In-Laws vs. Out-Laws: The results

It was a close match, full of trash talk and amazing birdie (and eagle) putts.

Team In-Law finished about 45 minutes before team Out-Law.

But, they must not have taken their time.

Grandpa Norm sank the birdie put on 18, leaving team Out-Law with a final score of 10 under.

Team In-Law stood around the green, watching in anticipation as the put fell straight into the cup with a solid click.

"Where did that put you?" Stevie asked me.

"Ten under," I replied.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" came the wails from team In-Law. They had missed the exact same birdie putt only 45 minutes before leaving them with a score of 9 under.

Numbers are numbers.

And almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

But in Herron Family Golf, team Out-Law carries on the founding tradition of kicking the In-Law's butts.

Stay tuned for next year! :)

team In-Laws

team Out-Laws :-D

Sometimes You Can't Break Tradition. No Matter What the Weather.

Sometimes tradition completely overrules common sense. And sometimes it totally should.
Case and point:

Today is my family's annual Thanksgiving tradition:
The In-Laws versus the Out-Laws in the Herron Family Post Thanksgiving Golf Scramble.
The Out-Laws are anyone who bears the last name "Herron."
My Grandpa, me, Drew, the "real" Uncle Steve, and my dad.
The In-Laws are the ones who are blessed enough to be part of the Herron family, but not actually Herrons.
Uncle Gene, Charlie, the "fake" Uncle Steve, Stevie and Chance.

This is a huge competition every year, and the Out-Laws are undefeated. This year looks like it's going to be tough, though, because we've got Stevie (Suzio) from Livonia joining the In-Law team and he's got quite a little game there. Gene is fresh off a practice round at Southern Hills (you know, where Tiger Woods won the PGA here in Tulsa.) and there's not proof yet that his "secret" personal trainer wasn't a certain "Ill-Phay Ickelson-May." Charlie might not have much of a golf game, but he's got a gun and badge, and a perfect Mickey Mouse impression that is enough to throw anyone off kilter.
The In-Laws also have the weather in their favor--because Jeff Herron is definitely not a cold-weather man. And today the temperature rings true at a whopping 38 degrees.

It's going to be a tough match, but my grandpa bought a trophy, so we're sure this will amp the drive to succeed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Time for Some Witty Banter

Some days I am just so taken by the versatility of Cream Cheese.

I mean, first of all, it is kindof like spoiled milk. It's sour, and smells a little off. Is it cheese? Is it pudding? Is it a spread? Is it something you eat with a fork? Can you slice it?
It comes in a tub--or a block. That's the first clue you have something beyond our realm of comprehension!

I've had cream cheese on a bagel.
I've had cream cheese in a taco dip.
I've had cream cheese in a fruit dip.
When will it end!?

Not anytime soon, I can assure you. Because this very coming holiday where we celebrate the birth of our relationship with corn (and Native America--we've had our ups and downs), I am going to be concocting my very favorite cream cheese application of all time: pumpkin dip.

Chew on that, my friends. Tacos, to fruit, to pumpkins spread out on a little graham cracker (preferably gingerbread flavored).

Cream Cheese: the new hero of culinary art.
I see an Iron Chef coming!

There's a Hole in the Bucket

They always leave.
They always leave and it's happened so many times it almost stopped hurting.
There is so much risk and responsibility in building relationships. And I used to be much more at ease with just sitting and listening. I would know my friends inside and out, amd they would know me.
And then high school ended and we all split up.
Correction:
And then high school ended and they all stayed friends and I went to a different college.
I pushed and pushed to keep those bonds but I grew apart from them and it took a really long time to be okay with that.
I made a few very close friends in college. Friends that you start talking, and 5 hours later you realize it's time for curfew. Who could come home with me for a weekend on a whim. Slowly, one by one, they all disappeared too. First Jenni. Than Caleb. Than Tim, and Jason, and Kara.
The unrealistic thing about college is that growing up creates different paths. And different paths create distance. And distance creates so many independent memories that you can't share and the only way to make it not hurt is to just harden.
I hardened somewhere between Tim and Jason. I got so sick of knowing people and then having them leave. I got so tired of sharing, then then to lose a friend to Ohio. Or to a wife. Or to Australia.
For a while it's still okay. There's phones. And e-mails. And the occasional special occasion. But anyone who tries to tell you that everything stays the same is blowing sunshine up your shorts.
After college, it took me a long time before I would take anything beyond the acquaintance level. I had two very very close friends back home in Livonia with whom I was able to share and in return listen and know.
And then I left. By the time I left I was already pretty calloused. And I stayed hard for a long time here in Oklahoma.
And slowly but surely I formed some thick relationships. Only to lose one to Texas. One to Kansas. And one to Ohio. Lost one to a girl, and devastatingly, one to the heartbreaking truth that she just can't stay here anymore.
And things will never be the same again.
Who wants me next? To take with you when you leave?