Today was the first round of our tournament here in Springfield, Missouri. I was lucky enough to get to start half of the field today and it was a blast getting to know a lot of the juniors and talk about their summer and their plans for the fall. It is crazy to think that I first worked with some of these golfers almost 10 weeks ago at Steelwood! Where has time gone?!
In addition, today we hosted our social activity for the week and played SNAG Golf once again. It is so much fun to see how much the juniors enjoy hitting tennis balls at our staff members in velcro suits! Definitely makes the job worth it! We also played Quick Golf, where the players work in teams of two to play three "short" holes as fast as possible. The catch is that the players must alternate who takes the shot and we were using rubber "golf balls." We had an odd number of juniors show up, so I joined one of the golfers who has been at our tournaments the last 3 weeks. It was a blast to team up with her as we literally ran around the golf course trying to get the ball in the hula hoops as fast as possible! I have been saying that I want to start running and hitting golf balls throughout this week and next week. Who knew that the first time I either ran or hit balls would be at the same time! haha I have never had so much fun sprinting in 100 degree temperatures! Props to the juniors for helping the staff members feel like kids all over again! :)
After we were done for the day, we headed back to the hotel and I was able to shower and get packed up for tomorrow before we even went to dinner. After grabbing a quick dinner, I headed back to the hotel just in time to catch the start of the gymnastics team competition and their awesome routines!!
It was a great to have a night to just hang out and watch some Olympics and chat with friends! Thanks Katie for the phone conversation --- it is great to catch up with everyone and it is making me sooooooooooo excited to head home in just a week or so!! Miss everyone and can't wait to see you all VERY soon!!!! :)
Night all!!!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Well Then...
So today was 'Big Monday' - one of the more hectic days in the AJGA schedule. We had a Junior-Am this morning, a practice round this afternoon, and then wrapped up the day with Player Registration and Player/Parent meetings this evening. It was a long day as we left the hotel at 5:40 this morning and then got back about 10 tonight, after grabbing a great dinner!
Even with all of that, I am comfortable saying that this was one of the most enjoyable and fun days that I have experienced this summer! I can't pinpoint why I say that as most of them have been absolutely amazing...but I am going to venture and say that it was due to the impressive teamwork that occurred throughout the day. We were able to knock out some tasks in mere minutes that would have taken us over an hour just a couple of weeks ago. It is amazing to see how far we have come, and I think that makes this last week and a half that much more special.
In addition, dinner tonight was a hoot and it was great to just sit and laugh at complete ridiculousness after a long day on the course. I am beginning to realize how much I am going to miss everyone when the summer is over. It is hard to believe that there are just 4 short days left with Brunie and SydMack before they head home, and just another week or so with everyone else. I can honestly say that each of my teammates have taught me a whole lot about myself...crazy what one summer of 12 weeks can teach you!
With that, it is off to bed to prepare for another hot day tomorrow! I get to start the players off of the first tee...better rest up before trying to tackle some of these pronunciations! :)
Even with all of that, I am comfortable saying that this was one of the most enjoyable and fun days that I have experienced this summer! I can't pinpoint why I say that as most of them have been absolutely amazing...but I am going to venture and say that it was due to the impressive teamwork that occurred throughout the day. We were able to knock out some tasks in mere minutes that would have taken us over an hour just a couple of weeks ago. It is amazing to see how far we have come, and I think that makes this last week and a half that much more special.
In addition, dinner tonight was a hoot and it was great to just sit and laugh at complete ridiculousness after a long day on the course. I am beginning to realize how much I am going to miss everyone when the summer is over. It is hard to believe that there are just 4 short days left with Brunie and SydMack before they head home, and just another week or so with everyone else. I can honestly say that each of my teammates have taught me a whole lot about myself...crazy what one summer of 12 weeks can teach you!
With that, it is off to bed to prepare for another hot day tomorrow! I get to start the players off of the first tee...better rest up before trying to tackle some of these pronunciations! :)
Sunday, July 29, 2012
100 and What?!?!
Today was our first round of golf here in Springfield and it took place on one HOT afternoon! We started the round about 1:30 this afternoon and by 2:45 we had reached the high temperature for the day - a whopping 107 degrees! Holy Crap!
Luckily, we all survived and we were able to get the round in just before 7 pm. After a 6 hole playoff and prepping banners and other signage for our early morning tomorrow, it was time to leave the course and grab some dinner.
We pulled into Arby's about 9:40 and thank goodness they had some really nice employees working who even delivered our food to our table! (It's the little things that count...right?! haha) We arrived back to the hotel about 10 or so, and after a quick chat with the one and only Krystal Marquez, it is time for bed!! Hope everyone had a great day!!! :)
Luckily, we all survived and we were able to get the round in just before 7 pm. After a 6 hole playoff and prepping banners and other signage for our early morning tomorrow, it was time to leave the course and grab some dinner.
We pulled into Arby's about 9:40 and thank goodness they had some really nice employees working who even delivered our food to our table! (It's the little things that count...right?! haha) We arrived back to the hotel about 10 or so, and after a quick chat with the one and only Krystal Marquez, it is time for bed!! Hope everyone had a great day!!! :)
Saturday, July 28, 2012
County Fair Time!
Today was my day off and it was rather uneventful until after dinner.
As a short summary, I spent most of the day laying in bed and watching the Olympics. I had planned on working out and getting a couple of other tasks done, but I wasn't feeling well after lunch and decided that a nap would be much more beneficial!
After grabbing a quick dinner, I met up with the rest of the team and we headed down to the Ozark Empire Fair to check out the events and enjoy a little time away from the course. The girls took a nice ride on the Ferris Wheel and walked around to play some games and check out what all was going on.
After that, we met up with the guys and enjoyed some talented - and some not so talented - karaoke acts before heading back to the hotel and calling it a night!
As a short summary, I spent most of the day laying in bed and watching the Olympics. I had planned on working out and getting a couple of other tasks done, but I wasn't feeling well after lunch and decided that a nap would be much more beneficial!
After grabbing a quick dinner, I met up with the rest of the team and we headed down to the Ozark Empire Fair to check out the events and enjoy a little time away from the course. The girls took a nice ride on the Ferris Wheel and walked around to play some games and check out what all was going on.
After that, we met up with the guys and enjoyed some talented - and some not so talented - karaoke acts before heading back to the hotel and calling it a night!
Friday, July 27, 2012
A Little Bit of Driving and Working....And a Whole Lot of Eating!
Today was our last "short" travel day of the summer!
We started out from Kansas City this morning about 8 am and arrived in Springfield, Missouri just before lunchtime. Once we arrived, we took a quick tour of headquarters and then headed to Jimmy Johns for a "quick" lunch before starting to unpack the trailer and set up the course for the week.
After we returned from lunch, I headed to the airport to pick up our Assistant Tournament Director for the week - who we have also worked with 2 other times this summer. It was great to catch up with him a bit as we drove back and hear about the most recent tournament he was a part of. Once we returned to the course, it was down to work! Three of the girls had left to pick up some courtesy cars that we will get to use throughout the week...but they returned shortly after I did.
Our goal today was to move all of the hazard and out of bounds stakes onto the lines that our Tournament Director had painted on the course. This may sounds like a really easy task, but when you are trying to pound PVC pipe into ground that hasn't had rain in over 50-some odd days.....things can get interesting! After spending a couple of hours driving around the golf course with Drew and checking out of bounds stakes, it was time to call it a day and head to dinner.
We went to Famous Dave's tonight and I can honestly say that I ate way more than I ever should! haha My meal included 4 BBQ ribs, BBQ pulled pork, corn on the cob, cornbread, and chips. While I couldn't quite finish it all...it was REALLY good!! Something I will definitely have to eat again! :)
Other than that, we got all checked into our hotel tonight and I completed my to-do list before my day off even started! :) The plan for tomorrow is a whole lot of sleeping, watching the Olympics, working out, and maybe hitting some golf balls! Looking forward to a little relaxation time and then it will be time to hit the ground running on Sunday! Night all!
We started out from Kansas City this morning about 8 am and arrived in Springfield, Missouri just before lunchtime. Once we arrived, we took a quick tour of headquarters and then headed to Jimmy Johns for a "quick" lunch before starting to unpack the trailer and set up the course for the week.
After we returned from lunch, I headed to the airport to pick up our Assistant Tournament Director for the week - who we have also worked with 2 other times this summer. It was great to catch up with him a bit as we drove back and hear about the most recent tournament he was a part of. Once we returned to the course, it was down to work! Three of the girls had left to pick up some courtesy cars that we will get to use throughout the week...but they returned shortly after I did.
Our goal today was to move all of the hazard and out of bounds stakes onto the lines that our Tournament Director had painted on the course. This may sounds like a really easy task, but when you are trying to pound PVC pipe into ground that hasn't had rain in over 50-some odd days.....things can get interesting! After spending a couple of hours driving around the golf course with Drew and checking out of bounds stakes, it was time to call it a day and head to dinner.
We went to Famous Dave's tonight and I can honestly say that I ate way more than I ever should! haha My meal included 4 BBQ ribs, BBQ pulled pork, corn on the cob, cornbread, and chips. While I couldn't quite finish it all...it was REALLY good!! Something I will definitely have to eat again! :)
Other than that, we got all checked into our hotel tonight and I completed my to-do list before my day off even started! :) The plan for tomorrow is a whole lot of sleeping, watching the Olympics, working out, and maybe hitting some golf balls! Looking forward to a little relaxation time and then it will be time to hit the ground running on Sunday! Night all!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Another One Down?!
Well, with that....our time in Kansas City is over....
Hard to believe that at this time in just two short weeks we will be preparing for our journey from Colorado back to Atlanta....and then the summer will be over! This has been quite the experience and I am looking forward to making the best of the next two weeks!
As for today, we had quite the turn around in both the girls and boys divisions. There were some awesome scores posted and it was a pleasure to watch these amazing juniors finish out their tournament. In other important news, we were able to pack up the trailer in record time once again and we were ready to leave the course about 5 or so this afternoon....that's pretty darn successful!! :)
After we left the course, Camille and I headed back to our house and cleaned up a bit before we went to grab some dinner. It was nice to just sit down and chat and not worry about having to converse with 10 other people as well. After dinner, it turned into quite the crazy night. Long story short, we ended up driving around for quite awhile trying to run a couple of errands and meet up with the team once again. And, with that, it is off to bed! Tomorrow's greeting will be coming from Springfield, Missouri! Talk to you then!
Hard to believe that at this time in just two short weeks we will be preparing for our journey from Colorado back to Atlanta....and then the summer will be over! This has been quite the experience and I am looking forward to making the best of the next two weeks!
As for today, we had quite the turn around in both the girls and boys divisions. There were some awesome scores posted and it was a pleasure to watch these amazing juniors finish out their tournament. In other important news, we were able to pack up the trailer in record time once again and we were ready to leave the course about 5 or so this afternoon....that's pretty darn successful!! :)
After we left the course, Camille and I headed back to our house and cleaned up a bit before we went to grab some dinner. It was nice to just sit down and chat and not worry about having to converse with 10 other people as well. After dinner, it turned into quite the crazy night. Long story short, we ended up driving around for quite awhile trying to run a couple of errands and meet up with the team once again. And, with that, it is off to bed! Tomorrow's greeting will be coming from Springfield, Missouri! Talk to you then!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Here's the Secret....
So today was the second round of our tournament this week and it was a scorcher out there once again! These crazy temperatures have made for some long days outside, yet they have been some of our shortest days this summer! For the second day in a row, we have left the course before 4:30...kinda nice to have our "chill" tournaments at the end of the summer!
But you might ask, "why are you able to get out of there so much earlier than the other weeks?" I have to be honest and give some of the credit to the awesome staff at Mission Hills Country Club. We have worked with GREAT staffs all summer, but this one has done more than I could ever imagine for us. I think some of their enthusiasm and willingness to help out could be based upon the fact that they are bored as their regular members are not playing due to our tournament. But still, the cart staff and golf shop staff have gone out of their way to make our job as easy as possible!
Here are a couple of examples from today alone....
But you might ask, "why are you able to get out of there so much earlier than the other weeks?" I have to be honest and give some of the credit to the awesome staff at Mission Hills Country Club. We have worked with GREAT staffs all summer, but this one has done more than I could ever imagine for us. I think some of their enthusiasm and willingness to help out could be based upon the fact that they are bored as their regular members are not playing due to our tournament. But still, the cart staff and golf shop staff have gone out of their way to make our job as easy as possible!
Here are a couple of examples from today alone....
- We have had a bunch of loose water bottles in the bed of our truck for a couple of days as they were left over from the qualifier and we just didn't have the opportunity to get them out/use them yet. The same goes for a bunch of Gatorade that we were going to use today. The cart staff not only boxed up the product for us, but also brought it to the cart barn and organized it by color for us!
- This same product needed to be added to all of the coolers this afternoon in order to prep for tomorrow's round. Before we even had a chance to start prepping the coolers, the cart staff had placed all of the product in the coolers and ready to go for tomorrow!
- During this same time, we were working to break down both the scoring and starting tents out on the course. I brought in a cart that was FULL of stuff that needed to be unloaded and put away before I could head back out. I pulled into the cart barn as we are storing most of our equipment there this week and, before I could even get out of my cart, they unloaded everything and started putting it away in all of the correct places! haha
- The final example is in two parts. But one of the break down tasks is to place a massive piece of plastic over the scoreboard so that none of the papers get wet due to humidity, dew, rain, etc. Drew was working to put this up and here walks up one of the staff members who proceeded to help him and learn more about what we do and how they can help tomorrow! At this same time, another member of the MHCC staff was preparing our standards that will display the scores in our final four groups tomorrow.
Whether it was boredom or anything else that encouraged them to help us this much....we appreciate it! It makes for such a fun week when we can work so closely with the other staff members and have a chance to interact with those who work at the club that we are "overtaking" for a week!
The moral of this story is that we couldn't do it alone! The number of volunteers that we have had this summer is completely mind-blowing and we owe a whole lot of our success to them....and because we can never say it enough....THANK YOU to everyone who has helped us in any way this summer - timing stations, water roving, housing staff members, spotting, shuttling, you name it...they have done it! And we couldn't have done it without them!! :)
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Rest and Relaxation
I think that today was the first time that I actually pulled through with doing a whole lot of nothing on my day off! :)
This morning began at a lovely 10 am. After picking up Kiley and doing a little rearranging of vehicles, I was off to California Pizza Kitchen with Melissa, Aaron, Lindsey, and Riley! I have learned to love the coincidences that come along with travelling throughout the country. By the luck of the draw, this was the second time that I was able to see Melissa this summer....that is a record by a long shot!! And, it was so nice to hang out with such a good friend (and her friends) while out on the road! Thank you guys for allowing me to join in on your vacation.....I had a blast and I hope that it can happen again sometime! :)
After lunch, and rearranging cars once again, I headed back to the house and decided that today was my day to watch some TV, catch up on my to-do list, and enjoy some air conditioning! It was great to just sit and relax and my to-do list has officially been accomplished! Can't believe how close I am to heading back to school and everything that is associated with it! These last two tournaments are going to fly by - only 2 more days off this summer! Holey Moley!!
Hope everyone else had a great day and was able to avoid the crazy heat as much as possible! Night!
Monday, July 23, 2012
BIG MONDAY!
Today was an early morning as we had to be ready to work at
the course by 5:45 since Junior-Am registration started at 6:30. When we got to
the course, Kiley and I were responsible for prepping and getting all of the
coolers distributed to the holes. Thank goodness for some awesome volunteers as
this would have been quite the task in the amount of time that we had! After getting
all of the coolers ready and getting the Junior-Am out on the course, we were
able to enjoy a nice breakfast as a team. The rest of the day was very busy as
we worked to finish up the little projects that needed to be ready for either
the afternoon or tomorrow. Once the Junior Am was over (and I got to play
photographer at the reception), it was time to send the juniors out on the course
for their practice round. Once they finished out about 6 or so, it was time for
us to host registration and the Parent/Player meetings. These went on for about
an hour or so. Once that was over it was all hands on deck to get everything
done and get out as early as possible! We were able to get everything done and
be on the road by 8:45 or so! Love it!!
As for the most exciting part of this post…it is about
tomorrow! It is my day off here in Kansas City and I am going to be able to see
a super-awesome friend from Wichita!! J
I am so excited to see her, catch up, grab lunch, and then do a whole lot of
nothing the rest of the day!!
HOT HOT HOT!
Yes….that completely describes today! This morning started
with a beautiful sleep in day as we did not have to be at the course and
working until 11 since the shot gun was at 1:30!! The only downside to this
amazing plan is that we were out at the hottest part of the day – all 100+
degrees of it!!
The qualifier was the most eventful one that we have had so far
just due to the heat, some shots, and some moves that the players tried to
make! Good thing they can keep us entertained out there! After the round was over (and our typical
playoff was complete), we worked to tear down the whole course and pack up the
trailer to head back to the tournament course for the rest of the night. By the
time we hit the road, it was close to 8:30 or so and Kiley, Camille and I
stopped to pick up a nice Taco Bell dinner for everyone on our way back (by the
way, that was quite a change from yesterday! Haha). Once we got to the course,
it was pitch black and we ended up just eating dinner and heading home since it
is kinda hard to drive around a golf course without any light!
But, it is now 11:30 and Camille and I just got back…I am
exhausted and ready for some sleep before Big Monday comes around! Night all!
Marking, Marking, and More Marking!
Today was the biggest set-up day for this tournament as well
as the qualifier we are hosting tomorrow. I started off my 6 am morning
finishing up marking at the tournament course and then prepping/putting up some
of the banners for the tournament. After all of this was completed (about 1 or
so), we headed to Noodles & Company for a quick lunch! It was delicious and
definitely a great choice!
After lunch, we packed up the trailer, loaded all of the
qualifier materials, and headed to the qualifier course to prep as many
materials as we could for our afternoon shotgun tomorrow. We were able to
finish up all of the marking, move some stakes, put up tents, prep sand bottles
and buckets, place banners, and put up some other signage around the course. We
were able to knock all of these projects out in just a couple of hours –
definitely a testament to how much we have learned in the last few months!
After we finished up those tasks, we were done for the day!
It was already 5:30 or so, leaving us plenty of time to get ready for our comp
meal at EBT Restaurant. This dinner was one of the nicest that we have been to
all summer and it was absolutely delicious!!!! This was a meal that we would
NEVER get to experience on the road without the support of the community. Let’s
just say that I have never eaten a meal that cost that much per
individual…..completely worth it though!
Since the qualifier is an afternoon shotgun, we won’t be
working until 11 tomorrow! It will be lovely to get a morning to sleep in and
catch up on some sleep! Looking forward to it!!
4 States in 4 Hours
Well today was the shortest travel day that we have had all
summer. But, just as usual, it started bright and early! We hit the road just
before 7 this morning and dropped off our TD and Assistant TD at the airport
(after passing through Iowa for a brief few minutes). On this trip, we were
able to see the new baseball field for the College World Series and drive
through Creighton University. After a bit longer on the road, we made it to
Kansas City and spent the rest of the day travelling between Kansas and
Missouri as I am staying with a host family just off of “State Line Rd.”
We went straight to the host golf course when we arrived in
town and began unpacking the trailer before sitting down to lunch with our
Tournament Chairman for the week. This his afternoon, Kyle, Drew and I went
over to the qualifier course and completing some marking and stenciling that
needed to be done. We will head back there tomorrow to finish everything up and
get ready for the qualifier on Sunday!
Other than that, we had a great time at dinner tonight –
leave it to a restaurant to keep us entertained!! Hope everyone is doing great
these days!! Feels great to greet y’all from Kansas!!! J Night!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Another Week....
has already gone by! Who would have thunk it?!
Today was the final round of our tournament here in Nebraska and it is hard to believe that we only have 3 more of these left before the summer is over!!
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to set the front 9 of the golf course this morning and enjoy the beautiful scenery one last time...even if it already felt like it was over 100 degrees! I was able to get some really cool pictures, so I will try to get those posted as soon as possible. After setting the course, I was lucky enough to follow the leader girls today. It was a struggle as you could tell that the girls were exhausted due to the crazy terrain on the course, but they were able to power through and we had quite the finish!
Both the boys' and girls' champions were crowned after getting a birdie on 18....there were some tears in the scoring tent, but each and everyone of those players had something to be mighty proud of! This was a tough course and some great competition!!!
After the round was over, we spent the rest of the afternoon/evening packing the trailer and getting everything ready for next week. We packed that trailer in record time and I can tell that we are finally figuring out a system...too bad we only have to do this 3 more times! haha
After packing, our Tournament Chairman for the week (and his family) invited us to dinner at Champions Run, where he is the Director of Golf. This course will be hosting the web.com's Cox Classic next week and it was cool to see what they are already doing to prepare! Dinner was AMAZING as we had all you could eat salad bar, prime rib, veggies, baked potatoes, and a dessert bar.....definitely one of the best meals of the summer!! :)
Other than that, it is time to pack and head to bed! Next time you hear from me I will be back in good 'ole Kansas!!!! :)
Today was the final round of our tournament here in Nebraska and it is hard to believe that we only have 3 more of these left before the summer is over!!
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to set the front 9 of the golf course this morning and enjoy the beautiful scenery one last time...even if it already felt like it was over 100 degrees! I was able to get some really cool pictures, so I will try to get those posted as soon as possible. After setting the course, I was lucky enough to follow the leader girls today. It was a struggle as you could tell that the girls were exhausted due to the crazy terrain on the course, but they were able to power through and we had quite the finish!
Both the boys' and girls' champions were crowned after getting a birdie on 18....there were some tears in the scoring tent, but each and everyone of those players had something to be mighty proud of! This was a tough course and some great competition!!!
After the round was over, we spent the rest of the afternoon/evening packing the trailer and getting everything ready for next week. We packed that trailer in record time and I can tell that we are finally figuring out a system...too bad we only have to do this 3 more times! haha
After packing, our Tournament Chairman for the week (and his family) invited us to dinner at Champions Run, where he is the Director of Golf. This course will be hosting the web.com's Cox Classic next week and it was cool to see what they are already doing to prepare! Dinner was AMAZING as we had all you could eat salad bar, prime rib, veggies, baked potatoes, and a dessert bar.....definitely one of the best meals of the summer!! :)
Other than that, it is time to pack and head to bed! Next time you hear from me I will be back in good 'ole Kansas!!!! :)
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Baseball, Hot Dogs, and Cotton Candy!
Today was just another typical day on the course! Started out my morning with coolers/fruit/ice/water duty with Jake and then spent a couple of hours hanging out on holes 7, 8, and 9 rules officiating. The real fun of day came just after we got off the course.
The Assistant Tournament Director, Freyman, and I were heading up the Care for the Course Party and Social Activity this week - which was a water balloon 'toss.' I had to quickly fill up about 100 water balloons and lets just say that the water balloons started their own war against me...and they won! haha
After getting completely soaked, I headed up the range where we had about 10 juniors or so ready to help out and then have a little fun! We put out grass seed and sand on the driving range for a bit as part of our Care for the Course initiative. After that was over, it was time for some fun with water! It all started out nice and calm with a couple games of water balloon toss, but it quickly escalated to a water balloon fight....but as long as the juniors had fun....then it was a-ok!
After the fun was over, we helped the boys finish breaking down the course and prepping the coolers/other materials for tomorrow. It amazes me at how fast we have gotten at these tasks! We were out the door about 4 again today...with plenty of time to go get ready for the evening! I headed back to my host family and enjoyed a really nice dinner with them before heading out to the feature activity of the week - a Stormchasers Baseball game (they are the AAA affiliate for the KC Royals)! We sat in the outfield for the game and enjoyed some typical ballpark food before the girls called it an early night! Definitely time to get some sleep and get ready for tomorrow! Hard to believe that tomorrow is our last day at Quarry Oaks...time sure is flying by!!!
Night from NE!
The Assistant Tournament Director, Freyman, and I were heading up the Care for the Course Party and Social Activity this week - which was a water balloon 'toss.' I had to quickly fill up about 100 water balloons and lets just say that the water balloons started their own war against me...and they won! haha
After getting completely soaked, I headed up the range where we had about 10 juniors or so ready to help out and then have a little fun! We put out grass seed and sand on the driving range for a bit as part of our Care for the Course initiative. After that was over, it was time for some fun with water! It all started out nice and calm with a couple games of water balloon toss, but it quickly escalated to a water balloon fight....but as long as the juniors had fun....then it was a-ok!
After the fun was over, we helped the boys finish breaking down the course and prepping the coolers/other materials for tomorrow. It amazes me at how fast we have gotten at these tasks! We were out the door about 4 again today...with plenty of time to go get ready for the evening! I headed back to my host family and enjoyed a really nice dinner with them before heading out to the feature activity of the week - a Stormchasers Baseball game (they are the AAA affiliate for the KC Royals)! We sat in the outfield for the game and enjoyed some typical ballpark food before the girls called it an early night! Definitely time to get some sleep and get ready for tomorrow! Hard to believe that tomorrow is our last day at Quarry Oaks...time sure is flying by!!!
Night from NE!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Titles are Getting Harder and Harder....
Today was our first round in Nebraska!! And boy, it was a hot one!! Luckily, we were able to finish up the round, breaking down the course, and some miscellaneous tasks and be done for the day about 4....definitely the first time that has happened all summer!! :)
After we got done, we headed back to our host families to get cleaned up and then met up for a cookout at one of the host family's house. A lot of the families were there and it was really cool to meet all of the people that everyone is staying with and have a chance to eat a home-cooked meal and hang out for a couple of hours. We were even able to catch up on some TV shows while we were at it!
Other than that, it is off for an early night....time to catch up on some sleep! :)
After we got done, we headed back to our host families to get cleaned up and then met up for a cookout at one of the host family's house. A lot of the families were there and it was really cool to meet all of the people that everyone is staying with and have a chance to eat a home-cooked meal and hang out for a couple of hours. We were even able to catch up on some TV shows while we were at it!
Other than that, it is off for an early night....time to catch up on some sleep! :)
Monday, July 16, 2012
Practice Round and Junior Am
That basically sums up my day!
This morning was an early one as we had a shotgun start for our JuniorAm at 8 am. I was in charge of setting up the golf course today, including setting the tees, checking holos, placing proximities and a couple of other tasks. This took me a good couple of hours and then I had some extra time to finish up various tasks in HQ and out on the course.
The most exciting part of my day was that I got to do the practice round send off this afternoon! This meant that I spoke to all of the players over the PA system, welcoming them to the tournament and going over the important announcements. It was really cool that I was trusted to do that and I was realized how much I have learned about all of this as I wasn't really nervous either!
After the send off, we all headed off on the course to talk to the different groups and check on the players/parents in this really hot weather! This week is also really cool as one of my cousins is playing in the tournament. It was nice to talk to him for a bit today and I am excited that I will have the chance to watch him play tomorrow!
Other than that, it was a pretty typical day on the course! I am excited for the tournament rounds to get underway tomorrow and see how the players react to this course! Hope everyone has a great night! :)
This morning was an early one as we had a shotgun start for our JuniorAm at 8 am. I was in charge of setting up the golf course today, including setting the tees, checking holos, placing proximities and a couple of other tasks. This took me a good couple of hours and then I had some extra time to finish up various tasks in HQ and out on the course.
The most exciting part of my day was that I got to do the practice round send off this afternoon! This meant that I spoke to all of the players over the PA system, welcoming them to the tournament and going over the important announcements. It was really cool that I was trusted to do that and I was realized how much I have learned about all of this as I wasn't really nervous either!
After the send off, we all headed off on the course to talk to the different groups and check on the players/parents in this really hot weather! This week is also really cool as one of my cousins is playing in the tournament. It was nice to talk to him for a bit today and I am excited that I will have the chance to watch him play tomorrow!
Other than that, it was a pretty typical day on the course! I am excited for the tournament rounds to get underway tomorrow and see how the players react to this course! Hope everyone has a great night! :)
Sunday, July 15, 2012
I Played Golf!
Today was my day off for the week and it was a great one!
I started off by sleeping/laying in bed until noon....sooooo needed after our travel experiences! Once I was up and going, I headed off to Panera for a couple of hours to enjoy some food and work on my project that is due tomorrow and my reflection for school.
The best part of the day came about 3 this afternoon. My host family offered to take me over to their golf course to hit some balls! This is the first time that I have touched clubs all summer and it felt great! There were definitely some interesting shots, but overall I was pretty pleased with how it went. After hitting, I decided to go drive by Rosenblatt Stadium and the Omaha Zoo to get some pictures since it was too hot out to actually go enjoy the sites!
Once my host family was done playing in the Parent/Child Golf Tourney at their course this afternoon, I went back to join them for dinner. It was a great meal and a ton of fun to see how big of a junior golf program they have there. I was told that they have over 200 juniors participating all summer...starting with their 101 level at age 5 all the way to 301 (which goes through high school).
There wasn't too many overly exciting moments today...but it was a great day off! Hard to believe that I will only have 3 more of these before I head home! Everything is getting to the point where I can count down...and that is a scary thought! Can't wait to see everyone soon!! Night! :)
I started off by sleeping/laying in bed until noon....sooooo needed after our travel experiences! Once I was up and going, I headed off to Panera for a couple of hours to enjoy some food and work on my project that is due tomorrow and my reflection for school.
The best part of the day came about 3 this afternoon. My host family offered to take me over to their golf course to hit some balls! This is the first time that I have touched clubs all summer and it felt great! There were definitely some interesting shots, but overall I was pretty pleased with how it went. After hitting, I decided to go drive by Rosenblatt Stadium and the Omaha Zoo to get some pictures since it was too hot out to actually go enjoy the sites!
Once my host family was done playing in the Parent/Child Golf Tourney at their course this afternoon, I went back to join them for dinner. It was a great meal and a ton of fun to see how big of a junior golf program they have there. I was told that they have over 200 juniors participating all summer...starting with their 101 level at age 5 all the way to 301 (which goes through high school).
There wasn't too many overly exciting moments today...but it was a great day off! Hard to believe that I will only have 3 more of these before I head home! Everything is getting to the point where I can count down...and that is a scary thought! Can't wait to see everyone soon!! Night! :)
Saturday, July 14, 2012
We Made It!!
Well we hit the ground running just before 7 am this morning and pulled into the golf course parking lot just after 8 am!
Right after we arrived, we unpacked the entire trailer and set up Operations HQ so that we were ready to go for the rest of the day and the entire week! Camille and Drew both had the day off, but we got a ton done and I was really impressed by the number of things we were able to cross of the To-Do List!!
We were able to ride the golf course, put up all of the banners, clean and prep all of the coolers, put up the Pace of Play signs, construct all of the tents, stake and rope the starting tees, and I got to help our Assistant determine what the Time Par (amount of time to play each hole) would be this week!
It was a crazy day to follow up an intense day yesterday, but I am glad that we were able to come through and make up for the hours that we missed as much as possible. I am pretty sure that everything is ready to go for tomorrow....and I hope that the qualifier goes well!
I am off for the day tomorrow and I am really excited because I may get to hit golf balls! I guess that I forgot the fact that I moved in with my host family tonight. They are really sweet and I am looking forward to spending time with them this week! The family has one daughter and one son that are between the ages of 4th grade and 7th grade. It is going to be a great change in pace this week!! They are also cool enough to help me get on the golf course this week if I have time and completely take care of me!
But with that, I am exhausted and about to fall asleep! It has been a crazy couple of days and I can't wait to sleep in tomorrow! Goodnight from Nebraska!!! :)
Right after we arrived, we unpacked the entire trailer and set up Operations HQ so that we were ready to go for the rest of the day and the entire week! Camille and Drew both had the day off, but we got a ton done and I was really impressed by the number of things we were able to cross of the To-Do List!!
We were able to ride the golf course, put up all of the banners, clean and prep all of the coolers, put up the Pace of Play signs, construct all of the tents, stake and rope the starting tees, and I got to help our Assistant determine what the Time Par (amount of time to play each hole) would be this week!
It was a crazy day to follow up an intense day yesterday, but I am glad that we were able to come through and make up for the hours that we missed as much as possible. I am pretty sure that everything is ready to go for tomorrow....and I hope that the qualifier goes well!
I am off for the day tomorrow and I am really excited because I may get to hit golf balls! I guess that I forgot the fact that I moved in with my host family tonight. They are really sweet and I am looking forward to spending time with them this week! The family has one daughter and one son that are between the ages of 4th grade and 7th grade. It is going to be a great change in pace this week!! They are also cool enough to help me get on the golf course this week if I have time and completely take care of me!
But with that, I am exhausted and about to fall asleep! It has been a crazy couple of days and I can't wait to sleep in tomorrow! Goodnight from Nebraska!!! :)
Friday, July 13, 2012
Friday the 13th?! Go Figure!
So clearly this didn't post correctly last night....let's try this again!
Today was quite the interesting day, and clearly lived up to its potential seeing as it is Friday the 13th. I don't normally think anything of it, but it was definitely Team 3's most unlucky day of the summer!
We started off about 30-40 minutes late from Columbus this morning due to a couple of incidents and miscommunication along the way. When we got on the road, we were making great progress and moving through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois smoothly. It was really fun to drive through downtown of a couple big cities that I have never been to. We passed through Columbus, Indianapolis, Champaign, Bloomington, Des Moines, and even more I believe in just one day - not to mention we were in 4 states as well!
In addition to the cool cities, I was lucky enough that our path through Illinois took us through the Quad Cities and I was able to see my family when we stopped to fill up the trucks with gas! :) It was great to see them and I can't wait to get back so that I can actually try to spend time with them instead of just saying 'hi' in the gas station parking lot. Maddie was also awesome enough to bake us cupcakes (some chocolate with caramel drizzle and then some blue/lime green/purple tie dye ones) and bring them along so that we had some snacks in the car.
We hit the road from there with about 5 hours left to drive. We knew that we would come close to making it to the hotel before our curfew, so we called to get permission to drive just a bit longer tonight. Little did we know that timing would be the least of our worries!
I started off this leg of the trip driving Tank, the second truck in our caravan today. Less than 30 minutes from our stop in Davenport, I noticed that something wasn't looking right on the trailer. Kiley and I were looking at the trailer before we realized that the right side of the trailer appeared to be a lot lower than the left. It dawned on us that the tires were flat and we called the boys to pull over. Just as they started to pull over on the shoulder, one of the tires popped and smoke started coming from the tire/trailer. Luckily, Jake was able to get the trailer on the side of the road and we assessed the situation. Unfortunately, both of the tires on the right side of the trailer were done for as the second tire had a nail in it and was losing air quickly.
After spending quite some time on the phone, we ended up changing the tires ourselves and were quite successful actually! This was definitely a bonding experience and taught us all how important it is to leave any disagreements behind when it comes to dealing with crazy situations!
We ended up spend just over an hour on the side of the road and at a gas station trying to make sure that all of our tires were at the right pressure. When we finally got back on the road, we knew that we were going to have to move quickly if we were going to make it to Omaha on time - or even tonight at all. Long story short, we didn't make it to Omaha tonight and we are currently spending the night at a hotel in Walnut, IA. I have heard that we are just over an hour from the hotel right now and we are leaving at 7 in the morning to go the rest of the way. Hopefully everything will go well tomorrow, but I am exhausted....Have a great night! :)
Today was quite the interesting day, and clearly lived up to its potential seeing as it is Friday the 13th. I don't normally think anything of it, but it was definitely Team 3's most unlucky day of the summer!
We started off about 30-40 minutes late from Columbus this morning due to a couple of incidents and miscommunication along the way. When we got on the road, we were making great progress and moving through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois smoothly. It was really fun to drive through downtown of a couple big cities that I have never been to. We passed through Columbus, Indianapolis, Champaign, Bloomington, Des Moines, and even more I believe in just one day - not to mention we were in 4 states as well!
In addition to the cool cities, I was lucky enough that our path through Illinois took us through the Quad Cities and I was able to see my family when we stopped to fill up the trucks with gas! :) It was great to see them and I can't wait to get back so that I can actually try to spend time with them instead of just saying 'hi' in the gas station parking lot. Maddie was also awesome enough to bake us cupcakes (some chocolate with caramel drizzle and then some blue/lime green/purple tie dye ones) and bring them along so that we had some snacks in the car.
We hit the road from there with about 5 hours left to drive. We knew that we would come close to making it to the hotel before our curfew, so we called to get permission to drive just a bit longer tonight. Little did we know that timing would be the least of our worries!
I started off this leg of the trip driving Tank, the second truck in our caravan today. Less than 30 minutes from our stop in Davenport, I noticed that something wasn't looking right on the trailer. Kiley and I were looking at the trailer before we realized that the right side of the trailer appeared to be a lot lower than the left. It dawned on us that the tires were flat and we called the boys to pull over. Just as they started to pull over on the shoulder, one of the tires popped and smoke started coming from the tire/trailer. Luckily, Jake was able to get the trailer on the side of the road and we assessed the situation. Unfortunately, both of the tires on the right side of the trailer were done for as the second tire had a nail in it and was losing air quickly.
After spending quite some time on the phone, we ended up changing the tires ourselves and were quite successful actually! This was definitely a bonding experience and taught us all how important it is to leave any disagreements behind when it comes to dealing with crazy situations!
We ended up spend just over an hour on the side of the road and at a gas station trying to make sure that all of our tires were at the right pressure. When we finally got back on the road, we knew that we were going to have to move quickly if we were going to make it to Omaha on time - or even tonight at all. Long story short, we didn't make it to Omaha tonight and we are currently spending the night at a hotel in Walnut, IA. I have heard that we are just over an hour from the hotel right now and we are leaving at 7 in the morning to go the rest of the way. Hopefully everything will go well tomorrow, but I am exhausted....Have a great night! :)
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Week 6 --> All Wrapped Up!
Wow.
Today was a looong day! It was the final round of our tournament this week and our last day in Ohio. I can honestly say that it felt like we just got here yesterday and I am scared for how fast the rest of this summer is going to go!
Just like many other final rounds this summer, the day went by quickly but was full of activity and craziness! I started off my morning by putting out coolers with Drew and then heading out to follow my groups for the day. Since I had some of the earlier groups, I was able to start breaking down the course and finishing up some odd jobs while some of my other team members were still on the course. Once again, Team 3 had a playoff today for 1st - this time in the Girls' Division. Once the playoff was over, it was go time!
It wasn't long after that last putt dropped that the Awards Ceremony was over and we were packing the trailer at full speed! The operations side of everything was done about 6:30 or so, but we had to wait for the communication girls to finish everything up before we could finalize the trailer and head out for the night. We ended up leaving about 9:45 or 10 and headed out to grab some dinner. To no surprise, there are virtually zero restaurants open at 10 pm, especially ones that are not fast food! We ended up finding a place that was open, grabbed a quick bite, and then said our goodbyes to our TD and Assistant for the week.
I have spent the last few hours trying to get everything packed up and ready to go as we are hitting the road in just about 6 hours! Guess I had better head to bed as we have another long day in front of us tomorrow! Our drive from Columbus, Ohio to Omaha, Nebraska is going to be quite the adventure! Stay tuned tomorrow - I am sure there will be some good stories from our day! lol
Goodnight from Ohio! :)
Today was a looong day! It was the final round of our tournament this week and our last day in Ohio. I can honestly say that it felt like we just got here yesterday and I am scared for how fast the rest of this summer is going to go!
Just like many other final rounds this summer, the day went by quickly but was full of activity and craziness! I started off my morning by putting out coolers with Drew and then heading out to follow my groups for the day. Since I had some of the earlier groups, I was able to start breaking down the course and finishing up some odd jobs while some of my other team members were still on the course. Once again, Team 3 had a playoff today for 1st - this time in the Girls' Division. Once the playoff was over, it was go time!
It wasn't long after that last putt dropped that the Awards Ceremony was over and we were packing the trailer at full speed! The operations side of everything was done about 6:30 or so, but we had to wait for the communication girls to finish everything up before we could finalize the trailer and head out for the night. We ended up leaving about 9:45 or 10 and headed out to grab some dinner. To no surprise, there are virtually zero restaurants open at 10 pm, especially ones that are not fast food! We ended up finding a place that was open, grabbed a quick bite, and then said our goodbyes to our TD and Assistant for the week.
I have spent the last few hours trying to get everything packed up and ready to go as we are hitting the road in just about 6 hours! Guess I had better head to bed as we have another long day in front of us tomorrow! Our drive from Columbus, Ohio to Omaha, Nebraska is going to be quite the adventure! Stay tuned tomorrow - I am sure there will be some good stories from our day! lol
Goodnight from Ohio! :)
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Short Day!
Today was the second round and it started off awesomely as I was able to sleep in about 3 extra hours! :) I haven't been feeling the greatest this week (a mixture of allergies and a cold) and the results of that extra sleep were more than I could have imagined! I am feeling a whole lot better and I hope that it continues to get even better over the next day or so.
I spent basically the entire time that I was at the golf course following my groups and rules officiating. I helped with coolers and a couple of other random tasks when I arrived, but it was basically me and my golf cart today! Not to mention, the weather was absolutely gorgeous with blue skies, a warm sun (about 80+ degrees), and very little wind.
When we were done for the day, we spent some time prepping for trailer packing tomorrow and the final round tomorrow. All in all, we were able to leave the golf course about 6:30 with everything done and only one day remaining in Ohio.
We headed back to the hotel, where we had a great complimentary meal!! The food was really good and there were a lot of choices that we have not had this summer. I had some really good pork chops, along with asparagus and potatoes...definitely a great meal! After dinner, Kiley, Camille, Sydney, Curt (our TD) and I went to check out a local ice cream shop that we have been driving past every day. The others had some great looking ice cream and it was a ton of fun just hanging out for a bit! I am off to bed now, as we have an early morning tomorrow and a really busy day! Hard to believe that I will be headed back to Central Time Zone on Friday....its going to feel like home! haha
Hope everyone has a great night!! :)
I spent basically the entire time that I was at the golf course following my groups and rules officiating. I helped with coolers and a couple of other random tasks when I arrived, but it was basically me and my golf cart today! Not to mention, the weather was absolutely gorgeous with blue skies, a warm sun (about 80+ degrees), and very little wind.
When we were done for the day, we spent some time prepping for trailer packing tomorrow and the final round tomorrow. All in all, we were able to leave the golf course about 6:30 with everything done and only one day remaining in Ohio.
We headed back to the hotel, where we had a great complimentary meal!! The food was really good and there were a lot of choices that we have not had this summer. I had some really good pork chops, along with asparagus and potatoes...definitely a great meal! After dinner, Kiley, Camille, Sydney, Curt (our TD) and I went to check out a local ice cream shop that we have been driving past every day. The others had some great looking ice cream and it was a ton of fun just hanging out for a bit! I am off to bed now, as we have an early morning tomorrow and a really busy day! Hard to believe that I will be headed back to Central Time Zone on Friday....its going to feel like home! haha
Hope everyone has a great night!! :)
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Early Night...and Late Morning!
Hey there!
So today was the first round of the Memorial Junior presented by Border Energy here in Columbus, Ohio!
It was an absolutely gorgeous day outside and I don't think that we could have asked for a better day! I started off my morning by placing some signage and then helping Kyle with the fruit coolers, product coolers and the placement of a couple other food products.
As Kyle finished up with this project, I headed out on the course to follow my four groups of girls for the day. I finished up my rules officiating part of the day just after noon and then worked the scoring tent until just before 4. As crazy as that sounds, it is one of my favorite parts of the event! In the scoring tent, I am able to talk to all of the juniors and act as that buffer as they walk off of the course. I see just about every emotion in that tent, but it is awesome to see how just a short conversation and a little bit of fun with announcements and thank you notes can change an attitude in less than 5 minutes! I can't say that every junior is like that, but I enjoy talking to each of them just the same!
When I left the scoring tent, I headed to Columbus Airport to drop off the Midwest Regional Director as he is leaving us the rest of the week. It was great to get to know him during the last two events and I am sure that he will be greatly missed at the course the next two days!
When I arrived back at the course, it was time to grab some dinner as we had the Player/Parent cookout tonight at the course. After dinner, we worked on organizing and cleaning up Headquarters before we called it an early night! It was so nice to be home about 8 and have some time to catch up on e-mails, projects, and other miscellaneous tasks that have been piling up! Other than that, it has been a great day - and it is about to be an awesome morning! I get to sleep in 3 extra hours!!! :)
Hope everyone has a great night!
So today was the first round of the Memorial Junior presented by Border Energy here in Columbus, Ohio!
It was an absolutely gorgeous day outside and I don't think that we could have asked for a better day! I started off my morning by placing some signage and then helping Kyle with the fruit coolers, product coolers and the placement of a couple other food products.
As Kyle finished up with this project, I headed out on the course to follow my four groups of girls for the day. I finished up my rules officiating part of the day just after noon and then worked the scoring tent until just before 4. As crazy as that sounds, it is one of my favorite parts of the event! In the scoring tent, I am able to talk to all of the juniors and act as that buffer as they walk off of the course. I see just about every emotion in that tent, but it is awesome to see how just a short conversation and a little bit of fun with announcements and thank you notes can change an attitude in less than 5 minutes! I can't say that every junior is like that, but I enjoy talking to each of them just the same!
When I left the scoring tent, I headed to Columbus Airport to drop off the Midwest Regional Director as he is leaving us the rest of the week. It was great to get to know him during the last two events and I am sure that he will be greatly missed at the course the next two days!
When I arrived back at the course, it was time to grab some dinner as we had the Player/Parent cookout tonight at the course. After dinner, we worked on organizing and cleaning up Headquarters before we called it an early night! It was so nice to be home about 8 and have some time to catch up on e-mails, projects, and other miscellaneous tasks that have been piling up! Other than that, it has been a great day - and it is about to be an awesome morning! I get to sleep in 3 extra hours!!! :)
Hope everyone has a great night!
Monday, July 9, 2012
Long Day = Quick Post
Hey there!
Today was Big Monday, and let's just say that it lived up to its name!
This morning started off with the practice round and we had to get as much onto the course before that started as possible! I spent the first 2-3 hours prepping and putting up banners all around the course. I would say that we normally have about 4-5 banners...but this week, we have 13! It was crazy!!
Once those were done, it was time to prep all of the registration gifts for the Junior-Am and set up the registration tables and all that jazz! The remaining time at the golf course I was focused on projects for the Junior-Am.
After the Junior-Am, we headed to the hotel where we held the player registration, player meeting, and parent meeting. It was a busy night trying to get everything set up and ready to go, but I am happy to say that we were able to wrap up those events just before 9 pm!
At this point, it was time to go grab dinner and then SydMack and I dropped a couple people off at the hotel, at another host family, and then drive ourselves home. We finally got home about 11 and I can say that I am more than ready for bed! Guess that is what a 17.5 hour day will do to you! :)
Today was Big Monday, and let's just say that it lived up to its name!
This morning started off with the practice round and we had to get as much onto the course before that started as possible! I spent the first 2-3 hours prepping and putting up banners all around the course. I would say that we normally have about 4-5 banners...but this week, we have 13! It was crazy!!
Once those were done, it was time to prep all of the registration gifts for the Junior-Am and set up the registration tables and all that jazz! The remaining time at the golf course I was focused on projects for the Junior-Am.
After the Junior-Am, we headed to the hotel where we held the player registration, player meeting, and parent meeting. It was a busy night trying to get everything set up and ready to go, but I am happy to say that we were able to wrap up those events just before 9 pm!
At this point, it was time to go grab dinner and then SydMack and I dropped a couple people off at the hotel, at another host family, and then drive ourselves home. We finally got home about 11 and I can say that I am more than ready for bed! Guess that is what a 17.5 hour day will do to you! :)
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Qualifier Time!
Today was a somewhat unusual day for Team 3. First off, it was only the 2nd or 3rd Sunday that we have hosted an event on a Sunday. I am pretty sure that this is due to the fact we have had tournaments run through Friday a couple of times and that has shifted our schedule a bit. Also, we were able to sleep in today! We didn't have to be at the course until 11 this morning, so that was definitely a nice reprieve from the early mornings we have had recently!
We arrived at the course at 11 and began to set up for our qualifier today. This course is a different one than we will be using for the rest of the week, so that meant we had a little extra work to do both before and after the event. The qualifier was a shotgun at 1:30 this afternoon and play finally wrapped up about 6 or a little after. Not too shabby!
In typical Team 3 fashion though, we had a playoff! As that was occurring, we began breaking down the entire course and packing everything back into the trailer to take over to the course we will be at for the rest of the week. After everything was wrapped up at the qualifier course, it was about 8:30 pm or so...what I would call a late night!
But wait....we still had some work to get done at the tournament site to prepare for tomorrow's practice round and Junior-Am. We stopped by Arby's quickly and grabbed dinner before getting back to work. We arrived on site about 9 and needed to unpack all of the coolers, the product, the sand bottles, and our Ops trunk. In addition, we filled about 100 bottles with sand in order to give them to the juniors as they arrive about 7 or earlier tomorrow morning!
Luckily, we were able to knock out all of those tasks and have a staff meeting in virtually no time at all! We were on the road home about 10:30 and now that my clothes are ironed and everything is ready for tomorrow, I am off to bed! I have a feeling that 4:55 alarm is going to come waaaaayyyyy too quickly!!! Night! :)
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Absolutely Nothing! :)
I learned last night that my first day in Ohio would be my day off for the week! That seems to be an ongoing trend these days, and I am becoming more and more ok with it!
I was really hoping to make it to the Columbus Zoo while I am here, but seeing as it was 104 out today, there was no way that was going to happen! Instead, I spent my entire morning sleeping and laying in bed watching TV. I think that this is the first day that I have actually used my day off to relax and do absolutely nothing...it was AWESOME! :)
Once I finally got up and going, I headed to Panera to grab some lunch and get caught up on my Facebook/Blogging extravaganza for the summer. It was nice to get out and see "real" people in "real" places. I also went to WalMart to pick up some things and a cute fro-yo place not too far called Menchies.
When I got back to the house, I turned on the US Women's Open to check out the remaining AJGA juniors who are participating this week. I was also hoping to see some of the members of Team 2, as they were enjoying a day on the golf course in Wisconsin! I wasn't able to see any of them, but I did get a nice 2-3 hour nap in, as well as catch part of the Cubs game. I am pretty sure that this is the first baseball game that I have watched more than one or two pitches the entire summer...absolutely crazy!
Once I woke up, it was time to go eat again! This time, I found a Culver's! I am pretty sure that this is the first one that I have seen since I left IL in May! I didn't realize how localized of a chain it is, but their chicken tenders were just as good tonight as I remembered! :)
Once I got back to the house once again, I was able to catch up a bit more on some TV shows and then was lucky enough to receive a Skype call from some pretty awesome girls!! I spent the next 2 hours catching up with Katie and Amy and all of the drama from the summer! It is nice to be back on the "inside" of the secrets -- you two know what I mean! ;) This conversation made me even more excited to be back in just a couple of weeks!
It was nice catching up with people throughout the day today...that little sense of normalcy has definitely kept me going throughout the summer! With that, I am off to bed!I don't have to be at work until 11 tomorrow, but I am excited to take advantage of a little extra sleep! Night all! :)
Friday, July 6, 2012
Well.....Just Another Travel Day!
I am writing this as we are sitting in the Columbus Airport waiting for a ride back to the hotel. We flew from Traverse City to Detroit this morning and then finished out our journey with a quick 30 minute flight to Columbus, Ohio. When we arrived at the airport, we gathered all of luggage, called our shuttle, and headed outside to meet our shuttle back to the hotel. Easy right?!
Well, if you haven't caught on, Team 3 seems to have plenty of difficulties on travel days and today was no exception!
First off, we walked out of the airport to be greeted by temperatures over 100 (it was in the 80s in Michigan)...not fun! We ended up sitting outside for somewhere between 1-1.5 hours. In that time, we got a kick out of seeing how many times different hotels drove by - let's just say that it was A LOT! After just under an hour of waiting, we called the hotel to see if they had any updates and we were told that they should arrive any minute. After Camille pressed them for a more specific answer, we learned that they couldn't get in contact with the shuttle driver and had no idea where he was.
It was time to take matters into our own hands! At this point we were all quite giddy and more than ready to get out of the heat! Camille was even yelling "Go Giants!" at people across the street who were wearing San Francisco shirts....yeah, we lost all inhibitions. We were told by our Tournament Director that if no one had come to pick us up by 4:30 then he would send one of our teammates to get us instead. Needless to say, we were counting down the minutes until 4:30 and we could go back inside to the air conditioning and enjoy ourselves while we were waiting.
Minutes before 4:30 came, my favorite part of the afternoon occurred. Camille looked down next to the bench that we had been sitting at for nearly 45 minutes and found five dollars. FOR REAL! She found $5....who can actually say that at the end of a story and it be true?! haha
Well, that is about our excitement for the day. Camille, Kyle and I are just hanging out at baggage claim watching a Red Bull Production of Extreme Snowboarding...pretty darn cool!! :)
Hopefully our ride will be coming very soon and it will be time to head back to the hotel, go out and grab some dinner, and then head off to meet my host family for the week! It is crazy to think that we are starting the second half of our summer tomorrow and that the next time I am in an airport, it will be time to head back to Chicago! Only a short 5 weeks left...enjoy the rest of summer everyone! It is definitely going by quickly!!
Well, if you haven't caught on, Team 3 seems to have plenty of difficulties on travel days and today was no exception!
First off, we walked out of the airport to be greeted by temperatures over 100 (it was in the 80s in Michigan)...not fun! We ended up sitting outside for somewhere between 1-1.5 hours. In that time, we got a kick out of seeing how many times different hotels drove by - let's just say that it was A LOT! After just under an hour of waiting, we called the hotel to see if they had any updates and we were told that they should arrive any minute. After Camille pressed them for a more specific answer, we learned that they couldn't get in contact with the shuttle driver and had no idea where he was.
It was time to take matters into our own hands! At this point we were all quite giddy and more than ready to get out of the heat! Camille was even yelling "Go Giants!" at people across the street who were wearing San Francisco shirts....yeah, we lost all inhibitions. We were told by our Tournament Director that if no one had come to pick us up by 4:30 then he would send one of our teammates to get us instead. Needless to say, we were counting down the minutes until 4:30 and we could go back inside to the air conditioning and enjoy ourselves while we were waiting.
Minutes before 4:30 came, my favorite part of the afternoon occurred. Camille looked down next to the bench that we had been sitting at for nearly 45 minutes and found five dollars. FOR REAL! She found $5....who can actually say that at the end of a story and it be true?! haha
Well, that is about our excitement for the day. Camille, Kyle and I are just hanging out at baggage claim watching a Red Bull Production of Extreme Snowboarding...pretty darn cool!! :)
Hopefully our ride will be coming very soon and it will be time to head back to the hotel, go out and grab some dinner, and then head off to meet my host family for the week! It is crazy to think that we are starting the second half of our summer tomorrow and that the next time I am in an airport, it will be time to head back to Chicago! Only a short 5 weeks left...enjoy the rest of summer everyone! It is definitely going by quickly!!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Where Has Time Gone?
Wow! Another tournament has come and gone and it is hard to believe that it is already the first full week in July! It seems like just yesterday that we hit the road, yet we only have five more tournaments left before the summer is over!!!
As for today, it started out just like every other one this week. We headed to the golf course about 6:15 or so and then began our morning assignments. Before long, we could see the clouds rolling in and, sure enough, the rain hit hard! We ended up delaying this mornings tee times by 2 hours - making for a late start and an even later night! Luckily, the morning tee times went smoothly and we only had to the delay the afternoon start times by 1 hour and 45 minutes. Those 15 minutes may not seem like much, but we didn't finish our rounds until almost 7:45 as it was!
I had the opportunity to follow some of the leader boys this afternoon and it was so much fun to watch them come in and make the final push during their last few holes. It ended up that one of the juniors in my last group finished one behind the leader and shot 3 under for the tournament. It is amazing how good these golfers are and I will never get bored of watching them play!
On a completely random side note, I ran into one of the golf coaches that I see quite often at my meets today! The Ashford coach was there recruiting a player in one of my groups and he recognized me before I was able to place him! Funny how it is such a small world - especially in the golf industry!
After the round was over, we still had to break down the course and pack the trailer before we were done for the day. Amazingly, we were able to get the course torn down and all of the operations equipment in the trailer by 9:30 and the communications equipment came not too long after! We were able to leave the course by 10:30 and then it was time to head back and pack up for tomorrow!
Camille, Kyle and I head back to Columbus tomorrow morning, when our flight leaves Traverse City at 11:45 am. I believe that we are expected to land in Columbus about 3 or a little after, so I am interested to see what we will do when we arrive! Similarly to before, we will be making a pit stop in Detroit, making for a two flight extravaganza!
With that, I had better head to bed! We are leaving bright and early for our hour and a half drive to Traverse City in the morning. Hope everything is going well! Miss you all!!! :)
As for today, it started out just like every other one this week. We headed to the golf course about 6:15 or so and then began our morning assignments. Before long, we could see the clouds rolling in and, sure enough, the rain hit hard! We ended up delaying this mornings tee times by 2 hours - making for a late start and an even later night! Luckily, the morning tee times went smoothly and we only had to the delay the afternoon start times by 1 hour and 45 minutes. Those 15 minutes may not seem like much, but we didn't finish our rounds until almost 7:45 as it was!
I had the opportunity to follow some of the leader boys this afternoon and it was so much fun to watch them come in and make the final push during their last few holes. It ended up that one of the juniors in my last group finished one behind the leader and shot 3 under for the tournament. It is amazing how good these golfers are and I will never get bored of watching them play!
On a completely random side note, I ran into one of the golf coaches that I see quite often at my meets today! The Ashford coach was there recruiting a player in one of my groups and he recognized me before I was able to place him! Funny how it is such a small world - especially in the golf industry!
After the round was over, we still had to break down the course and pack the trailer before we were done for the day. Amazingly, we were able to get the course torn down and all of the operations equipment in the trailer by 9:30 and the communications equipment came not too long after! We were able to leave the course by 10:30 and then it was time to head back and pack up for tomorrow!
Camille, Kyle and I head back to Columbus tomorrow morning, when our flight leaves Traverse City at 11:45 am. I believe that we are expected to land in Columbus about 3 or a little after, so I am interested to see what we will do when we arrive! Similarly to before, we will be making a pit stop in Detroit, making for a two flight extravaganza!
With that, I had better head to bed! We are leaving bright and early for our hour and a half drive to Traverse City in the morning. Hope everything is going well! Miss you all!!! :)
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Fourth of July!
First off....HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!! I hope that everyone had a great day and that you are all getting ready to go see some fireworks soon!! :)
Today was the second round of our tournament and it was another day of double waves. I will say that this is starting to catch up with me. I never realized how exhausting it could be to ride the course twice in a row. But when you consider that it is almost 9 hours straight of riding the course, observing groups, and giving rulings...it is no wonder I am tired by the end of the day!
Since today was the 4th, it was really fun to take a look at all of the juniors' outfits! A lot of them went all out, making red and blue almost seem like the uniform for today. After the round, we had our Care for the Course Party and you could definitely tell that the juniors were excited to get out on the course and drive the carts around!
We are heading out now to go see the fireworks over the Bay/Lake Michigan! I am not sure how many people are actually going from the team, but I am excited to go with our Tournament Director (who is from England and has never experienced an American 4th of July) and check out how the small town fireworks in Michigan compare to Walnut....bet they don't stand a chance! :)
Today was the second round of our tournament and it was another day of double waves. I will say that this is starting to catch up with me. I never realized how exhausting it could be to ride the course twice in a row. But when you consider that it is almost 9 hours straight of riding the course, observing groups, and giving rulings...it is no wonder I am tired by the end of the day!
Since today was the 4th, it was really fun to take a look at all of the juniors' outfits! A lot of them went all out, making red and blue almost seem like the uniform for today. After the round, we had our Care for the Course Party and you could definitely tell that the juniors were excited to get out on the course and drive the carts around!
We are heading out now to go see the fireworks over the Bay/Lake Michigan! I am not sure how many people are actually going from the team, but I am excited to go with our Tournament Director (who is from England and has never experienced an American 4th of July) and check out how the small town fireworks in Michigan compare to Walnut....bet they don't stand a chance! :)
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Back to Work....
The day finally came...we had to go back to work! haha
After three days off in a row, we headed to the golf course this morning to start Round 1 of the Coca-Cola Junior Championship at Boyne Highlands. The morning started off with some thunderstorms, but we were able to start only 15 minutes later than scheduled.
The rest of the day was pretty normal, except for the fact that there were 2 waves of tee times. It made for a kind of long day, but it is definitely nice to know that we will be busy the entire time that we are at the course! After we were done for the day, we headed out to dinner and then called it an early night!
I am hoping that we can get done about the same time tomorrow so that we can catch some fireworks either here at the resort or over the lake! :) Happy 4th of July to everyone! Have a fun and SAFE day!!!! And enjoy those fireworks!!!!! :)
After three days off in a row, we headed to the golf course this morning to start Round 1 of the Coca-Cola Junior Championship at Boyne Highlands. The morning started off with some thunderstorms, but we were able to start only 15 minutes later than scheduled.
The rest of the day was pretty normal, except for the fact that there were 2 waves of tee times. It made for a kind of long day, but it is definitely nice to know that we will be busy the entire time that we are at the course! After we were done for the day, we headed out to dinner and then called it an early night!
I am hoping that we can get done about the same time tomorrow so that we can catch some fireworks either here at the resort or over the lake! :) Happy 4th of July to everyone! Have a fun and SAFE day!!!! And enjoy those fireworks!!!!! :)
Monday, July 2, 2012
This is Starting to Feel Like Vacation...
So, today was basically my third day off in a row since we have just been travelling the last few days. Kyle, Camille and I were all given the day off and we were very excited to use it as an opportunity to go check out the area and even try to go paddle boarding in Lake Michigan!
The day started off with some sleeping in and Camille and Kyle headed out to grab a quick breakfast about 10 or so. After getting lost for a bit and grabbing food, they headed back to the resort to pick me up as we found out that we had to complete a random drug test today. We headed to Urgent Care up the street and got that done - with some major wait time on the part of the clinic, of course!
When we finally got that accomplished, it was just about time for Kyle to go play golf while Camille and I were going to go paddle boarding in Lake Michigan. We dropped Kyle off at the golf course on site and then we headed to Harbor Springs to locate the water sports rentals for the afternoon. When we arrived though, we were disappointed to find out that they were not renting any more paddle boards that afternoon. We asked for other locations, but it seemed that everyone had the same response.
Desperate to find some water activity to do, we started driving along Lake Michigan on M-119 and headed north. This road is known as the Tunnel of Trees Scenic Heritage Route. As you can probably guess, it was like a tunnel of trees on both sides of the road and you could also see Lake Michigan the entire time! It was absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to upload some pictures!!! We ended up following this road for about half an hour while enjoying our ride with the windows down, music playing, and wildlife running through the woods....it was such a relaxing adventure!
When we realized how close we were to Mackinaw City, we decided to head there and do all of the touristy stuff! We walked in Lake Huron for a bit and along the beach looking at Mackinac Bridge. Again, there are some pictures that I will get up ASAP! It was fun to just walk through the shops and enjoy the beautiful weather after all of the 100 degree days we have been dealing with!
We eventually made our way back to the resort and picked up Kyle from the golf course before heading to dinner in Harbor Springs. We ate at this quaint little restaurant in downtown before heading back to the resort for the night. Tomorrow, we are back to reality as it is back to work come 6 am! The break has definitely been nice, but I am excited to get back to the golf course and back to being busy all of the time! With that, night all!
The day started off with some sleeping in and Camille and Kyle headed out to grab a quick breakfast about 10 or so. After getting lost for a bit and grabbing food, they headed back to the resort to pick me up as we found out that we had to complete a random drug test today. We headed to Urgent Care up the street and got that done - with some major wait time on the part of the clinic, of course!
When we finally got that accomplished, it was just about time for Kyle to go play golf while Camille and I were going to go paddle boarding in Lake Michigan. We dropped Kyle off at the golf course on site and then we headed to Harbor Springs to locate the water sports rentals for the afternoon. When we arrived though, we were disappointed to find out that they were not renting any more paddle boards that afternoon. We asked for other locations, but it seemed that everyone had the same response.
Desperate to find some water activity to do, we started driving along Lake Michigan on M-119 and headed north. This road is known as the Tunnel of Trees Scenic Heritage Route. As you can probably guess, it was like a tunnel of trees on both sides of the road and you could also see Lake Michigan the entire time! It was absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to upload some pictures!!! We ended up following this road for about half an hour while enjoying our ride with the windows down, music playing, and wildlife running through the woods....it was such a relaxing adventure!
When we realized how close we were to Mackinaw City, we decided to head there and do all of the touristy stuff! We walked in Lake Huron for a bit and along the beach looking at Mackinac Bridge. Again, there are some pictures that I will get up ASAP! It was fun to just walk through the shops and enjoy the beautiful weather after all of the 100 degree days we have been dealing with!
We eventually made our way back to the resort and picked up Kyle from the golf course before heading to dinner in Harbor Springs. We ate at this quaint little restaurant in downtown before heading back to the resort for the night. Tomorrow, we are back to reality as it is back to work come 6 am! The break has definitely been nice, but I am excited to get back to the golf course and back to being busy all of the time! With that, night all!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
We Made It!!
We were off and running today for another long day of travelling starting with breakfast at 6:30!
We then started our 2 hour drive from Cincinnati to Columbus with a nice thunderstorm and a whole lot of rain! The drive was rather uneventful and we arrived to the golf course that we will be working at next week about 9 am. We quickly dropped our trailer and moved around some luggage and equipment so that we could fit all of the people and luggage into our two trucks. I am pretty sure that we completed this task in record time and before we knew it we were headed to the hotel where we will be staying next week.
When we got here, we gathered our luggage and parked the trailer for the rest of the week. The hotel was kind enough to let us leave our stuff until we return. We then took the hotel shuttle to the airport and began the process of checking 8 people in for 3 different flights. It was actually quite simple and we were headed into the security lines by 10:30 or so. Due to the smaller size of the airport, we were able to make it through security rather quickly and headed for our gates.
Conveniently, both the individuals going to Rochester and Boyne this week were on the same flight to Detroit. At this point we grabbed an early lunch with those that were going to Arkansas and said our first set of goodbyes. It is crazy to think that the people we have spent every moment with over the last 5 weeks are not going to be around for the next couple of days....I am sure we will all be super excited to see each other come Thursday/Friday. Myself, Camille, Kyle, Brunie, and Jake all hung out in the airport for another hour or so before it was time to board our flight. Our first flight was only 30 minutes long but had plenty of turbulence to last a lifetime!
After we landed in Detroit, we all went and hung out at Kyle, Camille, and my gate for a bit before we left. We then had to say goodbye to the last of our teammates and we headed for Traverse City! This flight was a much longer 45 minutes....shorter than the layover earlier in the day. While we were on the plane, we learned that we were randomly seated next to one of the juniors playing in the tournament this week. Kyle spent most of the flight talking with the junior and by the end of the trip, we had another passenger for our shuttle back to the resort. We were picked up by one of the individuals on the team here in Boyne and we started the 1.5-2 hour drive to the resort. The scenery was absolutely beautiful as we followed the shore of Lake Michigan the entire time. It was great to see some water and trees once again....I love being back in the Midwest!! :)
When we got to the resort, we checked into our rooms, grabbed some dinner in the grill and then headed out to explore the property a bit. We ended up walking about 4ish miles as we explored and it was definitely a good workout! We found out some information about the area and we are all looking forward to exploring even more offsite during our day off tomorrow!
I have put up some pictures now, but I hope to take even more tomorrow and get those up as soon as I can! Goodnight from Michigan!! :)
We then started our 2 hour drive from Cincinnati to Columbus with a nice thunderstorm and a whole lot of rain! The drive was rather uneventful and we arrived to the golf course that we will be working at next week about 9 am. We quickly dropped our trailer and moved around some luggage and equipment so that we could fit all of the people and luggage into our two trucks. I am pretty sure that we completed this task in record time and before we knew it we were headed to the hotel where we will be staying next week.
When we got here, we gathered our luggage and parked the trailer for the rest of the week. The hotel was kind enough to let us leave our stuff until we return. We then took the hotel shuttle to the airport and began the process of checking 8 people in for 3 different flights. It was actually quite simple and we were headed into the security lines by 10:30 or so. Due to the smaller size of the airport, we were able to make it through security rather quickly and headed for our gates.
Conveniently, both the individuals going to Rochester and Boyne this week were on the same flight to Detroit. At this point we grabbed an early lunch with those that were going to Arkansas and said our first set of goodbyes. It is crazy to think that the people we have spent every moment with over the last 5 weeks are not going to be around for the next couple of days....I am sure we will all be super excited to see each other come Thursday/Friday. Myself, Camille, Kyle, Brunie, and Jake all hung out in the airport for another hour or so before it was time to board our flight. Our first flight was only 30 minutes long but had plenty of turbulence to last a lifetime!
After we landed in Detroit, we all went and hung out at Kyle, Camille, and my gate for a bit before we left. We then had to say goodbye to the last of our teammates and we headed for Traverse City! This flight was a much longer 45 minutes....shorter than the layover earlier in the day. While we were on the plane, we learned that we were randomly seated next to one of the juniors playing in the tournament this week. Kyle spent most of the flight talking with the junior and by the end of the trip, we had another passenger for our shuttle back to the resort. We were picked up by one of the individuals on the team here in Boyne and we started the 1.5-2 hour drive to the resort. The scenery was absolutely beautiful as we followed the shore of Lake Michigan the entire time. It was great to see some water and trees once again....I love being back in the Midwest!! :)
When we got to the resort, we checked into our rooms, grabbed some dinner in the grill and then headed out to explore the property a bit. We ended up walking about 4ish miles as we explored and it was definitely a good workout! We found out some information about the area and we are all looking forward to exploring even more offsite during our day off tomorrow!
I have put up some pictures now, but I hope to take even more tomorrow and get those up as soon as I can! Goodnight from Michigan!! :)
Travel Day!
So today was our easy drive from Atlanta, Georgia to
Columbus, Ohio. Just a simple drive up I-75 that should take about 9-10 hours
or so...easy right?!
Ha! Not for Team 3!
We had actually made it all the way to Cincinnati, Ohio
without getting lost or having any major complications before we received a
call from our Tournament Director with some bad news. Apparently there were
some really bad storms that came through the Columbus area last night and now
the majority of the area does not have power – and they may not for a couple of
days. Due to this, our hotel was without power and we were not going to be able
to stay there tonight. We were going to have to find another hotel somewhere
between Cincinnati and Columbus to stay for the night. So that we didn’t have
to backtrack, we decided to hang out in Cincinnati for awhile until we knew the
plans for the evening. Also, when we were driving through Cincinnati we were
able to enjoy a beautiful skyline and see the Bengals and Reds stadiums along
with a bunch of the arenas downtown and Xavier University! I just wish we had
time to explore all of this stuff!!
We mixed up the cars during our ride today and the 3 boys
and SydMack were in the lead truck/trailer while the other 4 girls were in the
second truck. Our truck called the boys to let them know the change in plans
and asked that they find an exit where there was a WalMart, Target, or other
store that we could just hang out in for awhile. After the boys had passed what
felt like a bazillion exits, we called them back and asked what they were
doing. We were SOOOOO IMPRESSED to find out that they had looked up a local
mall and found directions so that we could all visit the stores that we
wanted….what a considerate group of men!
We spent a couple of hours wandering Barnes & Noble,
Dick’s, and other random stores until our TD called us to let us know that he
was having no luck in Columbus. We started helping to call hotels and quickly
found out (7 times over) that there were no vacancies. It ended up that we were
able to find 5 rooms just south of Cincinnati (just over the border in
Kentucky) and we spent the rest of the evening shopping, eating dinner, and
just hanging out around town. I can now say that I have been to Forever 21,
Cheesecake Factory, and a bunch of other stores/restaurants I have never
actually been in!
We finally got to our hotel about 10 tonight and have just
been getting organized/repacked so that we are ready to fly tomorrow! I didn’t
realize how many items had accumulated in my backpack that can’t go on a plane!
My group (Camille, Kyle and I) are leaving Columbus at 1 pm and heading to
Detroit, where we will have about an hour layover before we head to Traverse
City. We are actually really excited for the first leg of the trip as we are
flying to Detroit with Jake and Sydney….it will be great to set out on our
adventure with two other team members!! J
With that, I am headed to bed…we have a long day of airports/flying tomorrow –
starting at 6:15 am when we leave the hotel. Night all!
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