Day #3

Today we had a big win against China, we won 1-0! It felt good getting our uni's on and competing! Venezuela has really created an Olympic style atmosphere in Caracas! The stadium is gorgeous and the stands were full of people. Cat pitched a great game for us on the mound. Ashley Hansen started us off getting on base and stealing 2nd in the top of the 7th. Lappin moved her to third on a ground ball to 2nd and Tasha came up HUGE with a line shot the pitcher barely tipped with her glove to score Hansen! It was the lone run we needed! It was a great game. Lots of action on defense, I played 1st base. It felt good to get the games started and good to get our juices flowing! The crowd was nonstop with cheers, noise makers, and lots of horns. We are so grateful for all of the support here in Caracas!

You can follow the games @ USASoftball.org! There will be live stats and updates throughout World Championships! Lots of pictures are posted too!

Tonight we are resting up getting ready for our two games tomorrow. We play New Zealand at 11am and then come back to play the home team Venezuela at 7pm! We are expecting lots of people and lots of noise for the Venezuelan game!

The food here has been delicious! Lots of fresh vegetables, chicken, salad, fresh fruit, and of course great desserts! We are enjoying the delish coffee here too! Yesterday we had Watermelon juice with lunch that was quite tasty.

Go USA!

Believing!
#27

Day #2 here in Venezuela

WOW! What a night! We just got back from opening ceremonies here in Venezuela! All I can say is WOW! It was a spectacular show! The stadium is beautiful its surrounded by the gorgeous green mountains here. It was packed with excited prideful anxious Venezuelans! It was so awesome to see the excitement and pride they have here for their country. The show was filled with body moving music, lots of dancers, performers, skits, the biggest fireworks show I have ever seen, and it ended with President Chavez closing it with a speech. We were given some rockin' hats to wear too!

It was a spectacular show they had a group of dancers to represent each of the 16 Countries here at the World Championships. They had dancers dressed in the appropriate attire and they danced to the music of that country. It was incredibly amazing to watch!

The highlight of the night for me was us each able to walk out on the field with a young Venezuelan child. My little buddy was 5 years old and he had the cutest smile. He melted my heart along with filling it with pure joy as I miss Ace dearly! We hit it off instantly, especially after I pulled out my phone and let him play all of the games I have for Ace on it. It was too cute! It blew my mind too as soon as Mr. Chavez started speaking he looked up from the game, made eye contact with me and said, "Chavez!" We had a lot of fun watching the firework show from the field together. He was a sweet little boy and we manage to hold a great conversation through the language barrier. It was a special night... I feel so incredibly blessed to have this great opportunity. It definitely was a reminder why playing USA Softball is what it is... A Dream! So many cultures and people from all over the World have been united by our great sport of softball!

We had practice this morning before opening ceremonies. We were thrilled to be able to get it in before the rain. We open up against China tomorrow at 12:30pm. Let the Games Begin!

Buenos Noches Amigos!
Dreaming & Believing!
#27

Long Over Due

Hola amigos from Caracas, Venezuela! We are here for World Championships with USA Softball! We landed last night to a warm welcome here in South America! Welcomed with beautiful music, flags, chocolate, lots of smiling faces, and a warm delicious meal of grilled chicken, rice, & plantains! We had an easy drive to the hotel with a police escort and VIP treatment. We are very excited to be here and to start competing.

World Championships now (since the Olympics dropped Softball) is the only event every four years in which the entire world competes. This is our big event. There is 16 teams here competing. We start our games on Thursday we open up against China.

These last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic! The season has begun! We had a wonderful JFSCamp in Colorado Springs over Memorial Day. It was a great group and we had a blast! We even had the wonderful honor of having a camper come all the way from Austrailia! It was a fun weekend all around! Thank You to Widefield High School for hosting such a terrific camp & weekend!

After the weekend we got the exciting news that Casey was called up to the Astros! We are so very proud of him and all he has been through. He has worked so hard and continues to grind it out, knowing the Lord has a special plan for him wherever that may be. I can not put into words his tenacity and drive. I am so proud of him and all he has endured throughout his career. It was so good to see him make it back to the "Bigs"! It's so much fun seeing him out there doing what he loves! He is an Ace for sure no matter where he is! ;)

I was able to sneak up to San Fran for a Giants game and Softball/Olympic Day Celebration they put on. ...And even bobbleheads! ;) I was honored to share the night with a courageous special girl & friend named Cassidy who is battling cancer. We had such an incredible time together with her sweet family! Big thanks to the SF Giants for all the special treats!

The NPF (Nat'l Pro Fastpitch) Season ProFastpitch.com has begun! We opened up against the USSSA Pride for a tough series in Lubbock, TX. We ended up taking the close series 3-2, it was so much fun being back in a Bandits uni with my teammates! We have a great group of girls and I am looking forward to competing with them the rest of this summer!

From Lubbock we headed to Ohio for a couple of days of training & preparing for World Championships. Nothing greater than wearing the red, white, & blue! We played the USA Futures team in a couple of good double headers. Lots of talent and great competition! Even had a special visit from a dear friend and inspiration Emily! She is purely amazing! She too is battling cancer & doing it with so much fight & grace!

Emily and Cassidy remind us all to live in the moment and never take anything for granted. They are true heroes & inspirations to us all! I am so blessed to know them & be forever changed because of them! Each breath is a gift from above! Keep fighting girls! We are cheering for you!

I will try to be blogging while we are here in Venezuela. Selfishly too, it helps me keep busy while I am away from my Aces for 14 days.

Loving this time with our team trying to soak it all up as our days of competing are unfortunately numbered! Living a dream, playing USA!

Dreaming & Definitely Believing!
#27

JF Softball Camping in Ardmore, OK this Wkd!

We had such a blast just almost 2 weeks ago kicking off our first JF Sofball Camp in Spring, TX! I was so excited to get back out on the field and share the game with so many anxious softballers. It was about time... Spring Sting was our host and they did such a great job, we truly enjoyed getting to know them and sharing the weekend with them! San Jacinto JC, did such a fantastic job assisting us. They brought their "A" Game, they had so much energy & fun out there. It was way over due seeing our, beyond "Fab" Coaches too! This is the best part about what I do is getting on the field sharing the passion and love for this great game with others. We not only share fundamentals of the game but more importantly life lessons way beyond the field.


We had a blast of a weekend with each other! We started out at a Charity Dinner for the Houston Children's Hospital on Friday. Here we are below getting our picture with Nolan Ryan! It was fun getting to dress Toni & Mac up in my clothes for the night... not so much fun for them! ;) It was a fun night for a great cause with some incredible people in attendance. We were honored to have my handsome nephew Brock as our date for the night too.





We look forward to heading over to Ardmore, OK this weekend for another camp! Can't wait to present Healdton Softball with their State Trophy to kick off camp! We are praying for the tornado victims and all of the mid west as the upcoming weather rolls in as they are on our hearts.

Our last camp of the 2010 spring will be Memorial Day weekend May 29 & 30 in Colorado Springs. Register today, http://jenniefinch.net/camps/CO2010.pdf We hope to see you there! We will be opening up our registrations for our Fall 2010 Camps during the summer, keep checking the website!

Believing,
#27

A list of 27 for my MOM!

Happy 1 day late Mother's Day to all of the Mom's out there! I hope you all had a well deserved most fabulous Mother's Day! I enjoyed my day with my Ace's at a couple of ball fields, a save, and then topped off with a wonderful dinner with them & ice cream on the couch! Actual dinners like sitting down at a table as a family is far and few between during the baseball season we can usually count them on one hand. I was very thankful we were able to share a dinner together at a table as a family... a precious gift!




I am so incredibly blessed beyond words regarding my Mom! She is the best! She is my rock! So many laughs, tears, joy, celebrations, losses, lessons, and so many unforgettable memories. She has shown me and taught me so much about life and love! She is always there for me to talk to, always there to shed a tear with, she has always been there...




I decided I would make a list of 27 (of course) things to share about my mom! ...I could go on forever but will share 27 with you.

1. She took off 3 weeks of work to go with me to China for World Championships hauling Ace over seas with me at 3 months old! (If that's not love...) Oh, we packed for any and every emergency, diapers & food for a year in case we got stuck... it was crazy and we DID it!
2. Getting up at 4 am every morning for work to enable us to do what we loved.
3. Setting up the snack shack throughout High School through 3 seasons a year for 4 years! Volleyball, Basketball, & Softball
4. She is always there to tell me how it is and what I need to hear not what I want to hear.
5. She has put up with a living room table of fan mail for the last 8 years and has gone through every single piece of mail I have received. She helps me answer it all back. Yes, thank her she deserves all of the credit, I just sign.
6. She makes my clean clothes smell like heaven (I cannot figure it out, same soap, same softener... its her magic touch).
7. She makes the best lasagna I have ever tasted.
8. She gives the best hugs & back rubs.
9. She has such a sensitive & caring heart, cries at everything... I am following in her footsteps!
10. She yells during Laker games at the TV! It would scare Ace when he was little, now he yells for Kobe and shouts Go Lakers right with her!
11. She has the most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen!
12. She told me after I pitched a perfect game in HS, if I did another back to back I could get a Guess Watch (which I wanted so very badly), sure enough I did it, she bought it! A fun memory!
13. She is very conservative, my shorts & skirts are never long enough. I appreciate that in her.
14. She adores her grand kids! Seeing her with Ace is the greatest sight!
15. She kept peace (for the most part) in our household with our father/daughter softball world & relationship! :)
16. She's always up to share a bowl of ice cream with you.
17. She bleeds Dodger Blue & now whatever team Casey is with.
18. She took 2 weeks off of work to be with us as Casey was on the road and Ace was just born! (Such a special time we shared... treasured memories forever.)
19. She went to Taiwan and took my Grandma with her to watch me play for the Jr. USA Team. My first USA experience it was so special having them there & reassuring at the age of 17.
20. She is there to listen everyday when I call her.
21. She laughs so hard she cries & coughs.
22. She doesn't wear makeup and is naturally beautiful.
23. We have the same toes.
24. She gets competitive when it matters.
25. She is a woman of faith and loves the Lord!
26. I love her hands, always well manicured and so very soft! She has such a gentle touch.
27. She is my Mom and I adore her!!!

She loves the little things in life and is such a simple person full of love! I am completely overwhelmed with such appreciation and gratitude for all she has been, sacrificed, and cont. to be in my life! I love you Mom! I thank the Lord above daily for blessing me with a Mother like you!

She has taught me and enabled me to always Dream & Believe!
#27

New Jersey to Long Island

This past weekend was awesome! Softball season is here! I had such a blast hanging out at our tournament at the beautiful Diamond Nation & JF Softball Academy this past weekend. It started off with a Pizza Party with all of our Ace's (12u, 14u, & 16u) on Friday night. It was a blast grubbing it up on amazing NY Pizza and getting to know the Ace's better. What a great group we have with all of our teams & Coaches! These girls are looking good in their pink & black and looking forward to a summer full of competing!

Here are just a few of the pictures I took with the teams that were in our tournament.







On Sunday I had the privilege to head out to Manhassett High School to meet the Middle School girls and Manhassett High School team. Even though they live in a lacrosse dominated area, it was great to see the passion for the sport of softball there. A group of parents came together after the tragic loss of an amazing Coach & Parent, Rocky, and built a magical field for these ladies to play on. They named it "Rocky's Field" in honor of this dearly beloved man, father, and softball fanatic! It is nicer than some of the college fields that I've played on. It was a very special ribbon cutting ceremony and dedication to Rocky and for all the softball players of the area. You could feel the love for him out there on that field. I want to commend this group of parents for their dedication, hard work, and commitment in honor of Rocky and for the softball players of Long Island. Manhassett High last year was rained out of 80% of their games... quite depressing to work so hard preparing for season and then to only play 20% of their games. Well now Manhassett High has one of the most premier astroturf softball fields in the country and an angel looking down on them. It was such an honor for me to be there and I left inspired! Thank you Manhassett!


I'm training hard getting ready for the 2010 NPF season and competing with Team USA this summer! It is coming up fast! Looking forward to getting back in uniform on the field with my teammates!

We are off to the west coast for a quick television show taping then headed back to Houston/Spring for our first JF Softball Camp of 2010! We are looking forward to kicking it
off in the great state of Texas! Can't wait... its been too long! We have 3 camps this month Houston, Ardmore OK, & Colorado Springs Memorial Day weekend! Spots are still avail! Register today @ www.JennieFinch27.com

Dream & Believe!
#27

A Magical Spring

Outside the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, cardinals are flying, bees are buzzing, the eggs are hatching, it is so beautiful. It has been a Magical Spring! Celebrating Easter was such a great reminder of why we all have reason to have such an incredible joy and hope within us!

We as a family had a great time down in Florida for Spring Training! We met so many great people and made some very sweet friendships! We had family come visit and we all got to do some of the touristy things that Orlando has to offer. To name a few, catch an Orlando Magic Game, sit on an alligator, and meet President Bush Senior (Ace even ate some of his popcorn), and watch a lot of good baseball! Here are some pictures of our fun Spring!






Casey had such an awesome Spring! He did so incredibly well!!! We are so very proud of him regardless of what he does on the field however he was lights out! :) It was so much fun watching him out there on the mound, so confident, so committed, and so determined! It seems unfathomable that he didn't make the Astros after his terrific spring. Yes, Unbelievable! But as we know the Lord has a plan and we are praying for only His will. My dad sent me this the other day and it is what gives us peace.

"If you are leading your life according to Gods will...then no matter what the situation good or bad...it's exactly where God wants you to be."



I have such great admiration and respect for my "Big Ace!" He continues to plug away, knowing this is exactly where God wants him to be! Daily he is an example for me and our family! He will be starting out with the Round Rock Express and waiting for whatever the Lord has in store.
Thank you for all of your love and support you have shown for Casey now and over the years! We are so incredibly grateful and appreciative. We have been overwhelmed and it has been such a blessing!

This last weekend was such a blast! Casey was able to be home in the spring for the first time in 10 years... the Lord works in mysterious ways! Louisiana is on the way from Florida to Texas, another blessing! ;) We were able to celebrate Easter and Casey's birthday in as Casey calls it, "God's Country!" We had so much fun with family & friends! A crawfish boil, fish fry (Casey catch), dying eggs, Mamaw's crawfish Ettoufee, gallons of sweet tea, Casey's fav yellow cake with chocolate icing (thanks Dee), and lots of fun! I have to admit I do realize why Casey is ever so proud and In Love with the great state of Louisiana!





We have SO much to be thankful for! Wishing you all a beautiful spring full of joy & hope!


Dream & Believe!
#27



PS SO excited for Baseball/Softball Season!!! Let's Play Ball!!!!