Goodbye

As everyone knows, I am obsessed with Disney, and I love Disney quotes! When I found this one from Peter Pan I fell in love with it and since that day I have tried not to say "goodbye." But if you really think about it, it's hard to not say goodbye. We are, in a way, trained to say goodbye when we are leaving someone, but if you think about it, it's kind of sad to say goodbye and I think Peter said it best, "...going away means forgetting."

I bring up this topic because I'm making my way back up to Michigan for the summer and I had to leave all the people I met down in Florida, and say goodbye. Saying goodbye is hard. Especially when you realize how much of an impact those people and that place had on you. These past four months in Florida have been amazing! I have met so many great people and played some amazing golf courses that it was really hard for me to leave.

And it was hard for me to leave this girl...

Lindsey has become one of my best friends. When I first moved down to Florida, Lindsey and I hardly knew each other. We had played amateur golf in Michigan together and had seen each other at a few college tournaments, but beyond that we didn't talk much. When we were out at Q-school we hung out and had dinner together and got each other's numbers. A couple months later she texted me and asked me if I would live with her down in Florida and do this professional golf thing together, to which I responded, yes :) Being down in Florida together has been a blast and we have really enjoyed it! Lindsey comes back to Michigan mid-May so I'll see her soon!

Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to go back home and see my family and friends in Michigan :) Right now, I'm in Toledo visiting my college teammates and it feels good to see them and hang out with them again! I'm excited to continue this crazy adventure and see what God has in store for me!

xoxo

Memorizing Scripture

Hello reader! :) Thanks for finding my blog and for stopping by!

Now I should be writing about my last golf tournament and tell you how I did, but in reality this is my blog and I didn't play great so I have some other things to talk about instead! (But in case you were wondering I finished T24th and shot 79, 78, 76 :p).

So I follow Mary-Kate Robertson on Instagram and when I found out she has a blog I signed up for email alerts because I just really like her:) Her most recent blog post was absolutely fabulous and it really helped me out too! She was talking about memorizing scripture and how difficult it can be (I'm raising my hand over here because I'm in the same boat). I love reading from my Bible and growing deeper in my faith, and I have been trying to really memorize scripture, but it's really hard! But what Mary-Kate has learned and now shared with everyone has really helped me out! Drum roll please........ She writes the first letter of every word and she actually writes it on her hand! For a visual go check out her site: www.thelittleduckwife.com

I discovered this little tip during my last tournament and wrote Deuteronomy 31:6 on my hand during the second round and whenever I had a little down time I would look down at my hand and rehearse the scripture and let me tell you, I think it really works! I'll have to write down some more scriptures and take a picture to post on my Instagram and if I remember I'll post it on here too! But I just thought I would share because I thought it was a great tip and who knows, maybe it'll help one of you out there :)

Believe

Hey guys! So this past week we played over in Lake Mary, Florida at Timacuan Golf Club. We played there earlier this year, but this time around it was a completely different course! The first time it was cold and windy, and when I say windy I mean 40 mph gusts :/ Lets just say it wasn't fun, but this week was absolutely perfect! 85-90 degrees every day with little to no wind. I was standing on the 16th tee today looking up at the sky and the trees realizing that it had been completely calm all day! Fortunately I played better this time around too. I shot 79, 76, 76 to finish T28.

Overall I would say I had a pretty good week. I am making a few swing changes right now and I wasn't completely comfortable the first day, but I managed to finish with a 79. The last two days were much better. My swing felt like it was coming together and I made a few more up and downs than the first day which helped my confidence. 

The past few months have been a bit of a challenge because I know I can play better than I have been, but I keep getting reminded that this takes time and I just have to keep believing in myself.

Sometimes it's hard to always stay positive or believe that you can do something when things are going wrong so I tend to write "Believe" on my wrist as a reminder to stay positive and always believe that I can do it. Although I may not be playing the way I want to be right now, I know that tomorrow is a new day and it only takes one round to really turn things around so for now I will continue to work hard and keep believing! 

We're a Disney Family :)

Hey ya'll! So my parents are in town this week (it's my mom's spring break) and I just got back from Orlando where I spent a couple of days with them at Disney World! Anyone who knows me and my family know how Disney obsessed we are. In my 22 years of being alive, I have probably been to Disney World at least 25 times. Crazy you say? I know, and I love it! We usually spend Christmas at Disney and almost every year I get the same questions: Don't you want to spend Christmas at home? Aren't you sick of Disney? Aren't you a little old for Disney? And I have answers for all of those questions:

1. Disney is home. I know to some people that may sound crazy, but ever since I could remember we have been spending Christmas at Disney World so it's not weird to me, and to anyone who has ever been to Disney knows what they say to you when you check into your resort, "Welcome home!" Hearing those words makes my heart happy and it really makes you feel like you're at home :)

2. You can never get sick of Disney. I never get bored of the rides or the characters or anything they do there; plus they are always adding on new and fun things like Star Wars Land, Toy Story Land, and Pandora (from Avatar). So how could you possibly get sick of it!?

3. You are NEVER to old for Disney. And that's all I have to say about that.

This quick visit was a little different because my younger sister could not come with my parents, but it was nice to have a little time with these two! I even got my Dad to go on Splash Mountain with me which never happens! :)

Being able to see my parents this week got me thinking about how lucky I am to have them. They support me in anything that I do and always make sure to tell me that I can do it! Growing up they never told me I couldn't do something, but they did tell me that if I wanted to be good at anything that I would have to work for it and earn it myself. They taught me to work hard, but to also stay kind and encourage others. I have been so blessed by the life they have helped create for me.

My advice of the day: go thank your parents and tell them you love them. They are the ones who gave you life, the ones who raised you, and the ones who are watching you grow into your own person.

I love you mom and dad! Thank you for everything:)

Feeling Vulnerable

To anyone who has just discovered my blog, welcome! For the first time since I started this blog I have put it out there and told people about it which is incredibly scary... and I didn't realize how vulnerable I would feel after doing it. I just finished my website tonight and I have posted it on all my social media accounts, and I have a link on there to this blog so people can follow along and read my thoughts, but I forgot that my blog isn't even really about my golf, I tend to write about my thoughts and feelings and my life. It scares me a lot, but I also feel like I am a completely open book now. That's something that I feel is so important for people to feel in their lives. I think many of us put up so many walls and we may feel like we're living life, but in reality there are many parts of us that are hidden and that can really affect the person you want to become.

What also scares me is the fact that I have put all my golf scores out there for all my friends and family to see, and I haven't been playing my best recently so part of me is embarrassed because I'm supposed to be a professional golfer, yet I'm still shooting high scores. But here's the thing: no one really knows what I go through on a daily basis; no one understands how much work I put in; and no one understands how much more pressure there is at the professional level. At the end of the day I have to be proud of what I'm doing and I have to love what I'm doing so although my scores aren't the greatest, my scores don't define me, and I continue to battle with that, but I'm getting better each day.

So to everyone that's new, thank you for checking out my blog! And for anyone who is still curious go check out my website :) http://www.jelsholz.com/

God is good, always

Hello! I always find it funny that I say "hello" when I start my blog posts, but in reality I'm not even sure anyone ever reads these, but none the less I believe if I put this out there maybe someone will find it useful!

So I've been going through quite a lot in my life recently: I graduated from college in May, moved back home, had to find a part-time job, and I made the decision to pursue my professional golf career. Quite a lot to take in if you ask me and it all happened so quickly! Earlier this summer I was feeling a little depressed because I wasn't 100% sure what I wanted to do with my life and although I was going to continue to play golf I didn't know if I'd be any good at it. Then God spoke to me.

I've always been a Christian and I grew up knowing who God was and that He is always good, but I never really spent time with Him and I never got to know Him, but thankfully He changed that. A couple weeks ago my college golf coach invited me to a weekend retreat in Toledo. It all happened so quickly that I didn't really have time to think about it so I said "yes." Looking back now, God knew exactly what He was doing. For three whole days I turned off my cell phone and was taken away from all sense of time, and it was the most amazing experience! It was a women's weekend and I met some amazing women who I know will be with me for the rest of my life. God was present all weekend and He knew what I had been going through and the only way to help me was to get me out of the world for three days to spend it all with Him.

It was hard coming back to reality after such an amazing weekend, but it has changed my life for the better! I still struggle every now and again, but I have learned a lot and now that Jesus Christ is truly the center of my life, I know that I'll be okay no matter what life throws my way. So to anyone reading this wondering what this is all about or to the reader  who knows God, I'll share just a few things I do in my walk with Christ:

1. Pray. I started praying every night a couple years ago, but slowly lost that habit when I felt my life changing, now I'm back and it feels amazing! The powerful of prayer is an amazing thing. So whether you're just getting started or have been a believer for a long while I encourage you to pray, and to pray about everything. If you're worried, pray; if you feel lonely, pray; if you're struggling, pray. God will hear you and He will answer you in His time.

2. Read your Bible. Throughout my life I had always wanted to read the Bible all the way through, but in reality it sat on my shelf and I never really touched it, but it has become my favorite book! If you're looking for a place to start I would recommend starting with the Gospel of John. It will make you a believer if you are not and will strengthen your faith if you are a believer! I am reading through John again and I am amazed at how many things I missed the first time around! Chapter 17 truly is a blessing from God!

3. Love each other. The Bible is filled with scriptures that say to love one another! "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." John 13:34. This can be incredibly hard to do especially to people you may not particularly like, but to be disciples of Christ is to love everyone.

So these are just a few things I do (and try to do) on a daily basis! Not sure how many people will ever see this post, but my prayer is that this may help one person. Remember always that God is good :)


Jen

Reflections

It's been many months since I last even looked at my blog and since it's a new year I thought I would get back to blogging. There's no better time like the present, right? I am in the midst of my Christmas break and still have a week of relaxing before my final semester of undergrad begins, but I've been thinking about how crazy my life is going to get during 2015 and I simply wanted to reflect before I got too ahead of myself.

I've had quite an interesting and unique college experience--one that many college students don't get to experience. I am a division 1 athlete, something that many students don't get the opportunity to call themselves. I have grown since my freshman year in many ways; I have become a tougher person, and I have learned a lot about myself. It's quite amazing to me to think back to what kind of a person I was my freshman year and the person I am today. I've grown a lot in my faith over the years and have really just started to dive deeper and figure out what exactly my faith is and so far its been an exciting journey. I've broken out of my shell quite a bit as well over the years. I'm still  quite shy and fairly quiet and I often keep to myself, but I more openly ask questions and talk more to people that normally I would not have. I have also learned how to deal with and learn from the mistakes I make. I made a couple mistakes that sometimes I wish I could go back and change and they weigh quite heavily on my shoulders from time to time, but I'm slowly learning to let go of those mistakes and learn from them.

For right now though, I'm reflecting on the past and looking forward to the future, but ultimately I'm living in the present moment. I'm loving life right now and loving the people that I am surrounded by so I'm going to enjoy my life one day at a time and whatever comes I will let it come.