1st MTB Ride of 2010

It wasn't spectacular. It wasn't epic. It hurt (my ass...my lungs).

But it was fantastic!

I was with my good friend and co-worker, Phil. I had a grin on my face because it is 63 degrees out and it is supposed to snow tomorrow. It was warm and the trails were dry. The trails were easy and that allowed my thoughts to wander.

They wandered to the past season of hockey. I was thinking that I wouldn't think of Anthony as much (I think of him every time I step on the ice...more on that in a later post). Yet I realized he would always be there riding along. I see him in the shadows of riders. I see him in the pictures of the scenery, the plants and the animals that are framed in my mind. I'll continue to hear his subtle sense of humor.

I'll continue to miss my friend but at the same time, I'll continue to celebrate life.

Something Special

I got to see something special tonight. I was honored to be selected to work playoffs for the AHA this year and worked the home series for Air Force against Army. The Black and Blue rivalry is strong, storied and may be one of the best in all of college hockey.

Tonight's game was tight, tough and hard hitting. And it was close right up to the very end. But despite Air Force coming out ahead, I only saw winners on the ice when the final horn went off. Despite the agony of defeat, I saw future comrades embracing, congratulating and consoling each other in the handshake line. I saw some of our best and brightest pass before me.

And at the end, when the home team typically salutes their fans at center ice, both teams stood around the circle. Both teams saluted the fans. Finally, both teams took their respective blue lines and stood stock still while both alma maters were played.

And that was the final piece that got me. Despite the rivalry, despite the athletic aggression that took place on the ice, they will soon be looking after each other. All of them will serve our country in the coming years. These young men truly will go to war together and will support each other regardless of the history that was made on the ice.

I was honored just to get to see both games and more honored to get to share the ice with these outstanding young men.

Welcome

My cousin and his wife have brought Mary Ida Ferreiro into this world on 3/10/2010. We welcome you and can't wait to meet you!

Driving toward home...

It's incredible what manages to drift through your mind when you are thinking clearly.

What a good night. I finished up my work week with Game 1 of a three game series for NCAA hockey playoffs tonight. After working a good game, hanging with friends for food and drinks post game, I climbed into my comfy (heated) seat and pointed the car north toward home.

And I turned the music on.

Tonight was just below freezing. Enough to warrant turning on a little heat and then cracking a window to get enough fresh air to stay sharp at 80 mph. To cap it off, I cranked the music and just let the iPod shuffle.

Somewhere during the drive, I began to hear music from my past. Old favorites. Songs that took me back to college. To times when there were few responsibilities. Few cares besides getting my home work done. No real bills to speak of. Music took me back to memories of life in the dorms, life in my Middlebury apartment. Riding my bike, playing hockey and constantly hanging out with my friends. To times when there were no cares in my world.

Somewhere in that mix of old music was a newer song. An artist Hope and I have recently discovered.

"Cause this life is a beautiful one
And though I've seen it comin' undone
I know most definitely
It's gonna be you and it's gonna be me"

And with this song and a return to my present place in life, I found myself grinning in the dashboard lights. A smile for this wonderful wife I am blessed with. Joy for this beautiful daughter who is writing an incredible new chapter for me to read each day. An appreciation for all the responsibilities that I now carry no matter how heavy.

I wouldn't trade any of it to go back. As much as those memories are fun, my current life trumps them all. I carry those burdens of work, bills and late night drives happily because they all melt away every time Hope welcomes me home with a kiss and every time Emiko looks at me and says Dada.

I love this life.