For our kids 16th birthdays we take them on a trip of their choice (within reason). No siblings or other visitors allowed. It’s quality time with mom and dad, which as I think about it, is probably opposite of what a 16 year old wants to do😂. Morgan chose Seattle (an amazingly fun trip!) and Jake chose a golf trip to Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
Here we are in beautiful SC! The timing of this trip is absolutely dreadful. Since it was planned months ago, Drew had a soccer tourney pop in the schedule and Reece a tournament in Minnesota! Our arrangements here were not revisable and my parents are out of town at the Ryder Cup with friends. Call in the troops. And by troops, I mean the Aunts! Both of them are big soccer fans so this is a perfect plan😉. 2 flights to Minnesota are booked, a rental car secured, and Reece is expected to get her carryon bag equip in the morning by herself. What could go wrong? Between the soccer and the shenanigans that go on at out of town tournaments (i.e. kids running wild in the hotel), Shauna will be in rare form. Or she’ll come home and want to take over the life of a soccer mom. Either way, I’m anxious for updates! Did I also mention we are missing the all city cross country meet for Reece and Drew?🤦🏼♀️
I was so worried about making sure my littles were on track I forgot about packing myself. I quickly raided Morgan’s closet for golf clothing, threw it in a suitcase, and hoping for the best. We certainly have a lot of baggage for a weekend trip!
We had a slight scare that a few of our bags didn’t make it to Charleston but crisis averted.
I FaceTimed with Reece after her soccer practice and she was showing me the cute goodie bags parents made for the trip to Minnesota. I was already in bed after an unsuccessful trip to the grocery store for food and water. Everything closed early here in this sleepy golf town!
She’s so excited but I miss her and very sad I’m missing the tourney.Packed and ready with a note of things to get in the bag in the morning I hate missing anything. FOMO. Wish I could be in 3 places at once!
This is our cute little villa for the next few days in Turtle Point.
Finally they are taking me to get food and water! Embarrassingly, I’m a self-proclaimed water snob and need bottled or filtered water🙈. Our microwave is broken so we boiled water on the stove to make tea and proceeded to spill the entire cup in the rental car on a sharp corrective turn to get to breakfast. Oops!
How cute is this little spot on the way to the course!?
Wine, tea, and cute plants…what could be better!?
And hello…look at my handsome date for today!
We arrive at Oak Point golf course and Jake and I love the southern charm and architecture of the plantation style homes, pretty trees, and marsh filled waters. A beautiful area.
Oak Point clubhouseHole 9 Oak PointOne of my favorite houses I saw on the course today
I’m on alligator watch and spot a GIANT one within the first 2 holes. I was too scared to get close but he was huge!
Hole 1 Oak Point, Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Of course we’re watching the Ryder Cup on phones as we go along here. This is golf, golf, and more golf.
It’s done! Whew! Sorority recruitment (Rush as it was called in my day), is over and I’m thrilled. It was many years ago that I went through it (twice) and it was stressful then and I think it’s worse now. We went shopping for the perfect outfits and these roomies sure looked gorgeous all week!! Shopping success! I’m also so proud and thankful that Morgan was sending me pics…
Round one was virtual. The sororities were picking girls from 5 minute video clips they submitted and an application and girls were narrowing down their lists watching the 13 sorority video’s. I’m assuming this was trying to cut down on face to face contact but the remaining rounds were in person, in masks of course.
She even looks absolutely stunning in a mask!! This was taken as she was putting in the rankings of her final two bids.
It’s a long week of self reflection and soul searching and honestly a lot of hair and makeup! It’s a week of trying to make meaningful conversation with strangers and trying to be at your best among hundreds of others doing the very same thing. It was scorching hot, tiring, and stressful for us parents at home trying to make sure our girls are doing ok and while starting their first college classes at the same time! It’s a lot.
Exhausted!
Brian made the mistake of saying–just go in there and flash your beautiful smile. She just laughed and said “dad, we’re wearing masks!” There are countless beautiful traits Morgan has, but her smile is top of the list for all of us.
Morgan.Gigi.Brenna.Ashley.Ava (roomies + 1)
Final day – beautiful color on Morgan – however a giant rip in the dress was discovered when putting it on in the morning. Yikes! Per usual, she handles everything like a champ and giggles and covered it up with a ruffle 😉
Sunday 6pm could not arrive soon enough. We had sweat this week out along with my sister who we were regularly updating. We got to facetime with Morgan and friend/rush group buddy, Holly McCormick, on a break between their final two houses and it was so great to see them! They both seemed happy and confident in their options. Holly tipped us off that we could watch the reveal of the final picks on facebook live.
The girls open their envelopes and run to be with their sorority group. Mass chaos it seems like! We waited patiently to hear from Morgan to see which one was in her envelope as I was getting texts from other moms saying who their daughters got.
Come on Mo – send us a text! We’re dying here…
Undoubtedly emotional and likely very tired here – she got the one she wanted and hallelujah it’s over. No more decisions to make!
Pi Beta Phi it is! Brian and I both were on the couch in tears as Jake was looking on and wondering what is the big deal here and why are there tears!? It’s hard to explain, but sometimes you just fall apart in the moment. It’s really not a life or death situation here (not even close!) but for us, we just wanted something great for Morgan. For whatever reason, it always seems like she has to work double hard for things to go her way and finally this was the very best fit for Mo. Ok not to mention, it’s just been an emotional year and last few weeks, so we’re allowed to have tears!
Bid Day 2021
The next day we decided to make a quick trip to Manhattan to see Morgan and congratulate her! We picked her up and went to Rock-a-Belly for dinner and she was not her typical bubbly self but we’re chalking that up to exhaustion. It’s so hard to be “on” for that many days straight and she could finally just be with us and be in a bad mood for a second if she wanted to. We brought a little Pi Phi gift to her a G Phi to her roommate, Ava. I know they wanted to be in the same sorority in the end but we are certain they are both going to be great. Not to mention, my friend, Jamie Borgman is just over the moon about this news. Pi Phi sisters for life 😉 She even somehow managed to track her down on campus as she happened to be driving through for work. Picture a white jeep with a mom hanging out the side waving feverishly and yelling out….Morgan! Morgan! Although I’m a little irritated with my sorority for eliminating Mo on the last morning (boo!), I’m confident that everything happens for a reason.
Congratulations Morgan! You made it through rush and of course took everything in stride, she said to Brian and I, “it really wasn’t that stressful” Ha! Glad to hear it MoMo, because it was stressful for all of us back here in KC!
She’s simply the best and as the Pi Phi’s say…Ring Ching.
a little gift from Ava’s mom
Fun times are ahead and she already seems so happy with school, with her sorority, and with her roommates. She also got to spend Labor Day weekend with the Manhattan Conley’s on the lake, eating nice home-cooked meals, and much -needed relaxing! All is well!
It’s Labor Day weekend and I’m completely thrown off. I have zero kids games or golf tournaments or commitments of any kind. Most families have their college kids home for at least a day or two and my Morgan is at the lake 😦 If this is any indication of what being an empty nester is going to be like then I QUIT! I just showed up at the gym to go to a class and realized I didn’t have my tennis shoes on. I was in Birkenstocks. This is another indicator that I’m just not with it! Send help!!
We are three weeks into school now already! Back to school time is always full of anxiety and excitement and well, in these pandemic times, uncertainty. And for our family, there is a lot of change this year. I no longer have any elementary school kids! Reece is venturing off to Middle School and she’s ready for the change. She’s grown and matured and I’m excited for her. Although it’s not a normal school year-no lockers (no cute locker decor), masks required, and various other covid related rules, we made it to school to walk her schedule and bought a lock for her to practice doing a combination for her gym class. I can’t believe this is the last time I will teach a kiddo how to do a lock combination! And these are the small things that come up in my head.
Excuse the outfit, I think we must’ve come from an open gym or something 😉
So happy we get to walk these halls! Schooling at home is awful!
her empty language arts classroom (Mrs. Kupersmith)
After 6 years with the same backpack, we are buying a new one. Vera Bradley seems to be the hot item for the middle school girls right now. We facetimed Morgan to get her help on choosing a pattern. I’m going to miss that old peacock patterned backpack but onward we go! We also cleaned out a mountain of clothes that she no longer wears. Actually, many things still had the tags on them.
Look at Drew!! He’s an 8th grader now – big man on campus. Who wouldn’t love this guy!?
Jordy Nelson . Drew . Carter Coad . Reece
I’m pretty sure when I walked in the door with this crew, the staff wanted to run and hide. The boys immediately found Mr. Bussinger and started talking and running wild. At one point, Drew Conley’s name was being called over the loud speaker to come to the office. Meanwhile, Reece was all business and wanted to get that schedule walked and committed to memory. No time for fun and games. This girl is taking this next step into middle school very seriously – step aside boys!
Morgan is spending her last few days with her Johnson girls, whom she loves dearly and takes such good care of them. She runs a tight ship but also a very fun one, she plays and swims and fully immerses herself in their activities. We also have been getting her ready to move to K-State. What am I saying, I’ve literally spent all summer getting her ready. I lay up at night wondering if I have everything that she needs. Not kidding. I woke up in the middle of the night once and wondered if she would need safety pins. So I got up and made a baggie of safety pins. I’m just waiting for the day to come when she calls me and says, “mom, I used a safety pin today, thank you for packing those for me.”
When I was registering all the kids for school, this message was a real slap in the face. I know I just witnessed her graduate and threw a big bash and harped on her daily to write thank you notes, but seeing this on my computer screen was the real proof that she’s done. She’s moving on.
We are still keeping up with traditions and did our annual bike ride to Price Chopper for donuts. Morgan was absent because it was her last day of Nannying. But I’m so proud of myself for getting Jake up and on a bike!! Look how cute he is on that little bike (we don’t have the best biking equipment in our family–it’s a hodge podge!)
We spent some time bidding farewell to friends as they venture off to their various colleges and it’s exciting but also a wonder if and when you’ll see them again and how friendships may change. I don’t have many pictures to share, but I hope to always keep up with the kids that have spent time in our home and how they’re doing!
Our friend, Alex Dandy, going to Northwest Missouri State University
Golf team friends
Well wishes from the Dearmore’s
Morgan doing Reece’s hair for the first day of school – ohhh how we will miss her hair braiding abilities!!
Our back to school gifts! It’s just a thing I always do. Sometimes they are meaningful and sometimes they are just what I can throw together. But always from the heart! Drew–I know you love to play games which is why you got cards 😉 P.S. Read your letters – I do put a lot of thought into the words I write to you!! (morgan-a lock & key necklace, Jake a golf t-shirt, Reece a personalized soccer bag tag)
Reece, being a new 6th grader, had a half day the day before the rest of my crew went to school-more of an orientation day. I let my other kids sleep in for the last time and we did our neighborhood breakfast the following day when all the kids were reporting to school.
1st half day of 6th grade
It was a little rainy so we had to do it in the garage. We were missing the Dearmore’s (on vacation) and Stout’s had to be at school early. But Morgan was up and wishing all the kids well – she’s simply the BEST!
I was most excited for Drew’s first day of school outfit. I found his shirt when I was in Miami and Brian had it all ironed and ready. As soon as we went to walk outside, I noticed a brown stain down the front. ARE YOU KIDDING ME DREW!?!
So needless to say, he had to change quickly and this shirt will be saved for school picture day instead!
And…all of my pictures are blurry because I didn’t clean off my camera lens. I mean PULL IT TOGETHER mom! The first day of school is very stressful, I promise.
The Falcon Valley Crew
Reece and Olivia
It’s been a rough transition for this bus/bus driver. The first day, they were super late to school because he was lost and we’ve had an occurrence or two of trying to chase him down the street. We seem to be on track now after a few weeks…finally!
I spent hours looking for Hey Dude shoes for Drew to wear on the first day of school and I’m not sure he’s worn them again!
Olathe Northwest High School
The day came (Sunday, August 15th) that we had to actually pack the car and get Morgan moved into her dorm. I’m quite pleased to report that we had everything packed perfectly and most of it fit in her car! We had a very seamless move in. I was expecting the worst but after we got their room arrangement figured out, we had that place looking great (the girls had a vision)! With our wagons and Scout storage boxes (highly recommend), it only took us 3 trips up the elevator. I remember it being a total disaster when I moved into my dorm so I was feeling great about Mo and her sweet roommate, Ava. I really didn’t have many tears! I was probably over quota on tears from the summer. I was a bit of a mess on a daily basis. A new chapter begins for Mo and I’m confident she’s going to fit right in. She’s such a gem and K-State is lucky to have her!
We had a fabulous family night before the big move – she chose Q39 for dinner.
And some funny times (Reece the milkmaid) at Shauna’s watching vacation videos that Morgan created – she worked so hard and they were fabulous!
Reece requested her own private lunch out with Morgan
We packed most of her clothes in rolling suitcases. How does anyone choose what shoes to bring!? That would be a major problem for me. I don’t think I had as much clothing and accessories as the kids have now.
so many empty spaces and hangers 😦
We’re ready! (but not ready because I wish she could live here forever)
Reece was an awesome helper!! and Brian too 😉
Ford Hall 623–Home for the next year!
We’re pretty sure these desks are going to be scattered with crap very soon but for now, they look so clean and tidy!
This cutie pie already wants a sleepover! Morgan will be very missed by Reecie
Ford Hall has come a long way! The rooms are reconfigured into suites and have bathrooms. Morgan and Ava live in a room together, connected by a bathroom with the neighboring room with Brenna & Ashley. All of these roomies were prearranged beforehand.
These two are very well matched and cute as can be!!
The kitchen area
ughhh – so hard to see these sisters separating. This might be the very hardest part for me!
After all the hard work, we grabbed some dinner at Kite’s – everything in Aggieville was quite a long wait. We said our goodbyes and let the girls get settled. Sorority rush and the first day of classes was next on the agenda so we sent flowers to wish them well with school and recruitment. Who doesn’t love a surprise gift!?!
We got LINKED!! permanent matching bracelets are on our wrists. Forever bonded with my girl!
First day of 13th grade! So proud of her for sending me this pic. She knew I would want one!
Our sweet girl left this envelope in our mailbox for us to find. Who does that!? Morgan does! and we will cherish these notes and pictures she left
She left me a matching necklace! The same one I gave to her for back school. You’ll see this on my neck every day!
Happy Back to School! We can do this, right!? Give me some grace, I just sent my first born to college and that is HARD. She’s ready. She’s prepared. She has all the tools necessary. She’s going to be AWESOME!
I’m so proud of Drew! And so lucky that I got to spend a few days with him at the Junior PGA All Stars match! As usual, we were dividing up kids responsibilities, so Jake was playing in a tournament with Papa helping and Brian was traveling for work. There’s something so satisfying spending time with just one of your kids and Drew was so fun to watch in this event. He has a lot of natural ability because he doesn’t really work that much at golf outside of just the summer season. His schedule can only allow so much 😉 And this season we finished 4-3-1 against the local country clubs. There’s a lot of youth talent in the area!
Drew is absent from the season end party (soccer game) but Reece is there!
Drew’s Jr PGA bag tags – what a fun career it’s been! This was his last season-when you’re 14, you age out of the program.
Being on the Jr. PGA team at Lake Quivira has been so fun for our family. Jake, Drew, and Reece have all been a part of it–Jake was selected for the All Star team numerous times and now Drew! Only one (sometimes 2) are selected to represent our club, so it’s an honor to be chosen.
“The All Star team is back this season. Lake Quivira is allowed one player this year. It was not an easy decision as we have had a lot of great performers this season but I have decided that Drew Conley will represent us. He will join players from other clubs later this week in the All Star matches.” –Sean Cleary
It was quite a long and early drive to Drumm Farm Golf Club and my last recollection of being there was with Jake when we got completely downpoured on and pulled off the course several times. No worries about that at this match because it’s bright and sunny and scorching HOT!
He was paired up with another young golfer (Graham) for Day 1 and they were a great pair! Their personalities were similar and they both had the competitive edge needed to succeed. They ended with the low score for the day – a 35. Way to go guys!! Not to mention, there was quite a buzz around Drew at the event as he had just taken first in the local Drive, Chip, and Putt, 2 days prior!
Holden and Beau – his school friends were there on Day 1 representing their club, Falcon Ridge
We advanced to day 2 and as he warmed up on the range, the coach from the Springfield team was commenting to his player, that Drew was the one to watch! I received lot’s of compliments on my guy throughout the tournament. Proud Mom!!
on the range
We had to go to a playoff hole to determine who went on to the finals and there was quite a crowd. The excitement among the kids was fun to watch and they all support each other so well.
Winners of the playoff hole! Going to the afternoon final round!
Pairings were switched up a bit as we were going up against a very strong Mission Hills group.
Coach for our team (KC Orange) was the head pro from Blue Hills.
It was a hard fought match but they couldn’t pull it out in the end. I’m so proud of Drew and his representation of Lake Quivira! He is a true competitor and I enjoyed every hot minute of these two days! Drew, congratulations on an amazing Jr. PGA career. Can’t wait to watch you grow in the game of golf. Love you DREW!
ironing Reece’s dress for her 2nd birthday “lemonade stand” party
There are people in life that make such an impact on you that you can’t help but to be so grateful. My grandparents were those people! Losing them is difficult and the older I get, the harder it seems to be. They are all in heaven together now and will be forever adored and thought about every single day.
The Grammies were inseparable and they always had a purse and camera in hand. They were the BEST!!
Grammy D, the most beautiful soul, is resting in peace now and I miss her beyond measure. When it came time to celebrate her life in the church that I grew up going to on holidays and whenever in Pittsburg, I wrote what came to mind on that day. I could go on for pages and pages but kept it to one and I’m sharing it here.
On August 21, 2021, we had a wonderful service for her and family and friends there for support. I know she will be watching over us daily and peace will come over us in time. May our fun memories of her always shine through!
ohhh the Grandmothers Tea will not ever be the same but we will carry on missing our 3 and honor them always.
Excited to be playing the Blue Monster this morning as Jake made the cut in the last group. The hope is he has his driver figured out today. After breakfast and a warm up on the range, he’s ready!
And sure enough after numerous perfect balls on the range, his 1st drive of the day goes left🤦🏼♀️and he’s in disbelief. He makes bogey and we move on with the round.
As the round continues he finds the fairway multiple times and is set up for birdie often. He couldn’t get a birdie putt to fall to save his life. Ughhh it’s just heart breaking! He has one hole that he hits water and other than that, he had every opportunity to have the perfect round. He’s always a hole or two away from greatness.
Playing with Gavin Hagan from St. Louis and Julian Menser from Michigan
And since no one really reads this blog, I think it’s safe to post this selfie of me with the beautiful flowers. This is for my awesome dad—he loves flower photos and it just had to be done!! You’re welcome dad, love you!☺️
Shortly after this, with only 2 holes to go, we had to be shuttled back to the clubhouse for a 1.5 hour rain/lightning delay Final putt of the tournament
Today was a great day on the course and he was so close to a really low round. He had it all dialed in but the ball just didn’t drop in the cup. Job well done, Jakers. Your time is coming!
It was really nice that a golf friend from Wichita, Carson Wright, who’s round was complete, came out to watch Jake finish. We caught up with them for a few minutes and then we were off for a little bit of fun on the beach!
It’s about a 30 minute drive to the beach, but it’s our last afternoon here so we are making the most of it! We made it to the beach by 4:30pm and hoping to get at least an hour in before a suspected rain storm comes in.
Look at that cutie pie with the wicked golfers tan😂. I’m not in much better shape myself with my tan lines despite wearing 50spf, a hat, and finding shade every chance possible
We made it back just in time for our last dinner in the ballroom and it was the one dinner that Jake was most excited about—bbq night and ice cream sundaes for dessert (sounds like something papa would love). He had already declared that if we didn’t make it back in time we were going to get bbq for dinner! The wrap up party for the kids was 8-10pm but Jake didn’t want to go. He’s really just here for the golf and not making a ton of friends😂
A few last photos of this gorgeous evening!
Our villa
It’s been such a blessing being here this week with Jake and I’ve been taking it ALL in. He’s such a talented young player and has so many great physical and mental skills in this sport. He truly is so fun to watch and I hope he keeps improving, working hard, and enjoying the game.
Memorable quotes – “I pretty much spent the day on the beach today” – Jake referencing his 2nd round when he was in nearly every sand trap possible. “You have a very small mom” – the photographers comment as I walked up for our group photo on the tee box😂. “No wonder the breakfast is so gross here, they’re already putting it out!” – Jake referring to the hotel staff coming into the ballroom with breakfast items as we were still eating dinner🤣. Apparently they like to get a jump on breakfast set up! There are more funny quotes but I can’t think of them right now and we have an early flight out tomorrow so this is where I’ll close for now. Back to Kansas we go!!
Round 1 Golden Palm 80, Round 2 Blue Monster 85, Round 3 Blue Monster 80
It’s definitely been a good for Jake to experience tournament play on courses like this. It’s quite different than most in Kansas with different grass, and lots of sand and water. He’s learning to adjust to varying course conditions.
That’s a direct quote from Jake after his round on the Blue Monster today. I don’t usually like to start the post with the ending of the story but in this case, this quote can’t seem to leave my brain.
Today was an earlier start time (8am) but somehow we were already sweating through our clothes by hole 3. Miami is HOT! Even Jake commented on my sweaty shirt and that is for sure a first! He’s playing with Ben E (MS) and Andrew G (CA) again from Round 1. After 2 rounds, a cut is made and players are flighted.
Par on 1st hole (hole 10)
The first 8 holes proved to be a little difficult. Jake is using a new driver and trying to figure it out. It takes time and practice and his hands are filled with blisters. Hitting the fairway today was a challenge and in fact he was in the sand so much it was almost odd when he wasn’t.
Birdie!The galleryHe hit a fairway!!
He proceeded to shoot even through the next 5 holes and had great momentum then had an unfortunate/unlucky bounce that landed him in the sand (of course). There’s sand and water everywhere and largely hard to avoid. He powered through the rest of the round and I could see his brain churning over this driver dilemma.
Had a lot of trouble getting out of the sand in this final hole (hole 9 blue monster)
Somehow a round that was looking quite good at a point, ended up being a round he would love to forget. Repeatedly referencing only hitting 2-3 fairways today and the dreaded tee shots killing him.
I have to admit I’ve been on a strong cocktail of cold medicines and Drew’s prescription allergy medicine that I swiped from the cabinet before I left, so I’m not sharp on my details, but today I felt better, and I am proud of Jake for continuing to work hard.
He spent some time resting while I went to the beautiful pool here, we grabbed a $70 lunch in the hotel and and I nearly got stranded in a malfunctioning elevator😬then he was back in the range working.
We caught the finals of the long drive competition and we were pulling for Andrew Fowler, his golf acquaintance from Overland Park. We had previously run into him at lunch and he had a dreadful day on the course so we were hoping he could have some success on long drive.
I sure do adore this guy❤️
He made the cut! He gets to play the Blue Monster tomorrow (in the last group but he’s in). Hoping to find a few more fairways…
It’s go time! Dressed and ready and sporting some very nice new golf shoes. Actually, Brian decided to get a new pair as well. He thought he deserved some this week with all the walking and his others are soaked. I guess I’m out of luck since I’m over quota on all of my shoe buying anyway.
Today he is playing on the Golden Palm course and after a quick shower it was quite sunny the remainder of the day.
Now this is a first…look at these cuties on their scooters following their grandson from MS☺️
Don’t let them fool you! Those two were wild on those things. They would run you down if you were in the way I think.
The first hole is always nerve wracking and you just want to get through it! He had a great par and already on hole 2 we were backed up as the group ahead of us was waiting on a ruling. But we got back on track and weather was never a factor today. Although, it did get quite warm towards the end.
They have these smart boxes stationed all over the course to store clubs in case of a weather emergency. It’s quite a logistics process they have in place.
This was the result of an amazing chip on a par 3–nearly a chip in for birdie but he settled for par
A birdie on this one after another amazing chip to the green out of a steep sand trap.
There’s so much water and sand on this course and it probably would’ve been wise to play a practice round on this one. There were two holes that got him in trouble and he took triples on both. However, he also had 2 birdies and so many wonderful golf shots.
The final hole has a green completely surrounded by water and all 3 boys played the hole well. He barely missed his first putt and ended with an 80. He could’ve been quite low today had he not found the sand on a few holes. He had a great attitude and his composure is always a strong attribute for his game in my opinion.
Ben from MS (85), Jake (80), Andrew from CA (91)After round 1, tied for 40th out of 112
It’s never felt so good to get into the A/C after that round! We rested for a bit while Brian worked and then headed out to South Beach for some much deserved food and beach time. A local recommended Finnegan’s and it didn’t disappoint! The first cheeseburger for Jake on this trip (shocking…I know!)
The lobby of our villa We transported this skimboard all the way from KC so we’re hoping the waves on this beach will cooperate A little rest before hitting the water
The water was so warm. Almost too warm!
There’s a few cruise ships out there in the distance waiting to set sail soon I presume. I’m hearing cruises are going to rebound from the covid pandemic soon. He gave the skimboard a go quite a few times but he was pretty wiped from the day. If you’ve ever picked up his golf bag you would understand why! That thing weighs a ton😩
It was a really fun afternoon/evening and we headed back to Doral to get cleaned up. We skipped the free dinner as we had eaten in Miami Beach but did pick up a couple cannolis and a salad for me before they shut it down at 8pm.
They had glow golf for the event tonight and Brian was the winner (although Jake will say otherwise!)
Look how stunning this clubhouse is!
We went for ice cream at Sloan’s in a really nice area near our resort, City Place, with several cute shops and restaurants.
These realistic looking stuffed pets caught our eye and we all said that reece would’ve been in heaven in this store!! Sweets, stuffed animals, and toys galore
One final stop for more snacks and made it to the room by 10:45pm…curfew is 11. Not sure how that is enforced but we are ready to call it a night anyway. Early 8am tee time tomorrow!
I just had enough time to unpack my suitcase from Salt Lake with my girls, do my laundry, and pack it back up so I can get to Miami with Jake for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship at Trump National Doral. He qualified for this tournament weeks ago by taking 2nd place in a local tourney. We decided to spend the money and take the trip because it’s just a great opportunity to play at a premier course with golfers coming from all over the globe. You just never know if the opportunity would come along again. Of course, he also qualified to go to Pinehurst again for the US Kids Teen championships this week and also a tournament in Wichita. So there we were making a decision between 3 tournaments occurring this week. What a blessing to be in that position and way to go Jake!
Jake, Carson Wright (Wichita), Andrew Fowler (Leawood)
I have to admit I was really scrambling around to get myself packed and to a minute clinic before our flight because I’ve managed to start feeling bad. Thankfully just a nasty cold, but not ideal traveling conditions. We made it to the resort by midnight thanks to hopping on a different flight. Our original flight kept changing and it would’ve put us here at 3am.
2 suitcases, golf clubs, and his skimboard just in case we have some time to hit the beach.
Masked up of courseEating snacks and watching something related to golf. Always.
I swear we just closed our eyes and the alarm was going off to get up to check in for the tournament, eat breakfast, hit a few balls, and up to the tee box for a practice round on the Blue Monster course.
View from our room in the Jack Nicklaus VillaThis is the Ivanka ballroom and where we will eat breakfast and dinner each day—included in the package we were required to purchase. Without a package, breakfast is $26 and dinner $41…what!? That’s ridiculous!The grounds are perfectly manicured and gorgeousEverything is over the top here…including the gold embroidery on the seats of the golf carts. Chandeliers are laden with crystals and gold. Everywhere you go, things are “fancy” marbled floors and gold fixtures. Hallways are lined with large old photos of Jack Nicklaus photos and in the rooms too.
The practice round was off and on rain and some sunshine and delays. This is Jake’s least favorite weather to play in!! We played with Sebastian from Bolivia and Brady from Indiana.
At one point we had to get off the course and spend some time in the clubhouse. Probably a little too much money spent in the golf shop by many as well. Is this a Trump marketing ploy!? They said the weather has been unusually rainy here lately.
We debated about driving to the beach but it continued to rain so we took much needed naps and then Jake hit the range for a bit before dinner. He didn’t feel inclined to enter into the longest drive competition and he’s kicking himself, because he probably would’ve done well! One of competitors from the KC area is in the finals for it (Andrew Fowler).
We attended the welcome meeting and learned there are 575 junior athletes here from 23 countries. Wow!
One last order of business for the evening…a stop at Dicks Sporting Goods do get rain jackets and another umbrella because the weather is not looking good for the rest of the week. Despite a reminder set in all of our calendars, we still didn’t pack our rain gear!!
That’s all for now from Sunny (and by sunny, I mean rainy) Miami!! More updates to come.
Last night Reece plopped down on the couch with me and for some reason in the midst of our busy family schedule, she looked at our bookshelves and walked over to grab a book of my blogs. She started looking through the pictures and reminiscing about life (not reading the words on the pages I had no doubt taken hours upon hours to write!). Because why on earth would children read if they weren’t required to do so!? Oh well, I won’t get too caught up in that right now. I do hope she chooses to go back and read my stories at some point in her life and maybe she will enjoy them. That’s the sole reason I do this anyway! I started this journaling process in 2016 and my blog started out being recorded in 3 hard bound books and has dwindled to one book last year. Wow, that’s awful. I’m disappointed that I haven’t written more and it made me a little sad! I mean 2020 was a bit of a train wreck with 95% of the year being a world wide pandemic. Who knew that was coming!? Very little was going on other than hibernating in our homes and working on home projects so writing about it was not very enticing. However, I think the real reason it’s been hard to write is because our household has become crazy busy and I don’t want to miss a minute of it. I want to take it all in, be present, and just be a mom, wife, sister, daughter, granddaughter, aunt, and friend. Sometimes the days just zoom by and before I know it, I’m already into the next school year and have left out loads of topics in my blogs.
Reecie Cups — 5th grader looking so grown up on her last elementary school picture day!
BEFORE: These shelves have gotten so cluttered and been on my nerves for awhile! I spent a rainy afternoon making them so much better (see after picture below)! The Legos are shuffled to the bottomless pit we call the basement UGH!
AFTER: There’s the blog books front and center–I hope you guys look at them sometime 😉
This year I was particularly adamant that I would be fully present because in 32 days my first born is going to graduate from high school!! I will never be able to put into words what that feels like in my soul. It’s gut-wrenching yet perfectly exciting and wonderful. I’m launching my girl into the world and she’s going to be GREAT! The next 6 weeks are going to be absolutely nuts so you may or may not be seeing or hearing from me much. Much love, C
conleycrew 