A New Year, Another New Journal, and a Full Circle

1-8-16

    I am in bed.  B and Danielle are at a party, a painting party? at the (last name's).  I chose not to go due to my cold and wanting to stay home after seeing The Force Awakens for the third time, this time with Rocky.  It’s funny and ironic because I really wanted to see it today, but I couldn’t think of how I would be able to do it and then I got a text from Kelly stating that Rocky wanted me to attend with him because she had “NO desire” to see it.  Yahoo!  That worked out. 
    James is driving home after taking Nicola back to the Albuquerque Airport.  I hope he makes it.  I just sent him a text to check in, but he had 4% power on his phone when he was leaving from Rio Rancho, so I doubt I’ll get a reply. 
   

    Welcome to another golf journal.  I’m writing tonight because I just watched an unauthorized biography on J.K. Rowling on Netflix, and it was inspirational.  She just “wanted to write.”  I, in no way, feel like an expert writer, but I definitely understand that urge to want to write, to express my thoughts, and here I go again.  Year in year out since 1999 I’ve continued to...

Ending Last Year With Even Par* For the First Time

Written on 12-24-15.

On to golf…

    Joe bought me some new Titleist ProV1 golf balls (two dozen) and some golf tees for Christmas.  Phew!  I was down to my last Bridgestone golf ball, but now I’m set for winter and spring golf. 
    This is how I shot even par* the last time I played…

Hole #10-8-iron to top of the green and a putt that went down the slope and moved left to right to stop even with the hole over on the left side.

Hole#11-Drive past the fairway and into some black and crunchy stuff on hole #9.  A PW approach that went past the green and just off the back.  Two putts from there to earn my par.

Hole #12-My tee shot went to the right side of the green, but it rolled off.  My chip with my SW barely got my ball on the green, but I was close enough to finish up with two more putts.  This was my first bogey.

Hole #13-My drive headed toward the...

The Force Awakens as the Year Winds Down

Written on 12-19-15.

    I am sitting in my mom and dad’s basement.  It’s a couple of hours before the surprise pick-up basketball game for Guy’s 50th birthday.  He has no idea.  Yesterday, we all got to see the latest Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens, on its opening day.  What a treat.  I’ve been a Star Wars fan since the late 70’s when I first got to see Star Wars, A New Hope.  One of my best memories ever was being in the audience for The Empire Strikes Back on opening day in May of 1980 with what we are now calling the original gang, Joe, Laura, Bev, Guy and me.  We got to take a picture of the “original gang” again yesterday in front of a pretend Rebel Blockade Runner hallway just outside the theater.  I have it on my camera, but the battery is charging for the surprise game right now.  We watched the movie at the Regal Continental, formerly the Continental, and we saw it in 3-D.  It was FANtastic! 
    I have so much to discuss about this movie, but...

Caught up with November Before December Ends

Written on 11-28-15.

    Thanksgiving is over.  Our 25th anniversary is also over.  We ended up getting fillable lamps for our living room as our anniversary gifts to each other, so no pearl earrings this time.  Maybe Christmas?  The lamps are beautiful.  We filled one with dark chocolate-colored wood chips, leftovers from our landscaping from Mother’s Day.  They look great in there.  In the other one, the smaller of the two, we added colorful rocks, pottery shards, and some other knick-knack gems with pewter-like figures glued on top that the children bought years ago on our trips to Lake Powell.  It also looks fantastic, and they both add a level of coziness to our living room that we have never had before.
    C.J. and I played yesterday, and I earned another birdie.  I should have had three, but my short game and putting were not “up to par” to make that happen.  I was ready to take on the Bogey Man again, but C.J. preferred...

Dreamlike Driving

Written on 11-20-15.

    C.J. and I played nine holes yesterday, and the weather was fabulous.  I could go with short sleeves starting at hole #4.  He wanted to play stroke play this time, and he thought three strokes would make it fair and close, but he had some blow-up holes, so it didn’t end up close at all. 
    He played again today, but I have things to do before all the company comes.  We are so looking forward to seeing our babies for this Thanksgiving, and this holiday is made even more special with our 25th wedding anniversary coming up in four days.  She wants pearl earrings, so my plan is to find the most beautiful pearl earrings around.  If I get most of my stuff done today, I can go shopping this afternoon before she comes home from work. 
    I earned another birdie when we played yesterday.  This round, though, in my mind had an even better outcome.  On every par five, I had a consistent drive that put my ball in play where I was intending.  Four huge consistent drives.  What a confidence booster.  No pulls.  No hooks.  No slices.  No low unintended punch shots.  No topped shots.  Every drive was long and straight, and except for #9 when I didn’t aim for the fairway, all were in the fairway, too.  It was...