the last 2 months...

Seems like I've gotten away from blogging... since it's been 2+ months since my last post. So I thought I'd try to look back to see what I was up to. The Shingles took quite a while to get over. The nerve pain and itching lasted about 6 weeks. I didn't do much of anything during that time. My Oncologist took me off chemo and I'm still on a break. I feel normal again! I started back to golf in mid-August and tennis started on August 22. It felt so good to run around the court again. I hadn't played ALTA for the past year because of surgery, radiation and chemo. We've played 2 matches so far and I've won both, hooray!
I flew down to Orlando to visit Kris, Ryan and Nathan and stayed for a week. We got so many projects done! We upholstered her guest room bed, reupholstered a rocker in her bedroom, chalk painted and glazed a cabinet and built a sewing cabinet in her office room closet. It was a productive week and a great visit!
We spent Labor day weekend at the Lake house with Kelly and Carter and Alex. 
I planned, designed and contracted with a company to renovate our master bathroom. Demo to start in ~ 2 weeks. That will be a mess to contend with for sure!
And this past week, in mid-September, we met the extended family in Hilton Head for a week's vacation. What a fun time we had! My husband and the girls and their families, my sister and her husband, my brother and his wife and their daughter and her boyfriend, and my husband's brother and his wife. My Mom lives there too, there were 17 of us in total! We golfed, played tennis, cooked, rode bikes, played at the beach, swam in the pool and hot tub, read books, puzzled, shopped and had a great time together!

This week I was back to tennis and Gal Pal golf, and yesterday I painted baby Nolan's nursery. He'll be here in ~5-6 weeks! I've got quite a bit of sewing to do for his nursery... better get to it!

it's never too early to start...

Tennis is a big game in our family, everybody plays. Carter loves to play with balls and was having a tough time with his Momma's large tennis racquet, so today I bought him his very own kid sized racquet. 

Still a bit oversized for a 1 year old, who's not quite walking yet, but he loves it just the same!

"okay Hattie... your serve"

Just wait until he can stand on his own.... T2 here comes Carter!

fun times...

golf, tennis, more golf, and babysitting my sweet grandson... what could be more fun! My partner and I won our ALTA match today (we are undefeated so far this season), and our team took 3 points against the first place team! Golf Wednesday was not a stellar round for me, but golf does have it's ups and downs for sure. Somehow... we keep comin' back to the challenge! There's a 9 hole championship tournament at our Club tomorrow and Saturday that I'm participating in. I wanted to see how I would be under the "pressure". And... Sunday, we have our couples GalPal and Guys 2010 Tournament, always a good time. A golf filled weekend.
But tonight I got to babysit Carter. He is so much fun! I love his sweet baby smiles, and his sweet baby talk, and just everything about him! Grandchildren are all what they say they are!
I have no photos of golf or tennis, but I have plenty of pictures of Carter... so here, enjoy the cuteness!

Robert Irvine's eat! ... and US Open tennis

While on HHI we ventured out to dinner on Tuesday evening for half price tapas and drinks. The locals always know where to go to get the best food & the best deal and this restaurant did not disappoint! Our table of 10 ordered various tapas appetizers, enough for a scrumptious & filling dinner, and drinks and desserts and the bill came to $150! Quite the night out for delicious food and such a deal ! (said with a yiddish accent)

After such a culinary delight we had to work off all the calories. You saw that piece of cake! We stayed active the entire week, and ended with a family tennis tournament. What fun and perfect timing for this week of US Open Tennis!

I'll be watching tonight's match and cheering for our own Georgia Peach!
go Melanie!

believe!

girls weekend recap

Our ladies weekend was soooo much fun! We played 2.5 hours of tennis each morning, went out to lunch, shopped Harbortown, swam in the pool, walked the beach, rode bikes, cooked in, played games, sang karaoke, and the last night took this cocktail cruise on the Intercoastal aboard the "Mystic". The storms in the distance and the rainy drizzle didn't stop our crew from going out.

boarding the boat

weekend activities

We all had a fabulous time, thanks so much Elaine for your gracious hospitality!

And ... the best part... I get to go back in 6 days for more beachy fun with the family!

Scout totes

At Kelly's tennis match yesterday, I noticed the totes the gals on her team were using for their racquet bag... these cute patterned Scout totes! The outside pockets are great and accessible for your water bottle, sunscreen, can o' balls, etc.or take them to the beach or pool

And... they have matching cooler bags for whatever you need to keep cold.Play great and look great with these fabulous accessories!
whether playing golf or tennis, or just lounging at the beach or pool... a gal's gotta look good!

Father and Son (in-law)

Drew and Lincoln have been playing as a T2 doubles partnership for 2 seasons now. The first season they made it to the playoffs but couldn't participate in the City Championships due to a conflict with a business trip. Yesterday was the season end City Championships for Spring and they were there and ready to play! On court it was a balmy 101 degrees. They were playing a pair that had previously beat them twice during the past year. A revenge match to see who would prevail as champs...

Lincoln and Drew T2 City Champs for Mens 3.5-

drenched in sweat and happy to finally claim their title!
6-3/ 7-5

a great start to Fathers Day weekend!
Happy Fathers Day to my amazing husband!

road trip... playoffs: round 2

We're on to round 2 of the ladies ALTA playoffs for my team. We ended the season with a slightly lower point average from the team we're playing tomorrow, so that means going to them.

We're playing down at the Piedmont Driving Club, in the city of Atlanta, which at the moment is undergoing a major renovation. Too bad for us, as it is one of the nicest clubs in Atlanta, or it will be once again, when they're done.

It's next to the track of land where Piedmont Park is located and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

The downside... driving down there with the morning traffic. The upside... I'm sure they will be very gracious hosts.
Wish us luck, I hope we kick their butts!

update: we're back home after losing this morning...
our #1, 2, and 3 positions all lost. My partner and I did start and were up 4-2, when the 3's finished. Our match was fun, we were playing great and I think we would have pulled out a win. We had a great season and have a bag tag to show for it!
Now, on to next week... and more time for golf !

Playoffs: round 1

We did it!

Our #1 and #2 positions both lost in very close 2 set matches... but our 3's , 4's and 5's all prevailed and took it in 2 sets for the match win and to move on to round 2 of the playoffs this Thursday.

Go team!!!

division winners!

Today was our last regular match for the Spring 2009 Thursday Ladies season. My team, in first place with 27 points was playing the 2nd place team in our division coming into today with 25 points. Our 1's, 2's and 3's all went to 3 sets, but all lost in the third set. It came down to our 4's and 5's to win their matches to beat out our opponent, now 1 point ahead of us. My partner and I were determined and won in a 2nd set tie breaker! Our 5's (one of our girls actually twisted her ankle, iced it for the allotted 10 minutes and went back to playing) pulled out a win in the 3rd set, to make our team the division winner by 1 point! What an exciting season! Today felt like the playoffs, which btw we now head to next week, go team!

We won the coveted bag tag!

calling all lady golfers and tennis players...

On Thursday, April 16 each of our 70+ participating Golfsmith locations nationwide will be tailoring this event to make it unique for their women guests.

• Find the location nearest you
  

Here are a few things you can expect to do:

• Test the latest clubs at our indoor hitting bays
• Network among fellow female athletes and hobbyists
• Where available, attend a GolfTEC Improvement Centers clinic addressing women's most common golf swing problems

These are prizes and giveaways you can register to win:

• Golf trip for two to Hawaii, sponsored by ecco
• Nike Golf shoe bag, shoulder tote or stand bag
• Adams Golf 2009 Lady Idea A3OS 13 Piece Full Set
• PING Lady Rhapsody 5-SW Iron Set
• $500 shopping spree, sponsored by Swing by bette & court
• One dozen Callaway HX Pearl golf balls
• Golf Buddy Pro GPS unit
• Bushnell Yardage Pro GPS unit
• SkyGolf SG5 GPS unit
• Prestrung Wilson Tennis Hope Racquet

Doors will be open exclusively for women from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. We hope to meet you there!

see more details and register at www.golfsmith.com/womensnight
and get the $20 off your purchase of $100 coupon code

okay, it seems a little more geared towards golfers than tennis players, but check it out, especially if you play both!

the perfect day

Yesterday was the first day of our ALTA spring season. It was a beautiful day and the perfect temperature for playing tennis. We played at Thornhill which has a beautiful amenities area and a trail that goes down to the Chattahoocee river and behind Dean Gardens (the pink mansion). We were lucky enough to have 4 courts starting at 9:30 am, so no anxious waiting to get on the court. The first 3 positions all won in 2 sets, and the 4's and 5's won in 3 sets. 5 points for us! What a way to start the season!

After tennis I headed over to the PGA tour store and found a few bargains! For all you Lilly lovers, check out one of my finds...


that's right...you can see it... a $138 skort for $34.50!
Affordable Lilly P. ahhhh!

I brought my bargains home, took the pups out, changed, and met my husband at the club for 9 holes. I started with a par on #10 and shot a 56 (not great but better than last time) on the back nine (the harder side) which is partially under construction (can't wait for all that to be over). We decided to stay for a bite to eat and went upstairs to the bar to find an inpromptu wine tasting going on by one of the wine vendors (fun!). We tasted a Chardonnay and a Savignon Blanc, a Cabernet and a Bordeaux (I do love my wine). We had a nice dinner, Shrimp and Grits for me and Tortelloni for Drew (Chef Tom is good!).
So to recap: Tennis win, great shopping, good golf in beautiful weather, and wine tasting... all in the same day!
The perfect day for a Golf Gal in Atlanta!

ALTA tennis starts this week

In addition to very active USTA league play, Atlanta has one of the largest organized tennis leagues in the US, the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association. Designed for players of all levels from beginner to pro, with well over 80,000 members.
Now gals, that's a lot of tennis fashion!
Here are some too cute dresses for your spring 2009 tennis season, available at Athleta.com, because you should look as good as you play, right?!

Winter USTA is over

We did play tennis this morning, and it was hovering around 30 degrees with a wind chill. But we were all dressed for it, thanks to the media, and we survived without frostbite. My partner and I won 6-2 in the 3rd set, after a close first and second set of 6-4, 4-6. Hooray!
Alta practice will start the end of February, so until then, it's just social play.
For a GalPals update... good health news for Carolyn who had a clean scan this week! And prayers go out to Margaret, and her family, whose husband is in the hospital with complications from a kidney infection.
On a lighter note, you may have noticed I have a new and improved header, thanks to my daughter Kelly! She's quite a bit more computer savvy than me, and... she also has the program.