Go Cubs!!

Last Friday was my son’s 10^th birthday. We surprised him with tickets to the Cubs game that day. He opened a box and it had the tickets in it for the game that day, he was so exited and it was great to see his reaction. We also gave him a bunch of sports gear, because he is a sports nut. He got two tennis rackets, golf shoes, a bat and a bunch of miscellaneous smaller stuff. We took the train down to the city that morning to see the game and stopped for lunch in Wrigleyville. We went to a bar & grill called Moran’s and $70 later we were off walking around at all the vendors outside the stadium. My son was looking for a youth fitted hat and we finally found a vendor that had them for $21. At this point I knew this was going to be an expensive outing for the day. Inside the stadium beer was $6.50 and soda $4.50, hot dogs were $4.25 and it goes on and on. Don’t get me wrong I am not being a whiny cheap ass, but these prices are a little over the top take your family to the ballgame. Once inside I drank a few beers, relaxed and enjoyed the day, knowing how much my son was enjoying his B-Day. At that point, I knew that I couldn’t put a price tag on any of it.

On Sunday, my town was hosting a Sprint Triathlon. My wife, son and I got up early and headed out to the driveway, as the running portion was running down our street that morning. We saw the lead guy run by with a police escort and all the others soon to follow. We encouraged and cheered for every one of the participants. It was amazing how many said thanks and I really needed that. We had so many encouraging comments back, I was so amazed. I truly can’t believe how a few words can give someone that extra boost when they are struggling to complete their race. Since my family has been on the other side of the running, we knew how important it was to encourage every last one of them. It was an amazing thing to watch and inspiring to see. So inspiring that my wife and I went out and ran 7 miles after the runners went by.