Oaklawn, Big Whiskey, and Cooper's Hawk

Last weekend started a very busy few days for us!  Tara and Sydney got to our house sometime after we went to bed Friday night and Tara and I got up Saturday morning to meet Terri, Taylor, and Jordan and David, Autumn, and Danika for breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  We left Syd with Brad while we were gone and evidently she goes berserk when Tara isn't around.  So that was a LONG couple of hours for Brad.  Normally, I would never entertain the idea of Sydney staying at our house but when we were at Tara's last month and I saw how old she looked and when I think about how much Tara and Lacy love her, I just had a momentary lapse in judgment  found a soft spot in my heart.  I was mostly worried about what Spatz would think of her but she didn't really mind her at all.  (Sidenote-Tara tried to make up for how Sydney acted by letting Spatz sleep with her one night when we were gone....she had Syd on one side and Spatz on the other.  Bless her heart.)

After breakfast, Rusty and Jennifer picked us up to go to the races in Hot Springs.  It was really crowded but lots of fun.  

And it was a beautiful day!

A couple of festive horses in their St. Patrick's Day green.

I usually win a few times when we go but I didn't win at all this time.  I think it was too crowded for me to concentrate on which horse to put my $2 on!

We had dinner back in Little Rock with Rusty and Jennifer and Tara, David, and Autumn.  After dinner Rusty and Jennifer went back to their hotel and the rest of us went to Big Whiskey and had a really good time.  It was so crowded downtown because of St. Patrick's Day but we found a table in the back and were able to hear each other.  I don't know David and Autumn all that well but they were hilarious!  They have a two-month old baby so I think they were just happy to be out and didn't care that it was with their sister/sister-in-law and her old friends!

Sunday morning I went to church and then hurried back home to get ready for Brad and me to go to Mountain Home for a few days.

On Monday, Tara and I played golf at Cooper's Hawk in Melbourne.  I have been looking forward to this for weeks!  It was SUPER windy but other than that the weather was perfect and by about 3:00 I think we were the only ones on the course!  We had the best time!  I played way better than I thought I would (since I always scramble with Brad) and we laughed so hard we almost cried a time or two. Or three.

I love this old barn!

Tara keeps score when she plays but I always trust Brad to keep score so I never really pay attention to how many times I hit the ball.  I'm not very competitive so I really just couldn't make myself keep score.  We ended up playing most of the holes by ourselves but a few we scrambled on.  And a few I just picked my ball up after maybe 2 shots.  I figure we were out there to have fun so why stress about the score.  Maybe I'll ask Brad to let me try to keep score the next time we play so I could start to get into the habit.  Since I wouldn't have to go so high on most holes (I say 'most' because I did get a legit bogey on one hole and we got two pars!).

I was so proud of these two shots!  My first shot is the one at the bottom of the picture.  It was with an 8 iron.  The shot on the right is with my 9 iron.  The tee box is right next to that little building and completely across water.  For me to get not one, but two tee shots on the green on this hole is awesome!  

Tara lining up her putt.  How's that working for you, Tara??  :)

We got par on this hole! Maybe lining up really worked!

This shot proved to be a little dangerous.  When I got up there to hit, I hit that tree dead in the middle and before I knew what had happened, it was whizzing past me at about a million miles an hour.  Tara was laughing so hard I thought she would lose her breath before I even realized what had happened!

We got another par on this one!  We used my tee shot but we clearly DIDN'T use my putt.  Seriously.  WHERE am I aimed??  I wish Tara would have politely mentioned that the hole is where that white flag is.

The restaurant was closed but luckily Tara knew a guy that worked there and he offered to make us a sandwich.  Which was way better than what we could have gotten from the restaurant!

We didn't get to play the back nine because they were aerating those greens so we had to play the front twice.  This barn is on the back and I've always liked how the cart path goes through it.

I wish Tara and I lived closer together so we cold play more often!  And I hope Brad and I can get back to Cooper's Hawk to play soon.  I had forgotten how much I liked it!  And its one of Brad's favorites too.

Golf Weather

I can't believe how great the weather has been the last couple weeks!  I'm pretty sure that I've never taken my first swing of the year in February before!  

We went to the driving range last weekend but my hands hurt from working in the yard earlier that day so I couldn't finish my bucket.  I'm sure Brad didn't mind since he got to finish it.

Thursday afternoon we walked eighteen at War Memorial.  We didn't start until after 2:00 so I didn't think we'd have time to finish but we did.  In fact, it was still bright and sunny when we finished!

On hole #2, I pulled my driver out only to discover that the shaft was broken!  We took our clubs to Destin and I think it must have broke while it was wedged in the trunk of my car.  Its not a huge deal for me to not have a driver anyway (for the first year or so I played, I used my hybrid on the tee and for about 90% of my fairway shots!).  I rarely used my old one because I was so inconsistent with it but I got a new one last year and like it a lot.  The golf store is sending it to Callaway to be re-shafted and luckily it shouldn't cost much.  We got the club on super sale so I didn't want to pay more to have it repaired than we paid for the whole club!

Hopefully, the weather will stay nice.  Tara is supposed to be here next week (I think) and she wants to play if we can.  Tara and me playing golf.....that should be fun.   Or funny.  :)

Destin Mini-Vacay

I think Brian and Ashley have invited us to Destin for at least the past three years but we were never able to go because I couldn't take the time off work.  

So another good thing about my retirement is we were able to go spend a few days with them this year!  

Brian's parents had a condo on the beach and it was so nice of them to let us stay with them. It was chilly and cloudy most of the time but we had so much fun!  We ate well, shopped a little, and surprised Brad with a strawberry birthday cake from The Donut Hole one night.  The Baltzes even gave him a t-shirt from The Crazy Lobster (we ate there a couple times).

We sat around this table playing cards for at least a couple hours each day.  On this particular night, we had a little Pitch tournament.  Another couple from Pocahontas who are friends of Brian's parents were able to join us.

Brian's mom is the funniest person and we just laugh and laugh at with her when we're playing cards.  You never know what's going to come out of her mouth!

We walked to the jetty one afternoon.  Even though it wasn't super warm it was nice to get our feet in the sand. 

I'm surprised we didn't end up in the ER after this.  At least we had a real doctor back at the condo just in case.  :)

I love this!

I really wanted to try to get some pics of Addison while we were there too.  It warmed up a little the morning we were leaving so we took her to the beach to give it a try.  That girl LOVES the water!  But she did really good even though she only got to get her feet wet.  The water was cold!  

Isn't she adorable?!?!

And yes, she is the best dressed girl on the block!  Ashley owns Patty Cakes Children's Boutique in Jonesboro and Addison always looks adorable.  

She looked so cute in her bathing suit.  

She's so happy!  You can see the little bruise above her eye in this one....she ran into the table a day or so earlier.  At least it was just a small bruise and not an entire black eye. 

It was so nice to get away for a few days and spend some time with good friends.  Hopefully this will not be the last time we can enjoy a little vacation with them.  With the guys getting their real jobs in just a few months, it should make scheduling things a little easier from now on.

Duke and Sidney

We spent a few days with the Baltzes in Destin this week but couldn't go to Florida without stopping in Pensacola to see Tara.   I'm ashamed to admit it, but this was my first time to visit her since she moved.  Brad spent one night with her when he interviewed in Gainsville three years ago but we're still pretty pathetic...I blame it on work! :)

Tara's dog, Duke. 

He's a beautiful dog.  He looks just like a Golden Retriever but he's dark chocolate brown.  

And Lacy would be heartbroken if I didn't include a picture of her pretty dog, Sidney.

This dog is, and has always been, just something else.  She's not the nicest dog in the world nor is she the best looking but to Tara and Lacy, she's the greatest dog ever!  I've always called her Chernobyl because she looks like she somehow survived the disaster there.  She looks kind of soft in this picture but she's not....her fur feels like hard plastic its so wiry.  But I have to admit, it made me sad to see her now.  She's getting old and starting to show it.  :(

It was good to see Tara even if it was too short of a visit.  We went to Peg Leg Pete's for dinner and had a really good time.  I hope we can go back this summer when we all have more time.

A 40th Birthday Celebration

Brad and Billy turned 40 (yes, FORTY!!) this month so Nikki and I planned a little party for them last Saturday since they have a lot of mutual friends.  

Nikki kept it a secret from Billy until the morning of the party but I'm not so great at secrets so Brad knew about it all along.

We did the same thing when they turned 30 but I kept it a secret that time.  

We had LOTS of food!  This wasn't even half of it.

The picture wall.  

It was fun look looking back at photos while I was trying to find some for this wall.  But it made me realize that I need more photos of Brad.  

This gang worked together for years at Lifecare and/or the Fire Department.  I was disappointed that Greg and Wendy had to leave before I took this photo.  

Can you tell that Nikki and I were worn completely out??  We had been in party preparation mode most of the day.  And I was not looking forward to the drive back to Little Rock at this point!  

Can't wait until the guys turn 50!  That seems like so far away but their 30th birthday party seems like yesterday so I know it will go by fast!

Photog Field Trip for One and a History Lesson

We were in Mountain Home for a few days last week and one day was so pretty that I decided to go search for something to take pictures of.  I didn't make it far. 

I'm not in love with Cotter, mainly because I'm holding a grudge against the police officer or constable or postmaster or whatever he was that gave me a speeding ticket a few months ago.  BUT I decided to put my feelings aside for one day and take advantage of some of the good things it has to offer.

I love railroad tracks, bridges, and rivers.  So in theory, I should like this place!

I do think Cotter may have some potential for a night photography session.  Maybe once the weather warms up...and I brush up on my night photography skills.

The next day I thought I'd see what Flippin had to offer but didn't find anything worth stopping for.  It reminds me of Cave City so I'm sure the beauty is in the people who live there.  Maybe I need to do a little research on the place and try again.  I did find the cemetery where Brad's grandparents are buried so it wasn't a wasted trip.  I'd been to the cemetery once before but I'm terrible with directions.  I guess its hard to get lost in Flippin, Arkansas though. 

From there, I went on to Yellville.  The Marion County courthouse is really cool but they still had Christmas wreaths on most of the windows that didn't have a window unit air-conditioner hanging out of it.  And it must have been court day.  Court day in north Arkansas is different than court day in Little Rock but if a person wanted to take photos, court day in Little Rock would be way better.  At least you'd get to see a prison van.  

There are several things to photograph in Yellville, but the weather wasn't that great so I just looked around and didn't get many photos.  

I stopped at the visitor's center and talked to the lady working there for a couple hours about the history of the area.  She was basically a walking Marion County history book and happy to share her knowledge.  I love Arkansas history so I was happy to listen!  I think she knew everyone in the county because she remembered when Brad's uncle passed away in Flippin a few years ago.  And I don't know why she'd know that unless she knew everyone.  I wish I could have talked to her all day but I was sure she had things to do other than talk to me.  I'm definitely going back to Yellville one of these days (I wonder when they take the Christmas wreaths down??).  I know a small amount of its older history from volunteering as a docent at the Old Independence Regional Museum after college but the nice lady gave me some websites I can go to and learn more.  

Hadley

Heather and Hadley were in town this weekend for a birthday party.  Friday night I went to Sherwood and had dinner with them and all the ladies at Martha's.  They are such a hoot!  

Heather's mom and Hadley stayed at Martha's and Heather spent the night with me.

We stayed up later than either of us wanted to but we were discussing Hadley's birthday party details and I guess thats worth staying up late for!

We went to breakfast at Mimi's before I went to work on Saturday and then Heather brought Hadley to my house that afternoon so I could see her in her dressed up in her party attire.  She looked so cute!! 

Its always a treat to spend time with friends but Brad was working nights so it was extra nice to have them here.