The Masters, in all its beauty ~ Texas Rangers ~ Dallas Mavs ~ Get Outside

The Masters

The ultimate Bucket List item and one of the ones that exceeded my expectations.

If you play golf, have a family member who makes you watch golf or take naps to golf, you understand that The Masters is the holy grail of golf tournaments. It is the only PGA tournament that is played in the same location every year, Augusta, Georgia. 

Thanks to very dear friends of mine, I had the chance to walk through the azaleas, experience the serenity of Amen Corner and watch the players skip golf balls across the water at Hole 16. If they allowed people to sleep on the grass, I would have stayed forever. 

We were there for two days of practice rounds, which is fun because the players are relaxed and cut up with one another. They cancelled the Par 3 Contest, which was sad, but just being there was the most wonderful feeling ever.

You can't take phones in, so I even called my parents from the phones at Augusta, just to do so. We also didn't realize you could bring in a real camera, so I purchased a disposable camera from 2004... I'll let y'all know how the photos turn out in 4-6 weeks. 

Photo from outside the course - ha!

I wish I could describe it better, but it's as beautiful as you would imagine and then some. There isn't an arboretum or garden that looks and smells better than the fairways at Augusta. And not to mention the food. It is exactly what everyone said, $1.50 pimento cheese sandwiches and $1.50 sweet tea. I mean, life does not get better! And yes, I ate all the gluten. Didn't care, it's THE MASTERS! 

Fun fact: Augusta National Golf course was a nursery in the 1920's, before it was turned into a golf course. And President Eisenhower was an early member, which is why there is a street named after him. 

I also got to fist bump Scott Van Pelt from ESPN. Y'all, he is who I've grown up watching and he's the tallest and nicest guy. He stood near the 1st tee box and told stories to any patrons that wanted to listen. Class act!

THE TOURNAMENT

The tournament was cancelled in April last year and moved to November 2020. Dustin Johnson walked away with the W, coming off the 2019 victory by Tiger Woods. I hope this year it is as epic as the last two. Check out the Champions dinner menu that DJ picked out. 

With Jordan Spieth's win at the Texas Valero Open this past weekend, he could carry that momentum into Sunday at The Masters, but he's not off to the best start on Thursday. Hopefully we see him comeback and the new Father Jon Rahm.

Here is the current leaderboard. 

Justin Rose is in the lead at -7 under, which is amazing with how fast the greens are. These guys have been missing the fairways left and right; especially Bryson and Brooks. The rest of the weekend should be fun! We'll see which 50 players make the cut and if rain impacts the play at all. 

The history, the tradition, the greenery and the yellow accents (the happiest color in the world)... it was perfection, and it always will be. Nothing is digital, everything is personal and we didn't meet a person that wasn't kind and hospitable. 

I will say this, if you are a fan of the game and can find a way to get tickets, save up until you're able to do so. It will be worth it!

To watch The Masters (if you don't have the golf channel), you can live stream it Thursday and Friday from their website and app or watch it on ESPN later in the evening.

#TheMasters

#BucketList

#Thankful

#Yellow

Texas Rangers (3-3)

Opening Day was on April 5th! We are not off to the best start, but we have a long way to go. 

First things first, FANS ARE BACK AT THE STADIUM!!!! This is our brand new stadium that was built for the 2020 season, but we were not able to go. Only those who attended the post-season games and World Series in 2020 got to see the stadium before us. 

But, now it's our turn!

Remember to be respectful, but also be FANS! The wave his prohibited. If you're doing the wave, it means you're bored and you should probably have stayed at home and watched TV. It's okay, not everyone can hang for the full length of a game, but that's why you go, to see something done that you've never seen before. And to see it in person. #makinghistory

Not only will the stadium look different, but you may not recognize a few of the players. I'm not sure if we're still "re-building," but we are making trades more often than I'd like. 

Players that are new to the team: 

Catcher: Jonah Heim

Short Stop: Charlie Culberson

2nd Baseman: Brock Holt

1st Baseman: Nate Lowe

Left Fielder: David Dahl

Pitcher (RH): Mike Foltynewicz

Pitcher (RH): Kohei Arihara

Pitcher (RH): Dane Dunning

Pitcher (RH): Brett de Geus

Odor is gone, Elvis is gone, Beltre was gone a long time ago. No David Murphy or Mitch Moreland. All of the guys from the 2000's are gone. It's a new dawn, it's a new day. 

Let's Go Rangers! 

@ESPN

I get to go to my first game Friday night vs. the Padres, I'll let y'all know how it goes. I'm sure I'll take a pic or two. 

#LetsGoRangers

#TexasRangers

Dallas Mavericks 28-22 (wins-losses)

We won five straight and then lost to the Houston Rockets Wednesday night. 

Luka leads the team in all but blocks, but everyone is contributing! When Brunson gets hot, he is unstoppable. He has had quite a few games with 20+ points, but we need him to do that every night. Kidding, but Luka can't get worn out if we do make it to the Playoffs. He is averaging five minutes more than Porzingis and Hardaway Jr. per game and has averaged 8 point more per game. 

Hopefully they get the W over Milwaukee tonight to help us close the gap between us and the Portland Trailblazers, who have a slightly better record in the Western Conference. 

As of now, we're ranked 7th in the West. If we played in the East, we'd be in the 4th place spot. Interesting. 

From ESPN

#MFFL

#LukaDoncic

#Luka

#NBA

Random Thoughts

The weather is beautiful in Texas. 

Get outside. Learn a new sport. Make new friends.

I am so thankful that a great friend of mine invited me to play tennis a few months ago. I still can't serve to save my life, but it has been so fun and gives me a break from working on my golf game, which needs some WORK!

Live life fully and freely!! There is nothing to fear!! 

#hugsomeone

#trustJesus

#pray

#havefun

#tennis

#friends

~smile~