Great Start This Week; Upcoming Schedule

I am back to my beautiful East Tennessee home, and my practice has been stellar. I spent Monday working on my game under the watchful eye of Bobbo, and as I expected, he said that everything is still looking good. That may sound like bad news given the disappointing results I got from my first two tournaments of the year the past two weeks, but I am encouraged. I definitely had my struggles--particularly on the greens--at the first two events, but I felt like I was executing fairly well for the most part. My mistakes were very bad at times, and I let my poor putting affect me mentally on the greens, but I think I can blame both of those problems on early-year over-excitement. I felt like my game was in much better shape than the terrible scores I was shooting, and it feels good to have some confirmation of such from Bobbo. My practice the last two days has been excellent, and I'm confident that I can keep it going into tournament play.

In addition to hitting the ball well in a practice session on Monday, I have also had two great days of short game and putting work the last two days. I put my game to a mini-test yesterday (Tuesday) with a tough match at Holston Hills. Facing some stiff competition, I missed just one green and shot a five-under-par round of 67 to pick up a couple of good match victories. My putter still wasn't "hot" on the course, but I missed only one putt inside of eight feet and was fairly solid on the greens. It was a good performance, and more importantly, I felt confident out there on the course.

All of this has me feeling pumped and ready to get back into tournament action. My game is still good (very good), and I just need to stay relaxed and continue to enjoy myself as I head into more golf tournaments.

Speaking of more tournaments, I'm going to post a tentative schedule of events from now through the mid-summer. Check out the "2012 Schedule" tab underneath the picture at the top of the page. Please check out some of the sites I'm planning to compete, and if you can come out and watch or if you happen to have housing contacts for me in any of those areas, please let me know. Here's a sneak peak into the next two weeks. Just to get a little tournament practice, I'm going to compete in an event on the Carolinas Pro Tour next Tuesday/Wednesday at a course called Carolina Lakes just south of Charlotte, NC. That tour is a smaller mini-tour, but on weeks when the Egolf Tour is off, it seems to attract strong fields, and it will be a great way for me to practice having a proper tournament mindset and pick up a solid tournament finish. I will use that event as a springboard into the next Egolf event, which is set for March 14-17 at Pine Needles Resort in Pinehurst, NC. Pine Needles is one of my favorite venues of the year, so I'm excited for that event. If anyone has any potential housing possibilities for me in Pinehurst, I would greatly appreciate you letting me know!

The year is so very young at this point and many great things lie ahead in 2012. Thank you for following and supporting me. Keep it here and enjoy the ride with me!

Just Short of a Perfect Weekend of Practice

Bad golf is certainly a little bit disheartening at times, but my poor performance this week really has me motivated right now. I spent the weekend in Athens, Georgia, and had one of the nation's best practice facilities (partly pictured above) at my disposal. I was able to have some relaxing time with my sweetheart, Miss Alicia, but also spent quite a bit of time working on my golf game.

Quality practice on all areas of my golf game and solid work on my fitness characterized the weekend. I had a couple of great range sessions and feel like I'm hitting the ball very well. I also spent a lot of good time working with my wedges around the greens. Despite creating some difficult challenges during my practice this weekend, I was able to complete all of my short game/wedge play process goals for the week. One of my most frustrating shortcomings from the tournaments the past two weeks was my balky putter. I know that I am a great putter, and it is probably the area of my game to which I devote the most attention, so a poor performance on the greens leaves me especially motivated. I had great putting practice this weekend. I knocked out two putting drills on my first attempt, and spent some quality time checking my alignment and the path of my stroke. (Both seemed to be good.) Everything was cruising along, and I was right on schedule. It was 3:30 on Sunday afternoon, and I needed only one more putting drill to complete all of my process goals for the week. I feel good about my stroke, but I just couldn't make all my three-footers, so for the first time in five weeks and only the second time all year I have failed to complete all of my process goals. It was a fitting conclusion to a frustrating week with my putter.

With all that said, I don't want to discount the fact that it was a great weekend. I'm disappointed to not have completed all of my process goals, but you can bet that I am very motivated not to have this feeling again. I was feeling a bit lost after the tournament this week, but my game is back on track after this weekend of practice. Monday morning brings a fresh new week, and I am excited to get after it! Keep it here for all the news as I get my game into winning shape!

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Bad News from Week 2; Ready to Move Forward!

My second round at this week's Egolf Tour event continued an alarming trend. For the fourth consecutive round, I shot over par. In fact, my last four competitive rounds have been 77, 75, 74, 75. Those last two scores resulted in a missed cut at the Oldfield Open, and have left me packing up for an early trip home from the year's second event. I hate to miss a cut, and it stinks to have a weekend off in my profession, so this is disappointing. I feel like I had a great winter of work and came into these first two events with my game in very good shape. Opening rounds of 72 and 68 in the year's first event at Palmetto Hall, which features two very difficult golf courses, were a testament to the quality of my game. As much as it is disappointing to struggle and shoot some bad scores here lately, I don't think that nullifies the great progress that I made over the winter. I still fully believe in myself and am confident that very good things are in the near future.

My struggles over the last four rounds are fairly easy to diagnose. I would "miss big" a couple times each round and suffer penalty shots, and I didn't putt well enough to recover from my more manageable misses or to convert the birdie opportunities that I did have. The result of that type of play is a few big numbers, a lot of bogeys, and not very many birdies. I know that I can fix both of the problems that were causing my struggles, however, so I am excited to get back to work and take advantage of the next couple weeks to get back that lovin' feeling.

I am excited to be getting back into the swing of tournament golf. I managed my routine quite well these first two weeks. I am still working hard towards my process goals each week and feel like they really help to keep my practice focused and on-track during tournament weeks. I have struggled with my putting goals a bit this week (not ironically, my on-course putting has been a struggle, too), so I have some work to do this weekend on the practice green, but I am confident that I will once again complete all of my process goals.

These first two tournaments were certainly not the start for which I was looking this year. I planned to come out of the gates swinging and be in contention for victories early. With that said, I don't feel like this start is tragic in any way, either. I am pumped to be getting back into the flow of a golf season, and I fully understand that overcoming some adversity is a part of what I do. None of my outcome goals require that get off to a hot start, and I don't feel like these first two weeks have knocked me off track in any way. I am simply going to use them as a learning experience and more motivation to keep working hard. I love what I do and I can't wait to do it better! Keep it here for practice reports and a what's-coming-next report soon! Thank you very much for following me and for your support.

Round 2 Awaits

There isn't a lot of positive news to report from my first round of this week's Egolf event. Playing at the Chechessee Creek Club, I made a few very sloppy swings and putted the ball very poorly as well. I hit enough good shots to manage four birdies, but I couldn't overcome the plethora of mistakes to post a decent first-round score. I ended the day with a 74 on the par-70 layout, and definitely have some work to do if I'm going to get back into the tournament.

I do want to focus on the positive. I had a great practice at Oldfield Golf Club (the tournament's host venue) following my morning round and am feeling poised to find that "lovin' feeling" in my second round. I spent hours on the practice green attempting to rekindle the great feelings that I typical have with my putter. I completed a couple of my putting drills and really feel like I made great progress. In addition, a quick session on the driving range seemed to clear up some of the sloppy swings that plagued me today. I feel like really good golf is hiding just beneath the surface of what I am currently putting forward. Tomorrow I am going to relax and enjoy myself and let that good golf come out.

I play just after lunch time at Oldfield for my second round. I am pumped and ready to get back into this tournament. Come back for a good report following the round!

Ready to Go

the par-4 14th at Chechessee Creek

I am feeling good for this week's Egolf event. Solid practice rounds the past two days have helped me learn my way around Oldfield Golf Club and the Chechessee Creek Club--both first time venues since I joined the tour. Oldfield is the host course for the event, but I will play my opening round at Chechessee tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. Chechessee is a short-ish tree-lined gem with small, challenging greens, and Oldfield is a bit more open but longer. Both courses suit me well, and I am pumped to have a great tournament on them! I get started early tomorrow morning at Chechessee, so come back in the evening for a great round 1 report.

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Quick Summary from Tournament Week #1

I did not finish the year's first Egolf event with the weekend performance for which I was looking. I followed my disappointing third-round 77 with a final-round 75 that didn't look much better on paper. My final total of 4-over-par 292 for the tournament left me in a tie for 45th place. That is definitely not what I had in mind at the beginning of the week, but there is plenty about which to be excited. I will go into more detail about that in another post very soon, but for now I will just say that my comfort level on the course was quite good for the first event of the year and that I am very pleased with the way I hit the ball this week minus the third round. I am taking away from this event way more positive things than negative, and all-in-all, I would say it was a good first outing of the year.

I am pumped about the week that I had as well. I completed all of my process goals for the week, and really feel like I settled into a nice tournament routine very quickly. I have to iron out some kinks with my fitness work as I did have to count an extremely light "walk-jog" workout as a running day before Thursday's second round, but I am quite pleased with the fact that I maintained a solid workout schedule without interfering with my tournament play whatsoever. In terms of my practice, I feel like my process goals kept me on track very well this week. I had focused practice sessions before and/or after rounds, and with the exception of one poor session on Friday evening, I avoided my tendency to waste hours pounding balls aimlessly on the driving range. My short game and putting both seemed a bit off at times this week, so I am happy to say that I did good work on both areas late in the week. I feel like I managed my time fairly well for the first tournament of the year and am looking forward to using this week as a building block for my year.

Here's some great news: I don't have to wait long for redemption from my less than stellar weekend performance at Palmetto Hall. I will be staying in the Hilton Head Island area for the second Egolf tournament of the year this week at nearby Oldfield Golf Club. I will play a practice round Monday at the tournament's co-host, Chechessee Golf Club, and look forward to starting another great week. My game is ready to perform better, and I am pumped to get going. Keep it here for news from tournament week #2! Thank you for following!

Round 3: Yuck

Well, I'm not really sure what to say, so I am not going to say too much about my third round. I was a bit shaky from tee to green and not sharp on and around the greens either. One particularly bad shot led to my taking an unplayable lie and making a double-bogey on the par-3 4th hole, and other than that, I just hit a variety of poor to mediocre shots. My chipping was less than stellar as well, and I actually did miss a couple of putts in the 4-6 foot range today. It all added up to a disappointing third-round score of 77.

I am determined to take something positive from every round, and there are definitely a couple of key things that I will remember from today. First of all, I had a nice warm-up session this morning and really went to the first tee feeling comfortable and confident that it would be a good day. It obviously didn't work out today, but I like that feeling. I did hit some very good drives today, and I will remember those. I also hit a handful of iron shots worth putting in the memory bank, so the day has left me with some good things.

I am still building and the year is very young, so I am not too concerned about my off day today. I am glad that there is still a round left in this tournament for me to play well. I need to climb back up the leaderboard a little bit tomorrow, but more than that, a good round tomorrow will be valuable to me as I try to get some momentum rolling for the 2012 season.

I am still pumped about the week I am having here. I hope to finish it with a strong round tomorrow. Come back for a round 4 report and a tournament wrap-up tomorrow in the evening!

Round 2: Strong Finish

I had a great day leading up to my 12:10 tee time in today's second round. I had a very efficient practice session in the morning and really felt good about my game. Poor weather was in the forecast for the afternoon, but I was thoroughly prepared for it mentally and in terms of having the proper equipment. All-in-all, I walked to the tee feeling like it would be a great round. I striped a perfect tee shot on the 10th (my first) hole, and thought that I was off and running. Seven holes and one very brief but annoying rain cloud later, I had hit a lot of good shots, but stood at one over par for my round and was scratching my head a bit. I was determined to continue playing one shot a time and committing fully to a good plan on each shot. I finally rolled in a birdie putt on the par-3 17th (my 8th) hole, and that got me going. Counting that birdie, I played my final 11 holes in 5 under par today to shoot a four-under-par score of 68. It was a solid score on a demanding course, and it has me back in the middle of this tournament.

I must admit that I wasn't pleased with my thought process for a while today. As I watched some good shots not turn out great in the early going and missed some make-able birdie putts, the cut-line began to weigh heavily on my mind. I was able to overcome those thoughts, though, and continued to execute good shots all day. I definitely hope that in the future I can stay in the present well enough to not let the cut-line affect my thoughts, but I am pleased with the way I battled that distraction today.

My game really feels good. I definitely still hit a few loose shots here and there, but I feel that consistency is slowly developing in my game. In addition to that, I feel like I am continuing to become stronger mentally. I really expect to be playing great golf very soon. I'm excited to have two more days here at Palmetto Hall in the year's opening event to keep improving. If I can build on the success that I have had the last two days, this weekend could get very exciting. Keep it here for a report from round 3 tomorrow and follow the results at: www.egolfprofessionaltour.com. Thank you for the support!

Round 1: Sloppy but Encouraging

I came out firing in my first tournament round of the year. I was determined to be relaxed and committed on every shot, and for the most part, I did just that. I birdied my first tournament hole of 2012, and really played quite nicely for the entire front nine. I made the turn at two under par on the Robert Cupp course at Palmetto Hall and then hit a perfect tee shot on the par-5 10th. From there, my round got a little bit dicey. Though I was committed to my shot and executed fairly well, my attempt to reach the green in two at the 10th hole teased me by looking quite good in the air before falling just short of the green into a pond. A mediocre wedge shot following my penalty drop resulted in a bogey. Determined to stay positive, I hit some good shots in the next few holes and even made a great birdie with a four iron at the long par-3 12th hole, but my execution was definitely a little loose coming down the stretch. A poor drive and a horrific chip-out from the woods set me up for another par-5 bogey at the 15th hole, and a misjudged pitch shot at the 17th led to another bogey. I did make two great swings on the demanding 18th hole and finished with a solid par to shoot even-par 72 in my first round. On a day when weather conditions were absolutely perfect, that score certainly was not very good, but I was pleased with my comfort level on the golf course and with my execution for a large part of the round. Despite not posting a great score, today's round was quite good for my confidence, and I know that good scores are in my very near future...

...Like in the second round tomorrow! I will tee it up on the tenth hole of the Arthur Hills course tomorrow at 12:10 for my second round. If I can have the same comfort level that I had today and continue to enjoy myself, I'm confident that I will execute at a high level more consistently and have a great round. I've got some work to do as scores were pretty low today, but I feel like I am still in good shape. Check back for a round-2 report in the evening!

Ready to Get Started

It is finally time. I have been hard at work preparing for my 2012 golf season for what seems like ages, and it is finally "go time." I am on Hilton Head Island at a place called Palmetto Hall Plantation for the first event of the year on the Egolf Professional Tour. There are two golf courses here at this site--the Hills course (named for architect Arthur Hills) and the Cupp course (Robert Cupp)--and the tournament will be contested on both venues. I will play my first round on the Cupp course tomorrow before playing the second round on the Hills course on Thursday. The final two rounds will both take place on the Cupp course on Friday and Saturday. The courses are both very demanding and require precision in all facets of the game. Tight fairways with plenty of obstacles and small landing areas on and around the fast, undulating greens characterize both courses, so a premium is placed on ball-striking and strategy. I really enjoy playing golf courses that make the player think a lot and work hard, so this is a great place to start the year for me. I am extremely excited to get going, and I won't have to wait long because tee off at 8:00 a.m. in Wednesday's opening round.

My performance in my two practice rounds actually left me scratching my head at times to be quite honest. I found myself trying a little too hard and feeling a bit uncomfortable over shots that I have been practicing all winter. I certainly have high expectations of myself this year, and the high quality of my preparation lately has served to inflate those expectations. To be successful, however, I know that I need to relax and trust the hard work that I have been doing. Being successful and having fun and intertwined ideas for me, but having fun must come first. I have worked very hard, and I feel great about the shape into which I have gotten my game, but in order to get good results, I need to relax and enjoy myself. I am going to do that today, tomorrow, all week, all year, and for the rest of my career! I do have high expectations, and it sure is going to be fun as I work to reach those heights.

My 2012 tournament campaign starts at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Come back in the evening for a full report from round 1!

Done with a Great Week; Made it to Hilton Head

The subject says it all! Despite bitterly cold conditions, I got out to Dandridge Golf Course Sunday morning and had a great couple hours of practice during which I finished my final putting drill and completed all of my short game and wedge work. I finished all of my process goals again this week! I had a great back mobility/yoga session before practicing and had my back and body feeling great for the road trip to Hilton Head. I left my house just after 3:00 in the afternoon, and after a relaxing trip with a couple of good stops, I arrived at Palmetto Hall Plantation right around 9:30. I am going to have two quality days of preparation here on-site before the year's first Egolf event, and I'll give you a practice-round update on Tuesday evening before the tournament gets started on Wednesday. It's almost go time!

A Quick Update from the Last Three Days

Though a cold blast has hit East Tennessee this weekend, I was able to have an incredibly productive Thursday and Friday before being confined to mostly indoor practicing by arctic temperatures and blustery winds on Saturday. Thursday was one of my most thorough days of practice of the year and featured two hours of great short game and wedge-play work, the completion of my six-footer putting drill, and a quick nine holes during which I hit the ball very well. On Friday, Bobbo and I played at a new course in our area called Sevierville Golf Club. It is a fairly challenging layout that was quite demanding in the chilly conditions in which we were playing, and I hit the ball excellently. In conditions that made me hit a lot of good drives and long-iron approach shots, I shot even par without really putting very well. I showed some great signs and am very excited about the way everything is coming together. I did some putting work and made some practice swings in the warmth of my basement on Saturday, but will definitely bundle up and battle the cold to have a short practice session on Sunday before hitting the road for Hilton Head Island in the afternoon. I was able to knock out the majority the of my process goals by Friday afternoon, but I do need to have another 15 minutes of short game work and one more putting drill to complete everything for the week, so tomorrow's practice session will be very driven. It has been a very strong week so far, and I'm confident that I can put the finishing touches on it with a short day of work in the cold tomorrow morning/early afternoon.

I am really feeling prepared to get my competitive schedule started. My process goals have pushed me a lot in both my practice and my fitness work, and I am feeling great about the improvements that I have made in both areas. I feel as excited and confident as I can ever remember being right now, so I am excited that it is finally time to get going. On Sunday afternoon, I hit the road for Hilton Head Island and will play the first Egolf Professional Tour event of the year there next week. Come back for a quick report Sunday evening to hear about my final day of practice in Tennessee and make sure that I finished my process goals. I'll update you after my safe trip to to Hilton Head. Thank you for following. I'm hoping next week will be the start of an exciting year for all of us!

Tough Matches this Week

As I prepare for my first tournament of the year next week, I have been trying to play a lot of competitive rounds lately. So far this week, I have had two matches at Holston Hills, and both have been great battles. I am very encouraged because I have been hitting the ball better and am starting to feel good about my ball-striking. Ironically, my short game and wedge play, which have been great and saved me in some recent matches, have been a little bit cold so far this week. I am not really hitting bad wedge shots or putting the ball badly, but I haven't been making any medium to long-range putts and have been off just enough on my short wedge shots to keep them from getting close to the hole so far this week. On Tuesday in great weather, I shot a 69 to sneak out a five dollar victory and shot a 73 in some cold and breezy conditions on Wednesday and got clipped for seven bucks. Though I hate getting beat, I am pleased with the status of my game. I don't feel like there are problems with my short game at all, and my ball-striking has really started to come around lately. I know that as I continue to fine-tune things, I am getting closer and closer to playing great!

My practice this week has mirrored my play in the two matches. I have not felt sharp with my short game or putting work, but neither have I felt like anything is wrong. I have worked very hard to get through a couple putting drills and even harder to complete a couple hours of proximity drills around the greens. I know that my hard work is paying off, and I feel like my short game and putting are going to be better this year than they have ever been.

I'm hoping to have at least one more competitive round this week and also to play on a new course in our area just for fun. It will be nice to hit some shots on a course that I am not used to seeing. I feel like things are coming together nicely, but I definitely need to have a strong rest of the week to make sure that I securely have that "lovin' feeling" heading to Hilton Head Island next week. Keep it here for more updates. Thank you for following and for rooting for me!

Productive and Eventful Weekend

This weekend was jam packed with action. A rain-soaked East-Tennessee Saturday cancelled my match for the day, but left me with a good day of practice in miserable conditions. Then my Missouri Tigers basketball team came up with a huge win over the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday evening. On Super Bowl Sunday, I had a thorough day of work. Some buddies and I teed off at 11:30 and had a very good match, and afterwards I practiced until dark and finished all of my process goals for the week. I made it home just as the first quarter of the big game was coming to a close and enjoyed watching the rest of the action. The eventful weekend wrapped up another great week of work for me, and also taught me a few things that I think will be useful throughout this year and beyond in my career.

It had been a rough week for me from a ball-striking perspective through my Thursday match, but I was determined to stay positive and keep approaching my practice with a good attitude. Despite some slight frustrations with how I was hitting the ball, I was able to have great short game and putting practice all week, and that allowed me to feel like I was still progressing even though I was in a bit of rut with my longer shots. I didn't see instant results from a morning practice session with Bobbo on Friday, but some rainy practice on Saturday saw slight improvements, and then I really hit the ball well in my Sunday match at Holston Hills, where I shot a solid score of 71 in some tough conditions to claim a good victory. I showed a lot of promise on Sunday and know that my game is really coming into form.

In addition to that, I was able to complete all of my process goals for the third consecutive week. I know that I talk about my process goals a lot, but I can't stress enough how valuable they are to my practice. I really feel pressure and get a tournament-like heart-rate going when I'm nearing the completion of one of my practice drills, so I have to rely on the strength of my routine to keep me calm and allow me to achieve my goals. I cannot tell you how much better I feel about my short game and putting after the work that I have done on those parts of my game in the last four weeks. I feel like the goals that I have set this year are the perfect combination of realistic and challenging to really motivate me and help me get better.

The world of sports reminded me of a couple lessons this weekend as well. My Missouri Basketball Tigers gave up an easy bucket to Kansas to fall behind 63-71 with 2:05 left in the game on Saturday evening. The prospects of victory were slim, but the Tigers rallied and through fierce defensive effort (and some hot shooting from guard Marcus Denmon), ended the game on an 11-0 run to claim a huge victory over their biggest rival. This just goes to show that you can never quit. My Tigers came back from a daunting deficit to win a big game because of great effort down the stretch. The New York Giants reminded me of that same lesson, but they applied it to a full season rather than a single game. After losing five of six games midway through the season, the Giants stood at 7-7 and faced must-win situations in each of their remaining games. Clearly we all saw how that story ended. The Giants kept believing in themselves and won their final six games of the season to be crowned the Super Bowl Champions. Even through adversity, you have got to keep trying and keep believing. These lessons can be translated to golf rounds, golf tournaments, golf seasons, and entire careers. Way to go Tigers and Giants! I will carry your spirit of self-belief and stick-to-it-tiveness with me as well.

I am extremely excited right now. I have been working hard on all areas of my game and am seeing great progress on the course. I am also continuing to improve my strength, endurance, and flexibility, so I feel great physically. I have one more full week at home to continue preparation before I hit the road for my first tournament of the year next week. You better believe I am ready to go. I'll be even more ready at the end of this week, though! Keep it here for practice reports and match summaries from this final week of "pre-season"!

Rough Week So Far But Plenty of Good Stuff

I know that I am very positive with the things that I publish on this blog. That is partly because I am trying to have a great attitude and find the good in everything, but in all honesty, I rarely have very much about which to complain or be negative. I would be lying, however, to say that I am excited by the way that I have been hitting the ball this week. The past few days have been a test from a ball-striking perspective, and I really am not happy with the way that I have been hitting it, but I am still very excited moving forward. Inconsistency with my longer shots has forced me to work very hard in the two matches that I have had this week, but my short game and putting have really been shining, so I will take great encouragement from that. I have some work to do to get back that "lovin' feeling" with my full shots, but I truly do believe that my game is rounding into shape very nicely.

I mentioned that I have had two matches so far this week. Despite hitting a lot of golf shots that let me know I am on the right track, my ball-striking has put me behind the eight-ball more often than it has helped me. The work that I have done on my wedge play, short game, and putting is really showing, though, and I have managed rounds of 72 and 69. Those scores are not good by any means, but both are okay scores for rounds that felt like a struggle. My play has been just good enough to eek out a tie in both matches.

I am going to have a great day of practice tomorrow (Friday) and then get back on the horse with matches scheduled for both days on the weekend. I will hit some balls with Bobbo tomorrow morning before having a thorough afternoon of practice by myself at Dandridge Golf Course. Though I have had great short game and putting practice again this week, I have some work to do over the next three days to complete all of my process goals. I will get them done, though!

My practice certainly has not been perfect this week. I would definitely like to be feeling better about my ball-striking, but I feel great overall and am confident that I am just one little feeling away from hitting it great. Everything else really does feel good. My fitness is as good as ever and continues to improve. I am feeling ready to get a great year of tournament golf started. A week-and-a-half more of strong preparation, and it will be go time! Keep it here for a report from my matches this weekend and a week-end summary. Thank you very much for following!