Author Archives: teamfricke

Day 12: Damn You Jet Lag

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And here I was worried that Melanie would be the one battling.  I sat down to type this up 60 minutes ago and am only to get four words typed before falling asleep only to wake ten minutes later and start the process over again.  Wow, I am tired.  Jet Lag 1 – Aaron 0

Given my fatigue, I am just going to mail this one in and post some pictures from our short day wandering through the Dubai mall and of the Burj Khalifa…the world’s tallest building.

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Oh and here is a video of a fountain show.  Can’t wait to see it at night.

 

 

Day 11: Let The Games Begin

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We have arrived in Dubai and quite frankly I don’t even know what day it is after losing an entire day to travel. Melanie got in late last night and I got here just a couple hours ago. Now begins the battle versus jet lag. Surprisingly I slept really well on the plane, thank you first class, and with me arriving in the morning I think I will be alright. Unfortunately for Melanie, the one that is here for work, she didn’t sleep well and I fear she will have a bit of a battle. Off for now to fake the lifestyles of the rich and famous.

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Day 10: Standing Ovation?

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On my way to Dubai with a layover in Boston and I get to spend the evening watching the pats game with my good buddy John Lombardi. A couple things I discovered tonight is that the beauty of real friends is that you can go for years without talking and then pick up where you left off…something John bragged about for some reason when he left Dallas years ago. I also discovered that the fans here give a standing ovation at the end of the game. Rather than just walk out of the bar, the entire crowd stood and applauded the victory.

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Day 9: New Found Respect

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A little over a month ago I joined an instructional hockey league. It is a game I love to watch and have always wanted to play. Once the boys started playing I figured it was finally time for me to give it a try. Tonight was my first game and I now have so much more respect for Mason. I also now understand why he sometimes loses track of the puck. Such a fast game.

Day 8: The Sugar Fairies Arrive

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As Melanie and I are about to head out of the country for a week, in comes Grandma, Aunt Pat, and Grandma Pam to stay with the boys. I thought at first the spoiling would wait until we left, then I looked at the counter in the kitchen and found a pecan pie, cinnamon rolls, chocolate cinnamon cake, fudge of all sorts, m&ms, and Swedish fish. Not sure if this is all for the boys or to help the elderly keep up their energy level. Either way, I sat down with Mason tonight and asked him to please try and watch over the asylum while we are away. Hope the house is still standing upon our return.

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Day 7: He Had A Dream

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In school, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of MLK’s speech, the kids read and were taught about it and then asked to write a letter to Dr. King.  A few weeks ago we were approached by his teacher letting us know that she had submitted Mason’s letter to be the one representing the school at the district level for a competition with the winners reading at a special celebration on the 23rd.  While we were on the cruise I got an email from his teacher, Mrs. James, letting us know that he was one of four kids selected from the school district as a “winner”.  I was very proud to read this email while on the boat, but I just read through what he wrote, as a copy was sent home, and I must say that win or lose I could never be more proud of him.

“Dear Dr. King,

I know how to keep your dream alive and the fiftieth anniversary, too.  We can help more people be nice.  We can help people if they are hurt.  We can help people be safer and have equal rights.  I will make a speech to the world like you.  I will go everywhere and make this speech.  I will help people in my school be a better person by telling them what is right and what is wrong.  I learn about you in school and that makes me feel powerful to help others.  Someday I might be like you.

Sincerely,

Mason Fricke”

Day 6: Pay Back

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For those that know me well, you know that I have a bit of a ornery and sarcastic sense of humor. A lot of my family says that I got it from my Grandpa Lewis…the man that used to catch me as I ran past and proceed to squeeze my head between his knees like a vice until I cried. As Cutler gets older and you can see his sense of humor taking shape it would appear he is carrying on the tradition. At times I chuckle at what he does, but the majority of the time I just grind my teeth in frustration then chuckle when I think about how proud Grandpa Lewis would be.

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Disney Cruise – Meeting The Characters

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So we went on a cruise the week before Christmas, a Disney Cruise to be exact, and today I realized as part of my 365 days of posts I should be pushing to not procrastinate on these types of posts as well.  So, I will start off with the simple post of the different kids pics meeting the characters.  Unfortunately Disney likes to charge $4000 for all of their digital photos taken on the boat, fortunately they let this non professional take photos after they take theirs.

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Day 5 – The Sports Loving Father’s Dream

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A father that is also a lover of all things sport, I am currently living the dream of having an 8 year old son that is even more of a sports nut than myself.  Once I was able to get past the aggravation that comes with the one million and one inane questions that come in a constant flow, it really is pretty fun to sit back and just soak in his enthusiasm.  Tonight at dinner, following hockey practice, we sat at Jersey Mike’s and I watched him in giddy anticipation for the kick off of the BCS game where he proudly predicted “I think Florida St is going to win, or Auburn.”  With predictions like that it may be time to take a trip to Vegas for a day at the sports book.  As he was about to go to bed I informed that Auburn was up 14-3 and he pumped his fist in the air in pride of his prediction.

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Master sports prognosticator.