Posts filed under 'Blogs'
We have finally reached the week of the Corning Classic!
Things are going well and I am here safe and sound in Corning, NY. I must say it is a bit cool up here but the word is that it is going to get warmer–I sure hope so!
I played in the Monday pro-am this morning and saw everything from rain, sunshine, sleet, wind, and just plain cold! Made it through unscathed though so all better for the experience:) I had a very nice group with me to play with and one on my best friends was caddying for me, Lisa DAmore (formerly Kiggens). She won’t be caddying for me the rest of the week as she is 4 and a half months pregnant and it would be a bit much for her. I have another good friend from the area, Jay Tursik, caddying. He a local pro and very knowledgeable about the course—as well as lots of fun!
I am looking forward to the whole week and enjoying lots of birdies! Please be praying for me and thinking good thoughts–remember, it all helps:)
I hope all is well with everyone. Swing smooth and short and remember to take good aim at your target!
Be in touch soon! Love ya, AJ
May 19th, 2008
Hello and THANK YOU to all those wonderful mothers out there–especially mine!:)
Today we thank all of you for your kindness and support that you have given us throughout the years and through all the ups and downs! Your love seems to heal all wounds and makes us smile even greater in times of joy! Even if you aren’t our own moms, you all seem to take us under your wings and take care of us. I have many moms through all my travels and I would like to thank all of you!
I know I wouldn’t be where I am without the love of my mom, Judy(and my dad too)! There is always someone at the end of the phone line when I call home that says that they love me no matter what; that is what means the most! Thank you for being there and for showing me what great love is all about!
One of my favorite things about my mom is her special ‘cheer’ when she is watching me play golf. It is a definite WHOHOO!! I know I can find my mom any where in the crowd when she does it. I have taught her not cheer at everything as I used to hear it with every shot…but now I am not so picky. I do love to hear it! It always makes me smile knowing that I have my very own cheering section. Also, I love it that my mom is the most positive person I know. She is always looking for the solution and upside to any problem..even when she doesn’t have a clue what it might be. She will read and research until she finds it!!:) Positive and determined–that’s my mom:) Thank you for showing me that there is a positive in any situation in life–life is good! I love you mom!!
Love to all the moms!! AJ
May 11th, 2008
Hello again!
Yes I am sure you all know that I did end up getting in to the event last week in Tulsa. It was quite a story really…I pulled out of the qualifier for health reasons. Then I hung around for a couple more days, working with the trainors and visiting with my friends. On Wednesday morning, someone called me and said to get out to the course, as I was first alternate and probably going to get in! Well, I hustled and got ready to go although that meant that I was going to miss hanging out with my friend and her kids, Kenzie and Jack. I hope they understood!:) It was worth it though as I managed to get the news that I was in the tournament at about 12:30 and had time to practice a bit on the range as well as arrange for a local caddie.
I really did play well, even in the conditions. The wind was up in the mid 20s most of the day with gusts in the 40s. It reminded me of my days in college with the wicked winds of New Mexico!! I was happy with my short game, and my putting most of all. It was a tough feat to stay still while getting tossed around by the wind! My long game was still a little weak, as I really have not been able to practice near enough due to the tightness in my lower back. But as I have said, it is still coming along!
I am continuing to rest and strengthen my back as well as work on my game. I will be practicing this week in Las Vegas and back in Phoenix and then head over to the East Coast the following week. Unfortunately, I will not be playing in this weeks Michelob Ultra tournament or the Sybase tournament. I have decided to really gear up for the Corning Classic and make sure my game and my body are fully ready:)
Until then, please keep in touch with me. For those of you requesting pictures, I will do my best to get them to you, but being on the road I have a lot less with me and it might be a while before I get more copies made. I do hope that you understand! Thank you all for writing and keeping my spirits up! I look forward to seeing a lot of you this summer and in the coming weeks!
Keep it simple and enjoy the great joys of life! Sunshine, friendships, family, and laughing!! (ok–and birdies!!)
Love, AJ
May 6th, 2008
Hello!
I am in Tulsa this week, and heading to the Monday qualifier this afternoon. Got to love these things, eh?? ha ha It is a small field so I will do my best to stay on top!
I did a lot of therapy work last week in Phoenix and it is starting to come around. Still not 100% but WAY better! Thanks to the help of Shane at Physio Therapy in Phoenix! He had me do many ‘core’ exercises that are to help with my over all strength as well as help take some of the pressure off my back. It is tough getting old!:)
I will write more later with the results from today. Just wanted to give you a heads up on what is happening. It is a beautiful sunny day here but still a little chill in the air—birdies will sure to warm it up though!
Have a great day! AJ
April 28th, 2008
Hello again:) I just wanted to let you all know that I have put a few pics on my ‘Photos’ page for you to view. I will try and update my website soon with an easier way to view them but for now this is all I have!:) Have a great day! AJ
April 21st, 2008
Hello everyone!
I am hoping that you are all doing great and having a fabulous spring thus far! The weather seems to be warming up and bringing great smiles to everyone! Of course, back home in BC, I know a little snow came to visit. But it will melt soon, I promise!! Just a little extra water to make the courses green, eh!
Since I last wrote, I have been to Morelia, Mexico, and then to Orlando, Florida. Mexico was a fun week filled with lots of ups and downs. Hills to climb, tough shots to conquer, and mental toughness to manage. As I am sure you saw, I did have a bit of a hard time tackling it all!! Oh well, always learning positive things from every experience! I think if I just stopped at hole 14 everyday I would have had a great week! ha ha At least I did make the cut and made some money to cover the week, right??
If you were wondering what else is going on, I have been having trouble with my lower back. I was feeling a bit sore before the Mexico event… probably from all the travel that I have been doing:) I had a few wrong swings during my rounds, and managed to tweek it a bit beyond comfort(hips are a little out of place and the muscles have got quite tight). Since then, I have been trying to get it to loosen up with lots of help from our great LPGA PT’s. I tried the Tuesday qualifier in Orlando but did not do well. Hard to play when you are feeling about 50%. I would not highly recommend it!!
The rest of this week I have been hanging in Florida with friends and also getting some rest. No golf swings for a couple more days. I will head home on Monday and practice and get ready for the upcoming tourneys—while also building up a stronger back! My next destination will be Tulsa, OK. I am not in this event yet but I will be playing in the Monday qualifier. I will be staying with friends locally so that may give me the edge I need!?!:)
Lots of hockey watching going on in the evenings still..my Canucks are golfing now unfortunately, but I am still cheering for good games throughout each series! The Stanley Cup is very much up for grabs and I have no idea who to cheer for!?!
That is about all for now. Please let me know if you have some good questions for me as the year progresses! I hope to be able to keep in contact with all of you.
Words of Wisdon for the week…Be greatful for everything and everyone in your life! Each of you is special and lucky in so many ways! I know I am!
Be in touch again soon! Luv AJ
April 19th, 2008
Buon Giorno!
I made it back home safely from Italy!!! It was a wonderful trip..and a very full one at that! The trip was 10 days altogether, but it seemed liked it took 4 days and we crammed 14 days worth of stuff into it:) Needless to say, I am catching up on a little sleep now, as well as organizing the pictures (about 325 of them?!?!).
The tour consisted of 47 ladies, mostly from the Knoxville, TN, area. We flew in to Milan and then toured by bus through the cities of Sirmione, Venice, Verona, Mantova, Burona, Siena, Florence, Greve di Chianti, Pisa, and then back to Milan. And trust me, there were still a few more places we visited amongst those! The weather was very good, only about a day of rain, although the temperatures were still a little chilly! A lot of my pictures make it look like I wore the same thing everyday-my coat!? I didn’t really! I met some great new friends on the trip, and I hope I can keep contact with them. There was lots of walking…in amongst churches, monuments, wineries, restaurants, piazzas, and cities. I would have liked to say that we lost weight with all that walking…not to be:( We had enough food, sweets, and wine to cover it all and then some. But hey, what are vacations for, right??
I promise I will try and get some pictures up on the website soon…or at least have a link you can check them out on. For now, you will all have to imagine the fantastic sites that I have seen and realize that I am still trying to figure out which church/Duomo goes with which city! My favorite place is definitely the Chianti Hills in the heart of Tuscany. It is beautiful countryside; rolling hills that are covered with olive trees, vineyards, and colorful flowers. Not to mention all of the ancient homes that pop up all over the place! I would love to return one day to a quiet villa at a winery and just relax and enjoy the beauty!
I am home now and getting back in to the swing of things–literally:) I leave on Monday for Morelia, MX, for my next LPGA event. I am in that event and am excited to once again start the birdie run! I am not sure where my next event is after that. I am going for a top 10 finish which will put me in to the Ginn event in Orlando without having to qualify!?!? Sounds good, eh?
That is about all for now. Thank you to everyone writing to me! I love all my fans!
Swing smooth, and keep the putter head low and to the hole!
Love, AJ
April 1st, 2008
That’s more like it, eh?!
I know you are all as excited as I am about the Mastercard event in Mexico City! As well, I am sure you are all as tired as me after watching the scores go up and down and down and around!?! What a crazy amount of birdies eh?? Oh well, they were needed and did the trick:)
It was a very fun week in Mexico over all and I am glad that I have gotten off the blocks well in 2008! My next event is not until Morelia, MX, in a month (April 7-13). I am not officially in the tournament yet but I imagine it will be a very similar scenario as Mexico City with a lot of girls pulling out last minute. Some players and caddies did get quite sick– stomach issues!–and also had troubles with the elevations. I had no problems, must have the stomach of steal–knock on wood!! But of course health does scare some people and therefore they end up not coming to the tournament. Works for me:)
I know you will all be sad that I won’t be playing in Phoenix this year, and I am sorry for that. But I am having a great opportunity as well as a great alternative to it—I am heading to ITALY on Friday!! I am so excited! My friend Ashli Bunch and I are going there for a 10 day tour with a group of ladies called the LAAADY Tripsters of Tennessee. Ashli’s mom is going as well (wish mine was too…next time mom!). I know I am looking forward to the food, wine, and scenery! Ashli is going to enjoy that, as well as a some ‘girl’ time to enjoy a vacation without her 2 kids. They will be missed though and I am sure we will be buying them lots of giftos! I will do my best to write when I get back and tell you about it as well as include some pictures!
In the meantime, enjoy the spring weather and have a happy and enjoyable Easter!! I will have some chocolate and wine for you all!
Thank you to all of you that have written me and given me such great support before and during the tournament! Your support lifts me up and I am feeling very good about life right now! I hope that everyone feels that way!
Take care of yourselves! Love AJ
March 19th, 2008
Great news from Mexico City!
I get to play in the tournament!
Actually it wasn’t as hard as it could have been. I came down yesterday, Sunday, afternoon in preparation for the Monday qualifier. But by the time I went to qualify at 1pm today, a few girls that were already in the field had pulled out. All 4 of us that were getting ready to go were very relieved! I managed to use the next hours well and had a fun practice round! Of course, I now owe Ashli Bunch a couple cervesas–beers—but that is ok. I will try and win them back on the weekend!
The tournament starts on Friday and I am looking forward to the start of my first event for 2008! Please watch and think great thoughts for me please! I will do my best and be very positive throughout:)
Thank you for all your great support so far! Love AJ
March 10th, 2008
Hello again everyone!
I hate to inform you that I did not make it in to the second event here in Hawaii. I played very well and was pleased with not only my ball stricking but also my attitude throughout. I shot 2-under, but was out done by a 6-under and a 4-under. Oh well, just keep plugging away!
I will be heading home now and am going to play in a mini tour event in Phoenix next week. It is called The Cactus Tour. It starts Monday and goes to Wednesday. It will be a good way to keep my skills sharp!
Then I will head out in a couple weeks to Mexico City and Monday qualify there. I know my time is coming so I am going to keep at it!
I hope you are all well and hitting it straight! And of course working hard on improving that short game—tempo, tempo, tempo…and perhaps a little visualization might help too!:)
Thank you all for your kind notes of encouragement!
Love AJ
February 20th, 2008
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