"The Drive" - Part II

Well..we did it! We have officially arrived back in Braselton, GA - where we started our adventure just a few (12), short weeks ago!

Our morning started at an early 7 am when we hit the road and headed into St. Louis to begin our trip. We were able to drive past the Arch, Busch Stadium, and a couple of other landmarks before we crossed the river and headed into Illinois!

We spent the next 3 hours or so travelling through Illinois before we headed into Kentucky and made our first stop of the day. Not long after that, about 11:45 to be exact, we headed into Tennessee....our 4th state in about 4 and a half hours....not bad for a morning of work! haha

Overall, the drive was a ton of fun today and it was great to spend some quality time with Kiley and Camille before we head separate ways tomorrow.

We arrived in Braselton just before 7 tonight and came to check in at our home away from home! I don't think I have ever been so excited to see a particular hotel again! lol The girls decided that we were up for a trip to Waffle House for dinner since we have been trying to go there since we left here just under 11 weeks ago! It was a great experience and I was actually quite impressed with their dinner selections as well. :)

After Waffle House, Kiley, Camille and I spent the rest of the night just hanging out in our hotel room...it was kinda nice to not have to worry about anything and just relax! :) The best part of the night was the fact that Brunie came to visit us from school after her practice for the night!!! It was great to see her again and catch up about everything that has happened in the last week....but, it was hard to say good bye once again! :( It has definitely becoming real that we are going to be parting ways tomorrow...I know it is going to be hard....but I can't wait to see everyone at home as well! This couldn't be a more bittersweet ending to what was an awesome summer!!!

But....Augie....HERE I COME!!! :)

"The Drive" - Part I

Well....today was the first 15 hours of our drive back to Atlanta and we have made it basically to St. Louis!!

Today was fairly uneventful as we covered 3 states and sat in a car....haha

We did have the opportunity to eat lunch with Kiley's parents in Hays....that was fun!!

Other than that, we are planning to hit the road at 7 am once again and hopefully we will be in Atlanta by dinnertime or shortly thereafter!!! :)

Night all!

We Made It!

It is hard to believe, but we are headed out on the road bright and early tomorrow to begin our trip back to Atlanta! The last 10 weeks of travelling have flown by and I can't believe we are already at the end of the summer!

Today was our final round of the summer and it was just as nerve-wracking as all the other ones this summer..it came down to the final putt and only then could we officially declare a winner!

After all of the fun involved with post round, it was time to breakdown the course and pack up the trailer one last time! We were able to get it all done pretty quickly...especially since we had a bunch of additional tasks this time around. After packing up, we headed out to our last dinner with Adam and Curt before heading home to pack up and get ready for our early departure in the morning!

I am sad that the summer has come to an end, but it makes me just that much more excited to know that I am less than 3 days away from seeing all of my family and friends again! Love you all and can't wait to see you very soon! :D

Here We GO!!

Well...this is it! Tomorrow is our last day of work for the summer and our last tournament round as well!

I have no idea where the time has gone and as bittersweet as it is, I can't decide if I am more excited to see everyone at home, or more disappointed that my time on the road has come to an end. The bright side is that we still have 3 travel days before we have to say goodbye to one another....

However, as I start to look forward, I am sooo excited to see what this next year brings! Not only will there be plenty of new memories with friends, teammates, family, and staff members, but I will also be taking on new responsibilities and experiences all year long!

Come Sunday, I will be flying back to Chicago, getting to move into my first house, starting golf for the season, catching up with my amazing friends and fellow staff members....then Monday, I will get to join in with CA training, go to golf practice, have my first Student Teaching meeting...and then, Wednesday, I will have my first Student Teaching experience at Moline High School! I am sooo excited to see what all of this brings and to just enjoy my senior year!

But, as I look ahead to tomorrow, it is amazing how many "lasts" will be occurring...our last "team dinner," the last tournament round, the last time we pack the trailer, the last time we put out coolers, the last tent tops, the last time we score the juniors...the list could go on forever!

But, most importantly I hope that this will all be "lasts" for the summer...but not forever! There is always next summer....and hopefully there will be many new opportunities there and that....that makes me very excited! :)

Saved the Best for Last!

Wow! That is all I can say!

For all of those that have asked what my favorite location has been this summer, I officially have an answer for you...COLORADO!

Today was my day off for the week and I took advantage of the area and went to explore the Rocky Mountains for the day.

I left about 11 and started by heading to Estes Park, the entryway to Rocky Mountain National Park. The drive through the mountains and upon arriving to Estes Park was absolutely amazing! Just the drive alone was enough to make the trip worth it. When I arrived in Estes Park, I drove to the entrance of Rocky Mountain NP and then decided to go hike to the top of Prospect Mountain instead. I rode a gondola to the platform and I would say we were about 100 feet or so below the summit at that point. The ride up was amazing and it was really cool to see the town below as well as all of the towns in the valleys of the Rockies. Once I reached the top, I hiked pretty much the rest of the way to the summit...it was gorgeous!! Here is a panoramic view from the top of the gondola ride.

After heading back down on the gondola, it was time to head back towards Boulder and check out one more location before calling it a day. From this hiking trail, this is what I could see:

As well as the campus of CU-Boulder...

Overall, today was a day filled with amazing views and unforgettable experiences! I am going to have to find a way to get back here soon and spend a bunch more time exploring and getting the full experience of the mountains!

I can't believe that we just have two more tournament rounds left for the summer and then we begin our journey back to Atlanta and then back to Augie on Sunday! It is going to be a great last couple of days and I can't wait to see everyone at home!! Miss you all!!!

"Little Monday"

So, most Mondays are referred to as "Big Monday" due to the large number of activities and their importance within the week.

However, this week we we only had a practice round on taps for Monday, and it was scheduled for the afternoon. Because of this, we had yet another sleep in day today and began working at a lovely 11:30 am!

We started off our day by putting out some coolers, setting up the golf course and making sure that the juniors were prepared to hit the course for their practice round. We then spent the rest of the afternoon staking and roping, checking coolers, driving around the course, and completing completely random tasks. After their round, we had Player Registration and Player/Parent Meetings.

Overall, it was a really chill day and a great way to prepare for my day off tomorrow! I am so excited to go check out the mountains and enjoy the lovely scenery and weather here!!!!! Night all! :)

Last, Last, Last....

I feel like this is what I have been/will be saying all week!

Today we hosted our last qualifier for the summer and it went really well! We arrived at the course about 11:30 this morning to get to work and were able to leave about 7 or so this evening.

I impressed myself this morning by getting up about 9 even though I didn't have to be ready until just after 11. It was kinda nice to relax and watch the Olympics while getting some e-mails sent, books ordered, and other fun stuff like that!

The day went by really quickly and before I knew it my housemates and I were walking back home for the evening. We arrived back at the house to find a large dinner prepared for us and we were able to hang out with our host family for most of the week. This week, I am staying with the same host family as the three boys - Drew, Kyle and Jake. They have a sweet set-up in the basement of the house and I have my own room up on the main floor. It has been a blast to have a chance to hang out with them and play some Ping Pong and Foosball, watch the Olympics, and just relax a little. I'm not sure that I have actually stayed in the same location as them all summer, so it is a nice change in pace!

Other than that, it was a typical day here in Colorado! Tomorrow we get to sleep in again as we don't have to be at the course until 11:30! :)

And...finally, a quick shout out to everyone headed back to Augie today! CA training started tonight so I know that a lot of my friends are back on campus and I can't wait to join you all in less than a week!! Time is going to fly by at this point and it is hard to believe that I will be writing my final post from my room in just ONE week! Who would have guessed the summer would come to a close this quickly?!

Miss you all and I can't wait to see you soon!!!!!!!! :)