The scar on my forehead is healing nicely. Thanks for asking. It's still prominent but fading. That fall in the darkness of my London hotel room could have gone quite differently. More than a few people have reminded me that's how Bob Saget died. But here I am, glad I didn't lose an eye or break my teeth on that solid wood nightstand. Lesson learned.
That fiasco put a punctuation mark on my London weekend but did not define it. A couple weekends before that I did the college reunion and visited Lambeau for a Packers game, so October was truly a month filled with big happenings. Yet none compares with this past weekend.
It started Friday when my top girls went 1-2 at League Finals and the team as a whole won the title. They did it in dramatic fashion, with the margin of victory just one point. My boys team, a very young and inexperienced group of runners, came very close to pulling off an upset and making the postseason. It was not to be. They're all great young men and women. I look forward to seeing how the postseason unfolds for the girls and how the next 2-3 years of competition look for the boys. Yes, I'll be there. I need to coach. Even the checkout clerk at the grocery store told me that yesterday.
Not to be outdone, Saturday saw my middle son get married. The ceremony took place at a lovely wedding venue in the foothills near Pasadena. I was the officiant. It's a surprisingly easy gig, though I did make a few small errors, such as referring to the bride as the husband. Did a quick reboot, got it right the second time, and got surprisingly emotional as it came time to pronounce them married. Calene had hoped to be there for that special day. She should have been. She was missed.
Sunday was the reception, which I hosted. I'm still tired. The day began with breakfast at Memphis Cafe, a southern place in Costa Mesa. My friend Steve Sandoval and I are making a habit of this. Then I had roughly four hours to prepare my home for 70 people. Cleaning, hosing down the dog pee in the backyard, going to the grocery store for small bites and a shopping cart full of beer, wine, and ice. It's been 40 years since I've entertained solo but I was taught by the maestro. All in all, I'd say I laid out a nice spread.
Got done with an hour to spare so I took a book and a beer into my hidden corner of the backyard and enjoyed the calm before the storm. The crowd came in swells instead of tidal waves, so the house never felt quite full. I toddled off to bed before everyone had gone home because I had to get up at 5 for morning practice. Woke up to a spic-and-span house. Someone even ran the dishwasher and took out the trash.
It's been quite a year. Best of times, worst of times. I'm trying to embrace the lows and highs equally. Just me and the dogs, filling the long quiet hours between practices and weekends.