Life w/ S

Today I went to the most important round of women’s golf in the world!

The US Women’s Open

Wasn’t too sure what to expect seeing as I have never gone to a professional golf event before; plus I’ve barely golfed more than 4 times in my life. And let me say, it isn’t too pretty. But I grabbed some khaki shorts, donned a golf polo, and prepared myself for the day.

We started at the at the first hole where we watched Michelle Wie tee off. Then we followed that pair for a couple of holes, and then waited for the leaders (best players) to make their way through the holes. Most of the time, I think watching golf is relatively boring. But following the players around the course and watching them actually play was pretty fun. The holes are crazy, and it’s fun to see the women be strategic about their shots. Ok, and their outfits are really great too. We watched the last pairs, including the final winner play for the majority of the time. It’s an interesting crowd because you can’t make a lot of noise as the players are hitting, but when they make a good shot or miss one….the crowd roars or makes a loud ‘awwwwwww’ sound. Too funny. 

We traversed most of the first nine holes, watching the pros do their thing. Constantly being amazed at how good they were. Then, due to a series of random events, our passes had been upgraded to corporate Skybox level. AKA: Sitting in this grand raised tent thing, with air-conditioning/fans and free food/drinks on the 18th hole. MAN. I’m a fan. 

Here are my observations:

*Fanny packs are legit at golf events, even spotted a Louis Vuitton one?

*The weather can make or break your morale. Especially if there is a breeze. 

*Make sure your shoes are comfortable; glad I grabbed my Nikes!

*Sunscreen is a MUST

*Be aggressive when scouting for a spot along the fairway to watch

*When golfers have made a few bad shots, they make very sassy comments under their breaths….

So yeah, long day but really fun! Still working on perfecting my golf clap….

This last week, Wisconsin Public Service sponsored Downtown Green Bay’s “Summer in the Park” concert series. Since it was the day after the 4th of July, the 484th Army Band was playing Dixieland tunes and patriotic jams. Louie the Lightening Bug was there, being a trooper through the heat. It was REAL hot; I still don’t know how the guys made it through the day since the rest of us were sweating profusely just standing there….

Anyway. It was a fun afternoon listening to music, coloring with the kids, repping WPS, and making solar bracelets! (White in the shade and colored in the sunlight!)  

A Sunday at Catholic Youth Expedition to visit Kat.

Which included things like killing a snake with a kayak paddle, sailing on the lake, tipping over on the lake, much laughter, much prayer, and a bunch of lovely people. 

Wednesday nights mean Farmers’ Market! A few interns went after work to stroll among the vendors, purchase a few veggies, visit a friend at her stand, and drink a cold beverage or two. Perfect for this sizzling day. 

Last adventure of a busy Saturday, ice cream at The Pearl, an infamous La Crosse establishment. Andrew and Dad got vanilla. I got blue-moon. The only family member living life on the edge! 

We had a little time to kill before the Ordination, so Dad, Andrew, and I went on a little adventure. Along the river in La Crosse there is a park, walkway, and this cute little garden! It had a handful of different themes as you walked through it. So peaceful. And nobody tripped and fell in the pond. #bonus 

On the way to La Crosse, we stopped at Roche-A-Cri State Park, French for crevice in the rock. The area looked extremely particular, since the region is completely flat, until this giant 300ft rock layer randomly juts out through the trees. IT’S HUGE. First, we walked around the base of it a bit and saw where Native Americans had carved symbols into the rock face. Then we proceeded to climb to the top. Which included 303 stairs. Dad and I took our time walking up the never-ending flights of stairs, whilst Andrew thought the best plan of attack was to take the monstrosity running two steps at a time. Needless to say, he basically had an asthma attack as Dad and I were enjoying the view from a landing at a break point. 

As you get to the top, trees mostly block your view of the surrounding area. Then you begin to walk out on to a wooden platform that breaks from the cover of the foliage. What a view!! At first, it feels like your walking the gang-plank into midair, but once you get over that, the view is amazing. You’re so high up from all the other trees that they look like little broccoli. We stayed up there for a while, admiring what a strange natural feature we were standing on. Dad checked out all of the historical information on a few signs. I had a whistling competition with a small bird. And then it was time to head back down all those stairs…..

More family adventures from our day trip to Wausau. 

Quickly becoming one of my favorite places here.