Westward Ho!

After leaving Phoenix and arriving in Greensboro, North Carolina both my wife, Shannon and I thought we had made the worst mistake. Our son kelso was almost two and our second child was on the way. We couldn't figure our what was wrong with us. At the time both of us was reluctant to admit anything but slowly it crept out. Frustrated at our new surroundings we didn't know what we had gotten our selves into. This was not the first move for either of us but it was one of the most difficult we had ever faced. When we moved to Phoenix together we both had a purpose and no kids to mind. I was starting a new job, and she was going to start grad school. We all ready had a friend from Kentucky there with a house waiting for us. That was a easy one, we had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Fresh out of school we were both ready for a new start and phoenix was full of them. My new job turned out to be a awesome opportunity, I was promoted only two weeks after starting. The new country club where I started working turned out to be an amazing place. I had never worked at a golf course this nice before. During my first week I couldn't believe how beautiful it was, it was this beauty that shaped my new career path taking me away from the mediocre courses that had filled my previous work history. The place was just so clean, not like Mr. Clean clean but every where you looked was perfect turf. No weeks poked their ugly heads through the grass, no bare spots plagued worn out areas from cart traffic, every inch of the golf course was like a lush green carpet professionally installed with no seams visible. I could only think that I was not worthy of such perfect conditions. There was so much that was new to me I couldn't wait to get to work because everyday solved a riddle of how to achieve such awesome conditions. I often said to my boss and one of my greatest mentors, " I get dumber every day I come to work." He really didn't like the sound of that but I just had to explain. When I moved to Phoenix I thought I was at the top of my game, I had just completed an irrigation project coupled with an irrigation project bringing our course back from death. I thought I had everything down and I was one of the best. It took me about five minutes in phoenix to realise that I wasn't even out of kindergarten. Each time i learned something new I new that I was a little wiser but that only let me know how much more there was to learn. It was my second education of real life work experience that opened my eyes to what it was to be a superintendent and i liked what I saw. So for ever day that I got smarter I realised how dumb I was the day before and hoe dumb I was going to remain, it was just that great of an experience for me. After five years I had grown restless, the position I was in was not a perminant spot all of my predecessors had moved on in a year of two taking head jobs at great golf courses. I felt like there was something wrong with me, why couldn't I get the big job, what was wrong with me. It turned out that it was not me just the market that changed but I didn't know that till much later. Several other things started eating away at me as well. I really didn't like using all of the water that we needed to keep up these pristine conditions, while the other courses I had worked at did not have the same quality conditions I felt like there were in more of a balance with nature. Yes they had irrigation systems but we didn't have to use them all the time. The natural rain kept things going and irrigation was supplemental. Secondly i had a family now, Shannon and I had gotten married and had our first child Kelso. I started to view the world as a different place after that just like any parent. The one thing that I thought of was my family being a part of out larger combined family. My parents and sister and Shannon's large and loving family. I wanted our children to enjoy the same things I enjoyed growing up and that was the large family experience. This is hard to do when most of the family is over 1600 miles away. Everything was different to me now and I wanted everything to be different as well. I wasn't the same person who moved out west 5 years ago and i had the itch to get moving. Most of our friends were moving away as well and I didn't want to be the last person left at the party. I wanted something to fit my new self and family so that it all matched up and fit nice and neat, boy was I ever wrong about that.