My 30th High School Reunion Reflection and Stories

Written on 7-21-15.

    Tomorrow I will host my first ever Certification Night for The First Tee.  I look forward to seeing the participants who will choose to come and give it a go. 
    I’ve just spent the past weekend at Mom and Dad’s for my 30th high school reunion, and I had a blast.  It was so fun to see everyone, and I am social (at the far end of the spectrum compared to most), so I felt right at home speaking with anybody and everybody. 
    I really enjoyed spending time at Joe’s new place on Friday afternoon visiting with Jim, his girlfriend Jill, and of course Joe.  We perused my two yearbooks, laughed, shared stories, and then we laughed some more.  The four of us also had some serious moments speaking about suicide, bullying (some bullying actually coming from a teacher), and inspirational teachers too, most specifically Duane Lewis and Becky Porter.  I had no idea, but it makes perfect sense, that Becky was instrumental in inspiring Jim toward his path in life as well. 
    On Friday evening, we convinced Joe to...

The First First Tee Session Comes to a Close

Written on 7-14-15.

    B and I are out on our deck.  Our gas fire pit is going.  Solar lanterns are lit.  Christmas in July lights (still hanging after our retirement party) are shining.  Ah, summer.  In my head, I am celebrating the official end of the summer session of The First Tee here in Aztec.  I met with two of the Par players tonight to finish up their summer session.  It had been postponed for over a week due to one of them going away on vacation, but it’s done now.  The other Par player played with the PLAYer group instead, because they wanted to get out of town early for the 4th of July weekend.  This is the second birdie of that round where I shot a 38.

Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #7-Birdie #20 of 2015

    I hit six greens in regulation in this nine hole round, and I am finding that that is my key to excellent scoring.  Obviously when I hit greens in regulation, I can score my best scores. 
    My drive landed my ball in the bunker to start this birdie.  My 7-iron helped me escape the bunker easily.  I was 100 yards away from the hole, so I chose to...

A Tiny Snake and a 38

7-12-15

    We’re back home on a Sunday.  We arrived yesterday at around 6:00, and we were able to do a FaceTime chat with James for an hour until it was bedtime, about 10:30.  I am watching the U.S. Open, but it’s the Women’s this time.  We are headed for an exciting finish with Chun, Yang, and Lewis.  Park just finished 18 at 5 under, and it’s her birthday, too. 
    Pika is purring beside me on our bed.  Belinda and I just encouraged a tiny snake to leave our house.  Yes, a tiny snake, a foot long or so.  It was adorable…for a snake.  The little thing went under...

The Ladies Arrive at Casa B and NM Lottery Glitch

Written on 7-9-15.

    I am sitting out on the balcony of Apt. (number) at Casa Bandera in Las Cruces, the new home of Danielle, Becca, and their new bestie A.J. for the upcoming school year, Danielle and Becca’s sophomore year.  We are moving them in about a month early to get the first major load done and out of the way.  Kyle, Cameron, Adam, and Chase are also living in this apartment complex at (number) this fall.  The first three just helped us move everything in. 
    Belinda and Amanda are sitting out here with me.  A train is sounding in the distance.  The temperature is breezy cool and comfortable.  Everyone else has left to go to James’s house and pick up more of the girls’ stuff over there. 
    Danielle worked half a day at the Y.C.C., and after she came home, we had most everything loaded up: two queen mattresses and their bed frames from Art, Danielle’s dresser and book shelf that she recently painted a dusty purple, her snowy white childhood desk, and a plastic tub full of plates, mugs, cups, and other kitchenware.  Despite occasional torrential rainstorms splashing down on us on the highway, all furniture survived intact and mostly unharmed.  All had a bit of moisture, but not enough to ruin them.  Our babies are getting settled in for their second year of college.  Wow! 
    I am so proud of Danielle.  She became a Crimson Scholar with her 4.0 G.P.A. her first semester.  Her overall G.P.A. at the end of the year was a 3.893.  *I originally wrote 3.8, but she just corrected me.  I am now in her bedroom and everyone has returned, only to leave again.  Now it’s just Belinda, Danielle, and I, and I am ready for bed while they are futzing around in the kitchen. 
    She worked at Corbett Hall through her work study program where she was the Employee of the Month for October, and she also won “Best Customer Service” for the year.  She became a crew leader for the Y.C.C. this summer, too.  This past month, though, she had a hiccup with her New Mexico Lottery Scholarship.  It was taken away from her due to a scheduling glitch from her advisor.  Somehow, he had missed that one of her classes repeated a requirement that had already been fulfilled with one of her high school college equivalent classes.  That mistake dropped her from 15 new credits, a requirement for keeping the New Mexico Lottery money coming, to 12, so no more scholarship.  It took two appeals, but she got it back yesterday.  Phew!  The appeal to the appeal was more strongly worded, and it placed all of the blame on the advisor.  It wasn’t nice, but it worked.  I believe the key word was “mis-advised.”

Ah, Summer!

Written on 7-5-15.

    We are on vacation.  Phew!  June is over.  We made it to July.  With The First Tee, the Bisti Writing Project, and the Santa Fe train the trainers training, June was a hectic month.  And, I’m supposed to be retired?  Mostly it was The First Tee that made it so busy, but that was definitely a work of joy and love.  It all was.  To celebrate, Belinda and I spent the night at a brand new Hampton Inn in Cortez yesterday.  It had literally been open for exactly one week, according to a lady who looked like she was in charge. 
    We chose Cortez in order to stop at the cabin on our way home to spend the night here tonight.  The Edgertons had the cabin for the 4th of July, so we waited until today after they had left to spend our one night.  Danielle left the Edgertons and the cabin to come hang with us yesterday, though, and we chose to go to Mesa Verde.  We stopped...