"The New York Times" Feature

As I head into the Lorena Ochoa Invitational this week in Mexico City I want to thank the New York Times and writer Lisa Mickey for the wonderful article about my dream and journey to return to Rio and compete in the 2016 Olympic Games! Check it out here!

I still have a ways to go, but I have been improving! I am so grateful for the support coming from all corners of my life!

Travel Essentials

I have become somewhat of a travel pro given all the miles I’ve logged throughout my career, and I’ve been traveling a lot in the last few months. Sometimes I’m lucky to be accompanied by the girls, but lately I have been travelling alone quite a bit. When I go on the road, I always bring my “essentials” with me. They make the trip just a little easier, and I thought it would be fun to share them with you so that next time you plan for a trip, you can be well prepared – take a look at my top five favorites list below and let me know what you think!

1. Wireless headphones: I love them because I have the freedom to move around. Whether on the plane, with my kids or working out I love having them.

2. Longchamp Le Pliage Medium Tote: This might be my favorite item. I take it everywhere I go. I usually travel with a backpack and I need a handbag once I arrive at the tournament. It is the perfect size to fit whatever I need for the day and small enough that I can fold it and put in in my suitcase. So great! I have the black with brown handle so I can match it with black or brown shoes.


3. Convertible travel blanket: This is great. Sometimes I don’t want to travel with a sweater and often it is so cold on the plane that you just need a blanket. It also doubles as a pillow if you don’t need something to cover you up.

4. Backpack: I used to travel with a big purse but I wised up and now I travel with a backpack. SOOOO much easier and my hands are free. Nowadays you can get super stylish ones since it is on trend. I use a Tumi backpack that I got on sale. They are a bit pricey, but they’re great quality and worth every penny, especially if you get them on sale! It is practical and has a lot of pockets.

5. Baby wipes: I always travel with baby wipes, which are useful for so many things, especially any spilling that happens on clothes.

Oh, and please know that this is my list of favorites for traveling solo – when I’m traveling with the kids, the list grows exponentially!

Smell the Roses

This past week I had the honor of playing in the Toyota Danielle Downey Classic. It was an incredible event in honor of a great young woman who unfortunately passed away in a car accident last year. I had the honor and pleasure of staying with Danielle’s father, Mike Downey and his wife Jen Downey. My golf performance was, once again, not great, but it was an emotional week that put so much in perspective. 

Danielle Downey was a fellow LPGA Tour player and a friend who always lived life to the fullest.  She was always the life of the party, making friends wherever she went and always putting a smile on the faces of her peers.  I knew Danielle for many years through junior tournaments, college golf and later on tour.  She was an incredible talent on the golf course, always playing with such ease, but most importantly she is remembered for her talents off the golf course:  her ability to connect with people and make people laugh, and her loyal and loving nature with friends and family. 

I am so happy I had the opportunity to stay with Mr. Downey.  I cannot imagine the pain he must feel every day for the loss of his daughter.  When he talks about Danielle you can see in his eyes how much he misses her and how painful it is to have so many incredible memories, yet be unable to make new ones because her life was simply cut too short.  I was also lucky to meet Danielle’s sisters and hear more about Danielle’s stories and how the tournament came to life to honor their sister. 

My stay with the Downeys last week really touched me and put a lot of things in perspective.  I have a very big goal ahead of me and even though the past six months have not been the best competition wise, I remain hopeful that my golf game will improve and I may have the chance to play in the Olympics.  I was reminded this week to enjoy the journey as I go along and to not overlook the memories I am making and the people that have been crossing my path, both old and new.  It also reminded me what the most important things are in life - my family and friends. I am still incredibly driven towards my goal and I am working harder than ever to achieve it, but I will also take the time to smell the roses, love my family and enjoy the journey every step of the way.  Life is just too short to do otherwise.  

Avocado Obsession Continues: Avocado Basil Pasta

Avocado Obsession Continues: Avocado Basil Pasta

Yes, here I go with my avocado obsession again! I wanted to share another go-to recipe that is healthy and super easy to make and this one just kept coming back to my mind.  Stella loves pasta and so does Adam.  I was looking for a summer pasta recipe when I came across this one at my friend Barbara’s barbecue. It is easy to make and so incredibly delicious!

Photo courtesy of Dairy Made Easy

You will need:

8 ounces bow-tie pasta or quinoa penne pasta

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 medium avocados, diced  2 tbsp olive oil

2/3 cup loosely packed basil leaves, chopped      
2 garlic cloves, crushed                            
¼ Tbsp kosher salt & pinch coarse black pepper

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil and cook pasta as directed on the package

2. In a large bowl, combine avocado, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic s&p.

3. Add hot pasta to bowl, stir to combine;

4. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve right away or at room temperature

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!!!!

Sky Zone!

Stella is now three is old!! I can’t even believe that she is three; time goes by way too fast.  As many of you know, she is an incredibly energetic child and I am always looking for activities where she can channel her energy while on the road… aka wear her down so mommy can have a little down time after a round of golf!   When the weather is bad and playing outside is not an option, our favorite place to go it SKY ZONE. 

We discovered SKY ZONE in Fort Myers this past winter. After a few rainy days, I was running out of things to do with Stella. She has always loved jumping on trampolines and I decided to look online for places where she could do just that.  Well, it was love at first sight! I cannot adequately convey to you how much she enjoys it.  We always purchase the one-hour package for her, thinking, as an adult, that she will be exhausted long before then and we will be able to leave… this is not the case! She could spend hours at this place and it is super fun for adults as well.  There are several options for things to do and she can jump from one activity to the next.  For older children, there is an option to play dodge ball with other kids, which looks really fun as well.  Stella usually opts for the basketball hoops and jumping into the foam-filled pit. 

Whenever I take the kids with me on a trip we always look for a SKY ZONE location at their site: www.skyzone.com.  We have been able to find one in most cities and it is a total lifesaver.  If you are traveling with your little ones and running out of things to do on a rainy day I highly recommend it!

The Places We Go…

 I am home once again and it has been so nice to have some time off after being away from the girls for two weeks. Unfortunately, I did not have a great week on the course at the LPGA’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, but life goes on and I continue to be incredibly motivated to play better golf and to achieve my goal.

This week I will start a monthly series on my blog to highlight a city that I really enjoyed visiting during my journey. I love travelling and I am lucky to have the opportunity to visit cities throughout the world… Golf has taken me to places I never even dreamed of and I love exploring and getting to know these great cities. 

The last event I played was in Rogers, Arkansas. When I told people I was playing in Arkansas, I heard the same response over and over… “Really? Oh!” implying that Arkansas isn’t a wonderful spot.  Well, they could not be more wrong.  I loved travelling to Arkansas and Rogers is located right next to Bentonville, the home of Walmart and a great city in its own right. The reasons why I love Arkansas are below and, if you ever have a chance to go, you should be excited about visiting as well:

 1.  The People: Let’s start with the people, because they are the heart of the place and could not be any nicer.  From the staff and volunteers at the golf course to all my pro-am partners, and especially my hosts, Michael and Gloria Morse, who where simply incredible (a lot of times LPGA players stay in private homes with a family instead of at hotels). Gloria cooked me delicious Mexican food all week and treated me like a queen. People in Arkansas seem always go out of their way to help you.

2.  Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art:  This place is extraordinary.  The Museum founded by Alice Walton, daughter of Sam Walton, founder of Walmart.  The museum opened in 2011 offers free admission and is incredibly beautiful with gorgeous architecture, stunning grounds, and trails. It exposes the community to incredible art and also provides a place to spend quality time with family while enjoying the beautiful outdoors. Right in front of the Museum the Walton family built a Children’s Museum and an outdoor area for families to come and enjoy outdoor concerts on the weekend.  It is so cool. To learn a little more about the Museum go to its website: http://crystalbridges.org

3.  Downtown Bentonville:  One night, a friend of mine, Chris Shephard, who lives in Bentonville with his family, took me out to dinner downtown. Chris, his wife Shauna, and their three kids Sabrina, Teagan and Logan watched me play during the week and then showed me around downtown Bentonville. We went to a lovely fish restaurant called Fresh Market, which brings fresh fish in daily. It was delicious and after that we went to the famous Bentonville Square to get ice cream. The ice cream store is located inside the Walmart Museum and right next to it is the site of the first Walton Store, where Walmart started. Ice cream for five people cost me $8. I could not believe it!  There is a hotel called 21 C Museum Hotel, also owned by the Walton family, which brings incredible art pieces and exhibitions into the hotel. SO AWESOME!  To find a little more about downtown Bentonville you can go to: http://www.downtownbentonville.org.

I loved my time in NW Arkansas, and thank the Morse and Shepard families for being such great hosts. I can’t wait to go back and I hope that if you have the chance to go, you enjoy it as much as I did.

Pantene Beautiful Lengths Event

 As I get amped up to tee off at the NW Arkansas Championship, I had the unique opportunity to join in a very heartwarming cause on Wednesday night when Procter & Gamble hosted the annual Pantene Beautiful Lengths event held at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion. This event collects ponytails from donors to make real-hair wigs for cancer patients, and on Wednesday alone they received more than 300 of them! People of all ages lined up to donate their hair -  families even did this together, supporting each other as each of them took their turn cutting off their pony tails to give to those who aren’t able to grow them.

I absolutely loved this event and the sense of community there, and the feeling of making a direct impact into someone's life was so incredible.  I certainly didn’t arrive in Arkansas planning to cut my hair, but after being inspired by so many of the people working at and taking part in the event, I knew I needed to join the cause. On top of this amazing experience, I also had the pleasant surprise of meeting U.S. Ski Team alpine racer and Olympic Gold (and bronze) Medalist Lindsey Vonn, who was extremely nice and so fun to meet. I love seeing other athletes support causes that are important to them, and get to know their fans and fellow supporters at events like this. I wish her so much luck in her career, and congratulate her on her two ESPY award nominations! I also loved the connection between this event and the tournament -  Beatriz Recari, an LPGA tour player, even cut off my pony tail!

I extend my biggest thank you to Pantene, Procter & Gamble, and the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship for the opportunity to take part in this rewarding event - this is definitely a cause I will hold close to my heart.

I can’t wait to see what else this tournament brings - thanks for all of your support!