I owe my 2 year old a beer

This year has been nuts. Actually, the last 2 years have been nuts (refer to the title if you’re wondering why). Anyone who tells you being a parent is instinctual is full of shit. It’s a roller coaster of love, happiness, fear and a whole lotta wingin’ it. But there’s nothing like it.

So between work, fatherhood and getting ready for the whole house selling, moving, build planning, etc, by June I was beyond ready for a vacation. Luckily, one of my wife’s best friends was getting married down in Outer Banks and boom, we were on our way.

Now as fate would have it, the Washington Capitals were in the midst of their Stanley Cup run. Each and every game of each and every series, I was waiting for the bottom to drop out and for the team to find a way to blow it. But as we all know, they just kept pulling through and playing elite hockey.

Me being a huge Caps fan, I was highly concerned on how I was going to be able to watch the game during the wedding reception. But of course this wasn’t any game, this was the potential Cup clinching game 5, as the Caps found themselves up 3-1.

Before you say, “Well you idiot, just watch it on the live streaming app on your phone or iPad”, let me tell you that was already figured out.

But getting the game on a screen in front of me isn’t the problem, it’s my little 2 year old best bud that doesn’t sit still for any longer than 37 seconds.

“But just have your wife watch him and you can watch the game” -delusional single guy. Wrong answer. We traveled a long way and my wife deserved to be able to party and enjoy every moment of her BFF’s wedding (husband of the year, I know). So I was on Dad duty, and hey, it is what it is. If I missed a Caps win, we’re still the champs. If they lose, it’s probably better I didn’t watch a lot of it. I told myself this but I didn’t really mean it.

So once it was time for the puck drop, the iPad was set up, and a few of the other guests were taking it in. Where was I? Back and forth chasing my son around, because although my wife was running around with him too, little dude is a handful.

Once the first intermission came, tensions were high. Not because of anything with the game, but because my son was being the opposite of good. It had gotten to the point to where, I’m sure any parents reading this could relate, my son had made a decision to do absolutely EVERYTHING he wasn’t supposed to, and when we stopped him or redirected him, he threw an absolute fit.

My wife and I decided that an evacuation was the only answer, as it was nearing his bedtime and sleep was what he needed. So I scooped him up, left my wife at the reception to have fun with her friends, loaded him in the car, and drove him around Outer Banks for about 15 min until he conked out.

By the time I got the car parked, fired the iPad back up and got the game on, it was the middle of the 2nd period. Although I was a little bummed to not be having fun at the wedding, I was not upset that I was soaking up every minute of the game. My wife was done at the wedding and in the car with just a few minutes left in the 3rd. We got back to the hotel parking lot with under a minute left in the game, and I sat in the car with my 2 favorite people in the world, and got to watch the Caps win the first championship for any team in DC since I was a year old.

We sat in the car for another 20 minutes watching the celebration and presentation of the Cup. My wife would probably tell you I cried a little, but there was just a lot of dust in the car. It was a night I’ll never forget.