Celebrating 74

Pete would've been 74 yesterday, and to commemorate that, Sarah, Paul, and I met at a favorite restaurant in Faribault in his honor.  For more than the 37 years we were married, I'd made Pete his beloved Æblekage (Danish apple cake) as his birthday cake, and I saw no reason not to this year.  I love the not-too-sweet dessert as well, and packed up two containers of the stuff to share, one each for Sarah and Paul.  If only Scott were around to share the day with us.

It's not often we meet for over a meal in a restaurant, something I relish.  Somehow being outside the house with the kids puts us on a more even playing field--we chatter away and some of the realities crippled by being "family" melt away.  We can enjoy one another simply as human beings.

Later I contemplated watching the Super Bowl (#51), a bit skeptical about really being able to enjoy it.  Pete was always the football lover, and whereas I always watch the ball, he'd see the bigger picture, the entire field, and make comments like, "did you see the block that guy made?" etc. Thinking how Pete would enjoy the game, I decided to give watching the thing a shot.  My sweet neighbor Brittany had invited me to join the bash they were hosting, but somehow I just wanted to watch with the dog, the cat, Pete's photos, and his yet-to-be-buried urn.

So with merely a glass of ice water in hand (just wasn't in the party mode), the two critters and I watched the kickoff, the first and second quarters, and I shook my head as Atlanta was so far ahead at the end of the first half, the score being something like 28-3.  The poor Patriots just couldn't get things going, and I wondered what Pete would've said.  I felt this was a real "yawner" of a game and toggled back and forth in the second half between the game and PBS's Victoria.

But when I switched back to find the third quarter nearly over, the Patriots had gotten their act together, and the score? 28-20.  So...with just seconds left in the game, the Patriots, after an amazing diving catch and a herculean effort, tied the game and for the first time in Super Bowl history, the game went into overtime.  I could just imagine Pete's excitement, yet I wasn't sure he was cheering for the Patriots. Though I think I remember him being a Tom Brady fan.

And the rest now is history...the Patriots marching down the field, their scoring, and their amazing come-from-behind victory.  I think the Super Bowl's exciting game was a sweet gift to my 74-year-old guy.  A warm, tender feeling.  Missing him more each day.