The Greatest Week of the Year

It's here, it's here, it's finally here!!

Masters' week has finally come, and I'm heading down to Augusta on Wednesday to be a part of the hustle and bustle. In honor of my favorite week of the year, I've decided to share a few of my Masters' adventures. I've been blessed to have quite a few, and I can never thank enough the wonderful people who've helped me make such special memories over the years. When my dear friend John invited me to grace the greens of Augusta National for the first time, my mom says it's the most excited she'd ever seen me for anything in my entire life (including getting my first car, etc).

I've also had the pleasure of attending with my friends Erika and Coby, and I'll be forever grateful to them for their kindness in inviting me. Each time, Augusta National was just a beautiful and pristine as the time before. The magic that floats through the air there never dies.

(Some years are colder than others)

But of all the times I've been, one time stands out above the rest, and I have AT&T to thank for it...

Each year I work for a catering company whose main client is AT&T. They pour insane amounts of money into wining and dining their top clients at the Masters, and I get to serve them. This brings the opportunity to hear great speakers such as Paul Azinger, Boo Weekley, DJ Trahan, Billy Mayfair, Ian Baker Finch, Tony Romo, etc. As the years have gone on, I've become friends with the great people who work for AT&T and are in charge of running their events each year. Part of their job is to make sure all of their clients have the best seating available around the golf course. Now here's where I come in. I've not always had the luxury of scoring crazy expensive badges to get in the tournament on my own. Several of my journeys onto the course have been through what we call "chair duty."

Early in the morning, when the gates first open, thousands of people rush onto the course to set out their chairs. As you can imagine, crazy rich entitled folks are a little too lazy to do that themselves. So little eager worker bees like myself get to rush out and set chairs for them. But here's the great memory and reward of this duty. Not only do I get to go into the tournament for a quick view of the course and trip to the merchandise tent...which would be worth the trouble in and of itself, but because AT&T is one of the only outside sponsors of the Masters, they get to drive onto the property of Augusta National rather than going through the regular patron gates. Now let me spell this out for you a little bit more...AT&T doesn't turn into just any 'ol entrance...oh no...AT&T turns down the hallowed Magnolia Lane. The same entrance that the likes of Jack Nicholas, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, etc. enter through. The entrance that the greatest champions of the game have used. And piddly 'ol me has been able to turn down that covered drive of Magnolias up to the clubhouse. I'm pretty sure I almost passed out the first time. Now I don't want to get carried away, we don't drive ALL the way down Magnolia Lane, but rather quickly turn off to skirt around the edge of the course. But for a few yards...it's me, the magnolias, and the history of the greatest sporting event in the world, together in pure bliss. Now the memory could stop here and be the greatest. But there's more, oh there's more. Before going out on the course for the day, AT&T clients are allowed to go into a cabin on the course and have breakfast, etc. So this means I have been in a cabin at the Augusta National Golf Club. I mean come on, who gets to do that?!! SO BLESSED to have the opportunity!

On that special Sunday morning I went on to be a champion chair putter-outer, blocking out a green jacket member for the prime viewing spot on the 18th green. You're not allowed to run on the course, so I'm proud to say my blazing fitness walking skills dominated the other spectators for the victory. I like to think I'm the greatest chair duty worker AT&T and Augusta National have ever seen. I'm certainly honored by the opportunity.