Greetings!

Happy Holidays, Everyone!
       I am glad to see you found me at my new blog address! After many readers have mentioned the lack of updates on my blog, I have finally decided to take their advise and get back on the blogging train. Maybe my New Years resolution should be to keep up on my blog??  A lot has happened since my last post, but I will try to make it short and sweet!
       At the end of August, as many of you may remember, Bruce and I tested our skills at LPGA Qualifying School. Although I did not make the cut to the next stage, we walked away with a lot of knowledge of the professional golf world and tournament experience under our belts. Since q-school, Bruce and I have driven across the entire Western US and back again. We visited our friends in Eugene, Farm-sat in Coeur d'alene, packed up our belongings and made our way to my home town, Gilbert, Arizona. We have decided to stay in Arizona until around May of 2014. Starting in January, I will have the opportunity to play in many professional events around AZ. We cannot wait for 2014!!
         As of right now, I am working hard with my swing coach, Kene Bensel, enjoying the holiday season, and loving being home. Bruce is busy being a wonderful caddy, husband, and is currently in search of a part time job. We are both very excited for the adventures that the new year will bring, and we are very grateful for have so much love and support from friends and family!
Thank you all
Cheers!!

The Battle Begins

Hi All!
        Once again I have fallen behind on my blog writing and for that I apologize. Let's see, where did I leave off.... Oh yes, EUGENE!! After Bruce and I left Coeur d'Alene, we headed to Eugene where we got to be apart of celebrating two awesome marriages. With a week between the "I Do's" Bruce and I got to spend a lot of time at my old college course, Emerald Valley. It was so much fun to be back in Eugene to visit with friends, old teammates and family. I even got to take part in a friendly Thursday competition amongst the wonderful members at Emerald.
          After spending ten great days in Eugene, it was time to pack up the car once again and drive 1,250 miles to my hometown, Gilbert, Arizona. As soon as we arrived in Arizona, I realized how much I had been spoiled with Oregon and Idaho summer weather!! 110 didn't feel as nice as I remembered it. With limited days in Gilbert, Bruce and I spent many hours with my coach, Kene Bensel. Within the first few seconds of Kene seeing me swing, he told me it was the best he had EVER seen me swing!!! WEWWWWW! What a giant boost of confidence right before LPGA Qualifying School. After making sure my swing was in check and my putting looked good, we packed up again and headed for  Palm Springs, CA.
         Arriving in Palm Springs, Bruce and I were ready to take on the Sun Coast tour in preparation for Q-school that would take place on the same courses in the following week. During our practice rounds we played great, despite 115 degree temperatures and the muggy blanket that covered us. After the practice rounds we were ready to go!! That brings us to yesterday, August 18th when I teed it up in my second professional tournament. After hitting the ball so great for many weeks straight, I thought it would be impossible for anything to go wrong. However, I was wrong...very wrong. It seemed as if something it my swing changed over night, and for those of you who play golf you know that this can happen. I really struggled my first day of the tournament shooting an 80 and feeling totally disappointed. I couldn't believe my game seemed to be crumbling in front of me at such an inopportune time. After spending the afternoon cooling down, I started thinking about my swing and wondering what I could do differently the following day. With some love and tons of encouragement for Bruce, we decided to wake up early the next day (that being today) to try and figure out what went wrong. This isn't something I would normally do in the middle of the tournament, but I decided since I had a huge week ahead of me and that I didn't tee off today until almost 1pm, I had plenty of time. After a little bit of freaking out and watching some video, Bruce and I were back to hitting it great!!! I went out on the course today with a ton more confidence and a swing that was easy to score with. Despite a few little faults and missed putts, I shot a one-under 71! Although I kind of shot myself out of the competition with my first round, I had been looking at this tournament as a very extended practice for the week ahead in the first place. With two more days of competition ahead, I hope to continue playing better on these courses and have tons of confidence heading into Qualifying School, beginning August 26th. You can follow my progress in the Sun Coast Tour event at http://www.suncoastseries.com/ . Also, check back here to hear my thoughts about Q-school and a few words from my wonderful caddy, Bruce! Thank you all for your kind words and support, we couldn't do it without you!!

On The Road Again....I Can't Wait to Get On the Road Again!

Hello Everyone,
        I realize it has been a while since I last posted but don't worry, you haven't missed much. In the past week Bruce and I took a few days off to spend time with my sister, our nieces and some visiting friends. We devoured far too much great food, enjoyed the beauty of Lake Coeur d'Alene that had tempted us for over a month, and had some time alone together to celebrate our first year anniversary. As we get ready to leave Coeur d'Alene for the next month, the farm and the forge will be in full swing and sure to be missing our help, just as we are going to miss home cooked meals and being surrounded by family.

      Bruce and I are packing up the car today to leave on our next adventure starting in the morning. Our first stop: Eugene, OR to be apart of two wonderful weddings. Following Eugene, we will be driving down the west coast toward our final destination, Palm Springs, CA to play in LPGA Qualifying School at the end of August. We are both very anxious and excited to get on the road. We feel like we are ready to take on any golf course and that our hard work will pay off!! As most of you know, this venture doesn't come free of charge. We are spending the money we saved over the past year, along with the donations of gracious family and friends to pay for entry fees, hotels, food, gas and equipment. If you are interested in aiding us in pursuing our dream, you can use the Paypal button at the top of the page to show your support. Thank you all for your generosity, kind words and pushing us to the limit.

A Sucessful Start

      Well, Ladies & Gentlemen, my first professional event is in the books!!! I had an amazing time at my first tournament and couldn't have asked for a better result. Bruce and I drove from CDA to Federal Way, WA to compete in the Pepsi Northwest Women's Open. Upon arrival, I was expecting a course that had a sort of "easy" "country club" layout.... however, what we saw was something much different. Put together huge pine trees, intimidating undulations,

treacherous greens and 8 dog-legs, and you get Twin Lakes Golf Club. On our first day in Federal Way, we played a practice round to learn the layout of the links and Bruce put his caddying skills into full gear. The following day, I participated in a Pro-Am event that was very enjoyable and allowed me to become a little more relaxed. My team and I had a great time and we shot a lightening round of 54, but ended up losing by two strokes. Although we lost, I walked away from the Pro-Am with a relaxed mentality and was ready to take on the course the following day. 

          On the first morning of competition, I have to say my nerves were running a little more than wild. I stepped out on the first tee with my heart racing, but Bruce has always told me, "Channel your nerves into focus." So keeping his words in mind, he lined me up, I took a deep breath and I smoked it down the middle!! It was a great start to my first event. The day continued with a couple birdies, a few bogeys, due to nerves and some little mistakes. I ended the day with a score of 3 over, 75. Although I knew I lost some shots out there, I also knew how difficult the course was playing and that I couldn't be too far from the lead heading into day two. 

           I went into day two a few shots back but held a lot more confidence than the previous day. The second day started out much like the first, but this time the competitive side of me came out and I was looking to shoot low.  Although I hit the ball better than I had in weeks and I was sticking it close, I couldn't get my putts to drop. As I stepped up on my 18th hole of the day, I stood at one under par. I looked down the skinny fairway to see a group of people sitting around the green. I thought to myself, "wow, my first professional gallery... let's do this!!!" I striped it down the middle and had just a wedge into the final pin that was tucked in the back corner of the green. I hit a good approach shot and missed the birdie putt by only centimeters. I walked away happy and content with the way I played in my first event. Once all the scores were in, I realized I had moved up a couple spots and I walked away with 3rd place and a nice paycheck!

       All in all, I was very happy with the way I played in my first tournament. However, I know I could have played better, which gives me confidence that the best is yet to come. Also, I couldn't be more proud of the way Bruce conducted himself as my caddy. He did a wonderful job and kept me calm the entire tournament!!! We really make a spectacular team and I know I would never want anyone else on the bag besides him. Playing in this event really helped me regain the love of the competition that this game provides and helped me to remember that the only person I am really competing against, is myself.

 

All in a Days Work

Happy Friday!
        I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday yesterday & stayed safe.To celebrate the fourth, Bruce and I took the day off from the golf course and enjoyed some farm work, a bike ride, great food and a lot of relaxing. We harvested our first vegetables of the season, Easter Egg Radishes!! Sadly, some of the radishes got too big to eat and had to be fed to the deer. In any case, these radishes are beautiful and vibrant!!

       Earlier this week, I couldn't have been more impressed by Bruce. He really found a knack for metal forging and is starting to get creative. Over a couple short days he made about 20 beautiful crosses that come in many textures, finishes and sizes. He will be selling them at the farmers market this Saturday, along with all the other things he and my Dad have made at The Forge at Lynx Trail. Also, if any of you lovely readers are interested in purchasing a cross, all the money goes to our golf travels and entry fees. You can contact Bruce on Facebook or leave me a comment on this blog.

      Well, today marks the ten short days until Bruce and I leave for our first professional event!! We will be traveling to Federal Way, WA to play in the NW Women's Open. I can't wait to kick off my career and I think this tournament will be the perfect place to do that. My game is coming together nicely and I have been shooting consistent low scores out at Circling Raven. Lastly, after many months of waiting, the Q-school applications are FINALLY available! I will be putting in mine in the next week or so, along with planning the rest of the summers venture. Check back in to see where Bruce and I are heading next!

Our First Few Steps

Hey Everyone!
    Bruce and I have been in Coeur d'Alene for two weeks now, and things are really starting to come together. I am learning to drive the farm's 1967 Ford truck... (let me tell you, it is difficult!), while Bruce is learning his way around the old-fashion forge. Also, the crops are growing very fast so it will not be long before we will be harvesting!! This kind of work is unlike anything either of us have done before but we are really enjoying it. Aside from life off the golf course, life ON the course has been even better!
      In the past week, Bruce and I had the opportunity to go play a round of golf together without him caddying, which doesn't happen very often. We had a wonderful time and I got my second hole-in-one!! It was a great way to start off the round and I continued to hit the ball that day better than I have in months. We are working daily to get my swing in tip-top shape for my first pro event in a few short weeks.
      Some more exciting news....  I would like to send a humongous thank you to the staff at Circling Raven Golf Club, who have decided to host me for the summer.  This will allow me to play and practice for free, as well as wear some of their awesome clothing!!! Without generous people like them, we wouldn't be able to make it very far on this journey. http://www.cdacasino.com/golf/.

Beautiful hole # 5 @ Circling Raven

   

Fairwell, Eugene... Hello Coeur d'Alene

      Just over 10 days ago, Bruce and I set out on our adventure. With a very full Uhaul and many tears, we left our little home in Eugene, Oregon and 10 hours later arrived in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

     Over the next month and a half, we will be living at my parents house in CDA while we work diligently to sharpen my golf game and Bruce's caddying skills. However, our stay here doesn't come free of charge... when Bruce and I aren't on the golf course, we will be working as hired farm hands for my parents' micro-organic farm, as well as learning the art of forging in my dad's metal shop. Here is a link to Lynx Trail Farm & Forge: http://lynxtrailfarm.com/
      Although we are living out of our suitcases and are away from many things we know and love, this move has been a step in the right direction towards pursuing our dream of playing professional golf.