Amen Corner

The masters begins today! I'm not sure I ever thought there would be a point in my life where I said that with excitement. But, against my better judgement, I have become a fan of golf (It would be going too far to say that I am a golfer, although I feel my natural talent shines through on the golf course). I guess somewhere along the line I actually paid attention to what Brent was saying and started to understand and even appreciate golf. As a result, I have also come to love the Masters. There is something so magical about Augusta and the Green Jacket. Every year I get sucked in. I think I first got hooked in 2003 when I started watching the coverage on Thursday and made the bold prediction that Mike Wier was going to win. And lo, and behold, I was right! I followed his round each day until he put on his Green Jacket on Sunday. What a sight. In the midst of following his round, I also managed to learn all the names of each hole on the course, and even the shape and par of each. Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. Brent now takes great enjoyment of coming home on Thursday and Friday night of Masters weekend to find me glued to the television and reciting to him the events of the day. Shortly after the amusement, the frustration sets in when he finds that the house is in shambles, there's no food in the fridge, there's no dinner being prepared, and that I will not carry on a conversation with him until a commercial break. But eventually, he settles in and watches right along with me.

Now the Masters this year, much like many of our other experiences in England, will test our strength of character. Luckily, there will be live coverage of the tournament, but it begins at 9:30pm daily. Anyone who knows how Brent and I can barely keep our eyelids open past 10:05pm will see this as a considerable challenge. However, I think we will triumph. Conveniently, it is Easter weekend, so we can stay up both Thursday and Sunday nights without needing to wake up for work the next day. Plus, we have no family events to attend so it doesn't matter if we are tired and cranky all weekend. We'll keep you posted on how we do. But for now....I believe live coverage starts at www.masters.org so I better excuse myself.