My big kid life: Continuing the life of an adventurous "student": And here goes my life in the middle of New York

I finally have a computer so now I can blog. I spilled water on my laptop in the middle of May at school and had to go without one until I bought a new one. Long story..... but now I have a brand new, pretty macbook pro that I will take great care of.

So here I am sleeping in what pretty much looks likes a prison cell. It smells bad too. There's no air conditioning or heat here and in the middle of the summer the temperatures can vary greatly. Some nights I get warm and others I'm freezing. I'm learning to adjust to living in 84% humidity daily. I work out and am just drenched before I've even done anything hard. Here will be an introduction to my life in Cooperstown, NY for the summer....

Cooperstown is home to the Baseball Hall of Fame and DoubleDay field where the first game of baseball is said to be held. Decades again the Presutti family had a dream that every child in America would have to opportunity to play baseball in Cooperstown and thus the idea of the Cooperstown Dreams Park was born. In 1996 the park opened and 12U teams from around the country came and have been coming week after week ever since to play ball. There are 13 weeks that comprise the summer with 104 teams coming each week to play ball Sunday through Thursday when the championship game is held Thursday night. I came to Cooperstown four years ago with my family when TJ played and my dad coached. I thought it was a great place so when I was looking for a job this winter I knew I wanted to make money and have an adventure so here I am. I am here as a paid intern working 60+ hours a week, living in the barracks where the 104 teams and 95 umpires live, eating food that is less quality than dorm food and having someone else do my laundry. I got here June 8 after flying into Albany and being picked up by a complete stranger and then driving here, moving into my barrack and literally meeting one other person. The next day I worked in the retail store and folded shirts. I was ready to cry; I didn't move to New York to fold shirts all day. The next day I had a day off so I took the bus into town and hung out all alone. I took a nap on a park bench, yep I sure did and woke up sweating. Thanks to everyone whom I called while I was walking around that day. It's a humbling experience to realize how much it means to have someone else around can mean to someone. I'm pretty sure I cried that night too. I worked 13 hours each day for the next 4 days and then 14 hours the day after. I started to meet people and adjust a little bit. I thought I would hang out more with the other 20+ interns but we're all working so much and at such different hours that we don't really see one another much.

I never really thought I'd be 19 years old living 2061 miles away from home for a summer working 92 hours in a week. I guess God has some sort of plan. It really has been quite an experience the past two weeks. I've started making more friends which is so helpful. I really like Chelsea who is one girl I work with. Some things I'll probably never get used to... the food, showering with bugs, having creepy, old umpires check me out when I run or jump rope, living in 84% humidity, not being able to walk out of the park, being looked at and harassed by the teams, the terrible internet connection, not seeing a couch for 2 more months, not skating, playing lacrosse or working out at a gym.

Like I said it's taken lots of adjusting. I have learned how to sleep through girls alarm clocks, golf carts, 12 year old boys playing tag, just about everything. I've learned how to eat turkey on top of lettuce every day for lunch. I've really realized how important friends and family are. The snap chats, phone calls, texts, letters, packages all are what keep me happy. It's pretty easy here to get unhappy but whenever I have contact with a friend I feel better so keep it coming! My girlfriends from school...you are incredible. Thank you for making me laugh on a continual, daily basis and letting me cry to you on the phone. My friends from home thanks for filling me in on all the news and keeping me in touch with my roots. My parents are the most amazing people. My mom sent me a whole wheat cookie cake, dried mangos and homeade granola among other goodies. Thanks for pushing me through. I guess it's hard because the last time I was here I was with you and we were having lots of fun together and this is the first summer that I'm not a Disneyland for Fathers day or watching my brother play baseball; we're not camping together or going on Sunday hikes. I've really come to realize how blessed my life is. One of my friends here had never been on a plane until he came this summer and I went on a dozen plane rides in the past year. I've seen the country; I've camped, hiked, skied, skydived, golfed, paraglided, snorkeled, fished, jumped off cliffs, water skied. I'm nineteen years old and I've been to over half the states and 5 countries, been in the Opening & Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics and seen 10+ Olympic events, hiked a 14,000 foot mountain and walked across day old lava from an active volcano in Hawaii. I'm blessed each and every day to be here and be healthy. I thank God each morning and night for the opportunities I've had in my life. This is yet another one that I have to look at positively.

I make this place sound like prison, but it's not. It's improving for sure. I'm getting the hang of things and understanding it all more. Now that I have some friends it's better too. I'm making tons of money and am not really spending any of it.