Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Brent Goes Low...

Last night we played golf, the 5 of us. Brent, Jason, Nicole, Jeb and Kaylan. It was a lot of fun and the weather was perfect. The course was calm and empty and there for the taking. Jeb and Brent played very well. Jeb hit one out of bounds on the last hole and still shot 41, Brent had 6 pars and 3 birdies for a very good, 33. Nicole, Jason and Kaylan brought up the rear of our group.
It was a fun night with our friends.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Saturday Blues

What a lousy day it was on Saturday, the weather I mean. We have been spoiled with the beautiful weather so far in April and this rain was a real bummer, even though we needed it.
Saturday was a big 10k for Ashley and Nicole. Our neighbor Dina also ran the race but she was running the half marathon. Our friend Kyle Snyder was also running (Brent's older brother).
The girls left at 7:00 a.m. and it rained during their entire race. They still ran a good time, just over 60 minutes, officially Ashley won by 1/10 of a second. They each ran a 10:06 mile pace.
Dina ran the 13.1 mile race at a 9:37/mile pace.
Kyle finished 12 out of over 1000 men running at 6:30 mile/pace.

After Nicole and Ashley finished they had to wait about 1 hour for Dina to finish and they froze to death in the cold/rain. When they got home they were both shivering. After hot showers I came downstairs to find them both sleeping on the couch.

While they were running I was attending a tree trimming seminar in the rain for over an hour. We hired St. Croix Tree Service to come to Troy Burne to teach homeowner's how to prune their own trees. We had 5 people show up and all of them except one were our golf buddies. It was quite boring in my opinion, but I learned a few things.

After racing and pruning, Ashley went home and Nicole and I headed to campus to celebrate my brother Andrew's 22nd b-day. We ate at Annie's and there were 8 of us. Ryan, Kari, Carlyn, and Ethan, Andy, Mom, Nicole and I. The burgers and fries/onion rings at Annie's are very good, but I have to say Barker's burgers are better. It was nice to get back to campus and it was a HOPPING place with Spring Jam going on. There was a lot of drunkenness on the streets in Dinkeytown and we got there at 5:30 p.m. I can only imagine what it got like later. This year there was an outdoor concert at Coffman that Andrew and his friends were attending. Oh to be young again!
Happy B-Day Bro, we love ya!

Golfing With The Girls!

Friday night we went golfing with Ashley and Allison. It was Ashley's 1st time golfing so we decided to scramble. We got the rental "left handed" clubs from Troy Burne and headed out. After a few holes of figuring it out Ashley started to hit the ball and not too bad to be honest. She needs more practice of course, but she'll get it. Ally already plays golf pretty well so we had a good time. Weather wasn't great, kind of gray and dreary, but it didn't rain on us. Ashley had a plan to take a cool picture on the golf course to send to her friend Victor in Sweden, so I put some of the pictures below:

Ash thought teeing off this way might be easier!


Ashley found putting this way easier
























After golf we had the Wilson's over for dinner. We grilled hot dogs for Jeb, Kaylan, and I and the other girls made pasta, Ashley and Nicole were getting ready for their race on Saturday morning so they wanted some carbohydrates. We enjoyed spending time with Ashley and Allison, come back anytime.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Happy Birthday Brent

Our good friend and favorite golf pro Brent Snyder turned 30 yesterday. What a beautiful day it was. Weather was perfect and we had a great time. He and Courtney had the day off so they played golf and after work Nicole and I, his parents Bill and Paula and his only brother Kyle all met for dinner. I think it was Bill who chose the restaurant, but it was a very cool place and I never would have heard of it or found it. It was called the Red Stag Supper Club and is located in NE Mpls. I got there 1 hour before everyone else as I was already downtown. We had some great appetizers and everyone's food was very good except Kyle and I had some questionable hamburgers. I didn't hear Kyle complain, but he's not really the complaining type, and I'm really not either, but it's pretty hard to ruin a hamburger and this one didn't taste right. It was a different type of beef than I have ever eaten called Limousin beef and it tasted much different than regular beef that I have ever had.
I had one embarrassing moment, leave it to me to embarrass myself. We were getting rid of appetizer plates and Brent handed me one, and then handed me another and for some reason my wrist buckled and I dropped the plate. It wasn't the loud crash that was embarrassing, it was a glass of water spilled all over the table and right into the BIRTHDAY BOY'S LAP. He had the quick dry pants on from JCrew, but his seat was wet even after dinner. So, great company, great friends, cool place, but a wet front and back for Mr. Snyder. Sorry Brent! They were giving me a hard time because I was at the bar for an hour before everyone got there saying that is why I dropped the plate, but I would never admit that. It was just heavier than I thought it was going to be, nothing broke or anything, just water!
After dinner we went back to Bill and Paula's house in Stillwater and had dessert, which Courtney made from scratch. It was a Mississippi Mud Pie and it was very good, very rich. It was a great evening to be with friends helping Brent celebrate his 30th b-day. Happy Birthday bud!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Interlachen Country Club

Said my many to be the best course in MN, said by many to be one of the top 500 courses in the world, easily in the top 10 as far as private clubs in the US. Site to the 1930 US Open where Bobby Jones won his 2nd leg of the Grand Slam. He went on to win all 4 Major Championships that year, the only player to have EVER done it. He retired from competitive golf that year at the ripe age of 28. He went on to become a developer and his biggest named course is a small course in Augusta, GA called Augusta National, home of the Masters. So, I think I have made my point about the historics of Interlachen. It also held the US Women's Open in 2008, so it's a great place.
I had the chance to play it Monday due to a few small miracles. No, I do not know any members of Interlachen. My boss Mark has considered joining for 5 years now and maybe one day will pull the trigger, but the number to join is rather large, more than most people make in a few years working. So, my good friend Brent Snyder worked in Sea Island GA for 5 years where he worked with a guy by the name of Nathan Ohloff. Brent refers to Nate as the "superpro" who left Sea Island for Brookline, another historic course in Massachusettes. Anyway, Nate landed the job as head pro at Interlachen, a remarkable accomplishment for such a young guy, low 30's, not exactly sure. So with Brents relationship with Nathan and Mark's checkbook, we were able to get on the course on a Monday, a day in which it is closed to its members.

We were very lucky with the weather as it was a perfect day. Our 4-some was Mark, Brent, myself and Dylan Westphal, a friend of Mark's from Janesville. We had 2 caddies, each carrying two bags. Our caddie, Mike was unbelievable. He used to work at Augusta National and now calls MN home. He gave great direction all day. I played very well and shot 78 which is 5 over par. I had Brent down 1 shot through 7 holes and then he turned it on and beat me by 2 shots on the front 9. He beat me by another 2 on the back 9, but to be within 4 shots of the 2nd best playing pro in MN I couldn't have been happier. Mark played great as well, shooting 100, his goal was 105 or better. Brent wanted to shoot 69 or better so he failed, but he had a blast and Dylan is a great golfer as well shooting 84 with his 1st round of the year.
After golf we met our wives at Salut in Edina for dinner. It was a great day with friends. Thanks to Mark and Brent for helping me notch one of the best courses in the country.
I remember Hap telling me growing up about Interlachen and how he got a chance to play it with Mike Pieschel and I thought about him a lot while I was walking around out there on a beautiful sunny afternoon. I know he was looking down as I worked my way around that historic golf course. It was one of the best days I can remember in a long time. I wish Nicole would have been there to play but she shared in the excitement afterward with everyone at dinner.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Weekend Update

Friday Night!
We went to a cooking class at Cook's of Crocus Hill. We signed up for the class way back in February as this class sells out fast, we have been trying to get into the class since September when we got back from up north. Anyway, we got in for April and it timed out well with Nicole's birthday. The class was Sushi 101. There was 17 of us in the class and we tried crab, tuna, salmon, and eel. The Chef, Jonathan Kaye is a Brit and his sense of humor was quite good. He was very blunt about the sushi places around the city and how bad they are and told us which 2 he goes to. We have never been to either. His first question of the night was, what is Sushi? Thinking I knew the answer to be fish, I said fish. NOPE! Wrong Answer. In fact, sushi has nothing to do with the fish. Sushi is vinegared rice and sashimi is the fish. We had some annoying blokes in our class too, first there was a bunch of women on a ladies night out, which is cool, but they were loud and annoying and Chef Kaye "shooshed" them twice because they were laughing and talking over his demonstrations. He said to be a sushi chef in Japan it takes 10 years to be certified. He has been perfecting his craft for 8 years and he is very good. There is a lot to it and Nicole picked it up pretty fast. I rolled 2 rolls myself and they were terrible, actually they tasted good, but they didn't look good. So, we know all the good spots to eat sushi now, and he told us all the good spots to buy sushi grade fish and how to make some good rolls. We are going to have the Snyder's over in 2 weeks and give it a whirl. The class was 3 hours and it felt like 15 minutes, it was very interesting and we had a great time. If they didn't cost so much I would do one every week.
Saturday:
We got up early, Nicole went for a run (she is training for a race with Ashley this coming Saturday, 6.2 miles). Then we WENT TO WORK! We started with the deck and got it all stained. It turned out great, we are so happy to have it done and in fact we are both sitting on the couch right now on the deck working on our computers. Life is good! After finishing the deck I mowed the grass with my neighbor Dave's mower. The grass looks good, thanks to George for getting it thatched and the warm weather has greened it up very nicely. I had 2 people stop over today to tell me how nice the yard looks.
After working we went golfing. My boss Mark Schultz drove out to play with us. He, Brent, and I are playing Interlachen Country Club on Monday after work so Mark wanted to get some practice in. He played pretty well, just got tired on the last 4 holes. Nicole struggled a bit yesterday and I played pretty decent.
Saturday night we cooked dinner for Brent as he worked 14 hours at the club and he doesn't eat well when he's at work, he forgets to eat, he just chews more! So, Nicole made chicken marsala and it was very good. Court was working until 10:00 so she didn't make it over.
Sunday:
We got up and got to work again. This time we were working on mulch around our trees and around Nicole's flowers on the south side of the house. We didn't buy enough mulch and have to go back to the nursery this week to get more. The work as a homeowner never seems to end.
We golfed again today, Nicole played well and today I struggled a bit. I held her off by 1 shot. I had 9 penalty shots on the back 9 and still managed a 46, oh what could have been.
We're heading to the Snyder's now for ice cream. Have a good week!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Birthday Recap

We had a great day yesterday. The traffic to get home yesterday was not good at all, there was an accident on 94 at Dale St and it combined with the Twins traffic made for a hellish drive home. Nicole and I were both stuck in it in different vehicles. I was trying to get home before her to get a gift prepared. I just told her a little white lie as she beat me home and wondered where I was. I told her I was still on 94 because of the accident, but I really was at the clubhouse looking for a "last minute" well thought out gift. I had help from Brent at the club so he made sure I got something nice. Thanks Brent.
It was so nice out yesterday that we decided to play golf before going to dinner. Our Men's League is Thursday night but I played with my birthday girl (husband of the year points). I took some razzing from the guys but they understood. They went off the front side of TB so Nicole and I played the back 9, the best 9 at TB in most people's opinion. Nicole shot her lowest round EVER, not just at TB, but anywhere. She shot a 41. I played a little more like myself yesterday and shot 38. Oh, Nicole's 41 included 2 penalty shots in the water. It was perfect out on the course, a little windy, but the temps were great.
After golf we went home and changed and headed to dinner in Stillwater. It was a great birthday.
Tonight we are very excited to be going to Cooks of Crocus Hills for a cooking class. We are going to learn to make sushi tonight from 6-9.
We have a busy weekend of house chores but I'm sure with the weather we'll play golf both days.
Enjoy the weekend and the weather!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Happy Birthday Nicole

Today is the big day, the big 31. Nicole has a full-day of work at the office today until 5:00 and then will hustle home. We are toying with playing 9 holes of golf before our dinner reservation at 8:00, but it might be cutting it close unless her 4:00 p.m. client cancels. The weather is supposed to be very nice so maybe we'll just head to Stillwater early and roam around.
Last night we celebrated with Brent and Courtney Snyder. We played golf and then went to Barker's, Snyder's treat, so thanks a lot guys. It was great food as always, we just love their burgers.
Happy Birthday babe, I love you!

FROM NICOLE: So far my day has been great. Thank you for a the phone calls and messages, they are greatly appreciated. I have a busy day at work, but found a few moments to get something to eat. My office/boss bought me a cake from Cafe Latte and it is even my favorite--TURTLE! I will have to sneak a piece a little later. Hope everyone is having a good day.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Birthday Week

This week my beautiful wife was born in 1979. Her actual birthday is Thurs the 15th. We have a busy week planned but I honestly can say I love waking up to her every morning. She is getting more beautiful to me the older she gets. The big 31 is this Thursday.
Last night she had a "night out" with the ladies. 20 women got together at Anne Armstrong's for Recipe Club. She hustled home from work last night as she was one of the cooks (usually 5 women do the cooking for all the ladies). She made a great salad as the theme was "Salads" and her salad was voted the winner. She came home after 10:00 which is late for a school night so I knew she was having a good time.
I spent the afternoon and evening working on the deck, stripping off the old stain and getting it ready for new stain. I spent the last week calculating lineal feet trying to decide if we should put a composite deck on the house. My mom had this done and it looks great and is the "way to go" when it comes to low maintenance decking. They are warrantied for 25 years against warping and rotting. Every product you put out there is going to fade and stain, these products are guarranted not to for 5 years, but after that any wood is going to fade/stain. The cost to do just the floor of our deck (which is a small deck) was $1600) without labor. Now, this was using some of the higher end products available, but I decided our 5 year old deck was still "good wood" and just to re-stain it again. After 4 hours yesterday, another 4 today and another 3-4 on Saturday I am vowing now to start saving money for a new deck, composite next year. Ugh! It's so hard to be working on a deck on a beautiful sunny afternoon with a golf course staring you in the face.
Wednesday we are golfing with our best friends Brent and Courtney Snyder. Brent is so busy now with the golf season beginning that he hardly has any personal time, but we are going to get out for 9 holes on Wednesday. Then, Thurs is the big day. We are going to Stillwater to a new wine bar called Domacin. http://www.domacinwinebar.com/
On Friday we are going to a Sushi class at Cooks of Crocus Hill so we have a couple fun nights planned. The weekend we are going to do some mulching around the house and stain the deck. My grass is long enough to be mowed, but my mower is not going to be serviced until the 20th of April so I am going to have to borrow my neighbor Dave's mower.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Beautiful Weekend

I can't remember a better weekend as far as weather goes. It was just perfect. We spent the weekend on the golf course playing 18 both days.
On Saturday Nicole set some records, she shot her lowest round at Troy Burne ever and she beat me in 18 holes at Troy Burne, 1st time ever. She shot an 85, 43 on the front and 42 on the back. She actually played better than this and probably could have broken 80. Her goals for the year are set high, she wants to break 80 for 18 and break 40 for 9 holes. She has not done either yet. I have also set a goal for her that if she consistently shoots in the 80's that she moves off of the ladies tee and back to the resort tees. This will test different irons for her more frequently, and it is not really her length that is her weakness, it is short-game stuff, sand especially. If she improves in that area she's going to be very good.
I on the other hand am struggling with my game. I'm hoping it is early season rust that I need to practice a little and shake off, but I can't seem to put anything together out on the course. I have made a bunch of "big numbers", like on Saturday I made a 10 on a par 5, good lord, that is a lot of shots.

Saturday night we went to the 93rd Annual Founders' Day for Alpha Gamma Rho. I was elected to another 3-year term on the Board of Directors. Don't think too much of this, no one ran against me so I didn't beat anyone out. I enjoy being on this board and working with the college kids to make AGR a better place. It just takes effort and $$$. Founder's Day was held at the new TCF Bank Stadium. We rented the DQ Club which was amazing. They didn't spare a nickel on that stadium and here is what I can't figure out. How nice is the Twins Stadium going to be if they spent $450 million on it if TCF Bank Stadium is unbelievable and they spent $288.5 million on it. I can't wait to see Target Field.
We got a tour of the entire stadium on Saturday, anything and everything you wanted to see. The President's Suite, all the Loge boxes, the Indoor Club, the Gopher Locker Room, all amazing. We got to go out on the field which was cool, overall it was a great time.

On Sunday we played golf again, I played a little better shooting an 83 and beating Nicole for a change. We watched the Master's and cleaned up around the house. This week I have to re-stain the deck which is going to be NO FUN AT ALL. It needs to be done though.
Have a good week!

Friday, April 2, 2010

A Rainy Friday

I went to the office this morning for a few hours. The markets were closed today but we still wrote our newsletter. It was a busy week. We are looking forward to a family filled Easter weekend. We have Ryan, Emily, and Hattie Ritchie coming tonight and we are going to Barker's for burgers. We haven't been to Barker's with the Ritchies yet, we tried to onetime this summer and the power went out at Barker's when we were standing in line. Tomorrow we don't have any plans, but the rest of Nicole's family is coming to stay the night. Then on Sunday, my family is also coming and we are going to have Easter dinner.
We are hoping to get some golf in, but so far it has been raining most of the day.
Happy Easter to everyone!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Last Dance Class

Tonight is our last dance class. It has been fun, but the golf season has arrived and we are all eager to get out on the links. I am not sure I learned anything because if you don't practice something it is not likely to stick around with you, but we enjoyed the company with our neighbors.
We are looking forward to hosting Easter Weekend. We both have the day off tomorrow, but I will probably sneak into the office for a few hours in the morning. We are looking forward to seeing everyone.