"It's all who you know," or so they say, and it is very true.  Last fall, Kevin got lucky and ended up playing in a foursome with the Garrison Commander, who, understandably, was very impressed with him :).  He let him know that he would keep him in mind for any tournaments he was invited to participate in.  That was all we heard about it, until a month or two ago, when Kevin was contacted to participate in Golf Adventure #2 (Stay tuned for next week about that one.).  While he was turning in the paperwork for it, he was asked if he would also like to participate in the Pro Am for the Verizon Heritage Golf tournament!!!  Of course, his answer was yes, which brings us to Sunday . . .

DAY 1: On Sunday, after going to church at the other ward, we got in the car and headed the 1 1/2 hours North to Hilton Head South Carolina.  We got there just in time for Kevin to check in and get ready for his practice round on the Ocean Course at Sea Pines.  As he checked in, they started handing him free stuff, the craziest of which was when they sent him to the man to fit him for some brand new golf shoes!  (You see, most people pay thousands to participate in these things and so they are used to the perks, but Kevin, along with the 3 other military guys in his group, were sponsored and not at all used to it.)  Did I mention the pearl necklace for me?  Insane.

We left Kevin and Hayden, who came as his caddy, doing this . . .

While the kids and I went off to check into our hotel.

Because of the miracle of Hotwire, we got an amazing deal and were able to stay at The Westin Resort Hilton Head Island.  It was very nice and was right on the ocean, and so once we got settled, the kids and I headed out to the beach.

That afternoon I picked up the guys and after some dinner, we all tried to relax.  Hayden even watched the kids for us for an hour, so Kevin and I could get away.  (I really needed it after the insanity my little boy put me through while they were gone.  Ahh, Derek.)   Which brings us to . . .

 DAY 2:  Tournament Day!  Kevin was up bright and early, dressed in his best golf attire and ready to go.  We all went to breakfast, and then I took the guys to the course, Harbour Town.  Kevin had been wanting to play there for a while, and so that alone was a dream come true, but as we got closer, the reality set in that he was playing in a PGA Pro Am, and not just any other tournament.  We kept passing all these check points, and it sure was fun to have the tag that took us to the closest parking lot. 

Soon I had dropped the guys off and the adventure began for them.  Whether it was hitting ProV 1's at the driving range, practicing on the same putting green with David Toms, or having Earnie Els playing a practice round behind them, it was the makings of an amazing day. 

Kevin was in a group with two Marines and another Army guy, and they were grouped with the nicest Pro ever, Jason Bohn.  He was awesome all around.  They were the last group to tee off, and here is Kevin at the first hole (Notice the announcer's outfit – so cool.):

And so, while Kevin was having the time of his life doing this (despite the cold and dreary weather):

The kids and I were trying to find things to do, since it was too cold to go to the beach or the pool.  We managed to have a great time though, and the kids were much better behaved than the day before, and so it was all good.

After checking out of the hotel, we headed to the nearby outlet mall, and found some great stuff for all three of us.  The kids were more excited about the block table at Carters and the candy shop we went to as a treat, than my fun new finds.

Then we went back to Harbour Town, because Lily really wanted to go up in the lighthouse.  I thought this was a fun idea, and didn't think it would be too hard, since it is not nearly as tall as the one at Tybee.  I didn't realize how out of shape I am – oh well, at least the kids are in good shape and went up and down all the stairs by themselves.  While we were at the top, I had to take a picture of the 18th hole of the course – complete with the grandstands for the tournament.

After our adventures with the lighthouse, we went to the amazing park they had there – it even had a tree house!  The kids played there for 1 1/2 hours, until it got so cold that I finally took them back to the car to watch a movie.

Unable to sit still for long – shocking, I know – soon we set off for more adventures.  It was then that I realized that Kevin should be finishing soon, and how awesome it would be to watch him.  So, I attached one of our tournament passes to each of us, Derek went into the stroller, and we set off on a quest to find Daddy.

We found him just in time to watch him play both 17 and 18.  Both of the kids were so good, (although I think Derek was too cold to make any noise, poor little guy) and Kevin was very excited to see us.  Jason, the pro they were playing with, even gave the kids autographed golf balls – very fun!

Kevin finished up with an 85, which was pretty awesome considering how many times he hit one in the water, and how fast the greens were.  I was so proud of him, and he was very happy to have lived out a dream.  And hey, they gave him free shoes, does it get any better than that?

**A few things from Kevin that I forgot to mention:

Just a few things you forgot… Both the registration desk and the starter on the first tee thought that I was a PGA Professional when I showed up (pretty fun), and my whole life I've wanted to play with the "benefit" of having a grandstand to keep the ball in play, so I took full advantage of the bleachers on #15…hitting it off the seats, the roof, two fences, and ending up perfectly in play, 30 feet right of the green. Good times.

PS. Be sure to watch for next week's Golf Aventure #2.