I left the house at 5am on Friday morning to drive down to Lake Norman. I arrived at the house we were renting at about 3 in the afternoon. I made pretty good time and it was a great day for driving; it was sunny and warm and almost no traffic. The house looked like it should have been featured in one of the Austin Powers movies; it was straight out of the 70's. It had plenty of room though and would do the job. Suggs, Moorehead and I went to Wal-mart to do the grocery shopping that night. We cook every night so we don't have to spend allot on take out or expensive restaurants. I met Gabe at the house where he was staying at 5am. Everyone was excited about the thought of catching fish. This year has been terrible as far as numbers of fish being caught. We got to the lake before it was light out, so Gabe decided we should just put down the trolling motor and go. My 3rd cast I had a giant on my hollow belly swim bait. It got off, but this was a good sign, I was excited. We caught about 30 fish in the next few hours; lots of small fish, but a few good keepers in between. Unfortunately the day took a turn for the worse. About 11am I got a call from my cousin who was hysterical crying. My Grandfather had collapsed in the kitchen and was unresponsive. The ambulance had come and they were on the way to the hospital. My wife and kids got to the hospital as soon as they could, but he had already passed. My parents got divorced when I was 2 and I lived with my Grandparents for most of my life; my Grandfather was like a father to me. I learned to fish in the Reservoir in their back yard. I know my Grandfather would have wanted me to stay and make some money, but I knew I had to go home and be with my family. Gabe dropped me off at the dock and I headed back to the house to pack up. I left the house around 3pm and rolled into my driveway about 12:30 in the morning. This will be the first tournament I've missed since I started. I didn't think things could get any worse, but somehow they have. At least I'm home spending time with family; that's the most important thing. I do wish I could have said goodbye though.