My return from the mini-vacation...

First of all, allow me to apologize for my absence over the past several days, but I have been enjoying a long overdue and much needed four day weekend. Over the weekend, which included Monday and Tuesday, I celebrated my 29th birthday and enjoyed a ton of great quality time with my son. We spent time with the rest of our family, went to see "Madagascar" (review to follow soon), had a fantastic birthday dinner with Nana and Sissy and Jeremy, went book hunting at Mr. Kay's, and, on Tuesday, snuck off to the links for a relaxing round of golf. The events of Tuesday are my focus this morning.

One of my greatest joys over the past six years is watching my son grow and develop and mark those timeless milestones in his life. From his first tee-ball game to his first day of school, this last year has been filled with many tremendously memorable events. Tuesday morning ranks very high on that list for this proud father. At 10:30 am, on Tuesday, June 14th, 2005 at Warriors Path Golf Course, Michael David walked into his first clubhouse and signed in for his first round of golf.

This being his first adventure around the golf course Michael decided he preferred to watch versus trying to play, so with his camera in hand, he and I picked up our golf cart, loaded my clubs (with a reserve putter in case Michael changed his mind), and headed to the first tee. Michael was bursting with excitement as he took picture after picture of his new green surroundings.

He even managed to seek a pic of his dad teeing off on hole #1. We rode from hole to hole, Michael asking questions and watching and listening and even holding the flag from green to green. We both were beginning to tire as we made the turn at number 9, so I parked the cart and we headed into the 19th Green for some hot dogs and chips before starting the back nine. Refueled and refreshed by our Gatorade, we quickly finished our round. By the end of the day, Michael was giving his own golf advice, suggesting that I should try to hit the ball closer to the flag, and even cheering on the rare occasion I did.

As we packed up the car and headed back to the house, I asked my son what he liked best about golf. He proclaimed that he loved everything about the day, but especially riding in the cart with his dad. Never has a prouder and happier father smiled back at his son.