The Grace of Mulligans

 

Don't blame me. But it just happened that I was due for my church newsletter's column AND it was golf season. So here is what I wrote and thanks for bearing with me!

The Grace of Mulligans

Even though I’ve been golfing for 3 decades. I never learned how. 

No official lessons anyway. Just started golfing with guys and mimicked their “stand by the ball and swing hard” stance. 

If you’re a golfer, you know this doesn’t always get the best results. I’ve pretty much resigned myself to be a “double bogey” golfer. For those who don’t know golf, it means I’m OK, but not “good” or “bad.”

This spring I convinced a few other ladies at work to take some group lessons. When the instructor asked me what I wanted to get out of it, I frankly replied, “I need to re-learn 30 years of bad form.” No small task, right?

What I love about God is that anytime we ask Him for a do-over (a “mulligan” in golf), He grants it. 

No matter how long we’ve strayed down a certain path, He supports our desire to do something different. To learn better ways. 

But we do have to do some of the work. Be willing to learn.

There was a time in my young, wild, and free days where I likely made poor decisions and thought, “Sorry, God, I’ll do better next time.” (Haven’t we all?) But now I have endless gratitude His grace gives us in mulligans, even third chances, and more.

God does not give up on us. 

There are so many verses in the Bible that attest to this that I couldn’t pick one. Just know that if you are struggling to make the right decisions or feel like you’re a failure to people you love, God is here.

He won’t judge. He’ll give you a mulligan or a do-over. And provide the strength for you to succeed. 

Think of God as our caddie. He can guide us, but in the end, we still have to listen… and do the work. (Spoiler alert: He’s much more forgiving than the greens on most courses!)

Perfect Swinging Weather

After getting completely rained out with zero chance of golfing at SentryWorld league on Tuesday, it was a treat that today we were in the mostly sunny, high in the upper 70s mode for TriCity Women's golf league.

Or what I call Foxy Ladies League since I don't go anywhere without Mr. Fox!

My new partner for the season couldn't make it tonight so my "old" partner Marigene stepped in. We had a good time even though our opponents had a hyper-talented college team golfer in their twosome. We can't compete with that so we reminded ourselves this is a foxy and FUN league!

So we had our own fun. Something tells me that if I avoided that damn sand trap on hole 5 (just keep swinging) I could've broke into the 40s tonight. But my ball was in love with the beach tonight – on far too many holes – so my final score was not worth sharing.

So we'll just concentrate on the fact that it was a lovely night (with bug spray required) and good times with friends. 

Although I am by nature ultra competitive, it is far more enjoyable to live in the moment and not compare yourself to others. I've heard it said that "comparison is the thief of joy." Embrace your high golf score if you just spent 90 minutes or so with someone who's fun to be with! 

And remind me of that sentiment the next time I complain about a crappy score! 

Season Enders

 

I'll admit that as a sports photographer, I often get attached to certain groups of girls that are so amazing I never want them to graduate. And more than that, I don't want the seniors' last game to end with anything other than a state championship.

So today's sectional semi-final at Pacelli was tough to take.

It was definitely a pitcher's battle today. Just 3 innings and our lineup was completely struck out. Ouch. Our pitcher returned the favor but all it took was 2 solid hits (and one being a homerun) and our opponents scored 3 runs. 

Unfortunately, in the final inning, we finally had our first batter on base thanks to a walk. Then they double-played us to the final out and our girls were eliminated from their bid for state. Like I often say, "I'm not crying, you're crying!"

Though I was.

As a sports photographer (9 years after our kiddo graduated) I'm running out of Royals we have a connection to. Now, I'm not sure when I'll need to cry again. This amazing class of 2025 certainly set the bar high throughout everything.

Unlike basketball, we should have chanted "Thank you, seniors!" at the end of today's game. For you really have been the best!

Trifle Tuesday... Again?!

The truth about trifles is this... Since we work from home on Mondays and 95% of my creations are for work, it's almost always Trifle Tuesday!

Today was one of our new interns' birthdays and I decided to go with Oreo Cookies 'n' Cream vibe. Yum. (Inspired, of course, by Birthday Cake Oreos and Cookies 'n' Cream pudding.)

And, since I recently put a Trifle for Auction in a silent bidding war (ha) through school, I decided I should make a recent menu – well at least some examples – for the auction winner to get inspired to think of some flavor combos. I can't wait to see what I can do for them.

But for now, I might as well share some of my "fly by the seat of my pants" flavor combos and layering options in the past year or so...

Anyone hungry right now? Ha. These are just a few. But my friend that talked me into auctioning one off said I should put them in a cook book or at least let people know I occasionally do "Trifles for Hire."

Like I need one more "side hustle" in my life. But it's so fun for me to do. So now you know.  

P.S. I choose to keep my blog a TRIFLE light tonight since I'm disappointed our first night of SentryWorld golf league was a no-go due to rain and thunder and such. Like I alluded to yesterday, I can't trust Mother Nature for anything!

Summer Scratch 'n' Sniff

I took a lunchtime walk with my friend Jenny and her lilac blooms were heaven scent! As I shared a photo of them, I said, "You can smell this picture, can't you?" That's when I thought that lilacs would be a great adult Scratch 'n' Sniff sticker! 

Sorry if you're too young to remember this staple of all our school notebooks in the '80s! It was entertaining and pretty amazing! 

As it turns out, my thought was not unique. There is actually a company called Everything Smells that has a lilac sticker! I might have to look into that now that I found it. 

Today was quite the summer reveal in Wisconsin. I thought yesterday was a nice golf day...

...But today – with our high of 86 – it would have been a nice afternoon to ride a boat after work. If you were the type of person who has one.

Instead, just like trying to keep up with salt accumulation on the car in the winter, I made a pointless attempt to keep up with washing the yellow-green pollen on my car. after work. It may last a day. Or maybe two. Meanwhile...

I created this very IMPORTANT POLL: Yes it's 85 degrees out but Spring Sports are not over, so...

• Keep the winter clothing in the backseat (👍)
• Remove and trust Mother Nature this once (🤣)

Thank you for your participation.

So far, the results reflect a resounding anti-trust issue with Mother Nature! So I'll give it time. And, so far it is not interfering with space for my golf pull-cart and clubs! 🏌

Be careful in this heat and careful, too, for the wicked weather which may or may not interfere with Tuesday afternoon tee time! Again... Mother Nature trust issues.

Something in the Air

Between pollen "dust fairies" and the smoke sneaking down from Canadian wildfires, it's not a great time to spend lots of time outdoors. 

But well, that was pretty much our weekend! 

Saturday we went to a cancer benefit for our friend Jeanne, then went to a graduation party, and then I went down to Lake Arrowhead to watch the Shermalot Water Ski Show Team perform. Since they were short quite a few team members, they didn't do the show they plan to do this summer. But still there was plenty of jumping, twisting, and pyramid building!

I don't know how they do any of it. But it's fun to try to capture. I kept looking over my shoulder, too, because the sun was setting behind me and it was getting colorful. The top photo was taken at the end of the night.

This was earlier in the evening. I call it "Smoky Sunset at the Ski Show." Crazy, right?

I took so many pictures that I got to bed well after blogging hours. Sorry.

Today was another day outside. We both sang in our church choirs (indoors) but then we went to a potluck year-end choir gathering (my choir). It felt like summer. Thanks for finally showing up on June 1, nice weather!

This afternoon/evening we had couple's golf league. We have to use at least 3 drives from each player in our two-person couple scramble format. Thank goodness I had enough that worked. I felt like a good contributor. And even did a par dance when I sunk the par putt on the par 5! 

Fun afternoon but it took us nearly 3 hours to get done so we grabbed pizza at the clubhouse and got home after 8:30. I'm beat. So much fresh air (not quite fresh) so I should sleep well. 

I did hear there be Northern lights tonight but I don't know what the smoke will have to say about that. I'm sure I'll check it before my head hits the pillow. Just because I hate to miss out!

Have a good week and be careful out there!

Full Friday Vibes

 

I actually hoped to use that afternoon off I planned to take on rainy Wednesday this afternoon. But we got the whole rainy gloomy deal again today. So I worked.

Hubby managed lawn maintenance duties between rain clouds. So props to him!

Then, when I was done with work, I managed some 20-plus minutes in the sun with Mr. Deck Chair while I was waiting to hear from my sister RoAnn. She and her hubby were traveling from Minnesota to Green Bay and back today for some special vintage truck parts. I said if it was timed correctly and they were within an hour from me, we could meet up.

So we met up at my work stomping grounds PJ's – SentryWorld (flower picture at top) for dinner. We sat out on the patio until rain forced us inside shortly after we dove in their award-winning cheese curds! Great meal and great catching up. I'm pretty sure we haven't seen each other since Christmas. This year is just going by too fast!

Got home and hubby and I headed out to R & R Patio Bar to see our friend (and his high school classmate) Todd perform with his new band.

If you get the chance, check out Rising Star at a venue near you. New band but all the members come with a wealth of experience and they sound great! And we got to see a few AHS alum friends, too. But again, Mother Nature had other ideas and we bailed when we started to get rained on at some point in the second set. We will see/hear you again, Todd!

Turned out to be a full day for sketchy weather. Hope you all enjoy the weekend!

Accurate Life Reflections

Thanks to Amazon (love or hate it) my golf partner and I now have matching towels that totally reflect our approach to the game! 

I mean, I don't want to come with a negative attitude. But rushing straight from work to the course adds a little bit of traffic stress on top of the work stress we're trying to escape. In other words, I'm making excuses why my score on the first hole is always atrocious. 

Of course my friend and partner Molly and I eventually tune into the calming zen of the course. But it takes a minute or two – or a few holes or two.

Either way, we were thrilled the morning rain quit so we could enjoy a night of golf league. And get darn close to par on several holes. 

I love that we just want to have fun and not judge ourselves (or our opponents) on score. We're definitely of the mindset we should keep this a "fun" league. 

This is where my brain says, "Then keep these double bogeys coming, Robyn!" Ope!

The Many Shades of Spring Sports (and Alternatives)

 

Spring sports come in all sorts of colors. Sometimes pretty umbrellas. And sometimes it's a bright yellow softball combined with Assumption Royal Blue which means there's a second round of softball playoffs after a 10-0 regionals victory last night!

Especially celebrating a playoff homerun! It made for an exciting evening. And yes, any time you see me posting photos late at night, know that I cannot stay up any later to blog about my reality TV-worthy exciting life!

Today I was all pumped for my own spring sport. Well, duh, golf. A childhood friend is in the area (visiting from Colorado) and we totally had a golf outing planned this afternoon. I took a half-day off and guess I never ran my vacation request past Mother Nature.

Stupid rain!

So we had to cancel. But didn't totally give up on reconnecting. 

Heath and I grew up about 2.5 miles apart. Which means we were together from kindergarten and our 2-room grade school (Oak Hill) years to high school graduation. Haven't seen him in 10 years when we were in Colorado on vacation, but he's heading to Luck (our hometown) for a wedding this weekend so we made sure two fellow golfers connected.

Over dinner anyway.

Don't judge me for being a hoarder. But I brought my grade-school sweatshirt with me so we could take a photo as 2 of the 6 in the last 4th-grade class at Oak Hill Elementary before all of us "country kids" had to go to school in Luck.

Yes, we're that old. And it was a hoot catching up and sharing random memories from age 5 to 18 and beyond. Bummed we couldn't golf, but I think we could chat more over sushi and hibachi chicken than on the course anyway. So it's all good.

The beauty of childhood friends (even your 1st-grade "sit together on the bus every day" boyfriend) is that you never have to pretend who you are or where you came from. Every bit of the conversation is unpretentious and real. 

Treasure those friendships when you can!

Mild Memorial Day

With the temps in the low 70s and winds a mild pace, we had an enjoyable (and tolerable) day at the race track.

Today our nephew Colin raced close by – in the Midwest Truck Series at Golden Sands Speedway.  A mere 15 minutes from home.

After starting in the back part of the pack and getting hit and moving to the far back, we were excited to see him pull out a 13th-place finish. 

Plus, the weather was just pleasant. Some Memorial Days it's pouring rain and other times. it's 80+ degrees. So this was pleasant. We certainly wanted him to finish better, but were happy to see him not giving up the fight.

That was pretty much the excitement (and relaxation) of our holiday day off. Maybe we'll get a few more chances to lay back this week!

Happy Holiday Weekend Sunday

I'll admit the 3rd day of a 4-day holiday weekend can be pretty boring when you're just doing normal life things. So today, being it Sunday and all, I went to church.

Also mid-morning Jim, Casey, Clay and a friend went golfing. By early afternoon we were all home and I headed to a graduation party while hubby relaxed on the couch and watched golf.

When I got home, I realized the temps were close enough to 70 so I could bond with Mr. Deck Chair for a bit. He was so happy! And it turned into a gathering of 3+ neighbors by our deck. (While I tried to hide my over-exposed body!)

Tonight, after I ran an errand in town, hubby had a backyard fire going.

He had some added color thanks to our many expired, etc., strings of holiday light strings. Always looks pretty. And it's nice before the mosquito season starts, too!

Enjoy the great outdoors however you want or however you can this holiday weekend! 

Memorial Day Weekend "Weeds"

My mission every Memorial Day Weekend is that I'll buy hanging flower baskets and try my darndest not to turn them into weeds by the end of the summer. Says me and my 2 black thumbs!

With so many people talking about their spring planting, I thought I was one of the few who actually wait until Memorial Day Weekend to purchase their flowers. I was so wrong. 

By mid-morning, the parking lot was pretty much full. And by the time I picked out just 5 hanging baskets that could handle full sun exposure to survive, I was 10th in line!

Then out of the blue, an angel appeared. A friend of ours I didn't know worked there in her post-retirement years. She whispered, "Robyn, there's no line at Customer Service." I'm sure that literally saved me a good half hour.

I weed-whacked around the front bricks when I got home then hung our fading Reds and Twins flags and our hanging flower baskets. We should be set for the summer. Except for a few other spots I think could use some color. 

After that, it was graduation party time and more.

While hubby went to church in Rudolph, I went to a grad party for the son of a co-worker who also spent a lot of time in the hockey "media" platform the last few years. From there, I met Jim and the 2 oldest boys and Becca for a pizza dinner at B's Tap.

Casey and our grand-dog Rey are in town for the weekend. I hope Rey lives to be 50 because she's the best pup ever!

After dinner, we went our separate ways and Jim and I headed to the Grand Rapids Lions Club where there was a combined graduation party for 6 of the Royals graduates. Quite the special group of girls. And of course we saw a bajillion people we know. Fun evening!

Now I just hope the weather dudes are correct in that it's just going to be in the low 40s – not some freezing temperatures. I want my flowers to survive.

But, of course, selfishly I won't no judgment I turned on my electric mattress pad. Again.

Out With A Bang

 

Was privileged to photograph Assumption's graduation ceremony tonight. After practice yesterday morning, I knew they were poised to throw their mortar board hats up in the air in the end. But they surprised us all with confetti shooters! 

The class of 2025 literally went out with a bang!

This was the smallest class we've seen in awhile. Only 23 kids. I mean ADULTS. They're graduates now! Between sports and music, I think I've taken pictures of just every one of them over the years. A very active and talented class. 

Of course this means we will have a few grad parties on the schedule in coming weekends. I hope for their sake, the weather cooperates. Frost warning tonight. Guess I'll hold off buying my hanging flower baskets 'til Sunday maybe. 

Enjoy your hopefully long, work-free holiday weekend!

And congrats, class of 2025! 

Playing Through

It was probably appropriate that the first night of ladies golf league started today, on the one-year anniversary of my mom's death. Because I really needed the distraction!

I actually worked from home today because I had graduation practice this morning (Stop on the X and smile tomorrow!) and figured it would take too much drive time for me to be productive at work. I also predicted that since I did not handle my first Mother's Day well (or not at all) that I'd be a hot mess.

All of this was mostly true.

As I posted this photo today, I said... 365 days without you, Mom. That's 365 moments I've wanted to call you with a funny pun, solve a Wheel of Fortune puzzle together, wanted to play cards with you, wanted to hug you. What I wouldn't give for one on those childhood walks in the woods with you! 

I guess 6 of my 7 siblings got together Up North to honor Mom over dinner. But my one sister was traveling and I didn't get enough notice to travel 4 hours to meet them. 

Again, that's why it's good I had golf league with a friend and we played "against" 2 other friends of mine. They knew my head-space and were supportive. We won't talk about my golf score. There seems to be a pattern of my sucking big time on "Mom" days.

I'm guessing my angel momma is looking over me for far bigger issues! Love and miss you! 💔

Soul Sistahs

It's only appropriate during Mental Health Awareness Month that we mention the best type of therapy is free – spending time with your soul sisters.

It turned out I got a double dose this week and I probably needed it.

Finally connected with my fellow work-from-home-on-Mondays friend Jenny on Monday for a lunchtime walk. Great to catch up and of course, air our concerns about our adult children in their 20s. I wonder if kids realize we never outgrow motherly worries (and wanting the best for our babies) no matter how old they or we get?

It was a nice walk!

Tonight we had our monthly Girls' Night Out group dinner at Tamaracks Pub and Grill. Sometimes there are a dozen of us and tonight we just had 3. Probably the best scenario for some honest and heartfelt conversations. 

My advice for improved mental health? Spend time with people who you can be REAL with. No false pretense. No fake personality. Just you being you. And they still loving you for it. 

It's so good for the soul!

WTF (What the Fours)?

We're so far into spring that we're only a month away from summer. What is not acceptable is a high temperature of 44 degrees at 4:44 p.m.!

Let's not start on the "feels like" temperature of 35.

Not right, Mother Nature. Not right at all.

I'm not complaining because I'm missing out on something fun like golf (but it better shape up for Thursday), but it's crunch time to get all the spring sports photographed. 

Last night, when the weather was tolerable, I had my "very important cannot cancel under any circumstances" appointment with my hair artist after work. True to my dedicated nature, I still got to the middle school softball game ... to capture the last inning. Then raced (within speed limit, sort of) across town to try to catch the middle school baseball game. They literally were shaking hands and saying "Good game" as I put my car in Park. Dang.

I was hoping to catch high school games tonight. But it's rain clouds for the win. Another dang. Naturally, they're postponed to Thursday – when I have my first night of Ladies Golf League. I'll have to make something work since playoffs start next week. But again, will not negotiate a tee time! 🏌

What a fast spring for a spring that hasn't felt like spring at all! Except for maybe 4 days. Oh that dang #4 again! 

Hope you all are surviving OK. No shame... I turned on the heated seats in my car today and will most definitely do the same with my heated mattress pad.