RYAN'S 25TH

Ryan's 25th birthday was this month and we decided to celebrate in a couple of ways. On his actual birthday, we both arranged to take the day off and relax. We were able to get some much needed sleep and take advantage of the gorgeous weather. We went golfing and had a great time (don't even think about asking us what we shot, we both took the day off so we didn't have to keep score). After that we met up with our friends and had a yummy meal at Bourbon Street. Overall, it was a perfect way to spend the day.

For a little get-away, we bought tickets to a St. Louis Cardinals game (Derek you can save the Cubs speech, thanks!). We had not been to the new Busch Stadium yet and we figured it was time to check it out. Our first mission was to find Ryan's brick. A while back I had gotten Ryan a brick at the new stadium, a program where you can engrave a brick with anything you would like and it gets placed somewhere in the walk. Mike and Karen (Mom and Dad Shaw) went to St. Louis this summer and were able to immediately stumble upon it. Well, it took us a little bit longer to find the brick. Actually we were about ready to give up when we finally found it and could watch the game in peace knowing that it actually exists. The Cardinals won the game and we again had beautiful weather to enjoy.

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The Waterloo Open

During the summer, I am always reminded of how much I love golf. I love playing it (and trying to get better) and I love watching it (well, not as much on tv).

This weekend we watched Derek in the Waterloo Open. It was great for a couple of reasons. The first is it was very exciting. At the end of 18 holes, Derek tied for 1st place which then sent three players into a sudden death playoff. On the first hole of the playoff, one of the three was eliminated. Then on the second and the last hole Derek's opponent had an amazing shot that landed a foot from the pin allowing him to birdie the hole. Although Derek came in second, he played a great round of golf and you could tell by the end of the day he was the local favorite.


The second reason this weekend was great was that I saw my brother in a new way. He was playing a gentleman's game. There was a large crowd following him the entire day on Sunday, he carried himself so well, he played his golf game under so many eyes (and what I would think to be pressure), he was polite, he held his composure, appropriately found the words to say to the press after such a long fight and all of the sudden the realization hits me that my little brother is growing into a great young man. Derek, we are proud of you for your accomplishments this weekend, which may be more than meets the eye.

Family Time

We had a lot of fun this weekend, we just wish it could have lasted a couple more days! Sunday we went to Irv Waren for a friendly game of golf (although a few people lasted a round longer than I did!). Jamee, Dad, Uncle Ken and I played together followed by Derek, Ryan, Gil and Jake. Mom walked along and was our photographer. We topped the game off with taco pizza at Mom and Dad's house, as the typical tradition stands.
I have to say that we are extremely blessed to have such a great family, including those not pictured. I think today, society puts so much pressure on the individual that they forget about the importance of loved ones and the support system family provides. We would not be where we are today with out all of you. We love you and cherish all of the time we have together!

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First Golf Outing of the Season

Most people start to play in late April (and if you are in the fortunate areas all year around). Ryan and I are a little behind everyone else on the golfing but on Memorial Day weekend we dusted off the clubs and headed out to the course. Amy Jensen, Matt and Brian went with us as well. Now, most people on the first time would play a nice round of 9 holes but we went for the whole 18. We can say that the first 9 was practice because the 2nd 9 we played best shot.

Amy and I against Ryan and Brian and Matt played on his own team. Matt won by one stroke, the girls came in second and the boys couldn't stay on the same side of the fareway. Everyone had fun and the weather was beautiful.