This weekend was the annual Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Country Club here in Fort Worth... and there is not much preppier than golf : ) The PGA tour stop has changed sponsors numerous times over the years but the prestigous course has remained the same.
Colonial is located on Colonial Parkway, off University Drive, just north of Texas Christian University and directly across from the Fort Worth Zoo.
Opened in 1936 by Marvin Leonard, the club is members-by-invitation only and provides an amazing golfing experience, in addition to other country club ammenities such as tennis courts and multiple dining experiences... and a beautiful, Colonial-style clubhouse.
One of the oldest country clubs in the city, Colonial is a designated a Platinum Club of America Five-Star Private Club, an honor only bestowed to the best in the country.
The Hubs and I used to attend the tournament each year but have missed the past few. We are planning to attend one of the practice days next year so we can take photos. Hopefully my favorite Phil will be in attendance : )
Hooray! Posting a Booking Through Thursday on the correct Thursday!
"In contrast to last week's question, what do you think of censoring books because of their intended age? Say, books too "old" for your kids to read?"
100% in favor of this... for a few reasons. First... sometimes you just need to read books when you are older... your vocabulary is increased, your life experiences help you relate to storylines, and things simply make more sense. Second... there are certainly things in books I would not want my daughter to read when she is young... innocent is a fabulous thing... heck, there are some things in books I even probably should not be reading ; )
I am SO bad about Booking Through Thursday ON Thursday... it should be Booking When You Get Around to It : ) Kidding! Okay... last week's question:
"Do you read books 'meant' for other age groups? Or do you pretty much stick to what is written for people your age?"
I read everything... if the story looks interesting I will give it a whirl even if it is a book for children... in fact, I have several classics on my list to read that I somehow managed to get through childhood without reading, such as The Wind in the Willows and The Secret Garden. I do tend to stay clear of books with older characters, though, especially if they pass away : ) I do not enjoy death in books unless it is a murder mystery!
Happy Royal Wedding Day...!! I actually started this blog the morning of the nuptials... so much for being timely : )
The Hubs and I went to sleep early the night before with the alarm setting for 3:45 a.m. and I was awake by 4 a.m. Most of my friends' husbands refused to join them in the viewing festivities but I guess since mine is English he felt somewhat obligated : )
We ate scones and drank tea in bed... well, coffee for him thanks to his dislike of tea... what kind of Brit is he? : )
I had every intention of serving these on our fine china, but folks.... it was 4 a.m. A napkin it is! Ha! (I had read in a magazine never to have a television in your bedroom after marriage because it would, ahem, distract from other things... I am so thankful we have one in there because I could eat scones and watch a "commoner" become a princess without having to get out of my snuggly blanket cocoon!)
Now... the question on everyone's mind... what I was wearing? I stole The Hubs' double decker bus boxers (purchased from Banana Republic)...
... paired with my white tank from Jigsaw (in honor of Miss Middleton, of course)...
... and topped it off with my Oxford sweatshirt as you can see above... while not terribly relevant, it is the only sweatshirt I have from England and it was chilly : )
Now... what people were really concerned about... Kate's dress! Classic, timeless, appropriate, and fit for a princess.
Interestingly, I was engaged in two... count 'em TWO... conversations the day before where I said I hoped she wore something inspired by Grace Kelly... I should have placed a wager!
I have been to Westminster Abbey twice and absolutely adore it there... I recommend paying for the guided tour as you are allowed into areas otherwise blocked off (such as the Chapel of Edward the Confessor). Kate's dress was so regal and elegant and was the perfect design for such a holy and historic venue. (The photo below is from our '05 trip to England).
I was frustrated afterward with people who said her gown was too conservative and not "flashy" enough... first, one is not "flashy" when married at Westminster Abbey. Second, church etiquette required her arms to be covered and I am sure anything too revealing or form-fitting would have been frowned upon as well. (We attend the Episcoplian Church and these were considerations taken into account for our wedding, too. I did wear a sleevless dress (although not strapless) but we live in Texas and it was about 1,000 degrees). Third, your wedding day is not the appropriate time to go out on a limb and try something nutty... sure, you want to be fabulous and memorable, but you still need to look like yourself. Personally, I think Kate has impeccable taste and it shone through on April 29th.
I am not going to lie... I spent the rest of the day watching Royal Wedding specials... footage of the ceremony, programs showing how the entire day was orchestrated, shows tracing the relationship of the happy couple from dorm to Abbey... all day long. The Hubs asked if we really needed to see any of it again and I told him to bear with me until we went to bed, and our lives to regain normality on Saturday.
In the evening we enjoyed miniature replicas of Prince William's groomscake... they were available at Central Markets across the state. Sadly, it really was too rich for my taste (I left more than half of it behind), but a few bites made me feel as though I were actually part of the festivities... heehee.
... to blog. Maybe not so much the will but the time. When I began LoneStarPrep I had very high hopes of illustrating the prep life in Texas, meeting loads of fabulous new people, and reading interesting blogs... but thanks to numerous daily household obligations, going back to work part-time, and chasing after a 10-month-old who likes to eat paper, I simply run out of energy to keep up with it all.
I plan posts, never post them... start drafts, never finish... and what frustrates me most is the timeliness of some topics and how if you do not post at the moment, the moment is gone forever. Case-in-point: I had a fabulous entry (as did many) for the Royal Wedding... but 4 a.m. came too early, The Hubs and I became caught up in the rest of our weekend plans, grocery shopping and other errands called my name before this blog, and somehow here we are, a week later, and zero post to show for it... April was such a lame writing month in general...!!
Let's not even mention how far behind I am on reading the blogs to which I subscribe... I have no idea what everyone is doing : (
My goal is to become a more consistent writer... I hope my readers enjoy what I have to say, even though lately I have not been saying much. Stick with me... there will be more posts in the near future... and I promise about something other than books...!!
Yes, I know it is Friday. Late again! Story of my new life. Before I had CB I believed unless you were ten minutes early you were late... now getting anywhere or getting anything done at all is the goal : )
In contrast to last week's question, this week's asks to name a book you hope will never be made into a movie, no matter how fabulous the movie might be.
There are a few : )
I have mentioned The Jellyfish Season on a previous blog and would have to say it is one book I hope would never be made into a movie, although there is no reason to think it ever would be anyway. As I wrote before, I am very attached to those characters (or at least my 12-year-old self is) and I would hate to see them portrayed differently than they appear in my own mind. Possibly a selfish answer (heehee) but I have been disappointed before by the book-turned-movie, especially when the film fails to fullydevelop a character... or the entire plot (Confessions of a Shopaholic, anyone? The movie was a train wreck).
I would also say The Lemon Jelly Cake (Is there a jelly theme this evening? Hmm. Maybe I am hungry).
Harvard Yard... amazing combination of history and mystery... no movies, please : ) Also, not being the first appearance of main character Peter Fallon, it would no doubt require prequels and sequels and all that jazz... and we all know subsequent films are never as good as the first one.
I could certainly list more but GoodReads seems to be unresponsive and I am unable to scroll through my virtual bookshelf... boo! Does anyone else feel how technology, which is supposed to make our lives easier, sometimes make things much more difficult than they need to be? Anyway.
On this topic... the idea the book is better than the movie is usually the general consensus... but do any of y'all have examples of the opposite view? Mine: The Devil Wears Prada. LOVE the film... thought I was going to die before I made it through the book. I thought it was terrible.
Yesterday's question... fun but difficult...!!
If you could see one book turned into the perfect movie -- one that would capture everything you love, the characters, the look, the feel, the story -- what book would you choose?
I read this book several years ago and honestly do not remember too many of the details... but I do remember being completely consumed by it and not being able to put it down!
Failing this, I would have to say Austenland by Shannon Hale... silly, but I think it would make an excellent Chick Flick : )
