Memorial Weekend

First and for most I need to tell you just how grateful I am to the men and women that serve this country.  I have always loved The Star Spangled Banner, but since Dan joined the military every time I hear that song and think about the lyrics and the many lives that have been sacrificed to make our lives what they are today.  I get choked up.  Without fail, whether I am by myself in the car or surrounded by people I have to wipe the tears away.  I know Memorial Day is to honor not only our service men and women but those who have gone before us.  With the recent passing of Dan and my grandfathers we have a chance to look at their lives and realize how they have formed our fathers lives and how our fathers have formed us.  We have been greatly blessed with our families and the people we have become and who we can strive to be more like.  Our grandfathers lived during the Great Depression and World War II.  They raised children with wives of 60+ years.  They left a legacy of hard work and perseverance; struggle and sacrifice.  When we complain about money or work.  We need to remember that they had basically nothing and still made it through with their dignity.  I hope to someday become more like Russell Neville and Howard Drake.

Now for our Memorial Day Dan convinced me and my friend Mandy to go golfing.  Yes, my father is a great golfer, me not so much.  Don't get me wrong I have a great drive, with an even better slice!  No matter how I hold the club, where I stand, or turn my body I still slice it.  Dan has tried fix it but I think I like to brag about my slice so my mind refuses to listen to his good advice.  Anyway, Mandy has never been golfing and to get warmed up her husband Wade decided to challenge her to a game of Wii golf the night before.  She said it was the worst round of Wii golf she had ever played.  So neither of us was too excited to go golfing and silently hoping it would be rainy so we had a good excuse to go shopping instead of golfing.  It rained all night but was nice and dry by 9am.  Mandy came over and Dan got the golf clubs all loaded up for us.  We have such wonderful husbands they packed our golf clubs with umbrellas and Wade even packed Mandy a water bottle.  After all the equipment was loaded in the van we headed to the Par 3 just down the road.  Mandy and I laughed when we checked in that there was nobody there and when we asked for a cart the older gentleman behind the counter looked at us strangely and said we have the pull carts.  We smiled sweetly paid the fee and for the pull carts and walked out laughing at ourselves.  After loading our bags onto the pull carts we headed to the first tee.  Following the first several attempts to hit the ball on the correct fairway, and trying to figure out what all the dang numbers on the clubs meant, we had a great time.  No we did not have a scorecard and yes we laughed a lot.  We were very grateful that we were the only ones on the course and that at about the 3rd hole we were out of sight of the clubhouse, so the nice older gentleman could get back in his chair and catch his breath from all the laughter I'm sure he was suffering from.   After six lost balls(all of them mine and all of them in the water) lots of boogies, lots of fun, and lots of laughter Mandy and I decided we should do it again.  It would be a wonderful date night with our husbands, or maybe just the two of us again.  Thanks Mandy I had a great time!!!