Shucks...ers

Ahhh.....a day in the life of an intern.

The day began at around 6 am, jumping out of bed, throwing some clothes on, a smear of makeup, scarfing down some eggs, and heading to the clubhouse.  By seven, we were organizing our tournament fields, packing player tournament information packets, riding the course, taking photos, and entering data.

Our operations crew spent the entire day outside, marking the course, setting up banners, putting up stake and rope, mapping out tent locations...all the hard outdoor work.  By the time they were done, you could wipe the grime off them!  Thank goodness my teammates work as hard as they do, both communications and operations, because these tournaments couldn't be run without them.

Working hard definitely has its benefits.  The Savannah Quarters Country Club invited all of our AJGA staff to attend a little oyster roast this evening.  (Before today, I had never heard of an oyster roast.  Basically, they put these giant wooden tables with holes in the middle for easy dumping out on the patio, load hundreds of oysters onto your table, spread tabasco, cocktail sauce, oyster shuckers, and saltine crackers.)  It was awesome.  No one was shy - we just dug right in!  Empty oyster shells were flying over drinks into the trash abyss while people were reaching over each other for the rest of the goodies/toppings.  A couple of my teammates were pros!  They had definitely been around oyster shuckers before.

Max, Aaron, Ally, Tournament Director Mark and
Regional Director Ryan all in on the fun.

I haven't had too many oysters in my day, but I was not about to miss out on al the fun.  I joined in, but I always went for the oysters that were easiest to open.  I was rewarded sometimes by some giant squishy creatures, but Ben insisted that the harder the thing was to open, the more meat you would be given. 

Me and my oyster!

After the oyster fun, we were able to talk with some of the club members and watch the sun go down.  Before the mosquitoes started eating us alive (don't worry, I slapped a few of the buggers resulting in blood splattering on my leg.  Pretty picture, right?), we were able to enjoy the sunset.  Not a bad end to a productive day.  

Sun setting off the 18th green.  I could
definitely get used to this.

Early day tomorrow.  We have to be at the course ready to go by 6 am tomorrow.  I need to get some much needed rest before our Junior-Am and Practice Rounds tomorrow.  Hope you all had a great day, wherever you are.

Savannah, River Street, and....FORREST GUMP!

So we have officially begun working for our first tournament.  This tournament begins on Friday, but set-up and planning begins much earlier, on Monday.  It has been pretty relaxed so far...just working through checklists of things to get done, creating cart signs, taking course photography, and organizing player packets.

We finished working yesterday around 5:00, went to the hotel for a few hours, then our Tournament Director, Mark Finger, was able to have his dad take us out to dinner.  It was great getting to know some of the AJGA staff on a more personal level, and the food wasn't too bad either : )

This is where I get to work all week!

Ok, so today was pretty awesome.  First of all, I was able to see where my all-time favorite movie, Forrest Gump (if you couldn't guess by the title) was filmed, but I was also granted a day off by the fine staff of the AJGA.  Thank you!!!

My team and I headed into Savannah around noon, after we took full advantage of our time to sleep in.  80 degrees and sunny, it couldn't have been better.  I made it very clear that the ONLY thing I wanted to see that day was the bench where the bus scenes in Forrest Gump were filmed.  I could already visualize my photo op, but I would have to connect to my inner Gump first.  I was counting down the minutes until I could finally see where Tom Hanks became famous.

Soon after arriving to Savannah, a lovely tourist guide informed myself and my teammates that the bench was no longer at it's original spot in Chippewa Square, but had been moved to the Savannah Historical Museum.  I felt like I was looking, and failing, to find the treasure.  It kept moving!

Anyway, my teammate Ally and I were determined to see this bench.  The boys of our group lost interest; walking around in the hot sun looking for something that we weren't quite sure where to find wasn't exactly their idea of fun.  But for Ally and I, or hopes weren't squashed that easily.  We trekked it up about a mile to find this museum.  We did it, and we got to see the bench for free!!  After finagling with the museum contact (we weren't dishonest - he just decided to let us view the bench for free!), we finally located the Forrest Gump bench.  Here is what we saw!

There is a picture of Forrest Gump sitting on the bench
as well as his original suitcase that was used in the movie.

I was probably a little more excited than the average person would have been to finally see this bench in person, but this has been my favorite movie for quite some time, so I was ecstatic.  Not only does this movie cover pretty much every major event of the mid- to late 20th century, but it also has a killer soundtrack and cast.  I mean, Tom Hanks, Gary Sinsie (Lieutenant Dan!)...you can't go wrong!  It's a comedy, drama, romance all in one.  And it teaches me that if I look at life in the most simple way, I could /will potentially be the most successful.  I love that idea!

Me in front of Chippewa Square.  This is what you can
see behind Forrest Gump during the bus scenes.

Now, Forrest didn't take up our entire afternoon.  Don't worry, we still found time to make it to the famous River Street in downtown Savannah.  This place is cool.  Right on the water with a ton of bars and restaurants.  They had taste tests of grouper, a type of fish I had never heard of, and walked the streets for awhile.  One thing that I noticed, Savannah has the STEEPEST stairs down to River Street.  I mean, these baby's should have a caution sign before you descend!  Ally and I paused for a moment to take in how steep these things actually were.  It was almost as if we were stepping onto a bench for every step we took.

Grouper! It looked much better dead and
deep fried.

I can rest my hand on the next stair up...
this was a treacherous path.

Despite the steep incline, these stairs were actually pretty impressive.  I can't imagine how old they are; Savannah is a pretty old city, I believe even before the United States declared independence.  I would guess these stairs are, to put it in Forrest's words, "old as Alabama".

After having to pass inclines that even the Tour de France cyclists would dread, we developed a little bit of an appetite.  There is some gooooood eatin' on River Street, but it's a little pricey for our budgets, so we asked our trusty tour guide again, and he pointed us in the right direction.  B&D's Burgers is what we got, and boy were we happy.  (I should probably point out that we didn't actually have a tour guide, we just made friends with the man that worked of the city in the middle of the Savannah City Market.)

Me in front of B&D's

B&D's is just a local place; we were told there are only three places in Savannah.  It was delicious.  They have probably about 30 different burgers, with toppings from mozzarella sticks and fried eggs, to sun-dried tomatoes and chili.  It was incredible!  You could also choose 1/3 lb., 1/2 lb., or one entire pound.  Max was brave enough to try the whole pounder, but most of us just stuck with the 1/3.  You have got to give him credit though.  He finished it all.  I went with the Forsyth burger.  It was juicy, succulent and heavenly.  I had sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, swiss cheese, regular tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, and the best bun I've ever had.  It was almost a french roll I guess.  It didn't take me long to down that burger...I'm eager to find more local places like this while we're on the road.

Before we left Savannah for the day, we took one last team picture.  

Ben, me, Max, Aaron, Teddy and Ally

Road Trip!

Team 2, my team, definitely got the best starting schedule.  We had Sunday off, and didn't have to leave Braselton until 11 this morning.  Lots of sleep!

Anyway, as soon as we pulled out of the Chateau Elan Resort, our trusty Garmin sent us right past I-85 and into the back country.  Away from Atlanta, and toward Athens.  For those of you who aren't very familiar with Georgia (this is still me), the supposedly quickest route to Savannah from Braselton is I-85 to I-16...I think.  Drove right past this easy route, and in the opposite direction.  Somehow, we ended up in the right place.

One of the possible routes to Savannah...
Not the one we took : )

The crew before we departed

About halfway between the middle of nowhere and the other side of nothing, we stopped for lunch.  We decided on Chili's, thinking it would be a decent sized meal for a decent price.  Not the case.  We are allowed to spend about $7 on lunches to stay within the AJGA budget.  For future reference, Chili's has slim pickin's for lunch specials.  We bailed on Chili's and walked across the parking lot to Subway, and ate a whole lot more for a whole lot less.  

I drove the second leg of the journey, and got us safely to the Savannah Quarters Country Club.  I'll have a picture tomorrow, but my goodness, I have never seen anything like it.  The golf courses out here make the country clubs back home look like shanteys.  I was in awe.  

Ally and I walked into the clubhouse, and it just smells clean.  I can't quite describe to you the exact smell, but it was clean, sparkly, and just downright lovely.  We went to the bathroom quick, and jeeze, that thing was a small house.  There was a television room, a really nice locker room with a table in the middle (we guessed it was for putting on makeup or jewelry) and then the actual bathroom.  It had everything.  Showers, lavatories (not bathrooms), and ladies, let me tell you, you would never be in trouble in this bathroom.  There was mouthwash, deodorant, a giant tub full of lady goods.  Gosh, you could pretty much go shopping in this bathroom.  It was heaven!  I could totally get used to this.

We didn't have too much work to do today.  Most of it was for us Comms interns.  We have a lot of expensive equipment that needs to be set up right away, mostly so it doesn't just sit in our cars outside.  So that was pretty much all we did was set up Headquarters and charge our electronics.  Only took about an hour I would guess.

I am excited ride the course a few times tomorrow.  We do this so that we can feel comfortable with the layout, and will be able to get to holes quickly if we are needed to do a ruling for a junior golfer.  I'll definitely take lots of pictures!

Front of Don's - Small Dive!

After we were all done at the course, we had a little downtime at the hotel, and then out for dinner.  Mark, our Tournament Director (TD), suggested Don's BBQ.  This place was awesome!  I always think the best food comes from the small, rough-around-the-edges places.  This was definitely one of those places.  

I ended up ordering the chopped BBQ Pork, and it was delicious! I wish I could have had two servings.  And the potato salad really hit the spot.  Tomatoes were juicy and lettuce was crisp.  

AND - I finally had my first hush puppy.  I really don't know how to describe what they are...Jonah, one of our assistant TD's, jokingly described it as a fried  casserole.  It's kind of this breaded-type consistency with a whole bunch of fried on top.  They were good, but they aren't something that I think I could eat on a regular basis.  But, I want to try just about every new food I can.  Are frog legs next??  Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Not too much else going on today.  Pretty chill day.  Really tired still and going to sleep well tonight!  I am excited/nervous for this week as my first real tournament is quickly approaching.  Wish me luck!

Hush Puppies!

Sunday Funday

Whew, that week flew by!  Thank goodness we had an off day today.

Not too much happened on Saturday at training.  Most of it was recapping the week, but we did get to go through CPR training.  Now, I realize that this training is also necessary, but I must say, every single CPR class I have been to has been quite hilarious.  By this I mean the videos are filled with terrible actors, making for a very comical reenactment, and the dummies we get to practice on are nothing short of HOTTTTIES.  (Note the sarcasm.  These things look less like humans than --insert clever noun here--.)  Anyways, I couldn't pass up a photo-op with Jorge, so here is my baby.
Sexxxxxyyyy right??







Next, we had our packing party.  Now, I didn't get a picture of the basement where we conducted most of our training, but this floor is big enough to have an entire an entire banquet room, and a small parking lot.  The AJGA does park their vehicles, all 20+ of them, inside when available.  So, the half used for the parking lot, that was all full of gear to be packed into 4 trailers.  This daunting sight was greeting us every day, morning, afternoon and night, mocking us with our future task: packing the dang trailer.  This picture only shows what went in my team's trailer.


Let's just say, after this internship, if you need help moving, don't call me.  I'm going to be sick of packing.  I'll be a pro at it, but won't do it unless you pay me well.  Or Mom and Dad make me.  Yep, I'm 22 years old, but when the 'rents are paying your rent, (A.K.A. letting me live at home for free), you tend to do what they ask.
Here's the finished product though!  There were three teams all helping each other, and it took each trailer less than an hour.  We will get to do this every week, unpacking and repacking, but those times will just be the six of us teammates.

Inside of the trailer - pretty spacious right?

When we were all done with the packing, we practiced driving with a full trailer, and we needed to get the trailers wash.  We took them to an AutoSpa about 15 minutes away from the AJGA headquarters, and had them washed.  30 bucks later, the trailer looked exactly the same, but I guess it was cleaner...we were all joking that we're all low on cash, and if AJGA had asked us to do it for 10 bucks or even 5, heck we'd do it for a free piece of pizza, we would have jumped on board.  It's not our money we're spending though, so not a problem.

Pretty tight!

We finished up around 5:20 that night, went out for dinner, and then hung out with the other teams that night.  Let's just say, it was a lot of fun, and I wish we had a few more nights out on the town together.  There are some really great people interning this spring.


Today, we were able to sleep in!  AND we had the day off.  We took full advantage of it.  Slept until 11 or 12, had a massive lunch at Five Guys Burgers and Fries (Yum!), then did absolutely nothing besides our laundry, watch Tiger win at Bay Hill, and watch my Final Four bracket become pretty much perfect (save for Mizzou...what a joke).  We all had our first group experience at a laundry mat.  They were short on chairs, so Aaron became creative.

Laundry took about an hour and a half, and then we headed to the Mall of Georgia so I could purchase a new iPhone cover.  My took a tumble this week, and needed to be replaced.  Goodbye Kate Spade polka dot, hello super jumbo protection Otter Box.  Not so stylish, much more protective.  I need to take good care of my investments.

We all just chilled at the hotel for the remainder of the afternoon, and then headed to dinner.  The pizza place we were going to go to ended up being closed (not for the day, for good) so we ended up going to Fire House Subs.  Delicious!! For those of you who don't know, they are kind of similar to Quizno's, but much more goodies on top.  Great choice for dinner.  However, I do have a feeling that I am going to be real tired of eating out, and sandwiches.  Trying to eat healthy!

 Going to get to bed soon.  Leaving tomorrow for Savannah at 11! Can't wait to get to the coast city and see more of Georgia.

The whole crew - 3 teams! In front of headquarters

Team 2 Represent! Back Row - Teddy, Aaron, Max
Front Row - Ben, Me, Ally

Mock tourney successful

Today was a good day.  The mock tourney went pretty well this morning, minus the fact that our golfers were about 40 minutes behind scheduled time.  No biggy though!! It gave us interns a ton of opportunities to practice our pace of play policy.

We also were able to practice calling in rulings, as many of the volunteers golfing in this mock tournament were about at the talent level that I am, which, for those of you who know me, isn't that great.  Good for us interns though, because I actually think I know what a lateral water hazard is and what a player can do when they are granted cart path relief.  Thanks volunteers and AJGA staff members!

Sunrise off the 18th tee

Not too much else going on today.  I can tell you though that I am going to be an EXPERT at golf cart driving.  We get to drive everywhere!  I almost feel bad because we get to drive these carts all over, while all of the golfers and junior golfers are required to walk.  Everywhere.  It's actually a rule that we are not allowed to give them rides!!

After the tournament, we headed inside and pretty much did review for the rest of the day.  I was given my second set of shoes (Under Amour does in fact make a size 11), which I was very happy about, and we learned a little bit more about what Operations does for preparation and during the tournament.  I can say this: I am ready to start my first tournament.

Tomorrow is our last training day before we are set loose for good.  We have CPR training for 3 hours...not really looking forward to that, although I understand why it is necessary.  Then we have a packing party tomorrow and I can't believe how much equipment we are supposed to fit into those trailers. I mean those trailers are big, but I can't fathom how we are going to fit all of that equipment in it all at once!  This party is going to be out of control - I can feel it : )

We'll end the day with washing the cars, and then we are on our own.  Sunday is an off day, and then hitting the road to Savannah on Sunday morning at 7.  Then, it all begins!

Here's a picture of the AJGA headquarters.  This is the beautiful building I've been training in for the past week!

Not too much else going on.  Just been watching the NCAA games and can't believe that Ohio played so closely with UNC.  Love to see those mid-majors giving these big programs a run for their money!

Getting the hang of it

I am definitely feeling much, MUCH better about the equipment, technology and programs that we are going to be using as communications interns.  The most difficult program for me to wrap my head around has been InfoScore, a program used by the AJGA to pretty much do absolutely anything related to tee times, pairings, rankings, scoring, etc.  In all honesty, this program can do things that I didn't even know existed in the game of golf.  Although I can't quite recall what those things are at the moment : ) Thank goodness we are going to be having a ton of help in our first two weeks on the road.

I am someone that when I am learning something new, I have to physically go through the steps.  In basketball, I needed to see plays run (visual) and I needed to physically walk-through the plays myself (kinesthetic).  Same with broadcasting.  When we were learning about the cameras and microphones, I needed to see how they operated, but I also needed to operate them myself.  Up until now, we have only been able to learn visually and somewhat kinesthetically with all of the programs and such.  (It is tough to just pretend we are at a tournament, but it's the best we can do).  So, today was great for me, because much of the staff put us to the test.  They set up a scenario, and we had to work through it by remembering how to download a logo into the right photo, or remember where to download player information from to load it into InfoScore.  (I am not expecting any of you to quite understand what I am talking about.  We have been learning about these programs for four 12 to 13 hour days, so they are quite extensive).

Tomorrow, we are putting our learning to the test.  The AJGA has set up a 'mock tournament' with staff members so that we can practice running an actual tournament.  I am SO thankful for this, because I am quite nervous about going out to our first tournament on our own.  My fellow communications intern Teddy has been through the internship before, so that makes me a little more confident.  Just knowing he's been through it and will be able to help me before I get the hang of it helps so much!

We get to practice everything.  Pace of play, scoring, starting players, photography, InfoScore, rulings...you name it.  (I worry that my lack of golf knowledge might affect my rulings!)  But the staff is going to be right there with us the whole way.  Lots of learning tomorrow.  They are predicting rain and thunderstorms...please no rain delay!!

I promise I will get some photos soon.  The headquarters, where we have been training everyday, are absolutely gorgeous.

Long days and lots of info

Whew...today was looooong. Left the hotel at 6:45...returned at 7:45 pm : )

Now, I knew when I applied to this internship that it was going to be long days, but these are definitely the longest days I have ever been a part of.  Straight learning at least.  There is so much information and rules that we need to learn that the long days ARE necessary.  However, it is tough sitting on your butt for hours and hours.  I do find solace in the fact that even though we will have this long of days or longer on the road, at least we will be able to be outside and busy working.  I know that this is all part of training, but they are still long, tough days.  Welcome to the real world Jenna!

However, these long days have definitely helped me get to know my teammates better.  They are all really great people; easy to be around, funny, easy-going, and hard-working.  The real test will be the first long road trip.  There is no escape when you are in a car going 70 on the interstate.  And we have a couple of long road trips.  This leads me to our schedule...

Here is the schedule my team, Team 2, will be following this spring:

March 30 – April 1:

Under Armour® / Jeff Overton Championship

Savannah Quarters Country Club – Pooler, Georgia

Tournament Director – Mark Finger

4 hours and 26 minutes – 279 miles

April 5 – 8:

Goodman Networks Junior at Traditions

Traditions Club at Texas A & M – Bryan, Texas

Tournament Director – Julie Kickbusch

17 hours and 40 minutes – 1,071 miles

April 13 – 15:

Under Armour® / Hunter Mahan Championship

Gleneagles Country Club – Queen’s Course – Plano, Texas

Tournament Director – Katie Jared

3 hours and 37 minutes – 199 miles

April 20 – 22:

Preseason Junior at Sterling

Sterling Country Club – Houston, Texas

Tournament Director – Sarah Butler

4 hours and 32 minutes – 258 miles

April 27 – 29:

Under Armour ® / Vicky Hurst Championship

Squire Creek Country Club – Choudrant, Louisiana

Tournament Director – Annie Giangrosso

5 hours and 55 minutes – 332 miles

May 4 – 6:

Preseason Junior at Prairie Landing

Prairie Landing Golf Club – West Chicago, Illinois

Tournament Director – Samantha Hirshberg

14 hours and 11 minutes – 828 miles

Back to Braselton, GA

13 hours and 30 minutes – 780 miles

Total miles driven: 3,747

Yep, that's a whopping 3 THOUSAND 747 miles : ) plenty of time to get to know my teammates!

I am very excited that my team is traveling more in the South. I really haven't seen much of the South, and I think that by driving everywhere, I will get to see much, much more than if I were to fly. Talking to a few of the other interns on different teams, I have found that a few haven't ever been where their teams are traveling to. One girl is from Georgia and has never been to the West Coast. Her team is driving first to Texas, then on to Arizona and California, as far North as San Francisco. Not only will this internship teach us all so much about the golf world, a successful sports business/nonprofit organization, but it also has given myself and many others the opportunity to see so much more of the country than we ever would have otherwise.

More training tomorrow and then we get to work a 'mock' tournament on Friday I think...the days are kind of getting lost and running together. But I didn't forget Modern Family is on tonight. I'm done here because I can't get enough of Phil Dunphy. 5 minutes until it starts!

Trailers...WHAAAAAAT

I have been looking forward to this day of training for awhile.  The day we learn to drive with trailers.

First of all, the vehicles we get to drive are just absolutely beautiful.  Huge GMC 4-door extended-cab pickup trucks, and special edition GMC Yukons (they are manufactured specially for AJGA), and of course, the 16-foot to 18-foot enclosed trailer.  Beauties.

Now, for those of you who know me pretty well, you know that I helped my brothers with our little Galloway lawn mowing business in high school.  I took over when Ben when to school, and so I had plenty of experience driving our little trailer.  But nothing as big as this giant thing...

Anyway, they separated us into teams of 3, and we practiced driving the truck w/o the trailer, the Yukon w/o the trailer, the truck with the trailer, and backing up the trailer.  When it was my turn, they asked if I had ever driven with a trailer, and if I knew anything about driving a trailer.  I said yes, but my experience was with a much smaller trailer that was easier to maneuver and wasn't enclosed.  And so, I began my training.

We were trying to back into a parking spot pretty much at a 90 degree angle.  First try, I nailed it...no big deal : )  First try from the opposite direction - - you guessed it, nailed it!  When I got into the driver's seat that second time, the AJGA member helping us, Mark, just said, "I'm going to be quiet this time.  Why don't you teach me something?"  I was pumped.  Not too many things get me more excited than backing a giant trailer into a teeny spot.  Mission accomplished.

My team basically said I found myself a new job.  Not quite sure this is the one I want to keep for a long-term career.

In other news, we received our uniforms today!!  So, you know how earlier I was complaining about having to buy a ton of polos and modest length shorts...well, AJGA knows how to dress you, and dress you well.  Ralph Lauren Polo is probably the nicest golf attire I have seen yet (not that I have much experience in that department), but I am very impressed, and I feel VERY lucky to have been given these clothes.  

We were also given FootJoy Rain Gear, and 2 pairs of Under Armour shoes!!  Well, most of us were given 2 pair...my feet are apparently too large for UA to make shoes for.  A size 11, I mean really?  How many female athletes have gigantic feet?  It was pretty funny though.  So, I will be waiting a little longer for my second pair of shoes.  I was given a 10.5, and thank goodness, it does fit.  Can't wait to look sharp on that golf course in all of my new gear!

 

Early day tomorrow.  We have to depart the hotel by 6:45, and then getting to work at 7.  We are learning so much, I really hope I am able to remember it all.  More pictures to come soon.  The AJGA Headquarters are really something, and I can't wait to share it with you all!  

First Day of Training!

Training has officially begun!

We hit the ground running this morning, waking up early and heading straight to the AJGA headquarters in Braselton, Georgia.  I have to admit, I was in awe this morning.  I don't know if it is being in a new place with new people, or the fact that I have never been to this state before, but I felt like it was probably one of the most beautiful places I've seen in awhile.

Now, I know that sounds pretty cliche, but come on, it is pretty gorgeous here.  Don't worry, I'll have a picture for you all soon.  I'm not the best with descriptions, and I think if I tried to give you a description you might have a visual of something similar to Pocatello...not quite what I'm going for.

Anyway, after a long travel day yesterday and a struggle sleeping last night (due to the time change and perhaps the fact that I was the most nervous/excited I've been since my first collegiate basketball game), I was eager to get started this morning.  It was a long day: we departed from the hotel at 8:15, (and for those of you who were wondering, I did NOT get my butt up and go exercise this morning) arrived at the headquarters around about 8:25, and got right to work.

We were given an overview of the internship, kind of what to expect, what we will be doing, rules and regulations of the course, and safety.  Safety was a really prominent issue, mostly because we are all young adults, and we will be driving two huge vehicles, one with a 16-foot trailer.  Especially with how consuming technology is today - people spend more time on their phones than actually looking at the road.

After the overview, we had a drug test.  Of course I completely forgot about this little stop on the schedule, and was a little dehydrated.  Oh well, it all worked out in the end, and I was very happy to find that the woman administering the drug test did not have to actually watch me pee.  Before you gasp in disgust, you might want to know that this was protocol for drug tests with the NCAA.  I remember, every single time we had a drug test for basketball, one of the female trainers had to watch me drop my drawers and pee in that lovely little Pepsi cup.  Needless to say, I was very happy to have my privacy this time around.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.  Just a lot of learning, and my brain is hurting as a result.  There are so many people that help make this organization run smoothly, and it takes so much work.  We learned about the rules and officiating of golf, and all the ins and outs of the communications department.  I am very excited to work with all of the social media, photography, and blogs, and even more excited to finally be able to use a little part of my major.  I'm on the right track!

Long day tomorrow.  Driving lessons tomorrow : ) can't wait!

In the ATL

Here's the view from the air...descent into ATLANTA!!!

I have been preparing for this since I found out in December...heading to Atlanta to begin my internship with the AJGA.  And now that I'm here, I can hardly believe it.
The day started with an 8:30 departure out of Spokane International.  A relatively uneventful flight, it was nerve-racking none-the-less because of the size of the airplane.  It was a prop plane, which I've been on several times because of the flight from Phoenix to Flagstaff, but they are still small and rickety and scary. I was glad to make it to Seattle.

I had just a short layover in Seattle, but long enough to run into an old acquaintance from high school.  Funny who you run into sometimes...

Boarding the flight to Atlanta was quite an ordeal.  Of course, Delta had overbooked the flight, and they were offering $400 travel vouchers to anyone who would give up their seat.  It was tempting, as I am always looking for ways to get free things, but I just couldn't bring myself to arrive in Atlanta at 1 am Monday morning...that would be cutting it pretty close.

The flight to ATL was also quite uneventful.  Save for the fact that it was close to 5 hours long.  I am very proud of myself though, and I think my row-mates were happy because not ONCE did I have to get up to go to the bathroom.  For a window seat, I think that's pretty good.  However, my hydration is suffering a little at the moment.  Not drinking much H20 to avoid going pee tends to affect you in the long run...

I was able to meet 4 of my fellow teammates this evening.  All of them seem really great, and I'm excited to be working along side them.

Early morning tomorrow.  I am going to try to get up early to go workout...we depart for training at 8:10 am, so workout will have to start around 6:40ish...3:40 Spokane time.  Maybe I should take it easy the first day and just get used to the time change first.  But since when have I been realistic in an of my decisions concerning exercise?  Let's be real people.

Here's to the next two months of my life.  New experiences, new friends, lots of learning, and a whole lot of fun.

Miss you Spokane, but not enough to come back right away : )

OBSESSED

I have a new obsession...well a few actually: Pinterest and Instagram.  Totally and completely, 100% obsessed.

I first desired my obsession for social media and useless time-wasting things when I was in the fifth or sixth grade.  Here, it was AOL Instant Messenger.  Depending on how many cyber conversations you could carry on at once, your "cool" status either improved or took a beating.  I had at most, six or seven conversations at once with other fellow AIMers - 6th graders too shy to talk to each other at school, but were very chatty behind the cyber wall.  This obsession lasted maybe about seven months.  After that, I think my mother so annoyed with the little ding! that accompanies every message, so I was forced to lose interest and go play outside.

My next social media obsession: MySpace.  Totally old-school and a great time-wasting tool.  I think I spent more time worrying about my profile song or background than I was about my test the next morning.  OK, this isn't true, (I was ridiculously studious), but I did spend waaaaay too much time on this website.  I was even late to the show!  Probably found out about this new "social media" craze about six months after it happened, and I was eager to catch up.  Then came Facebook.

No need to explain Facebook.  This social media outlet is so popular every generation is joining in, and businesses are cashing in on the popularity.  Why didn't I come up with an idea like this?? Oh yeah, because I didn't go to MIT.

Lately, I have been hearing about Pinterest.  Mostly from wedding-crazy brides or eager home decorators, but regardless, I decided to give it a whirl.  It's a giant bulletin board!!! (Try to be as excited as three exclamation points require).  An endless expanse of pictures....fashion, hairstyles, makeup, home decor, arts and crafts, wedding ideas, and my personal favorite, quilts.  I have spent a bit of time on Pinterest, but I don't believe it has all been a waste as I have found so many new quilting ideas that I believe a few of my friends and family members will benefit from.  So, you're welcome.  I expect a thank you card shortly.

And this afternoon, I finally tapped into this gold mine Instagram.  Apparently, it's an iPhone app, and apparently, it is a personal beautifier.  Everyone, or should I say, every girl, that I have seen use this app has created the cutest pictures.  I was stumped.  What was this Instagram thing??
Finally, I had the common sense to Google it.  It sent me right to my new obsession.  Rarely do I take pictures with my iPhone of just myself, but I wanted to try this thing out and see what it could do.  So here is my product of the day.  This took under 30 seconds to edit.  A little red/pink, but I like it.

I have seen some really cool skyline pictures and outdoor/nature pictures with it too.  I can't wait to try it out some more.

Goodbyes are starting

This is when it really starts to hit home that I am actually leaving...when I have to say goodbye.

It started this morning, on this blustery Tuesday, saying goodbye to my brother Ben.  I was lucky enough to see him (I was considering a last-minute trip to California but decided against it), and he wasn't sure when he'd be arriving from Bozeman for Spring Break.  Luckily, it worked out.  I cancelled my trip, and he and I were able to spend a few days together before he headed off to Portland to see his fiance, Tori.  It was a nice couple of days, but I had to say my final farewell this morning.

Next, it was time for babysitting.  Since about August, I have been watching this family consistently every Monday and Tuesday.  Three girls, 8th grade, 6th and 2nd, and they are great girls.  I have known this family for years; Mike and Kerrianne became our next-door neighbors when I was in 1st or 2nd grade, and I began babysitting soon after they had their oldest, Chelsea.  I don't see much of Chelsea (8th), as she is an accomplished ballerina and has class in Coeur d'Alene every evening.  I spend most of my time with Katie (6th) and Audrey (2nd).  These girls actually do their homework and get ready for ballet/cross country/track by themselves!  Not to mention finishing chores.  They only needed to be told once (usually :) ).  I was impressed, as most of the kids I hung out with in college still needed to be told what to do constantly...

Anyway, today was the last day I would be babysitting for this family before I leave.  It's tough saying goodbye after spending so much time with them, helping with homework, making lunches, driving the girls to practice and getting to watch them run and dance and play.  I was happy though that I was able to say goodbye to all of them; Audrey, Katie, Chelsea, Kerrianne and Mike all were there.  Thanks for a great year!!

These are just the first couple of goodbyes.  Next it's my hometown friends (I'm having lunch with a good girlfriend tomorrow), then the rest of my family.

Countdown to Atlanta, AJGA and the next chapter of my life: 4 days, 15 hours.

Shopping Woes

I have definitely enjoyed the last couple of days of nothingness.  But surprisingly, for not having much to do, I have been pretty busy.  Funny how that works out.

Thursday started with a hair appointment.  Now, most understand that if you get your hair highlighted or colored, you do so about every two to three months, depending on the type of treatment.  Well, this girl decided to wait about six whole months.  Big mistake!! I figured since I was working all the time and had my hair up anyway, why pay the money to get it done?  For future reference, pay the money, because when you wait six months, your hair looks nasty.  Needless to say, I learned my lesson.  Thanks Chris for fixing my bad judgement.

After my haircut and highlight, I felt so much better.  Isn't it funny how some of the most simple things can put you in the best mood?  

My week of sweet nothings couldn't have been off to a better start.  That night, I was able to go out with a couple of my friends that night, sporting my new 'do.  (Most universities are going on spring break this week, and most of my Spokane friends are leaving for fabulous places, like Whistler, Boston or Cabo...am I jealous?  YES!)  Anyways, we all met for trivia at Soulful Soups and spent the night drinking beer.  Do you know how some trivia nights are so ridiculously hard that it's not even fun?  Or the ones that you pretty much depend on your smart phone for any of the answers?  Well, this trivia night was right in the middle.  They didn't allow smart phones first of all, which was nice, and the questions were of moderate difficulty, so it was still challenging, but fun.

My shining moment was blurting out "The Superbowl!" when the question, "What's the second-largest food consumption day behind Thanksgiving?" was asked.  In dead silence remind you, so everyone heard.  Along with my friend Kelsey, so it was twice as loud.  You're welcome, Soulful Soups trivia players.

It was a fun night with great people, and a nice way to have my last night out.  Although, there is still a week left, and a seven nights to cause a ruckus in downtown Spokane...

Friday, my mom and I were supposed to have a marathon shopping trip, a fun day spending some of my restaurant tip cash on stylish, modern, fun clothes.  Well, we had a marathon shopping trip all right, just not quite what I had in mind.  Usually, when I go shopping I look for stylish, modern clothes that fit my figure well.  Much to my dismay, this was not what I would end up buying.

Earlier Friday morning, moments before we were to leave for our epic day of shopping, I decided to check my email.  There hadn't been any scheduled quizzes for AJGA, so I had left my email alone for a few days.  When I looked, I found my packing list for my upcoming internship.  And I was not excited about what I read:

What to bring:

3-4 additional golf attire outfits

1 nice golf attire outfit

1 (1!!!!????) pair of jeans 

And the list went on.  I guess I probably should have anticipated that we would need to bring our own golf attire as we are going to be working on club golf courses every single day.  However, in my ignorance, I thought that we would either always be in the uniform AJGA provided, or in our own clothes.  And so, my shopping day began.  Instead of shopping for stylish clothes, I was looking for polos.  Do you know how hard it is to find a polo today?  First of all, no one in their right mind wears them anymore EXCEPT on the golf course, and, there is not a single polo that is made for a woman with a long torso.  So, most of the polos I tried on hit me at my belly button.  Unless they change the dress codes at most courses, I don't think showing a midriff will be allowed anytime soon.

So here is a picture of all of my adorable golf clothes.  I was NOT happy, but, alas, I need to look the part.  I think I did a good job finding some suitable golf clothes.  Thanks Mom for helping me!  I think I will represent the AJGA very well with my new purchases, and to be honest, buying golf clothes started to get me very excited for my upcoming adventure, and I can't wait to get started.

Anyway, about one week until I leave.  Just going to relax and prepare for the tough road ahead : )

Getting Started

Ahhhh, time to relax.  I think this is the ONLY time in my life that I will be able to do absolutely nothing for a week and a half.  I know that within about two days I will probably be going crazy with boredom,  but for now, I'm going to enjoy doing nothing, absolutely nothing.

I just had my last day of work at Wave, an sushi/island fusion restaurant in Spokane, WA.  The food there is awesome, and it was probably one of the most difficult places to work, only because all I wanted to do was eat all of the food I was serving.  Everyone there was really enjoyable to work with, and all will be sorely missed.

But, I have not quit my restaurant job for nothing.  As I mentioned before, I am going to be starting an internship on March 19th with the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA).  I'm going to be a communications intern for the organization.  My responsibilities will include writing press releases, interviewing amateur players, helping set up and clean up tournaments, the starting and scoring of players, just to name a few.  I can't wait to get started!  Only a one-way ticket to Atlanta...how long will I be on the East Coast?? Not quite sure : )