Day 92

Today I feel like telling one of the all time classic stories about my father. There are so many to choose from, but one sticks out in particular to me today. I was thinking about it this morning. The guy was just so amazing. Dad was a big hockey fan. Every year as kids, the Wednesday night before thanksgiving, The Pittsburgh Penguins would have a home game and Dad would get tickets. So Wednesday late afternoon the three of us would head in the car and make the two hour trek to the 'burgh. On the way, dad always kept us occupied by giving us a gift out of what he referred to as "The Goodie Bag." The Goodie Bag always contained something that would be fun, like a sticker book with matching sports stickers, or a sports trivia book, or a something like Mad libs. Also there would e a candy bar to go along with it. It was usually one gift per hour. This always made what at the time seemed to be a long car ride go by a lot quicker.

We would arrive in Pittsburgh and check into our hotel rooms, head somewhere downtown for a quick dinner before walking over to "The Igloo" for a hockey game. Dad was always the kind of guy who wanted to capitalize on these times with his kids. We may leave Pittsburgh with a new Penguins hockey jersey (I once got an authentic Paul Coffey jersey, MD had the unforgettable Penguins great Zarley Zalapski), or a sweatshirt or a "puckhead" hat. Since we had no NHL team in Cleveland, this was our only opportunity for us to see a game live and we always had a blast. The next morning was thanksgiving day. We would order up room service for breakfast and head back to ctown for Football, family, and turkey. I used to LOVE that short trip and look forward to it every year. It was just dad and his boys. I knew then how lucky I was to have a dad who truly enjoyed spending this kind of quality time with his sons, but I don't know if I ever fully appreciated it as much as I do now. There was nothing he wouldn't do for his family and friends. I cannot imagine a better father out there to his kids. I know there are people who may think that about their dad, but I truly believe in what I just wrote. I miss him everyday.
Just another stroll down memory lane......

Song of the Day: "Code of the Streets" by Gangstarr