Charlotte Photography: My husband...the coach :)

I can remember the day Robby and I went on our first date like it was yesterday. I could tell you exactly what I was wearing (all my sister's clothes...I had been in Hutch that weekend and raided her closet for the perfect outfit)...I remember dragging Whitney downstairs with me just so I could introduce them...you know, so in case he kidnapped me somebody would be able to give an accurate description. That...and so she could picture him when I recapped the date in great detail later that night (this was before the days of facebook). I also remember the exact table we were sat at at Chili's in Lawrence...and I remember my hands being all shaky and barely being able to eat because I was so nervous....because he was so awesome. We drove around for a long time after dinner....going no where in particular....just driving...talking about everything....just getting to know each other (I ~~cried~~ teared up at one point during a particular family story....so you can't say he wasn't warned from the get-go that I can be emotional :)). That is when I first learned that Robby thought he might want to go into coaching.

Fast forward seven and a half years....we're married and Robby is a head coach. :) This dream he mentioned on our first date has come true. And I am so proud of him. And happy for him. Just....excited for him. At one point I remembered him saying he wanted to be head coach by age 28. I've brought it up since then and he said "No, no...I said 30....28 would be too early." Then I reminded him..."YOU ARE 28!!! You did it!!! And if you really meant 30...THEN YOU BLEW THAT GOAL OUT OF THE WATER" Robby is humble....confident, but humble. He won't toot his own horn....but I will. Because I like to brag on the people I love. :)

He is an awesome coach. Granted, I may not know much about baseball, but I watch him out there, doing his thing...doing what he always wanted to do and I can just tell he is good at it. Because he worked SO HARD at it. And he because he cares so much. He goes out of his ways to help his players. He holds them accountable in their classes, their faith, their behaviors outside of class. He is just the whole package as a coach....he cares about winning, of course. He cares about improving all of them as baseball players....but even more than all that he cares about them as people and preparing them for their lives long after baseball is over for them.

Anyways...enough of the mushy stuff. :) On to the baseball pictures...be prepared for lots of these throughout the spring!