Monday Morning

It's a big weekend in Denver. The Broncos are playing in the Super Bowl. This town is Orange and Blue. There are flags flying. Buildings lit up. Everyone has their Broncos colors on. It's awesome.

Elway's restaurant is closing Sunday at 3 so the staff can enjoy the game. My club is closing at 3 also. Everything in town - I'm talking sports bars, restaurants, shops are closing at 3pm on Sunday.

Super Bowl weekend!!! The biggest bar night of the year. Denver is closed.

We are all a little nervous. The last time we went to the Super Bowl we completely embarrassed ourselves.

Not this time though.

We all know this is it. We are going to get our fairy tale ending.

Peyton Manning is going to retire after this game.

Our stadium is named "Sports Authority Field" - we all call it Mile High Stadium. We used to be a "stadium" now we are a "field. We've grown up. We are a real city now.

Sports Authority is filing for bankruptcy on Monday.

Pat Bowlen - the owner of the Broncos. They told us last year he has Alzheimer's. His estate owns the team. There are changes ahead.

This is it.

This is our glory ride. Our lifetime movie.

Win or Lose on Sunday, Monday is a whole new world. The beginning of a new era.

We've got this.

We'd already be done

Start. Right now. Whatever it is.

Today.

Start:

• writing
• walking
• your homework
• grad school
• losing weight
• traveling
• finding yourself
• believing in yourself
• getting rid of bad habits.

Start. Right Now!

This puppy does NOT like to have his nails trimmed. Every single time I try, I tell him the same thing:

If you would quit fighting me, we'd already be done

I remember my mom telling me this.

I remember telling the kids this on a regular basis.

If you would just quit arguing about NOT wanting to do something - you would already be done. It's taken you longer to argue with me.

What happens if you don't start right this very second?

In six months, you will still be ________________ the opposite of everything on your list. If you DON"T go to grad school at 60, in 5 years, you will STILL BE 65. Only you won't have accomplished what you wanted to accomplish.

But, if you start right now. Right this very second?

We'd already be done.

They Should Have Sent Me Two

Our puppy is growing by leaps and bounds.

He is a bit over 5 months old. Getting bigger every day. He knows all his "commands" that he is supposed to know for all puppies up to 6 months old.

Of course, like any "child" there are things he doesn't like.

He doesn't like to have his nails trimmed. (He's going to have to go get a mani/pedi soon - we are going to leave this to the professionals. After all, I do, why shouldn't he?) Really, I think we are the ones with the problem. We are so scared of cutting them to short (down to the "quick"). I did cut one too short once. He didn't like it, but it wasn't too bad. It just bled.......

He is a barker. He barks when he has to go out. He barks when he wants attention. If you tell him, "Quiet" when he barks. He barks back. He thinks it is a game. He will "speak" on command. He just won't "be Quiet" on command. We are working on that.

Yesterday we had a snow day. A foot of snow. He LOVES the snow. I like to think he thinks it's the water. He romps and jumps. Runs laps. He even throws his own toy for himself to fetch.

He just would not tire. He kept wanting to play.

There are several days when he is stuck with me. Just being boring. Not going on outings. Not leaving the house.

These are the days he hates the most. It took me a long time to get use to days of not leaving the house. Even though I work at home, I make sure I get out everyday. A walk. The club to workout. The 7-11. SOMEPLACE other than my house.

Even yesterday, on our snow day, I had to go for a walk. I get it, I get a little  LOT stir crazy.

As he was barking at me to play with him. My first thought, "They Should Have Sent Me Two".

If I had two of them, they could play together. THEY wouldn't drive me as nuts. HE wouldn't want all my attention all the time.

My children are only 17 months apart. My sister has twins. Children & puppies should come as a pair. They can entertain themselves!

When I told a friend of mine this statement, she said, "Did you want another so you keep one?"

"No, oh no, my dear." It was all about trying to make my life "easier".

She smiled at me and said, "You better be careful for what you wish."

Then the moment passed....

Mind the Gap

When you ride "The Underground" (subway) in London, one of the recordings tells you "Mind the Gap". Meaning, watch your step as you board the train. There is a bit of a "gap" between the station and the train.

Or I guess, vice versa, a "gap" between the train and station.

Duncan is thinking of taking a "Gap" year next year. In today's American terminology, taking a year from studies/school between high school and college.

He wants to play Junior hockey one more year to see if he can get picked up by a big school or a semi/pro hockey team.

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Although, most people I know didn't know what they wanted to do when they were 18. Why should Duncan?

And really, it doesn't really matter what I feel about this. Don't get me wrong. I can have my feelings. I can express my feelings, but it is his life.

It's at this point of parenthood, I go from being a "manager" to a consultant. He has to start making choices that HE thinks are best for HIS life.

But with freedom, also comes responsibility. There are rents, hockey, insurance, gasoline, food, etc. These come with decisions.

It sounds exciting to me for him. Not the choices I would make for him, but that's not up to me. It's up to him.

My only words of advice to him?  "Mind the Gap"

At the Copa

At the Copa. Copacabana. Music and passion was all they were after at the Copa...... They fell in love.

I remember these lines SO well from my childhood. A Barry Manilow song. (BTW, who the hell is Barry Manilow?)

The boys and I are going to Rio in August. We are going to the Olympics.

I'm not quite sure how we are going to pay for this. I'm not quite sure how we are going to do and see the things I want to do.

Although, I know it's all going to work out okay.

I have our airfare booked. I'm working on our house swap.

We want to stay in Copacabana.

I looked up the song I thought I knew for the last 40 years. The words to the verse. The melody. 

For the most part. I was right. 

Only, I didn't remember the line "they lost their love". I remember, 

At the Copa. Copacabana. They fell in love

We are going to Copa.

We are staying at the beach.

I'm planning on falling in love.....

With a country, a person, or my life.... After all, we are at the Copa.....

 

You Should Go Too

No, we didn't find the girl we sent off to the Broncos game.

Although I could. I am a headhunter - I know enough information about her. I could track her down. We decided that might be a little "stalkerish". As much as I would love to know the ending of that story - we know our ending. Maybe one day, we will know hers.

What I did decide though?

I'm not good at "repeating". I said this year was going to be repeat of things. And it is. Several things I've done before, I going to do again. But, it won't be the same. I'm different now. The places are different too.

Yes. There will still be lots of planes. Trains. Automobiles. Bikes. Olympic Stadiums. Running Shoes. Sleepless nights. Hellos and Good-byes. Old things and new.

But the theme?

You Should Go

This year is a fleeting moment. My sons have gained their wings and will be flying on to the next stage of their lives.  (And should go on). Our puppy is learning to grow his wings. When we wrap up the year, his wings should be pretty well developed.

SO. This YEAR? We are going to go. I am going to go. They are going to go. We aren't going to "get ready to go". We are just going.

You should go too.......

You Should Go

As much as I watch hockey - and go to plenty of hockey games. I do, truly, love football. Now I don't love all football games or all football teams, but I do live in a town where football is a passion.

Not to mention, I did spend my childhood in Dallas, TX. I did attend and graduate from Texas A&M. Both communities where football is a passion.

Last year, in national sports news, it was mentioned that the Denver Broncos had replaced the Dallas Cowboys as "America's team". Truly, it has been incredible living here during the "Elway/Manning era." And we can't forget, this was also part of the "Tebow era".

Hall of Fame records.
Embarrassing SuperBowl loss (as in, let's pretend this didn't happen).
Remarkable moments - both on the field, in the stands, in Denver with the players or with the fans.

It's been a fairy tale for us football lovers.

On Sunday, I'm at the Cricket with my pilot friend. The Cricket is the last "hold out" in Cherry Creek. Cherry Creek is the high end "shopping district" in Denver. Hermes, Nordstrom, Vutton - just to name a few stores. High end restaurants and million dollar condos.

Then there is the Cricket. A burger dive bar. Their tag line is now "The Black Sheep of Cherry Creek.". When restaurants still allowed smoking, I swear this bar piped the smoke in. It still smells of stale beer and cigarette smoke.

We are sitting at the bar, watching the other NFL play-off game. There is a girl sitting on the other side of the pilot. Mid twenties. Having a beer and had just finished lunch. She was alone.

She tells us a bit about herself. She was in Denver for the weekend. She was supposed to be going to dinner with some guy later tonight, but he was up skiing. She never really told us why she was here for the weekend. Or as I wondered, why she wasn't up with him skiing. Or just in the mountains.

She then told us she was thinking of going to the game. She had looked online and she could get a ticket for $100. We talked about the weather. We told her it was a nice day, and she was dressed fine.

We then told her - you should really go to the game.

She says, "Maybe if I have a couple more beers, I'll get the courage to go."

I say, "Have you ever been to a playoff game? Have you ever been to a Broncos game?"

The answer to both those questions was no.

She had her phone out - we were looking at the seating chart. The pilot says, "As long as you are on the East side of the stadium, you will be fine. It's facing West. You will be in the sun."

We all chat a bit longer.

I finally say, "You need to go and go to this game.The pre-game is fantastic. The para-jumpers. The American Flag, The military flyover." "For no other reason than to say "I went". Plus, it will probably be one of Peyton Manning's last few games." The end of an era.

She paid her bill.

The pilot ordered her an Uber. We sent her on her way to the game.

Our only regret? We wish we had gotten her number - so she could tell us if she enjoyed the game.

That's okay, maybe one day, I'll hear the story again from someone who "met this girl at a Bronco game because the couple at the bar told her she should go."