My Dream Foursome?

Who are dem chillens? (I wore that Taz shirt every Sunday to golf...it was awesome back then.)

My dream foursome?

That’s a pretty common question among golfers and a very interesting one to hear the response to. Most people would answer Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, or Tiger Woods (although I’m not sure if they would say that anymore.) I haven’t been asked that question too often and I don’t think of it as frequently as I probably should. It’s an easy one though. However, I would add an extra person to the group to make it a dream five some. I can do that because, well, it’s my dream.

You can ask any one of my college teammates and they would tell you that any chance I had to go back home to Edmond to play with my dad and brother, I would. They would make fun of me for going home often but I hate missing a golf outing with them. I hate it when I don’t get to play in fun scrambles with the two of them because I love playing with them. It’s as simple as that. My dad would agree with me though, I have never played to my full potential when I play with Adam for some odd reason. It’s like he’s in my head.


Me and my boys at All-State my senior year in high school

Adam has never seen me play well in a tournament, or seen me win college tournaments. He’s also never attended any of my professional events, yet, that is. If I could, I’d hire him to caddy for me. It’d be so easy to travel with him and I truly think he’d love it. The problems are he’s married, has a 90 pound hairy daughter of a Golden Retriever named Lily, and has a great full time paying job (for my dad) so that idea is probably shot out the window.


Adam caddying for me at Fore State at Southern Hills in 2008

He knows his stuff though when it comes to golf. We have spent countless hours analyzing our swings on video when they really don’t need to be analyzed. Our swings are very similar except that I swing much slower…or smoother you could say. He’s left-handed except when it comes to golf and that’s why he’s always been able to hit it far. When I was little and doing things the opposite of him, he told me that I was doing it wrong so that’s why I throw, kick, hit, bowl, etc. etc. left-handed. However when I started playing golf, my dad didn’t want to have to search for left-handed clubs so we play golf right-handed, which I believe is why we hit it further than the average golfer. So I’d have to say Adam would be included in my dream five some.


Similar swings?


Adam putting in college...I'm not the only one in the family who can get tan.

The next on my list is my dad. I usually feel like I have to beg him to come out to play with me when he’d much rather spend his afternoons napping on the couch in front of a TV but I cherish the times I spend with him out on a golf course. We have so many memories together at our club and he’s the one who got my brother and I out on a golf course in the first place.


We had an empty lot behind our house so it was our own personal driving range...less than 100 yards long.

When I was little, I would die to drive the golf cart around so once we got away from the clubhouse, he let me drive. When we’d come around to holes 6 and 7 I’d have to let him drive again but when we made it back out away from the clubhouse view, I was behind the wheel, not caring too much about the golf. Growing up, Sunday afternoons were always spent at the Greens Country Club in Oklahoma City. We’d rush home from lunch after church, change clothes, and head to the club for our 2 o'clock tee time. My mom hardly ever came out to watch because she knew that that was our time with our dad. She’d be busy at home cooking dinner for that night. My dad used to be able to shoot in the 70s but I honestly can’t remember those days. We love to record my dad on video, especially when he’s in jail behind a tree or about to ricochet and hit himself with his own golf ball. My dad never would have taught my brother and I to play golf if it wasn’t for the guy who taught him, his father-in-law, and my grandpa.


My dad in his thinner days. This is probably when he was shooting in the 70s because I don't remember either ha! JK Dad!


The reason I bring my dad along to the course...for comic relief

If I met a genie, and could have three wishes, one of those wishes would be to play a round with my deceased grandpa, Paw Paw. He passed away when I was in college a few years ago but many years before that, he was bed ridden and was never able to see me play. I ask family members all of the time about whether he was really good, how he handled himself on the course, what his strengths were and so forth. I’d give anything to play a single round with him. I know a lot of my friends who take advantage of their grandparents and relatives and don’t even realize how they should cherish every moment spent with them. It’s not like anyone can help how life works but I know good and well Paw Paw is watching me play now. The thing is, I want to watch him play more than I want him watching me play. One day it’ll happen!


Adam and Paw Paw many years ago


Don't be distracted by Adam's buckteeth or ears. Paw Paw with my mom and brother back in the day.

That leaves one more person to round out my dream five some. I have many relatives who play golf and who I love to play golf with but one stands out. I’d choose my uncle Tony. I think he is one of the most passionate lovers of the sport. He has taught, played and now watches and critiques golf on TV. He’s one of my biggest fans and was able to travel and watch me play in college. I loved it when he came because I would hear him yelling from the cart path “get in the hole!” Even if it wasn’t super close, he had faith that I could make any shot go in the hole. Tony has had some health problems arise in the last couple of years and it really put him back and slowed him down. We almost lost him and I don’t know what I would have done without him. He’s only 54 and has a lot of life left. Tony is doing a lot of physical therapy with his PT Jack. He is making leaps and bounds and he promised that the next time I make it over to Virginia, he’s going with me to the range. He’s a determined guy and I know he will.


Tony back in the day with his clubs


Tony, Adam and I in Virgina


Tony came out to Vegas to watch me play in my first semester of college golf. I remember shooting 74-74-74 and thinking that was good haha!


Well, if I’m playing in this five some I have to have a caddy. I’ve had great caddies in my short lifetime but I think the best guy who would suit my needs would be my other grandpa, Grandy. Grandy passed away during my senior year of high school. I never knew how much I’d miss him because I hadn’t dealt with death much but life without him is not the same. He had a stroke the same time Adam was being born so we never knew him without having his cane and not being able to maneuver around 100%. He was not athletic but worked for the local TV station. I think that’s where I get my love of news media from. Grandy was the most laid back person, lover of flowers, outdoors, and food I’d ever known. He created his own flower and named it after my aunt Cindy. When he was eating lunch he’d ask what was for dinner. That's what Dyes do. I’d always pretend I was singing and performing and my microphone was his cane. He’d always make me button his cuffs because my hands were tiny enough to do so. I would have him on my bag because he would be able to teach me about trees, birds, and flowers on the courses. My dad tries but I find it hard to trust him because he goofs off so much I never know if he’s telling me the truth or not. Grandy would appreciate all the good food I eat on the roads because I always find my way to southern food on my trips. Grandy was a devout Southern Baptist boy so he could always keep things in perspective for me. Grandy didn’t know much about golf and I can promise you he probably didn’t even try to swing a golf club but that doesn't matter. The only downfall of having him on my bag is we’d probably get put on the clock every round because neither one of us are fast people.


Grandy and Gran at his favorite spot, the kitchen table.

I’m not sure how many more opportunities I’m going to have in my life to be able to play with well-known people. When I do have those chances, I appreciate it and remember it forever. However, even though they may be famous it doesn’t compare to the desire I have to play with my dream five some. Nothing can replace the importance I put on my family members. When there are days that I’m not hitting it well, not making any putts, or just down about golf altogether, I have to remember that there are others out there who would give anything to do what I’m doing, and who would do anything to hit a full shot down a fairway. I have to remind myself constantly that I am among the few lucky ones who have the opportunity of a lifetime and to always give it my all. Paw Paw, Tony, and many others motivate me to continue forward and progress in my golf game. I’m sorry if this blog was not as entertaining or crazy as other posts but the subject has been on my heart for some time now and I just want each and everyone of my friends and family members to know how much I appreciate them in my life. I’m very lucky and thankful.

Confession

I have a confession but first let me tell you all how our second and final round of the Guys and Dolls tournament finished up. Today's format was a straight up two man scramble. The only stipulation was that we had to use each person's tee shot 6 times. We were paired up with the veteran LPGA Tour player Wendy Ward and her husband so that was really neat. They were both very nice and she hooked me up with her chiropractor who I saw immediately after the round. Michaela and I ended up shooting 7 under today, 12 under for the tournament. We aren't quite sure where we finished up but we know we didn't get in the money because the girls who brought guys for partners were able to reach par 5s in two and had much shorter irons into greens. It sounds like an excuse but we learned that if we play in it next year, we will both be bringing guys for partners. I did have a lot of fun and we both made a lot of long putts so that built confidence for going into next week's individual tournament.

I dropped Michaela off at the Y to work out and I drove her car to north Scottsdale to find the chiropractor. I kind of enjoyed cruising around a new town by myself, not 100% sure where I was going. The doctor did some tests on me and when he pushed down on top of my head, that's when I yelled "Aghhhhh Kelly Clarkson!" Just kidding, but he did some stem therapy, heat, and of course some popping that I was dying for. I had offered to fly my OU trainer down here just to crack my neck. I was kidding then also but I love it when I get cracked. Anywho, the good news is I'm 40% healed and I am allowed to sleep with a pillow tonight! Last night without one wasn't so fun. I had a little bit of time to kill before the girls were done working out so I found out that the TPC of Scottsdale was just minutes from where I was so I went to go see it for myself. I couldn't get close enough but I did manage to snap a picture of the entrance before the light changed.



I have noticed that people in Phoenix call their highways "the 101," "the 202," "the 60" instead of how Okies say "on up 35" or "down across 44." You people know what I'm talking about. Anyways, I took the 101 down to the condo all by myself and I must say that I'm proud of myself because Phoenix has a little traffic, I'm slightly accident prone in cars that aren't mine, and I had less than 20% of battery in my phone and that was the only thing I could rely on to get back to the place. I was early so I was going to start dinner until I realized I didn't have both keys to the two doors so I was locked out until the girls got back about 20-30 minutes later.

So I know everyone's been wondering about my confession. Well, here it is:
I don't get nervous about too many things but when I step into a kitchen, more so a kitchen that isn't mine, I get slightly paranoid. I'm not comfortable in a kitchen, with hot things cooking and with me being in charge. I would like to think it's my moms fault since she never let me cook growing up. I had to fend for myself when I went to college but Kelly can tell you that I burnt many cook tops and sucked it up big time in our kitchen. I'm not a bad cook when I make things but the meals I know how to cook are ones that 8 year olds can make. I can manage to screw up the easiest meals. For example, tonight, I turned the stove on to level 7 for the spaghetti sauce. Why? I don't freaking know!!!! Once we put a tiny bit of spaghetti sauce in the pan it was scalding so Michaela grabbed too much of the handle and burnt the side of her right index finger...kind of a major component in a golf swing. Great. Then we later decide to toast more garlic bread because we, well I, wasn't paying attention to the time and the first batch got "crusty crust" as GloZell would say....look her up on YouTube if you don't know what I'm talking about. So as I'm pouring the frozen bread on the hot pan that Tara is holding I let the bag hit the pan, causing the plastic to melt on the pan. She lowers the pan quickly as the bread goes flying mid air. I think to save it with my Nikes and say two choice words as I'm doing so. I kick the pieces in the air and it lands on the floor for less than 5 seconds...they are saved! We had to use a new pan to cook the remaining pieces and then enjoyed a simple spaghetti dinner. I later noticed that I bought multigrain high fiber spaghetti. Wonderful. Just what I don't need!!! I'm a Dye, I don't need fiber.

So there you have it, my weakness is cooking without making a major mess in a kitchen. My biggest fear about getting married and having a family is thinking of what to have for dinner and preparing it for them every single night. People tell me it's easy but honestly, right now, I enjoy my personal chef...Mama Dye. People talk about how Oprah and Kevin Durant have personal chefs as if that's something that is hard to come by unless you're wealthy. Psh, that ain't nothing. I've got one.

Tomorrow is a day of errands, practice, sunshine, happy hour sushi and perhaps a bull ride to end the night. Who knows, it might get a little crazy out here in Scottsdale! Have a great weekend everybody and stay safe out there in the snow and ice. Say a prayer if you guys have time for my mom to make it out here safe on Saturday. I need someone to do my laundry because my clean clothes are coming to an end!!! Thanks :)

Guys and Dolls...Dolls and Dolls

Today was the first round of the Cactus Tour's first event of 2010 called Guys and Dolls. We changed the name to Dolls and Dolls because we were one of two groups with two girls. We had the choice of having a guy as a partner or having another girl and I thought it would be fun to play with my friend from Oklahoma who lives in Scottsdale now, Michaela Cavener.

Today's format was modified chapman which means we both hit our tee shots, then we hit each other's second shot, and then choose the better of the two and play alternate shot from there on in. We had to think about what we were doing for the first couple of holes because neither one of us had played that format before but we got the hang of it and started making some birdies. The tournament was played on the back nine for 18 holes because the front nine was washed out from their big thunderstorms last week. The desert can't handle all of that rain. Michaela and I had a brain fart on a par 3 and made a bogey but other than that, we played well. It was fun making long and short putts for birdie today. We ended up -5 and thought that would put us right in the mix of things. We came in and found out that -10 is the leader but we still have a tiny chance of making up a little ground. Some of the girls brought in guys with PGA, Nationwide and other Tour status so they have a slight advantage on us. Tomorrow is going to be a birdie fest for everyone so we need to make sure that we don't lose ground.

I've been having a slight to major problem with my neck while I've been down here. I woke up yesterday before our practice round and heard and felt a loud crack in my neck. I wasn't able to really turn it to the right or look in some directions without feeling a major crick in my neck. I got an hour massage yesterday, have taken tons of medicine, used ice, got a new pillow, hot showers, and nothing seems to work. It's the pain you have that you want to throw up. I'm not swinging 100% and I sometimes am losing shots to the left because of the torque in my neck but I'm playing through it. I sure would rather my bum ankle hurt than this!

I've gotten to see my college teammate and roommate Kelly Jacques for dinner and hopefully again in the coming days. I think we are planning to go to Ping's facility to pick up some putters and play Greyhawk this weekend. We have another tournament next Monday through Wednesday so we'll play a practice round at the Legacy on Saturday morning. My mom's flight is scheduled to come in on Saturday afternoon but with the supposed winter storm coming to OKC, who knows if she'll make it. I hope she does because I need someone to do my laundry. Haha juuusstt kidding, sort of. I hope everyone is having a great week. I'm having a great time down here and enjoying a little bit of sunshine and calm winds. Until next time...

I've Made It to the Desert!

Greetings from the desert!

I arrived in Phoenix today for the first time in my life. It was the least stressful travel day I have ever experienced. Every flight was early, my bags arrived, and I was in terminal D at DFW airport, which means I was able to make a pit stop at my favorite candy shop, Natalie’s Candy Bar. I had sour candy and peanut butter crackers for my lunch…nutritious I know. I was on four hours of sleep but couldn’t seem to get comfortable on the plane so I read my three magazines that told me the same stories about what's happened in celebrities lives in the last week.



I had my friends Tara Goedeken and Michaela Cavener pick me up from the airport. They both played for TU but I knew Michaela from playing against her in high school. She's from Ponca City and Tara is from Dodge City, KS. I’m staying with them this week in Tara’s condo. Michaela and I could’ve been bunk bed pals but Tara decided to put the beds on opposite sides of the room. Sad day! I had to wait a little while in the airport for them so I met a nice 70-year-old man from Poteau, OK. I decided to wear an OU hat and jacket on the plane today because it can sometimes strike up conversations with strangers and if I’m bored in the airport, why not shoot the breeze with someone? The Poteau man was telling me stories of Oklahoma high school football in the 1950s while his poor dog sat in this shopping cart looking thing. Thankfully my ride showed up.

We went straight to practice at the Legacy Golf Resort and it was lovely. No wind, sunshine, temperature around 65, and green lush grass! I ran into my friend Kendra Hanson from Iowa State who I haven’t seen in two years. My college roommate/teammate Kelly Jacques is down here as well playing and caddying so I will get to see a lot of familiar faces that I haven’t seen in a long time. After we practiced, we ran to get some groceries for the week and met one of Tara’s high school friends for pizza. He was really nice and took care of our bill! He’s one of my friends now! We might go play with him this weekend at Greyhawk in Scottsdale.


The driving range that I sort of snuck onto today


The pretty putting green

Michaela and I are playing in the Guys and Dolls tournament this coming Wednesday and Thursday at the Duke Golf Club. It is a two-man team event with the first day being played as a modified Chapman and the second day is straight up scramble. I love team events so we are going to have some fun! It’s really supposed to be a guy and a girl on each team but rules also stated it could be two girls on a team. Michaela pointed out to me that we are the only girl-girl team…sooo it could look the wrong way. I told her I will wear pink everyday and maybe even put a bow around my ponytail to prove which team I play for. HA!

I heard there is snow coming to Oklahoma. My mom is supposed to fly out Saturday to come party it up with me in Phoenix so hopefully her flight will be okay. Word on the street is OK City might be getting 6-12 inches of snow! I hope it isn’t so! Well, I will back in soon enough! I am just excited to have Internet connection right now. Tara, Michaela and myself are all sitting close to one wall in the condo stealing Internet from some poor 80-year-old woman named Ruby. No lie. Thanks Ruby! Have a great week everybody!

First Tourney of 2010

Well I finally did it.  I had a strong finish and can be proud about how well I scored this week, taking in the considerations of not playing for over a month and for how poorly I hit my irons.  I had quite a few laughs at myself this tournament.  I figured out how I could use my knockdown shot and get it somewhere in the vicinity of the green.  If I wanted to hit a full iron shot, I could expect to hit it fat.  I had good feelings every now and then that I could pull off a pretty iron shot from the fairway but after every time I tried it, I would say, “welp, back to the good ol’ knockdown.”

I didn’t have the start I wanted.  I had a four foot birdie putt on one that I left short and in the heart.  I’m pretty sure I was excited to see that one drop and I looked up as soon as I hit it.  Unfortunately I wasn’t making the move I needed to put the pressure on my playing partners.  I was tapping it for par on every hole on the front nine, hitting 8 greens and sinking a sneaky long one on 9 for birdie.  I made the turn at one under, bogey free, chuckling at my poor effort in iron play but feeling alright about my score.  I had revenge on the par 5 tenth today by knocking a close one up for birdie and capitalizing.  I made my way over to 13, a par 3 that called for a 5 iron. I thinned one up there to 2 feet.  I lipped out the birdie putt. Who does such a thing?  Walk away with par.  Poop!!!!!!!!!  I decided to pull my tee shot into the trees on 15 and had a fun punch 8 iron off of pine needles.  I found the green and proceeded to leave my putt 5 feet short.  Another lip out.  It was my first bogey of the day.  I finished the last three holes by getting up and down on ever one of them.    I was actually 100% on up and downs today.  I can’t say that too often. 

I finished -1 for the round, -1 for the tournament.  It put me in second place alone and made a $1,000 check.  There weren’t many girls in the field but the ones who did play were good players.  I like the way 2010 has started off and I’m anxious for how the season will play out.  I know that a huge part of my success this week was because of my caddy Phil.  I’ve had some good caddies in the past but he did the most work.  While I drove my fat butt around the golf course in a cart, he had to sprint from shot to shot.  The tournament director wouldn’t let him ride in the cart.  It was kind of ridiculous but we had a great time out there and I would hire him in a heart beat if he wanted to give up playing professional golf full time and come be my wingman.  I learned a lot from him this week and it shows that I can score even when I have my C game.

Phil in action

I made him take me to Chipotle on our way to the airport.  It was my first time to ever eat a burrito.  That place is pretty good!  However, I’m not the brightest because I am now on a three-hour flight to Dallas.  The burrito could make things interesting for me….

Welp, I’m heading back to OKC to learn how to solid irons off of dead, thin grass.  Thanks to everyone who has kept up with me this week and cheered me along the way.  It makes things more fun when I know people are rooting for me.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Yankey Doodle Yank!

Well, today was bound to happen.  I got out to the range and couldn't seem to hit a solid shot.  I began to think, "maybe I should have practiced after my round yesterday."  Oh well, nothing you can do to change that.  I had to remind myself that some of my best rounds were when I was shanking them on the range beforehand.  We had a 30 minute frost delay so that allowed me to practice my short game for a good while.

My goal today was to hit more greens.  I only hit 10 yesterday and I thought that if I hit a few more today then I'd have more opportunities at birdie.  I started off with another birdie today which was a nice start.  I reached a par 3 and decided to pull hook fat a 5 iron...pretty talented to do all three in one shot but I did.  You don't want to know where I ended up but I walked away with a double.  I was one over at the turn and headed to the par 5 tenth.  I was looking at a 6 foot birdie putt and walked away with a bogey.  Dear Jesus.  I'm pretty sure that was the first time this week that I got a little mad at myself.  I don't care if I've taken off 2 years, I should never do something like that.  I carried on throughout the back nine by hitting some skanky shots.  One birdie was with the most thin 6 iron you have ever heard but it took the perfect bounces and stopped 5-7 feet below the hole.  I laughed at that one and yelled at my playing partners, "don't listen to what I'm doing over here!"  The hole before it I drop kicked my tee shot and the ball found the rough, on the downslope of a fairway bunker.  I proceeded to TOP THE BALL!  It was hilarious.  I think it went about 50-60 yards. I mean, yes, it was a dang difficult shot but if anything I should have rolled something up to the green, not top it!  I'm pretty sure I put my baseball swing on it because it was nasty.  Anywho, makes up for a good story.  The last hole, (the one I doubled yesterday) actually treated me well today.  I told Phil that I had to birdie it when we were standing on the tee.  I'll be honest, I didn't have the most positive thoughts about this hole but I knew that par would be great, birdie would be a gift.  I missed my approach to the left (note to the title of this post, Yankey Doodle Yank...a common theme to my ball flight) but thankfully I left myself with a good looking chip shot.  He told me that if I birdied the hole, I would have to point to the hole and say a few choice words out loud.  Well, I made the chip for birdie and I repeated the words to him but in a very soft voice.  It was pretty funny and a nice way to end the round.  I shot 73 and I can promise you I played terrible.  I have great feelings about this golf course and even about my game so I have a lot of work to do tomorrow.  I'm down by 4 to the leader and down by 1 from second place.  I would like to win this so I'll give it my all.

I head back to OKC after the round tomorrow.  I'll be happy to see the folks and friends again but I'm hoping it has warmed up a bit since I've been gone.  Phil and I saw Up In The Air tonight and I must say,  I can relate to George Clooney in a lot of ways.  His love for travel and his ideas on relationships.  Sad but true.  I recommend this movie to everyone!  People say it's depressing but I found it funny.  What's that say about me?  I hope everyone is having a great week and for those heading back to school, I don't envy you one bit :)

Suncoast Round One

Who would’ve guessed it?  I sure wouldn’t have!  I haven’t played a competitive round since December 6^th and I played my first 18 holes yesterday.  I think I shot around 90 yesterday so looking forward to today’s tournament round things weren’t looking so bright.  Howeva, golf is a funny game.  I woke up this morning with pretty positive thoughts.  My trainer back at OU told me to think of it as I hadn’t made a bad swing in over a month and that I also haven’t missed a putt in over a month.  I thought that was pretty smart of him to say.  I knew that no matter how I played yesterday or how little I’ve held a golf club in the past month that once the guns went off, I’d be ready to play. 

I’m having Phillip Bryan caddy for me this week since his golf tournament was canceled.  I’m so thankful it was canceled because I would have been a lost dog out there today.  I had never seen the course before and there are a lot of twists and turns.  Being on the correct side of the fairway was also important.  But even more than that, Phillip is very good at reading Bermuda greens…something I haven’t gotten a knack for yet. 

We started off great, birding two of the first four holes.  I had 4 straight one putts to start off the round.  That gives you a bit of confidence with the putter.  In the first nine holes I found 3 birdies but two dumb bogeys to make it one under at the turn.  The first three holes on the back were playing pretty tough, straight into the wind but thankfully my length allowed me to either reach the green or get it somewhere in the vicinity of the hole.  That’s the difference right now with my game.  I can’t be too upset with not hitting perfect shots because it’s just not going to happen right now.  I found two more birdies on the back so that left me with three under going into 18.  I won’t go into detail but I doubled it to finish one under.  The double was dumb but I have to look at it that I had 11 one putts for the round and a few rusty shots here and there.  Unfortunately a rusty shot came on the approach shot for 18.  Phil and I had a lot of fun out there today and I personally had a lot of fun because he told me where to aim the putt, I did, and more often than not, it went in.  Golf seems simple when you have a good caddy like that.

I’m sitting one shot back of the lead, but it’s pretty packed behind me so I need to go out tomorrow and Thursday with the same mindset that I cannot expect myself to hit every shot where I want it to go but I know that even my rusty game can compete.  I need to learn how to take it low and keep it low.

My new philosophy on practice is to not practice.  I’m kidding but I loved my offseason.  I was honestly a little burnt out on golf at the end of ‘09 and I enjoyed every bit of my time off.  Being back on the course today made me appreciate that this is what I want to do with my time and money and that there’s a reason I should be out here competing. 

Here’s a pic I took while sunbathing in my cart.  I had my friend/caddy Phillip practicing instead of me.  I don’t want to ruin what I had going today.

Here’s what I cooked for Phillip and I last night.  It’s a secret (I can cook when I want).  You’ll have to ask Phillip if it was good. 

This shows you all how much I was able to practice over Christmas break:

Back in Action

Hey guys!

I hope everyone had a great holiday. I sure did! I enjoyed my time off but I'm afraid it was a little too long. I wasn't expecting a 14 inch blizzard that we got on Christmas Eve in Oklahoma. I've never experienced something like that but I have to admit, I had a blast in it with my jeep. I was plowing through the neighborhood streets with the biggest smile on my face. The below freezing temps did not allow me to play or practice other than hitting balls into a screen at the local Golf USA store.

Yesterday, I headed down to Orlando by my lonesome to play in my first tournament of the year. Houston was my layover and a quick one it was. I had time to run to a store to buy some Chex Mix for lunch and I saw Ryan and Ashleigh (the married couple) from So You Think You Can Dance. I was excited to see some famous people but they looked completely different in person. Once I got on the plane, I found my exit row seat next to the Stanford football team. They were curious as to why my 5'4 body got an exit row seat but I just told them I know how to work the system. I also told them I played for OU as soon as I sat down so we could talk about football. I was in disguise in my normal clothes so they didn't believe I played golf for a living. That made the flight much better considering we sat at the gate for over an hour because our left engine didn't want to work. We were all relieved to land in Orlando but once I reached baggage claim, I found out that my clubs arrived but my clothes didn't. It wasn't the first time it's happened to me so I figured I'd see my bag later that night. I was wrong...

I'm staying with my friend Phillip this week who is living down here playing on the Hooters Tour. Thankfully he drove me back to the airport this morning and there it was! My bag! I felt complete once I got it in my possession. Apparently the plane it was coming on from Houston was diverted to New Orleans. ...Another Nigerian with a bomb? Maybe. But I'm thankful my bag was unharmed.

Phil and I played at a course today called North Shore. It's located across the street from Lake Nona where Annika Sorenstam lives. We didn't see her but I did get to play 18 holes for the first time in a month. Now the problem is, the North Shore isn't where I'm playing my tournament so that means this will be the first time since high school that I'll play a tournament round without seeing the course. It's a Suncoast Tour event which is played in the Orlando area and apparently this is the only tournament where the host course is closed the day before the event. I've never heard of that before and found out after my flight was booked so thankfully Phil has played the course so I'll have a great caddy for the next three days!

I'm going to finish watching this awful Bedlam basketball game and then head to bed. I hope everyone is finding warmer temperatures and looking forward to Spring. I sure am!

What I'm Reading: Real Life and Liars by Kristina Riggle
What I'm Listening To: Alicia Keys "The Element of Freedom"