I only threw 126 pitches in the 12 innings and gave up 3 hits with no walks. It was a much needed sweep for us. It was a great team win, a lot of guys made some big plays in key situations. Right now we are in 4th place in the standings. Its going to be a fun rest of the season for sure. My Dad comes in this friday, I cant wait to see him. This is the longest time period in my life where I haven't seen him. We have stayed in connact but it's weird not seeing him. We are going fly fishing when he is here, which is one of our favorite things to do together. I can't believe I have alreay been here for 3 months. It doesn't seem like it have been that long since I sold my truck and headed over here. I know this has changed my life in many ways. I have a new apprication of A/C and ice. I'm kidding but I do miss those things. I have been able to do some things that I never really thought I would have a chance to. On Friday I was on the Autobahn and saw a Ashton Martin fly by us. God has taught me many things and I know this is where he wants me. This blog is something that I never thought that I would have. I started it to keep everyone back home updated on what I was doing here. As of today over 4000 people have read it. From all over the world, from Kenya to Japan. It is interesting to see what friends do keep up with you when you leave for 3 months. But I have some friends that I couldn't see or talk to and when I get back it will be like I never left. I hope everyone has a blessed week.