I'm a huge fan of setting up a weekly night that you steal away from the kids all distractions to act like a married couple (PS - only if you are married or strongly considering it, no funny business). Kristen and I have successfully been out on a date every Tuesday (95% of the time over 7+ years is a success in my book) and it is one of the things I'm most proud of in our relationship. Very few things say "I love you" to me more than putting everyone else on hold for a time to invest and catch up on life. There are pros (and a few cons) to having the set night of the week be a date night - ask me if you want more info.
Over the years some of these have turned out better than others. We've had some that were outright horrible - some even when we had to turn the car around and head back home (it's always tough getting out of the house shortly after bringing a new baby home) - but last night was a sweet one that involved a throwback event that went way back to before we were married.
In the Spring of 2004, Kristen and I headed to NYC to stay with my brother. We went maybe 5+ times while we were dating - we love NYC for many reasons, but especially because it reminds us of this time. A friend, Maggie Lee, suggested if we were going to see a show that it be a new show I had never heard of called Wicked. It had just come out and was still quiet enough to get good reviews and still be able to find tickets. We did and we feel in love.
[picture below taken the night of our original Wicked date in NYC, sorry I couldn't find one at the theater even though I know I took one]
When the event finally hit the road and made it to Memphis five years later I knew I had to find tickets. Fortunately the day before tickets went on sale to the public I found a promo code (and shared it on twitter - another reason to follow me) and grabbed the best seats I could find to surprise my bride for a mothers day gift.
So to make a long story short. We went last night.
I guess sitting so close gave me jitters, but I loved being there with my bride and hearing her sing every song and laugh at every joke. The show was spectacular and worth the investment. All in all it is just really well done - the plot, the acting, the songs and especially all references to original story The Wizard of Oz. If you're still around Memphis (or if its coming to your town) know its worth it. And ladies feel free to send your husbands my way. I'm a fan and would be happy to bend his arm,talk him into it encourage him towards the idea.
2009 proved to be another exciting year for the Amateurs due primarily to a great field of participants and perfect golf weather. 16 men took on the ultimate challenge of traveling to a small town in North Alabama to compete against each other and exercise their dominion over God's beautiful creation with little more than a bag of 14 clubs and a bunch of little white balls.
It all began at Broadway Pizza on April 9. For the first time in Amateurs history, the teams were picked using a live draft format with captains Tony Wade and Preston Carpenter alternating picks. Captain Carpenter took a unique approach of picking his team based on historical winning percentages while Captain Wade stuck to the more traditional plan of picking lower handicappers first. Based on the draft results, Captain Wade's team chose the name Won at Broadway (WAB) while Captain Carpenter's team, known primarily for their creativity, chose to be called Carpenter's 8 (C8).
Everyone arrived at the Doublehead Resort on Thursday night, May 14th. Captain Wade set the tone of the weekend early by going through his hour-long P90X routine on Thursday night as all 15 of the other competitors watched in amazement. At one point, Vaughans tried to pick up on the workout routine, but he didn't last long and decided to call it a night after the wall-sit.
The competition began early on Friday morning with two 4-man best ball matches played on Fighting Joe. The Joe was in top condition and proved a formidable foe for the Amateurs as countless balls sailed into the waste-high grass never to be seen again. WAB won both of the 4-man matches to take home 4 points.
[video below, view original post if not visible]
Round 2 followed shortly thereafter and was also played on the Joe, but this time it was a 2-on-2 best ball competition. WAB took 3 out of the 4 afternoon matches to take a commanding 10-2 lead into the clubhouse after day 1. P90X paid off as Captain Wade shot 86-86 in his first 2 rounds.
After an exhausting day of hiking through the hyper-allergenic tall grass and trying to remember how many strokes they took in the sand, the Amateurs congregated at the world-famous Stanfield's Steak House which is best known for its variety of cuts of meat, all of which look and taste the exact same when served. 32 individual rounds of golf were recounted from various perspectives, and only one question remained at the end of the dinner: what exactly was that gook in Vaughans's eye? That question remained unanswered as all of the Amateurs headed back to Butler cabin to get rested for Saturday's matches...except for Captain Wade, of course, who completed yet another hour of his P90X routine.
C8 awoke Saturday morning with a renewed sense of purpose and ready to mount a comeback, but WAB had no intention of backing down. Round 3 consisted of 4 more 2-man best ball matches, but this time the matches were played on the Schoolmaster. The pressure was intensifying for C8. At one point in the round, Andy Beckman was giving playing partner Jack Pierratt some pointers to which Jack solemnly responded, “Get out of the way of my backswing.” The Schoolmaster affirmed the fact that C8 team members are more studious than they are athletic as they dropped 3 of the 4 matches and halved the 4th. Captain Wade's began to feel the effects of P90X as he fired a 98 on Saturday. Day 3 ended with WAB up 17-3 overall, but C8 was still in the competition as Sunday's matches were worth a total of 16 points.
Through round 3, the 2009 Amateurs had been as competitive as ever, but before tempers got out of hand, everyone took a break for some friendlier forms of competition. Six diehard golfers opted to play yet another round of golf despite the (relatively) light rain, while the remaining participants went back to Butler cabin to see who could knock down a pyramid of empty beer cans the quickest. The empty beer cans apparently won, as the pyramid seemed to grow faster than anyone could knock it down. Everyone reconvened Saturday evening to continue the Amateur tradition of a catered fried catfish dinner, complete with hushpuppies, french fries and banana pudding.
Sunday morning brought with it aching muscles and increased cholesterol levels. Stamina was going to be a key to Sunday's matches, and P90X was no longer WAB's friend. The weather Sunday was perfect for the final round of competition, which was played on the Schoolmaster. C8 needed to win 7 matches and halve the 8th in order to tie the overall competition. As the scores started to come in, it became clear that C8 had a chance to beat the odds and pull it out:
Captain Wade continued his slide as he shot a final round 99 and lost to Captain Carpenter 2&1.
Beckman fed off of Pierratt's fire from Saturday and halved his match with Bryson.
In true DownLine style, Beckman passed the victory torch onto Vaughans who closed out struggling Founding Father Geer 4&2.
While Marino wondered what happened to hsi glory days as Amateurs MVP, he still managed to maintain his pride by closing out Founding Father Bourland 4&2.
Coming off of a career roudn on Saturday afternoon, Rookie Echols put up a good fight but ultimately fell to Pieratt 2&1.
Holbrooks ran into a red-hot Walker, who found his swing on the back nine of the last round and closed out the match 3&2.
With 5 matches won and 1 halved, Captain Carpenter's draft strategy was beginning to make sense. Rookie Byrd was locked in an intense battle with Matthews who is known for his killer instinct at the Amateurs. The match came down to the final hole as they were AS after 17. Rookie Byrd had a 3-foot putt to win the hole. Byrd learned what the pressure of the Amateurs is all about as he missed the putt and Matthews won the hole. It is not an easy place for rookies to win.
Ultimately, Byrd's putt was not a deciding factor as Founding Father Dorman continues is MVP-sytle play and eliminated Founding Father Hill 5&4 in one of the more talked about matches of the weekend.
While Sunday's performance raise C8's overall grade point average, WAB finished at the top of the class by securing 5 points and the overall victory. The final score on the weekend was 22-14 as WAB took home the cup, proving once again that past performance is not indicative of future results.
The 2009 Amateurs lived up to all expectations. Friendships were strengthened, rivalries were born, a lot of golf balls were hit and a lot of food was consumed. And if you are like me and this recap leaves you hungry for just a little bit more, don't worry, the 2010 Amateurs is just around the corner...
If you've ever hosted a madhouse birthday party for all of your friends and friends' kids (and then some more kids on top of that) you know taking pictures at your own child's birthday party is hard to do.
Happy Birthday Sims and Miles! Your parents worked hard to make sure you had a fun birthday - thanks for inviting the Hill girls!
Kristen and I will have been married for 5 years this fall.
We had the privilege of living out a dream and having a fairy tale wedding on a beautiful beach where everything was perfectly scripted until a hurricane arrived three days into our honeymoon. Sadly this forced us to evacuate our honeymoon cottage in Seaside inland to save not only our marriage, but our lives. [Don't worry Seaside is still there and worth visiting if you haven't.]
Lesson learned: Have a beautiful beach wedding, but if you plan on spending your honeymoon on the gulf, don't get married in hurricane season. [Trivia: can you name the first month in 100 years that 4 Class V hurricanes hit mainland US soil? Answer: September 2004, the month we got married. - one day I hope to win Jeopardy with this one and totally redeem myself.]
All this to say, I've longed to steal my bride away ever since then to a place we couldn't go back to easily and that was just ours. I knew the budget would be tight this year, but one of my goals for 2009 was to make it happen. After some extensive research I found a little place just south (but far enough out of the way) of Cancun that offered everything I was looking for. An easy quick flight out of Memphis (2 hrs, 15 minutes direct MEM to CUN), affordable luxuries (I highly recommend the couples massage), rugged adventures (cenotes close by) w/ air conditioning and all the bells and whistles with which to spoil my bride. I knew I was on to something when The Tides kept popping up from friends that had visited for their honeymoons (most thought they were the only ones who knew about it). Morgan & Nick Hayes swayed us the most and before I knew it was booked and I surprised Kristen with the news over Valentine's dinner.
If you've never been to Mexico, you might have misjudged it like I did. If you're expecting dusty roads, flexible law enforcement, swine flu and food that will somehow make you sick before you leave - then leave those thoughts behind. Although we did find our share of dusty roads. (although aren't the best places usually off the beaten path?)
All I can say is thank you to all of those who made this decision easier. One friend even suggested we grease (give 'em $20) a specific team member and then sit back and watch Manuel go. It was the best tip we ever received. The food, beach and overall experience couldn't of been better.
Back when I was teaching and used to house sit for other families and their children, I remember hearing these parent say "this is the first time we've gotten away for more than a night since we had the kids 20 years ago." I was shocked to hear things like this and frankly it scared the poop out of me. But it all made sense when in reality it is very easy to get married and jet set as much as you like, and then have kids and put your head in the sand before pulling it out 5/10/20 years down the road asking "where did the time go?" Kristen and I were fortunate we stole away only 5 years in.
My blog friends have asked about the trip and why I haven't blogged about it. The first question I get is, "Did you have fun?" My first response is casually, "If you can't have fun on a trip like this, then you're an idiot." I also add that it is a little odd blogging about a second honeymoon. We all know these things are our way to highlighting the best of life, but somehow I felt this one was too good to share... and then y'all broke me.
I made a short video of the trip for Kristen (sorry, not for public consumption) and when I asked her what she loved most, she said among other things, "reading." We both loved reading while there. Kristen took down: The Help and One Fifth Avenue while I read: Home Game, Same Kind of Difference As Me and Crazy Love. [More on these later - all worth reading, ask me to borrow it, I'm in a giving book mood lately.]
Life consumes you pretty easily with kids. I can see how days/weeks/years go by just trying to catch up on the trivial (but sweet) events of each day. Rarely does a married couple get to look back at how they first met, first dates, and dream of what the future might hold. I highly recommend it. I also can also see it took a couple days in to adjust to the relaxed days. I was proud of my bride for wanting to spend time with me and having a good approach to leaving her girls. Can you believe we didn't call them or even check email once while we were gone. [and yes, we even had wifi in our rooms, but choose not to indulge.]
Who knows when life will allow us to take a trip like this again - if ever. I pray it is one of the best investments in our marriage we ever make. I pray you can break your schedule and budget down to make something similar happen for you as well. And the best part is that we still have September to celebrate our actual anniversary with a fun dinner!
And oh yea... So far, no symptoms of swine flue since returning.
Growing up is never easy. I think that is why I've always related best to kids. Until now I've always worked with children on some level or another, usually as my profession. From education to summer camps, I love connecting with the high pace of youth and the mad sense of adventure that comes when learning life for the first time. There is no better tour guide than the one that steers youth from future danger.
It is in these same thoughts that I recently finished celebrating my 5th anniversary of marriage and my parents' 40th. Both monumental and very grown up. I spend my time (more than I should) reconnecting with old friends online and keeping up with recent ones through social media avenues that tend to cater to the youth. It is through these that memories of days gone by stay fresh on my mind.
Tommy Nelson spoke recently on what happens to Christian young men once they get married to a group of DownLine alum. As the world tries to disqualify them to share the Gospel, he warned that Satan loves to keep these men with their eyes in the rear view mirror. The thought that if these Godly men could only focus on the "best of days" as the past, then they would never be successful in the present, much less the future. That while they dive deep into their families and work, they will lose track and become ineffective in sharing the Gospel with those around them. They grow up and out of fellowship with those that once spurred them on to the cross. It is all to common to find men in this place in life.
Simply put... They outgrow Jesus.
While morning the loss of adventures past, we have a tendency to forget the current call to live in the present and fight for the rewards of the eternal. While heavily involved in ministries/church in high school and college, once we turn the corner on life we settle down on more than just relationships. It is my prayer that I never settle. I long for adventures that jump starts my faith and never allow me to outgrow the one I was created for.
Growing up is tough.
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Thanks Herman for posting the video and waking me up on a Monday.
Just in case you steal a little extra free time this Saturday, stop by your local chicken shack with your kid (or really anybodys kid) and be sure to get your free milkshake in honor of father's day.
And if you happen to be home alone all weekend while your wife and children are visiting the grandparents, be sure to ask me to go with you - or to borrow your kid for a couple minutes so I can get in on the fun as well.
Reminder: Chick Fil A is closed on Sunday, this is a Saturday deal only.
If you've been around here for a while you might have seen me post pictures from Gibson's Donuts, a local hangout where you can find fresh doughnuts 24 hours a day. I grew up stopping in well past midnight in high school for a sugar fix and even met a girl once I would eventually marry there after a friends wedding. Now-a-days on most Saturdays or Sundays you'll see me and my girls stealing some daddy/daughter time. So it won't surprise most of you that this story caught my eye heart and thought it was worth sharing in case you haven't read it.
The ceremony took place under a bright blue sky, with doughnuts as hors d'oeuvres. Yes, doughnuts. What exactly did you expect? Bagels? Or croissants?
The ceremony was to honor someone who answers to the name "Donut Man." So of course they served doughnuts. Glazed doughnuts. Some coffee would have been nice. "OK, we ready? asked Councilman Kemp Conrad. All said they were ready, if suddenly sticky of hand. "WHEREAS," Conrad started, and it got so quiet you could almost hear the yeast rise.
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This is not a big breaking story. It is not about politics or corruption or budgets or crime. It is about one man who makes doughnuts. That's the beauty of it. His name is Don DeWeese and he grew up in Philadelphia, Miss., and he once told his wife, Rita, that he'd never, ever want to live in Memphis.
"True story," he said. "We were living in Jackson, Tenn., at the time." A year later, DeWeese was transferred to Memphis. Isn't it funny how life works? DeWeese worked for JC Penney in what he calls "the new Raleigh Springs Mall" store. "I had a bunch of departments," he said. "Boys, girls, infants, lawn and gardens and toys." Some mornings, DeWeese stopped at Gibson's Donuts at 760 Mt. Moriah. Being the social sort, he and Mr. Gibson came to be friends. "They called me the official tester," he said. "I got to know if the doughnuts were cooked right."
In 1996, Mr. Gibson retired. Heart problems. Go figure? The official tester then promoted himself. "I bought the store as investment," DeWeese said. Yeah. An investment in kids. Because under DeWeese, 62, Gibson's does not just sell doughnuts. It sells memories and experiences. It sells hot glazed doughnuts eaten in your pajamas. It sells Saturday mornings with your mom or dad. "For a lot of people, it's the only time of the week a daddy can go one-on-one with his child," DeWeese said. "It's quality family time and we don't care if you spill milk on the floor."
As it happens, one of the fathers who took his kids to Gibson's was an aspiring politician named Kemp Conrad. DeWeese didn't know Conrad. He treated him like everyone else. Which is to say, fabulously.
"We started going every Saturday," Conrad said. "And then, as a member of the City Council, you're given the opportunity to name a road after one member of the community each year." This was Conrad's first choice. Whom should he pick? A wealthy donor? A mover and shaker? A genial doughnut man? "It was my wife's idea," Conrad said. Someone, elect his wife.
Conrad may have other inspired moments as a member of the City Council but they won't be any more inspired than this one. A street named after a doughnut man. Well, why not? Why not honor someone who makes this a better community one cruller at a time? Why not shine a light on a person who has turned his own little piece of Memphis into a magical place? So often, we reserve our honors for those who do extraordinary things. But isn't there as much value in doing ordinary things -- like making doughnuts -- extraordinarily well? DeWeese didn't wait for a new mayor to help him create a fabulous doughnut shop. He didn't move his doughnut shop to Mississippi in a huff. He hung a flying cow from his ceiling. He decided to have a blast.
So it was that last Saturday morning, before a gathering of kids of all ages, Conrad started to read. "WHEREAS, Don DeWeese is known for his love of people and Memphis ... "WHEREAS, he single-handedly operates his own type of boys and girls club ..." The man said "WHEREAS" 11 times before he was finished. Followed by one joyful "NOW THEREFORE." Then Conrad unveiled the sign on that little stretch of Mt. Moriah outside the shop: "Don DeWeese Boulevard." Maybe it was the doughnuts, but you should have heard the people clap.
"I said I'd never live in Memphis," DeWeese said. "Now I'd never leave."
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Thanks Lindley for sharing this story with me. I'm proud you thought it fit my blog.
There are fewer joys than welcoming close friends into parenthood with a healthy child. Skinny Benny Ben has been a close since high school and since marrying Melissa and moving to Philly recently, we are excited to watch God continue to bless them with a growing family.
Please help me welcome the newest Doane into the world...
Isaac McCarten Doane (Isaac)
Born June 4, 2009 12:56 AM
8 pounds, 7 ounces, 19 3/4 inches
I am a 31 year-old disciple of Christ who is married with a young family. I work for a local non-profit Christian community foundation. The foolish wisdom you will find here includes my story of life, themes of faith, Memphis, travel, parenting, technology among others. This is one the two blogs I attempt to maintain, the other - baby.blogging, primarily focuses on my family.
