Hockey and God - You can't affect "Free Will", Mr. Kirby.

It's unfortunate that I've looked to the film Bruce Almighty for my theological lessons in life. Raised in a family that prayed before meals and bedtime let me know that God was in my life at an introductory level. I only went to church when invited by friends and that kind of sporadic attendance didn't foster a deep understanding of the Bible's stories. 

Since the Marine Corps baptized me as a "Boot Camp Christian", I've tried to take responsibility for my own salvation. Marrying Michele in a Baptist church gave me a good religious jump start late in life. And now that I am a father of 3, we continue to pray before meals and bedtime, only now I see a bigger picture.

Bruce Almighty and Wikipedia taught me that an Omnipotent Divinity does not assert its power over individual FREE WILL. Life is made of choices that we must make on our own. Jim Carrey could not make Jennifer Aniston love him even with the powers bestowed on him by God or Morgan Freeman. "Bruce" learned that you can't make people love you without affecting Free Will. Like Bruce, I am in love with a beautiful woman - Michele will always be my leading lady. Consequently, like Bruce, I cannot affect the Free Will of my significant other. Except in my case the Love that I speak of is a Love for HOCKEY. 

Michele doesn't Love Hockey. (She accepts State Tourney time and the run for the Stanley Cup as our time apart.)

Tyler doesn't Love Hockey. (He tolerates it to placate my ego. He skates like I sew - just enough to get by for a while.)

Emma doesn't Love Hockey. (She loves coloring. Singing. Dancing. - the things 4 year old girls should Love.)

But LOGAN! Logan shows flashes of interest that might take it to the next level. His vocabulary grows daily like an unchecked yard full of dandelions in the Spring. Every day it seems like Bear has come up with something new but "Pay Hockey wit Me?" has been a staple of Logan's requests for a while now. Last Saturday morning when I told him that he was going to the Hockey Game with dad, he shepherded me to the basement with something to show me. As I followed the Knee-High ball of enthusiasm into the "man closet", I realized that he wanted me to get his skates off the shelf for him. He didn't just want to go to the game. He wanted IN the game.

Michele had a volleyball tournament. Tyler was off to a baseball tryout. Emma would have a "playday" at a friend's house. But Logan and Daddy were heading to the Excel for Warroad's run at another State Championship. 

Taking both of my sons to state tourney hockey games on consecutive days felt like I had died and gone to heaven. My eldest, Tyler endured the Friday night AA games enough to enjoy some cheese curds and witness the Cinderella story of the tourney, Moorhead Spuds, win another game. That night will be forever etched into my hockey archives as the night Tyler coined the phrase, "Ouch, that's one Mashed Potato!" after a crushing hit on a high school Spud. I laughed a proud laugh for quite a while on that one.

The next morning my two year old partner was in awe of everything new. Ironically, everything was new to him. Bear saw buildings taller than he had ever seen before. He latched on to my leg as we rode the parking ramp elevator with the view of heavy traffic. Logan had to learn that everything on display at the Hockey Expo wasn't free. And to his surprise, he learned that Charlie Brown's gang played hockey on the east side of St. Paul.

There was a slew of friends and relatives for us to sit with at the game. Uncle Tim's gal pal, Janelle, had been following this Warroad team for the last 15 or so years being as her son, Dane, is a top-line Senior winger.  Al, Barb, Loren, Amber and even Ryan Stutzman rounded out our modest Dane "fan club". It didn't take Logan long to realize that his shy routine was being wasted on folks that knew better. 

Logan's eyes were as big as silver dollars, taking it all in: the lights, the scoreboard, the banners, the Zamboni, the crowd, the band and the theater style chairs that easily swallow 30 pound little guys. At home we play "knee hockey" to no end. 

He's been to the rink to shoot pucks and will pass back and forth with me for hours in the garage. He'll sit and watch lengths of NHL hockey that could not be common for most toddlers. 

But I'm sure nothing could compare to his first live action game being the State Tourney Championship game with Dad's alma matter, Warroad taking on the private school, Breck Mustangs. The "bad guys" jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as Logan ravaged the diaper bag for any and all snacks. The real time hockey players could not compete for the attention of my boy with SpongeBob fruit snacks and boxes of apple juice so readily available. However, the beast woke up when Warroad retaliated with 2 goals 14 seconds apart in the first period. As our cheering section came to life, Logan quickly realized he too played an important role in rooting on his team. End of 1st Period = Warroad 2 - Breck 2.

Intermissions gave us breaks to roam the causeways of the Excel. Logan enjoyed tossing a new puck around in the open spaces and when it got crowded, he happily perched on my shoulders. As the game wore on, The Warriors had issues with the Penalty Box and whether it was their own fault or the fault of the "zebras" is up for debate. It didn't help that the Breck goalie was "standing on his head" as our boys clearly outshot the bad guys. Warroad is known for it's tough, defensive style of hockey and when they were physical, they controlled the game. However, Breck's speed was tough to match and they lead at the end of the second 4-2. (Seeing Janelle's expression tells it all.)

The third period brought  much of the same for the Black and Gold. We couldn't mount much of an attack with skaters "feeling the shame" of the box. Breck continued to buzz and rightfully so as they controlled the final period of play in the biggest game of their young lives. Warroad pulled their goalie with a lot of time left on the clock and Dane shelved the puck shortly thereafter giving them a chance as time ticked away. Breck answered with 2 empty net goals to take home the coveted hardware. 

Initial shock set in for us as we watched the "Cake-eaters" celebrate what we all wanted so much - but the 20th trip to State is nothing to scoff at. This would be Warroad's 6th Second Place finish. Pair that with 4 Championships and even last year, Dane scoring the OT winner for 3rd and I'd say us lifetime Warriors have a lot to be proud of. 

The littlest fan of our group stood in awe of the spectacle of hockey that engulfed his tiny heart. He stoically took in the Award Ceremony without so much as a peep. It was as if he could feel the emotions of the players on the ice that he was rooting for so hard. I spent more time watching my son's reactions to the out-pouring of emotions on the ice then I did actually watching them myself. I was in awe of the 3 foot hockey fan in front of me. He had become that fan without me affecting his Free Will. Hockey has been something that I've shared with all of my kids. But right there in section 117, Logan showed that for now - He Loves Hockey!

Amen Morgan Freeman. Amen.

Thank you Logan.

Thank you God.

Hockeytown USA

Warroad is IN.

Puck drops for the Championship game at 12 Noon - tomorrow.

20 appearances in the Tourney - 4 State Titles.... and another on the line.

Still waiting to see who they play.

Would love a shot at "Undefeated" Little Falls.....

Children 2 and Under are free.

out

Kirby

Tyler and I will be there to watch the Big Schools (AA) tonight. Eden Prairie vs. Blaine @ 6 bells & Moorhead vs. Cretin Derham Hall for the night cap.

Random Photos.

Well, being that winter has shown up once again, I decided to just post some of my favorite photos to brighten up the day. In no particular order........

Tyler and Logan at Lake Elmo Campground.

Tyler wishing he was old enough to drive, I guess this will have to do for now.

Emma and Logan taking a spin.....

Emma and Logan covering their big brother in sand.

Logan the long haired country boy enjoying Daddy's birthday cake.

Happy 4th of July!

Logan enjoying a juice box on the shores of Lake of the Woods.

Emma when she was 2!

Emma and Tyler at Grandma Sharon's house celebrating their birthdays.

Tyler and the Junior High Band Concert at UMD.

Tyler was chosen to participate in a Junior High band concert that was being held up at UMD yesterday. Kids from all over the state were hand selected to play and Tyler was one out of 17 (I think) from Monticello to bring his baritone up to Duluth for the day.

After some expert parallel parking (for those of you who have never been on a college campus, parking is the hardest thing to find. The line to get into the public parking lot was a mile long AND I couldn't wrangle up the $2.00 to get in. I know poor planning on my part. So, I was driving around and was finally lucky enough to find a spot, for free, and had to revert back to my knowledge of parallel parking and driver's education training. I was quite proud of myself cause the spot was tight!)

The auditorium was packed! There were over 300 kids there as well as many, many parents but I was lucky enough to find a seat right in the back. I sat down and quickly figured out that Tyler was in the first band playing but I couldn't find him on stage to save my life. I looked and looked and then finally realized that he must be tucked behind the curtain on the right hand side of the stage.

So, you won't 'see' Tyler playing but you can 'hear' him in the video clips. It was quite impressive to say the least and fun to observe. The first song they played was called: A+. Now when you listen to it, you might hear some odd sounds like the kids didn't know what they were doing but the song was created so that the kids could make mistakes on purpose.

I don't remember the name of song 2 was but he's another clip for you.

After they were done playing their 4 songs, my guess at where Tyler was on stage was correct. He was hiding behind the curtain and the right hand side of the stage. Oddly enough, the kids in his area were from Braham and Pine City and his band instructor was from North Branch (all towns in our area.) :)

I was able to catch him outside before I left. His cheeks were flushed and he looked exhausted (he had to be at the school by 5:15am) but he told me it was a fun day.

Three cheers for Tyler! Good job bud!

Monkey Business

One of the cutest things to do with Logan lately is to read a book with him at bedtime. He insists on it. The Alphabet book ranks right up there but "5 little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" has to be his favorite. Coincidentally, it has been "I love to Read" month at school with a theme of "Going Bananas over Books."

Well, long story short.... our school met the goal for Total Reading Minutes accumulated throughout the month. (Goal was 110,000 - the kids read 192,813 minutes for February). An upon reaching that goal, we had an assembly with a "Special Guest" in a Gorilla suit. No that's not the Phoenix Suns mascot entertaining the crowd and "hosting" Monkey Relay Races. Tyler said the Hockey Jersey and the wedding ring were dead give aways. Emma and Logan laughed hysterically when they saw the pictures and said the shoes were a dead give away.

I was asked by my Principal to help out and actually enjoyed seeing the looks on the kids faces as I milled about for the 45 minute assembly. Some students were in awe, of course some were over excited and we even had a few crying until I softened up my approach and pointed and waved to them. I may have even blown a few kisses. The gag went on for quite a while and at the end of the day when I pulled off the mask to reveal, you can only imagine how drenched in sweat I was.

My own homeroom was the Secondary Grade Champions with over 28,600 minutes read, securing us a Banana Split party next Monday. I couldn't be a more proud Gorilla.

Brainerd Lakes Muskie Banquet

Being as Tyler had his last Basketball Tourney of the season, he was unable to make the trip to our Annual Muskie Banquet last Saturday in Brainerd. I had already purchased a youth ticket (Only 40 sold), so Emma got the call and I had a hot date secured with one of my favorite blondies. I "sold it" to Minnow as an extravagant party at a fabulous resort, including a fancy meal with music and games. She sure was excited and picked out a nice black, white and purple dress. (She's close to the big guy in the Gander shirt up on stage).

Well, Sista Emma was our good luck charm this year for sure. We started the evening off hearing the MC announce that I had been drawn for a Free Poppa John's Pizza. As Emma and I made our way through some of the games, luck followed. Emma dropped 2 out of 3 raquet balls into the Grand Prize slot in the "Lunge-O" game (like Price Is Right PLINKO). Emma was in the right place at the right time for some free youth game tickets. She told a "Fishing Story about LOTW northerns" to the MC and Special Guest, Mike Keys, and recieved an In-Fisherman Kids DVD in return. When the attending youth were called to the stage, Emma returned with a beautiful, top of the line, Dave Genz Ice fishing Rod and Reel Combo. I think she's most excited about the picture of the Walleye on the rod. She touched every one of my General Raffle tickets and as the evening wore on, we were rewarded.

Brent's number was called twice, winning a Muskie Box and numerous baits along with a great Rain Suit. ($350+ in prizes). Our friend Aaron heard his numbers ring 3 times, pulling in another tackle box, a Rod and Reel Combo and a "special" Guide trip. The night grew long as raffles prizes were dished out and little Emma couldn't take it much past 9:00p.m. She snuggled in on my lap and fell asleep with her arms around my neck and her head on my chest while the banquet hall rang with Ticket Numbers being called into the crowd. As we followed along on the prize list, my chances grew slimmer. But wouldn't you know it, the 100th and last prize of the General Raffle and I had the golden ticket.

I won a Lowrance GPS/Depth Finder and as I do not own a boat, I quickly announced, "I'll put it on my Bike!" I quietly exchanged high fives with the fellas at the table so not to wake Emma. However, there were 4 Grand Prizes yet to be given away and wouldn't you know it, Butch's name was called as the winner of the #3 Grand Prize - an Ice Fishing Package..... problem is, like me not having a boat, Butch doesn't Ice Fish! These are good problems to have! Butch and I traded (even up) with him being in the market for electronics for the front of his boat and me loving the thought of fishing in comfort in a new Frabill Magnum GT 2 man ice house, including 2 Ice Rod combos and a propane heater!

Fisherman, especially Muskie fishermen can be SUPERSTITIOUS. Do you think our Good Luck Charm will go with us next year?

Weekend with Logan...

This weekend Kirby took Emma to the "musky banquet" up in Brainerd which left me home alone with Logan (Tyler had his last basketball tournament this weekend.)

Have you ever just hung out with a 2 year old?

Logan is quite the character these days and is turning out to be very smart and funny (just like his Mom.)

We didn't do much, just hung out at home and took one small trip to Wal mart of course.

Mr. Logan is becoming Mr. Independent as he said to me many times during the weekend, "I doo it Mommy."

I guess I need to let him get dressed, undressed, open the fridge door, close the fridge door, open the pantry door, close the pantry door, let Gunner in, let Gunner out, put his boots on, take his boots off........well, you get the picture. He wants to do everything by himself.

I hope when I'm older and he's grown up that I can remember how he looked and how he said certain words. That I can remember him squealing as I chased him around the house or how concerned he looked when I stubbed my toe. I hope that he remembers ALL the books we read and doesn't remember that I skipped a few pages every once in awhile because he wore me out.

It was a good weekend for all. I will let Kirby blog about his excitement with Emma at the musky banquet...... Hold on to your hats! He finally came home a winner...I guess maybe Emma was his good luck charm.