Je t'aime, Paris!

Amazing photos from Lindsey Kent of Pictours Paris

After going to the Super Bowl (2011) and The Masters (2014), what sports-related trip could possibly top those two? Probably going to see the Dallas Cowboys win in London!

I had never been to Europe before, but the man had, and he made sure it would be a trip I would never forget (no, he didn't propose). 

Jerry Jones, Garett, me and Roger Goodell
(with special guest star Jason Witten in the background).

We stopped in London first for the Dallas Cowboys-Jacksonville Jaguars game at Wembley Stadium, where we got a photo with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones. It was totally unplanned and we had no idea we'd have field access, but my friend Tom, who's with the NFL, orchestrated the whole thing. He even took this photo. And to top it all off, he later got both Mr. Jones and Mr. Goodell to autograph the photos for Garett and me. What an amazing memory! 



After London, it was on the train to Paris...the City of Lights. A few things struck me about Paris...it is HUGE and the Eiffel Tower IS all that and more. I wanted to go up to the Tower multiple times (daytime and nighttime), so it's a good thing I could make reservations before our trip online - that saved a lot time.

The highlight of Paris had to have been our photo session at the Eiffel Tower with Lindsey Kent of Pictours Paris. Never in my wildest dreams did I think G would go for it, but he was a good sport and went along and even brought a nice white shirt for the photo session. It was a lot of fun and the only regret I have about it is that I didn't spring for multiple locations. It's not cheap, but it was certainly worth every penny.

On our way back to Hawaii, we stopped in San Jose to see my sister and her family and attend the UH-San Jose State game, which turned out to be the only road win for the Rainbows in the 2014 season. What a perfect trip!

The Masters

What an amazing trip to Augusta for the 78th Masters!  The first PGATour event after the Masters gets underway today, so thought it was a good time to reflect on the extraordinary memories we have from two weeks ago.  In a nutshell:

Ernie Els (l) and group walk up the 18th fairway
during a practice round on Wednesday, April 9.

The course is much hillier than you could ever tell on TV.  The hills are unbelievable.  Need to give the pros credit for walking all those hills and still shooting lights out.  

Yes, food is cheap. Just $1.50 each for their signature Pimento Cheese and Egg Salad sandwiches.  The most expensive item is $4 for imported beer - not bad!

And if I could do it all over again, I would jam that box I shipped back with much more souvenirs.  They offer shipping there for all the stuff you buy, and while we did pack a box, we sent it off after just the first round of purchases.  Oops!

Finally, if you have an special items you would like to photograph there, don't forget to take them with you.

The famed 13th green at Amen Corner - Azalea

Of course, you can only bring in cameras (no phones - just cameras!) on Practice Days, which is why we lucked out so much getting the Wednesday, April 9 practice.  Not only was it the Par 3 Tournament, the weather finally got better that week after all the rain on Sunday and Monday.  

My best memory?  Just being there...over the next couple of days, I'll post more pics. 

The Trip of a Lifetime

Yes, the No. 1 golfer in the world won't be at the party this week, but we will.  :) And that's good enough for us.

It all started back in July 2013 when the significant other told me he got chosen in the lottery for Masters tickets for the Wednesday practice and Par 3 tournament.  Wooo hooo!  What an ideal day for first-timers since that is the day you can take photos and you might get lucky with an autograph or two.  Because once tournament play begins on Thursday, you can forget about those things.

Today, on the eve of our Masters experience, we played The Landing, which is one of six courses at the Reynolds Plantation in Lake Oconee, Georgia.  And since it's been raining so hard in Georgia (the Monday Masters patrons were out of luck yesterday - so I heard - because of all the rain), it was cart-path only.

These mainland courses are much tougher than the ones we duffers are used to in Hawaii. Here, the fairways are sticky and the greens are slick, so playing without carts presented quite a challenge.  But we had a great time, and are very much looking forward to our visit to Augusta National tomorrow.  Photos to come in a few days.

Dusting Off the Blog Webs

The light just turned on today.  I saw the light...and it told me to dust off the blog webs and get back to some blogging.  

On the golf front, I changed balls from Pro V1s to Volvik Crystal balls.  I first saw the Volvik balls used by the ladies on the LPGA and thought they were fun, and if they're good enough for the pros, those balls must be good. And they are! I love all the fun colors, especially the almost nuclear yellow chartreuse color.  

In September, I had a stellar lesson with teaching superstar Casey Nakama (who was once Michelle Wie's teacher), who taught me how to get more distance and clubhead speed off the tee. Still a high handicapper, but at least I'm not a slow player...and still enjoy my rounds - for the most part.  

Girlie Golf Getaway

Whew!  It's been about four months since my last post...a lot has happened in that time.  I started a new job, and thankfully have been able to squeeze in a lot of golf in that time too.  My latest adventure took me to the island Lāna‘i.  A girl friend and I were up to the challenge - flying in, playing 36 holes, then flying back that same evening.

We couldn't have asked for better weather for the first round at the Challenge at Manele.  The only problem was the weather was TOO good - it was downright distracting!  It's a relatively short course with a lot of undulating fairways.  But I mean, geez....look at it. How can anyone focus?  It's so beautiful!  We girls play FAST; while we're considered high handicappers, at least we aren't holding up anyone.  We finished around 1:30, then had just about an hour to pack up, and catch the shuttle back to the hotel, then another shuttle back up to Koele.

We finally teed off at Koele around 2:30, but that's where it gets interesting.  It was COLD, and I mean really cold.  There was probably a 15-20 degree drop between courses.  I wasn't ready for it to be that cold.  The course sits at about 1,600 feet elevation, so I should've brought something more than a light jacket. Also...there was hardly any food.  Turns out the beverage cart finished its rounds around 3, so we were two really hungry girls.  At the turn, we asked for food, but they said they had none, but we could take the cart to the nearby Lodge at Koele...but again, no food to be found - just chips at the gift shop. Oh boy! We persevered and went back to play almost a blitz 3-hour round. AND of course, loved the signature #17 hole at Koele.  Gorgeous par 4 with about a 150-foot drop from the ladies' tee.

All in all, a day to truly remember.  Of course, two days after we return, Hawaiian Airlines announced it will start flying to Lāna‘i soon.  Guess that means a return trip is in store....lucky me!

Up, up....and AWAY!

If there was ever something to get done soon on my Bucket List (among many items), it would be a hot-air balloon ride. I got to check that one off the Bucket List on Wednesday, October 3 with a sunset balloon ride over Del Mar, California with Magical Adventures Balloon Rides company.  It was a gorgeous afternoon when we met the rest of the group....in our group, there were four, but in total, nine plus the pilot.

We were taken to an open field where two other companies were also launching their balloons that afternoon, then given a safety briefing about the ride, plus how to enter the basket and the position we take in the balloon when it's landing.  All very interesting...and exciting! If you've never seen a hot-air balloon getting inflated, it's quite a laborious procedure that requires about three people for each balloon.  Maybe we lucked out, but it wasn't that cold that day, and with the "hot air" in the balloon, you didn't even need a jacket.

When it was time to launch, it was quite a rush - both literally, and of the adrenaline variety.  Once the balloon was inflated, our pilot instructed us to hop in the basket before the balloon wanted to take off on its own.  No sooner, you're suddenly being lifted off your feet and into the skies.  WOW!  What a feeling!  We got up to about 3,000 feet and it is so peaceful, it's incredible.  As you ascend into the heavens, it gets quiet and suddenly, you are SOARING!  The ride lasts about an hour in the air and depending on the winds, the experienced pilot will choose a field several miles away to land.  All the while we were in the air, the pilot kept in radio contact with two guys on the ground to gauge the flight and the ride...throughout the entire experience, we all felt very, very safe.

One last impression of our incredible flight....yes, that's right, our University of Hawai‘i flag affixed on the basket, flying high over Del Mar, California. What an amazing experience...highly recommended, and something you will never forget.

California Dreamin'

Been away on my latest adventure...a week in San Diego with an overnight stop in Dallas to see the Dallas Cowboys play on Monday Night Football against the Bears.  While the game was pretty forgettable (for Cowboy fans), that stadium is as splendid as ever.

We had some major golf adventures too, including playing on Coronado Municipal Course, which might be the best municipal course this country has to offer.  When we teed off at 7 a.m., the Coronado area was blanketed in fog. Imagine trying to hit the ball and not knowing where your ball goes...it was FUN!  In the photo collage, you can see the famous Coronado Island bridge in the fog.  OH, and something neat:  at 8 a.m., golfers pause for the National Anthem coming from the Coronado Military Base....awesome!  God Bless the USA!

One of my favorite photos is the last one in the collage where you can see G hitting in the fog at the beach near a boat. Hilarious!  You don't see that in Hawai'i - ever.