This was the only swing dad shot of me through 18 holes - thankfully it was one of the good ones. A par three and I put it right on the green. Not bad considering I haven’t played in about a year.
One of the Best Birthdays Ever!
I just turned 35 (man, that sounds old when I write it out loud) and this year I had one of the best birthday weekends of my adult life!
It actually began with a Christmas present from my fiancee Ginger. We had our Christmas the Sunday after the real Christmas and my present from her was a three day, two night trip to Atlanta to watch the Hokies take on the Vols in the 2009 Chick-Fil-A Bowl game.

That would have been more than enough for me! But, after Ginger managed to get the Hokies to win the game 37-14 for me (an added present), she took me out to dinner on new year’s day. And not just any old restaurant … Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in downtown Atlanta! Yeah, you can be jealous because it was the most delicious filet mignon I’ve ever had in my life.

Our waiter was great and even gave us a free dessert - bread pudding - and free cappuccinos. It was the perfect meal on the perfect weekend!
Before dinner at Ruth’s, we got up and went to downtown to have some breakfast at the CNN building. After that, we wandered around for a bit through Olympic Centennial Park before heading over to the World of Coke.
I wasn’t really expecting much from the World of Coke, but it was actually very cool and a lot of fun. You definitely get your $15 worth, that’s for sure!

Saturday morning, we checked out of the hotel and got on the road. But before we left the ATL, we stopped at The Varsity for some chili dogs, burgers, onion rings and french fries. Not healthy, but it was so good!
Once in South Carolina, we stopped at an outlet mall to stretch our legs, use the facilities and see if we could find any good deals. Boy did we!
I got a new Haggar suit for 70 percent off! We got three pairs of shoes for the price of one, Ginger got a new shirt for 60 percent off and we got Nic some new clothes from OshKosh B’Gosh for clearance prices. I am not normally one for shopping, but we had a good time on Saturday.
Then, when we finally got home, we watched the Hokies basketball team, without it’s best player, upset Seton Hall. What a great birthday weekend! Ginger is the best!
A new year, but the same old Gary...
- Ginger: Did you just take a tissue out and throw it away?
- Me: Yeah.
- Ginger: Why did you do that?
- Me: I just wanted to make sure it still works.
- Ginger: You're a mess.
- Me: And yet you still love me.
- Ginger: ....
- Ginger: ....
- Ginger: You're a mess.
Guess who…
has two thumbs and is at home with a wicked cold? THIS GUY!





