Life..

Well I have promised to blog for about a month or so.. but it seems like each day gets busier than the last. So here goes nothing..

This has officially been one of the best summers I have had in my short 25 years around this place.. I have settled down with work, done a bit of travelling, and I have played some of the best golf of my life. As many of you know, I play a lot of amateur golf tournaments around the state of Minnesota, as well as the US.. I can't remember the last weekend that I didnt have some sort of tournament going on (might be why I am single... )

Obviously I love the game of golf, along with the competition,..but thats not what it is all about. Take this past weekend for example.. I played in an event on Saturday called the Erickson Open at the Farmers Golf and Health Club. It is a tournament set up by and for the Erickson Family to play golf with their friends in order to raise money for the local golf club (and to party their socks off). Noone cares who wins or loses.. But it is tournaments like that, where I have met some of my best friends and had some of my best weekends. If you are interested, let me know.. I will get you in touch with right people.

As far as some of my other adventures this summer, I got the opportunity to play in the US Amateur Public Links Championship in Greensboro, NC last month.. It was the first time I had played in that tournament since 2003, so it was fun to get back to one of the best amatuer tournaments in the country. The winner of the tournament gets the opportunity to play in The Masters next April... However, the way that I played while down there, I will be watching The Masters from my couch!. Nonetheless, it is fun to tee it up with an opportunity like that...

I have a few more tournaments coming up the next few weeks around the area, and one that has been recently added to my calendar in September.. I will be defending my titles at The Oakdale Invitational (Buffalo Lake, MN) this weekend as well as The Harvest Fest (Sanborn, MN) in 2 weeks.

I was planning on ending the summer golf circuit in 2 weeks until this afternoon when I received an invitation to play in the USGA Team Championship. 3 Individuals are chosen to represent Team Minnesota in a week long competition in Santa Rosa, CA. It will be the perfect way to end one of my most memorable golf summers in recent memory!

A few weekends ago I was in a wedding for two of my best friends, Brad and Hope Hempstead.. It was a great weekend spent with great friends... The monday morning after? not great...

Other than that, work is still going great. Believe it or not, I can officially sit in the coffee talks about "the crops" and hold up my end of the conversation. Scary, I know.. But I love it. I deal with great people and every day is an adventure...

As much fun as I had in the Twin Cities, I can honestly say that life is better down here. I enjoy going to work everyday, being close to family, and being able to enjoy life a bit more. You can't ask for much more than that... Ask me this winter when its 40 degrees below zero and I am stuck in New Ulm,It might be a different story. But time will tell.

With that said, its almost time for the best season of the year... SKOL VIKINGS! I will let that topic rest until the dust settles..

Until next time,

JCL IV

"Opportunity only knocks once"

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Spring Ahead...

Well, this Saturday is officially the worst day of 2010. I thought that Valentines day took the cake last month, but I just saw a commercial that said that this Saturday we lose an hour of sleep and "spring ahead"... looks like the 'breakfast menu' is out of the question Sunday.

As promised, I would let you guys know when I found a place to live. I would have blogged about it when I moved in, but the only internet signal I had for the first few weeks was from the Library across the street. I found out that it only worked if it was sunny and my windows were open, so I decided to wait until my cable and internet got installed...

With that said, I found a two-bedroom bachelor pad in downtown New Ulm. It is a pretty prime location, if there is such a thing. After a few weeks in town, I have gotten to know some of the local establishments pretttty well. I feel like Norm from Cheers at about three different bars already...

The past few weeks have been so busy that I havent had time to get settled in much. but I have all of the important things unpacked and set up (Stocked Fridge, TV, & Internet). If anyone wants to volunteer their decorating services, let me know. On a serious note, if anyone is moving in the near future, give Ashley K. Tauer a call.. She is the worlds best mover, and she will work for beer and pizza... Seriously. Luckily for all of you party animals, I have a spare bedroom if you are too tired to drive home some night. However, if you can't physically make the 25 yard trek on your own, I dont want you here... Just sayin'.

Anyways, I have to add something about the Vikings, or this wouldn't be complete. All that I am going to say is that Favre will look great handing off with both hands to AP and LT next year. With that said, the depression from last seasons let down has about worn off, but I still struggle sleeping a few nights here and there . All that we can hope for now, is another exciting Twins season. If anyone wants to make a few trips to the new stadium, let me know... I am always up for a fun road trip (I have my penthouse in St. Paul until June so I might as well use it)

I hope that everyone has been enjoying the nice weather the past few days.. Hopefully my friends in Iowa have their Arks built. The snow that was 4 feet tall in our backyards in Minnesota is on the way to basements everywhere south of the border. Sorry for not being sorry... you guys can have it.

Even though it hasn't been a heat wave, the warmer spring weather has got me thinking of golf, obviously, and I can't wait to start tearing up the New Ulm Country Club in the next few months!

Until next time,

JCL IV

"Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway."

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Life

Well I waited as long as I could to update my blog, but I figured it was time. You can consider this my Electronic Valentines Day Card.

This blog was supposed to be my way to update everyone with pictures from my trip to Miami for the Superbowl, but everyone with a pulse knows why that didn't happen.. So I am not going to touch on it... There's always next year and I still dont want to talk about.

As some of you may know, I am going through a transition in careers. A few weeks ago, I resigned from my job in Minneapolis and I am currently transitioning into taking a position with our family business. I am looking forward to the opportunity of working with my dad, and being a bit closer to my family and friends.

The biggest change will come with taking in a slower-paced lifestyle. Anyone that has lived in Minneapolis/St. Paul knows what I am talking about. The weeks go by so fast, its almost a blur. I have lived the life of fancy cars and expensive bars (at least for me), and I can say that I am honestly ready for a change.

As of right now, I am looking for housing. And no, I am not going to be living in Springfield.. sorry mom! I have a lot of close friends in the New Ulm/Mankato area, so I am looking at places there. If anyone has any recommendations, let me know. I am struggling to find a place at the moment..

Apart from that, I am really looking forward to spring/summer. After putting together a tenative schedule, it looks like my weekend tournament schedule will be full again.. If anyone is interested in getting a schedule of my self titled "Southern Minnesota Tour", let me know. It would be great to get a group of guys together to go to a few events.

This weekend, we have a board of directors meeting for The Dane Odden Classic. The date of the event is set for May 28th and will take place in Carroll, IA. This will be the fourth year of the event, and we already have a record number of confirmed attendees. Being a co-founder of the tournament, I am extremely excited for this years event. If any of you are interested in attending, let me know.. I can get you tickets!

Well, thats about all that I have for today. For the five or six people that actually read this, I appreciate it! I will update everyone sooner than later..

Until next time,

JCL IV

"Change is inevitable, except from vending machines."

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Mission Miami?

Well as the week goes on, I only have one thing on my mind... The Vikings. This blog is going to be short and sweet, I just needed to get some of my thoughts out there.

This weekend, the Vikings can and will begin to erase all of the nightmares that we suffered just over 11 years ago against Atlanta. If you don't know what I am talking about, you are either a 3 year old, or a Timberwolves fan. I don't need to elaborate.

I have said since training camp that if we got Brett Favre to play for us and to win a Superbowl, it would be such a great story that I would forever be a satisfied Vikings fan.

Getting Brett Favre to play for the Purple and Gold has not only been one of the greatest stories in sports history, but it has also brought a lot of attention to our team. Though attention does not get a team a new stadium, it can definatly help the cause. So as cliche as it is, we hated this man for years and years because he played for our biggest rival.. But after this year, he might have been the biggest influence in the push to keep the Vikings in Minnesota.

Does Favre need a little help along the way? Of course. He has brought out the best in the people that play around him and has brought an excitement to the Metrodome that has been absent since 1998. Shiancoe and Rice are arguably the best receiver/TE combo in the game.. AP and Chester are the best 1-2 back combo in the NFL..Our Defense is feeding off of the offensive success.. And we have the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.. That is a pretty good start.

This weekends game should be electric. Like I have been saying all week, "The Cowboys can build a billion dollar stadium, but it still doesn't give you the loudest fans in the NFL." Just wait until the Cardinals come to town next week.

Until next time,

JCL IV

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Happy Holidays

Well its hard to believe that its this time of year again... It seems like only yesterday that everyone was getting ready for summer! But as great as summer is, I think that Christmas is my favorite time of year. With our family spread out through the country, and with everyone on such wild schedules, it seems that Christmas and weddings are the only time that we all get together. Luckily for my family, we have had a lot of weddings in the past couple of years to keep us in touch.. unlucky for my family, I am not going to be adding to the repertoire of family weddings in the near future!!!

Speaking of weddings, my cousin Carlee has officially gotten engaged to longtime boyfriend Patrick, so congratulations to both of them! It looks like a destination wedding is in the plans.. Look out "dirty south", here we come........

Last week, I officially put the golf clubs in the closet. Its always a sad day to turn the lights out in the golf closet.. But its hard to complain when we were able to play golf for 8 months in MN this year.. Before you start feeling sorry for me, you should know that I will be travelling to play golf every month this winter somewhere warm (its nice to have friends in Arizona/Florida/California).

As far as travelling, I am still planning on going somewhere warm in Febuary, with or without you. I have no set plans and I am open for recommendations. If you would like to go with me let me know! I am thinking of going to Mexico for the time being. I am taking 2 outfits and 3 pairs of swim trunks because I plan on vegging out on the beach for 4-5 days. I will be finishing up my p90x training the 2nd week in February, so I am treating myself to a few days of being a bum.

Believe it or not, I am still trucking along with the p90x program, or in my case, the p102x program. With the 90 day (12 week) program you are supposed to workout 6 days a week, including Saturdays. Since it has to be illegal to workout on a day starting with "S", I have changed it to a 5 day a week program, extending it to 102 days. Don't hate!

There is only one thing that might put a cramp in my Febuary travel schedule, and that would be a trip to Miami for SUPERBOWL XLIV. Being the Vikings fanatic that I am, if you dont think that I would buy a last minute plane ticket to miami---you are wrong.. but time will tell! I am secretly hoping for a matchup against the Packers in the playoffs. How sweet it would be to put the 2009 Hat Trick on them.... SKOL VIKINGS...!!!

As far as me, I have been busy "working for the weekends".. This winter I will be doing a lot of ice fishing and travelling. This past weekend I got my first ice fishing fix of the year. Some people just dont understand how much fun that can be, but you can't knock it until you've tried it.

With that being said, I hope that this finds everyone excited for another great holiday season. Its important to remember how much we have to be thankful for this time of year. Don't forget that "The little things in life, to some people are the big things".... If you see a bell-ringer for the Salvation Army, drop a few cents in the red bucket.. Or at the very least give the bell ringer a courtesy "happy holidays"...

I look forward to seeing everyone over the next few weeks. If ANY of you are in the Minneapolis area looking for something to do, or if you get stranded and need a place to stay, I always have two very important things---An open door and liquor.

Happy Holidays!

Until next time,

JCL IV

"Remember, if Christmas isn't found in your heart, you won't find it under a tree."

Vikings, Vows, and Veterans...

Well it has been a while since I have updated the 'ol blog so I figured now was as good of a time as any...

First off, I would like to say Happy Veterans Day. Thank you to all the veterans, past and present, who have dedicated themselves to our freedom. It is important to remember that we live in the Land of the Free because of the Brave.

The past couple of months have been crazy. I have gained a brother, lost a tan, and met some great people.

In September, my sister Jeanne got married to Kevin Krigbaum in Bemidji (home of the Beavers).. It was great to get all of our family and friends back together for a weekend we will never forget. My Dad and I hosted a party at our lake house on Thursday night and had an absolutely gorgeous night on the lake (see the picture below). On Friday night, we had a perfect evening on the lake for the Grooms Dinner, and the weather on Saturday for the wedding was even better. It was amazing how the we got a taste of some good weather FINALLY in September. Like I have been saying, Fall is the new Summer....

On a different note, how 'bout them Vikings?!?!?!? As hard as the 1998 season has been to get over, I think that Brett Favre has helped the healing process. As a season ticket holder for the games, I can honestly say that the Metrodome has been electric this season... It is great to see grown men crying in the streets of Green Bay, and to watch all of the Viking fan pesimists to finally start putting a foot in their mouth.

So what is new with me? I am still living the dream in Minneapolis. I recently started the P90x workout program in order to take my mind off of the winter months... Today is day 11 of the 90 day program. Each morning that I wake up, it feels like someone beat me with a stick in my sleep, but I am hoping that the soreness starts to fade away as the workout goes on.... and don't worry, I am not putting up before and after pictures. Since the 90 days will be up in Febuary, I have set aside a few travel days. The destination has been narrowed down to France, Mexico, or San Fran.. I will update you when I get things planned..

Other than that, I have been doing some travelling to see some old friends on the weekends and have met some new friends along the way..

I found a quote a while back that makes a lot of sense to me everytime that I run into buddies I haven't seen in a while:

"The truth is, you have your oldest friends in life, and then you have everyone else. Nothing will trump your oldest friends. Any amount of time can pass without your feeling as if you've grown apart because, really, you can't. It's like a plant. You just have to water it every so often and you're good"

With that being said, I am looking forward to the holidays..As always, the Larson/Fox/Loomis holidays get interesting.. If you think we get crazy during weddings and public festivities, you should see us when we are behind closed doors! All joking aside, it is great to get everyone together for a few days at a time...

In closing, I hope that this finds everyone happy and healthy... Get outside and enjoy the weather while it lasts. I am hoping to even get out and play a few rounds of golf over the holidays, probably a bit optomistic but we will see. Like always, if any of you are in my area, look me up. I am never too busy for friends, old or new...

Until next time,

JCL IV

"I never think of the future - it comes soon enough."

Clubhouses, Cabins, Cubicles

Well, another fabulous summer has almost come and gone... I haven't had time to eat or sleep, let along update my blog. Hopefully the cold weather hasn't kept everyone indoors. I just keep telling myself that a cold summer=warm winter. But who knows.

As most of you know, I have spent the majority of my summer tearing up weekend golf tournaments and travelling around to visit friends and family. Over the past 3-4 months, I have found myself at about every small town in Southern Minnesota playing shortstop golf tournaments. My friends have named me "The Shortstop King". The fun thing about these tournaments is that when it is all said and done with, the amount of time spent belly-up to the bar, singing karaokee, and gambling is waaaaay greater than the amount of time spent on the golf course.


For any golfers, I encourage you to get involved with a few of these tournaments. The host-courses are unvelievably receptive for new players and the members at the courses love to see new faces. Let me know if you want any information or a schedule. Seriously.

Lets be serious though, it is no longer golf season so that means one thing.... SKOL VIKINGS.

This past spring, I was smart enough to order three #4 Brett Favre jerseys. One for myself, one for my Dad, and one for my Grandma (biggest Favre fan I have seen). She even wore it to get the mail the day that he signed a few weeks ago. Nonetheless, it has been a great year to be a Vikings fan. I have already booked my flight for the Superbowl.

BUT Probably the biggest thing going on right now, is the excitement that surrounds my sister Jeanno's wedding September 26th in Bemidji. It is always a blast to get all of the Larson/Loomis/Fox clan together to tear up the dancefloor and lose some of our dignity. I look forward to updating my blog with photos and stories from that weekend, it should be a dandy.

I hope that everyone is enjoying the last few days of summer. I am excited for the next few months, they should be an adventure. If any of you are in the Twin Cities, let me know. I always have room for friends, family, and the occasional stranger.

Until next time,

JCL IV

"Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally. "


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