A National Holiday recognized for Augusta, GA...Masters Week

Hi All! Sorry I have been so terrible at blogging...my only excuse is, it's new for me! Anyway, I felt compelled to write a little note on Masters Week as it is THE most popular and ONLY event Augusta, GA is known for and we're right in the middle of it now! As February rolls around each year, we Augustans already begin to see the changes and improvements being made around the city to prepare for dah, dah, dah...MASTERS WEEK! It's as if Augusta goes on this world wind cleaning spree to beautify this southern city for all who travel here once a year for the Masters golf tournament. I must admit that even I am guilty of this. Example - one week before Masters, my husband and I decide we need to re-carpet our entire house, pull all the weeds in the yard, get new flowers planted, etc. etc. It's weird, because we live with the nasty carpet and overgrown bushes all year, but as Masters week approaches, we feel completely compelled to clean things up and beautify our house along with the city! After the business and chaos of preparing for Masters week is complete, a whole new set of stress falls on the city as thousands (I'm guessing) travel in to rent homes in order to view/be a part of this most popular sporting event. The city literally goes into national holiday/vacation mode...schools are on break, businesses shut down, and MOST people actually leave town. For those of us who are not fortunate enough to be on a true vacation - life is interesting here among all of the golf fans. Our small airport is filled with private jets, large passenger vans are seen everywhere holding middle aged men wearing their fanciest golf attire, travel time to work doubles and Club Car golf carts are on display on every corner! A whole new vibe is felt by everyone - as if Augusta is kind of a cool place to be! :) Now, I am not one to be considered a big golf fan, or having true love for the game. In fact, I think the only two popular golfers I can name are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson (?sp). But I must say that walking into Augusta National will take your breath away! It's like walking into a different world where everything is beautiful. All the leaves and grass are bright green and trimmed perfectly, flowers are bloomed and rich in color. There isn't one flaw on the entire course. And even me, not a golf fan, suddenly becomes infatuated with following the golfers, watching the game, wanting an autograph and to catch even a glimpse of the most popular golfers. I even get the desire to buy masters paraphenalia - no matter the price. It's intoxicating really! In only 5 short days, however, the excitement and intrigue of Masters Week will be over and life will resume to normal for another 10 months until preparations begin once again. It's quite the experience and truly a special event for this small southern city. I encourage anyone who reads this blog to strongly consider coming out atleast once in your lifetime to take in the experience of Masters Week!