Bright, Cold Saturday

I feel like I'm in a study to see just how cold a human can get sitting in an unheated hockey rink. Each week I dress a bit warmer and the weather gets that much colder. You'd think being inside would offer some relief, but Jack practiced at the older rink today. The ice is fine, but along the exterior walls there are huge 5-foot exhaust fans that allow in daylight (and Canadian arctic air). The rink is cold.

Jack doesn't mind. He's loving hockey and comes off the ice drenched in sweat. For a while practices where a drag for him. We'd have to coax him through the drills or watch as he skated off to sit on the bench or in the penalty box. Over the last 3 weeks he has done well following the drills. He is noticeably better than he was last month. Earlier, he still had a hard time skating backwards for more than a few yards, now he can go the length of the ice. He does it slowly, but he is doing it.

Tonight Jodi and I hired a babysitter to go out to eat. Truth be told, it was a trial run to see if she could survive Aidan when we take Jack to kindergarten registration next Thursday.

It went well, the sitter survived and the boys were in one piece. We had a nice time, too. After seeing it went well, Jodi said we need to go out once a month. I'll hold her to it. The only problem is the lack of decent restaurants nearby. Waconia has very little. Which means we have to travel. Minneapolis and St. Paul are too far, same for Eden Prairie. Which leaves Chaska: Ruby Tuesday, Pauly's, and a few others. Oh, well at once a month it's easier to swallow the $5 beer. I thought I was at the dome.