Written on 4-20-14.
We are just outside of Saguache, about 14 miles now, and we are headed home on this Easter Sunday. B, Danielle, and I went to Lakewood/Denver for multiple reasons. We got to see my niece Emily play in a soccer match on Friday afternoon at Garry Berry Stadium in Colorado Springs against, of all places, Durango High School. She did really well as their goalie, giving up only one score in the first half, but that was enough to give their opponents the win. I saw a former volleyball player/competitor/friend while there; his sophomore daughter is playing for Durango.
A big deciding factor for the trip was...
the opportunity to see my cousin Adrienne during her father-in-law Eli’s 90th birthday party. That was a hoot! It took place in downtown Denver at the Mercury Cafe. While the Rodeo Poetry was taking place upstairs (some of it scandalous), we watched the Dancing Divas perform (barely scandalous), as well as the Jewish birthday boy and star of the party playing his mandolin (the highlight of the event). He’s quite the famous mandolin player with real CDs and the unique claim as the first to be entered into a mandolin players‘ hall of fame?
The room we were in was called the jungle room, complete with rainforest-y painted walls, stuffed snakes wrapped around support beams, and the added touch of cartoonish monkey plates for heavily frosted lemony cake.
And, of course, we came to be with and visit our family on Easter weekend. Mom and Dad hosted a typical, but never boring, dinner and dessert event (White Fence Farm family style dinner and lemon meringue pies---one that Joe brought as his usual ticket to get in the door) after the birthday party was over. Joe and his new girl, Tammy, came, as well as the Lamberts and all three of the Lambert kids with their three “flames.” My Uncles Barry and Ray were there, too, along with Chris, Ray’s wife, and her son Adam with another new girl/friend. I conversation-hopped my way around the house catching up with most everyone.
This morning, Mom, Dad, and I attended the 8:00 Easter service, and I got to see an old elementary school friend and his mother while there. We visited briefly, and then it was off to Rosemary’s Cafe across the street. The plan was to meet B and Danielle there after they had saved us a table, but it didn’t work out. I accidentally left them stranded at Mom and Dad’s because I took the keys with me. I thought they would have their own keys, but I was wrong. It gave me the chance to change into jeans and tennis shoes and pump the gas at King Soopers, though, while Mom and Dad got us a table instead. All in all, a fantastic weekend!
On to golf...
I have one new birdie to report. It took place weeks ago, but I have not forgotten; this is one of the most memorable birdies I’ve ever had. As part of my Lenten observation, I had set an alarm on my new iPhone to go off at 3:15 daily. The idea was to immerse myself in Jesus’s mercy, “if only for an instant” every day during the 3:00 hour.
3:00 itself was not ideal, though. If I’d set it then, it would have been going off right when I was walking my students out to the pick-up line and the busses, so I set it for 3:15 instead.
I was playing alone during spring break. Cameron and I had lost earlier that morning to Bruce and C.J. in best ball match play. Cameron had helped us with some birdies, but Bruce made the winning birdie on hole #9, and then everyone left. It was a bit breezy, but I wanted to keep going. I knew that the following Friday I’d be in my classroom again at that time. I had not played the front nine as well as I could, so I played it over, but not before playing #10 and #11 first. After improving my score on the front, I headed to the back, and that’s where I got this birdie.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #15-Birdie #12 of 2014-Merciful Birdie
This was a typical birdie up until the putt itself. It was my 7-iron to the fairway and the sand wedge onto the green. The approach did come from the upper tier of the fairway, but it was still mostly typical.
The hole was cut on the right side towards the back. The greens were so unpredictable. On some of my putts, I’d barely stroke them and they would run away. On others, I would ease off thinking they would take off again, and then they would stop well short of my vision.
I expect to make all of my putts, though, and I trust that if I don’t make them, they’ll end up very close, but on this day it was more like putting and then praying.
I was sizing up this putt, a 30 to 40 footer on a crusty green, when my alarm went off. I took it out to turn it off, smiled, and thought of Jesus. Then I smiled some more, followed my routine, and I let it roll. Miraculously, it went in! So, for this putt, it was more like praying and then putting.
We are just outside of Saguache, about 14 miles now, and we are headed home on this Easter Sunday. B, Danielle, and I went to Lakewood/Denver for multiple reasons. We got to see my niece Emily play in a soccer match on Friday afternoon at Garry Berry Stadium in Colorado Springs against, of all places, Durango High School. She did really well as their goalie, giving up only one score in the first half, but that was enough to give their opponents the win. I saw a former volleyball player/competitor/friend while there; his sophomore daughter is playing for Durango.
A big deciding factor for the trip was...
the opportunity to see my cousin Adrienne during her father-in-law Eli’s 90th birthday party. That was a hoot! It took place in downtown Denver at the Mercury Cafe. While the Rodeo Poetry was taking place upstairs (some of it scandalous), we watched the Dancing Divas perform (barely scandalous), as well as the Jewish birthday boy and star of the party playing his mandolin (the highlight of the event). He’s quite the famous mandolin player with real CDs and the unique claim as the first to be entered into a mandolin players‘ hall of fame?
The room we were in was called the jungle room, complete with rainforest-y painted walls, stuffed snakes wrapped around support beams, and the added touch of cartoonish monkey plates for heavily frosted lemony cake.
And, of course, we came to be with and visit our family on Easter weekend. Mom and Dad hosted a typical, but never boring, dinner and dessert event (White Fence Farm family style dinner and lemon meringue pies---one that Joe brought as his usual ticket to get in the door) after the birthday party was over. Joe and his new girl, Tammy, came, as well as the Lamberts and all three of the Lambert kids with their three “flames.” My Uncles Barry and Ray were there, too, along with Chris, Ray’s wife, and her son Adam with another new girl/friend. I conversation-hopped my way around the house catching up with most everyone.
This morning, Mom, Dad, and I attended the 8:00 Easter service, and I got to see an old elementary school friend and his mother while there. We visited briefly, and then it was off to Rosemary’s Cafe across the street. The plan was to meet B and Danielle there after they had saved us a table, but it didn’t work out. I accidentally left them stranded at Mom and Dad’s because I took the keys with me. I thought they would have their own keys, but I was wrong. It gave me the chance to change into jeans and tennis shoes and pump the gas at King Soopers, though, while Mom and Dad got us a table instead. All in all, a fantastic weekend!
On to golf...
I have one new birdie to report. It took place weeks ago, but I have not forgotten; this is one of the most memorable birdies I’ve ever had. As part of my Lenten observation, I had set an alarm on my new iPhone to go off at 3:15 daily. The idea was to immerse myself in Jesus’s mercy, “if only for an instant” every day during the 3:00 hour.
3:00 itself was not ideal, though. If I’d set it then, it would have been going off right when I was walking my students out to the pick-up line and the busses, so I set it for 3:15 instead.
I was playing alone during spring break. Cameron and I had lost earlier that morning to Bruce and C.J. in best ball match play. Cameron had helped us with some birdies, but Bruce made the winning birdie on hole #9, and then everyone left. It was a bit breezy, but I wanted to keep going. I knew that the following Friday I’d be in my classroom again at that time. I had not played the front nine as well as I could, so I played it over, but not before playing #10 and #11 first. After improving my score on the front, I headed to the back, and that’s where I got this birdie.
Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #15-Birdie #12 of 2014-Merciful Birdie
This was a typical birdie up until the putt itself. It was my 7-iron to the fairway and the sand wedge onto the green. The approach did come from the upper tier of the fairway, but it was still mostly typical.
The hole was cut on the right side towards the back. The greens were so unpredictable. On some of my putts, I’d barely stroke them and they would run away. On others, I would ease off thinking they would take off again, and then they would stop well short of my vision.
I expect to make all of my putts, though, and I trust that if I don’t make them, they’ll end up very close, but on this day it was more like putting and then praying.
I was sizing up this putt, a 30 to 40 footer on a crusty green, when my alarm went off. I took it out to turn it off, smiled, and thought of Jesus. Then I smiled some more, followed my routine, and I let it roll. Miraculously, it went in! So, for this putt, it was more like praying and then putting.
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