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Coach



Today Greyson is playing his first tournament as a PGA Professional! In May he played his first tournament as a professional but this is the first tournament that he’s playing with his PGA status. He was officially accepted into the program last week. It literally took an act of God for this to happen. His course already has two PGA Pros so it took some convincing for the course to sign off on it but they did! He passed his test with flying colors and had taken his playing ability test last year. He then had to play the waiting game on the PGA to hear about his status.

The tournament he is playing at today and tomorrow is the City of Crossville State Team Championship
Honoring PGA Professional Bobby Nichols. Bobby Nichols was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1964 PGA Championship. He was also Greyson’s college golf coach. But calling him just his coach does not seem fitting. “Coach”was a mentor, a friend, a father, and always an encourager. He was not only these things for his players but he was to me as well. I am sure there are many others that can say the same thing. He was always teasing Greyson for being so cheap and telling me I deserved a nice dinner. He would let me ride around in his golf cart during tournaments. And trust me this was a big deal! Have you ever walked 18- 36 holes as a spectator? Golf and his players were his life. Unfortunately Coach is not here with us to see this day. He passed away after a short battle with cancer in March 2008. His last days were spent with his players surrounding his hospital bed and their friends and family including myself. Some of the players including Greyson had a tournament they were suppose to leave for the morning that he died. They went to the tournament because that is what Coach told them he wanted but as soon as they pulled into the parking lot of the golf course they received the call that they were expecting. They immediately got back on the bus to Cookeville to be with the rest of their team.

He meant so much to Greyson and was such a big part of Greyson’s golf career. It is only fitting that this tournament be named after him. Good luck G and we miss you Coach but know you are looking down smiling and telling him to “practice, practice, practice and when you are done, practice some more!!!

Wedding Pictures

Our wedding pictures are up! I have spent countless hours looking at them and I am so proud to share them with you.
http://www.photoreflect.com/store/thumbpage.aspx?e=6904847

I Sing for Joy at the Work of Your Hand

I am writing with amazement of what God has done for us since I last blogged. We have both been so discouraged lately and then all of a sudden we have both taken a complete turnaround. God hasn’t reveled where or what He wants us but I can feel God’s hand guiding us in the right direction. Opportunities are landing in our laps and we are perusing them prayerfully.
I am filled with joy. But in order to find this joy I had to take a step back and look at what God was already doing and not what we wanted Him to do. I had to remind myself the words of one of my favorite hymns, “Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!” I had to ask myself what were we really worried about. Everything we needed God was providing for us. We need nothing more than what we have right now. It was then when my attitude changed that things started to change. Doors have begun opening for us. I can’t wait to keep you updated on this journey.

How's Married Life

We’ve been getting this question a lot. Sometimes I feel like it is a lot different and then sometimes I feel like a single girl all over again. The reason I say I feel like a single girl is because Greyson has a new schedule at work. He goes in late in the afternoon and gets home around bed time. So it is just me and Libby on the couch and dinning on cheese and crackers for dinner. I never minded cooking for one when I was living on my own but I hate the thought of it now. For some reason it is disappointing for me to prepare a meal and not have someone there to enjoy it with me. But I think we’re managing around this schedule pretty well. I think us living an hour away from each other the first three and half years of our relationship helped. I am use to doing stuff on my own and our time together minimal. Although, when we were dating our minimal time together was quality time and I can’t always say the same for now. But it is something we will have to adjust and work on. Thankfully we have our Monday nights to be together and lunch dates.
God has taught and revealed so much about Himself to us this past month and revealed more to us about one another. Our patience and determination is being tried daily. And we are learning to serve one another as encouragers when our patience wears thin. We want things to happen instantaneously with Greyson’s career. He has worked so hard in school and is entering into the PGA program to be a golf professional. His long time goal is to combine his level of education and love for golf and be a general manager of a golf course. I have no doubt in my mind that he can do it and will do it if it is God’s will but that job is not going to come overnight and he must work his way up in the industry, as he has already done so. We just both keep getting frustrated. We live in a world that wants things done instantly. We have to constantly remind ourselves and encourage one another. It hasn’t helped that he has received a lot of criticism lately. He has had several people ask him within the past two weeks what he was doing in the golf industry with his MBA in finance. He’s finally got where he tells them his heart. He doesn’t want to waste this life going to a job he hates like he has seen so many others do. Money does not outweigh happiness. As for me, I’ve never had something I was as passionate about as much is Greyson is about golf but I know I am suppose to be doing something else. God has not revealed to me what that is yet but I have a yearning in my heart that tells me this isn’t it. So we are both waiting for God to tell where He wants us. And wherever He leads we will go. Isn’t it incredible though when you really think about it? We don’t have to figure out what it is because God already knows. We just have to wait for His perfect timing.

Since the wedding is over I hope to continue to blog about our new journey together as husband and wife.

Honeymoon in Key West




This is another recap blog. I wanted to savor some memories of our wonderful honeymoon in Key West. We left out for our Key West on Monday morning. A friend of mine had told me when she got married a few years earlier that they waited another day to leave out for their honeymoon and it was the best thing they ever did and wanted to pass on that advice to me. So now I am passing on this advice to anyone else who is planning a honeymoon. Do it and wait an extra day before you leave. Trust me you will be so exhausted from the wedding you will need a day to rest before you jet off to paradise. Besides if you have a reception that runs late like ours did that will only leave you a couple of hours before you have to be at the airport.
Our wonderful friend Trina let us leave our car at her place so we wouldn’t have to pay to store our car at the airport and she drove us to the airport at 4 am for our 6 am flight on Memorial Day. Did I tell you what a wonderful friend she is? Haha! From there we flew to Miami and had a short layover and we were in Key West by noon.
We stayed at the BEAUTIFUL Waldorf Astoria Reach Resort. We arrived before check-in so we had our bags stored and decided to explore the island. We walked down Duval Street and took in the sights and sounds. We couldn’t help but feel like we were in a foreign country because there were so many Europeans vacationing there and there was definitely an island attitude. Within 3 blocks we saw chickens running around like we were in Cuba. And there was a whore house with a sign outside of it like a menu at a fast food restaurant with all of your options. Down a couple more blocks was Jimmy Buffett’s Margaretville and we decided to dine there for lunch. I had steamed shrimp and black beans. A lot of the dishes and restaurants had a lot of Cuban influence. And Greyson had one of his first of many Mahi Mahi sandwiches. We then walked backed to the hotel and enjoyed the pool until we could check in to our room.
The next morning it rained and was a little overcast but by the time we went down to the beach and had one of the cabana boys put out our chairs the sun was blazing down. We never saw another drop of rain. The temperatures were cooler in Key West than at home but I promise you this had to be one of the hottest places on earth. I’ve been to Mexico when it was 107 degrees outside and it did not compare! The UV index was unbelievable. One moment out in the sun without sunscreen and you were burnt. Thankfully we had our cabana boys who had umbrellas at the pool and beach. During the day we stayed out by the pool and ocean. The water and sand was so beautiful and most of the beaches at Key West are private. The beach at our resort was private and we had access to another Waldorf Astoria Resort that was one block away from ours that also had a private beach. There were several activities and games to play at both resorts, including our favorite, corn hole.
We ate some great seafood the entire trip. We ate at the famous Hog’s Breath and at the Sunset Pier, which is exactly a restaurant on an open pier. We saw some unbelievable sunsets at the pier, our resort and on the sunset dinner cruise we took our last night there. I think that had to be our favorite part of the entire trip. It was incredibly hot until the sun started to set but it was so worth it. I have never been in more awe of God’s great creation.
We had the best time and we kept saying over and over again how we felt like we made the perfect honeymoon choice for us. It was a perfect trip minus the plane ride from Miami home where we took a nose dive in the middle of the flight and had turbulence the entire way. We both thought that “until death do us part” was coming a lot sooner than later. Thankfully we landed safe and sound in Nashville and after kissing the ground, some more wonderful friends, Allison and Andrew, came and picked us up from the airport. I am so thankful for our wonderful first week as husband and wife and such an awesome honeymoon.

Wedding Recap and SO MANY THANK YOUS




I have to admit I feel a little lost not planning for the wedding but all my planning definitely paid off. I got pretty much everything I have ever dreamed for. The wedding weekend started on Friday with my bridesmaid luncheon at Arrington Vineyards. For those of you who are not familiar with Arrington it is a beautiful vineyard located between Murfreesboro and Franklin. It is owned by Kix Brooks of Brooks and Dunn. We had a great time. Newk’s ,one of my favorite restaurants, catered. We enjoyed a wine tasting; my favorite part and I presented the girls with their gifts. After lunch, we caravanned to Lairdland Farms. I showed the girls around and we unpacked and got settled in our cabin.

I then got ready for the rehearsal and walked over to my parent’s cabin which was located next door to the Lairdland Farm house where we got married. As soon as I got over there, it started storming. I kept trying to tell myself that is was just a small summer pop up storm and it would be finished before 5:30 pm when the rehearsal was suppose to start. For those of you who do not know, this was an outside wedding and reception. Unfortunately, the rehearsal never happened. Half of the guests were at my parents’ cabin and half of the guests were at the Farm House. At about 6 pm, I started to get upset. There were no tears yet on the outside. Everyone was asking me what I wanted to do and I had no clue. So I turned to the only one who could help me. I went upstairs where no one was, shut the bathroom door and dropped to my knees. I prayed for good weather the next day, acknowledged God was in control and found comfort in knowing God knew the desires of my heart. I went and got my little cousin Gabriel and asked him to go get Greyson for me who was on one of the two porches with his groomsmen. Greyson came upstairs and I grabbed his hand and we then prayed together even though I struggled to get my words out because I began to cry. I knew though that I didn’t have to say my prayers out loud. We had a backup plan for the ceremony, a small country Presbyterian Church down the road. Greyson tried to talk me into going down there and rehearsing there but I would not hear to it. In my mind going there to rehearse meant I was giving up on having the outside wedding of my dreams. Around 6:40 the rain slacked up and everyone gathered at the huge covered front porch of the farm house. We still were not able to rehearse because it was still storming but I tried to tell everyone what their roles were and how the day would play out. We then left for our rehearsal dinner in Lewisburg at Russell’s Catering. The food and fellowship was wonderful. My advice for any bride to be is make sure you take your time to go around and visit with each of your guests at your rehearsal dinner because you will not get a chance to do so at your wedding reception.

From there I went back to Lairdland with my bridesmaids and parents. My bridesmaids were in one cabin and my parents were in another. I stayed over at my parents’ cabin for a while talking to my dad. I started to breakdown. I didn’t know what we were going to do about the reception if it rained the next day. We had spent so much money and I was so afraid I wouldn’t get to see everything I had worked so hard pay off and have the wedding I had been dreaming of. Once I calmed down I went over to my bridesmaids’ cabin. My head was throbbing when I arrived so I took some Tylenol and sat up for a little bit laughing with my girls. I loved how we were able to have “one last slumber party” as Andrea called it. After a little while Andrea and I decided to go to bed while the others stayed up and talked.

The next morning when I woke up in the tallest bed in the world (seriously it took 3 steps to climb up into), I was able to see the sun trying to peak out through the overcast skies. Andrea sat right up and said, “It’s wedding day”. I got my stuff together and went back over to the my parents cabin to eat breakfast and then I instructed the delivery guys from our rental company where to set everything up and then my bridesmaids came over and helped with the centerpieces and putting out all the decorations. I don’t know what I would have done without them, my great aunt Mary Anne, my cousin Carla, Deanna and the Pace Family. They all helped decorate and get everything in its place. At this point it was still a little overcast but we had not seen a drop of rain all day. I also want to thank my prayer warriors who were texting me and reassuring me everything was going to be ok.

Before I knew it, it was time for me to go have my hair done. I was at such peace while I was getting my hair fixed. It was just like another day but it could be that I am very much like my Aunt Michelle in the fact that I love someone to do or play with my hair. It relaxes my body like a glass of wine. I still had one eye on the skies though. I was so relaxed there I asked if they minded if I did my makeup there. I was afraid there would be too many people getting ready and there would be too much going on for me to concentrate on myself. But it was there at the hair salon that it hit me. I was getting married that day. I kept telling people it had not sunk in and there it hit me right before I left.

When I got back to Lairdland my photographers were there and were ready to start taking some bridal portraits of me and then pictures with my bridesmaids. Before long it was time for the guys to arrive and me to go up to the bridal suite. Greyson and I did not want to see each other before the wedding so we had pictures made separately before. The guys took some pictures before the guests arrived where I hung out with my bridesmaids while they took care of last minute touches on themselves. I just sat back and tried to stay cool and enjoy my time with my girls. I also had a glass of champagne to cool me off and to keep me from getting nervous. I will admit that I thought this would be the longest part of the day because we were supposed to be up there for about an hour and half but it wasn’t. I don’t know that any part of the day was long. Then my wonderful wedding coordinators, Jennifer and Cindy came and got us and told us it was time. We walked over to the side of the house where the guests could not see us and where my family was. It was great getting to spend some precious moments with Greyson’s family and my grandparents. Then the music started. I selected the song “Your Love is Extravagant” to be sang by my lifelong friend Timmy Ray. I had such a joyful and worshipful spirit because it was here that I reminded myself of God’s great love and as much as I love Greyson. God is my number one love and He had blessed me with the wedding of my dreams. The skies were clear and the sun was beaming down. It gives me chills just thinking about that moment. Then the wedding processional began. I kept thinking of my dad and how hard it must have been for him to give me away. I had been his pride and joy for the last 24 years.

Greyson and I had waited to see each other partly for tradition and partly because I wanted to take his breath away. But as I was walking towards him he was looking off and not looking at me. Once I got to him I realized he was fighting back tears. I am proud to say our ceremony was center around God, whom we want to be the main focus in our marriage. Yes, there was some hiccups during the ceremony like the unity candle being blown out, some issues with the prayer circle and the preacher forgetting to tell Greyson to kiss his bride but don’t worry, I reminded him. I thought the ceremony went by quickly until we watched the video the other night. We did not realize how long the ceremony was. He had told our pastor that we wanted it to memorable and we didn’t want to walk down the aisle and turn right back around like some weddings so I guess we got what we asked for.

This is where it all gets blurry and it is like a series of snapshots in my mind. Everyone told me it would be that way but until you experience it, it is hard to believe it will truly be that way. We took a few pictures with our family and then bridal party and then we took several pictures by ourselves while the guests enjoyed dinner.

We were announced by our friend Marshall and then our friends Andrea, Ashley and Parker all gave amazing toasts. Probably the best ever! They all moved me to tears and laughter. We then cut our cake. I had planned for Greyson and I to eat after the toasts but by the time the toasts where over all the guests were finished eating and if there is anything I have ever learned from being a wedding coordinator it is DO NOT make your guest wait for cake. Afterwards we had our first dance, father daughter dance and my sorority sisters sang to me. I was honored by so many of my sisters who traveled to be with me on my special day. I then was able to spend a little time visiting with our guests. And then it seemed like I blinked and it was dark and it was just our close friends and family left. We danced and we danced and danced. I don’t know that I have ever had any more fun in my life. Then it was time for us to go. I couldn’t believe it was over and I was so sad to leave. I think I would have done anything to make the night last a little longer. I had already bribed the band to play five more songs. We were sent off with sparklers and with Greyson’s car decorated and on my side of the car it said “the boss”. I still can’t believe the day is over but I am so blessed to have had so many months celebrating our marriage with showers and teas and to be surrounded by all of our closest friends and family as we committed to be husband and wife.


Sorry it took me so long to update! I actually worked on this post for 3 weeks while I had down time. I hope to do better!