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Busy Day

It was a busy first day in Boston. This morning absolutely kicked my ass since we got just over three hours of sleep. Our day started with an early morning drive to the rink in Attleboro. We stayed near the airport last night, which is an hour’s drive from Attleboro. However, I knew I wouldn’t want to drive an hour after landing at midnight.

Do you know who wasn’t tired this morning? The mayor. I don’t know how he did it, but he had an awesome game. He got a decent amount of ice time in the first period. Since we got in late last night, he missed the team’s practice. Nevertheless, in the second period, he was playing all special teams and was on the ice a lot. He had some key plates including drawing a nice penalty. The game ended in a tie, but it was a good game for a group of boys that haven’t played a game together.

After the game, we headed back to the hotel for a brief nap. I was fried despite all 40 ounces of Dunkin Donuts that was onboard. Fortunately, I was able to sleep for about an hour. I’m not a napper at all, so I wasn’t convinced I’d fall asleep. While I slept, the Mayor showered and took a nap. We had a gourmet lunch at MacDonalds before heading to the mall to kill time.

We ended up with a fully electric rental car, which was super intimidating. I had to google a lot of the functionality to even get out of the rental lot. One thing I didn’t like at all is that the car comes to a dead stop as soon as you remove your foot from the gas. Honestly, I was terrified we’d get rear-ended because of it. It was terrifying. Fortunately for us, we met the nicest guy, Nico, at the mall chargers. He owns a Polestar and was able to walk through how to maximize charging while minimizing cost. In fact, he reconfigured the settings for me, so the car would drive like a regular car. His act of kindness has made this trip so much easier for me.

The Mayor and I killed some time at the mall. There was an absolutely amazing candy store in the mall. They had absolutely everything from everywhere. They even had a wall of ramen and drinks from everywhere. Now we had no interest in trying the pickle soda, but we did buy a can of Warhead Lemon soda along with a bottle of root beer and cherry cola. Naturally, I couldn’t in good faith pass up an opportunity to buy a Milka bar.

After the mall, we headed to Quincy where we are staying. We drove past the original Dunkin Donuts on our way to the beach. There is a nice beach not too far from our hotel. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s beautiful and peaceful. Obviously, the water is way too cold for me to consider swimming. On the way to the hotel, we stopped at the birthplace of John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Quincy has a ton of history embedded in it, which makes it a nice town.

We ended our day with a trip to the USS Constitution. Unfortunately, due to traffic and lack of parking, we got there after the museum and ship closed. Nonetheless, the wharf where it is located has a nice waterfront walking path. You can view the USS Constitution after closing, you just can’t go on it. The Mayor was happy to see the ship as well as the Bunker Hill memorial in the background. We ended our night in Boston with dinner at Pier6. I had the clam and corn chowder, while the Mayor enjoyed a lobster roll. And now it’s time for bed because our busy day and late night have left me exhausted.

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Ready to Go

We’re packed up and ready to go. This morning the Mayor went out and picked up Athena’s favorite donuts from Publix, so she’ll have plenty to munch on while we’ll we’re gone. I’m hopeful our flight will be on time today and Sunday. The airports in the northeast have been an absolute disaster this summer. We get in pretty late, which is an absolute bummer since he plays tomorrow morning at 7:00 am. Tomorrow morning is going to be an early start.

While in Boston, I’ll try to post as often as I can. Hopefully, the weather will hold out, so we can go whale watching. I saw a whale when I was in Puerto Vallarta, but it was from a great distance. I would love to see one up close. Albeit, not too close. I’m looking forward to taking time to explore the city with my Mayor. Additionally, it will just be nice to hang out with him since he’s moving out next month. Needless to say, I’m excited to see how he does at the next level of hockey. We’re ready to go, so stay tuned.

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Packing

I’ve started packing for our trip to Boston tomorrow. The Mayor and I don’t leave until tomorrow night, but I want to make sure we have everything we need. This trip I’m not faffing around. I hate getting to our destination only to realize I forgot to pack something important. Consequently, I’m hoping that going through my list and packing today will help avoid that frustration.

We fly out late tomorrow, so I’m hoping and praying the weather doesn’t mess up our travel plans. This time of year, it’s difficult to fly out of Florida due to our summer storms. The weather hasn’t been better in the northeast either grinding most of those airports to a complete halt. I’m going to bring my work laptop just in case we can’t get back Sunday. I figure if I’m prepared for the worst, we’ll get home without a problem.

This will be our first trip to the Chowder Cup, which is the big showcase tournament held in Massachusetts every year. It’s a good opportunity for players to gain exposure to junior teams as well as colleges. For me, it’s an excellent opportunity to enjoy summer in Massachusetts. Our schedule is pretty open, so we should have plenty of time to explore Boston and the surrounding area. Planning fun, random excursions is kind of my forte, so we should have a good trip.

I’m super excited for the trip, but it will be hard to leave Athena behind. Her days are numbered, so I hate to be away from her at all. While we’re gone, Goalielocks and the Hubby will take good care of her.

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Ten Things

List 10 things you know to be absolutely certain.

Todays prompt is to list ten things that I know with absolute certainty. Personally, I think ten is a mighty high number these days judging from the nonsense I see on social media. So here are my ten things:

  • My world revolves are my boys.
  • Another day above ground, no matter how rough, is better than being below ground.
  • My dogs light up my world and I don’t think I could live without one again.
  • I miss having my parents close by.
  • I miss having my grandma close by.
  • Hockey is the greatest sport in the world and the Q is wrecking it by removing fighting.
  • An adventure with loved ones is worth more than a material gift.
  • European chocolate is much better than American.
  • MTV in its current iteration absolutely sucks and should be off the air. I miss spending time watching music videos.
  • If you’re going to order a steak well done, don’t order steak.

That’s my list. What ten things would be on your list?

Brief Athena update. She’s slid back a little bit this weekend. Although she’s more stable than she was the previous weekend. Fortunately, she doesn’t seem to be in any pain and has not lost her appetite at all. These days she’s enjoying donuts, puppy ice cream (loves the cheese bacon flavor), and roast beef. Her favorite places to hang out are her new bed or the couch.

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Athena update

I thought I’d hop on this fine Friday afternoon and give an Athena update. After an incredibly rough weekend, she has rebounded. We were quite concerned that she wasn’t going to make it through the week, but she’s persevered. In fact, her gums are back to a nice pink color. She’s also back to playing with her brothers.

My baby girl

She loves her new bed and sleeps every night there now. Since I work from home, she’s with me every day. My workstation is in my room, so she hangs out in bed all day. The only exception is when she hangs out in the family room while I spin over lunch. I’m fortunate to be able to work from home and spend every day with her.

This morning and this afternoon, she was anxious to do her full walk. The last few days, she had been content to just hang around the yard. Consequently, it’s good to see her back to her normal habits. In fact, she’s back to aggressively defending our cul-de-sac from birds, squirrels, and other dogs. Unfortunately, this also means she’s back to alerting the household every time a package is delivered. I’m trying not to get too hopeful because it will hurt all the worse when she deteriorates again. If only our dogs could stay with us forever. That’s the Athena update for now.

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Dress Shopping

Last night I had the honor of going dress shopping with Melody, Jake’s fiancée, and her bridal posse. As the mother of the groom, I can’t tell you how special it was to share in that moment. It was such a fun night that brought back memories of shopping for my own dress. Including how overwhelming dress shopping can be as the bride.

This bridal salon was huge!! It was absolutely beautiful inside and the setup was incredible. The brides are not on top of each other like I’ve seen at other bridal salons. Melly has her own bridal consultant Angelica, who did an incredible job curating dresses for her to try on. She hasn’t said yes to the dress yet, but whatever dress she picks it will be a showstopper on her.

The beautiful couple

Fortunately, the night out looking at bridal gowns kept me from buying more stuff on Amazon. It was a much needed break from my male dominated life. This morning I was back to shopping Amazon like I have an empty house. Today I picked up a drying rack for my laundry, which will replace the one I have that is falling apart. I’m sure as the day goes on, I’ll find more stuff I don’t need.

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Prime Day

It’s prime day! Or should I say Black Friday in July day?!? I’ve spent my morning working, being productive of course, while scouring Amazon’s best deals. I thought I’d compile a list of my favorite deals and share them here.

  • Vital Proteins: My favorite collagen protein is on sale at $29.99, which is the lowest price I’ve seen ever seen it. It’s usually retails for $47.99
  • Mini portable phone charger: I absolutely love this small charger for my iPhone. It’s on sale for $18.99 today where as it usually sells for $34.99.
  • Dog/baby gate for the stairs: This gate is 30% off today and will replace our broken gate nicely.
  • True Religion Jeans: I love True Religion jeans, but I’m not about to pay full price. This pair is on sale today for $63.55.
  • Orthopedic doggie bed: I picked one up for Athena to use when she sleeps next to our bed.
  • All-Clad Essentials Hard Anodized non-stick 2 piece set. This set includes an 8.5 inch and 10.5 inch frying pan for $59.95. It typically retails at $99 and with All-Clad you can’t go wrong.
  • SodaStream soda maker starter kit is on sale for $89.99
  • Roomba J7. There are several Roombas on sale today. My Roomba, Lord Vader, had an unfortunate run in with dog pee. I’m hoping dried out and cleaned that it will still function. If not, I’ll be buying this model.
  • Roomba M6 mop. I have the lower model Roomba mop and it works okay. This one has a lot more functionality and capacity. It’s on sale for $299.

As I find more deals, I’ll be sharing them here. I use Amazon’s subscribe and save for a lot of things, so I’m checking prices on those items as well. If you come across any good finds, please share them in the comments. Happy shopping!

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Weekend in Minnesota

The Mayor and I had a great weekend in Minnesota courtesy of his Janesville Jets camp. Even though we ended up with bronchitis, we had such a great time seeing our family and friends. We flew up Thursday evening, so I could work Friday and the Mayor could rest up for his camp. It was a pretty smooth trip less a little delay on the ramp due to severe weather. Fortunately, we were able to take off in between storms. Nevertheless, we made it to Minnesota a little late.

Thursday night we went straight to my folks and got situated. I got set up in the guest room while the Mayor took over their basement. My folks ordered Pizza Man including the boys’ favorite, pizza buddy. Every time I have the pizza, it’s like stepping back in time to the Friday nights of my childhood. It’s probably a similar feeling for our boys since they spent their summers in Minny. At least, they did until Covid put the kibosh on it.

Friday, the Mayor and I really started to feel the effects of the pollen and smoke. We were feeling quite miserable. Unfortunately, for the Mayor, he had a lot of hockey to play that weekend. He loves playing, but it’s a bit frustrating when you can’t play your best. A bright spot in Friday’s on-ice session was that Grandpa Steve and Grandma Linda were able to join us at the rink. They had plans to be out of town but rearranged them so they could see us. It was awesome!

Saturday brought more hockey and a road- trip up to Forest Lake to see Cassie’s family and Uncle Eric. It was nice to see everyone. Neither the Mayor, nor I had seen them since 2019, which was way too long ago. We had a really nice time and some great food. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to stay as long as we would have liked due to an early ice time Sunday morning and not feeling great. Hopefully, I’m able to see them all again later this summer.

Sunday brought us back to the rink for the last on-ice session. Afterward, we picked up my Grandma and Uncle Mark and headed to my brother’s cabin. Their cabin is perfectly located not too far from their house or the cities. It’s on a beautiful lake that’s perfect for boating. Fortunately, the weather was absolutely beautiful, so we were able to sit outside and enjoy the lake views. Honestly, I was happy we got to see our family back home after a four-year absence. I’m hoping for another great weekend in Minnesota later this summer.

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Time Off

I’m back after taking some well-deserved time off. Once hockey ended, I was as utterly exhausted. Also, not only did hockey season end, but it was the end of the road for youth hockey. Consequently, we spent the spring trying to navigate the junior hockey world. When I say it’s a whole new world, I can’t emphasize how different it is from youth hockey. It’s a bit disconcerting, to be honest, as youth hockey was pretty straightforward. At any rate, we spent the spring navigating this new level of hockey.

A month after the season ended, the Mayor took a solo trip with an FPHSL (Florida Panthers Scholastic League) team to a showcase. The tournament was in St. Louis and parents were encouraged to stay home. The purpose of the showcase was twofold. Get the players exposure and an opportunity to operate independently of their parents. Admittedly, it was hard to stay home. It wasn’t hard because I was worried about him being by himself, he can handle himself. Rather it was hard because I love watching him play. Thankfully, we could at least watch the games on LiveBarn.

The Mayor took advantage of the opportunity and ended up with several invites to team camps. After looking at all the opportunities and talking through them with Coach David (South Florida Wolfpack,) we opted to do an NAHL camp in Minnesota with the Janesville Jets. Prior to leaving for that camp, the Florida Eels had invited him to come to skate. The program was an excellent fit for him, so he signed with the Eels. Even though he signed with the Eels, we felt the Janesville camp would still be a good opportunity for him.

The fact that we were able to stay with my folks was definitely a motivating factor for us to sign him up for the Janesville camp. We flew up to Minny the Thursday before the camp since it started Friday night. Fortunately, I was able to work Friday before heading to the rink. Unfortunately, the amount of pollen and smoke from the Canadian fires absolutely destroyed our lungs. The Mayor and I were on all sorts of cold medicine and home remedies including Manuka honey and black pepper.

Unfortunately, we both ended up with allergic bronchitis, which made it super tough for him to skate. It also followed us back to Florida and took a couple of weeks to clear out. Nevertheless, the camp was a success. He sat down with the coach and owner at the end of the camp and will be staying in touch throughout the next season. This was really the ideal outcome. My hubby and I are excited to see how his game will grow with the Eels. It also gives him the opportunity to billet away from home, but also be close to home.

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Arrow is one

Our little puppy, okay not so little, Arrow is one. we celebrated yesterday with birthday ice cream for all three puppies and a special gift for Arrow. As you can imagine, all three dogs loved their ice cream treats. Anakin enjoyed his in the comfort of his crate as he gets a food aggressive towards the other dogs. That and he’ll try to take their ice cream too.

Arrow loved his little Lamp Chop stuffed toy. I, on the other hand, did not. Apparently, I missed the fact that it had a squeaker in it. Needless to say, Arrow and his toy were squeaking away all night. Anakin loves to hoard toys and not play with them. He was eying Arrow’s toy as soon as Arrow got it. Consequently, I distracted him with another toy. Nevertheless, his focus continued to return to Arrow’s toy.

While the puppies enjoyed the birthday festivities, the rest of us watched the Hurricanes take on the Devils. This was a must win for the Devils, but ultimately the Canes sent them packing with an overtime goal. The Panthers play tonight and have the chance to end the Maple Leafs season. We went to game four Wednesday and they looked terrible. Here’s hoping our Cardiac Cats show up and get er’ done.

In honor of the 30th anniversary of Weezer’s Blue Album (yesterday,) here’s Buddy Holly.