It is that time of year again when football is ALMOST back but when my husband is away for about a month to get ready for the season. I can’t believe this is our 8th year because I remember our first training camp in St. Louis like it was yesterday. When the Rams where there, they practiced at their headquarters so it made it very easy to go to every single open practice, especially since I didn’t have three kids. In order to minimize distractions for the Rookies, he did have to stay in the hotel but I made sure I saw him on his off days in addition to attending practice.
The close proximity didn’t last though. Right after the 2015 season (our fourth year), we were told the team was moving and it we only had the short off-season to make it happen. At the time, I had an eight month-old and was already two months pregnant with our second! It was stressful finding out about the move only two weeks after we found out we were having our first little boy. While we had so much going on, we had to pack up our St. Louis house and prepare for the move. Once we found our LA home, I finally felt the anxiety fade away and the excitement finally kicked in. After a hurried and hard transition to LA, I can finally say LA is home.
Our first camp in here was definitely a transition and I saw how hard it was for my friends who have husbands on teams that train away during camp. The Rams travel to UC Irvine and that is a little over two hours in traffic. While it does make it a harder to support my husband at practice or even just see him on the off days, it gives us a great reason for a staycation so I’ve learned to embrace it. The kids get to see “Daddy Football,” which is what they call everything from games to practices and I get to shop. Irvine has some great shopping and my favorite place is the Irvine Spectrum Center. The best part about traveling to training camp is that Disneyland is only 30 minutes away in Anaheim! We were able take MaKaela for her 3rd birthday last year since we were so close, (read about it here).
Yes, you read that right! MaKaela’s birthday is right in the middle of camp and she was born during our last training camp in St. Louis. I was definitely on edge because her due date was August 13 and this was the exact day Michael and the team were leaving for joint practices and a game in Dallas. I remember thinking, “what if she comes right on time or what if she comes a few days late!?! I can’t do this without him!” I had to quickly decide if I wanted to risk it and let nature and Kaela decide or if I wanted to evict her early to ensure Daddy would see her. I’m thankful my doctor let me decide on the induction and on August 9th, she arrived at 2:37pm.
Celebrating her birthday is always a hit or miss because sometimes Michael can make it because he has an off day but sometimes he can’t. No matter what, he always tries to surprise her with a special toy and we try to take her to an indoor playground so she can get her time with her Daddy.
Since this is our eighth year, it does get easier and the kids are beginning to understand that Daddy has to work. As much as I feel like a single parent, I know that my husband is working so hard and that inspires me so much. I’m thankful that the kids understand that this is just part of Daddy’s job but I don’t know if they are more excited to go crazy in the house without “Warden Mike/Daddy” or if they actually are excited for Daddy Football.
While it is hard to have Michael away because I don’t have my best friend to bounce things off, especially with the kids, I know it is just a short time and he’s working hard for us. I pray for health and wellness for him and for God to always guides him along his path both on and off the field. My husband can be so critical of himself and while I know that is what drives him to be great, I pray extra hard that he knows and believes he can do all things through Christ.
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