Good Times, Old Friends

So I chatted online with one of my old friends today named DW. I was friends with him when I was a golf pro down in Orlando. We KINDA dated a little back in the day when I was "brand new" but I kind of screwed up and ended up seeing a good friend of his. When I chatted with him today, it's like we didn't have any years between us. You ever f---ed up a relationship and then looked back years later and say, "Damn, I really messed that up"? Well, that's what I say about him. At the time, I was really immature and didn't know what I wanted. I guess you live and learn. But he's always been really nice to me and never held anything against me. Thanks D-Dub!

One of my favorite times with DW was during Hurricane Floyd back in the mid-90's. There were seven of us holed up in a house with what must have been 20 cases of beer and couple bottles of Crown. We watched Tommy Boy and the guys stood out in the wind and rain like the studs they were. The next morning we were all hung over and went to eat at Shoney's for breakfast, the only thing opened. I can remember that like it was yesterday. Thank goodness Floyd didn't hit land or it might have been like Katrina! He's also one of the guys that loved great music like I do. We were into Dave Matthews Band and Creed back then. I'm sure I will have more to write about him later but that's all for now!

*To my friend DW: I can't believe how long it's been but I hope we hold on to what we got!

Aren't We All A Little Irish?

Well, I know that I'm 1/4 Irish thanks to my mom's mom. My other quarters are Czech, Greek and Welsh. Wow, talk about Heinz 57! I've definitely got the drinking down from my Irish side, the outgoing and loud side of my Greek side, the pretty, tan Mediterrainean skin from my Czech side and....everything else from the Welsh side, I guess.

So I'm stuck at work tonight on St. Patty's Day, which is fine. It's not super big here in Vail for some reason and it really is amatuer night anyways. One of the very first St. Patty's Days that I remember was when I was in college and we had a golf tournament in Mississippi. My coach ended up taking the team to stay in New Orleans for three days, which I may remember one of them. Yikes! So after that, nothing can really hold a candle to the Irish holiday anymore than chugging Hurricanes on Bourbon St. and watching the sunrise on Lake Ponchatrain. Hope everyone got lucky tonight!

*To my old golf coach Stephany: Thanks for holding my hair back!
**To Matthew McConaughey: Dump Penelope Cruz and find me!

Wine, Steak and Free Dessert

My friend Dan and I went out to eat last night at the Gashouse. Great restaurant in Edwards. We had wine and raw oysters to start out. So yummy! I had the 10 oz NY strip (medium rare) with veggies and a baked potato. Dan had a rack of lamb with mint sauce and get this...curly fries. That's the kind of restaurant this was! Anyways, we were full as ticks and then our waiter brings us a combo of pecan pie and vanilla ice cream for free since he kept bumping into my chair all night. That put both of us over the edge! After that we went back to my house and played gin. I kicked his ass!! Anyways, it was a good night and satisfied my craving for steak for the time being. This picture is what I would have been looking at if I would have turned around in my chair. Seriously, this water buffalo had an attitude problem!

*To Manchester at South Forty: Thanks for the wine, cutie!

Glad To Be Able To Walk

A girl I know from my job had a pretty bad accident this weekend. She was driving on our crazy Colorado roads and flipped the big truck she was driving. She was thrown from her vehicle even though she was wearing her seatbelt. My boss Julie is really good friends with her and said when she went to visit her yesterday, she wasn't able to move her legs. She fractured her T2 and T3 vertebrae and had to have a rod put in her back for support.

For those of you who don't know me, I fractured my L1 vertebrae last summer falling off a ladder. My vertebrae was 50% into my spinal cord and I was in the hospital for two weeks. My surgeon was great but it was tough rehab to be able to get out of the hospital. I'm about 98% good with flexiblility and have no kind of limp or problem swinging a golf club. I got really lucky! And I have a really gnarly scar to boot. But I am so lucky to be able to be alive, be able to walk and be a golf professional. I thank God everyday that I am not in a wheelchair and all of my bodily functions work properly. So when life gets you down, just remember to count your blessings and know that you are here on earth for and reason and live everyday to the fullest.

*To Gina: We're praying for you, girl! You're gonna be OK and we love you!