Yankees Women's Fantasy Camp

The above photograph shares precisely what New York Yankees Women's Fantasy Camp feels like ---JOY!  Yes, total and utter joy.  

This was my fifth year returning as a spectator and it feels like returning home.  Knowing my way around the airport, the feel of the hotel as I walk in, curling up into the most comfortable bed, seeing familiar faces and falling back in as if we had just seen each other yesterday.  It is good, so very good.  

Five years ago when I boarded the plane I had no idea what to expect.  This was my aunts dream and I was just along for the ride.  There were a bit of nerves about the unexpected and an excitement around what was to come.  

Never in a million years did I think that my heart would open up to an incredible family.  Yet it did.  There was this amazing Bomber Family that melded together so well.  It has grown and expanded and is still so strong.  For this I am grateful!  

These women inspire me.  They push me further than I thought I could go. They remind me that through laughter we can get through anything and that we have to show up and tell the truth.  They don't let failure stand in their way.  They keep on showing up and and always remember to have a good time.  

Yankees Camp has taught me that there will be moments when we will not be sure what what the situation will hold, but we have to take the risk anyway.  With no expectations and an open heart a whole new world has the possibility of opening up.  And that is exactly what has happened.    

I am forever changed from the individuals I have met at camp.  The kindness I have been shown.  The stories that have been shared.  The laughter, the goodness, and the beauty of being able to be wholly and unapologetically who you are.  

Yes, Yankees Women's Fantasy Camp is where dreams come true.  Where you put on the pinstripes and meet the legends. But it is also so much more than that.  It is friendship and love!  

Yankees Women's Fantasy Camp :: going back!

I am heading back to Yankees Women's Fantasy Camp for the fifth year in a row.  I do not play in the camp but love going each year to cheer on my three Aunts and the entire Bomber Team.  They suit up in the pinstripes and step out onto the field with so much happiness.  

It is inspiring to see these women show up year after year.  Fun is had and friendships have been formed. The love of the NY Yankees brought us together, but there is something so much more that keeps us connected.  I love going back each year and seeing these inspiring women.  It feels like home and they feel like family. 

I sit on the sidelines with the other amazing fans but I still feel so much apart of the experience.  There are some who will not be making it back this year and they will be missed!  

I am so grateful that my aunts took the chance and showed up to this experience.  I look forward to it each year.  It is like art camp for baseballs fans.  You show up initially for the baseball . . . but then the experience and friendships become so much more.  

It is going to be good, so very good!  Looking forward to some warm sunshine, lots of laughter, and plenty of cheers  . . .

Let's go Bombers!!!

laughter at camp

I have been on a whirlwind of adventures these past few weeks
I am finding it hard to put them all into words
My heart is overflowing with joy and love
After being surrounded by so many inspiring and kind individuals

One adventure was traveling down to Tampa Florida
For the NY Yankees Women's Fantasy Camp
I traveled down there again, as a spectator
To cheer on my three aunts and the rest of the Bombers team

If you ever meet these women they will blow you away
They are kind, caring, loving, and have so much fun
They are lead by their incredible coach Homer Bush
Whose smile could brighten up anybodies day

My heart gets blown open seeing them out there on the field
Dressed from head to toe in the NY Yankees uniform
Cheering each other on
Giving it a try
And above all else, having so much fun

This is the second year in a row I have gone to camp
And almost the entire team returned, which is amazing
Laughter filled the air
Smiles were seen every where
Bonds of friendship strengthened
What a beautiful thing to witness

I feel so incredibly blessed

NY Yankees Women's Mini-Fantasy Camp

I have returned home from 

NY Yankees Women's Mini-Fantasy Camp

with my heart feeling so incredibly full and an enormous smile on my face.  It was a trip of a lifetime, one that I will never forget.  I was only a spectator at this amazing camp and am still floating on these feelings.  I cannot even begin to imagine what the women who played must be feeling.

This was the very first all women's camp in the MLB and the NY Yankees put together a world class experience.  The amazing individuals, who had a vision, took a chance, and put together the camp did a spectacular job with every little detail.  Women from all walks of life, each with their own stories came together for one thing, their love of the NY Yankees and respect for the Yankees Organization.  I was incredibly lucky to attend as a fan and cheer on my three Aunts: Alice, Kathy and Patty.  Seeing them in pinstripes out there on the field playing are memories that are etched deeply into my heart.

If I had to choose one word to describe what it felt like to be there for those three days the word would be community.  It is an extremely powerful thing when women come together and are kind to one another.  The women at this camp blew my mind and heart wide open.  They cheered each other on, truly wanted to see each other succeed, supported one another, laughed with one another, and were filled with this incredible amount of excitement.  The energy that poured out of these women was electric.  It filled my heart to have the privilege to witness all of this.  It reminded me of all of the good that is in this world and I was able to see first hand the beauty that can unfold when people are kind to one another.

Every single individual at the camp was incredibly kind and supportive.  The amazing group of people who put together the camp, the women who had the courage to fulfill their dream and come, the fans that cheered them on, the Greats who took the players under their wings, the individuals that served us delicious meals, everyone was phenomenal.  An incredible community was formed at

George M Steinbrenner Field

.

The Greats ~ Homer Bush, Bucky Dent, Tino Martinez, Gil Patterson, Mickey Rivers, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Torrez, and Roy White, welcomed these women onto the field and treated each of them with the utmost respect.  They coached and guided them on how to play baseball.  They laughed with them, joked with them, and cheered them on.  Simply from watching you could tell that everyone was having so much fun.

Community and coming together is a really important thing in this world. The NY Yankees created a unique and special community at Fantasy Camp.  Bonds were formed that will last a lifetime.  The women who attended are filled with amazing memories and new friends to share the future with.  If you have an inkling that you want to attend my advise to you would be to go for it.  I guarantee you won't regret it.