Middle Tennessee softball player Shelby Stiner shares her monthly blog from a hotel room in Colorado. Shelby updates us on her summer vacation, workout schedule and excitement for her senior season.

By the time you read this, another one of my summer “vacations” will be complete. But as I start this blog, I am sitting here in our hotel room in the small town of Grand Junction, Colorado. A vacation usually consists of rest and relaxation; yet, I would say that during my summer vacation I have hardly accumulated much of either.

I am still working Monday through Friday and waking up at dawn to head to the gym and workout before I am off to work. I also go to the gym on Saturdays and Sundays even though we have the weekends off. I even started a strict protein diet to help me stay lean and build muscle to get stronger for my senior season. Truthfully it’s not that fun, because I am a sucker for anything fattening, especially chocolate. But I am staying dedicated to the diet for another few weeks until I come back to the Murfreesboro. I hope I see results.

In the beginning of July my family traveled to Marietta, Georgia for a baseball tournament with the Arizona Blackhawks, my brother’s travel ball team. It sounds like a vacation, but it’s never just that.

As soon as we got there I drove around town and found a facility to work out in so that I could continue my summer workout, which meant no sleeping in. I had to wake up before everyone to go workout in order to make it back to the hotel before everyone left for the games.

The people at the workout facility were so nice and I was very thankful that they let me use their community center. Also, in the evenings I would head back there to play pick-up basketball games. Other than all the working out and early mornings, it was just nice to spend time with my family and take a few days off from work. On the 4th of July, which also happens to be my mom’s birthday, we took the team and headed to Turner Field to see the Atlanta Braves play.

I always enjoy visiting fields and arenas in other states. I think my favorite was Boston Garden where the Boston Celtics play. Well back to the Braves game. Before the game a huge flag was carried across the field by military soldiers and nurses. After the game there was supposed to be the most amazing fireworks show, which I was looking forward to; however, Mother Nature had other plans.

The game was delayed in the fifth inning due to rain. We had to head back to Marietta because the team had an early game. The Braves game resumed almost three hours later but no fireworks were set off. Later in the week we decided to go to Stone Mountain Park for a spectacular laser and fireworks show to make up for the disappointment at the Braves game. It was beautiful and I recommend it to everyone.

After a few weeks back home, we set out on the road again, this time to Colorado, where I spent the last week of July. As I am writing this blog I am sitting on the bed in the hotel with my family watching a baseball game on television waiting to head to a doubleheader for the day. I’m telling you, we live and breathe this sport of baseball.

On Tuesday the team played a team from Colorado and beat them, 5-1. Then we headed out to the river for rafting and canoeing. It was more of a workout because there were little to no rapids and we pretty much spent the two hours paddling. We still had a lot of fun though.

We were in Colorado until July 31. It’s kind of fun because we rented a Charter bus for all the families and the players so I feel like I am on another road trip with a team. I’m not going to lie; I would rather be on the bus with MY teammates. It will come soon enough though, and before I know it, my last year will pass me by, so I am not in too much of a rush.

Well it’s time for me to go cheer on the boys. But before I close, I just have to congratulate my little brother, Kyle, who was named to the all-star team of the Triple Crown Tournament. Go Blackhawks…. Oh and of course the one and only Blue Raiders… GO BIG BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See ya next month!!!!!