the next tiger woods

wow! almost a week since my last post! and it's been a busy week, so let's get to the recap, shall we?

friday night, anne and i decided to take advantage of the incredible weather and spend some time outside. we headed to balls bluff in leesburg, a park/cemetary i had not been to snce i was in high school.

the batle of balls bluff was the largest civil war battle taking place in the county, and resulted in the virtual massacre of union troops. i did a little googling, and found this: Of the 1,720 Union soldiers engaged, 49 were killed, 158 wounded, 553 taken prisoner and 161 missing and presumed drowned in the Potomac River. Confederates engaged numbered 1,709, of whom 36 were killed, 117 wounded and two taken prisoner. Bodies floating downriver to Washington brought the shocking reality of the war to the publics attention.



as such, there have been ghost stories told as far back as i can remember, although the details escape me. what i do remember is that the last time i was there, i was a junior in high school and was accompanied by a couple of girlfriends. i can't remember why, but for some reason, we had stopped on the side of the road on our way out of the park. we may have been adjusting something, i can't remember. but while stopped and out of our vehicle, a man in black emerged from the woods carrying a shotgun or rifle, and started approaching us. i don't think i have ever moved that fast in my life. it was probably the freshness of ghost stories in our minds, but the whole thing was quite creepy.

this time, anne and i found the area remarkably un-haunted. we wandered the trails and took some photos. in fact, we risked our lives for a few of them!

okay, that may be an over dramatization, but there was a fallen tree that we decided to take photos on. it was possibly 4-5 feet off the ground, and petrified, so the surface was slightly slippery. walking out towards the end (top) of the tree was one of the scarier things i've done in a long time. and yet, i would happily go skydiving! i think anne thought i was overreacting...until it was her turn:)


after our tree 'climbing' we stopped at quiznos, and picked up some ice cream before returning to my house to watch a movie.

saturday was mostly a play day. i got to sleep in--a rare luxury--then headed over to lara's to meet up with she and anne and spend some time at the pool. it was an absolutely stunning day, and we spent a couple of hours enjoying it next to (and in some cases in it). lara gets mad props for taking advantage of the slide at the pool. though one kid told her it was 'just for kids', another rebuffed him and said it was for adults too, so she was approved.

nick joined us shortly before we decided to leave and headed back to lara and nick's. nick's? hmm, not sure what to call it! lara and nick have bought a house, but nick is living in it solo until the wedding. that clarify things a bit?

at any rate, we ordered pizza and hopped in nick's jeep to go pick it up, stopping at the grocery store for drinks and ice cream beforehand. nick let me drive his jeep home, and for those of you who have known me for some time, you may remember that i kind of have a jeep thing. needless to say, i looked and felt hot driving his lifted wrangler!

we enjoyed pizza and ice cream, and then i hurried home to clean up and attend the adult session of stake conference.

after that, lara called to tell me that she and a girlfriend were going to check out a local club for the potential bachelorette party location. i haven't been to a bar or club in some time, and though i love love love to dance, i am easily intimated and irritated by such venues.

i didn't have much time to talk myself out of it though, so i agreed to come along. when i arrived, lara, nick, and kathryn (who i've been hearing about for years, but never met) were awaiting me, and we headed in.

we were there early, and it took awhile to pick up. the venue was very cool, the dj was okay, and the crowd 'mostly' conservative. there were of course the standard hoochies, but we were all rewarded when the worst of the bunch fell on her butt (in her skirt) while getting up close and personal with her dance partner for the moment. we did a little dancing and a little people watching, and had a good time!

the majority of the week has been very interesting, mostly in regards to my adventures in online dating, but i will save that for another time. i'm working on a post in my head, but it needs one more 'experience' before it's finished.

today was our department summer outing--one of the few events i do not have to plan!

the activity was mini golf, at the oh-so familiar woody's golf course, not too far from my house. i worked from home in the morning and met the gang at the course.

several of you have golfed with me there and can attest to the fact that i am okay. not bad. not good. but okay.

today however, i was possessed. it was sooo hot and humid, and standing outside was very uncomfortable, yet, i smoked the entire group. we played in quads, but scores were tallied later. of the 40 or so players, the closest competitor was seven strokes behind me. i guess my FOUR holes-in-one probably helped. yes, i said 4. hear that anne? lara? corey? FOUR!

i won two categories 'the next tiger woods' and 'most holes-in-one' but they felt it unfair to give me two prizes. it's a shame, because my winning prize was a $50 gift card to footlocker, which i'm not sure how i will use, since dylan works for nike, and i get my athletic gear from there. the prize that went to the '2nd most holes-in-one', was a $50 visa gift card. in a way, i feel a little robbed, but i guess it's mostly about bragging rights.

work has been interesting, and my 'every day, a new adventure' motto holds true. these days, i can't be sure what will occur in any given day, but i'm holding my own.

i'm teaching on sunday, so the weekend promises to be a quiet one. it will almost be a relief after the crazy week i've had!