Missing Poppy Today but October is still SPECIAL

 Today would've marked his 95th birthday and I know exactly what he would've wished for....what he had wished for every year for the last few.  Life was painful, both physically and emotionally.  When Memaw passed, a big piece of his heart also hurt which made life extra hard each year.  We're thankful they moved to Bowling Green to be closer to us and will cherish the times we got to spend with him those last few years.

It's the time of year when the weather is gorgeous outside but I stay inside because my allergies are raging.  You wake up freezing and are never sure how to dress because there is a good chance it will be 30 degrees in the morning and 80 degrees in the afternoon.  Transition times are not too fun.  However, this is the last year that we will "fall backward" on our clocks.  I love the daylight savings is going away.  Something about that one hour change makes everyone (including myself) seem a little "off" for a period of time.  

Matt has a fantasy football team, and it's the most fun he's had watching games since we've met.  He gathers all the TV's in the house and has different games and highlights going on each of them.  He and the boys get in the zone.  Speaking of football (or not), Louisville's Family Day was a few weekends back.  We didn't go last year because we were at the beach and Karson had come with us for a couple days, and it seemed silly to go home early to drive to Louisville to see her when we'd been with her.  However, it didn't fall during our break this time but Karson didn't really want to go to the football game because it was scheduled for noon and tailgating would be early.  We were sort of on the fence as to whether or not we wanted to go but decided at the last minute to make the trip.  It was nice getting to spend time with her.  We hung out at her apartment, took her to lunch, did some grocery shopping before picking up Adam and taking them over to dinner with his family.  They were also going to Downs After Dark to hang out with friends.  It was a special Saturday.

Miles wrapped up golf season.  Region didn't go the way he'd hoped but he powered through, did his best and has MUCH to be proud of this season. There is a lot of pressure one you when you fill the #1 spot on the team, and he puts a lot of pressure on himself.  He maintained and average of 79 the whole season which is a wonderful improvement for him.  New clubs, new body type and simply adjusting takes some time.  I wish he could've finished strong and know he felt that way as well, but this is golf.  He's got a lot of game ahead of him and lots of practice time to continue to improve.

Miles's nana - his #1 fan!!!

We migrated South like the rest of Bowling Green for fall break this year.  Normally we go to the Crystal Beach area of Destin but decided to try something different this year and vacationed at 30-A in Santa Rosa.  I'm not sure that I prefer one to the other, but I will tell you the beach was absolutely GORGEOUS this year, and the weather was perfect every single day.  I think I liked the peacefulness of Santa Rosa.  A lot of families stay in that area, but it didn't feel crowded.  All of our units got complimentary beach service and got a $200 credit for the rental of gear (which we all choose bikes since there are lots of paths in that area).  Our condo was called Beachcrest.  Would I recommend it?  Yes.  Would I recommend our particular unit - 206 - NO!  Because we had six other families with us, we had access to all their rooms.  Our room was TOTALLY outdated which isn't the worst but the furniture was old and stained and not comfortable.  The mattresses were like sleeping on cardboard.  Both bathrooms needed major facelifts.  The boys bathroom towel bar was torn off and not functional and super tiny.  The blinds on the patio doors were those long blinds that rotate, many of them on the floor or torn which made them extra hard to use.  All the other units had nice big TV's mounted in their living areas, not ours.  There was a tiny TV in a cabinet in the living area.  The boys didn't even have one in their room which was odd. We had a nice one in our bedroom thankfully.  There weren't many dishes and Matt nearly cut his lip on a chipped glass which I later filleted my hand on cleaning it (which bled most of the week and required continual waterproof band-aiding).  It wasn't ideal and did put a slight damper on our experience.  However, it did not ruin it nor would we let it. 

It's always laugh trying to take pictures with friends.  In this picture, we were all trying to pull each others neck fat back like in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.

 

Loving our three special SENIORS!

Isaac and Evan enjoying some guitar playing and entertaining the moms.

 

John and Laura were vacationing right up the road in Panama City.  They came and spent some time with us one day which was a treat.

Some days you just need a break from the beach and for us that mean, MINI GOLF.  We found a place in Panama City called Goofy Golf which was goofy and fun and a nice change of pace for the day.

There was a really cool pier across the street from mini golf that we took a stroll on afterwards.  You could see lots of colorful sea life which mainly consisted of jellyfish.

L's up for our sweet Karson who couldn't join us this week.  We missed her!

Thinking about putting this on TikTok because the video version has them crashing - the Gilligan's Island theme song would be appropriate.

Matt's parents brought all of our golf clubs to the beach along with a nice kayak which got used a ton.  our group mainly stayed put for the most part.  Isaac visited his friends who were staying up the road a few times, and they rode bikes to Seaside some.  We ate at some fabulous restaurants - AJ's, Cafe Thirty-A, ate some big as your face pizzas from Angelina's, and got some Po Boys from The Big Chill's Duo's.  My friends provided me personally with Caramel Apple Sangrias daily which added to MUCH happiness to my life.  White wine of choice, apple cider, caramel vodka and chopped apples (a splash of Sprite or Ginger Ale is nice as well) is the BEST fall drink ever.

Getting back to normal life isn't much fun.  As soon as we crossed that Kentucky border, my allergies and runny nose immediately returned.  However, there's lot to celebrate which includes Miles turning 16 and Karson turning 20.  October and November are big birthday months for our family!

Karson has been trying out some of the local haunted houses in Louisville including Devil's Attic.

When she's not busy spooking herself out, she's working, doing PT/rehab and excelling in school.  She recently got her letter of acceptance into UL's nursing program.  We are super proud of her.

Birdies, Belts and Missing Golf Shoes

There's a "new" course in Park Mammoth which is absolutely beautiful.  It's actually an old course that is being redeveloped and improved.  Miles and his buddy Logan (above) got to play it earlier this summer, and as luck would have it, they had a tournament there this year on August 20.

Miles had a good round that day tying for 24th with 76.  We've been recently joking about his birdie drought and threatening to get rid of his putter.  He and Isaac have been golfing some lately so he could easily (and happily) hand it over to someone else - hah!  Wouldn't you know he birdied the last hole of the course that day!

 

Karson headed to Louisville earlier that week thanks to Pap and Nana who got her moved in to her apartment.  We'd told her we come up for a visit after his tournament.  She was needing a few extra things, and we wanted to take him putter shopping at Golf Galaxy.  Since we were already about 30 minutes into the drive north, we figured it would be good timing to see her new place.

Isn't she the cutest y'all?!?!  Her space is super cozy.  She's learning how to cook and take care of her own place.  We're super grateful she has such amazing roommates and a boyfriend who are spoiling her as she continues to recover.  

Group photo from the Vanmeter Cup at Bowling Green Country Club.  The Vanmeter Cup is broken up into two weeks of 9-hole rounds.  It's also considered our District tournament.  Unfortunately, it wasn't South's best two-rounds of golf.  Sometimes things go your way, and sometimes they don't.  That's golf.

 

On Saturday, we headed to Franklin Country Club for the Wildcat Shootout.  The boys had a fairly light week with the continuation of the Vanmeter Cup on Monday and not much else the rest of the week.  The played/practiced FCC a few times to try and prepare.  

Sometimes the courses you play the most can prove to be the most challenging.  Miles has been struggling and trying to correct his pull/hook all season.  It decided to show back up at FCC. Wonderful.  He didn't have a terrible round and started out okay.  We asked Big Jim our coach to go help him with his feet (because you aren't supposed to give your kids/players tips).  After the correction, Miles started smoking the ball.  He had two birdies on the back and going into the last hole things were looking good until they weren't -ugh.  He had great drive down the middle of the fairway, but a horrible approach shot which landed him a double bogey.  He ended with a 79.  

Oh, and when we arrived to the golf course, he noticed he didn't have his belt.  Fortunately the course isn't super far from our house so I was able to run back home and grab it.

 

On Sunday, we traveled to Monticello Country Club for the Stewart Gregory Memorial Tournament in Wayne County.  After FCC on Saturday, we'd decided to leave everything in the trunk since we'd be leaving around 8 the next morning.   Matt had suggested we take Mile's golf shoes out of the trunk to dry and air out,  With the hustle and bustle, cooler packing and breakfast fixing, we took off on Sunday with everything BUT golf shoes - two days, two things left behind. 

It dawned on me two hours too late when I sent a frantic text to our golf group chat. Y'all, there ain't NOTHING in Monticello but some gas station and a Tasty Freeze which we stopped at one the way home that evening.   Lauren & Will Daniels saved the day with some spare Foot Joys that worked like a charm for our boy. 

It was literally the hottest day ever. Hydration was key.  

Showed up to the Wayne County tournament in full UL Cardinals gear which happens to be their school colors and mascot #lovely!!!!  Miles was also paired with Allen-County Scottsville who wore red as well.  Look people, I was missing my daughter and wore her school colors - lol!!!

Miles was paired with some of the best golfers in our area.  I was super proud of him for holding his own the entire round.  Monticello is a 9-hole golf course.  The first 9-hole round, the boys played from the white tees and the second 9-hole round from the blue tees.  About mid-way through the second round, a dark cloud appeared, rumbling came and lightning struck...great!!!!  

Matt and I were on foot but relatively close to the car.  When the lightning struck, the tournament organizers sounded the airhorn.  I made a beeline to the car to grab umbrellas.  The boys were on delay for a good 30-45 minutes before heading back out.  Miles had drank a Mountain Dew, ate a Reese's cup and a hotdog.  Is that a golf meal or what?!?!

He headed back out to #15 and continued his great round of golf.  Going into the last hole (par 4), he was 1-under par (his best ever) 71.  This was also a hole where lots of people were gathering to watch players finish. His tee shot wasn't the best and landed in the #8/17 fairway. He hit an incredible shot over some trees which landed a little past the #9/#18 green on a small hill. He decided to use his putter and got relatively close to the hole but ended up 2-putting for a bogey which made him 'even' par. 

We stuck around and watched lots of teams, including ours, finish on that hole which we think was cursed. It didn't seem like anyone could make a putt on that hole - brutal lip outs and misses left and right.  

He was so cute when we were putting his stuff up saying to me, "Mom, you need to shoot 'even' par before you shoot under par."  He's such a sweet and humble kid.  Out of all those players, he managed to tie for 12th place with a 72 which was incredible.

  

This week will be a rest week thankfully.  Miles needs to tune up and work on some practice chips and putts.  I'm sure he won't have to pull Isaac's arm too hard to take him since the game is growing on him!

Let's PARtee

 

 Golf season is in FULL swing....cha-ching!!!  Miles and the Spartan golfers have been in action since July.  Miles played in a few tournaments leading up to the season trying to work out all the kinks in his game.  He's grown so much since last year, got new clubs, and everything is just different.  He is killing it this season, and we're so proud of all his hard work and growth in the game he loves (and hates).  He's matured so much and is becoming a mental giant.   This time last year a bogey on a hole would've sent him into full steam flowing out of his ears along with a tantrum.  Not this year.  He's grown up and takes each shot in stride and recovers when needed.  When I hear golfers, usually older than him, swearing on the course and acting like fools, it makes me proud that my 15 year old can keep his composure and not embarrass us or himself.  Golf is a frustrating sport and he does have moments but they are few and far between.

We're thankful for a great school coach who we call Big Jim and for his golf coach Adam Gary.  He's lucky having such great support from both of these men.  Miles has been a varsity golfer since 8th grade when he managed to become the 5-man.  His freshman year, he was the 3-man, and this year, his sophomore year, he is the 1-man.  Our coach collectively tallies all the players 9-hole rounds dropping the highest one each time to factor in their average.  

Miles fired a 75 at his first tournament at Kenny Perry Golf Course - Battle at the Creek in July.  When he was rolling up to the tee box, he looked at Matt and said, "I'm feeling good today...." And he sure was!!!  He had a few birdie putts which tickled him...saying my birdie drought is over.

 

 

 

We hosted a tournament at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Russellville - Spartan Clash - in July as well.  It's our biggest fundraiser of the season, and we were thankful the weather held off for the event.  We didn't have our best performance as a team, but we all hung in there.

The first week of August is usually a packed week of golf as many schools try to get their tournaments in before the school year begins.  Last year, Miles actually had to miss the first day of school for tournaments and WCPS starting earlier.  Due to Matt's busy school schedule, I had to be the golf mom and take Miles to the events.  Lucky him.  I'm totally useless out there besides providing snacks and water - lol!  Last Monday, he had a tournament at Bowling Green Country Club - Gator Invitational and played very well tying for 22nd out of 120 golfers with a 77. 

On Tuesday, we left at the crack of dawn for Shepherdsville to play in the Charger Classic at Heritage Hills Golf Course.  My friend had warned me to grab a cart as soon as we arrived.  I was glad I did!  It was a shotgun start with Miles's tee box about 2 miles from the clubhouse.  They actually allowed us to cart them between holes.  The course was beautiful but very spread out.  He pulled out an 82, not the greatest round but decent considering it's a course he doesn't play.

The young man on Miles's left, Jackson, is a long time golf friend.  These two have been battling it out on the course for the last few years in Bluegrass Tours and Go Golf.  Golf allows you to meet so many wonderful people all over the state, and we're thankful to have met him and his family.

 

After HH, we headed over to Alexandria to spend the night.  We had another tournament the next morning at AJ Jolly Golf Course for the Highlands Invitational.  The boys got to enjoy a nice dinner at Texas Roadhouse, broke in the putting green at Dick's Sporting Goods, and finished the night with some ice cream from Graeter's.

When we got back to the hotel, Miles was complaining about his feet bothering him.  He took off his shoes and had two of the largest water blisters EVER on both of his big toes.  He had blood bruise on another toe.  The water blisters were really bothering him so I decided to take matters into my own hands and called the front desk to see if they had a sewing kit.  I needed a needle and some rubbing alcohol and the hotel delivered. Problem temporarily solved!!  He's done so much walking the last few weeks, his poor feet look just awful!

His dad had to send him some words of encouragement that morning - love their golf relationship!

He tied for 20th out of 97 golfers bad toes and all!!!

I had to call in grandparent help for Friday mornings tournament at Western Hills in Christian County.  I honestly didn't think the team would play and had zero thought about sending him with a rain jacket for the monsoon.  The forecast was horrible with 100% chance of rain.  He and my parents took off early that morning. They did play though, and thank goodness another parent loaned him a rain jacket.  Bless it!

He managed to shoot an 80 even with a triple on one hole.  I was super proud of him even though he was a little disappointed with his score.  The soggy team managed to pull off a 3rd place finish.

He had a golf lesson on Saturday to tweak a few things and was ready for action back at Rolling Hills yesterday for the Cougar Invitational.  Unfortunately the weather had other plans, and it was rescheduled for later this month.  He was smoking it on the driving range so would've loved to see him play but glad he got a small break.

He and his golfer friend Sydney share war stories from the courses they play.  They grew up together at Plano and both are Varsity golfers at South.

One weekend recently Matt, Miles, Adam and Paul got to play a round at Valhalla. Miles said it was gorgeous but he likes our laid back FCC golf course =).

The Spartans are back in action this weekend at My Old Kentucky Home and Maywood in Bardstown!  Oh yeah, and school starts this week too!