Golf man, golf...

Last night was one of those great nights in Kansas, where the weather is wonderful and not yet too hot. I was able to play 9 holes at Alvamar with Seth Jones ("Jonesy") and Andy, a friend of Seth's a another fun guy to shoot a round with. I fortunately beat the both of them, shooting a 45 that was highlighted with a finishing stretch of par, par, birdie, bogey. (In the photo above, I nailed my drive on the uphill 6th, spotting the drive just a short pitch from the green in the middle of the fairway.)

I think I finally conquered one of my nemesis holes out there, the par-5, dog-leg 8th. I mashed a great drive (the big dog was barking LOUD all day, and I think it scared Jonesy's shitzu) that cut the corner on the dog-leg and nestled comfortably in the fairway. Sitting about 155 out I pulled the six-iron (the green is waaaay uphill, a very tough approach shot) and hit a crisp approach that left me on the green in two, with a legitimate eagle putt. I watched Seth and Andy dry hump the green (Seth was in the midst of shooting a score for which there is no number, and Andy blew his putt off the front of the green) so I left my putt a good three feet short, but made the come-backer for the birdie. Easily the best I'd ever played that hole.

The finishing 9th hole also provided a bit of controversy, as Jonesy maintained that on my tee shot I hit a bird in mid air (he had had a few beers at this point, as had I). To be honest, I hit the ball so far the naked eye wouldn't be able to see if it hit a bird, so I'm not sure if I did or didn't. I can only assume that in future rounds though I'll be greeted with a chorus of "bird killer, bird killer!" taunts from Jonesy. Once on the green, I did resort to my woeful putting though, and had a bad two-putt for the bogey. All in all, I felt like I struck the ball well, my putting just needs to come around. Always something to work on.

And also, Lerve, I need you to relieve the curse you placed on me on the fifth hole at Alvamar, or as we now know it, "the hole were Lerve went bat-shit crazy." You remember this, doncha? Profligate swearing and club tossing? Yeah, last time we (Jonesy and I) played this hole, I made a dumb mistake and mentioned your melt down, and I haven't scored less than a double the last two times I've played it (not to mention my awful, awful drives from that damn tee). So, I've tried everything, cursing your name, begging forgiveness, even "pouring a sip out for my homies who couldn't make it," but nothing works. So, do me a solid and lift the curse. Real chicken, fried chicken, whatever it takes. Just get Jobu off my back. Thanks.

Vacation, thou art so fleeting

So my lovely spring break is coming to a close and I have NO desire to go back to work tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, I love me job and I'm ready for the yelling at my 1st hour nightmares to stop but still........ Vacation was so sweet. So I thought I'd some up my spring break. First off it was awesome!

It began with a fabulous Averill road trip to Ohio (some of which is shown in the previous post) We came home Tuesday and I was greeted by my very handsome love. On Thursday we went to watch a triumphant KU game at Buffalo Wild Wings and discussed Softball team names over beer ( not always a wise decision) However, it was great to be back among friends. ( I love my family but they don't yell or swear as much)

I went to the second baby shower for my soon to be best little buddy Keegan and made onsies, A very clever idea which resulted in a lot of naughty things he will be wearing. I also got to have lunch at the taste with the GCSAA crew.

The home of course is a must for remodeling when one is on vacation so Eric and I tackled two projects. The first has been to re tile the bathroom ( this is turning out to be a slightly longer process then planned so you may not see us for a few nights this week) We also got a new ceiling fan which Eric is at this moment swearing at. I'm clearly not in the room for that!

Overall, We had poker nights, late nights and lots of fun. This has been one of the most relaxing and enjoyable Spring Breaks in my life. I have bonded with friends and family, lazed around the house, watched some wonderful and so crappy basketball, Set up a softball team and had one heck of a time.

I can't wait until Summer!!!!!! Teaching ROCKS!!!!!!

~Trish

Hi From Oh-Hi......O

Hey all, I am on VACATION. Vacation is one of my favorite things and this has been a good one. Yes, I do miss Eric but as he said, he's got beer and basketball. Also, I got to see a SWEET basketball game. Ohio St won it by a 3point shot to tie and then in overtime. it was awesome. Sadly, I don't get KU games in this region. They apparently have no taste.




Anyway, I'm here with my fam. and we had a blast on St. Patty's day. I discovered my Uncle John is in a band!! He's a drummer and a doctor, my aunt has done well. I've gotten to spend some quality time with my cousin Shelly and I even had some old guy con me into getting his guitar from under the booth and checking out my butt. Will I never learn???? Dad created art with Button paper before hitting the dance floor and we all had one heck of a party. Plus I'm going to start a tradition of cooking corned beef and potatoes on St. Patrick's Day so come on by!

Miss you Eric. See you soon!

~Trish

Now...isn't that a cute baby?

Last night Trish and I, continuing on our bastardized (and by that I mean, no killing of confidential FBI informants) Sopranos-style Sunday Dinner, invited over Trish's cousins Paul and Kari and their daughter Lilly who will be one of two flower girls in our wedding, and her cousins from Boston (that's right, f*** the Yankees!) Jen and her husband Kerry and their adorable son Wilbur.

Trish had a busy day going to a baby shower for our dear friend Tracy, so it was pretty much up to me to get the house clean and dinner on the table. I made a very well received pork roast (grilled/smoked in my Weber with some Cherry and Hickory chips), some sweet potato "fries," bread and salad. Oh, and a "home made" Peach pie). All in all, one of the better nights I can remember. Great friendships were forged and acquaintances renewed. And we got to play with this little guy for most of the night:
















Of course, the whole reason that we were able to get together was to honor Tucker Averill, and wow, she was completely surprised. Due to an unfortunate lack of foresight on my part, we don't have a photo of the look on her face, but she was completely surprised and I for one was excited just to be there. Tucker may have lost a step, but dammit she's as sharp as anyone and I sure enjoy spending time and talking to her. Here's to another great many years Grandma!




~Eric

Clarification on Brothers

Will- the guy to whom Trish made the shout out is Trish's brother. Neuty doesn't have a brother he's got an awesome sister Heidi. I think both Will and Eric are excited to get a brother. Will didn't even get one when he got married. He got another awesome sister. It's cute because they are already making plans on what to do as brothers. Eric is going to teach Willie how to throw a ball.

And Willie is going to teach Eric how to read! As seen in this picture. Aren't they cute!!!!

----Trish

Thanks for the memories...

So, this morning, I make my coffee and flip to ESPN.com, where I see this story:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2793551

Anyone who knows me quickly recognizes that I'm a huge Broncos fan and a die-hard Royals fan. And for some reason, seeing Jake Plummer's retirement struck a chord with me. I never was the biggest Plummer fan, but I feel like as an individual he was atypical of the spoiled, petulant NFL players we seem to hear so much about. I think most of this clearly sentimental attachment to Plummer's retirement stems from his close friendship with Pat Tillman (if you don't know Pat Tillman or his story, look it up, you'll be glad you did). And I somehow want to think that the two (former college teammates) shared the same goals, ideals and certainly worldly perspective.

So, Jake, I just wanted to thank you for several years worth of great memories. I'm sorry that as a Broncos fan I submitted to the popular Broncos Nation idea that you wouldn't ever take the team to a title. So many fans wanted, hoped, that you would be this perfect, infallible championship leader and when you fell short of these monumental expectations we, as fans, quickly turned on you, giving our praise to the untested rookie. More than the all-to-public failures though, I am grateful that you played the game as passionately as anyone ever has, and that's you're enduring legacy in my eyes. I'm a little sad seeing you leave the game now, but you did it on your terms, and I sure hope you don't come back. Good luck in whatever you do next, and thanks for several great years.

Shout out to Will!

Hey All,
I want to give a special shout out to my bro.
My brother Willie......oops, sorry, Will, took a little while to find his path on this crazy road we call life. However, since he did, he's been soaring. Within the past five years he has met a fabulous woman, moved to England, got married, quit smoking and taken over a local theater company, even though he's a damn Yank. I was thoroughly impressed by this, but wait....... There's more................In the past few months Will has been training to run a MARATHON. Yes that is the huge one where people run a lot and whine about chafing. Even better, he's running it in ROME!!!! That's where it all began ( well really it all began with the Greeks and then the Romans stole it. But it's still cool)

So here's the upset. Willie hurt his ankle pretty bad and the doctor told him he can't run it. After all that work! So hence the point of the shout out.

To Willie: Wow, I am so impressed with all of the hard work you have put into training. You have committed yourself to something that my brain cannot even grasp, and although you have been thwarted by your ankle, (stupid ankle) You have still accomplished your goal. I am so proud and honored to have such an inspirational brother who strives for his goals with enthusiasm and excitement. You are going to be a great success in LA and I have a feeling I'll be in awe of you for the rest of my life. You may not have been able to run this one but you HAVE succeeded. Plus now you get to drink on St. Patrick's Day!! You should drink outside the Vatican.

So that's all.............. YOU ROCK WILLIE!!!!!!

Two of several groomsmen...

So, this is my good friend (and groomsmen) Shep at his Police Officer graduation. Shep's a good buddy and a better cop. I'm glad to have him in the wedding.

The fella in the green shirt is the best man (and personal legal advisor to the groom...ahem...) Matt Gaus. Matt's also a solid guy and a great friend.

The last guy in the photo is Jamie Herlein...blarghhhhh! Sorry, inside joke. E-mail me at neuteboom@sunflower.com if you want the scoop...

Okay, so this may not be that exciting...

Okay, so this photo doesn't really have anything to do with the wedding AT ALL, but damnit, I love that woman, and damnit, I love that photo!

Curiously enough, she didn't catch any fish that day...

Site for the ceremony...

This is it! Our friends Deb and Paul Chaussee have graciously allowed us to get married on their property just North of Lawrence.

Those are Paul's two dogs, names unknown, where we're considering having the ceremony. This photo doesn't even do the place justice, but it comes close. It's a huge open meadow surrounded on all sides by cathedral like trees. It's a beautiful place to get married, and knowing we'll have the blessing of two of our closest friends makes it that much more special. More wedding photos to come!

Not so good with technology...

Yes, sorry, not too many posts lately. We had a busy weekend full of parties, gambling and a few other activities. Good times all around.

Anyway, pictures will be posted tonight, I promise.

We don't want Lerve to be mad at us. Last time that happened he stabbed me with a half-eaten chicken on a stick at the Taste. I still have nightmares about that. Eegads.

To come tonight, photos of the ceremony site!