Exhausted!

By Wilfred Bereswill

Did you ever feel like you need to get back to work to rest from a vacation?  That's me right now.  As Jennie Bentley mentioned in her blog Friday, I was in Nashville on Thursday and Friday.

My middle daughter, Kristen, has been an avid hockey fan for many years.  Sometime in her early years, say 7 or 8 years old, she started cuddling next to me on my recliner to watch a St. Louis Blues game.  I guess it was our way of bonding.

For many of those years, the Blues have sponsored a bus trip to a game in Nashville, but you had to be 21 to join in because alcohol was involved.  Every year she reminded me that after she turned 21 we were going to go on the trip.  Well, she turned 21 a couple of months ago and...this year the Blues decided not to have a sponsored trip.  No bus to Nashville with a bunch of noisy, drunk hockey fans.

Well, as it turned out she was on spring break from college and the Blues just happened to be playing in Nashville on Thursday.  So we hopped in the convertible and headed 275 miles south, just the two of us.  We woke up at 5 AM and hit the road, arriving in time to catch the team as they walked from their morning practice to the hotel.  Of course, my 21 year old daughter was in heaven being around a bunch of young, strapping hockey players.  Here are a few of the pictures.

Here is Kristen with (left to right) Jay MacClement, Eric Brewer, Barret Jackman and Roman Polak.  BTW, Barret Jackman inspired a character in my book, an FBI Agent named Bart Jackman.

Kristen with T.J. Oshie.

Kristen with David Backes.

There are about 20 more like this, so you get the picture.  And the smile on her face is genuine.  We walked around downtown Nashville and took in the sights.

Had lunch, dinner and went to the game.

I like Nashville.  They have Ice Girls.

After the game we hit a couple of bars.

Then checked into the Opryland Hotel and Resort.  This place is fabulous, enormous and expensive.

On Friday, we met the fabulous Jennie Bentley for lunch and talked shop.  Jennie is just as wonderful in person as she sounds in her posts and I was really glad she was able to make time in her schedule to meet us.

After lunch, we packed into the car, put the top down and drove 5 hours north.

I had another early day on Saturday, waking at 5 AM again to play golf.  It was the first round of the year and absolutely forgettable.  In other words, I played like crap.

Easter Sunday started early again with our annual Easter Egg hunt.  The hunt is a tradition in our family and the stakes are high.  This year there was about $150 at stake and my three daughters take it seriously.  It's an Easter Egg hunt with attitude.

After the hunt and Sunday Easter Mass we had my wife's family over and they all just left.

I need to get back to work to rest.