A Day in the Life...: A week of firsts

I have to say, it never gets old explaining to people what I do for my job.

Here’s how a typical conversation goes down: It will be some derivative of the question, What do you do?, such as “Wow, I look at Facebook and see you in a new place every week at a new golf course…what the heck do you do?”, or “So, what’s this AJGA thing?”. Anyways, you get the gist of it. But I’ve got to say, I love being able to say:

Elvis was on-site on Sunday!

“Yeah, I have this great stint working with the American Junior Golf Association. I have the opportunity to fly around the country to a new golf course each week, watch the nation’s top juniors play, use my degree, get a bunch of free merchandise, and meet famous athletes and coaches.”

How many fresh college graduates get to say that? I’m crossing quite a few states off my list, and I have decided that I want to try to spend the night in every single state before I die.

This week was a week of firsts for me for sure. It was my first time in upstate New York, (which is gorgeous by the way), my first time spending the 4^th of July on a golf course, my first time renting a car, and my first time in Ohio.

The tournament went over pretty smoothly. I got to spend the second week in a row with the same team, and it was great to get to know everyone that much better.

By the end of the week, we were dancing to YouTube sensations, cracking jokes, and making fun of each other. It was great!

We were also fortunate enough to get to watch some fireworks last week too. The course had their own show on the 3^rd, and on the 4^th we got off work early enough to catch the tail end of the entire city’s fireworks. The hotel we were staying at was perched on the highest point of Rochester, on a cliff overlooking the whole area. We could see about six different firework shows going on at the same time. It was quite the experience.

Some of the fireworks from the course

So now onto my next ‘first’ that I crossed off my list: renting a car. I was given this week of July 6-13 off from work, and it just so happened that my best friend Nick’s older brother was getting married in Columbus on July 7^th. It was about $350 to fly the 300+ miles from Rochester to Columbus, and it would have taken about 12 hours to do so with all of the layovers and plane changes. So, I thought I’d just rent a car and drive the 6 hours. I mean, 6 hours is pretty short compared to most of the drives I’ve been making in the last few months.

My first rental car!!!

Thank goodness for USAA. They saved me about $60 on the ‘under 25’ fee, found me a great deal with Budget, and made it as easy as possible for me to get to Columbus. I had a little Chevy crossover type car, and I blasted my iPod and smiled the whole way. What a great first experience!

Now for one more ‘first’. It was my first trip to Ohio, and my first trip to

The Ohio State University (yes, they all say ‘the’ when they talk about OSU). I also was given a VIP tour of some of the athletic facilities. Nick’s sister Shelaine works at the volleyball arena, and Nick trained for his NFL Pro Day there last year, so I was able to see all of it. Let’s just say Ohio State’s volleyball arena is bigger than NAU’s football arena…Pretty cool, huh?

Ohio State's indoor football training facility

Anyway, I arrived around noon on Friday, Nick and his friend Nick Melonas picked me up, and we went straight to work. We needed to pick up chairs for the ceremony and help set everything up, so we got right to it. Oh, and did I mention that there has been a ridiculous heat wave in the Midwest, and it was over 100 degrees? Sweating bullets the entire time I was there.

Later that night we headed over to Shelaine’s house for the rehearsal dinner. I had the BEST fried fish there ever. I couldn’t tell you what it was, but it was goooood. We played cornhole, drank some beer, socialized, and rode the quad. It was such a fun night, and so good to see some people I haven’t seen in quite awhile.

The next day was a whirlwind. We all were able to sleep in, and then the chaos started. All the bridesmaids had to be up early to get their hair and makeup done, and then the groomsmen started getting ready around 2. The ceremony started at 5:30, and I have never seen so many hot, sweaty people. I was glad I chose the dress I did because you couldn’t see any sweat marks!! Score!

With Nick on the quad. So much fun!

Just so you get a better idea of how hot it really was, there were three or four people who passed out. Nick was one of them. The poor guy – he made it through the ceremony and pictures like a trooper, and then he started to get a little wobbly. Out like a light.

A few bottles of Gatorade, some bananas, and a clothing change later, he was ready to go. He gave his best man speech and rallied. Then the party started.

We all danced and danced late into the night. It cooled off enough to feel comfortable, but by that point none of us cared. We were having so much fun!!

Anyway, this last week was one to remember. I had a wonderful time at the tournament in Rochester, and the wedding in Columbus was one for the books. Now I am spending my week off at home with my family, and I couldn’t have asked for a better time. Looking forward to my next five weeks with the AJGA, but savoring every moment I have left at home.

Now, for the wedding photos : )