Okay, maybe ONE cool thing...

I said in my last post that we didn't have anything interesting going on right now, but that wasn't entirely true.  We did have one cool thing happen.  As you may recall, during the Toronto Blue Jays' World Series run, one of the players that came to prominence was actually a Rochester guy, Ernie Clement.  After the World Series was over and our thoughts turned to the approaching Knighthawks season, of course Craig had the thought that they should have Ernie out to a Knighthawks game.  Fortunately, one of Ernie's friends was friends with a Knighthawk, so the connection was made and a date was set.  Carter was predictably thrilled because, well, it pays to know people!  Craig didn't mind having a very important number in his phone, either!

The morning of the game, Ernie came out to the shootaround to meet the players...and Carter!  Carter even got to play catch with him on the turf!

How cool is that?  He also got his picture with him...

...and got a ball signed that was supposedly a game used ball that hit Ernie at one point.  The ball says, "Should've gotten out of the way of this one!"

Pretty cool core memory for Carter!  Jacob and I at least got to be in his presence postgame as he signed things for the players in the locker room hallway, but we didn't get the introduction.  He's so unassuming, though.  He just looks like a normal guy, not a (soon-to-be) multi-millionaire Major League Baseball player.  I pictured him being bigger, I guess? 

While we were in that hallway, the Knighthawks' game production director stopped in with her son.  She and I go way back, as she was an Amerks intern when I worked there and then ended up working primarily for the Rhinos and Rattlers (although she definitely popped up among all the teams) for years.  They pulled her out of "retirement" this year.  Anyway, I looked at her and said, "Could you ever have pictured it 20+ years ago that we'd be back here again in this back hallway, but this time with our giant children?"  She agreed--we definitely could not have pictured that scenario, but life is funny like that.  Sports is particularly funny like that.  Sports have probably given me some of the most incredible and unexpected moments of my life--from fun moments as a teenage fan, to memorable moments as an employee and finding a husband, to ridiculous nights out with co-workers, overtime goals, championships, and even the Dominican trip.  I suppose Superbowl losses and playoff defeats and all of the challenges of working in sports or being a sports wife have balanced things out a bit, but I can't deny sports are powerful, emotional things.  Hence why another crushing Bills playoff loss this weekend stings like heck.  But we'll be back again cheering them on next year, no doubt.

So, now we're back to our regularly scheduled boring January with bonus subzero wind chills and random snow.  South of Buffalo is getting absolutely hammered, and periodically that band extends all the way to Rochester.  Yesterday afternoon Jacob had a game about 20 minutes south of the city, and we definitely hit some crazy bands with whiteouts and blowing snow on the roads, both on the way there and back.  Once I had to stop completely because I could see nothing but white for half a second.  The bright side of these cold days is that they're more likely to be sunny, which takes the edge off the cold a bit and helps my mood.  Now, if the wind could stop shaking the house, that would be great.  Ahh, winter in Western New York.

Speaking of winter, I had a sort of mind-blowing realization this morning that it's officially been 30 years since my high school trip to Quebec City.  We went over MLK weekend my senior year, a combo trip of the upper level French classes and the National Honor Society.  It was an uncomfortable, mostly sleepless overnight bus trip there, but when I woke up from my few hours of sleep and saw Montreal--its lights, familiar buildings, and French signs--I was spellbound.  I made it through that first day on total adrenaline, getting through a very cold walking tour, chocolate croissants, dinner (where we grilled our own garlic bread!), and an IMAX movie that turned into a bit of a mess.  One poor kid fell asleep, had his face drawn on as a joke, got laughed at, and promptly tried to be the "cool guy" after by latching on to the group sneaking out to a club.  The Quebec drinking age is 18 (he wasn't, but others were), but it was a school trip so it wasn't allowed.  To make matters worse, he got drunk and sick, and it definitely put a damper on the rest of the weekend because those kids were in trouble.  I conked out really early after watching Hockey Night in Canada in French (with my beloved Pierre!).  Our next day was super fun (but VERY cold) snow tubing and a beautiful basilica, then on to a sugar shack for a traditional French Canadian dinner.  The only highlights of our last day, which mostly featured a very long bus ride back, were finding a French newspaper in the parking garage with an article about one of my group of "cute-designated" hockey players and getting my plush hockey-adorned Kermit the Frog, an exclusive to Canadian McDonald's (despite the language barrier).  It was such a dream come true, and I am in denial that it could be 30 years ago.  I was a senior in high school, for Pete's sake...I can't be that old that it's been 30 years!  It's absolutely crazy to me.  Here are some of my pictures.

Parliament

The only walled city in North America

This view was so cool, with all these old buildings.

I had long been captivated by the Chateau Frontenac, so seeing it like this was amazing.

We did go in to the Chateau for a bit.  It was predictably gorgeous.

This street was memorable for having a sex shop on it, which obviously amused the gaggle of teenagers.

The Funiculaire was pretty cool.  I had only done an incline railway in Niagara Falls once, which I loved, so I was very excited to do this one--also, because the alternative stairs were snowy and are called "Breakneck Stairs" for a reason.

Walking around Old Quebec was magical.

This is Ste-Anne de Beaupre, a basilica and shrine.  It was beautiful inside, full of mosaics (and people's crutches and braces).

We stopped at this sugar shack briefly, and I was obsessed with their hockey wall.  This was one of those experiences that solidified that I should be Canadian.

The view from our hotel on our last day

It was such a memorable trip, and someday I'll get back--although I know even less French now than I did then, so it's a little more intimidating.  But someday.

Anyway, I can get in a Quebec state of mind when the weather here does its best Quebec impersonation over the coming weeks.  Too bad the scenery isn't quite as good, no?  But back to trying to plan some other change of scenery, though...