Lynchburg Link-Up

Carrie went on a fox hunt. Shane and I went to Lynchburg. Everybody was busy Saturday!

Who do you think we found in the hotel?

If you guessed Kyle, you were right!

Kyle's first words were something like: "Wow, he seems to quiet! Did he nap?"

My reply: "Give it a minute."

Whether those were our exact words or not, they describe the situation perfectly. Soon, Shane was bouncing from bed to bed and crawling on Kyle while we hit him with pillows.

Kyle didn't have to ref until 7 PM, so we went out and about town.

Shane played his first round of putt-putt! I figured it was appropriate since Kyle pulls out his golf clubs whenever he hangs his skates up at the end of the season.

Shane needed a few pointers on his grip.

Kyle tried.

It lasted for one swing.

At least, Shane figured out the part about getting the ball in the hole. He wasn't always good about waiting his turn.

I've made a mental note to remember the place we went to. It had batting cages...

...and go-carts, too! It wasn't the largest venue, but there's plenty to keep a six or seven year old busy.

Kyle suggested Chic-Fil-A for lunch. He's wise about kids for someone who doesn't have any.

Shane went bonkers and we got to sit and talk for a bit. I'm starting to get more accustomed to talking to adults while being on Shane duty again. The kid played his heart out.

We dropped Kyle off at his hotel and made our exit. It would have been great to see the hockey game, but I didn't think Shane would last that long. He napped the whole way home!

It was great to get a chance to see Kyle. We were supposed to go last week, but the flu struck. I'm glad it all worked out.

Saturday Sports

Saturday was sports, sports, and more sports.

I started the day off at a wrestling tournament. Shane went to Mommy's barn first and got dropped off later.

Coach K's kids were there!

The kids raced all over after our first match. I played line guard and stood on the far side, so no one could run onto an active mat. I made the awesome move/mistake of showing them how to sling each other around in circles. When the boys each grabbed one of Kira's arms and tried to sling her opposite directions, I had to establish some guidelines. There were no injuries to report. Only lots of fun. The kids hid in a corner and played Perry on my phone when the wrestling started back up. I don't think most people realize how kid friendly wrestling tournaments can be.

That night, Shane and I drove down to Lynchburg for hockey. Kyle was in the neighborhood again!

December 17th, before bed time and out-of-the-blue,

Shane: "Daddy, am I going to see Kyle again?"

Me: "Kyle? Sure. Did you like hockey?

Shane: "Oh yes!"

Of course, I texted Kyle. "Tell us when you're in our neighborhood again!"

Saturday, was the day.

Kyle reffed a match between Liberty and WVU. It was a beautiful arena. Shane and I saw every inch of it.

"I tried to keep track of you all, but you were in a different part of the stadium every time I turned around!" Kyle said.

Yup.

Everywhere.

We even rode the elevator between periods.

It was a small arena, but it smelled of new. New and expensive.

We thought the mini-kids rink was awesome.

 We found a stray puck in the stands, later. It performed admirably.

I never knew soccer would help Shane in hockey. 

When the match ended (9-0 for Liberty), Shane ran the locker room corridors to wait for Kyle. 

When I tired, I forked over my phone.

Shane, Kyle, and the other refs went to dinner after they cleaned off. Shane wedged himself next to Kyle in the booth. I wish I had a picture. Shane probably thought it was the coolest thing. He got to eat a fancy PB&J, sit next to Kyle, at a table of hockey refs/players, and watch Little Einsteins on my phone.

I enjoyed talking to Kyle and his colleagues. There was a melee on Friday night that refused to quit. Round 2 was scheduled the next day. Everyone voted Kyle to don the armband (head ref). They talked shop and I learned what I could. It's neat to hear about the behind the scenes world they walk. All of the refs travel much farther than you'd expect, too.

I thought Shane would fall asleep on the ride home. He proved me wrong. The trip was worth it. I didn't realize the first trip was way back in October. Where did the time go?

Run to Roanoke

Shane and I drove to Roanoke to visit my cousin Kyle (who was dubbed 'Uncle Kyle' to Shane). If the stripes and skates don't make it obvious, Kyle is a professional referee. He works the college scene on weekends.

Shane and I met Kyle at his hotel. He'd reffed two games the day before. We ate breakfast and Shane showed off how hyper he could be after 90+ minutes in the car.

The wall at breakfast looked good to climb.

The trees in the courtyard were delightful, as well.

I wouldn't let him run across the covered swimming pool, but we found an elevator.

Kyle and I finally got to sit and talk some when Shane discovered a rock garden. He built an asteroid belt.

None of the staff seemed to mind. Kyle and I made Shane clean up before we moved on. It was less disruptive than some of the games the cousins and my family used to play...

Afterwards, we went to Kyle's room to collect his gear. Shane loved it all. He wanted Kyle to make his helmet fit him.

He wasn't sure what to do with the "knee guard."

"Is it a hat?"

"Nope."

It's hard to keep a straight face when a four-year old waves around a nut cup and can't figure out it's purpose.

Then Shane grabbed a bunch of hangars to build with. In his eyes, the day got better and better.

Kyle gave him an official NHL hockey puck as a gift. Shane rolled it behind Kyle all the way to the parking lot.

Shane and I followed Kyle to the Berglund Center.

Shane chased after Kyle wherever he went.

It wasn't hard to guess where Kyle wanted to go. There was hockey afoot. 

You don't become a ref unless you like a sport or you're crazy. Kyle's crazy for hockey.

Shane's not there yet, but the zamboni caught his eye (they are awesome).

Kyle told Shane some of the basics, but he wasn't around to spectate. He had to get to work at some point.

I ended up going up many, many stairs.

The numbers changed, but Shane's goal remained the same: Get to the top.

Over....

...and over...

....and over.

I got a small break when the zamboni came out.

Shane was pumped for hockey when Kyle came out suited up. He loved everything he'd seen.

The excitement had taken it's toll, though. Shane was hungry and tired (not that he'd admit it). We only stayed for the very beginning of the game.

Shane got to see his Uncle Kyle drop puck and skate on.

When we left, Shane said, "I'm going to miss Uncle Kyle. I love him," and "I like hockey."

I told Kyle that if Shane ends up a hockey fan, this is where it will have started.

Shane tried to explain some of the rules to Carrie later. He called the sticks clubs, and the puck "the black thing you hit," but he remembered who the goalies were and how you score.

Speaking of Carrie: She had no idea of the shenanigans we were up to.

Shane and I sent her a selfie to start the conversation.