Writers Block

I'm having a serious case of writers block.  I've tried to sit down and blog a few times over the past week, but it just hasn't gotten anywhere.  It's not that we don't have much going on, we do, I'm just having a hard time putting it all into words.  So in the meantime, here's a quick recap of the past week -

Last Thursday Mr. Cob's parents drove down from Illinois.  They made the trip in about 11 hours which isn't too bad, but is still a long day in the car.  We ate dinner at a neighborhood joint (Universal Joint) in Oakhurst, the next neighborhood over from ours and just caught up on life.  We'd last seen them right before Christmas.

Friday was a beautiful day in Georgia so we went golfing at Brown's Mill golf course.  Luckily Mr. Cob found a deal where we each only paid $18 for a full round of 18 holes.  I say luckily because I played horribly.  I wiffed on the very first tee.  Then again and again.  Finally I made contact, but it was still a lousy shot.  Everyone rolled their eyes and were sure we were in for a long afternoon when I picked my ball up after 12 strokes on the first hole without even getting to the green.  I gave myself a 100 for that hole... Mr. Cob told me the max was 10 strokes.  As the day progressed I got "my swing" back, which still needs major work, but wasn't a complete disaster.  It was so wonderful to be outside in just a tee-shirt and have the sun shining brightly overhead - Spring is long overdue!

Saturday we began the home renovations!  Mama Kae and I painted the dining room and kitchen a taupe-ish color.  My mom came over on Sunday and helped paint all the trim.  We also replaced the drapes and heavy window valance in the dining room with plantation shutters.  These small changes brightened up the rooms and make the house look much more modern and put together.  Pictures to follow when my camera is back up and running (did I mention its sick?)

But the big home renovation was going on outside - Mr. Cob and his dad screened in our side porch!  Well they got about 80% complete - Mr. Cob and I will be finishing it up this weekend.  It was a HUGE undertaking, but looks amazing already.  I can't wait to spend many nights reading, eating and playing games out there without having to worry about pesky bugs.  Next on the "home-redo list" will be recovering the cushions of our outdoor furniture for the porch.  You can't have an updated screened in porch with drab furniture.  The horror.

Sunday, we went to brunch at one of our favorite spots, Serpas, with both sets of parents.  I started to write a whole post about brunch last night as part of the Church Search series.  My claim was that family bonding is a "church-ish" experience and should count as a church in my church search.  I was kind of stretching for material, although maybe not. 

Oh, the other big thing this month, of course, is March Madness.  Now I have to tell you I am not a basketball fan.  I don't know any of the rules and have never been enthused about the sport.  Although for the past few years I always fill out a bracket and typically end up in last place.  Well this year I'm doing pretty good.  I picked Ohio State to win, and they're still a contender...as opposed to everyone else who picked Kansas!  Although, I also picked New Mexico to play Ohio State in the championship game and they're already out, so we'll see how I finish up.  For now, I'm jumping on the Swan family bandwagon and rooting for Michigan State to go all the way!  How's everyone else doing in their brackets?  I have the potential to win over $350 in my pool - so here's to hoping!

By "Four", I really meant FORE! Or actually, TWO!!

While there is still much to tell about the second leg of our vacation, and I promise it is coming, I can't believe I forgot to mention one of the most exciting aspects of our Michigan trip - the golf outing. As you may remember, I was a bit nervous about my lack of golfing experience. With only three actual golf trips under my belt, I'm not exactly a pro. (And as Mr. Cob pointed out to me after reading my prevous post about the driving range, I don't even know the lingo...It's "fore", not "four"...oops! This just reinforces my lack of golfing experience, and apparently knowledge.

I was off to a rough start beginning with a 10 on the 1st hole. And a not so stellar 9 on the 2nd hole. But I was improving. Then we got to the 3rd hole and I flashed back to last year's golf trip in MI - hole 3 still gives me nightmares. At least three of my golf balls are swimming at the bottom of the water at the start of hole 3. But Mama Kae suggested I use her driver - it's actually for ladies, is lightweight and has a big head...need I say more?

So I teed up. New driver in hand. Swing - TAKE OFF! It was the best shot of my life! But I still wound up with a 6 (although, not too shabby for a par 4). Things kept looking up as we got to hole 4 - only 5 strokes. My confidence was up. I was convinced the new driver was going to take me places...take me far over the water hazard. But I would be wrong. My tee shot on hole 5 was less than impressive. I was mad. I didn't even get over the pond. Sigh.

So while everyone else cleared the water, I stay back by the pond and took my second shot. I had my trusty 7 iron (one of my favorite clubs - we see eye to eye). Deep Breath. You can do this.

Swing. Lift-over. Clearing the water. Heading towards the green. Successful shot. Little did I know just how successful...

I walked up the hill to the green, as this was where the ball was heading. Paul's ball was there, but mine was not in sight. We looked at each other confused and he jokingly said "look in the hole" (chuckle, chuckle). And wouldn't you know, my ball was IN THE HOLE! From 100 yards away, my 7 iron (and my wonderful technique...) got the ball in the hole for a BIRDIE!

Paul looked at me and said in all sincerity, "Have you ever gotten a birdie?" I smiled and responded, "I've never even had a par!!!!"

And that is the story of my very first Birdie. I can only hope its not my last!

And here's the score card from our game. (Disclaimer: My nickname from Mr. Cob is "Hootie" and I call him "Babu". So I'm Hootie...the first player on the card. I thought about erasing it and putting in our real names, but that seemed like it would make the score card disingenuous, or something. So now you know our secret names. Shh. Don't tell anyone.)

FOUR!

Next week we have a scheduled golf outing and I'm already getting nervous. I tend to avoid work golf events and anything more than a secluded Par 3 course. But we're visiting Mr. Cob's parents, and I've been told that we're golfing. The typical excuses came to mind: Me: "I won't have my clubs." Mr. Cob - "We're driving, so plenty of room for the clubs." Me: "I'm going to be terrible." Mr. Cob - "We'll practice." Me: "I haven't played in over a year." Mr. Cob - see previous response. Me: "I have nothing to wear." Mr. Cob - "I'm sure you can find time to buy something." Me: "Wait, did you just condone my shopping???" Mr. Cob - "If it means you'll stop whining, yes."

So it's settled, we're golfing.

Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy golfing...when I'm doing decent. (and my standards for decent are pretty low. Club connecting with ball = decent.) I tend to get frustrated really easily and then lose all concentration and it's worse when people are watching/waiting. Luckily everyone is always patient with me (especially Mr. Cob's parents...our last golf outing with them was quite enjoyable and I did "decent") and I get more than your fair share of mulligans. Mr. Cob even gave me golf lessons for my birthday a few years back and they really helped my swing - problem is, I'm worried I've forgotten everything I learned.

So, to "hopefully" quash my worries, we practiced. Last night we went to the driving range and split a giant bucket of balls. Attempt #1, whiff. Attempt #2, whiff. Pre-Attempt #3, Mr. Cob did some adjusting of my stance, checked my grip and told me to stop lifting my head so soon. Attempt #3, WE HAVE LIFTOFF! Attempt #4-50, CONTACT BABY! I won't be signing up for the PGA Tour any time soon, but I'm now not so afraid of our outing next week. Mr. Cob even realized that I was fighting gravity with my swing and corrected that problem which gave me much more power! Although, today my forearms are seriously sore! We'll see if I can actually put it all together next week, but for now I'm confident and just need to find the perfect outfit. Hey, if I can't beat um, might as well look cute losing!